"The government must, to eradicate violence in this delicate election year, implement political measures that will reduce the growing support that insurgents receive ," the Belgian organization suggests. She said Cameroon needs help from its international partners to " engage in a dialogue with the peaceful English-speaking leaders to discuss issues of decentralization and governance of the country ."
The ICG notes that in August 2017, it had sounded the alarm about the risk of an insurgency in these two regions of Cameroon " if a sincere dialogue, accompanied by strong measures of relaxation, was not started ". She regrets that the so-called Anglophone crisis passed a milestone in November 2017 when it was accompanied by armed attacks against the Cameroonian defense forces.
"Since then, at least sixteen soldiers and policemen have been killed and twenty wounded, following thirteen attacks by separatists. This is four times the number of soldiers killed by Boko Haram in the Far North during the same period, "informs the NGO.
It believes that following the crackdown by the defense and security forces of the September 22 and October 1, 2017 protests, English-speaking separatists have hardened and become more popular.
"Recruitment of fighters and the presence of training camps in border areas have been reported by Cameroonian official media and diplomatic sources contacted by Crisis Group. The participants in the armed struggle are divided into two categories. The first would consist of a dozen violent groups or self-defense groups, averaging ten to 30 members each: like the Tigers, Vipers or Ambaland forces, "informs the ICG.
ICG finds war declaration By Paul Biya against English-speaking secessionists, the militarization of the Southwest, international arrest warrants against secessionist leaders and the state of emergency imposed in the Manyu department, are actions that unfortunately demonstrate the " refusal to engage sincerely with English-speaking federalist activists who have never advocated violence, some of whom were incarcerated in January 2017 for political reasons ".
She finds that the military response alone is inappropriate for this war against the secessionists. " President Biya will hardly manage to stabilize the English-speaking regions by the only military response, and that would be at the cost of a laborious and costly counter-insurgency war ," warns the ICG.
Via Cameroon Today