The Head of State returned to the Anglophone crisis in his address to the nation on December 31, 2017.
Paul Biya has reserved a good part of his speech of December 31, 2017, the socio-political crisis that shakes the Northwest and Southwest, the two English-speaking regions of the country, for a year and a half. The Head of State stayed on his position. That of a dialogue, but in a republican context.
"Dialogue, as I say, has always been and will always remain for me, the preferred way of solving problems, as long as it fits strictly within the framework of republican legality ," he said. just after recalling that in the face of socio-professional demands, he "asked the Government, from the beginning of the crisis, to engage in a constructive dialogue with English-speaking teachers and lawyers, with the aim of finding solutions to their demands. Many actions have been taken by the Government following this dialogue, going even beyond the original claims. Others are under way or envisaged, " said the President of the Republic.
On the other hand, hammering the tenant of Etoudi, it is out of the question to be imposed a dictation by those whom he qualified as criminals. " We have all witnessed the severity of the overflows that have resulted. The symbols of the Republic have been desecrated. The education of our children was taken hostage by criminal arsonists who did not hesitate to set fire to schools and attack students. Economic and social activities have been disrupted by irresponsible slogans, imposed on people by threat, intimidation and violence. Bombings have been perpetrated. Many of our compatriots lost their lives in the violence orchestrated by the secessionists. Members of our defense and security forces have been murdered in cold blood, doing their duty, " said Paul Biya.
For several months now, there has been a dangerous escalation of violence in English-speaking areas. After attacks in schools or markets, the defense and security forces were targeted. In the space of 8 weeks, about twenty soldiers, gendarmes and policemen were killed. Crimes that the government attributes to the separatists.
The Head of State recalled that he will not negotiate this aspect of things. "As I have recently recalled, it is my duty to watch over the republican order, the social peace, the unity of the Nation and the integrity of Cameroon. The security operations undertaken in this regard have yielded excellent results. They will continue without weakness, but not excess, " he warned.
Regarding the form of the state, the successor of Ahmadou Ahidjo remains inflexible on the present decentralized unitary state. "I know that the wish of all Cameroonians of goodwill is that tensions stop in the North-West and South-West regions and that the situation returns to normal. The overwhelming majority of Cameroonians aspire to live together in peace . Hence, he stressed, the creation of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism , "whose role in promoting our coexistence will be essential" .
Paul Biya has reserved a good part of his speech of December 31, 2017, the socio-political crisis that shakes the Northwest and Southwest, the two English-speaking regions of the country, for a year and a half. The Head of State stayed on his position. That of a dialogue, but in a republican context.
"Dialogue, as I say, has always been and will always remain for me, the preferred way of solving problems, as long as it fits strictly within the framework of republican legality ," he said. just after recalling that in the face of socio-professional demands, he "asked the Government, from the beginning of the crisis, to engage in a constructive dialogue with English-speaking teachers and lawyers, with the aim of finding solutions to their demands. Many actions have been taken by the Government following this dialogue, going even beyond the original claims. Others are under way or envisaged, " said the President of the Republic.
On the other hand, hammering the tenant of Etoudi, it is out of the question to be imposed a dictation by those whom he qualified as criminals. " We have all witnessed the severity of the overflows that have resulted. The symbols of the Republic have been desecrated. The education of our children was taken hostage by criminal arsonists who did not hesitate to set fire to schools and attack students. Economic and social activities have been disrupted by irresponsible slogans, imposed on people by threat, intimidation and violence. Bombings have been perpetrated. Many of our compatriots lost their lives in the violence orchestrated by the secessionists. Members of our defense and security forces have been murdered in cold blood, doing their duty, " said Paul Biya.
For several months now, there has been a dangerous escalation of violence in English-speaking areas. After attacks in schools or markets, the defense and security forces were targeted. In the space of 8 weeks, about twenty soldiers, gendarmes and policemen were killed. Crimes that the government attributes to the separatists.
The Head of State recalled that he will not negotiate this aspect of things. "As I have recently recalled, it is my duty to watch over the republican order, the social peace, the unity of the Nation and the integrity of Cameroon. The security operations undertaken in this regard have yielded excellent results. They will continue without weakness, but not excess, " he warned.
Regarding the form of the state, the successor of Ahmadou Ahidjo remains inflexible on the present decentralized unitary state. "I know that the wish of all Cameroonians of goodwill is that tensions stop in the North-West and South-West regions and that the situation returns to normal. The overwhelming majority of Cameroonians aspire to live together in peace . Hence, he stressed, the creation of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism , "whose role in promoting our coexistence will be essential" .