By NOELA EBOB BISONG
The Commonwealth of Nations, to which Cameroon is a member, has reaffirmed its unflinching support to the country, as it battles to regain its once cherished peace. Describing Cameroon as a ‘valued member’ of the association in a statement released recently by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the association says it welcomes dialogue initiatives and urges all parties to contribute their utmost best to see to it that peace returns in the country.
The statement released last August 23, 2019 reads that:
“The Commonwealth Secretary-General welcomes ongoing inclusive dialogue initiatives that address the root causes of the conflict in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon.
She encourages all parties to participate fully and sincerely in this process to bring lasting peace to Cameroon.
The Commonwealth Secretariat stands ready to support Cameroon, a valued member of the organization, in this important endeavour.”
It should be noted that the statement comes at a time when many in the country are predicting doom, following the sentencing of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and Co to life imprisonment with heavy fines. The sentence is being seen by many as a major sign that there will certainly be no dialogue to resolve the three-year ongoing unrest in the North West and South West regions. However, pundits hold that if the Commonwealth comes few days after the said sentence to announce that it welcomes “ongoing inclusive dialogue initiatives that address the root causes of the conflict”, it surely means it is probably seeing certain things which many especially in the two regions are not.