Yesterday Sunday, the 7th of October, 2018, Barrister Agbor Balla, the initiator of the Anglophone struggle, proposed a lasting solution to the Anglophone crisis which has taken hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of Anglophone Cameroonians.
The solution was made public via an article published on the official website of the Aljazeera TV.
SEPARATION IS NOT THE SOLUTION AND VIOLENCE IS NOT THE SOLUTION.
This is what Barister Agbor Balla said…
The steps to take are simple. What is hardest is to find the courage to take them. Yet in these times, we must all find courage; there is no other way.
Firstly, Cameroonian President Paul Biya must rein in government security forces from violently repressing civilians. He must demilitarise the anglophone regions and order government forces to respect the right of Cameroonians to peacefully express themselves and assemble. Crucially, he must guarantee that justice is delivered to anyone who has committed violence and atrocities.
Secondly, President Biya must publicly commit to engaging in a mediated dialogue with Anglophone leaders to find a peaceful way out of the present crisis. He must allow Anglophone leaders from the diaspora to travel to Cameroon to participate in an Anglophone General Conference, as proposed by Cardinal Christian Tumi.
A dialogue won’t be possible without involving Anglophone leaders because they are influential, and their participation is crucial for the success of any peace initiative. These leaders should be granted immunity from arrest and a general amnesty should be granted to those who are imprisoned.
Thirdly, Anglophone leaders must commit to using nonviolence to fight for their cause. Leaders in the diaspora must order their followers in Cameroon to stop attacking schools, villages, and government forces. The right way to advance their cause is to convene together, commit to a ceasefire, and to make concrete proposals that can form a sound basis for a mediated dialogue with the government.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, international community leaders must support efforts for a mediated dialogue. They can do this by publicly calling for it and using their leverage to compel Cameroonian government and anglophone leaders to mediation.
The United Nations must continue offering mediation support and so must the United States and France.
France, whose legacy in Cameroon extends to colonial times, must insist with President Biya that he accept mediation efforts; the US government must press anglophone diaspora leaders living there to engage in a dialogue.
We understand that our country’s divisions cannot be healed overnight. There is no magic solution for the wounds that have been inflicted on us by colonialism, wounds that have deepened since our independence in 1961 and since the establishing of a unified federal government in 1972. It is only through an all-inclusive dialogue, between us Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians, that a solution can be reached.