Anglophone Crisis: Has Fru Ndi been Considered Traitor by His own People?

The Burning of his house just after the SDF convention has provoked lots

of questions about the Chairman within critics

I

t is no doubt that the current Anglophone crisis that has abjectly morphed into a mild armed struggle, has got untold mood swings that have kept on changing rapidly.

With the passage of time, the number of persons tagged by secessionists as foes to their struggle, keeps surging to the extent that almost everyone especially in the English speaking regions of Cameroon has apparently been subjected into avalanche of fear and fright.

Worse case scenario, is the case of those who dare to make their political standpoints especially vis-avis the crisis, public. They find themselves caught in the risk of either facing the wrath of security forces or having secessionists to contain.

This tricky situation has somewhat compelled others to stay totally indifferent to political issues of this nation for fear of the unknown.

Just like this idiomatic expression, this is how a cookie crumbles; this is how the situation now looks.

However, the recent arson attack on the residence of the national Chairman of the SDF party Fru Ndi, residence a man who has even confronted the head of state to tell him to descend to the field and find a lasting solution to the crisis, is the strangest of the curveballs thrown by the crisis and is also a strong indicator to what this crisis is metamorphosing to.

According to sources, Ni John Fru Ndi’s firewood Kitchen caught fire on Wednesday February 28, 2018 at about 9pm a time people are prohibited from moving at night in Bamenda

Pictures that have widely been circulated on social media show that the roof of an open space building presumed to be an external kitchen, was abjectly ravaged by the conflagration.

The Governor of the Northwest region, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique visited the scene of the mishap in the morning of Thursday March 1, 2018.

We also learnt that the governor and his entourage as well as security officials were welcomed to the Ntarikon palace by Chairman Fru Ndi.

Even though the source of the fire that ravaged part of the Chairman’s home had yet to be known at press time Friday, allegations were rife that unidentified persons poured fuel around the building before setting it on fire.

However, most critics have questioned how possible it was that an arson attack be staged on Fru Ndi’s house given that the Northwest region is currently observing dusk to dawn curfew that totally prohibits the movement of persons and property within this period.

In the meantime, the governor of the region has avowed that a probe has been launched in order to uncover perpetrators of the arson attack on the house of the national chairman.

Several opinion holders have also condemned the arson attack on the home of Chairman Fru Ndi. Some are asking question on who may have burn it given that not even a fly is allow to move at night in Bamenda.

It should be recalled that secessionists had earlier warned the national chairman of the SDF party against the convening of the SDF’s elective convention and especially in any part of the English speaking regions of the country.

However, Ni John Fru Ndi insisted that the elective convention of his party was going to hold in Bamenda, “come rain, come shine.”

And because of Fru Ndi’s insistence to hold the convention in Bamenda, secessionists called for ghost town operations that spanned throughout the period of the convention (three days).

Secessionist claimed that the reason they don’t want Fru Ndi to run or participate in any election is because he was a leader chosen by the people of the Northwest and Southwest regions. They claim that SDF was created to fight Anglophone marginalization and not to partake in politics and have thus indicted Fru Ndi for not being able to meet their expectations.

They also see Ni John Fru Ndi as one whose voice can cause a national fever and push the head of state to initiate the sought after dialogue. “There are thousands of people that have been internally displaced, thousand others as refugees in Nigeria and thousand more not in school and people are being killed on a daily basis and many have been arrested and jailed. if the national chairman says he will not run for elections because of these problems or until these problems are addressed, it will send signals even to the international community and they will start listening to us and the solution to the crisis will be found,” one of the secessionist leaders said in a video that has also made rounds on social media. 

However, Fru Ndi on his part has stated categorically and severally that the SDF is a national party and not a party for Anglophones or francophones.

By and large, there is a contagious fear that prevails in the Northwest region as even state authorities that are of Anglophone extraction have been abducted.

Truth be told, the crisis now begs for a lasting solution more than ever before.