Anglophone Crisis: Burning of Houses, Refusal to Open Inclusive Dialogue Catalyzed Radicalization-Bishop Bushu

The Bishop of the Buea diocese, Emmanuel Bushu Banlanjo, has made an in-depth review of the situation in the crisis stricken English speaking regions of Cameroon, Northwest and Southwest regions.

In an interview published by AFP, the clergy also explores the reasons for the radicalization that is underway in the two regions.

According to him, the burning of houses, killing of civilians, denial of abuses against people in North West and South West, refusal to open an inclusive dialogue, are all catalysts for persistent radicalization in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

“We are reaching a point of no return. At the beginning of the crisis, the lawyers 'and teachers' corporations called for dialogue, and that was a good thing. But some of them have been arrested. It was a very important turning point in the Anglophone crisis. On October 1, the army killed many people. For almost two weeks, they shot people like birds. The leaders did not believe that a dialogue would be possible after that. They called for the formation of groups to defend themselves in each community. And that's what happened. Now, outside Buea, it's a different world. It's a war zone,” said Bishop Emmanuel Bushu in an interview published May 5 by Agence France Presse.

In Cameroon, the call for partition of the country predates the movements that followed the strike of Anglophone lawyers and teachers in Bamenda at the end of 2016. The Southern Cameroon national council is the main bearer. This political movement, now illegal, has, since its creation in 1995, defended this ideology. Nevertheless, the numerical influence of secessionists had never been felt outside Anglophone regions, even though the reasons for supporting it were well known. The same is true of scenes of violence committed on a large scale.

For the prelate, it is the murder of the population that has changed the situation in recent months and provoked radicalization. “The government is on a line of defense of the integrity of the nation, and the people in front are ready to die. People who are fighting are not an army, they do not respond to an order. They respond to a desire not to be banished. They are farmers, people from villages, not trained soldiers to obey. They became radicalized from the moment they started to lose loved ones. When you lose one or more members of your family, you tell yourself that you want to fight and that you will not surrender. The army cannot do anything against them,

Emanuel Bushu, recommends a dialogue that will have to be conducted through intermediary. “Anglophones have to write their complaints, and facilitators listen to them. It is urgent; there are already hundreds of deaths. And above all, it must be ensured that it is followed by decisions. People fighting in English-speaking areas want unconditional dialogue with the authorities. But the authorities have put conditions.”

Reference is made to the Minister of Territorial Administration who has numerously and overtly stated that the government cannot dialogue with those who question national unity.

Source: Cameroon Online