THE ASSIMILATION OF SOUTHERN CAMEROONS BY LA REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROON.
The problem of the British southern Cameroons stems from a failed decolonisation process followed by annexation and systematic assimilation by La Repubique du Cameroun . This was attested by President Biya himself during the Paris peace forum where he said ,”we tried to assimilate them (Ambazonians) into our system but failed.”
Despite accepting failure in assimilating Southern Cameroonians,he is still committing troops to fight a war in Ambazonia which he knows he cannot win. His cosmetic solutions to the conflict are all tied to assimilation. This includes the bilingualism commission and his recent bill on the adoption of English and French as national languages. Even the Tripartite visit by the secretary general of La Francophonie ,the Commonwealth and the president of the African Union was all an attempt to dismiss the route cause of the conflict as simply a matter of colonial linguistic divide.
Assimilation of the state of Southern Cameroons started with dissolution of the federal union of two equal sates into a unitary state in 1972 by then President Amadou Ahidjo. The flag was also change from two stars to just one depicting the unitary state on 20th May 1975. The effacement of the Southern Cameroons state was completed in 1984 with the Country renamed “The Republic of Cameroon” by Paul Biya . Renaming it in French “La Republique du Cameroun” was to show the assimilation and annexation of Southern Cameroons was complete since is it the same name French Cameroun had prior to independence which it got on 1st January 1960 from France.
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The problem of southern Cameroons is that of failed decolonisation and recolonisation by our Francophone brothers. It is true some politicians denied the existence of a Southern Cameroons or Anglophone problem. These government officials are paid to tell lies. Fortunately ministers like Atanga Nji who refused there was even an Anglophone Problem are now acknowledging there is one after two years of conflict.
However, they still refuse to acknowledge the root cause of the problem. They claim the form of the state is non negotiable,understandably because the present form benefits them and their families .
President Paul Biya in his address on the 10th of September 2019 promised to solve the problems plaguing the North west and South west regions of the country through a national dialogue which was not represented by the people who have the problem. It was more of a monologue. He said the national dialogue will ease tensions . But how was it going to ease tensions when the form of the state or Ambazonia was a taboo Subject. The resolution of the dialogue was to offer a “special status” to Southern Cameroons ,something that has been totally dismissed by most Ambazonians.
President Biya also announced in February that municipal and parliamentary elections will be held in 2020 while he is yet to call a ceasefire or withdraw his troops in the ongoing war in Ambazonia. A war he declared himself .Majority of political parties and candidates continue to withdraw from the elections for obvious reasons.
The Social Democratic Front through its chairman in a letter that went viral on the social media said his party will not participate in the election unless the army of occupation was pulled out of Southern Cameroons.
After a very long silence as to the faith of the national dialogue ,the bill on granting of special status to Southern Cameroons was finally sent to parliament where its content met strong resistance particularly from Southern Cameroonians.
It is now clear President Biya has no intention to listen to voice of reason. While he continues his pretence,Southern Cameroonians remain resolute on the restoration of their statehood as the only way to lasting peace.
It seems the international community is also accepting this as fact. All that remains is frank negotiations to be initiated where a road-map is set for independence. Biya must now accept the people of Southern Cameroons have refused to be assimilated.
By
Electa Manyimucha
SCNC-UK Activist.
