Background of existing trust issues in Cameroon

by Marienne Makoudem and Manon Michelle Monhemius

The violent conflict in Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions, which has been ongoing since 2016, manifests the divisions between Cameroon's two major linguistic communities: the Anglophones and the Francophones. Since Cameroon's independence, this division has prevailed, sometimes latently, other times openly. Due to the violent conflict, people living in these regions have been forced to move. 

Yaoundé is one of the host cities for the displaced. It is also home to Cameroon's two largest universities: the University of Yaoundé I and the University of Yaoundé II-Soa. Displaced students have increased the proportion of English-speaking students in these universities, increasing the risk of conflict between these two large communities. In addition, there are mutual accusations between the Anglophone and Francophone communities. Anglophones accuse Francophones, the majority in the country's administration, of being the cause of their poor social conditions. Francophones, on the other hand, are trying to defend themselves because they are also facing precarious living conditions and have lost family members and properties due to this violent conflict. 

The quest for national unity has always been at the heart of the State's concerns. The multiplicity of more or less autonomous centres of influence, sometimes based on the wide sociological diversity that characterises the country, is a risk to the construction of Cameroon today. Given the insecurity and socio-political crises the country has experienced in recent years, Cameroon's main challenges remain the restoration of peace, consolidation of living together and national unity. Solving these challenges calls for participatory and more decentralised management with the involvement of all population segments. 

Peace is a prerequisite and an indispensable condition for the people's aspirations for emergence. Authorities know that the persistence of the crisis in the South-West and North-West regions could seriously compromise the country's development ambitions. Hence the need to put an end to this crisis. It will also be necessary to eradicate the BOKO HARAM terrorist sect and continue working for peace and security in the Gulf of Guinea and the sub-region. Within the framework of the National Development Strategy of Cameroon 2020 – 2030 (NDS30), a fundamental assumption is the gradual return of peace in these regions by 2023. Failure to achieve this is likely to have consequences not only for economic development but also for public finances and the improvement of basic social amenities.