The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has expressed its concerns over the increasing violence between Cameroon’s Government and separatists in the country’s English speaking region which continues to escalate.
In a statement issued Monday November 26, the Foundation said the ongoing violent confrontation bear no resemblance to the peaceful strike that began two years ago.
The statement continued that a peaceful Cameroon is vital not only for the region but for the wider continent. Often described as ‘Africa in miniature’, Cameroon reflects the cultural, ethnic and geographic diversity of the continent. This young nation also follows the wider trends of Africa’s growing youth demographic, with 15-34-year olds constituting over 77% of the population in the country.
The 2018 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, published a few weeks ago, highlights the ongoing Governance challenges in Cameroon and captures worrisome deteriorating trends. The Overall Governance measure continue to show decline particularly in the last five years.
This decline is manifested notably in the category of Safety & Rule of Law as measured mainly by the unsatisfactory performance relating to the Absence of Government Involvement in Armed Conflict, Absence of Government Violence against Civilians, National Security, Absence of Domestic Armed Conflict or Risk of Conflict and theReliability of Police Services.
Performance in the category of Participation & Human Rights has shown no noted improvement and has been negatively impacted by the recent Presidential elections where voter turnout in Anglophone regions was reportedly very low.
The Foundation continues to be gravely concerned over this ongoing crisis in Cameroon and urges all parties to come together to promote ethnic and religious understanding and engage in meaningful dialogue to find a nonviolent solution. We encourage the country’s leadership to connect more with its young population and intensify efforts to increase safety and bring peace and opportunity to all its citizens.
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