The unending armed conflict in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon has been marked by a clear increase in the complexity of the situation faced by the victims of the atrocities perpetrated in several villages by the warrying parties. People who are forced to leave their homes and communities, whether running for their lives or needing to find a better one, face uncertainty and potential persecution.
As a journalist, I witnessed the disturbing evolution of the conflict in the most remote and impoverished areas, where peace never arrived and its inhabitants face with uncertainty, a security situation that has in many cases deteriorated seriously. “Peace? In my Division, the so called" relative calm" has even gotten worse than the conflict.” A victim of violence told this reporter some weeks ago.
Sadly, this reporter happens to understand this feeling, haven lived the crisis for over 6 years. Despite the widespread belief that the war in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon is over, in some parts of these regions, peace remains a fragile and distant hope. Many inhabitants have not seen any improvement in their living conditions, or the security situation in their villages.
Disappearances, death threats, targeted killings, sexual violence, large and small-scale displacement, extortion, confinement, the scourge of Improvised Explosive Devices IEDs, social control, and the recruitment of children by armed groups and gangs, are some of the most worrying effects of armed violence. In addition, transport dynamics remain a huge potential instability and a cause for concern.
A community leader in Menchum Division of the North-West Region, where community confrontations between angry gang of youths have been extremely difficult this year, told me recently : “it is difficult to have dreams, to plan for the future. When I get dressed in the morning and don´t know if I will take off my boots in the evening. I am never sure of living to see another day”. He has two children and has been threatened several times but has nowhere to go. This is how the violence caused by armed conflict looks like in the Anglophone part of the Country: fear and uncertainty about the future, leading to despair as common feedback from citizens who are victims of the crisis.
Like him, many people are still in need of assistance as there is a lack of access to essential services in many rural and even urban areas. Many NGOs have carried out series of emergency operations, providing both financial and psycho-social support to the displaced due to armed clashes. The number of new internally displaced people and homeless people, just as victims of IEDs are on the rise.
We need much more public interest to move towards a NOSO without violence. Not only state authorities, but also civil society actors as a whole should be involved in a response that must not be based exclusively on control and security, but should still be accompanied by a clear social investment that offers alternatives for development. The weapon carriers, meanwhile, must remember that even wars have limits. Respecting international humanitarian law is not an option, but an obligation.
In 2022 we cannot afford indifference: Cameroon and the international community must act in favour of the victims, without underestimating the growing complexity of the conflict, which requires a comprehensive and urgent response.
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