An Examination of the Ramifications of the Anglophone Crisis to Cameroon’s Peace and Development (2016-2019)

Abstract

The hard handedness of the Cameroonian government’s security forces against the peaceful demonstration by lawyers, teachers and civil society organizations from Anglophone Cameroon in 2016 escalated an already tense security situation in the country. The repressive response of the state security forces led to civilian deaths and the displacement of over 437, 000 people, mostly in the Anglophone regions of North West and South West of the country. Using a qualitative approach, the study examines the causes of the crisis as well as its ramifications on the people and on peace and development in Cameroon in general. The study found that the causes of the crisis are deep in history, and that the crisis had economic, political, social, and psychological ramifications on Anglophone Cameroonians and the country as a whole, as well as on Nigeria, its western neighbor. The study further noted the efforts of international actors such as the UK, US, and Switzerland, along with ECCAS and the African Union (AU), which have used largely diplomatic approaches to resolve the crisis. The study recommended, among other things, that these external actors intensify their efforts to bring a lasting solution to the crisis