Cameroonians in Colorado Rally Against President Paul Biya
[/media-credit] Cameroon President, Paul Biya, and First Lady, Chantal Biya, at a reception for the Cameroon National Football team at the presidential palace in Yaounde. February 2017
Recent news reports point to many civilian deaths through police action. Meanwhile, others, including journalists, lawyers, and civil society leaders, have been arrested and placed on trial.
The Cameroon administration recently began the use of French in courts and classrooms in the Anglophone regions of the country as a way to promote bilingualism and national integration. This action sparked demonstrations. These were led by teachers’ and lawyers’ unions.
In an attempt to control the situation, the government authorized the shutdown of internet service to the Northwest and Southwest regions, the two English-speaking parts of the country where the trouble began. Additionally, the administration has taken other measures to preserve order. These include the creation of a commission on bilingualism and culture. The commission is to be chaired by the president.
British ansd French Interests Targeted
Around the world, the country’s diaspora has targeted British and French embassies and consulates. They say their colonial masters are complicit and doing nothing against human rights abuses. Furthermore, they complain about the oppression of minority Anglophones by the Biya administration.
The English-speaking Cameroonians in the Northwest and Southwest regions also say they have been marginalized for too long. They want a return to the two-state federal system the country formed when East and West Cameroon came together in 1961. However, others are calling for the secession or separation of the country’s Anglophone regions. They hope to form a country which they have named Southern Cameroons or the Ambazonia Republic.
While the situation has received plenty of international media coverage, it’s difficult to say what comes next in the country of about 25 million people. The country has generally enjoyed peace. However, there are fears the current situation could escalate and threaten stability in the Central African region.
Cameroonian Diaspora in Colorado Raises Concern
In Colorado, the Cameroon diaspora of more than 250 (many of them U.S. citizens) is spread around South East Aurora, Centennial, Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. The community wants to make their voice heard about the situation in their native country.
Community leader, Lucas Nkwelle, a teacher with the Aurora Public School system, said he recently met with Denver Mayor, Michael Hancock, and other city officials. Their goal was to seek solutions to the situation in Cameroon.
Nkwelle said his community will gather at the Aurora Public Library on Sunday, February 26, for a town hall meeting. They aim to express their concern about the current situation in the country.
Political Leaders Offer Help
The leaders have also sought help from former Aurora city councilman, Ryan Frazier. Their objective, I was told, is to address the situation in Cameroon.
Meanwhile, in an interview granted to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the program “Focus on Africa,” government spokesperson and communications minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said many of the accusations made against the administration are untrue.
Bakary told BBC’s Audrey Brown the government is open to dialogue and negotiations with the Anglophones, so long as their demands are within the laws and constitution of the country. He said while the internet is a “marvelous tool,” the government shut it down in the Anglophone regions because it was being used “to incite hatred, political upheaval, riots” in the country.
