Cameroon President Paul Biya’s call for a national dialogue to resolve the crisis the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest hit a hurdle on Friday as the main opposition party demanded an amnesty for separatists, reported Africa News.
Earlier this week, President Biya announced his plan to hold a national dialogue later this month to solve the conflict between security forces and armed separatists from the anglophone minority in the west.
Ayuk Tabe, the leader of the separatist movement, dismissed Biya’s call as a “non-starter”. He described Biya’s dialogue initiative as an awkward and grudging attempt aimed at avoiding the United Nations sanctions. He pointed out that the government’s call for a national dialogue comes at a time when the UN will be deliberating on the Anglophone crisis in September and Mr. Biya and his government have been amply put on notice.
“President Biya unilaterally declared the ongoing war in the Northwest and Southwest regions. He must unilaterally declare an end to the war that he declared,” Tabe added.
On Friday, during a meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute who is leading the dialogue, the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), called for a general amnesty for detainees linked to the separatist crisis and a ceasefire before participating in the national dialogue. The party had put forward preliminary conditions for its participation in the long-awaited inclusive national dialogue.
“We have unequivocally noted that the announced inclusive national dialogue cannot effectively prosper without a calm environment: the declaration of a ceasefire and the guarantee of a general amnesty for all those involved at any level in the English-speaking crisis,” the statement read.
The two Anglophone regions of Cameroon have been in crisis for over two years after armed separatists declared the independence of the regions that constitute a minority in the largely French-speaking Cameroon. According to the United Nations, more than 530,000 people have been displaced internally by the conflict.
