07/31/2018
Civil war in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon
Religious communities propose joint peace initiative – Hope for an end to violence (Press Release)
The joint peace initiative of the religious communities in Cameroon is a sign of hope for an end of the civil war. Religious representatives agree to mediate between rebel-groups and the government of Cameroon. Picture: Cameroon/jbdodane via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the joint peace initiative of the religious communities in Cameroon is a sign of hope that the civil war in the country might come to an end. “Time is running out! The initiative of the church representatives might be the last chance for political dialogue. It would be irresponsible not to use it,” emphasized Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director, in Göttingen on Tuesday. Representatives of the Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church, and Islamic community have issued a joint statement expressing their willingness to mediate talks between the government of Cameroon and the rebel groups who are fighting for an independent Anglophone region.
Cardinal Christian Tumi, Presbyterian Pastor Babila George Fochang, and the Imams Alhadji Mohammed Aboubakar and Tukur Mohammed Adamu had called for a peace conference in Buéa on August 29 and 30, 2018. The city, which is located in the Anglophone part of the country, was especially affected by the violence. The conference is supposed to be open to the general public.
In their call, the clergymen also urged the government to release all political prisoners in the Anglophone areas. In turn, the rebels should lay down their weapons. The government responded very cautiously to the clergymen’s appeal. Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary criticized the peace initiative, saying that it was not up to the religious leaders to impose conditions on the government – and they were certainly not in the position to demand the release of “terrorists”.
However, there will be no end to the violence in Cameroon without new initiatives. Recently, on Saturday night, gunmen attacked the prison in Ndop in the Anglophone region, setting 163 prisoners free – including several dozen alleged supporters of the Anglophone rebel groups.
Last Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed his deep concern about the human rights situation in the crisis region. He expressly regretted that the authorities of Cameroon did not allow representatives of his office to visit the embattled Anglophone regions.
Headerpicture: Cameroon/jbdodane via Flickr
