In the humanitarian world, we are constantly warned of signs that signify an impending crisis or war. We are told of what happened in Rwanda over and over again, because if we know about history, then we can prevent another Rwanda from happening. But evidently, that is not always the case. Cameroon- the country I lived in for four years, and the country I often call my second home- is undergoing a humanitarian crisis, and no one is talking about it.
While I was living there, Cameroonians constantly prided themselves on being one of the few peaceful nations in the region. Bordered by Nigeria, which has become infiltrated by Boko Haram terrorists, and the Central African Republic, which has remained plagued by civil war, Cameroon has miraculously managed to avoid conflict.
But not anymore. Although Cameroon prides itself on being a bilingual nation- the only nation on the continent that has both English and French as the official languages- anglophone speakers have long remained ostracized and marginalized. The minority English speaking population has always expressed desire to separate into its own nation, and separatists have since begun putting pressure on the government to address the discrimination faced by the country’s anglophones.
But the Biya administration has responded by ‘cracking down’ on separatists by using violence and intimidation. Peaceful protests calling for the law system to be practiced in Anglophone courts as opposed to the French-speaking system turned violent as military officials attacked protesters with tear gas and murdered them with guns. Villages are being burned, thousands of people have become displaced, and separatist leaders are being beaten, tortured, and murdered. The disturbing part is that most of the people who have been affected by the conflict are not even anglophone. Elders who do not speak a lick of English are the ones losing their ancestral homes- homes and villages that have been around for centuries. HISTORY is being destroyed.
Tonight was one of the worst nights of my life. There is some serious shit going on in my country and I do not know who to get in contact with or how to bring awareness to it. I really need help because if us Millennials don't bring awareness to it, no one will!! Please read:
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
Cameroon is the only country in Africa with an official language of French and English and though we pride ourselves on that, it has been the root of many of our issues of oppression in Cameroon and I'll tell you how it has recently escalated.
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
THE PRESIDENT OF CAMEROON, Paul Biya, is the longest non-royal leader in the WORLD right now. That's embarrassing. Since Cameroon's independence, there has only been 2 presidents, he killed the first one, President Ahmadou Ahidjo. Paul Biya has been in higher power now for 42yrs
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
They country has always been divided due to the fact that SOME French speaking people treated English speaking people like dirt. Imagine being tried in court and sentenced to life in prison and you understood NO litigation that took place bcuz its all in French.
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
It has been this way for years. If you're an English speaker, you will always get the shorter end of the stick or no parts at all. English speakers revolted and tried to reclaim the identity of, "Ambazonian" which was previously recognized by the United Nations as the Southern..
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
Cameroonians also known as English speaking people. Amabazonia is the part of cameroon on the map that is sticking into Nigeria. When all of this grew attention, Paul Biya sent out his demonic militia to kill my people and burn down everything.
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
I have never really heard my dad cry before but a few weeks ago my mom called my brother and I crying so much that I could not understand her. She said that everyone had fleed the village and that one of my dad's inherited wives/step mom (don't worry it's not like that)
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
Who is paralyzed and is very old and fragile is the only person left along with some daring men who were hiding in the bushes trying to hol the village down. THESE MF HAD TANKS, AKs, all that military shit. They were killing people ruthlessly.
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
They were coming in and looking for guns. The issue is that most of the younger people had already left and the older people either could not leave or did not want to leave. These people don't know English, they never seen guns before, and it's not a culture that they're aware of
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
Eventually they got her out of my compound and she's safe now. Yesterday, I called my dad and he told me that they have burned down more than 10 compound and they shot this man who was mentally ill. They found another 90year old grandpa who had crawled into the bushes
— African Excellence (@Tank_Below) May 5, 2018
The media has dubbed it “the Anglophone crisis”, but at this point, it is no longer a crisis. Cameroon is on the brink of a civil war, and the world is silently watching as a potential genocide begins to unfold. Although I now live an ocean away from Cameroon, I am still going to try and use my platform to educate my peers and spread awareness of the conflict. How many Rwanda’s do we have to witness before we actually do something and prevent another genocide from happening?