Preview

Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law

Advanced search

Separatism in South Cameroon: Sources and Prospects

https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2021-14-1-10

Abstract

In the 2010s, the issue of separatism in Africa gained special significance in connection with the emergence in 2011 of a new state – the Republic of South Sudan (RSS), where a military and political conflict has continued throughout the entire period of independent development, accompanied by massive casualties among the civilian population. The situation in the RSS underscores the weakness of secessionism as a tool for solving the problems of national identity, socio-economic development and political marginalization, and also raises the question of whether separatism in Africa is able to lead to stability, an improvement in living standards and an increase in the level of security of citizens of breakaway territories.
The present paper examines the historical background of separatism in South Cameroon and of organizations and armed groups fighting for the separation of the region from the Republic of Cameroon and for the independence of the self-declared Republic of Ambazonia. Currently, the country is engulfed in a military and political conflict, the parties to which are the central (Francophone) government and the Anglophone secessionist movements, which include dozens of armed groups with varying goals and interests and which fight among themselves for influence on local communities, resources, and the right to represent Cameroon’s Anglophone minority in the international arena. In fact, South Cameroon is now in a state of war of all against all.
The situation in South Cameroon is compounded by the fact that President Paul Biya’s government simultaneously has to fend off attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in the far north of the country and deal with a socio-economic crisis, which is accompanied by rising unemployment, which, in turn, allows insurgents to expand their ranks with relative ease. The authors note, however, that the separatists do not enjoy the support of the world community and, unlike many other African rebel movements, receive hardly any financial or military-technical assistance from outside, which dooms their armed struggle and increases the consequence of a peaceful agreement with the government.

About the Authors

T. S. Denisova
Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation

Tatyana S. Denisova - PhD in History, Leading Researcher, Head of the Centre for Tropical Africa Studies

123001, Spiridonovka St., 30/1, Moscow



S. V. Kostelyanets
Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; National Research University Higher School of Economics
Russian Federation

Sergey V. Kostelyanets - PhD in Political Science, Leading Researcher, Head of the Centre for Sociological and Political Science Studies; Senior Researcher

123001, Spiridonovka St., 30/1, Moscow

101000, Myasnitskaya St., 20, Moscow



References

1. A Turn for the Worse: Violence and Human Rights Violations in Anglophone Cameroon (2017). Amnesty International. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr17/8481/2018/en, accessed 04.08.2020.

2. Aartsen A. (2019) The Struggle for an Independent State in Southern Cameroons: Measuring the Effectiveness of the Interim Government in Mobilizing Collective Action. University of Amsterdam, June 28, 2019. Available at: http://scriptiesonline.uba.uva.nl/document/675715, accessed 04.08.2020.

3. Ambazonia Leader Delivers End of Year Message (2019). Journal du Cameroun, December 31, 2019. Available at: https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroonambazonia-leader-delivers-endof-year-message, accessed 16.08.2020.

4. Baranov A.V., Vartumyan A.A. (2005) Political Regional Studies: A Lecture Course, Moscow: Soyuz (in Russian).

5. Bayart J.-F. (1984) L’État au Cameroun, Paris: Presses de Sciences Po. Available at: https://www.cairn.info/l-etat-aucameroun--9782724605105.htm, accessed 31.07.2020.

6. Cameroon (2020). CIA. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cm.html, accessed 11.08.2020.

7. Cameroon: Ambazonia Leaders Endorse Swiss-led Dialogue to Solve Anglophone Crisis (2019). Journal du Cameroun.com, June 28, 2019. Available at: https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroon-ambazonia-leaders-agreeto-participate-in-swiss-led-dialogue/, accessed 14.09.2020.

8. Cameroon Events of 2018 (2019). Human Rights Watch. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/cameroon, accessed 15.08.2020.

9. Cameroon’s Separatist Movement Is Going International (2019). Foreign Policy, May 13, 2019. Available at: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/13/cameroons-separatist-movement-is-going-international-ambazonia-military-forces-amf-anglophone-crisis, accessed 17.08.2020.

10. Cameroon’s Separatists Intensify Attacks to Protest Dialogue (2019). Voice of America, September 24, 2019. Available at: https://www.voanews.com/africa/cameroons-separatists-intensify-attacks-protest-dialogue, accessed 16.08.2020.

11. Cameroon’s Unfolding Catastrophe. Evidence of Human Rights Violations and Crimes against Humanity (2019). Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. Available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ab13c5c620b859944157bc7/t/5cf-685bc19d167000186c6fb/1559659972339/Cameroon%27s+Unfolding+Catastrophe+%28June+2019%29_report.pdf, accessed 09.08.2020.

12. Ebini Ch.A. (2019) Policy Alternatives for the Cameroon Conflicts with Views on Abolishing the Federation. Walden University. Available at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8811&context=dissertations, accessed 08.08.2020.

13. Ebune J.B. (2016) The Dilemma of the Federal System in West Cameroon, 1961– 1972. Journal of Scientific Research and Studies, vol. 3, no 7, pp. 133–139. Available at: http://www.modernrespub.org/jsrs/pdf/2016/July/Ebune.pdf, accessed 16.12.2020.

14. Elections in Cameroon (2012). African Elections Database, March 25, 2012. Available at: http://africanelections.tripod.com/cm.html, accessed 08.08.2020.

15. Eyoh D. (1998) Conflicting Narratives of Anglophone Protest and the Politics of Identity in Cameroon. Journal of Contemporary African Studies,vol.16, no 2, pp.249– 276. DOI: 10.1080/02589009808729630

16. Filippov V.R. (2016) “Françafrique”: The Shadow of The Elysee Palace over the Dark Continent, Moscow: Goryachaya liniya – Telekom (in Russian).

17. Fonchingong T. (2013) The Quest for Autonomy: The Case of Anglophone Cameroon. African Journal of Political Sciences and International Relations, vol. 7, no 5, pp. 224–236. DOI: 10.5897/AJPSIR10.033

18. Fornies D. (2017) Southern Cameroons Crisis Has Marginalized Anglophones Seeking Independent Republic. Nationalia, December 28, 2017. Available at: https://www.nationalia.info/new/11051/southern-cameroons-crisis-has-marginalized-anglophones-seeking-independent-republic, accessed 01.08.2020.

19. Gunfire in Cameroon’s Anglophone Regions Deters Voters on Polling Day (2018). The Guardian, October 7, 2018. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/07/gunfire-in-cameroons-anglophone-regions-deters-voters-on-polling-day, accessed 15.08.2020.

20. International Law in Documents (1982), Moscow: Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya (in Russian).

21. Is the Conflict in Anglophone Cameroon an Ethnonational Conflict? (2019). E-International Relations, August 26, 2019. Available at: https://www.e-ir.info/2019/08/26/is-the-conflict-in-anglophone-cameroon-an-ethnonational-conflict, accessed 17.08.2020.

22. Konings P. (2005) Anglophone University Students and Anglophone Nationalist Struggles in Cameroon. African Dynamics (eds. Abbink J., van Kessel W.M.J.), Leiden: Leiden University, pp. 161–188.

23. Konings P., Nyamnjoh F.B. (1997) The Anglophone Problem in Cameroon. The Journal of Modern African Studies, vol. 35, no 2, pp. 207–229. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/161679?seq=1, accessed 17.12.2020.

24. Konings P., Nyamnjoh F.B. (2000) Construction and Deconstruction: Anglophones or Francophones? The African Anthropologist, vol. 7, no 1, pp. 5–32. DOI: 10.4314/aa.v7i1.23088

25. Konings P., Nyamnjoh F.B. (2003) Negotiating an Anglophone Identity: A Study of the Politics of Recognition and Representation in Cameroon, Leiden: Brill.

26. Kostelyanets S.V. (2014) Sudan after the Partition of the Country: Search for Paths to Overcome the Crisis. Asia and Africa Today, no 10, pp. 31–35. Available at: https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_22303704_57777840.pdf, accessed 16.12.2020 (in Russian).

27. Krylov A.B. (1990) Separatism: Sources and Trends of Development, Moscow: Znanie (in Russian).

28. Loginova V.P. (1982) United Republic of Cameroon. Handbook, Moscow: Nauka (in Russian).

29. Longari M. (2019) Cameroon’s President Vows ‘National Dialogue’ to Ease Tensions with Anglophone Separatists. France 24, September 11, 2019. Available at: https://www.france24.com/en/20190911-cameroonian-president-biya-national-dialogue-anglophone-separatists, accessed 06.08.2020.

30. Ngalim A.N. (2016) African Boundary Conflicts and International Mediation: The Absence of Inclusivity in Mediating the Bakassi Peninsula Conflict. African Peacebuilding Network. Working Paper. No 9. Available at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ssrc-cdn1/crmuploads/new_publication_3/african-boundary-conflicts-and-international-mediation-the-absence-of-inclusivity-in-mediating-the-bakassi-peninsula-conflict.pdf, accessed 10.08.2020.

31. Ngwane M.G. (2003) Because We Were Involved (Reflections on the All Anglophone Conference Ten Years after). Ngwane.com. Available at: https://www.gngwane.com/files/acc110_years_after.pdf, accessed 09.08.2020.

32. Paul Biya’s 2019 End of Year Message to Cameroonians (2019). Journal du Cameroun, December 31, 2019. Available at: https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/paul-biyas-end-of-year-message-to-cameroonians-2, accessed 16.08.2020.

33. Pommerolle M.-E., Heungoup H. (2017) The “Anglophone Crisis”: A Tale of the Cameroonian Postcolony. African Affairs, vol. 116, no 464, pp. 526–538. DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adx021

34. Pool D. (1993) Eritrean Independence: The Legacy of the Derg and the Politics of Reconstruction. African Affairs, vol. 92, no 368, pp. 389–402. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/723289?-seq=1, accessed 16.12.2020.

35. Rights Group Says over 100 Villages Burnt in Cameroon’s Anglophone Regions (2018). Journal du Cameroun, August 22, 2018. Available at: https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/rights-group-says-100-villages-burnt-cameroonsanglophone-regions, accessed 15.08.2020.

36. Rubin N. (1971) Cameroon: An African Federation, New York: Praeger Publishers.

37. Sombaye E.J.R. (2018) Inside the Virtual Ambazonia: Separatism, Hate Speech, Disinformation and Diaspora in the Cameroonian Anglophone Crisis. Available at: https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2242&context=thes, accessed 02.08.2020.

38. Toh N.P. (2001) The Anglophone Problem in Cameroon. The Prospects of Nonviolent Transformation: Proposals for Peaceful Transformation of the Anglophone Problem in Cameroon, Ann-Arbor: University of Michigan.

39. Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (2020). Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrepresented_Nations_and_Peoples_Organization, accessed 02.08.2020.

40. Willis R., McAulay J., Ndeunyema N., Angove J. (2019) Human Rights Abuses in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis. A Submission of Evidence to UK Parliament. Available at: https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/human-rights-abuses-in-the-cameroon-anglophone-crisis-recommendations-for-action, accessed 05.08.2020.

41. Yearwood P.J. (1993) In a Casual Way with a Blue Pencil: British Policy and the Partition of Kamerun, 1914– 1919. Canadian Journal of African Studies/La Revue canadienne des études africaines, vol. 27, no 2, pp. 218–244. DOI: 10.1080/00083968.1993.10804318


Review

For citations:


Denisova T.S., Kostelyanets S.V. Separatism in South Cameroon: Sources and Prospects. Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law. 2021;14(1):194-213. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2021-14-1-10

Views: 2290


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2542-0240 (Print)
ISSN 2587-9324 (Online)