In Cameroon, a look back at the 180° turn of the English-speaking separatist “Capo Daniel” who, from his exile, calls for laying down arms and renouncing violence. A step in the right direction for several members of English-speaking civil society, a “ non-event » for the Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji.
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The two English-speaking regions of Cameroon have been bereaved by violence since 2017. The Separatist galaxy is fragmented. Armed groups have multiplied. Political motivations sometimes diluted in banditry.
Nicknamed “Capo Daniel”, the former spokesperson for the armed group Ambazonia Defense Forces, a supporter of the independence of Ambazonia – in the west of the country – called in the name of his new platform for an end to hostilities on the ground while awaiting direct negotiations with Yaoundé. He no longer claims independence for the territories of the former British Cameroon and now speaks of regional autonomy.
“ A legitimate government does not argue with bandits »
“ Terrorists must stop dreaming and must surrender without prior notice. (…) A legitimate government does not discuss with bandits. » This is the reaction of Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji. For him, “Capo Daniel” wants to give himself an importance that he does not have and that he will never have.
The minister, himself an English speaker, recalls that there was a national dialogue in 2019 and that, according to the guidelines of the Head of State, Paul Biya, repentants must “ integrate the DDR centers for the start of their reconversion (…) and will not be worried. »
On the side of the “Ambazonia Defense Forces”, the armed wing of the Ambazonia Governing Council movement, the new spokesperson Lucas Asu, also in exile, describes “Capo Daniel” as “ of a traitor corrupted by the regime » from Yaoundé. For him, his call to silence the guns is a desperate act which does not commit the separatist group.
On the side of civil society, Fon Nsoh, coordinator of Cominsud (Community Initiative for Sustainable Development, based in Bamenda) Esther Omam, director of the NGO Reach Out, and the lawyer Nkongho Félix Agbor Balla still hope to hear from other voices rise to call ” the Amba boys » to lay down their arms and to open other spaces for dialogue.
Read alsoCameroon: a former English-speaking independence spokesperson now demands autonomy