Abstract
The Anglophone Cameroon crisis, which started in 2016, has now become one of Africa’s many protracted intra-state conflicts. This crisis has resulted in several instances of human rights violations by both security forces and separatist fighters, against the population of the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. While states have the responsibility to protect their citizens from grave atrocities in times of conflict, the international community is also obliged to step in when there is proof of unwillingness or inability on the part of a state to do so. The Anglophone Cameroon crisis has demonstrated elements of the lack of protection of the population in Anglophone regions, raising the need for a Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) intervention in order to protect the population in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. With the use of desktop research and an interpretive method, this paper examines the RtoP doctrine in the context of the Anglophone Cameroon crisis, looking especially at the reasons why the international community has not invoked the doctrine to intervene in the situation in Anglophone Cameroon. The paper recommends some form of RtoP intervention from the international community, especially the UN, the AU and other nations with bilateral or multi-lateral relations with Cameroon, in order to both protect civilians and prevent further violence in the situation in Anglophone Cameroon.
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Notes
- 1.
Since 2016 when the conflict started separatist fighters from English-speaking regions of Cameroon (Anglophones) began to fight to break away from the country’s French-speaking majority, in order to establish an independent country which they named “Ambazonia”.
- 2.
Ministers such as Paul Atanga Nji, the current Minister of Territorial Administration and the former Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary are noted for making derogatory statements against the plight of Anglophones, including even referring to protesters as terrorists and imposters.
- 3.
Refers to an international law that gives the right to humanitarian intervention during conflict situations in states. And this doctrine has been applied in conflict situations in African states such as Kenya (during the violence that occurred in Kenya caused by a disputed presidential election that resulted in the death of over 1000 persons), South Sudan, Libya (the Rtop was in response to civilian attacks by the then ruling regime of Gadhafi), Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire (violence occurring due to disputes over election results).
- 4.
This organisation which constated of members from the UN General Assembly was formed in 2001 by Gareth Evans and Mohamed Sahnoun under the authority of the Canadian Government.
- 5.
These deaths include school children, the aged, and the vulnerable.
- 6.
Modern example of such conflict Mali.
- 7.
For example, in Gabon France played many roles behind the scenes to support then-incumbent Ali Bongo who claimed victory in the presidential election.
- 8.
There have been a series of questions about the roles of France in Francophone African countries under President Macron. Most Francophone African countries are going through internal conflicts in which France has been accused of taking sides and contributing to the continuous protracting of those conflicts. An illustration was in Mali where France came to help fight and curtail the spread of the jihadists from their strongholds in the country’s north since 2013 the situation has become worse rather than getting better. France also mingled with the late Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. And this brought dissatisfaction with the Malina populace, resulting in the clamour for France to leave the country as the conflict spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger countries.
- 9.
Article e of the Peace and Security Council states that “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States” (AU, 2004).
- 10.
Article f reads “non-interference by any Member State in the internal affairs of another” (AU, 2004).
- 11.
Article i reads “respect of borders inherited on achievement of independence” (AU, 2004).
- 12.
Such an exception is Switzerland which led a peace mediation initiative in 2019.
- 13.
Some of the issues in the international political system during the time of the outbreak of the Anglophone Cameroon Crisis included the Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar, Brexit, climate change, North Korea’s nuclear power activities, and Donald Trump’s foreign policy Agenda.
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Gbemudia, R.U., Cho, D.T. (2024). The Anglophone Cameroon Conflict and the Responsibility to Protect. In: Erameh, N.I., Ojakorotu, V. (eds) Africa's Engagement with the Responsibility to Protect in the 21st Century. Africa's Global Engagement: Perspectives from Emerging Countries. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8163-2_8
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