Cameroon : women rubbed in the mud with ongoing anglophone crisis
The Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon respectively have been deprived of peace for six years or more now.
These two Anglophone regions of Cameroon erupted in violence in 2017 after the francophone central government cracked down on peaceful protesters.
The repression against Anglophone teachers and lawyers rallying against alleged discrimination, spurred an armed separatist movement and self-declaration of independence for so-called Ambazonia.
The conflict has escalated between the Ambazonian armed separatists and the Cameroonian security forces in the villages and towns as people flee both sides not knowing if a stray bullet will kill their family members or themselves.
While the Anglophone crisis has escalated over the past five years, the women of these regions keep continue to experience all sorts of violence. These women are frequently tortured and sexually assaulted by military officers and separatist fighters. When they get pregnant, they are forced to vacate areas and end up giving birth in bushes under precarious conditions.
Human rights activists and renowned political figures like Edith Kabang Wallah of the Cameroon’s people party(CPP), Rebecca Enonchong, Barrister Alice Kom of the civil society, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance movement (CRM) and many others have not ceased denouncing what is ongoing in these two Anglophone regions of Cameroon and are thereby calling on government officials and Ambazonian leaders to get to a dialogue table so that things can be trashed out once and for all.
Ever since this crisis escalated, over 2000 people have lost their lives, over 100,000 people have moved to neighbouring Nigeria as refugees and many others to the Francophone part of the country as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Some disgruntled minds like Mancho Bibixy, Sissiku Ayuk Tabe and many others who staged a peaceful march past were arrested and thrown into the Yaounde Kondengui Central Prison.
By Yomkil Kana
Cameroon
