[Cameroon] The United States Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, says a true dialogue is the only prerequisite to resolving the war in Anglophone Cameroon.
The diplomat was speaking recently before US congressmen and women who were worried about the human rights atrocities been committed in the West Africa nation.
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The State Department official believed that for the crisis to come to an end, there has to be genuine dialogue and power transfer to the Anglophones Regions. “We followed very closely the process going on in Switzerland that is supposed to be a dialogue. We also followed closely the National Dialogue which unfortunately seem to be more symbolic than concrete. There has to be a true dialogue, there has to be devolution of power to the Regions. Allegedly the Government of Cameroon has said they will be, but the problem is always in the implementation.”
This, as he outlined, should be in a form of Decentralisation or a type of Federation that will abide by the people.
According to him, the Anglophone people who were loyal now think that the best way is to have their own country. He added that despite the war declaration by President Biya, the military option can never solve the problem. “I have no doubt that the people around President Biya are telling him that Mr. President you can win this militarily. The truth is, it is not going to be won militarily. Things get worse and worse for Cameroonians, who were very loyal are beginning to think that maybe declaring a separate country is the way we wanna go”
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Comparing how their own conflict was resolved, he said: “As we have seen it in our own history and it has been evident in other places, you can’t wipe out a thought militarily. The other thing is violence begets violence,” he said.
Tibor also decried what he termed the lost generation as children in the troubled Regions have been deprived of education.
His statements are coming almost two months after the Government of Cameroon convened the Major National Dialogue to end the imbroglio. The Cameroon Government a few weeks back said the dialogue held between September 30 and October 4 was going to solve the three-year war. Minister Felix Mbayu, Rapporteur of the Major National Dialogue responded one time to the European Union that the MND was the last and none will be held again.
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