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UN chief urges free elections in Cameroon

October 6, 2018 | Expert Insights

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Cameroon, as the country prepares to hold presidential elections this coming Sunday.

Background

The Republic of Cameroon shares its borders with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast and Gabon, Congo to the south. The territory of present-day Cameroon was first settled during the Neolithic era. Due to its cultural and geological diversity, Cameroon is often referred to as “Africa in miniature.”

Initially, the majority of the territory in the Cameroon region were either divided as French Cameroon and the British Cameroons. The British Cameroons was split into northern and southern administrative units. In 1960, Francophone Cameroon and Nigeria became independent and prompting the UN to organize a plebiscite allowing Anglophone Cameroonians to decide whether to integrate with Nigeria or Cameroon. While Northern Cameroons joined Nigeria, Southern Cameroons opted for reunification with Cameroon.

By 1972, the federal republic of Cameroon had become a unitary state; while the south kept its English laws and academic system, the rest of the country stuck to the French legal system and the baccalaureate schooling alternative.

Ahmadou Ahidjo was the first president of Cameroon. The political climate at that time was marked by the smouldering civil war against the radical party, UPC. However, the war was won brutally by the government. The state of emergency during the war helped President Ahidjo establish a repressive dictatorship. He ruled the country for 22 years and handed over the presidency in 1982 to Paul Biya. The stability in power transition was short-lived, the struggle between Biya and Ahidjo lasted for two years and concluded with Biya emerging as the undisputed leader.

Analysis

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Cameroon, as the country prepares to hold presidential elections this coming Sunday.

In a statement from his spokesperson, the UN chief also called on all stakeholders to “exercise restraint before, during and after the election.”

He also urged all Cameroonians to exercise their democratic rights, urging all candidates “to address any complaints related to the electoral process through established legal and constitutional channels.” Nine candidates are contesting the elections to the country’s highest body, according to media reports.

Further, in the statement, the Secretary-General condemned all threats of violence or acts of intimidation by any group and reiterated that all grievances should be addressed through inclusive dialogue. “The United Nations stands ready to provide support in this regard,” added the statement.

Insecurity is a concern in Cameroon in the country’s north, as a result of activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group, and according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are some 160,000 persons displaced across the country – a majority of them in the south-west.

Dissidents in the remaining two regions - the South West and North West - home to Cameroon's English-speaking minority, have threatened a showdown.

Besides fighting by Boko Haram in the Far North and North regions and rebel incursions from the Central African Republic into the Eastern region, Cameroon is largely beset by the Anglophone crisis, a separatist uprising with roots in the pre-World War I era when it was a German colony.

"We are very much on the brink of a civil war," said Kah Walla, who is from an Anglophone region.

She is the leader of the Cameroon People's Party (CPP), but the group declined to put forward a candidate for the coming vote.

There are now complaints of marginalisation and a dearth of infrastructure in those English-speaking provinces, despite being home to the oil that accounts for 40 per cent of the country's GDP. People looking to go from Mamfe to Akwaya in the same region, for instance, travel through a Nigerian border town before returning to Cameroon - a journey that could take as long as a day - because of the roads' terrible condition.

Rising tensions and subsequent protests caused by these divisions snowballed spectacularly in 2016.

At least 400 people have died so far. A further 20,000 people have fled into neighbouring Nigeria as their villages were razed. Schools have been closed and a three-month internet shutdown was enforced in those provinces, forcing a few hundred untrained secessionist fighters to group and arm themselves against a military crackdown.

Assessment

Our assessment is that the present situation in Cameroon requires careful monitoring until a new government is established. Conflict stemming from differing linguistic factions are tricky to handle and require a careful consideration of demands from both sides. We believe that the elections will go on smoothly, without any major clashes between the Anglo-Phone South and Franco-phone North halves of Cameroon. However, we feel that the post-election situation in the country will remain tense until the two sides come to a mutually agreeable solution.