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Anglophone Crisis: MDDT Mobilizes Grassroot Leaders for peace, Salutes Canada's initiative to End crisis


Clifford Niba Akunteh, National Coordinator of MDDT

The Movement for Democracy, Development and Transparency, MDDT has engaged some community leaders and other stakeholders in the peaceful resolution of the Anglophone crisis.

Held at the Epic Event Centre in Bamenda on Friday January 27th, 2023, participants looked at ways and means to put a stop to the current imbroglio that has befallen the North West and South West Regions for the last six years.

Intervening on how to peacefully resolve the crisis, Honourable Fusi Naamukong Wilfred, former member of Parliament for Bafut-Tubah hinted that; "Anglophones should be allowed to air out their grievances and on the dialogue table, all subjects should be discussed including Federation, secession and the Decentralised Unitary state."

Hon Fusi says after talks with a parties, a referendum should be organised in these two restive regions on how they want their future to be. That such a round table discussion must be bound by a timeline.

Hon Fusi Naamukong Wilfred giving a talk at the round table discussion 

The erstwhile Member of Parliament notes that a ceasefire should be declared and all detainees incarcerated because of the crisis, released. He also recommends a general amnesty to all those in the diaspora.

For the Amba fighters, he says when everything would have been normal again, they should be progressively recruited into the various ranks of the Defense and security forces.

Prince Tse Louis Angwafo, 1st Deputy Mayor of the Bamenda II council 

Views that the 1st Deputy Mayor of Bamenda II Council, Tse Louis Angwafo disagrees. 

He told the panel that Anglophones have been fighting themselves for the last six years. 

"How can you be fighting and for the last six years there is no ally, no international recognition and no one buying your case?" He pondered.

He told all those present to work at their different level to educate young Cameroonians that there is hope in belonging in a United Cameroon. To him, the atrocities of the fighters is prove enough that they will be general chaos should anything happen to the form of the state at this moment.

Cross section of participants 

He also recommended that citizenship be taught in all facets of National life. Where everyone is patriotic towards state institutions and state symbols.

As concerns the latest announcement of a peace process to be facilitated by Canada, Hon Fusi and the National Coordinator of MDDT, Barrister Clifford Niba Akunteh, says this is a welcome relief.

"I welcome the coming of a 3rd party. They should should have acceptable plans so that the outcome should be accepted by all." Hon Fusi told The Observer.

On his part, Bar. Clifford Niba says the refusal of government to acknowledge that earlier talks were held is very normal in the peace process.

"In the peace building process, there is suspicion and counter suspicion. Parties will withdraw, they will be conflicting ideas. What the Canadian government has done has shown us good faith. We should continue to advocate for the process to continue." 

Other grassroot leaders say they have carried the idea of a civic club to more than 40 Fondoms in the North West Region. A move that was greatly applauded as cultural festivals and dances are in the pipeline where the youths will be expected to prepare, present and dance to peaceful songs.

Journalists invited to the round table used the occasion to call on opinion leaders not to shy to talk to the press during times of conflict.

"They was a problem at the start of this crisis as opinion leaders decided to have a blackout on the media. So they was this information gap and people at the grassroot were listening just to the same administrative authorities. This did not instill confidence in the youth and they were somehow abandoned. This gap was well exploited by those in the diaspora.

"MDDT should run opinions on Newspapers, craft peace messages both audio and video and ensure that media organs carry them. One way or the other, it will change the mindset of someone somewhere." Ndi Tsembom Elvis, erstwhile CAMASEJ Bamenda Chapter President told the panelists.

Resolutions arrived at were carefully reviewed by the panel who accepted that they should be a strict respect of the International Humanitarian law by the parties involved in the crisis, the empower of the private sector so many youths can be recruited to have decent jobs and the mobilisation of the youth by community leaders for empowerment.

The panelists also agreed that dialogue is a process and not an event and it can take even 10 years to reach a completion point.

By 

Bangha Bernard

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4 Comments

  1. #LetDialogueLead to #EndAnglophoneCrisis

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  2. Really hope the anglophone crisis comes to an end

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  3. #Endanglophonecrisis

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  4. Kudos to the apostles of peace @mddtcameroon

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