I recently wrote about some of the circumstances that led to me moving to the United States. One part in particular – about rebel soldiers raiding my school campus due to political unrest – stood out to a lot of people.
I wish those circumstances were unique, but they are not. In fact, less than 24 hours ago, a few gunmen stormed a campus at KUMBA in the SouthWest region of Cameroon killing at least 6 children less than 15 years old and leaving many more wounded. This encapsulates Cameroon’s ongoing Anglophone crisis.
Cameroon is a bilingual country with French and English speaking citizens dating back to colonial influence. Since 2016, there has been palpable tension between the anglophone population that mostly occupies the NorthWest & SouthWest regions of the nations and the largely francophone government.
Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis began in response to governmental changes that further marginalized the anglophone populations, who already feel treated like 2nd rate citizens within their own nation. A movement that started with PEACEFUL protests and strikes led by anglophone teachers and lawyers -who sought no more than equality- has since morphed into armed conflict, violent raids, and the burning of villages in the NW & SW regions of Cameroon.
Schooling & education has been vastly disrupted, many citizens have been kidnapped for ransom and the local economies are in a downturn by every measure. Tens of thousands have lost their lives and more than 650,000 others have been internally displaced as a result of the Anglophone crisis. Many more are fleeing to Nigeria. Others like me have been lucky to find their way abroad. However to many, home has turned into a living hell. No one deserves to see their children’s blood running through the streets, or to live in perpetual fear.
My heart bleeds for my homeland. My aim in writing this is to spread awareness and show solidarity for my brothers and sisters back home. I remain hopeful that there is a brighter future for Cameroon. A Cameroon with peace and equal opportunity for all, regardless of ethnic background or language.
Cameroonian children deserve to go to school without the fear that they may be caught in the middle of a conflict they did not create. I hope there is an end in sight to all the violence. I hope our youth has a chance to grow up so that we can build a better Cameroon.
Rest In Peace to the little boys & girls who were killed in KUMBA and all of the lives lost during the Anglophone crisis.
Story: John Kouam