Ahead of their trial:

What exactly are Anglophone leaders accused of?

As Cameroonians anxiously wait for the military court to begin the trial of the 47 Ambazonia leaders and fighters recently abducted in Nigeria and airlifted to Yaounde, The Median attempts an answer as to what the leaders would be charged for.

                If one thing is sure, it is that the secessionists already have a terrorism charge hanging on their necks. To this charge would be added others like secession, apology to secession, violence against the state and its institutions, insurrection, arson, disrespect for the head of state etc etc. Worthy to note that all these charges are felonies under both the Cameroon Penal Code and the Cameroon Criminal Procedure Code. What’s worse, the charges all carry a terrorism connotation by virtue of the 24 December 2014 law on terrorism in Cameroon.

                Needless to mention that terrorism in Cameroon is punishable by a death penalty.

                It should be underscored that ever since the escalation of the Anglophone uprising, many innocent civilians as well as military lives have been lost, and with hundreds others injured; many public and private property have been destroyed; thousands of civilian populations displaced internally and abroad; businesses have been grounded by ghost towns; many schools burned down and school children and authorities threatened to stay away from school; barbaric acts carried out on police and military posts forcing soldiers to set fire on houses and shops in villages; chiefs palaces and state symbols (flag, emblem etc) have been desecrated among many other unprecedented occurences.

                A generalized psychosis, fear and anxiety now characterize daily life in the NW and SW regions ever since the crisis took root in October 2016.  

                It would be an understatement to say that the consequences of these unfortunate events are far-reaching and perhaps irreparable. Rebuilding some of the damaged property will be an uphill task for both the government and even the local communities.

                However, it would be irrational to put all the blame for the escalation of the crisis on the secessionists alone; government too has a case to answer for failing to provide quick and adequate responses to the grievances that were raised by the lawyers’ and teachers’ trade unions that were at the origin of the crisis that has now assumed runaway proportions. Many commentators have indicted the government for a poor management of the crisis.

                So, as the Ambazonia leaders and fighters will be tried and surely, given maximum sentences, it behooves this newspaper to at once urge government to critically look at the rapid degradation of the crisis and maybe rethink its approach to dealing with the ever worsening situation.                                                 Dialogue is imperative and time is of the essence!