Civilians in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon are at an imminent risk of atrocity crimes due to continued violence between government forces and armed separatists. Armed extremist groups also pose an ongoing threat in the Far North region.

BACKGROUND:

In 2016 English-speaking lawyers, students and teachers in Cameroon began protesting their cultural marginalization by the Francophone-dominated government, leading to a violent crackdown by security forces in the north-west and south-west regions, an area predominantly inhabited by the country’s Anglophone minority. In October 2017 Anglophone separatists proclaimed independence and declared a new state of “Ambazonia” in the north-west and south-west regions. Since then, armed separatists and Cameroonian security forces have clashed, resulting in widespread atrocities against the civilian population. More than 6,000 people have been killed as a result of the violence since 2016, although actual numbers are expected to be higher.

During the conflict, security forces have perpetrated extrajudicial killings and widespread sexual and gender-based violence, burned Anglophone villages and subjected individuals with suspected separatist ties to arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment. Armed separatists have also killed, kidnapped and terrorized populations while steadily asserting control over large parts of the Anglophone regions. Separatists and government forces have also perpetrated targeted attacks on health facilities and humanitarian workers, restricting the delivery of and access to vital aid and forcing various international humanitarian organizations to suspend their operations. Separatists have also banned government education and frequently attack, threaten and abduct students and teachers, as well as burn, destroy and loot schools. Various Cameroonian-based human rights organizations reported an increase in violence and human rights violations and abuses during 2023, and non-governmental organization Un Monde Avenir reported more than 400 people killed, at least 160 kidnapped and 869 cases of arbitrary arrests in the north-west and south-west regions.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Anglophone regions. OCHA also estimates that at least 583,112 people have been internally displaced by violence in the two regions while more than 73,481 have fled to Nigeria.

Despite the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation, the government of Cameroon has consistently denied the severity of the crisis and has yet to take any meaningful action aimed at ending the conflict or addressing its root causes. The international community has also taken limited action. The Council of the European Union, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and others have appealed for an end to the violence and urged government action while additional actors have previously offered to serve as mediators. The UN Security Council (UNSC) has held only one meeting on Cameroon, an Arria-formula meeting on the humanitarian situation, in 2019.

In the Far North region of Cameroon, populations are also facing atrocity risks posed by the armed extremist group Boko Haram. Throughout 2023 the group increased its attacks, prompting Cameroonian officials to request the deployment of additional troops from the regional Multinational Joint Task Force. Un Monde Avenir reported 169 killings in the Far North region during 2023.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

The security situation remains highly volatile in the Anglophone north-west and south-west regions, with armed clashes between government forces and separatist groups, as well as infighting among different separatist groups, continuing unabated. At the end of September OCHA reported that the situation is characterized by continuing abductions for ransom, loss of life and property, roadblocks, extortion of money and valuables, and civilians caught in crossfire.

Armed separatists continue to weaponize education for political leverage by targeting students, teachers and educational institutions. The onset of the new school year was heavily interrupted by armed separatist groups after they imposed a two-week lockdown during early September and threatened civilians who defied the lockdown order. OCHA reported four attacks on education during September. For example, on 10 September a government secondary school in the south-west region was set on fire and an improvised explosive device was planted at another government secondary school in the north-west region. Amidst growing tensions, the United States (US) Embassy in Yaoundé called for the effective resumption of education and expressed deep concern over recent incidents and threats in the north-west and south-west regions.

On 24 September the police in Norway arrested Lucas Ayaba Cho, head of the separatist Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC), and commander-in-chief of the group’s armed wing, the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), for allegedly inciting others to commit crimes against humanity in the north-west and south-west regions. Cho reportedly also called for the two-week education boycott. That same day there were reports of home raids of individuals affiliated with the AGovC/ADF in the US, although no arrests were made during these operations.

ANALYSIS:

The international community often perceives the conflict in the Anglophone region exclusively as an insurgency by armed separatist groups against the Cameroonian government. However, the situation is much more complex. Although the Anglophone and Francophone areas of Cameroon have been unified since 1961, there is a long history of disputes over the extent to which access to government resources is controlled by the French-speaking majority.

Civilian populations, particularly women and children, are disproportionately bearing the brunt of violence. The targeting of individuals based upon their cultural identity poses a direct threat to Anglophone civilians and may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Ethnic communities are also often targeted for their alleged collaboration with either side of the conflict.

The conflict dynamics in the Anglophone regions have changed as the crisis has become increasingly financially lucrative, with separatist groups having expanded their sources of revenue through kidnapping and extortion. Armed separatist groups are increasingly disorganized and competing, making the situation – and possible pathways to peace – extremely challenging.

The risk of atrocities will continue if the root causes of the conflict, including poor quality of government services, weak governance and marginalization of parts of the population by a highly centralized state, remain unaddressed.

RISK ASSESSMENT:

• • Past or present discriminatory, restrictive or exclusionary practices, policies or legislation against marginalized communities and persons belonging to minority groups.
  • Politicization of identity, past events or motives to engage in violence.
  • Increased fragmentation of armed groups posing a significant challenge to conflict termination and sustainable peace.
  • Policy or practice of impunity for – or tolerance of – serious violations of International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), atrocity crimes or their incitement.
  • Lack of capacity to ensure the security sector adheres to the highest standards of professionalism, international law and the protection of human rights.

NECESSARY ACTION:

Security forces must end all extrajudicial killings of unarmed civilians and ensure that the human rights of all Cameroonians are equally protected, regardless of cultural identity. Security forces implicated in violations of IHL and IHRL should be investigated and held accountable. Armed separatist groups must halt attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Safe and unfettered humanitarian access should be restored and guaranteed. Foreign governments and regional organizations should suspend all military assistance to Cameroon until its security forces have made demonstrable progress toward upholding the human rights of all Cameroonians. Civilian protection must be enhanced in the Far North region.

The government should hold an inclusive dialogue with parties to the Anglophone crisis, mediated by a neutral player on neutral territory.

The African Union and Economic Community of Central African States should work with the government to prevent further deterioration of the conflict. Efforts by the UN’s Regional Office for Central Africa, including good offices, must prioritize finding a political solution to the violence and encourage inclusive dialogue. The UNSC should discuss the situation in Cameroon and urge parties to the conflict to end hostilities and find a peaceful solution to the multifaceted crisis.