Tibor Peter Nagy Jr., the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State, says the UNDP-backed Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions (PPRD-NW/SW) may only succeed if government understands the “keen desire” of the people.

The U.S. diplomat was speaking Thursday, July 30, 2020, during a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Nagy’s comments came as Congress listened to an update on the COVID-19 pandemic response in Africa.

“Anything having to do with Cameroon has to be overweighed with the problem of the conflict that is going on,” Nagy said, referring to the on-going socio-political unrest in Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions where state forces are battling armed separatists who seek to create a breakaway state called Ambazonia.

Ambassador Nagy added that: “For example, now the Cameroonian government is talking about a new UN development program for the North West and the South West. Unfortunately, there is just no way to implement that.

“And the Cameroonian government seems to forget that the number one desire of the people of the North West and South West is to have a say over their affairs. It is one thing to talk about development. But at the heart of it, is their keen desire to have control over their own lives. Until the Cameroonian government understands that, all these plans are going to come and they are not going to succeed.”

The SUN recalls that on May 18, 2020, Nagy took to twitter calling on the belligerents in the conflict to “stop [the] violence and start talking.”

He said the killing of civilians is inexcusable, citing the killings in Ngarbuh attributed to state forces and the killing of the Mayor of Mamfe by armed separatists.

His words: “Government killing of civilians in Cameroon is inexcusable. I urge follow-through on Ngarbuh investigation and many other incidents of this nature. I also condemn separatist attacks on local officials such as the murder of Mamfe’s mayor.  Stop the violence, start talking.”

Paul Tasong and Donatus Njong were, in April, respectively installed National Coordinator and Deputy National Coordinator of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions, PPRD-NW/SW.

The duo is expected to ensure “the rehabilitation of about 350 schools, 115 health centers, 40 bridges, 400 power points, 500 KM of Low tension power points, 600KM of rural roads, 45 markets, 12000 houses, 25000hectares of farmland, livestock lost by grazers, the reestablishment of close to 3000 personal documents lost.”

Tasong and his team were in the two regions from Monday, June 22 to Friday, July 3, 2020, for what they said was an “Awareness and Sensitization Mission.”

Corporate demands by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers led to protests in November 2016. The street demonstrations later morphed into ongoing running gun battles between state forces and armed separatist fighters in the predominantly English-speaking regions, leading to untold destruction of human lives, their habitats, and livelihoods.

Source: Cameroon Info.Net