The Chairman of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society and Vice President of the Bar Association, Barrister Felix Agbor Nkongho has said that a return to federalism is one of the solutions to the ongoing crisis in the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon.

On January 17, 2017, René Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MINATD) signed a decree banning the activities of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) and the presidency of the republic ordered his arrest some few hours later.

Felix Agbor Nkongho hinted that “If you look at the memorandum of May 9, 2016, the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society used the words” federalism or nothing.” The Chairman of the Consortium also revealed to a French tabloid that the Consortium has no hidden agenda since the genesis of the crisis.

“Lawyers had addressed a memo to the Minister of Justice, the Prime Minister, the Senate and the National Assembly; you will see that federalism was there. So it’s not a hidden agenda as some people want to believe. The people in the Consortium are simply helping the state of Cameroon to survive. In other words, the debate among Anglophones is changing because of the government’s repressive actions.”

Reacting to his arrest in Buea, Chairman Agbor Balla said “No one wants to undermine the power of Yaoundé. It has never been said that Paul Biya has to leave. And then it’s not Paul Biya’s English problem. What is more, we have decided that no politician should be among the members of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, so that no one can direct these claims towards their political agenda. The Anglophone problem is both real and legitimate.”

By Rita Akana (CIR, CAMCORD News)