Description
This paper addresses the civil conflict in Cameroon, which is under-investigated and under-reported internationally. Since independence from colonial rule in 1961, the minority anglophone population of Cameroon has been subjected to discriminatory treatment, including several cases of torture confirmed by the United Nations. In 2016, these issues erupted into the current civil conflict. Since then, activities in the anglophone regions, such as attendance at school, legal hearings, and local markets, have been severely restricted. Harrowing photographs of human rights abuses and reports of state violence are emerging regularly. Since 2016, 530,000 anglophone Cameroonians are estimated to have been displaced by ongoing violence between the state and separatist movements. Drawing on fieldwork interviews conducted in mid-2020 and adopting a post-colonial framework, this paper analyses the narratives of marginalised civil society representatives and activists in Cameroon and argues that, in the face of extreme levels of pressure, they have become increasingly resilient in novel ways. The paper then goes on to evaluate trusting relationships between key actors and the drivers behind their interaction. Finally, the paper examines the withdrawal and remoteness of Western liberal actors from the context and the meaning of this for the international human rights regime and for Cameroon.
