Yaoundé (National Times)-Renewed anxiety is evident across Cameroon’s restive North West and South West Regions following bold moves from the United States Government within the corridors of the United Nations (UN) security council pushing for debates on the crisis.
According to reports from the AFP news agency, an informal debate on the Anglophone crisis is set to hold on May 13th. The agency reports that, it has seen notes addressed in line with the upcoming meeting. If this happens, it will be the first UN high level debates of the crisis that has put millions in bad shape.
Political observers are jittery that, the same internal lobbying within the UN system that has not seen any anticipated international response to the crisis could make the May meeting of no effect.
Permanent Security council members such as Russia, France and China are viewed as strong allies that will veto any move seen to be against the interest of the Biya regime.
France on its part has an unshaken colonial affinity to Cameroon. It’s influence on the country’s political life is viewed as affecting even the highest office of state.
China on its part has in recent times been a strong ally of the system in place. It has offered billons to support government’s humanitarian plan for the displaced population of the affected Regions.
Chinese influence and interest in Cameroon cuts across different spheres. It bankrolls projects worth billions across the nation; some through loans that will take years to be repaid. Hundreds of contracts especially in the construction industry are within the preserve of the Chinese. Analyst thus affirm that, China is unlikely to support any action that would affect the status quo.
Russia and the US government are not known to disagree on several crisis across the globe. On the global diplomatic scene, both countries are always at odds. Russia has in recent times been making great strides to cement its relationship with the Biya government. President Biya is one of those already invited for a Russia-African Summit expected to hold in the months ahead.
The United States on its part has had an unstable period of diplomatic intercourse with the Yaounde regime since the Anglophone crisis went deadly. Utterances from diplomatic circles in relation to the Anglophone crisis have usually sparked controversial reactions. The case of the U S under Secretary of State in charge of African Affairs Peter Tibor Nagy is still fresh.
Thus it may be difficult for Russia and the US to agree on any action that could hasten UN involved in finding a solution to the crisis. The US and Russia hold different positions on the war in Syria inching towards a decade. In the current impasse in Venezuela, the Americans are clamouring for a regime change while Russia is backing incumbent Nicolas Maduro.
When protesters ended the 30 year reign of Omar al-Bashir as president of Sudan in March this year, Tibor Nagy was filmed in one of his outings congratulating the people of Sudan and at the same time stating that his next concern is Cameroon. It is unlikely that Russia and the US will see the Anglophone crisis through the same diplomatic prism.
The AFP quotes a spokesperson for the US mission at the UN as stating that, “It is long past time for the Security Council to address what’s going on in Cameroon, where we’re seeing a devastating humanitarian crisis. We hope this meeting will draw more attention to this disaster and encourage a more robust regional and international response by member states , the UN and the civil society in order to prevent this situation from deteriorating further”.
African countries that are non-permanent members of the Security Council have in the past been banking on assertions that, the African Union (AU) was mobilising a unique response to the crisis.
It is hoped that with the renewed US pressure, the African countries and others will soften their stance and perception of the situation in Anglophone Cameroon.
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