Some 20 women leaders drawn from different regions working in different sectors, have in an open letter addressed to the United Nations Security Council, appealed urgent actions to end the close to five years armed conflict rocking the country’s North West and South West regions as well other insecurity challenges that if not well handled might disturb peace within the Sub-region.
The daring women leaders including among others Alice Nkom, Kah Walla, Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, Henriette Ekwe, Bergeline Domou, Esther Omam, Hon. Tomaino Ndam Njoya, Rebecca Enonchong, Monique Kwachou, Sylvie Ndongmo said all efforts taken on several fronts to see how to push authorities to find lasting solutions to the problems have proven futile due to the multiple crises that Cameroon is going through, creating fear, despair and confusion throughout the country once known as the bastion of stability in Central Africa.
“Over 10,000 of our people have died in the Boko Haram conflict and the Anglophone crisis. Over 60,000 refugees, and a myriad of armed groups with varying motivations. Over 1,000,000 of our children have had their schooling disrupted by conflict. Gross human rights violations and the most ruthless violence is meted out upon our people daily. This is in a context where drinking water, electricity, roads, jobs, hospitals and schools are scarce commodities even for citizens living in the parts of the country considered as peaceful When we look beyond our borders,” partly read the letter.
They said with steadily mounting violence and refugee situation from neighboring countries, actions need to be taken to quickly and efficiently bring an end to conflict in Cameroon before it tips further into instability and violence which risk plunging the entire sub-region in peril.
“We write to you today, because despite this desperate situation, the UN Security Council has yet to formally put Cameroon on its agenda, discuss and analyze our situation in order to take action that could help bring an end to the suffering of the Cameroonian people,” they stated, urging the UN to include Cameroon on the agenda of the Security Council officially and do in-depth analysis on the continuously deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country; make a public statement insisting on government to implement solutions that will bring back peace and security.
“We do not want to be the subject of your next peacekeeping operation…to be the next home for blue helmets...by taking simple actions today, the world can avoid this…we, Cameroonian women, ask that you consider the suffering...consider the peace and security of our entire sub-region, it is hanging by a thread,” they stated in the letter.
“Act now to help bring peace and security back to our country and our region. This small corner of the world is so precious to us. We are determined to see it return to peace and stability for the well-being of our population,” they appealed.
The women made couple of proposals which they think if implemented in the long, short and medium term will help quell the rising violence including among other things moves to ease tensions and de-escalate violence toward civilians; release of all non-violent political prisoners linked to the conflicts and political crises; respect of the law in all encounters between forces of law & order as well as a stop in illegal arrests.
They also proposed an improvement on the humanitarian situation to allow access to aid organizations and ensure their safety, respect of human rights in all interactions between the State and the citizens, negotiation of a ceasefire with non-state armed groups on the ground by initiating a bottom-up process of dialogue and conflict resolution that will enable armed groups to put down guns, community reconciliation to return to peace among others.
They said the initiation of an inclusive bottom-up national dialogue process with all actors to resolve the root causes of the crisis will set priorities for development and inclusion, effectively execute development projects, initiate the national discussion on political transition which if not dome will result in a sharp increase of violence.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
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