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Cameroon celebrates national dialogue anniversary, but critics say outcomes remain unmet

By
Christantus Begealawuh
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Streets of Buea on a ghost town day, 30 September, 2017, photo via Wikipedia.

Five years ago, Cameroon organized a major national dialogue to resolve the country’s Anglophone crisis – an armed conflict that killed hundreds, displaced thousands,  involved sexual violence against women, and forced many children to leave school. The dialogue brought together thousands of Cameroonians to chart a path towards lasting peace. However, the lack of social cohesion, as well as inadequate inclusion and trust-building measures cast doubts on its outcomes. President Biya, the main dialogue convener, was noticeably absent throughout the process. Key separatist leaders at home and abroad also boycotted discussions. The absence of these key stakeholders has been a point of contention, fuelling doubt about the dialogue’s effectiveness. 

Dozens of resolutions were reached during the national dialogue, including the adoption of the special status for the Northwest and Southwest regions, the restoration of the house of chiefs, and rapid reintegration of ex-combatants into the society among others. Presidential decree No. 2020/136 created a follow-up committee on the implementation of dialogue resolutions on March 23, 2020.  Since then, the Prime Minister of Cameroon Joseph Dion Ngute has led efforts and chaired different dialogue implementation meetings, such as the one held in Buea in 2023, to evaluate the progress of implementing the dialogue’s outcomes. Yet influential civil society organisations in Cameroon continue to call for a more inclusive national dialogue amid these efforts.  

On Friday, October 4th, 2024, the TV channel of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, PRC TV, organized a debate entitled “President Paul BIYA, the Grand National Dialogue, and the Resolution of the Crisis in the North-West and South-West regions.” The aim of the debate was to analyze efforts towards implementing dialogue outcomes during the premier edition of  “Face à la République” (Nation on Stage), focusing on government efforts in Cameroon’s hyped national dialogue. Notwithstanding the hype, influential opposition leaders in Cameroon lament the lack of political will in resolving the crisis, labeling government claims that everything is under control as false and misleading. A user on X (formerly Twitter), reacting to the TV show celebrating the fifth anniversary of the dialogue, described the analyses in the debate as a “deep faking reality.”

Persistent issues overshadow dialogue achievements celebration

Many people in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon continue to live in fear, despite claims by Biya and his supporters that the situation was under control. Armed separatists continue to demonstrate their strength, using threats to enforce lockdowns, as seen on October 1st, a supposedly “Ambazonia” independence day celebration. These events took place on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the major national dialogue. Civil society activists in the Anglophone regions have also argued that the decrease in violence intensity is a result of the lack of coordination among armed groups and a change in military strategy, rather than the effects of Biya’s national dialogue. Reacting to this celebration on X/Twitter, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa commented, “On October 1, many Southern Cameroonians are commemorating Ambazonia’s 63rd ‘Independence Day’, when Southern Cameroons joined in a Federation with former French Cameroon. Once Ambazonians have a referendum and decide their own future, there will likely be a new date to celebrate.” The persistence of fear and insecurity in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, despite the achievements of the national dialogue thus far, suggests that its outcomes have inadequately addressed the underlying causes of the conflict.

The granting of a special status to the two Anglophone regions, the creation of the house of chiefs, the establishment of a common law section at the National School of Magistracy, and the allocation of a budget for reconstruction are some measures that have been implemented and used to hype the dialogue process. Yet, the persistence of marginalization and the exclusion of meritorious individuals to fit into these structures in favor of Biya’s ruling party’s sympathizers have reinforced claims about the structural causes of the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. Thus, for the implementation of dialogue outcomes to be successful, these issues must be adequately addressed.

Furthermore, the decentralisation process in Cameroon is still far from being realised even though a commission was specifically created to discuss this issue during the dialogue process. The issue of federalism, which many civil society groups have advocated for as a solution to the conflict, was considered a taboo topic during the dialogue. This has resulted in continuedinadequate political representation and inequitable distribution of resources. This explains why, amidst the fifth anniversary celebrations, civil society groups are still calling for a more inclusive dialogue with no taboo topics.

What Next? 

Though not directly connected to the national dialogue, the arrest of an influential separatist leader, Mr. Ayaba Cho Lucas, in Norway just days before the fifth anniversary celebration of the national dialogue sends a strong message to extremists and inciters of violence. Cho’s arrest might create a space for moderate voices within the separatist movement to come forward and engage in a peaceful dialogue process. This could serve as a catalyst for increased international engagement and pressure on Cameroon to facilitate a more inclusive and productive national dialogue.  

Friends of Cameroon in Africa and beyond should pressure the government and separatists for a more inclusive national dialogue. Such a process should include civil society, women, and other politically marginalized groups. This is crucial to avoid repeating the limitations of the 2019 dialogue, where participation and leadership of dialogue commissions was largely limited to members of Biya’s Cameroon People Democratic Movement (CPDM) party and some of its party sponsored civil society and women groups.

This Week in Peace #55: October 25

By
Tara Abhasakun
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Thousands of Pakistanis rally for peace against Taliban attacks, screen grab from Radio Free Europe video.

This week, Blinken keeps pushing for Israel-Gaza ceasefire. Ukrainian president Voldymdymyr Zelenskyy discusses issues related to the possibility of peace. Thousands of Pakistanis demonstrate for peace against Taliban attacks.

Blinken keeps pushing for Israel-Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is continuing to push for a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Blinken visited Israel this week, saying that he was “looking at new frameworks of formulations and possibility,” The New York Times reported. A US senior official said Blinken was referring to the chance of Israel briefly pausing its Gaza offensive in exchange for the return of a small number of hostages. 

Meanwhile, Israeli officials say that Israel and Egypt recently discussed the possibility of a week-and-a-half-long ceasefire in exchange for some of the remaining 101 hostages still held in captivity by Hamas and its allies. Many of these hostages are presumed dead. 

Regarding Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, Blinken told Israeli leaders that “much more needs to be done” to get humanitarian aid to civilians in besieged northern Gaza, BBC reported. This was part of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and senior military officials in a series of meetings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Blinken visited Israel before heading to Saudi Arabia, and he will also visit Qatar and the UK. He will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, according to a press statement from the US department of state.

Ukrainian president discusses issues related to possibility of peace

Ukrainian President Voldymdymyr Zelenskyy this week brought up issues related to the possibility of peace. One issue, he said, is Russia’s aerial strikes on Ukrainian energy targets and cargo ships. 

Zelenskyy said that Russia ending these strikes could lead to peace negotiations. Zelenskyy told journalists that, “when it comes to energy and freedom of navigation, getting a result on these points would be a signal that Russia may be ready to end the war,” Financial Times reported. 

Zelenskyy has also said that he hopes Ukraine will join NATO after the US elections. He said, “After the election, we hope for a more positive reaction from the United States. Not because of the change of the president, but simply because the focus, the attention of the United States is now on the elections,” AFP reported.

Thousands of Pakistanis demonstrate for peace against Taliban attacks

Thousands of Pakistanis demonstrated for peace on October 21 in the city of Bannu, located in the country’s northwestern region. A video by Radio Free Europe shows the demonstrators rallying against Pakistani Taliban terror attacks, as well as heavy security crackdowns in the region. 

The rally comes after several Taliban attacks in Bannu this year, with the most recent attack occuring last week. The attack, which killed four officers, was carried out just hours after funeral prayers were held for Police Head Constable Shaista Khan, who had been killed in an attack earlier in the day.

Since its inception as a free state in 1947, Pakistan has been marred by a number of deadly conflicts. These included territorial conflicts with India and Afghanistan, secessionist movements in the Balochistan province bordering Iran, ethno-political conflict among the various ethnic groups, sectarianism and the civil-military rift. Last year, academic Shabir Hussain wrote for Peace News about how media can reduce conflict in Pakistan. To learn more, read here.

Explaining the success of soap operas in peacebuilding

By
Stef Pukallus
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A scene from Kenyan soap opera, "The Team," screen grab. The show was highly popular among Kenyans.

Soap operas – whether on TV or radio – have long been hugely popular. The dramatic plots, the stylised characters, the intrigues and twists as well as the common adventures, bonds and successes have global appeal. As such, it is no surprise that soap operas have also frequently been used in peacebuilding efforts. Examples include Atunda Ayenda (Lost and Found) in Sierra Leone, Musekeweya (New Dawn) in Rwanda and New Home, New Life in Afghanistan as well as many others in countries as diverse as Burundi, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Turkey, Greece and Mali. 

Most soap operas combine two elements: (1) entertainment – the dramatic plots – and (2) an educational component such as skills regarding collective problem-solving, the building of new and stable societies, non-violent engagement with conflict, the humanisation of a former enemy, and practices of forgiveness and issues of difficult forgetting. It has often been argued that the success of soap operas in peacebuilding can be explained by this edutainment format. 

However, this is an insufficient explanation. Why would being entertained and drawn into a dramatic plot in and of itself generate changes in behaviour? After all, we might watch a very entertaining and engaging crime series and learn about how to best murder people and avoid getting caught but that doesn’t mean that we all turn into murderers. Or alternatively, just because we watch a fascinating movie about human rights that teaches us why they are worth protecting, we don’t turn into active civil rights advocates either. Granted, these examples might sound a bit exaggerated and odd, but what they point to nevertheless is that a combination of entertainment and education does not explain the success of soap operas in encouraging more individual responsibility and collective action or a general change in behaviour and norms.  

Rather, the success of a soap opera, its ability to build new civil norms and encourage non-violent and collaborative behaviour, can be explained by the civil norm building role it undertakes (on civil norms see my last contribution to Peace News). 

Besides being entertaining and educational, impactful soap operas do two things: (1) they engage with the civil concerns of the audiences – their desires and fears regarding peace and conflict – and (2) they provide credible solutions and strategies for societies and individuals to overcome enmity and violence in everyday life. And they do this so authentically and sincerely that audiences identify with the plot and recognise soap operas’ moral authority enabling these soap operas to influence their behaviour and thereby contribute to social change and cohesion. To return to one of the examples above, crime series do not acquire moral authority which is why we don’t turn into murderers when we watch them (at least for the most part).  In the case of successful peacebuilding soap operas, the audiences accept that the categories of civil norms of peaceful cooperation can practically be enacted/performed and sustained under difficult and demanding circumstances, and therefore make a genuine contribution to tangible peace.

One of the most successful peacebuilding soap operas in recent years was Team Kenya, which was produced by Search For Common Ground (SFCG) in collaboration with Media Focus on Africa (MFA) in 2008 following the widespread election violence of 2007/2008. It consisted of three seasons broadcast between 2009 and 2011 as a TV version on Citizen TV, Kenya’s most popular TV station and as radio version on Radio Jambo, overall attracting a weekly audience of 3.5 million Kenyans. It was so successful that it became the prototype for similar soap opera series, all entitled The Team and airing in over a dozen countries. 

A scene from Kenyan soap opera, “The Team,” screen grab. The show was highly popular among Kenyans.

Team Kenya used the plot of a fictional football tournament scenario that dramatised how a co-ed team of young football players called Imani FC (“Faith FC”) had to work through their prejudice, stereotypes, and fears of working with ‘the other’ in order to become a successful football team. Team Kenya was seen as authentic and credible because (1) it was created and produced locally. Actors and scriptwriters came from the local population and had experienced the election violence as well as Kenya’s tribal conflicts. (2) The fictional Imani F.C. characters came from different backgrounds, had different personalities, and exhibited different degrees of self-interest and moral ambiguity. They attempted to navigate the difficulties and challenges of peaceful cooperation despite difference that Kenyans could identify with and relate to.

Team Kenya recognised the need for moral authority and achieved it by convincingly and authentically exemplifying an adherence to civil norms in its fictionalised football plot. It combined the edutainment format with the civil norm building capacity of soap opera. The combination of both explains its success and that of soap operas in peacebuilding more generally. 

This contribution is based on Pukallus, S. (2022) Communication in Peacebuilding. Civil wars, civility and safe spaces. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Pukallus, S. and Brouwers, L. (2023) ‘Peacebuilding through soap opera: The two elements of moral authority of “Team Kenya”’. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, online first, Dec. 

Environmental peacebuilding in protracted refugee situations: From conflict to cooperation

By
Tom Cavanagh
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Photo by Salah Darwish for Unsplash.

In 2024, the global refugee crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with over 120 million people forcibly displaced as a result of violence and conflict. Many of these people will spend extended periods in refugee camps, often in low and middle-income countries. These protracted refugee situations (those lasting five or more years) place increased stress on host communities, leading to tensions over natural resources – such as wood, water, and land – as well as social services and other resources.

Refugee camps, originally intended to be temporary, short-term solutions to emergencies, are often ill-equipped to manage long-term displacement, and place strain on communities and the surrounding environment. This has led to blame directed at refugees for environmental degradation, overuse of resources, and competition for livelihood opportunities. 

While these tensions have traditionally been framed as inevitable consequences of resource scarcity, a growing body of research argues that environmental resources can serve as pathways to peace rather than conflict. This perspective, known as environmental peacebuilding, offers a promising approach to fostering cooperation and conflict resolution between refugees and host communities. 

Environmental resources can be key to promoting cooperation between refugee and host communities, departing from the securitised treatment of natural resources and presenting them as shared assets between communities, from which both groups can manage and benefit. 

The case of Ghana, a country that has hosted refugees across a number of decades, exemplifies the consequences of inaction. A deteriorated refugee-host relationship led to the closure of Ghana’s largest refugee camp, Buduburam, in 2010. Meanwhile, conflicts over forest resources in Krisan have led to a fractured refugee-host relationship intensified by the perception that refugees, who face limited livelihood opportunities, overexploit resources.

However, this narrative ignores the fact that many refugees are eager to contribute to their host communities in meaningful ways. For instance, agroforestry and reforestation programs in refugee camps have proven to be effective in not only addressing environmental degradation, but also in building bridges between refugees and host communities. In Northern Cameroon, a reforestation project initiative successfully brought both groups to work together restoring degraded forestland, creating a sense of shared responsibility and reducing tensions.

Environmental peacebuilding initiatives such as community resource management bring refugees and host communities together to collaboratively manage shared resources. This approach helps to break down barriers and foster trust as they work together towards a shared goal. These spaces build mutual understanding that contribute to environmental conservation and social cohesion. 

For refugees themselves, opportunities for agricultural production increase the consumption of nutrient rich food, develop communities, and have profound psycho-social benefits. For example, in Iraqi Kurdistan, refugees participating in camp greening and community agriculture projects reported a range of benefits from increased energy to the simple satisfaction of seeing something green – a feature often lacking from refugee camp planning.  

Environmental peacebuilding presents a viable and sustainable solution to the conflicts that arise in protracted refugee situations. By shifting the focus from competition over resources to cooperation in managing them, both refugees and host communities can benefit. As the number of displaced people continues to grow due to climate change and other factors, environmental peacebuilding should be seen as a critical tool in promoting peaceful coexistence.

In the face of rising global displacement, the traditional approaches to managing refugee situations are no longer sufficient. By embracing environmental peacebuilding, we can create spaces for cooperation, address the root causes of conflict, and build a more sustainable future for both refugees and host communities.

This Week in Peace #54: October 18

By
Tara Abhasakun
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Photo via Unsplash.

This week, Pope Francis urges “diplomacy and dialogue,” and calls for peace in conflict zones. UN envoy reports “historic progress” for Colombia peace process, although challenges continue.

Pope Francis urges “diplomacy and dialogue,” calls for peace in conflict zones

Pope Francis is once again speaking out for peace in the world. The pope said at the Sunday Angelus on October 13, “Let us pursue the paths of diplomacy and dialogue to achieve peace,” Vatican News reported. 

Regarding the current Middle East conflicts, Pope Francis the crowd that he is close to all the populations involved in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. He called for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping troops there to be respected. This comes after last week, the UN said that Israeli tank fire had wounded two peacekeepers at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura.

The pope also appealed for peace and humanitarian aid to Ukrainian victims of Russian attacks, saying that Ukrainians should not be left to freeze to death. 

Another country that Pope Francis called for peace in was Haiti. He said that he had been following the situation in Haiti, where brutal gang violence has been plaguing citizens. Most of Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, is in control of gang members. Pope Francis asked everyone to “pray for an end to all forms of violence,” Catholic News Service reported.

Haiti needs continued support to help its population through the country’s unfolding humanitarian crisis, according to experts. The U.S. government response, they say, has so far been creative but insufficient. To learn more, read here.

UN envoy reports “historic progress” for Colombia peace process, although challenges continue

On October 15, The UN’s envoy to Colombia reported “historic progress” on Colombia’s peace process, although challenges continue. Special Representative of the Secretary-General Carlos Ruiz Massieu said that recent government initiatives include a rapid response plan with development projects, public investments, and services.

These initiatives, he said, reflected an “important re-centreing” of the peace process, UN News reported. Massieu welcomed the government’s plan to focus on rural reforms. This plan, he said, would bring the benefits of peace to peasants who had lost land during conflict. 

Massieu acknowledged that challenges continue in Colombia’s peace process. He noted that in some regions, social leaders and signatories to the country’s peace agreement still face violence and threats from armed groups battling over territory and strategic routes linked to illegal economies. Massieu said that one such community under threat by armed groups are peasant organizations working to advance rural reform. 

Communities that live under such threats face challenges such as the recruitment of minors, Massiu stressed. There is also the “social control” over women and girls, he said. Addressing conflict, Massiu said, requires a “comprehensive and complimentary approach.”

Colombian rural women and girls are overwhelmingly victimized by armed conflict actors (i.e. guerrilla, military, paramilitary). Reports show different dimensions of sexual violence in Colombia, ranging from violence used for social control to sexual slavery and violence within armed operations and armed forces. To learn more, read here.

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