By Kelly Van Eeten and Francisca De Castro - Junior Research Associates PILPG-NL
Monthly News Update: Southern Cameroons – December 2019
December 2019 saw the Cameroonian parliament grant special status to two English-speaking regions to try in an attempt to calm the separatist insurgency. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also lamented the insufficient funding for humanitarian response in Cameroon, and urged actors to work towards ensuring safe passage for humanitarian actors. This post outlines some of these developments.
Rebels shoot at passenger plane
An airplane from Cameroon Airlines was shot while landing. The bullets were heard and seen by the passengers, but no one got hurt. One of the separatist leaders, Cho Ayaba, said that airplanes carried military personnel and weapons and that he had warned that planes could be shot at if they do not provide flight schedules ahead of time.
Underfunding and security issues revolving humanitarian work
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (‘OCHA’) found that 175.3 million dollar was insufficient to fund humanitarian aid in Cameroon resulting in Cameroon remaining one of the most underfunded countries in Africa. The OCHA for the North-West and South-West regions also stated that they are concerned about a growing amount of misinformation and fake news about humanitarian actors. They urged all actors involved to ensure safe passage for aid workers and to respect the neutrality of humanitarian response.
When it comes to the safety of aid workers, the recent abduction and killing of an aid worker of a local NGO is a disturbing example of the current situation on the ground.
Measles epidemic
In the last three years the measles affected regions in Cameroon went up from 7 to 34. Cameroon is among the countries with the most cases of measles, only 71 percent of the children in Cameroon were vaccinated according to numbers from 2018.
The current situation has been described by health experts as a tragedy. Nonetheless, this can be prevented with vaccines.
Special status for Anglophone regions in Cameroon
Cameroon’s parliament granted special status to two English-speaking regions in an attempt to calm the separatist insurgency. The special status also includes schools and the judiciary system. However, the separatists reacted stating only independence would satisfy them.
Freedom of the press in Cameroon
The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that Cameroon is among the worst nations in the world for jailing journalists. One of the seven journalists detained in Cameroon is serving a 15-year sentence on anti-state charges and false news. The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that this is related to his campaign for autonomy for the Anglophone regions.