The Global Campaign for Peace & Justice in Cameroon
L’Action mondiale pour la paix et la justice au Cameroun
STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE CANADA-LED TALKS (2023) #CommitToCanadaTalks
AU LETTER – OCTOBER 21 AFRICA HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (2022)
STATEMENT OF CONGRATULATIONS
AFCON / CAN (le français suit)
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) football tournament is set to take place in Cameroon in January-February 2022, after being twice postponed. The matches will be played against the backdrop of increasing insecurity due to the Anglophone conflict.
There have been at least 64 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in 2021. Some IED blasts have occurred outside the Anglophone regions in cities where AFCON football stadiums are located. Meanwhile, in the conflict zone, homes continue to be burned down, schoolchildren killed, civilians kidnapped, and both government forces and ‘Amba Boys’ are feared by the population.
These are not ideal conditions under which to host a high-profile international sporting event.
The tournament is an opportunity for the Cameroon government to declare a temporary cessation of hostilities and to announce a road map of inclusive peace talks mediated by an impartial third party.
A cloud of violence hangs over AFCON. Yet, this can be a moment for the warring parties to choose negotiation rather than continued conflict, with encouragement from the international community.
Resources:
- What #AFCON2021 failed to hide about Cameroon (Medium)
- Cameroon: Open letter re arbitrary detention – Amnesty International
- Assassination mars Cameroon’s football fiesta, exposes missed political goals (France 24)
- Priest beaten and abducted by Cameroon soldiers (Independent Catholic News)
- Separatists vow to derail Africa’s biggest soccer tournament with bullets and bombs in Cameroon (Washington Post)
- Is Cameroon missing a golden opportunity with AFCON in 2022? (Pan African Visions)
- Cameroon needs an African Cup ceasefire (International Crisis Group)
- Afcon chaos as ‘gun battle breaks out between rebels and government forces close to stadium hosting Mali vs Tunisia’ (Sun)
- Mali ‘suspend training’ hours ahead of their opening Afcon match against Tunisia after a gun battle broke out between rebels and Government forces close to their base in Cameroon, killing two (Mail Online)
- Cameroonian senator and soldier killed in restive anglophone regions (Guardian)
- Cameroon has a chance for a ceasefire as AFCON kicks-off (The Africa Report)
- Cameroon’s civil war should dominate Afcon talk – not who your Premier League team will be missing (Independent)
- Civil war overshadows football as safety fears threaten the Africa Cup of Nations (Independent)
- As Africa Cup of Nations plays on in Cameroon, taxi drivers fear violence (RFI)
- Fan stampede kills at least eight and injures dozens before Cameroon game (RFI)
- Cameroon hosts Africa Cup of Nations amid ongoing violence (Foreign Policy)
- Biya basks in soccer spotlight in hopes of propaganda win (Foreign Policy)
- AFCON2021: Opportunity for world’s most neglected conflict, “The Anglophone Crisis” to get international exposure (Mimi Mefo Info)
- AFCON2022: Fako Division witnesses heavy security boost (Mimi Mefo Info)
- Africa Cup of Nations: Rebels ‘serious’ about attacks as security presence increases – with mascot made to wear bulletproof vest (The Times)
- Afcon 2021: Everything you need to know about tournament in Cameroon (with video) (BBC)
- Cameroon insists it is ready to host Africa’s elite footballers safely (BBC Radio interspersed with news on Newsday)
- AFCON: Maximum security in Cameroon anglophone war-torn region (with video)(Africa News)
- UK government travel warnings in place for AFCON host cities where Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Man United starlet Hannibal Mejbri – plus 10 other Premier League stars – will play, as armoured vehicles take to the streets amid threat of violence (Daily Mail)
- Cities from Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone region to host AFCON matches (France 24)
- As fighting escalates in Cameroon, Premier League stars are warned they could be targets during AFCON (Mail Online)
- Civil war and cholera should prevent Cameroon hosting Africa Cup of Nations (The Sunday Times)
- AFCON: Cameroon’s political football – Should the Africa Cup of Nations be postponed again? (Pan African Visions)
- Cameroon conflict looms over Africa Cup of Nations venue (Reuters)
- Cameroon bids to reassure AFCON fans over security fears in troubled Anglophone region (France 24)
- Security fears loom over Africa’s football fiesta (France 24)
- Anglophone separatists and jihadists pose threat to Cameroon CAN (Africa News)
- Cameroon’s pride at hosting Africa Cup of Nations tempered by separatist violence (Guardian)
- Calling time on Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict during Africa Cup of Nations (RFI)
- Drama, delays and domestic unrest: why hosting Afcon is so important for Cameroon (The Conversation)
- Cameroon deploys military to troubled regions for African football championship (VOA)
- Cameroon faces up to security alerts in prelude to Africa Cup of Nations (RFI)
- Who will Biya count on to ensure CAN takes place safely? (The Africa Report)
- Covid-19, security concerns threaten Cameroon football tournament (HRW)
- Twitter thread: I think there needs to be significantly more nuance in the conversations surrounding #AFCON / #CAF in #Cameroon (@billyb2009)
- Separatists scale-up ‘warnings’ against foreign delegations as AFCON approaches (Mimi Mefo Info)
- Cameroon reveals open truth in Mola’s Bamenda Tour (Mimi Mefo Info)
- ‘Fake news’ – CAF respond to Africa Cup of Nations report as Liverpool wait for clarification (Liverpool Echo)
- Postpone the AFCON in Cameroon due to the Anglophone crisis (DW)
- Cameroon says Africa soccer will be successful despite separatist threats (VOA)
- European clubs worried about the safety of their players during the CAN (Politude)
- Cameroon’s AFCON security readiness under scrutiny (Ghanaian Times)
- Cameroon – AFCON: Security operations launched ahead of tournament (France 24)
- Briefing Note: Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis
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CAN
La Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (CAN) de football devrait se dérouler au Cameroun en janvier- février 2022, après avoir été reportée à deux reprises. Les matchs se dérouleront dans un contexte d’insécurité croissante due au conflit anglophone.
Il y a eu au moins 64 attaques à l’engin explosif improvisé en 2021. Certaines explosions d’engins explosifs improvisés ont eu lieu en dehors des régions anglophones, dans des villes où se trouvent les stades de football de la CAN. Pendant ce temps, dans la zone de conflit, des maisons continuent d’être incendiées, des écoliers tués, des civils enlevés, et la population craint à la fois les forces gouvernementales et les « Amba Boys ».
Ce ne sont pas les conditions idéales pour accueillir un événement sportif international de haut niveau.
Le tournoi est l’occasion pour le gouvernement camerounais de déclarer une cessation temporaire des hostilités et d’annoncer une feuille de route pour des pourparlers de paix inclusifs sous la médiation d’une tierce partie impartiale.
Un nuage de violence plane sur la CAN. Pourtant, ce peut être le moment pour les parties belligérantes de choisir la négociation plutôt que la poursuite du conflit, avec l’encouragement de la communauté internationale.
Ressources en français :
- Le Cameroun rate-t-il une occasion en or avec la CAN en 2022? (Le jour)
- Cameroun: Lettre ouverte: Detention arbitraire au Cameroun – Amnesty International
- Au Cameroun, le football sert de “diversion” au conflit meurtrier dans l’ouest anglophone (France 24)
- La CAN doit-elle à nouveau être reportée ? (DW)
- CAN 2022 au Cameroun : le pays organisateur enchaîne drame, crises et polémiques (Le Monde)
- Twitter, BREAKING : La séance de décrassage prévue après le match face au Mali a été annulée en raison de menaces terroristes (@tunisiefootball)
- Twitter, François Louncény Fall: (@LouncenyFall)
- Cameroun: chefs espions, généraux… Sur qui Paul Biya compte-t-il pour sécuriser la CAN? (Jeune Afrique)
- Les clubs européens sont inquiets pour la sécurité de leurs joueurs pendant la CAN (Politude)
- Note de briefing : La crise anglophone au Cameroun
Cameroon and the world are mourning the loss of Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, who passed late on Good Friday 2021. Cardinal Tumi was a staunch and tireless advocate for peace and dialogue, including organizing the Anglophone General Conference, which never took place. In his short book My Night in Captivity, published at the end of 2020, he wrote “All I want is for the guns to fall silent and for peace to return to the country.”
Some of the many tributes to Cardinal Tumi may be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The Global Campaign for Peace & Justice in Cameroon adds our voice to those recognizing Cardinal Tumi’s immense legacy. His death is a devastating loss for those seeking a nonviolent resolution of the Anglophone conflict. His dedicated leadership and strong moral values remain guiding lights.
A group of international notables is calling on Cameroon’s warring parties in the Anglophone regions to lower their weapons to let health workers tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to see the COVID-19 ceasefire challenge to the Cameroon government, the non-state armed groups, and select international bodies.
Interview about the COVID-19 ceasefire challenge with Dr. Simon Adams, Executive Director of The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, on DW Facebook Live (June 22, 2020)
Cameroon: Paths to Peace in a Pandemic
Webinar Series
Cameroon: Paths to Peace in a Pandemic is a series of three webinars exploring ways ahead for the country toward nonviolent resolution of the Anglophone Crisis.
- April 18, 2020: Understanding the Anglophone Crisis & Opportunities for Peace during a Pandemic
- April 25, 2020: Challenges of Identity-Based and Secessionist Conflicts
- May 2, 2020: Money, Military, and International Power
The Global Campaign for Peace & Justice in Cameroon
The Global Campaign for Peace & Justice in Cameroon 