The Minister of Communication, René Emmanuel Sadi, government spokesman issued a statement dated February 28, 2022 in which he invites Russia and Ukraine to the ceasefire.
Five days after the start of the Russian military bombing in Ukraine, voices around the world are being raised to castigate this operation. And Cameroon too! In a statement, the Cameroonian government called for an immediate end to the fighting between Kiev and Moscow. And the continuation of dialogue to find a peaceful solution to this conflict that threatens international peace.
Yet, in its own bowels, Cameroon is a prey to the Anglophone crisis. It has been going on since 2017 in the North-West and South-West regions. Separatist fighters and army forces are opposed in these two parts of the country. There are thousands of deaths on both sides and among civilians who are paying the price.
According to the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Spatial Planning (Minepat), this crisis has led to a loss at the national level of 0.8 points of growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 and 0.3 points in 2020. This is equivalent to 421.3 billion FCFA between 2017 and 2020.
According to the Crisis Group, the armed conflict has killed nearly 6,000 people. The UN estimates that 2.2 million people in the Anglophone regions are in need of humanitarian assistance. And there are nearly 600,000 displaced people in French-speaking regions. In addition, some 700,000 students are deprived of school following multiple attacks.
