Some 500 delegates are attending the conference
YAOUNDE, Oct 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — There have been sharp divisions at a national conference in Cameroon aimed at ending the three year separatist rebellion in the Anglophone regions of the country.
Some delegates came close to fighting each other as tempers boiled over at the 5-day conference in the capital, Yaounde.
Anglophone delegates are calling for varying degrees of autonomy with the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), John Fru Ndi, wanting a return to the 1961 federal constitution which would allow self-governance for an English speaking region.
Francophone delegates are echoing President Paul Biya’s insistence that the form of the Cameroonian state is not up for discussion and this has angered the Anglophones.
Separatist leaders and armed groups are not even represented at this national dialogue so their frustrations are likely to deepen and the conflict will continue.
About 500,000 people have been displaced by the conflict. Many schools have been forced to close.
The talks also include delegates from civil society groups, lawmakers, traditional rulers, clergy and Cameroonians who live overseas. — NNN-AGENCIES
