Addressing the armed conflict in Cameroon; constitutionally speaking

By George Ngwane

Abstract
For close to eight years and counting, Cameroon has been engulfed in an armed conflict whose root causes stem from what is called ‘The Anglophone Problem’. Historically Anglophones are the English-speaking part of Cameroon that decided through a Plebiscite on 11 February 1961 and Reunification on 1st October 1961 to join their French-speaking part to make what is today Cameroon. Anglophones have had different politico-geographical nomenclatures from Southern Cameroons, West Cameroon to the North West and South West regions. The country itself has mutated from Federal Republic of Cameroon (1961-1972), United Republic of Cameroon (1972-1984) to today Republic of Cameroon. The root causes of the armed conflict have had different interpretations as much as the solutions provided for their closure. This paper seeks to suggest the role and relevance of exploring a multilateral Constitutional Convention in Cameroon as a foray to conflict resolution and peacebuilding.