Thread by @africatechie

This is not about tribes or even about language.

It’s about two completely different perceptions of governance which arose from near 50 years of different pre-reunification experiences.

A territory used to democracy united with one used to repression.

#EndAnglophoneCrisis

https://twitter.com/HilaireNjilie/status/1322828847444860929

Imagine Ghana reuniting with Côte d’Ivoire, or Benin reuniting with Nigeria. If that reunification isn’t handled well, you can end up with the war we have now in Cameroon.

#EndAnglophoneCrisis

From 1884 to 1916 we were a group of kingdoms under German Kamerun. We then split into Northern Cameroons, Southern Cameroons, French Cameroun with some of the Kamerun territory going to neighboring countries.
#EndAnglophoneCrisis

At no point in history before 1961, did Cameroon, with its current borders, exist as a country. There was never any ‘Cameroon government’ before 1961. The ‘reunification’ created a brand new country, not reestablished a pre-existing one.

#EndAnglophoneCrisis

We like to forget that Northern Cameroons voted to join Nigeria and have been within their borders since 1961. If we were as one and indivisible as some claim, why isn’t anyone trying to reunite with those from former Northern Cameroons?

#EndAnglophoneCrisis

Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons had same status. Yet we are sending back refugees to Nigeria even though they are former Northern Cameroonians. Boko Haram’s base is in former Northern Cameroons. There is no clamoring to insist that we are one and indivisible with them.

If you don’t consider that Northern Cameroonians are Cameroonians then understand why some Southern Cameroonians also don’t feel Cameroonian.

#EndAnglophoneCrisis

Southern Cameroons had its government, its National Assembly, House of Chiefs and a number of institutions that supported its democracy and rule of law. There were multiple parties and differing visions, but they respectful and peaceful.

#EndAnglophoneCrisis

This very staunch difference in governance is very well laid out in Chief Endeley’s 1961 manifesto to convince Southern Cameroonians to vote to join Nigeria and not Cameroon:

dibussi.com/2006/02/unific…

#EndAnglophoneCrisis