Thread by @OliSankara

During this 237 crisis, I have witnessed too many times moderate voices bullied to silence, by extremists from the govt & Ambazonia
#Thread

People who cautioned for a more constructive approach where cyberbullied by over-zealous Ambas or the "egg"-profiles of the presidency)

I for 1 shared my thoughts early on: oliviamukam.blogspot.com/2016/11/perspe…
While the majority of feedback was constructive, abt 20% were just destructive.

I entered in debates with both Francophones and Anglophones to find common grounds and solutions and decrease the poisonous rhetoric...

But after a few weeks of being slapped by Francophones and by Anglophones, I backed down. Bullied to silence 😔

A problem hwvr cannot be solved w virulent extremism or repression. This crisis doesn't have a black OR white solutn. There's lots of grey!

That's why I think all voices shud b heard.
The extremists R often the loudest,but the moderate voices should b heard,not bullied to silence

But the psychological gangrene this regime has glued in the majority of the populatn is FEAR. So we get comfortable justifying our Inaction

Now though, w the rise of extremist rhetoric, the fanning of hate & insults (from Anglo/Franco), we cannot afford to b bullied to silence.

I still believe the majority of NW & SW are hoping for a peaceful solution to rebuild a nation that would be inclusive of all its citizens.

The Southern Cameroon extremists try to paint an image of a majority of NW&SW seeking independence, but that's not the accurate story.

Can SC extremists mobilize 1000s of ppl? Yes.
Are they organizd in their actions? Yes
Can they disseminate the secesionist propaganda? Yes.

...Are the SC extremists coercing 1000s of ppl 2 follow their agenda?Yes
Are they reprssing divergnt voices?Yes
Is their rhetoric toxic?Yes

Now,is the govrnmt handling this crisis well?Obviously not.

Is our gov't:
Outdated? Yes
Out of touch? Yes
Repressive? Yes
To be changd? Yes

Can our gov't fix this issue w/out pressure to do so: Nope.
Has the govt lost its credibility to act on what it promises?Yes. Several times

We have a dysfunctional regime, w an outdated gov't, that's why this crisis (that could've been resolved a year ago) has blown up so bad!

All that said,the big & dangerous error we might snowball into, is to lose focus on the target. The fight is not Anglophone vs Francophone.

Any1 who shapes this crisis as such,is not only intellectually & emotionally dishonest, but dangerous: Twisting half-truths 4 their agenda.

There are too many nuances in this crisis & within the diverse people of this nation, for people to be boxed into Anglophone vs Francophone.

I reject the toxic rhetoric:
Vision4's Obama shouldn't insult SC as rats,
And Mark Barretta shouldn't say there are no good Francophones.

It is time for moderate voices to speak out!
We cannot silently observe our country & its ppl be devalued and denigrated, & keep quiet.

The moderate should take their seats in the Office of The Citizen, and engage w both sides of the crisis, to find citizen-driven solutions.

We need to stop being bullied to silence.
We must speak out: condemn extremism, propose constructive solutions, demand a #237dialogue !