Updated: March 8, 2021
Anglophone secessionists on Wednesday gunned down a Cameroonian soldier in the Northwest region as they continue to seek independence from French speaking Cameroon and multiply attacks on security forces.
Second Class Soldier Robert Ndaweke was killed by armed men in Nbiame, Northwest region of Cameroon on Wednesday, reported local newspaper, L’Oeil du Sahel.
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Anglophones had long complained that they were being marginalized by French speaking majority in Cameroon, but millions of impoverished Francophones, including those being bombed and massacred by Boko Haram in the far north, have repeatedly said Anglophones were better off than them.
They had said that the Anglophones were louder on the social media and had successfully created a false impression that they were being discriminated against because of their language.
The current crisis started in late 2016 when teachers and lawyers in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon where Anglophones mainly reside took to the street to demand equality and an end to discrimination.
The government saw the protests as being hijacked by politicians who have been calling for secession. The brutal response triggered outrage around the world and hardened the protesters.
Calls for justice and equality quickly snowballed into calls for independence.
The protesters took up arms against the state and President Paul Biya branded them terrorists and the army increased its military response.
Since then, hundreds of protesters have been killed, thousands have been arrested while dozens of security forces have been murdered by the secessionists.
The United Nations says hundreds of thousands have been displaced triggering a humanitarian crisis.
But the government of Cameroon has said that there would not be dialogue with activist fighters who have taken up arms and declared war against the state.
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