October 1 in Cameroon : Political actors in UK,US react.

By Nfor Nkfu in Bamenda.

October 1, 2021 has come and gone.It was marked by curfews and celebrations, ordered by the government of Cameroon  that wants to preserve an indivisible nation and Separatists who want an Independence state called Ambazonia, respectively.

The controversial date in the political history of Cameroon did not end without political actors in major countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America, expressing disdain over the protracted  separatist war in Anglophone Cameroon.

According to history records,on October 1,1961, British Southern Cameroons achieved independence from UK by forming a federation of two states ,equal in status with her French neighbor-the republic of Cameroon already independent as of January 1, 1960.Some political pundits posit that the date marked the reunification of two Cameroons separated for decades by European colonialists.

The day is not officially celebrated in Cameroon .

Secessionist groups morphed up in the Anglophone territory crying foul since the two state federation was abolished in favor of a unitary State reducing them to two regions-North West, South West, in a dominant french country.

Following corporate demands by Anglophone teachers and lawyers in 2016 over perceived marginalisation of the English speaking minority, secessionists siezed the moment with a declaration of independence which attracted a military campaign from the government in Yaounde.Separatists took up arms in what they call 'self defense'.

Anglophone separatist use October 1 every year to commemorate their independence  in defiance of the government of Cameroon.

This year's edition attracted varying reactions from some major actors in UK and US who took to their tweeter handles.

Emily Thornberry, member of UK parliament and Shadow secretary of state for Foreign Affairs regretted  the union of the two states bashing the UK government for ignoring the killings in Anglophone Cameroon owing to the ongoing armed conflict 

"Today marks 60 years, since Southern Cameroons passed from British control into a trouble union with its French neighbour", Emily Thornberry said in a tweet.

She added that, " there is much about UK's current policy on Cameroon that i have argued must change but for now I simply hope that today's anniversary passes peacefully".

To Tibor Nagy,former US assistant secretary of state for Africa in the Trump administration,the the ongoing crisis is rooted in colonialism with France taking much of the blames on the violence and killings.

"Cameroon Anglophone crisis is five years old-but fundamental problem goes back to colonialism", Tibor Nagy noted.

"...Can't understand why France does not see its long term interests in helping anglophones gain their rights rather than supporting yaounde's scorched earth policy which can't win",the diplomat furthered.

In another tweet,the US Senate Foreign relations committee tasked the US government to prioritize the crisis and work towards ending it

"Today marks 5years of Anglophone crisis in Cameroon.I encourage newly confirmed assistant secretary of state for Africa to prioritize this issue per the recommendations of bipartisan resolutions S.RES 684, to end the violence and work toward an end to the conflict", the tweet from US Senate Foreign relations committee reads.