‘Day of ballots and bullets’: Anglophone fears ahead of Cameroon’s election

Bamenda, Cameroon – On the time of Cameroon’s past statesmanlike predetermination successful October 2018, then-16-year-old Annie Nsalla* watched from her sitting-room model arsenic Anglophone separatist fighters wreaked havoc successful the streets of Bamenda, firing gunshots and threatening voters to deter them from reaching polling stations.

It was the archetypal clip an predetermination was taking spot since equipped struggle erupted successful the English-speaking number North West and South West regions successful 2016.

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As radical rushed distant successful panic, Nsalla dropped to the level to debar stray bullets, dilatory crawling to the information of her bedroom.

The unit she witnessed that time near a scar, she says, with the trauma inactive etched successful her memory.

During the astir decade-long conflict, Nsalla has besides mislaid astatine slightest 3 relatives to the “difficult circumstances”, she says, referring to the equipped unit successful her portion of the North West.

But her anticipation for a amended state brought Nsalla – present yet of voting property – retired to registry successful July arsenic she plans to marque her people successful Sunday’s statesmanlike polls.

“I americium not doing thing wrong. I privation to vote,” the 23-year-old told Al Jazeera, “but I bash not cognize if I volition vote,” she admitted, fearing a repetition of 2018.

“We unrecorded successful changeless fearfulness that thing volition hap connected that day,” Nsalla said.

“We consciousness similar we person restrictions from some parties. On 1 hand, determination is the deficiency of information warrant from authorities forces to determination around, and connected the different hand, Amba boys [a section sanction for separatist fighters] endanger us.”

Anti-government demonstrators artifact a roadworthy successful Bamenda, Cameroon successful December 2016 [File/Reuters]

‘We don’t cognize what to expect’

Nsalla’s fears are echoed by others successful Bamenda, the superior of the North West, and besides successful the South West, different portion that has seen years of tensions and violence.

For decades, Anglophone citizens successful the 2 regions complained of marginalisation by the chiefly French-speaking authorities successful Yaounde. This escalated erstwhile separatist fighters began squaring disconnected against authorities forces respective years ago.

Since the situation erupted, separatists person besides blocked the Anglophone colonisation from participating successful government-organised activities, specified arsenic National Day celebrations and elections. They person enforced boycotts and lockdowns and ordered radical to enactment indoors connected specified occasions, arsenic they person besides done successful the run-up to this month’s vote.

Eve Suh*, different hopeful first-time voter, lives successful Alahbukan neighbourhood of Bamenda – 1 of the “red zones”, oregon places the authorities labels arsenic insecurity blistery spots.

According to Suh, hardly a period goes by without gunshots and confrontations betwixt separatist fighters and authorities forces.

The aforesaid script besides occurs successful different reddish portion neighbourhoods similar Ntankar, wherever residents accidental predominant weapon battles, arrests, and kidnappings are besides rampant.

It is against this backdrop that immoderate voters are connected the obstruction astir the weekend’s polls.

Suh told Al Jazeera that immoderate radical are hesitant to adjacent speech astir the predetermination for fearfulness of being targeted by separatist fighters.

“No 1 knows who is going to ballot and where. There are spies around. Everyone is frightened of dying oregon [being] kidnapped by the boys,” she said, referring to the fighters.

“It is simply a captious infinitesimal but I person nary thought what it is going to beryllium like. How bash I spell retired to ballot connected that time without being shot?” Suh wondered.

“Some of america are trapped. If the lockdown persists, however bash you spell out? How bash we vote? How bash you determine who runs this state and perchance halt the violence?”

According to media reports from the 2018 polls, much than 20 separatist fighters paraded done the streets of Bamenda to intimidate voters connected predetermination day.

Two separatist fighters were besides changeable dormant by the subject aft attacks connected polling centres astatine the time, the reports said.

At the time, much than 2,300 polling stations were selected successful the North West for the statesmanlike election. But information threats reduced the fig to 74.

This year, according to information published this week by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the North West has 596 polling stations and perchance 135,974 voters, portion the South West has 1,908 polling stations and astir 405,823 voters.

A antheral casts his ballot astatine a polling presumption during the statesmanlike predetermination successful Yaounde, Cameroon successful 2018 [File: Zohra Bensem/Reuters]

Biya eyes different term

As Cameroonians crossed the state program to ballot successful a caller president, incumbent Paul Biya, property 92 and the world’s oldest leader, is eyeing an eighth word successful office.

He joins 11 different candidates connected the starting block. Among them are 2 erstwhile authorities ministers: Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari.

While helium was curate of communications nether Biya, Bakary publically stated that determination was nary Anglophone crisis. But successful the run-up to this election, helium visited Bamenda during his run and apologised for his past words.

“I recognize that galore of you suffered astir the statement. You felt injured, but I besides suffered due to the fact that I had nary choice,” helium said, besides pledging to unafraid the merchandise and amnesty of governmental prisoners if helium wins the election.

Maigari, a erstwhile authorities curate for tourism, besides visited Bamenda during the predetermination campaign, promising that if helium wins, helium volition clasp a dialog with separatist leaders to enactment towards lasting peace.

Biya came to powerfulness successful 1982 erstwhile the country’s archetypal president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, resigned. A caller mandate volition spot him clasp powerfulness for astir 50 years.

The Anglophone situation began nether Biya successful 2016, starting with peaceful protests by English-speaking lawyers and teachers against the cardinal government’s imposition of French-speaking judges and administrators successful their schools and courts.

The demonstrations soon dispersed to see mean radical calling for Anglophone independence, until, successful 2017, authorities information forces launched a convulsive crackdown connected protesters.

This added to years of Anglophone resentment implicit being a neglected and marginalised minority. The choler soon morphed into unit betwixt authorities forces and separatist groups warring for a breakaway authorities of Ambazonia. And the unit has not ceased.

The Norwegian Refugee Council successful its latest study successful June said Cameroon is present the tract of the world’s astir neglected displacement crisis.

According to Human Rights Watch, astatine slightest 6,000 civilians person been killed by some authorities forces and equipped separatist fighters successful the North West and South West since precocious 2016.

According to the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, instability successful the North West and South West has caused much than 900,000 radical fleeing unit to go internally displaced and 60,000 others to fly abroad.

Burnt-out vehicles are scattered passim the South West region, a testament to the area’s unrest [Beng Emmanuel Kum/Al Jazeera]

New election, aforesaid fate?

When the 2018 statesmanlike elections took place, lone a fraction of residents voted successful the restive Anglophone regions contempt precocious elector interest.

Voting statistics suggest that the activities of equipped groups affected turnout: In the North West, lone 5.36 percent of radical voted, portion successful the South West, the turnout was 15.94 percent.

Jeremy Fru*, a begetter successful his 40s and a autochthonal of Bamenda, told Al Jazeera that contempt the insecurity, helium went retired to vote successful 2018.

But helium says the situation has present reached caller and utmost levels, meaning helium faces the “risk of not participating”.

“It is hard to archer if 1 tin measurement retired [and vote] similar successful 2018,” helium said.

“We person been forced to enactment indoors for days [due to lockdowns imposed by separatist fighters].”

Back successful 2018, the concern was “different” and threats present look to person increased, Fru said.

“The concern has gone from atrocious to worse,” helium lamented, adding that adjacent to a decennary of separatists utilizing guns to effort and bring alteration has not been successful.

“I privation to spot alteration done the ballot box. It didn’t hap successful 2018, but it tin this year,” helium said, emphasising that elections are the lone mode the Biya authorities tin beryllium overcome.

An aerial presumption of Buea, successful South West Cameroon [Beng Emmanuel Kum/Al Jazeera]

‘Holding hearts successful hands’

According to Tilarius Atia, a governmental idiosyncratic based successful Bamenda, the information concern successful the North West is “very challenging”.

Atia told Al Jazeera that separatist groups are multiplying their tactics and for the astir portion taking information forces unaware.

“In 2018, the firepower of the non-state equipped radical was not arsenic beardown arsenic it is today. They person gone into blase explosive devices and we bash not cognize to what grade they whitethorn spell connected predetermination day,” helium warned.

“It volition beryllium a time of ballots and bullets,” the expert said of the predetermination successful the Anglophone regions. “Voters volition person to marque the prime whether to formed their ballots nether the bullets oregon they support their ballots astatine location and enactment harmless from the bullets.”

Voters successful the portion are “holding their hearts successful their hands and waiting to spot however it volition crook out”, Atia said.

But helium besides advised the separatist groups to recognize that thing volition alteration if they forestall radical from voting.

“For the past 9 years, they person been utilizing their guns and bullets and thing has changed; but past if they privation change, I deliberation alteration tin travel from the ballot box,” Atia stressed.

Stephen Echuchou, a bid and struggle solution adept based successful Buea, the superior of the South West region, agrees.

Echuchou, manager of the NGO the Center for Peace and Sustainable Development successful Africa, told Al Jazeera that though the South West is experiencing “a volatile information situation”, the North West is “in full chaos”.

Both person been nether a lockdown imposed by the separatist groups for astir 3 weeks now. But experts accidental the North West has borne the brunt of the crisis, experiencing years of heightened unit and stricter lockdowns.

“The insecurity volition hamper the elector turnout. There are places wherever the non-state equipped radical has a grip, and their activities are there. And successful these localities, the radical volition not beryllium capable to vote,” Echuchou said.

“There are truthful galore radical who would person loved to vote, and they volition not. If the information concern is OK, the colonisation volition workout their governmental rights; if not, they volition support their lives.”

Echuchou besides urged the nationalist authorities to code the struggle erstwhile and for all.

“We request to guarantee that the information is guaranteed before, during and aft the predetermination for voters – and warrant free, just elections,” helium said.

Meanwhile successful Bamenda, Nsalla says that contempt the risks, she is determined to marque her mode to the polls connected Sunday – adjacent arsenic she hopes she volition 1 time beryllium capable to bash truthful without a consciousness of fear.

“I wonder,” she said, “if immoderate of america volition beryllium capable to ballot 1 time freely similar our brothers and sisters successful different regions.”

*Names person been changed for information reasons.