If conflicts had an expiry date, Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis would have long since turned to dust. But here we are, in 2025, and the unrest gripping the country’s English-speaking regions continues to rage with the persistence of an unwanted houseguest who simply refuses to leave. It has been nearly a decade since protests against marginalization snowballed into an armed conflict, and yet, the script remains eerily the same: separatists want their own state, the government wants them gone, and civilians—well, they just want to live.
At this point, the crisis has outlasted several political cycles and international pleas, carving itself into Cameroon’s identity like an ink stain on an otherwise well-worn page. Over 6,000 people have been killed, more than a million displaced, and the numbers continue their macabre climb. Entire villages have been razed to the ground, and education has become collateral damage in a war where schools are targeted by both sides—one as a symbol of state control, the other as a breeding ground for government allegiance. The result? A generation of kids who might grow up knowing more about Kalashnikovs than chemistry equations.
The government’s stance has been unwavering, to say the least. President Paul Biya, now in his 90s and showing no signs of considering retirement, has kept the military on a tight leash with one simple directive: crush the rebellion. But ‘crushing’ in this case has translated to arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, and military raids that have often left civilians caught in the crossfire. The government has repeatedly insisted that peace talks remain an option, yet their definition of ‘dialogue’ seems to come with a disclaimer in fine print—one that rules out any conversation about federalism or secession.
Meanwhile, the self-declared state of Ambazonia remains more of an idea than an actual governing entity, but that hasn’t stopped separatist leaders from ruling with an iron fist—at least in the areas they control. Extortion disguised as “tax collection” has become routine, kidnappings have turned into an economy of their own, and in many towns, the absence of law and order has created a vacuum that’s filled with fear and uncertainty. The separatists are fractured, with multiple factions claiming to be the legitimate face of the movement. And while they all agree on one thing—breaking away from Cameroon—they don’t always agree on how to do it or who should lead the charge. The result? Infighting that sometimes results in separatist groups fighting each other instead of the government.
International intervention, or the lack thereof, has been an ongoing disappointment. The African Union has mostly watched from the sidelines, issuing occasional statements that land with all the force of a whisper in a hurricane. The United Nations has condemned human rights abuses but has stopped short of pushing for any real action. The United States and European nations have threatened sanctions, cut military aid, and made all the right noises, but none of it has been enough to change the calculus on the ground. If anything, external actors have treated the crisis like a lingering cold—unpleasant but not worth the effort of a full-fledged cure.
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And so, the cycle continues. Government forces storm villages, separatists retaliate, civilians flee, and the world watches with passive dismay. The people of Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have now spent years navigating the trenches of war with no clear exit in sight. They wake up each day not knowing whether their town will be the next to go up in flames or whether their children will make it home from school without encountering armed men along the way.
The Anglophone crisis is not just a conflict anymore; it has become a state of being. And unless something drastic happens—a shift in government policy, a credible peace process, or an international intervention that actually has teeth—Cameroon might just find itself trapped in this endless loop for years to come. After all, if there’s one thing this crisis has proven, it’s that it won’t take a hint.
