The former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, in an interview with Power FM, Tanzania, revealed that former African Heads of State were willing to help the government of Cameroon solve the Anglophone conflict, but President Paul Biya showed no interest.
“We have been trying to talk to President Biya as former African heads of state of the Africa Forum…we have even gone very far, but he has not been very keen to be assisted.” He told the host.
The former SA president further said they got to the African Union Commission, and they decided that one representative should visit Cameroon.
But he noticed that the person who went to Cameroon was walked down in red carpet, and another colleague said immediately he saw the reception of his colleague, he knew that the mission had failed. It was no longer about the mission of the visit but the person visiting.
Thamo Mbeke added that you cannot go to solve a conflict and get more interested in protocol, losing your consciousness about the mission.
Since 2016, more than 3000 have been killed and millions displaced in the armed conflict between Ambazonia separatist fighters and government forces. The separatists want a new state they call Ambazonia, presently the North West and South West regions.
International Mediation efforts like Swiss and Canadian Talks have yielded no fruits but Cameroon government still marking time, while separatists said since 2019 that they were ready to talk.
