Cameroon withdraws contested language law

In Summary

  • The sticking point in the bilingual bill provided for use of either English or French in ordinary and special courts during proceedings as well as rulings.
  • The use of either rather than both is the sticking point.
  • Lawyers had protested that the legislation could lead to more French-speaking judges being assigned to courts in the English-speaking North West and South West of the country.

The East African  | Cameroon has withdrawn a controversial bill that sought to promote the use of French and English languages in official corridors.

The withdrawal just before Parliament adopted came after lawyers protested on the streets that the legislation could lead to more French-speaking judges being assigned to courts in the English-speaking North West and South West of the country.

Cameroon is deeply divided with the Anglophone region agitating for secession into a republic of Ambazonia on the grounds that political leadership and allocation of resources is skewed in favour of the Francophone parts of the country.

The agitation started in 2017 spawning a crisis that has to date left 3,000 people dead, displaced half a million internally and forced 40,000 others into refuge in Nigeria

President Paul Biya called a Major National Dialogue in October to seek solutions to the crisis but the talks were undermined by absence of rebel leaders and claims that government officials handpicked delegates.

Nevertheless, President Biya also extended a gesture of reconciliation through release of more than 330 people held over political charges including opposition leader Maurice Kamto.

The international community saw this as a promising foundation and have been urging for more talks over the crisis with the AU, the Commonwealth and La Francophone political groupings the latest to offer support.

The sticking point in the Bilingual Bill—which is part of a programme of cultural integration—provided for use of either English or French in ordinary and special courts during proceedings as well as rulings.

The use of either rather than both is the sticking point.

“If the bill is adopted, where is the guarantee that the French majority will use English in French speaking towns like Dschang, Yagoua and Monatele with relative ease just as officials have been doing in West Cameroon?,” posed Barrister Oliver Ngwang Shey.

“Yaounde does not have the zeal to foster or maintain the Anglophone culture as a minority,” said Shey, a member of the Cameroon Bar Association.

A lawyers’ strike in 2016 over what they termed an erosion of the common law practice degenerated into violence that metamorphosed into an armed conflict when separatists joined in and declared the creation of an independent state of Ambazonia in 2017..

The UN says the conflict has created a fast-growing humanitarian emergency now affecting nearly two million people, a “15-fold increase since 2017.”

In a rare public comment on the issue last month, President Paul Biya told a Mo Ibrahim-moderated panel discussion on the sidelines of the second Paris Peace Forum that the root cause of the problem was the country’s background of having been governed by Germany, Great Britain and France.

“My country was divided with the juxtaposition of cultures and civilizations. We have had conflicts that are being resolved at the moment to give the part that was under British colonization a special status,” President Biya said.

The Bilingual Bill appears to have been part of efforts to give the two languages am equal footing, a task complicated by the different cultures, education and judicial systems in the two regions.
Biya said the special status would recognise the needs of the Anglophone zone as part Cameroon’s territory. He said the government had considered integrating English speakers into the majority francophone system but shelved the idea.

“I believe that countries are now concerned about affirming their identity today,” President Biya said in justification for the special status. However, the regions want complete autonomy in a federal state with a rotational presidency which the government has ruled out.

46 thoughts on “Cameroon withdraws contested language law

  1. Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly.
    I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
    I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.

  2. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really
    something that I think I would never understand. It seems
    too complex and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I
    will try to get the hang of it!

  3. I’m not sure why but this website is loading very slow for me.
    Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue
    on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if
    the problem still exists.

  4. Greetings I am so happy I found your website, I really found you by accident, while I was researching on Aol for something else, Anyways I
    am here now and would just like to say kudos for a marvelous post
    and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at
    the moment but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I
    will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic b.

  5. I am really impressed along with your writing talents and also with the format on your
    weblog. Is that this a paid subject matter or did you customize it yourself?
    Anyway stay up the excellent high quality writing,
    it’s uncommon to look a great weblog like this one today..

  6. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing problems with your RSS.
    I don’t know the reason why I am unable to subscrib to it.
    Is there anyone else getting similar RSS issues?
    Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond?
    Thanx!!

    Feeel free to surf to my web blog … site

  7. NFL bettors will find it hard to ignore BetMGM and its huge range of NFL odds markets. You’ll find a few things on BetMGM that you may not find anywhere else, plus there’s a big standard betting menu for every game. Ongoing NFL promotions throughout the season include weekly game line and prop odds boosts plus bonus bets. FanDuel Massachusetts promo code supplies a $2500 No Sweat First Bet after you create a new account. Redeem it before the Red Sox play… Just to be clear, these picks are betting predictions. We are not talking about NFL Draft picks, NFL compensatory picks and so on. While NFL compensatory picks are interesting, they do not offer much value from a betting perspective. However, you can bet on the NFL Draft each year, so look out for free NFL picks on who will go first.
    https://jaredzifk321122.ezblogz.com/51018753/best-rated-online-sportsbooks
    Panathinaikos has scored over 70.5 points in 21 of the last 22 A1 Basketball League games. Since by now, you’ve understood what zoom soccer entails and the best possible ways to know the final result and follow games live. Hopefully, this section I expect you to read through this section word for word as this aspect is one of the most exciting parts of our review. So we will be taking you through the essential tips on how to play this fascinating game. Simply go to bet9ja click on soccer zoom. Football Predictions for Today refer to the analysis and forecast of upcoming football matches played on the same day. With the rapidly growing popularity of sports betting, football predictions for today have become an integral part of the industry. Football enthusiasts and bettors alike rely on these predictions to make informed decisions about their bets.

  8. Oznacza to, że kasyno pln udostępnia możliwość minimalnego depozytu na poziomie 1 złoty. Wager, czyli obowiązkowy obrót wygraną kwotą bonusu na pierwszy rzut oka dla niedoświadczonych graczy może brzmieć skomplikowanie. W praktyce jest to jednak dość proste w zrozumieniu pojęcie. Darmowa kasa w kasynie bez depozytu będzie musiała być obrócona zgodnie z warunkiem wager, w zależności od kwoty uzyskanej w ramach promocji. Tak na przykład, jeśli oferta wymaga od gracza obrotu x40 dla wygranej 1 zł, to gracz będzie musiał postawić 40 zł, by odblokować kwotę i wypłacić zdobytą nagrodę z promocji. 25€ no deposit bonus może być wykorzystany w różnych grach, w zależności od regulaminu kasyna i warunków obrotu bonusem. Zazwyczaj bonusy przyznawane są na automaty do gry, które są jednymi z najbardziej popularnych gier w kasynie bez depozytu 25 euro. Sloty to automaty do gry z różnymi symbolami, tematami i funkcjami bonusowymi. Ich podstawową zasadą jest zebranie zwycięskiej kombinacji symboli na liniach wypłat. Większość slotów posiada różne funkcje bonusowe, takie jak darmowe spiny, rundy podwójnej wygranej itp.
    http://www.sun-design.co.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=727
    Wszystkie bonusy bez depozytu można podzielić na dwie duże grupy: przeznaczone dla nowych i dla stałych graczy. Początkujący typerzy mogą liczyć przede wszystkim na darmowe pieniądze za rejestrację oraz darmowe spiny, z kolei doświadczonym jest udzielana możliwość udziału w turniejach lub wygrania jackpotu, a także darmowe środki z okazji urodzin, Świąt Bożego Narodzenia itp. Wybierając polskie kasyno online bonus bez depozytu decyduj się na rejestrację tylko na takich stronach, które są bezpieczne i gwarantują wypłatę wygranych. rozwiązanych sporów Niemalejąca popularność tego rozwiązania zawdzięczana jest udostepnianiu graczom możliwości skorzystania z opcji rozgrywki o prawdziwe pieniądze bez wymaganego pierwszego bonusu. Dzięki darmowej kasie można sprawdzić się w boju bez ryzyka własnej gotówki. W dzisiejszym wpisie omówimy najważniejsze cechy takich promocji, sprawdzimy ich warunki oraz podamy przykłady aktualnie trwających tego typu kampanii promocyjnych w kasyno bez depozytu na start. Zapraszamy!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *