Return To Peace In Crisis Regions: Collective Actions Required

I n December 2025, the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, in his end-of-year address to the nation, reiterated his hopes for the virtues of community dialogue, urging administrative authorities, traditional rulers and vital forces of the regions hit by crisis to commit themselves resolutely to the pro­ cess. This message was re-echoed in Buea on Monday September 28, 2026, by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute while he launched the community dialogue initiative. The launching of the broad-based community dia­ logue which involves all vital forces at community levels, is seen as a new impetus to ending a decade of socio-political upheavals in the En­ glish-speaking regions. The initiative which is taking a community-based approach, is a continuation of the Major National Dialogue held in 2019. Various stakeholders at the Buea launching ceremony; adminis­ trative authorities, religious leaders, traditional rulers, elite, political and civil society leaders as well as eco­ nomic operators, saluted the initia­ tive as participants see it as a prac­ tical approach to restoring peace. The Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute encouraged local community actors to take the relay to engage dialogue with the separatists’ figh­ ters. He thus enjoined the Senior Divisional Officers to take the lead and launch community dialogue ini­ tiatives in their respective divisions. He says the broad-based approach should involve traditional rulers, civil society actors, women, youth, religious leaders, economic operators in order to bring the remaining figh­ ters out of the bushes. “These groups will identify facilitators who have been doing this work and who will continue to do this work. The groups are going to be empowered to reach out to the remaining figh­ ters to encourage them to drop their guns and come back to their com­ munities or through the DDR Centres to reinforce the position that nothing will happen to them,” he reassured. He reminded them that the Presi­ dent of the Republic and the entire government stand with them in the fight while assuring those still in the bushes that nothing will happen to those who heed to President Paul Biya’s call to voluntarily drop their arms. From the meeting, the PM, opined that, enough elements have been gathered to proceed with the community dialogue process. Cognizant of the fact that the ini­ tiative will require financial assis­ tance, PM Dion Ngut...