Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis and the question of the right to self-determination

Abstract

ABSTRACT Is Southern Cameroons entitled to self-determination under international law? This article examines that critical question against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Southern Cameroons and the people’s quest for self-determination. While varied factors cause conflict, it has customarily been attributed to poor governance, non-compliance with the rule of law, injustice, inequality, abuse of minority rights, marginalisation, and colonially induced cleavages. Does this apply to the current crisis in Southern Cameroons? This article answers in the affirmative, highlighting that the current conflict in the regions arises from decades of marginalisation and underrepresentation of English-speaking Cameroonians in administrative, political, and socio-economic decisions.