Les médias sociaux comme champ de bataille et le problème anglophone au Cameroun

Abstract

Anglophones have been making progress in their political agenda since October 2016, the beginning of the crisis they have been facing in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. Their claim is not new. It dates back to the abolishment of the federal regime. Historically, the Southern Cameroons, their State, joined the Republic of Cameroon, that of the Francophones, in 1961 through a referendum. Many fraudulent activities in favor of the Francophones happened during that vote and the negotiations initiated for the reunification prompting denunciations of the other party. Thus, the two States reunified by agreements formed the Federal Republic of Cameroon. However, the amendment of the Constitution through a presidential decree, following another referendum in 1972 and which led to the advent of the United Republic of Cameroon, paved the way for a deliberate annexation of Southern Cameroons by Ahmadou Ahidjo, the then president from the French-speaking part. Since then, the anger of Anglophones rose to the point of becoming a secessionist movement in the 1980s. This paper argues that lack of improvement in communication infrastructure limited the Anglophone plea to Cameroon. It contends that the advent of social media has created new opportunities to reach instantly a worldwide audience, and as a result, the Anglophones’ struggle is happening both on the ground in the English-speaking regions and on social media.