Whose Right Is Right? The Dialectics of Remedial Secession and Territorial Sovereignty in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis

Abstract

The Cameroon Anglophone crisis which began as a protest by Teachers and Lawyers trade unions toward the end of 2016 has evolved into an intractable conflict that threatens to dismember the West African nation. Most scholarly literature on the conflict so far has been focused on the origins, causes and possible remedies. Very few have touched on its theoretical underpinnings. This paper explores the theoretical foundation one which both parties in the conflict have premised their struggle or counter-struggle. It examines the Cameroon Anglophone crisis through the lenses of a conflict between “Remedial secession” on the one hand and “Territorial sovereignty” on the other. Both of the aforementioned concepts are fundamental to understanding the context and motivation of both sides and the main bone of contention that animates this conflict. The paper argues both international law and empirical evidences in their current form lend more credence to claims of territorial sovereignty than remedial secession. It lays out conditions under which the threshold for remedial secession can be attained.