Search

The legacy of colonialism in Africa, characterized by artificial boundary imposition, has resulted in engrained conflicts rooted in ethnic and cultural divisions. The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon illustrates this enduring socio-political unrest, with the North-West and South-West regions demanding greater autonomy and recognition of their socio-cultural, linguistic, and legal identity. In response, the Cameroonian government granted special status to these regions in the 2019 decentralization law, promising greater self-governance. This study critically gauges the effectiveness of this special status in responding to Anglophone demands through the lens of autonomy and conflict resolution theories. It explores whether this measure genuinely empowers these regions or merely represents a façade of autonomy. Employing qualitative methods, the research includes textual analysis, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with government officials, Anglophone leaders, and civil society. The findings reveal that despite hastily granting the special status, its implementation has been ineffective in addressing the grievances of the Anglophone regions. Consequently, the special status has remained a façade of autonomy because of excessive state control over regional institutions and a lack of political will to effectively devolve powers and resources. This paper emphasizes the need for inclusive strategies to address protracted conflicts and advances the discourse on sustainable autonomy solutions in subnational conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Central African Republic (CAR) has been a theater of hostilities for decades, in- cluding the Seleka rebellion in December 2012, which caused religious-based discrimination, especially between the Muslim minority and Christian majority. Opportunistic political leaders and armed groups have misused religion for political and egocentric gains in the CAR. The pur- pose of this qualitative content analysis research is to investigate the use of religion for political motives in the CAR and how such actions impact conflict and sectarian divides in the so-called phantom state. The paper recommends ways to mitigate political influence and the misuse of religion by political and armed group actors in the CAR. Very little or no literature on conflict in the CAR has specifically addressed the influence of politics on religion and how it contributes to fueling conflict in the country. This study fills the gaps in the literature by investigating the historical narratives of the CAR conflict while highlighting instances of political abuse of religion. A review of existing literature on the political manipulation of religion establishes the basis for a critical analysis of the influence of politics on religion in the CAR and its impact on conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]