Cameroon: Façade of Autonomy? The Special Status as A Solution to The Anglophone Crisis.

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]