UNVEILING THE ROAD MAP FOR PEACE IN CAMEROON

Godlovegracemercyforgivenessreconciliationlibertyjusticefreedompeacehappinessprosperityandlife is the divine path

“A Peace and Reconciliation Commission for Cameroon”

• My humble idea about a peace process in Cameroon is focus on the notion that "Prevention is better than cure". We are not free in Cameroon. In 2004, a report obtained from the Freedom House declared that " Cameroon is among 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the 49 in the world ranked," Not Free" by the highly Washington based independent non-governmental organization, freedom house. Cameroon is shockingly on equal footing with Zimbabwe, Liberia, Haiti, Congo-Kingshasa, Iraq, North Korea and Afghanistan with regards to their dismal record on human rights! Cameroon fared better in the Freedom report in 1975, the year the present President Paul Biya was appointed Prime Minister –that year was ranked as "partly free". Since 1975 till this day that he is President we are still not free. When shall we be free? You can understand now why we need to work for peaceful change because something terrible might happen very soon. I left Cameroon in order to tell    the story and seek freedom for the people. I have always argued that the pen is mightier than the sword. Let us talk and listen.   I am very humble to sell my plan to you and if you have an alternative plan, please, we are appealing for mercy and compassion for the innocent people trapped.

• I never wanted to rush into proposing a peace plan for Cameroon without enlightening you about what is going on there. It is a dictatorship. This means people are not free and because they are not free, Christ is not at ease with the church. The church should not be silent. The Priests, Bishops, Pastors and apostles, missionaries, Peace Corps and diplomats should not be silent. The Pope should not be silent. I am very humble that I could bring this to your attention so that together we can figure out a way to prevent these problems presently and later

• I am humble to propose a road map for a peace process in my Cameroon as an example for the prevention of civil war, ethnic cleansing or genocides even it happens. We shall never know what can happen at the turn of everyday but we could tell from past events (history) that there is probable cause for one to make a strong case for peace now.

• I have been motivated by the genocide in Rwanda, the civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone plus the situation in Darfur, Sudan, which have given every reason for one to believe that Cameroon is on the threshold of collapsing. I hope this effort to jump-start a debate about where we are right now with our diplomacy in terms creating a condition of freedom for the oppressed.

• Civil wars, genocides and ethnic cleansing in Africa are fundamentally human problems. They are created by human beings and so we can find human solutions to them if human beings are not silent over what is happening in Africa

• While it is true that human beings are unpredictable at times, some of the systems created in the world are not even closed to many of the values that humanity purports ought to bind us together.

•  Perhaps, the concept of diplomacy, which is always not a true reflection of what is right, takes central stage as the means of interacting and managing world crisis but postponing problems, which eventually escalate anyway.

• On my own part I believe very strongly that diplomacy is a good thing if the policies, which accompany it are geared toward giving freedom to people. Given that it is a watchword in this 21^st century, I thought we could explore other ways through, which to set the oppressors and oppressed free without hurting each other.

• Perhaps one of the most important challenges of our time is the passionate faith “in God we trust”, which reminds us that there is someone who is greater than us. So how can we trust in God so that a long lasting solution to the most outrageous evils in the world can be tamed?

•  For this to happen, I feel that we have to acknowledge that there is a conflict between good and evil. Good people should not be overwhelmed over the enormity of evil because our passivity in any form or shape has helped the cause of evil.

• Through out the world people are talking about peace and yet there is no real peace. The reason is because we can't have peace without identifying potential areas of conflicts so that we can unpack them and dialogue together. In the case of Cameroon, dictators don't care about dialogue or peace. They have their own stereotype peace consistent with their selfish policies against the citizens. A   universal action for peace entails an understanding of the problem and exploring ways to work for peace.

•  I will argue that the Government of the United States used a peaceful means two years ago to end the civil war in Liberia. This was one of the most successful diplomatic actions of the United States in Africa and this same means is what we are looking for in other areas.

• We should dare ask the question; what are the root causes of all these civil wars, genocides and ethnic cleansings in Africa? Who are the architects and players? How can we tame and prevent them from hurting the innocent ones? Little drops of water make an ocean. Journeys of a thousand miles start with one step. Until we start venturing into the complex world of conflict resolution and peace, we can't conclude that it is hard. This is my take on Cameroon as a case study given that there is an active and ongoing conflict there right now. I will be grateful if we could help resolve the problems before it escalates.

• I worry like many other Cameroonians do about the current state of affairs in our country. I thought it would be worthwhile for me to contribute toward the effort to transition into a new Cameroon without some political players hurting the innocent citizens. Under this plan, I have explored the situation under the following themes: making the case for a peace process; location of Cameroon and a former colony of Germany, France and Britain; the voice of Cardinal Tumi in Cameroon; evaluating the state of peace and freedom in Cameroon; the leadership of US and other countries involved in Cameroon as a call; A Peace and Reconciliation Commission (PRCC) platform; commentaries and conclusion. You may proceed to the acquaint yourself with the peace plan.

Jonathan Awasom