Cameroon: Religious Leaders Crusade for Fundamental Rights Of School Children

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, September 12, 2023 – Religious leaders in Anglophone Cameroon say education remains a "fundamental right" as they call for children to be allowed to go back to school. More than one week into the 2023/24 academic year, the situation in the North West and South West Region has worsened with attacks by suspected separatist fighters leaving at least five dead in the South West.

On September 7, three unarmed civilians were killed and two cars (taxis) burnt. This attack was perpetrated according to reports by separatist fighters a bit to reinforce the two-week lockdown imposed to stifle school resumption of the 2023/24 school year in the North West and South West Regions.

"Children must go back to school," said Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda, capital of the North West region. "The best way to ensure the future of our country is via education. The only way to ensure the goodness and well-being of families is via education. So, classes must continue," Andrew Nkea Fuanya added.

“No one has the right to deny our children the right to an education," said Fonki Samuel Forba, moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, urging parents and the government to work together to uphold that right.

According to Human Rights Watch, school attacks are "systematic and widespread" in Cameroon's English-speaking North West and South West regions. These attacks have resulted in the deaths or kidnappings of students and teachers, as well as the destruction of schools. More than 700,000 children in Cameroon’s two conflict-hit anglophone regions have endured disruptions to their education since late 2016.

"We should create an enabling environment where children can go to school peacefully," said Reverend Charlemagne Nditemeh, Head of the Cameroon Baptist Convention.

Capo Daniel, president of the Ambazonia People’s Rights Advocacy Platform and commander-in-chief of the Ambazonia Dark Forces – one of the many separatist armed groups operating in the English-speaking regions – told RFI that "all government schools are banned in Ambazonia".

“Education is a fundamental human right and must be respected as stated in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘Everyone has the right to education, education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit,’ the Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA said in a statement. “We urge all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from attacks on education and unarmed civilians.”

Cameroon continues to bear the brunt of the six-year armed conflict.  According to the United Nations, continuous fighting between state security forces and armed groups has led to the killing and displacement of civilians, including attacks on schools and children. Over 6,000 persons have reportedly lost their lives since 2017, nearly 800,000 have been displaced and 600,000 children are left without full access to education.