South-South Cooperation Program Launched Between Cameroon and Colombia

The Cooperation Program between the government of Cameroon and Colombia aims to “Improve the peacebuilding process by implementing a program capitalizing on lessons learned from the Colombian case

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – A South-South Program on peacebuilding between Cameroon and Colombia has been launched in the aspect of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), an area where both countries share close relations.

Aïssata De, Acting Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon said that it was during the visit of 2021 Colombia in which the National Coordinator of the NDDRC Francis Faï Yengo and the IOM Chief of Mission Abdel Rahmane Diop took part, that the “decision to launch a South-South Cooperation Program to “export” peace achieved in Colombia” was made.

The Cooperation Program aims to “Improve the peacebuilding process by implementing a program capitalizing on lessons learned from the Colombian case”. This is expected to be done in three phases: design of a program of cooperation for peacebuilding in Africa; sharing good practices and community experiences from the cooperation program for the peacebuilding in Africa; the implementation of action plans in each country and the provision of technical assistance within the framework of the cooperation program for the peacebuilding in Africa.

It was officially launched on April 19 in Yaoundé chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) Chinmoun Oumarou, in the presence of the National Coordinator of the National Committee of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (CNDDR) Francis Faï Yengo. A strong high-level delegation from Colombia, led by the General Director of the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation (APC) of Colombia Eleonora Betancur Gonzalez, was also present at the ceremony.

Chinmoun Oumarou, Secretary General of the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) said: "It is in 2021 that the Government [of Cameroon] is committed to strengthening cooperation and the strategic partnership between the National Committee of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (CNDDR) and the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN) of Colombia, to learn and benefit from Colombia's good practices in the area of conflict resolution and peacebuilding.”

The NDDRC Coordinator Francis Faï Yengo, bases this initiative on the hope of achieving “a general peace, the development of the countries concerned and the well-being of the populations.”

In 2018, the Cameroon government created a committee to disarm and reintegrate hundreds of separatist fighters and Boko Haram terrorists who put down their weapons. In November 2022, statistics shared by the DDR showed that 1,189 children, including 647 boys and 542 girls, were registered at the Meri Center.

To date, there are some 1,460 men, 887 women and 1,408 children in the three DDR Centers in the North-West, South-West and Far-North Regions of Cameroon. Children associated with armed groups are often kidnapped or born into families belonging to armed groups.