Newsweek.com<\/p>\n
Connor Gaffey<\/p>\n
Cameroon\u2019s remarkable diversity has led to it being dubbed \u201cAfrica in miniature.\u201d<\/p>\n
The country is home to more than 200 different linguistic groups, several major ethnicities<\/a> and substantial Christian, Muslim and animist populations.<\/p>\n But the most prominent difference within Cameroon\u2019s population\u2014that between the majority French-speaking regions and minority Anglophone regions\u2014has come to the fore in recent months, with widespread protests, an internet blackout and several deaths.<\/p>\n Why is Cameroon divided?<\/strong><\/p>\n Cameroon was formed in 1961 after the French and British colonies in the country merged. Once united, the territories formed a diverse entity that was majority Francophone: eight of the 10 regions in modern Cameroon are French-speaking and use a legal system based on French law. The remaining two regions\u2014called Northwest and Southwest\u2014are Anglophone and where the courts employ British common law.<\/p>\n According to the country\u2019s constitution<\/a>, both English and French are official languages and hold \u201cthe same status.\u201d But the majority of government, business and administration is done in French\u2014 Cameroon\u2019s President Paul Biya<\/a> rarely speaks English in public\u2014and residents of the Anglophone regions have long complained of political and economic marginalization.<\/p>\n Why did the protests begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n Lawyers in Bamenda, the capital of Northwest region, took to the streets in November 2016 to protest against the alleged imposition of French courts in the Anglophone region.<\/p>\n Teachers also called sit-in protests in Northwest and Southwest regions. Cameroon has two parallel schooling systems\u2014one Anglophone, one Francophone\u2014and English-speaking teachers have complained that French speakers with poor English skills were being hired in Anglophone schools.<\/p>\n Around 100 people were arrested<\/a> during the demonstrations, which saw clashes with security forces.<\/p>\n In December 2016, four people were reportedly killed<\/a> when security forces used live bullets and tear gas to disperse an alleged protest in Bamenda, leading international organizations to call for an investigation.<\/p>\n Several further deaths have been reported since, including Friday, when Cameroonian police shot dead two protesters and injured 10 others after crowds gathered outside the police station in Ndop, about 25 miles from Bamenda, according to Reuters<\/a>. The protesters were reportedly demanding the release of people arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Francophone school.<\/p>\n What about the internet ban?<\/strong><\/p>\n Cameroon\u2019s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued a statement<\/a> on January 16 warning social media users that they could face \u201ccriminal penalties\u201d should they be found to be involved in \u201cissuing or spreading false news\u201d on social media. Authorities also sent text messages<\/a> to Cameroonians, warning of two-year prison sentences for those found to be publishing information \u201cthat you can\u2019t prove\u201d on social media.<\/p>\n Just a day later, Internet services were cut in Northwest and Southwest regions. The Cameroonian government has not given an official reason for the ban, but many have speculated that it is linked to the protests. According to activist group Internet Sans Frontieres<\/a>, the ban\u2014which left about 20 percent of the population without internet access\u2014cost the country\u2019s economy around 443 million West African CFA francs ($723,000) between January 17 and February 1. It has also spawned a widely-shared hashtag and caught the attention of Edward Snowden<\/a> :<\/p>\n What is the international community saying?<\/strong><\/p>\n Human rights organizations have been critical of the Cameroonian government\u2019s response to the protests. Following the January 17 arrest of two leading figures in the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium\u2014a leading Anglophone group\u2014Amnesty International accused the government of \u201cinflaming an already tense situation\u201d and attempting to \u201cmuzzle dissent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis worrying pattern of arbitrary arrests, detention and harassment of civil society members is entirely at odds with the international human rights law and standards that Cameroon has committed to uphold,\u201d said Ilaria Allegrozzi<\/a>, Central Africa researcher at the NGO.<\/p>\n The protests have also provoked a more measured responses from foreign countries. Former U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in<\/a> December 2016 that the United States was \u201cconcerned\u201d by attempts by the Cameroonian government to \u201crestrict free expression and peaceful assembly\u201d and urged Biya\u2019s administration to protect human rights.<\/p>\n