Combatting Terrorism : Fruits Of Effective Diplomatic Tact

The upheavals that erupted in the South West and North West Regions in 2016 eventually into a violent conflict. With many drawing erroneous conclusions about the impact of the unrests. Some even considered government initiatives as weak and inefficient given the continuous loss of life in the two regions. But like the Boko Haram insurgency, the country has been tackling in conjunction with neighbouring countries also affected by the extremists, the line of action has always been that of leaning on a methodical approach to achieve desired results. In the face of growing violence in the restive South West and North West in the years 2018-2019, some tried to generalize the situation by thinking that only foreign assistance could change the paradigm for peace to be restored. Such reflections were far from the perception of the Head of State, President Paul Biya based on the facts in his possession.     
In his address to the nation in 2019 on the crisis, Mr Biya debunked growing accusations from varied non-governmental organisations of high-handedness in solving the conflict. He kept glued to his Constitutional right of ensuring the territorial integrity of Cameroon, same as he has been doing against other attempts to tamper with national frontiers. People who fail to understand the problem from such a perspective have often gotten it totally wrong. As the close of the year 2022 approached, it became clear that Cameroon has been taking the upper hand in the conflict with the population gradually returning to their deserted localities and villages. Even most significant was a release by the Justice Department of the United States of America announcing the indictment of three Cameroonians who naturalised in the USA. They are accused of raising funds to finance the conflict in the South West and North West Regions.     
Speaking after an audience with the Minister of External Relations in Washington, D.C. on the side-line of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, the American Under Secretary of State, Wendy Ruth Sherman said her country remains committed to working with the government and people of Cameroon to ensure the consolidation peace and stability. The position came after a decision by the US Justice Department on 28 November, 2022 to indict the three of raising funds online worth 350,000 US dollars, approximately FCFA 217 million, to purchase arms for separatist fighters in Cameroon. Those indicted are equally cited as masterminds of armed gangs responsible for using explosives in the South...