What lessons can Yaounde Learn?

The people of Northern Ireland once said they don’t like what the British people were doing in their territory. The British people sent troops there and started killing their people. They retaliated by forming their own group called Sinn Fein and the IRA (Irish Republican Army). The British called them terrorist groups and the people of Northern Ireland called them freedom fighters.

As the British were killing the Irish people with their troops there, the IRA people were also putting bombs in places in England and killing English people. That is why the IRA people were called terrorists. They were also killing British soldiers as the soldiers were killing their people.

According to the IRA, as long as you are against them, you are an enemy and they have to target you. They believed they were fighting for their rights for independence who must be respected. They were putting bombs in the cars of their enemies and after some time, their enemies stop calling them terrorist.

After numerous attacks on both sides, the British government decided to go and negotiate with the people they once called terrorists and came up with the good Friday agreement. Now the IRA people are a political party and they have their own autonomy and parliament in Belfast.

Considering the current situation in the Cameroons between La Republique Du Cameroun Forces and Southern Cameroons Freedom Fighters, what lessons can Yaounde learn? They have called the people of Southern Cameroons all type of names, they have vilified them etc. Can they learn from history as the current war rages on in Southern Cameroons?

Rex Tayong

Edited by Mark Bareta.