VIRTUAL FORUM SERIES ON THE ARMED CONFLICT IN THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS
June 3, 2020-(London | Berlin | Washington D.C)–The Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiation (CDN), has concluded consultations with Washington D.C. local health officials and George Washington University event management team about the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the prospect of holding the three (3) day “International Conference on the Armed Conflict in the Southern Cameroons” at the George Washington University in June 2020. The coalition has equally consulted with its partners within the international community. Putting the safety of all participants first, the Coalition hereby announces its decision to postpone the conference to a later date that can be worked out with the University and partners once safety and travel concerns return to normal. While the pandemic prevented us from meeting in person this June, it did not diminish our determination to carry on with important conversations about the ongoing armed conflict in the Southern Cameroons.
The Coalition is, therefore, announcing the launch of Virtual Forum Series starting June 07, 2020. These virtual forums will provide space for both international actors and Southern Cameroonians to share practical solutions, comparative analysis, and concrete approaches towards peace through negotiation as well as effective frameworks for post negotiation. This web-based series adds to the hard work being undertaken by over 200 Southern Cameroonians in the Coalition’s seven Working Groups. The online platform will equally provide an opportunity for Southern Cameroonians to hear from members of the different Working Groups and ask important questions.
The first four virtual forums will focus on:
Sunday, June 07, 2020, 3 PM EST
The Role of the International Community on the armed conflict in the Southern Cameroons,
Panelists: Prof. Terrence Lyons, Ambassador Herman J. Cohen (ret.), and Prof. John Mbaku
Moderator: Sandra Tombe
Sunday, July 5, 2020, 3 PM EST
Human Rights and Humanitarian disasters during armed conflicts: the role of international NGOs,
Sunday, July 19, 2020, 3 PM EST
Resolving Armed Conflicts for Self-Determination in Africa: Key Considerations and case comparisons and
Friday, July 31, 2020, 3 PM EST
The Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiation: An Overview from the Working Groups,
The Coalition is continuously engaging with key actors within the international community and remains committed to its principles and goals. As we closely monitor the evolution of actions taken by the United States and other governments; we will continue to build momentum for the conference as well as maintain pressure for the international community and local stakeholders to engage forcefully to end the ongoing armed conflict in the Southern Cameroons.
Continued fighting in the Southern Cameroons has since 2017 reportedly resulted in more than 12,000 deaths, arbitrary arrests, and imprisonment of Southern Cameroonians. The government of the Republic of Cameroon reported the killing of at least 700 of its security forces and administrative personnel. Over 300 villages have been razed forcing the displacement of more than 900,000 and over 60,000 seeking refuge in other countries including Nigeria and the United States. An estimated one million children have been unable to attend school for the past three years, and approximately 1.9 million face severe hunger and other potential humanitarian crises. Several attempts of the government of the Republic of Cameroon to quench the armed conflict without addressing the root causes have continued to fail.
The Coalition will keep you updated with every new information pertaining to this armed conflict and the international conference. The conference website https://aic.coalitionfdn.org will also be updated regularly. Thank you for accepting to be part of this conference and looking forward to seeing you when we can do so safely. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience this postponement may cause you.
Speakers for Virtual Forum on June 07th
The Role of the International Community on the armed conflict in the Southern Cameroons
June 7, 2020 @3PM Washington D.C Time
Speakers
Professor John M. Mbaku
Prof. John Mukum Mbaku is a Brady Presidential Distinguished professor of economics and John S. Hinckley Fellow at Weber State University. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Prof. Mbaku has consulted with the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, African Economic Research Consortium, the African Development Bank, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa on governance issues in Africa and has appeared on several domestic and international news programs to discuss elections, corruption, and other governance-related issues in Africa.
Ambassador Herman J. Cohen (ret.)
Ambassador Herman J. Cohen is the former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs under President George H.W. Bush. He is the President and CEO, Cohen and Woods. During his 38-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service, he served in five African countries and twice in France. He was the ambassador to Senegal, with dual accreditation to the Gambia. During assignments in Washington, he also served as a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Senior Director for Africa at National Security Council, principal deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and research, and principal deputy assistant secretary for personnel.
Professor Terrence Lyons
Prof. Lyons is an expert in comparative peace processes and post-conflict politics, with a regional emphasis on Africa. He is an Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University and currently serves as Director of the Doctoral Program and Co-Chair’s Project on Contentious Politics. Prof. Lyons has consulted with the Department of State, United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and key think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Moderator
Sandra Tombe
Sandra Tombe is a South Sudanese doctoral fellow at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, where she has taught undergraduate courses on conflict theory and research methods. She focuses on transnational politics. In particular, she studies political organizations and diaspora mobilization with a particular focus on South Sudan and Cameroon. She has extensive knowledge on conflicts in Central and East Africa on the domestic and regional level, focusing on how identity and perceived identity affect how people engage with conflict. Sandra has published in The Journal of Modern African Studies.
About the Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations
The Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations (CDN) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with the specific goal of facilitating dialogue and negotiations towards ending the war in Southern Cameroons. CDN is made of professionals from all works of life and over 20 partner organizations worldwide advocating for an end to the war. CDN members work with its partners to strengthen international involvement in resolving the conflict and building durable peace in the conflict-affected territories.
Contact: Kindly send all inquiries to Rick Ferreira, Executive Director at Rick.Ferreira@coalitionfdn.org
