1、 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Cameroons Anglophone Crisis: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress name redacted Specialist in African Affairs April 6, 2018 Tensions have grown in western Cameroon since the governments suppression of a protest mov
2、ement led by members of the countrys minority Anglophone community in late 2016. In 2017, the situation escalated as one Anglophone faction symbolically declared the secession of the region and some Anglophone groups took up arms. While granting minor concessions, the government has arrested dozens
3、of activists and deployed the military to put down unrest. The crisis has heightened historic fissures in Cameroons diverse society and adds to the countrys political and security challenges. (See CRS In Focus IF10279, Cameroon.) Multiple Members of Congress have expressed concern about human rights
4、 abuses, including reported arrests of U.S. citizens and residents. President Paul Biya (85), one of Africas longest-serving leaders at nearly 36 years in office, is widely expected to run for another 7-year term in elections slated for October 2018. Biya has no clear successor, spurring concerns ab