Dieudonné Chi of SDF urges immediate release of political prisoners to defuse anglophone crisis
The ongoing anglophone crisis has once again thrust Cameroon into a national debate, with Dieudonné Chi, a prominent member of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), pointing a finger at President Paul Biya’s decades-long handling of the conflict. Speaking in a recent public discourse, Chi emphasized that Biya’s intimate knowledge of the anglophone issue—rooted in his early involvement in a commission examining the problem—has not translated into effective solutions. Instead, he argues, the crisis has festered under Biya’s leadership, transforming from a regional grievance into a nationwide humanitarian catastrophe.
From administrative concern to humanitarian emergency
Chi traced the origins of the anglophone crisis back to the controversial 1972 referendum, which centralized power and marginalized the country’s English-speaking regions. His remarks highlighted Biya’s early role in a commission tasked with addressing anglophone concerns, suggesting that the president’s long-standing awareness of the issue contrasts sharply with the escalation of violence and displacement seen today. The crisis has since claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and inflicted severe economic damage across Cameroon, all while pushing some citizens toward radicalization and separatist sentiment.
Frustration and separatism: the consequences of inaction
In his address, Chi underscored the deep frustration among anglophone Cameroonians, many of whom feel abandoned by a state they perceive as unwilling or unable to address their grievances. This frustration, he noted, has fueled calls for secession, with detainees in anglophone prisons becoming symbols of the state’s perceived oppression. Chi warned that unless these political prisoners are released, the divisions within Cameroon will only deepen, making reconciliation impossible and aggravating the risk of further unrest.
A call for consensus over electoral manipulation
Beyond the anglophone crisis, Chi criticized Cameroon’s political system, particularly its electoral processes, which he described as systematically engineered to exclude opposition voices. He pointed to the lack of consensus in designing electoral systems since the return to multiparty politics in 1990, arguing that this systemic bias has exacerbated national tensions. Acknowledging the wider scope of political detainees, Chi stressed that releasing all prisoners—regardless of region or cause of detention—could serve as a catalyst for national healing and restore confidence in Cameroon’s democratic institutions.
Biya’s final mandate: accountability and legacy
At 93, with his presidential term nearing its end, Chi issued a stark warning to President Biya: holding political prisoners indefinitely is not a viable legacy. He urged Biya to take decisive action, freeing all detainees as a gesture of goodwill and accountability. Chi also called on the president’s loyalists to support this initiative, framing the release of prisoners as a necessary step toward restoring national unity and preventing further fragmentation. Without such measures, he cautioned, Cameroon risks becoming irreversibly fractured, with consequences that could outlast Biya’s presidency.
Will prisoner release break the cycle of distrust?
The anglophone crisis has laid bare the fractures in Cameroon’s social and political fabric, with no clear path to resolution in sight. Dieudonné Chi’s intervention adds to the growing chorus of voices demanding change, but the question remains: will the release of political prisoners be enough to dismantle the cycles of repression and separatism that have defined the conflict? For many, it is not just a humanitarian issue but a litmus test for Cameroon’s ability to heal and move forward as a united nation.