Colours of taxis: Separatists must concede independence dream has crumbled.

Truth be told, the Yaounde regime has addressed some of the cancerous issues, but the conflict remains lingering with ghost towns that dampen the economic and educational soul of the two Regions on Mondays. There are also weird and barbaric fiats by separatists like compelling taxi drivers to change the colours of their cabs to blue and white, representing the flag of the imaginary Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Last Tuesday, there were reports that masked gun-carrying individuals, suspected to be separatist fighters, burnt two taxis at the Hospital Roundabout in Bamenda. Witnesses told The Guardian Post that the gunmen spent almost 10 minutes shooting indiscriminately, before setting fire on the cabs at around 5:30 p.m.

A man, whose car was within the scene of the incident but was not burnt, told our reporter on condition of anonymity that "my car was parked in the middle of the two taxis. One of the boys told me to remove the car because it did not have yellow colour. Then they poured fuel on the two taxis and lit fire on them...". 

Security officials arrived too late when the attackers had fled, as often.

In that madness, the separatists had, early in July, burnt a taxis on Che Street in Bamenda. One of the taxis was the only source of livelihood for a physically challenged compatriot. He was, however, lucky that some philanthropists contributed money to buy him another cab.

This week's victims may not be that lucky, like thousands of others who have been killed, kidnapped and paid huge ransoms, or maimed.

Those collateral damages to a people the separatists claim to be liberating and paradoxically terrorising is certainly not in unison with the hardliners who dreamed of separating the country as a solution to the perceived marginalisation of the people of the North West and South West Regions.

Initially, when the conflict started seven years ago, a majority of the people might have bought the ideas, but it could have turned out like jumping from a frying pan into a blazing fire if those parading themselves as leaders had their way. 

The people of the two Regions had legitimate cause to complain, and still have, that they are sidelined in public life and the provision of development infrastructure. 

But in the insanity of the so-called "revolution", schools, hospitals, bridges etc have been destroyed. Entire villages have been burnt in the fighting and some analysts have acknowledged that the two Regions have regressed and may take them some 20 years to recover. 

How has that covered the distance to the so-called "trip to Buea," which the separatists equate to getting independence? How do the innocent people they are terrorising, tormenting and harrassing support their vaunted ambitions?

The Guardian Post is aware that countries like Eritrea split from Ethiopia, South Sudan from Sudan and many others in Europe. Other separatists operate in Canada and the United Kingdom.

They use peaceful means and even in extreme cases like in Ethiopia and Sudan, the separatist militia never targeted their people.

For Anglophone separatists using unconventional methods to attempt to create their country is an indication of a failed "revolution" to use their fancy word.

It started with a spontaneous strike. It was later termed "revolution" and historically unchecked demands and unplanned uprisings often lead to unintended and tragic consequences. Instead of targeting taxi drivers, and so-called "blacklegs", separatist leaders hiding in bushes and diaspora should have the honesty to accept failure, an impossible mission.

The Yaounde regime has declined to use an inclusive dialogue, insisting on a military solution. Even with a magic wand, the separatists cannot have their independence using the gun or crude uncivilised methods such as the madness of a diatribe over taxi colours.

If their leaders are serious, they should take the advice of the African Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms. When the now outlawed Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, and its likes once seized the commission to get independence, they were told to form a political party and use it to sell their ideas. In that way they could campaign, fostering their political agendas without violence.

Without that they should silently shallow their quinine, conceding that the dream of independence was a perception of shadows in the twilight like in the famous cave parable in Plato's The Republic.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0: 3190 of August 05, 2024