Senseless Killings Again

The killing in Mbengwi of the Momo Divisional Delegate of Communication, Mrs Liwusi Rebecca Jeme alongside four soldiers who were out on regular republican duties, are five deaths that keep no one indifferent in the ongoing crisis in the North West and South West Regions. Falling into an ambush laid by suspected separatist fighters who have for the past four years clamoured for the division of Cameroon in spite of the efforts and assurances made by government as well as the international community on the situation in the two regions, is appalling.   
Several shocking deaths have occurred in the past months, but that of the night of 5-6 January, 2021 has come to recall the fact that members of the defence forces and civilians alike are being targeted by separatists. Violence that degenerates to the taking away of human life, political analysts say, has never fetched victory for anyone. Such evidence has repeatedly been presented to those who took over trade union claims in the two regions to settle for war with the national defence forces. By trying to understand the senseless killings in Mbengwi when the convoy of the Senior Divisional Officer of Momo was attacked with calls for freedom in whatever form, defies common sense and good judgment. This is simply because the ongoing struggle in the South West and North West regions has progressively mutated to a battle against those who were told that their interest constituted the fundamentals of the fight. From the killing of traditional rulers who are considered sacred, the kidnapping and physical elimination of individuals and now a journalist in the line of duty, all combine to leave families, friends and loved ones in total disarray. The concern now is the motives behind such acts and the trajectory that such violence is taking. 
Cameroon has for long been qualified as a model of peace. By taking away such an asset from the population, no matter the justification, those doing so are being misled. They keep ignoring openings that the State has provided for them to return to normal life and contribute to nation-building. Apart from the freedom granted to former separatists by the Head of State as he recalled on 31 December, 2020 in his State-of-the nation address, there is the National Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Committee (NDDRC) which went operational since its creation on 30 November, 2018. It has demonstrated its importance to those who accept to drop their arms and seek normal life. This was followed in 2020 by the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction of the NW/SW spearheaded by the Prime Minister, Head of Government. Added to these two measures was the Major National Dialogue and countless decisions taken by the Head of State, which are already effective throughout the country. 
The sticking point in the ongoing conflict that has resulted in ano...