‘Mr President, we want peace on our university campuses’

The higher education community in Yaoundé took advantage of the rare public appearance of 92-year-old President Paul Biya to call for dialogue to end years of crisis in the North-west and South-west English-speaking regions of the country, which have made studying in these regions perilous. Biya, who has ruled the country for 43 years, participated in the celebrations of the country’s 53rd National Day on 20 May.

In solidarity with higher education institutions in the two regions, those in Yaoundé who had the opportunity to participate in the march conveyed their concerns on placards to Biya, calling for better security on campuses and a return to peace.

The theme of the 53rd anniversary of Cameroon’s National Day was, ‘Army and nation united for a Cameroon turned towards peace and prosperity’.

In response, placard carriers displayed messages such as: ‘We want peace in our campuses’; ‘Free our colleagues in jail’; ‘End the war in NW and SW through dialogue’; ‘The military should protect and not punish university students’; ‘There can be no unity without peace’; and, ‘Universities are not battlegrounds’.

Attacks by ‘Amba boys’ and Boko Haram

The same calls for a return to peace through dialogue were made by students of the universities of Buea, Bamenda, Douala and even those from the Northern regions of Maroua, Garoua and Ngoundere, who have been facing ongoing attacks by Boko Haram, in particular.

But students, academics and religious authorities have also condemned violence by other groups.

“We are persistently in fear because of regular attacks by the [armed group dubbed] ‘Amba boys’, who kidnap for ransom, as well as raid [campuses], and the arrest of suspects, from time to time, by state security,” Linus Ebong, a third-year economics student at the Presbyterian University of Cameroon, Bamenda, told University World News.

“We cannot read freely on campus, especially at night, for fear of the unknown. Lectures are bound to end early to avoid nightfall because lecturers and students living far off campus could be waylaid by these armed groups. There’s a need for a return to peace,” he said.

In a Mass for the Nation at the Mary Queen of the Apostles Basilica in Mvolye, Yaoundé, on 18 May ahead of the National Day, Archbishop Jean Mbarga of Yaoundé warned against the ongoing crisis.

He said: “The disorder and violence in the crisis regions have been [going] on for too long. We need peace in the entire country.”

He also cautioned politicians to keep politics out of university campuses as the country prepares for the October 2025 presidential elections.

“University campuses are not conflict or political battlegrounds. Leave academics for academicians and politics for politicians,” the archbishop said.

An environment of fear

University World News reported of the arrest and detention of dozens of students at the University of Bamenda on 15 May ahead of the National Day celebrations.

The students in the residential area of Bambili were apparently targeted in an operation that the government says was aimed at ensuring peace in the crisis-prone Bamenda region.

An environment of fear also marks the country’s Northern Region due to Boko Haram attacks.

Over several years, news reports have highlighted violence perpetrated by the Nigeria-based extremist group that spilled over into the Far North region of Cameroon, resulting in several attacks on schools, students and teachers, as well as military use of schools as their bases.

The situation has since created an environment of fear and insecurity among the academic population, including universities and other higher education institutions.

In another recent article, University World News highlighted calls by Cameroon researchers to introduce measures to safeguard academic field workers following the murders of two researchers and their guide by villagers in the far north of the country who allegedly believed the group were Boko Haram members.

‘Collective effort needed’

The government, however, says the return to peace in the crisis region demands a collective effort.

Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, speaking on state radio on 21 May 2025 on the success of the National Day celebrations, pointed out that the country was one.

“The celebrations were very successful amid challenges – especially in the crisis regions. The government is open to all efforts to ensure peace and indivisibility of the country. Much has been done to bring peace in these regions and we need to collectively work towards this goal,” he said.

He cited the case of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the NW-SW Regions aimed at the recovery and addressing the immediate needs of the affected populations in the North-western and South-western regions, following the crisis to restore peace, social cohesion, reconstruct and rehabilitate basic infrastructure, and revitalise the local economy.

The prime minster also revealed that some educational institutions affected by the crisis were already benefiting from the reconstruction plan.

“Safeguarding educational institutions in these affected regions is a priority,” he said.