Calls for repeal of anti-terror law

English speakers in the north-west of Cameroon want an anti-terrorism law repealed and a general amnesty to help end the armed separatist campaign. Among their demands are a debate on introducing a federal system to the West African country which is dominated by French-speakers. A report on the News24 site notes that the proposals come from more than 800 people representing a cross-section of society in Bamenda, capital of the Northwest Anglophone region. The commission, set up by President Paul Biya, has consulted traditional, religious, administrative and political figures as well as a ‘sample representing the population’. The report notes that resentment has festered from perceived marginalisation in education, the judiciary and the economy at the hands of the French-speaking majority. Since trouble broke out in 2016, the government has refused to open a debate on the make up of the state.