This research investigates community-led initiatives of unarmed civilian protection in the ongoing ‘Anglophone conflict’ in Cameroon. Subjected to violence from both the military and armed separatist groups, civilians have been pro-active and resourceful in devising ways to protect each other and stay safe, inclusive of coded language, non-verbal communication, direct negotiation with the warring parties, early warning networks and information sharing through local associations and social media. The creation of a culture where ‘everybody is one another’s keeper’ has been crucial in enabling citizens to sustain their lives within the conflict zones since 2016. The role of women and women’s organisations is especially significant. Thus, this research explores bottom-up approaches to UCP, inclusive of their strengthening, and provides an important contribution to knowledge about informal and innovative grassroots efforts of civilian self-protection that involve vulnerable civilians’ own agency. Research methods include arts-based and creative approaches (participatory storytelling, poetry, and drawing) that enable conflict-affected communities to co-create knowledge. The research project is conducted by a team of UK-based and Cameroon-based researchers and practitioners that has previously undertaken successful research on this neglected conflict. The three NGO members are all currently involved in providing humanitarian support to civilians in the conflict zones.
Research Findings
- Unarmed civilian protection in the context of the Anglophone conflict is predominantly led and implemented by local citizens affected by the conflict. Civilians employ a plethora of homegrown and digital unarmed self-protection strategies. We categorise these under three headings – spontaneous measures, early warning and response measures, and preventive measures.
- Local agency is critical in the implementation of unarmed civilian protection. Civilians in the Anglophone conflict have been innovative and resourceful in the strategies adopted. Some strategies such as ‘dressing appropriately’ have been rather unique to this conflict, while others such as neutrality and protective silence are seen in other conflicts.
- Individuals and communities have largely devised their own self-protection strategies, with support from outside agencies either absent or limited to humanitarian assistance, due to government hostility to any perceived outside interference. Yet community self-protection can potentially be strengthened through enhanced vertical linkages to local and international NGOs. Local NGOs have a role to play in strengthening civilian efforts through funding, capacity strengthening, and partnerships with local community groups. International NGOs can provide financial support to support these activities. Reflection is needed, however, on the appropriate funding model and partnership approach, allowing community self-protection strategies to be supported without the imposition of international NGOs’ preconceived UCP agendas.
Contribution to Knowledge
The study has demonstrated how people in conflict-affected communities are active agents in their own protection, something less commonly covered in the literature. In particular, the study has highlighted the significance of grassroots actors in the provision of UCP. Overall, the study shows that community self-protection measures are important not only in the absence of external actors, but also that such external bodies, both national and international, should learn from the protective measures adopted by local actors, and seek to support and strengthen these. Grassroots actors are most familiar with the terrain and context and play a critical role in their own protection. Therefore, it is essential that outside bodies, especially international organisations, acknowledge this and allow local groups to take the lead in determining the most appropriate community protection measures.
Methodologically, the study demonstrated the relevance and beneficial nature of participatory and arts-based methods. First, creative safe spaces were provided in which participants could share their experiences freely and creatively without fear of possible reprisals. Through drawing, for example, participants found a non-verbal safe space to express their views, emotions, and experiences of the conflict and their unarmed protection strategies. Secondly, this enabled participants to be authors of their own stories and experiences through the creative processes of storytelling, drawing, and poetry writing. Participants felt a sense of pride in demonstrating their ‘hidden’ skills in telling their stories through these mediums.
Project outputs
Creating Safer Space Working Paper: Exploring Unarmed Civilian Self-Protection in Cameroon’s Anglophone Conflict, by Gordon Crawford, Nancy Annan, James Kiven Kewir, Atim Evenye Niger-Thomas, Bernard Nsaidzedze Sakah, Zonziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh (April 2024).
Brochure: “Ji se a-nta-av” Resilient Voices: An anthology of poems on community unarmed protection from a war zone, edited by Mutia Brendaline, with an Introduction by Gordon Crawford.
Policy Brief: Strengthening Unarmed Community Self-protection in Cameroon’s Anglophone Conflict, by Nancy Annan and Gordon Crawford.
Project Investigators, Partner, and Roles
PI: Prof Gordon Crawford, is Research Professor in Global Development, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR), Coventry University (CU). He is responsible for overall leadership, research design and management of the project, including ethical approval and write-up of research outputs and dissemination.
Co-I: Prof James Kiven Kewir, is a Professor of Conflict Prevention and Regional Integration and Research Hub Leader for Central Africa, African Leadership Centre (ALC), Nairobi, Kenya. He is responsible for organisation and management of all aspects of data collection in Cameroon, and management of Cameroonian team members. Contribution to write-up of outputs and dissemination.
Co-I: Dr Nancy Annan, is an Assistant Professor, at the Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR), Coventry University (CU). She is responsible for review of relevant secondary literature on UPC and the Anglophone conflict, preparation of interview guides, data transcriptions and analysis using NVivo, project webpage and social media presence. Contribution to write-up of outputs and dissemination. Twitter: @NAnnan_dr
Co-I: Dr Bernard Sakah, is the Managing Director of Big Steps Outreach Network (BONET), Cameroon. BONET is a youth organisation. Responsible for organisation of data collection in the Northwest Region, and a focus on youth participation.
Co-I: Ms Atim Evenye Niger-Thomas, is the Assistant Executive Director, Authentic Memorial Empowerment Foundation (AMEF- https://ameffoundation.org/), Cameroon. She is a PhD candidate in Conflict Management and Peacebuilding at International University of Applied Sciences for Development (IUASD) Sao Tome in partnership with IPD Yaoundé. Responsible for organisation of data collection in the Southwest Region.
Co-I: Ms Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh, is the Executive Director, Women for a Change (Wfac – https://wfaccameroon.org/), Cameroon. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Buea. She is jointly responsible for organisation of data collection, focusing on women’s participation. Facilitator of participatory storytelling workshops.
Project partner: Mr Billy Burton, is the Co-Director of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis Database of Atrocities https://research.rotman.utoronto.ca/Cameroon/Default.htm. Responsible for the preliminary mapping exercise.
Information about Partner Organisations
Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR), Coventry University: CTPSR is distinctive both in terms of the research undertaken and the approaches used. It is a truly multi-disciplinary Centre and by drawing from academic disciplines, knowledge, and skills across the social sciences and beyond, CTPSR tackles many of the most critical and sensitive contemporary challenges facing society. The Centre’s reputation for working holistically and unfettered by disciplinary boundaries has already attracted world-leading scholars to visit and establish collaborations.
Website: https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/areas-of-research/trust-peace-social-relations/more-about-ctpsr/
Twitter: @CTPSR_Coventry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CTPSR
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/centre-for-trust-peace-and-social-relations-ctpsr-/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCI0s4pWnenHQIgMpsLnk0g
African Leadership Centre (ALC): ALC at King’s College London and Nairobi are a community of leaders driving peace, security, and development. We offer courses, programmes and research opportunities to inform and influence debate on issues of peace, leadership, development and security.
Website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/alc; https://africanleadershipcentre.org/
Twitter: @ALC_KCL
Big Steps Outreach Network (BONET): BONET is a youth led non-profit making organization created in 2010 and has been involved in activities including governance, democracy, human rights, sexual reproductive health and rights, community education, empowerment and entrepreneurship as well as humanitarian interventions across Cameroon.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigStepsOutreachNetwork
Website: www.bonetweb.org
Twitter: @bigstepoutreach
Authentic Memorial Empowerment Foundation (AMEF): AMEF is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) created in 2006 and legalized in 2008 with a vision to cater for the rights of the girl child, young girls, and women entrapped by gender-based violence. AMEF runs four core programs namely; Education and Child Protection (ECP), Economic Development and Livelihood (EDL), Gender, Protection and Peace (GPP), Health/Nutrition/ WASH (HNW)
Website: www.ameffoundation.org,
Facebook: Amef Kumba-cameroon,
Twitter: @AtimEvenye, @amef_kumba
Women for a Change, Cameroon (Wfac): Wfac, established in 2009, is a feminist advocacy and awareness-raising organization working with and for women and girls sexual and reproductive health, leadership, and development.
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/wfaccmr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wfaccmr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wfaccmr
Websites: www.wfaccameroon.org ; Email: programs.wfac@gmail.com
The Cameroon Anglophone Crisis Database of Atrocities (CDOA): CDOA held at the University of Toronto, is an organization that documents and investigates human rights abuses in the context of Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis. The Database of Atrocities uses open-source intelligence methods and geospatial expertise to verify incidents, working with trained university teams around the world.
Website: https://research.rotman.utoronto.ca/Cameroon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameroondoa
Links to social media or external websites:
Link to ‘Voices from Ground Zero’ project report and website
Link to research insight article on the ‘Voices from Ground Zero’ project report
Link to blog on ‘Voices from Ground Zero’ report
Link to launch video of the ‘Shrinking Civic Space’ project report
Link to the ‘Shrinking Civic Space’ project report
