Land Grabbing and Conflict in the North West Region of Cameroon: An Endemic Situation, 1958-2017-中国社会科学院西亚非洲研究所

In Cameroon, conflicts emerging from land ownership and boundary discrepancies have reached record heights with the North West Region serving as the theatre of land and boundary conflicts. These conflicts are not just rampant, but have taken shifting positions, making the much-cherished desire for peaceful cohabitation a far-fetched possibility. As this book shows, the ordinances of the 1970s which stopped traditional communities from making claims of ownership of land, the unwillingness of the traditional elite to understand and accept the arbitrary colonial imposed boundaries, and the dubious role played by those in authority in an attempt to solve or identify the root causes of these conflicts constituted the bed rock for the emergence of multi-dimensional problems. This book argues that conflicts in the North West Region have been promoted by the colonial factor, the authorities’ insistence on focusing on the consequences rather than on the deep causes, land laws, administrative orders and formally made arrangements. It argues very strongly that conflicts in the North West Region have become so protracted that solving them has been an uphill task.

CONTENTS

x Acknowledgement

xi Preface

xiv Abbreviations And Acronyms

1 General Introduction

7 Chapter One

Background Study and Causes of Land and Boundary Conflicts in the North-West Region

A.THE Geographical Environment

a.Location,Relief and Vegetation

b.Climate,Soils and Drainage

c.Occupation and Network System

B.The Historical Environment

a.Migration and Settlement in the North-West Region..

b.Inter-Community Conflicts before 1958.

c.History of Administrative Reforms

58 Chapter TWO

Land Conflict in Mezam: Bambili versus Babanki-Tungo

A.Geo-history of the Area

a.Geography of the Area

b. History of the Area

c. Inter-Village Relations before 1958

B. Origin and Manifestation of the Conflict

a.Origin

b.Manifestation

C. Impact of the Conflict

a.Political lmpact.

b.Economic lmpact.

C Social impact

58 Chapter Three

Land Struggle in Ngoketunjia: Balikumbat versus Bafanji

A-Geo-history of Balikumbat and Bafanji

a.Geographical Context

b.historica Context

c. Inter-Village Relations before 1966

B-Origin and Evolution of the Conflict

a.The Origin of the conflict

b. Evolution of the Conflict

C-The Consequences of Balikumbat-Bafanji Conflict

a.Political Consequence

b.Economic Consequences

c. Socio-Cultural Consequences

150 Chapter Four

Land Conflict in Wum Central, Menchum Division:Farmer-Grazier Problem

A-Geographical and Historical Setting of the People

a.The Geographical Setting

b.Historical Setting

B-Origin ofthe Farmer-Grazier Problem

a.Problem of Space Occupation

b.Demography

c. The Administration

d. Politics of Identity (Aborigines and Allogines)

C.Evolutjon of the Conflict

a.The 1968-1981 Situation

b.The 1984-1999 Episode

c.The 2000-2005 Incidences

D- The Consequences of the Problem

a.Political impact

b.economic impact

c.Socio-Cultural lmpact

196 Chapter Five

Land and Boundary Problems in Bui and Boyo Divisions:Oku versus Mbesa

The Geographical and Historical Context

a.GeographicalContext

b.Historical Context

B- Inter-Fondoms Relations and Causes of the Conflicts

a.Pre-War Relatlons

b.Remote Causes of the Conflicts

c.Immediate Causes of the Conflicts

C-The Escalation of the Conflict

a.The 1982 Land Conflict.

b. The 1988 Confrontation.

c.The 2007 and 2008 Confrontations

d.The Recent Crisis of May 2008

D-Effects of the Oku-Mbesa Conflict

a.Political Effects.

b.Economic Effects

c. Socio-Cultural Effects

258 Chapter Six

Attempted Solutions and the Problems faced by the Intervening Parties in Resolving the Conflicts in the North-West Region

A-Attempted Solutions

a.Government Attempts

b.The Role of Traditional Authorities and Institutions

c.Religious Authorities and lnstitutions

d.Non-Governmental Organizations

e.Women and other Voluntary Mediators

B-Problems Encountered by the Interventionists

a.Government Officials

b. Traditional Authorities and Institutions

c.Problems Faced by NGOs

C-Recommendations

a.Recommendations in line with the farmer/ grazer conflict

b. Recommendations on other areas visited in the Region

337 General Conclusion

348 Sources Consulted

373 Index of Names and Concepts