Self-Determination and the Southern Cameroons’ Quest for Sovereign Statehood

Abstract

In this article, I provide a historical narrative and legal analysis of the Southern Cameroons’ quest for sovereign statehood on the basis of the right to self-determination under international law, which grants entitlement to political independence and to socio-economic and cultural development. This account is motivated by the manner in which the question of self-determination for the Southern Cameroons has been dealt with since the times of decolonisation, resulting in yet another bloody conflict on the African continent. Contrary to the global commitment to secure universal peace and security and the adherence by member states of the African Union to human rights and a peaceful and secure Africa, the escalating conflict in the Southern Cameroons not only challenges these aspirations but has also generated a humanitarian emergency of enormous proportions. Because self-determination is guaranteed to apply unconditionally within the context of decolonisation, I post two important questions. First, why was the Southern Cameroons deprived of the right to sovereign statehood when other trust territories gained independence? Second, is the Southern Cameroons still entitled to assert sovereignty on the basis of the inalienable right to self-determination? In responding to these questions, I explain how self-determination for the Southern Cameroons was compromised and further provide justification for the legitimate quest to sovereign statehood.