Fr Innocent Akum Wefon MHM is the regional superior of the Mill Hill Missionaries in Cameroon. He has written several pieces for this website relating to the long drawn out conflict raging in the English speaking region of Cameroon.
This, his latest contribution, is a cry from the heart, a desperate plea for peace, in which he pieces together the multiple parts of the jigsaw puzzle of the ongoing crisis.
We need a lasting solution: Piecing Together the Jigsaw Puzzle of the Anglophone Crisis.
For years, the Anglophone crisis has been dissected, debated, and analyzed from countless angles. So many voices have spoken, so many opinions have been shared, yet the suffering continues. After much reflection and prayer, I feel compelled to add my voice, not because I claim to have all the answers, but because I, too, long for a way out of this darkness.
This crisis has become a jigsaw puzzle, scattered into countless broken pieces. And just like any puzzle, it cannot be solved unless:
- All the pieces are present. No single piece can be discarded or ignored.
- Time and patience are given to carefully fitting each part where it belongs.
- Every piece is valued. Even the smallest fragment is essential to completing the full image.
The Anglophone crisis is not just a political struggle, it is a human tragedy. A puzzle left in disarray, where misplaced pieces lead to endless cycles of suffering. If we try to force solutions without truly understanding how each part fits together, the picture of peace will remain shattered, an illusion.
The Jigsaw Puzzle of Peace
Our people desperately cry out for peace, but peace is not something that can simply be declared, it must be built, piece by piece. And without these fundamental elements, it will never hold:
- Truth – The raw, unfiltered truth of our history must be acknowledged.
- Justice – The wounds of the past cannot be ignored; justice must be served.
- Reconciliation – A roadmap must be created, where enemies find common ground.
- Peace – A fragile yet powerful outcome of truth, justice, and reconciliation.
- Reconstruction – Only when peace is secured can we begin to rebuild what has been destroyed.
Skipping steps in this process is like trying to force a puzzle together without aligning the pieces. Truth is the foundation of justice. Justice paves the way for reconciliation. Reconciliation leads to peace. And peace is the only ground upon which true reconstruction can stand. Any attempt to rearrange this order is simply postponing the inevitable.
No lasting peace can be achieved without all the essential players at the table:
- The United Nations (UN) – The world cannot turn a blind eye to our suffering.
- The United Kingdom government – History ties them to this crisis; they cannot remain silent.
- The government of Cameroon – Their actions, past and present, must be addressed.
- Elites from all sides – Separatists, federalists, and unionists all have a voice in this story.
- All Ambazonian groups – No faction, large or small, should be excluded.
- Amba fighters – Those on the battlefield must be part of the solution, not just the war.
- The citizens – The ones who have suffered the most must be heard the loudest.
- Religious leaders – Their moral guidance can help bridge the divide.
- Traditional rulers – Custodians of our culture must help restore what has been lost.
Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is acknowledging that we cannot do this alone—we need each other. But how do we bring all these key players to the same table, to engage in honest dialogue and seek a way forward together? This is the puzzle of all puzzles, the most difficult piece to fit, yet the most essential for lasting peace. True peace will never come if we close our ears to each other—if some voices are silenced while others are amplified. Every cry of pain, every plea for justice, every longing for peace matters. No single group holds the key to ending this suffering; only by coming together can we unlock the future our people so desperately need
A Plea from the Heart
Look around. How many more lives must be lost before we see that we are tearing apart our own people? How many more homes must be burned before we realize that we are setting fire to our own future? How many more children must grow up in fear before we decide that enough is enough?
A jigsaw puzzle remains unsolved when pieces are missing, discarded, or forced into the wrong places. The Anglophone crisis is no different. Every piece matters. Every voice matters. Every effort matters.
The question now is: Who will help us put the pieces together? Until then the pain, confusing, trauma and suffering continues.
Fr. Innocent Akum Wefon MHM
