Biya's Grand North appeasement mission: Right initiative, wrong audience, wrong message.

The mission of the presidential emissary to the three Regions, as he reiterated, was to assess the security situation and convey a message of peace and appeasement to the people of the Regions, who have been particularly affected by the unrests, following the declaration of the October 12 poll results by the Constitutional Council.

In all the Regions, he denounced the "manipulation" and "false information," which the MINAT boss said, were at the root of the protests. 

Atanga Nji accused certain political actors, without naming them directly, of having exploited young people to sow discord. 

"Turn your backs on these purveyors of chaos," he urged, calling on the population to respond favourably to President Paul Biya's outstretched hand in favour of reconciliation and development.

Despite the call for calm, the minister's visit to some localities, according to media reports, attracted the ire of "young people who expressed discontent, criticising the recent mass arrests".

In Ngaoundere, however, the minister announced the release of about 60 people, mostly teenagers placed under parental supervision.     

The liberation of the youth came in a tense context, at a time Issa Tchiroma Bakary had demanded the immediate release of all those detained, within 48 hours, an ultimatum that expired yesterday.

Later in Maroua, he inspected the DO’s office which was on November 11 set ablaze by enraged demonstrators and that of ELECAM where only charred walls remained.

During a meeting with Muslim, Christian and local elected officials, Minister Atanga Nji warned against “irresponsible politicians” who, he said, are manipulating children under the influence of tramadol to provoke acts of vandalism on public and private buildings.

In Garoua, Tchiroma's hometown, he said: “Children drugged to vandalise will no longer be held hostage by politicians”.

The minister warned the population of the North against accepting "ghost town" operations, which he said would only stifle the economy.

He reiterated his appeal to all regional leaders to join President Paul Biya in building the nation and working towards peace, unity, and peaceful coexistence.

“President Paul Biya, as everyone knows, has a reputation for being a champion of peace. He wants peace, and peace must not just be a word, but above all, a way of acting. The President, in his role as father of the nation, is asking everyone: the presidential elections are over. Now, we must all rally around the Head of State, behind the Head of State, to build Cameroon. President Paul Biya says that Cameroon is our shared heritage,” he said. 

In all the Regions, the minister held meetings with traditional, religious and elected political leaders, many of whom are known supporters of the regime.

Wasn't a rally the right place to talk to the masses and take questions from them?

Was it necessary to open old wounds by blaming “irresponsible politicians” who, he said, are manipulating children under the influence of tramadol to provoke acts of vandalism on public and private buildings?

The cause of the violence that swept through the entire country leading to an unprecedented number of deaths in the history of Cameroon elections, has been attributed by observers to flawed elections.

Numerous research studies have indicated that rigged elections are often triggers for spontaneous violence. 

In such a situation, the solution is to find the root cause.

President Biya understands the solution. Appeasement is just a part of it and it is offered without playing the blame game that could only escalate violence.

The appeasement mission to the Grand North, irrespective of its wrong message is, however, commendable. 

The wrong message was to attribute blame to "irresponsible politicians". 

Peace builders know that appeasement “generally avoids direct confrontation and uses careful, often vague, language in an attempt to pacify the aggrieved" who believed, rightly or wrongly, that their ballot didn't count. 

The audience in the Grand North mission wasn't made up of the agitators who need concessions like liberating some detainees but it should not be the last.

It should continue to other Regions, especially in the West and Littoral Regions, where identical atrocities such as excessive use of force, looting, arson and fatalities were committed.

In such a mission, the focus should not be to blame, but expatiate in public rallies, on the reforms President Biya promised at his swearing-in ceremony, which The Guardian Post expects to see bills sent to Parliament this session.

Peace is what every patriotic Cameroonian craves for, not chaos, but peace built on truth, justice and strong institutions, not strong men. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3623 of Thursday November 13, 2025