Legal Protection of Linguistic Minority Under Discrimination: The Case of Anglophone Cameroon

Abstract

The minority English-speaking population in Cameroon, where French is the majority language, has a number of political, economic and social complaints that collectively make up the “Anglophone problem”. These grievances are described using the terms “discrimination”, “marginalisation”, and “second-class citizenship”. The right to speak English in Cameroon must always be upheld as a fundamental right. To protect the rights of minorities, Cameroon has established a number of laws. Since Cameroon and many other countries have ratified a number of human-rights instruments, it is the State’s duty to safeguard all the rights guaranteed by these instruments, including those of minorities. As demonstrated by the current crisis (another escalation in that cycle), several political systemic deficiencies need to be remedied if Cameroon is to grow as a single nation. Greater localised control over political and financial resources might be necessary to achieve this. To better serve the needs of citizens, existing institutions and leadership structures must become more accommodating.