We want to share with you a framework, called The Boston Principles, drawn up by former Southern Cameroons activists during an intensive workshop in Boston from October 31- November 2, 2024.

Dear brothers and sisters,
We want to share with you a framework, called The Boston Principles, drawn up by former Southern Cameroons activists during an intensive workshop in Boston from October 31- November 2, 2024. This framework has not been shared with the public until now because the 14-point Principles were respectfully sent to Mr. Paul Biya to secure the commitment of the government of Cameroon to the proposed framework. Despite semblance of initial positive reception, we now believe that Mr. Biya has no real intention to address the problem. His stalling tactics seem calculated to navigate the upcoming presidential election with his usual electoral fraud practices.

The principles resulted from the Boston workshop organized by an organization called Pathfinders4Peace, bringing together independentists and federalists. Pre-recorded interviews with many people on the ground were used to further inform the deliberations. The workshop featured world renowned conflict resolution experts who played key roles in the resolution of the Northern Ireland conflict and Iraqi conflicts after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Their perspectives on conflict resolutions helped the workshop participants to draft a reasonable framework to which any well-meaning government would commit.

As you know, our position on this platform is federalist; we are committed to a reunified Cameroon that is governed as a federation. But we also understand that we need to dialogue with our brothers and sisters who are now drawn to the project of an independent former Southern Cameroons. We strongly believe that if elections in reunified Cameroon are transparent and fair, and if competitive political parties realize that they can’t govern without the consent of the people, all our problems and the anxieties of various communities will be resolved internally, peacefully, and in a timely manner. We cannot afford to expose our beloved country to the whims of dangerous geopolitical games. We believe strongly in the people of Cameroon. They can shape their own destiny and govern themselves as a federal system with accountability, political stability, and sustainable economic development.

We believe in public debates and transparency in our politics. As we share these principles with the public, we call on the people of former Southern Cameroons, the people of former French Cameroon, opposition politicians, and the international community to endorse these principles as a thoughtful and reasonable framework that can lead to a lasting solution to the former Southern Cameroons Question. On this platform, we believe that Mr. Biya and his CPDM cult are an existential threat to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political stability, and the prosperity of Cameroon. It should be the duty of every Cameroonian who loves this beautiful country to ensure that Mr. Biya leaves office in October 2025, and that the threat posed by the entire CPDM cult is substantially subdued in transparent and fair elections next year. It is impossible to conceive of a thriving Cameroon in which the institutions of our beloved country are administered by this very dangerous cult.

To the people of former Southern Cameroons, you need to play an active role in seeking a lasting solution. We think that this starts with the upcoming presidential election. While everyone is at liberty to refrain from voting for ideological reasons, nobody has the right to stop another person from registering to vote, voting, or running for public office. We encourage you all to register to vote and shape your own destiny by voting. Also, we have long passed the time when we could treat the CPDM as an ordinary political party with a potential to contribute to the solution of grievances held by the people of former Southern Cameroons. The CPDM is an existential threat to the people of former Southern Cameroons. We do not approve of any violence in politics or civil society. So this is not a call to violence. But strongly recommend that we shun all people of former Southern Cameroons who are still affiliated with this cult, pretending that it is a reasonable political party. The evil intentions of Mr. Paul Biya towards the people of former Southern Cameroons have been made even clearer during these years of waiting for the government of Cameroon to take meaningful steps towards resolving the justified grievances of the people of former Southern Cameroons and the ongoing armed conflict. Many patriotic Cameroonian soldiers have lost their lives fighting in a conflict that could have been avoided by offering a political solution. Many compatriots in former Southern Cameroons have been tortured and summarily executed by their own brothers and sisters. We need to put an end to these killings.

We call on all the main opposition leaders running for president to publicly endorse these principles and give hope to the alienated and traumatized people of former Southern Cameroons. It is their responsibility to recognize the value of the principles, which largely align with their stated goal of seeking a lasting solution to the protracted conflict in former Southern Cameroons.

While we disagree with the stated goal of those who seek the independence of former Southern Cameroons, we commend their representatives at the workshop for pledging to stand by the proposed principles during dialogue and negotiation, and to subsequently abide by the outcome of the dialogue. It is our belief that through sincere and honest engagement with the root causes of the former Southern Cameroons question, we will all come to appreciate that the Cameroon Federation born in 1961 is our only home; nobody can or should take that sense of belonging from us nor should anyone rob us of the benefits of citizenship.

May God bless you. And may God bless our country, Cameroon, as we navigate the challenges created by many years of a government that is allergic to dialogue with its people, addicted to electoral fraud, and reckless in handling our delicate history. By the grace of God, we shall overcome the challenges created by this irresponsible governance.

June 22, 2025
Dr. Benjamin Akih, on behalf of
English Cameroon for a united Cameroon
Serving the nation since 2017