European Union Humanitarian Diplomacy in Addressing the Humanitarian Crisis Caused by the Anglophone Conflict in Cameroon

Abstract

Since late 2016 to early 2017, the Anglophone conflict between the Anglophone separatists and the Cameroonian government has caused a major humanitarian crisis in the region. This conflict was caused by the social and political marginalization of the Francophone-dominated government towards the Anglophone community in Cameroon. Decades of marginalization that evolved into a wide-scale armed conflict are concrete proof of the eroded aspect of human security, especially political security of the Anglophone community, which caused a domino effect that eventually threatens other aspects of human security. In response to this humanitarian crisis, the European Union conducts humanitarian diplomacy to reestablish regional stability and peace. This study employs the international liberalism theory to gain a deeper understanding of the European Union's intervention in the conflict and its efforts to resolve the humanitarian crisis by reestablishing political security in the context of human security, as well as the challenges it faces. This study will use a qualitative approach by examining data from multiple sources, including journals, web articles, and news related to the conflict, to analyze and better understand the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict and the European Union's efforts to address it. This research concludes that although the humanitarian diplomacy conducted by the EU can relieve some of the humanitarian crisis, but EU's principle of institutional liberalism and its heavy reliance on soft power constrain the EU from taking hard action to solve the root of the conflict.