2019-11-09_The_Economist

10 Leaders The EconomistNovember 9th 2019

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F

or 37 yearsonemanhasruledCameroon,a staggeringlycor-

rupt,oil-richstateincentralAfrica.PresidentPaulBiyaisan

old-fashionedautocrat.WhendemocracysweptacrossAfrica

afterthecoldwarended,hecalledita “distastefulpassingfe-

tish”.Thenherealisedhewouldattractlessforeigncriticismif

hequietlyintimidatedopponentsandriggedelectionsinstead

ofbanningthem.Hehasdonesoeversince,andkeptongood

termswithWesternpowersbyposingasa championofstability

ina fissileregion.Histroops,trainedandequippedbyFrance,Is-

raelandAmerica,battlethejihadistsofBokoHaramandIslamic

StatearoundLakeChad.Theyalsoregularlydonbluehelmetsto

keeppeaceincountriessuchastheCentralAfricanRepublic.Yet

MrBiyacannotkeepthepeaceathome.

Instead,a countrythatwasonceseenasan

exporter of security is now being wrenched

apart.AsecessionstruggleragesinitsEnglish-

speakingregions.Governmentforcesareburn-

ingvillages, shootingyoungmenand raping

women(seeMiddleEast&Africasection).The

conflicthaskilledthousandsandforcedmore

than500,000peoplefromtheirhomes.

Thestrifebeganasa seriesofpeacefulprot-

estsin2016.Anglophoneswereaggrievedattheirmarginalisa-

tionina countrydominatedbyFrench-speakers.Cameroonis

toorigidlycentralisedtosatisfyminorities:only1%ofgovern-

mentspendingislocallycontrolled,comparedwithmorethan

50%inneighbouringNigeria.Strikesanddemonstrationsover

theerosionofEnglish-stylecommonlawandthedominanceof

Francophoneofficialshavesincemutatedintowhatlookslikea

civilwar.Itcouldgetmuchworse,aschaosgrows,armedsepa-

ratistskillandsoldiersinflicthorrorsoncivilians.

Theoutsideworldhasbarelynoticedthisdisasterunfolding.

Appealsforemergencyassistancehaveattractedlessthanone-

fifthoftheirtarget:lessthanhalfthepeoplewhohavelosttheir

homeshavebeengiventhetwopiecesofplasticandropethat

makeuptheun’sshelterkit.Cameroon’smainbackershave

lookedaway,hopingMrBiya’sgovernmentwouldquellthere-

bellionandgetbacktofightingjihadistsintheSahel.Insteadof

corrallingthewarringparties,theAfricanUnionandunSecurity

Councilhavestoodaside,rousingthemselvesonlyto“welcome”

and“praise”MrBiya’s“nationaldialogue”,a shamtowhichkey

separatistleaderswerenotinvited.

Thisisa disgrace.Theconflict,althoughbloody,isnotintrac-

table.MostpeopleinCameroon’stwoEnglish-speakingregions

areprobablymoderateandwouldbehappywithsomemoreau-

tonomyandanendtothefighting.Theycouldfindcommon

groundwiththoseonthegovernmentsidewhomightbewilling

togivea bitmorepowertotheregions.

Thelongerthefightingpersists,theharderit

willbetoresolve.Withthearmyandseparatists

instalemateonthebattlefield,peacecancome

onlythroughtalks.Forthosetohappen,both

sidesneedtobuildtrust.Theseparatistsshould

startbyliftingtheruinousbantheyenforceon

childrengoingtogovernmentschoolsinthear-

eastheycontrol,whichthreatenstocreatea lost

generationofilliterates.Rebelleadersabroad

shouldtonedowntheirinflammatorytalkofsecession.Thegov-

ernmentshouldreleasepoliticalprisonersandprosecutesol-

diersresponsibleforabuses.

OutsidersshouldpressMr Biyatomakepeace.President

DonaldTrumphasrightlyscaledbackmilitaryassistancebe-

causeofatrocitiescommittedbythearmy.Hehasalsokicked

Cameroonoutofa programmewhichgrantsduty-freeaccessto

theusmarkettoAfricancountriesthatrespecthumanrights.

Europeangovernmentsshouldalsoturnthescrews,especially

France,MrBiya’sclosestally.Theageingstrongmanoncesaid

thatonlyone-partyrulecouldholdCameroontogether.Infact,

hisovercentralisedautocracyhascreatedpressuresthatcould

blowit apart.Onlydialogueanddevolutioncansaveit. 7

Words and weapons

A bastion of stability in central Africa could fall apart if outsiders do not help

Cameroon’s forgotten war

B

ashing billionaires is gaining popularity—especially

among candidates to be America’s president. Elizabeth War-

ren wants to take up to 6% of their wealth in tax every year. Ber-

nie Sanders says they “should not exist”. “Every billionaire is a

policy failure,” goes a common left-wing slogan. In Britain’s elec-

tion, too, the super-rich are under fire. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader

of the Labour Party, says that a fair society would contain none.

On October 31st he vowed to “go after” Britain’s plutocrats, sin-

gling out five individuals and bemoaning a “corrupt system”.

Left-wingers blasting inequality is nothing new. But the idea

that vast personal fortunes are made possible only when govern-

ment goes wrong is a more novel and serious idea. It is also mis-

guided. Personal wealth is at best an unreliable signal of bad be-

haviour or failing policies. Often the reverse is true.

The left’s charge is based on a kernel of truth. When competi-

tion is fierce and fair, persistently high profits should be difficult

to sustain. Yet on both sides of the Atlantic too many companies

crank out bumper profits in concentrated markets. Some billion-

aires have thrived where competition has failed. Facebook and

Google dominate online advertising; Warren Buffett likes firms

with “moats” that keep rivals out. Meanwhile America’s political

system is riddled with lobbyists cheerleading for incumbents.

In defence of billionaires

Large personal fortunes are an unreliable guide to where government policy has gone wrong

Squeezing the rich