CI-NEWS

" ...We are your mothers...we don’t want bloodshed", SNOTS Deputy Coordinator speaks out.

2019-09-24

No: 448

" ...We are your mothers...we don’t want bloodshed", SNOTS Deputy Coordinator speaks out.

By Etoh Anzah George in Bamenda.

The crisis-hit North West and South West regions have been a hot bed of multi aggressions to which diverse groups have merged to proffer solutions. Amongst these groups is the South West North West Women’s task force whose recent advocacy had been saluted with mixed feelings especially in an almost life- threatening environment. The Horizon therefore sought to know to what level the vulnerable women of the North West region can be protected and what role the woman stands to play in peace building from SNOTS Deputy Coordinator. Excerpts:

*What is SNOTS all about*?

The South West North West women's task force is a female-led society coalition that came together in 2018 to significantly contribute to bringing to an end the hostilities that have been brought to bear by the outbreak of the crisis in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. It is an apolitical association whose neutrality stands tall with an end to fighting as our goal.

*What feasible achievements can SNOTS be quoted for?

Since the out break of the crisis and through our partner associations, we traced a handful of displaced women and girls whom we offered clothing, sanitary pads and other essentialities as we could to help them meet up with their daily living. In the face of the crisis thanks to SNOTS we gathered women of the South West with whom we lamented and collectively wailed in the month of December. In Bamenda we once more gathered at the municipal stadium where we bitterly cried out our pains. The importance of these activities was that it gave birth to an opportunity for the aggrieved women to bitterly wash out their pains which for long had almost eaten them up. It gave women the opportunity to know they too can contribute to the peace building process by carrying placards with peace building messages and lastly it gave SNOTs an open visibility as its activities through media activism became visible.

Overtime we have visited and talked with the prime ministers, both past and present, and equally visited the DDR centers to continue our advocacy .In addition ,on the 10 of December that is the world human rights day we held a press briefing in which we enumerated the impact of the war on women and girls stating clearly our non-partisan but optimism backed desire to ensure peace building.

On the question of the National Dialogue what role does the woman have to play ?

Firstly we have been confronted by many challenges and accusations owing to our advocacy. The state on the one hand at some point in time tagged us as being pro-ambas, while the non-state security forces tagged us as government sponsored. To all these we have stayed united and ostensibly trying to hit ahead with the peace mark. SNOTS being a coalition of civil society organisation has divisional coordinators through whom our advocacy has reached the women of the grass roots and most especially through the organizations her activities have been mainstreamed leading to remarkable progress.

During the Fulani and Wum community clash which resulted in deaths, through SNOTS food and other clothing was contributed and given to a partner organizations whose direct links with bereaved families and affected population greatly helped. Note that women contribute 52 % of the population of Cameroon and according to the United Nations resolution 1325 we are expected to actively participate in conflict prevention, management and resolution. Thus to this note it is our role to stand out in defence of the women and interestingly through our partnerships we are gathering the women’s wishes to be tabled at the dialogue table because SNOTS is not for Buea or Bamenda women but for all the women of the North West and South West regions.

In view of all these therefore Mrs Waah Clotilda coordinator of the South West North West women’s task force insisted: “We are not a state-sponsored instiution. We have been receiving calls of threats from diverse quarters and this is worrying because we desire to see an end to war and note that we are not state sponsored.”

On the dialogue issue she added:"It is time for us to take our place, let us tell our story, nothing will be said about us without us. I therefore insist to all women to channel their views in case they can’t make to the dialogue table to use either the divisional or regional administrative offices to have this done or send to SNOTS and we shall have it taken to Yaounde. Finally we are telling our brothers be it the ambas or the military: ‘we are your mothers, wives, sisters, and we don’t want your blood to be shed be it for whatever reason. We are connected to you in a natural way and as your little daughters if need be we say daddy stop it’.

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" ...We are your mothers...we don’t want bloodshed", SNOTS Deputy Coordinator speaks out.