The anglophone crisis in Cameroon and sustainable development: A causal‐process tracing approach

Abstract

Armed conflict is perceived to be detrimental to sustainable development while underdevelopment is seen as the cause of armed conflict. However, little is known about the cause of the ongoing armed conflict in Southern Cameroon and its effects on the pace of sustainable development in Cameroon. This study seeks to close this gap by employing a causal‐process tracing methodology and trend analysis. The empirical results obtained suggest that there is no end to the conflict any time soon due to the divide between the Anglophone political elite, lack of international support, and repression from the government. In addition, the conflict has very minimal quantitative significant impact on the pace of development in Cameroon. By empirically analyzing the case of Cameroon, the current study lends an understanding of the causes and effects of the conflict on sustainable development and further highlights the steps that are necessary to safeguard the socio‐economic well‐being of the masses.