Cameroon: Separatist lockdown disrupts back-to-school in anglophone regions

The 2026-2027 school year is severely disrupted in Cameroon’s anglophone regions, where armed separatist groups have imposed a one-week lockdown. In Bamenda, in the Northwest, closed schools, shuttered shops, and sharply reduced traffic marked the start of classes, while a partial resumption was reported in other localities.

The lockdown began on Monday, 7 September, the official first day of school nationwide. According to the Xinhua agency, separatist groups announced their intention to disrupt the school reopening in the Northwest and Southwest, two regions embroiled in armed conflict since 2017.

In Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest, residents described a city largely at a standstill. Gunfire was reported, and many students, teachers, and shopkeepers stayed home. Security forces increased their patrols, while authorities urged the population to continue their activities.

However, the situation is not uniform across the region. In the Donga-Mantung department, the administration reported that classes resumed in several schools. Statistics published Tuesday by Cameroon Tribune indicated an attendance rate of 47.23% in secondary and technical schools in the department on the first day of classes.

Before the school year began, the Northwest governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, assured that security measures had been put in place to protect the resumption of classes and the entire school year. He called on school officials, parents, and communities to cooperate with state services.

The anglophone crisis continues to weigh on schools

September disruptions have become recurrent in the two anglophone regions. Calls for “ghost towns,” movement restrictions, and threats against school operations have, over the years, reduced learning time and forced many families to adapt their children’s schooling.

This year, several private and community schools in the Northwest anticipated the risk. Some resumed classes as early as August to advance their curricula before the announced lockdown periods, with catch-up sessions on weekends and, in some cases, increased use of distance learning.

The conflict originated in tensions that emerged at the end of 2016 around demands from anglophone teachers and lawyers. It escalated the following year into armed clashes between government forces and groups demanding independence for the Northwest and Southwest regions.

The new school year also comes amid efforts to find political solutions. On Monday, religious and traditional leaders from both regions met with Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute in Yaoundé to present proposals focusing on reconciliation, justice, and social cohesion.