Abstract

Individuals with disabilities residing in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon continue to endure heightened vulnerability to injury, death, sexual violence, and other forms of severe mistreatment and harm. The Anglophone armed conflict has completely stripped individuals with disabilities of their rights as they attempt to escape the violence, killings, abductions, torture, and arrests perpetrated by combatants.

Frequently, individuals with disabilities in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon are intentionally targeted or utilized as human shields by the combatants. Women and girls with disabilities face an elevated risk of sexual and gender-based violence. Individuals with disabilities fleeing the conflict are often marginalized from the support available to internally displaced persons.

Those with disabilities persist in encountering significant challenges in accessing humanitarian aid, including shelter, food, water, and medical care, which have devastating effects on their health. The study aims to explore the impact of the Anglophone armed conflict on individuals with disabilities.

In other words, the research seeks to understand how the Anglophone armed conflict has influenced the lives of individuals with disabilities. Employing both primary and secondary data under the frameworks of human needs theory and frustration-aggression theory, the study indicated that the origins of the Anglophone armed conflict can be traced back to the colonial era.

Factors such as the historical context of Cameroon, its political dynamics, the marginalization of Anglophone Cameroonians, and the strike actions of teachers and lawyers are principal causes of the Anglophone armed conflict. The research further revealed that the Anglophone armed conflict has impacted individuals with disabilities in various ways.

This includes the forced displacement of individuals with disabilities, attacks against them, the killing of persons with disabilities, and the destruction of property. Additionally, the research highlighted numerous measures that could be implemented to better safeguard individuals with disabilities. These encompass the enforcement of International Humanitarian Law, the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in decision-making processes, and the adherence to international human rights law.

To this end, the study recommended that persons with disabilities should be included in all projects carried out by the government or humanitarian organizations. This will allow persons with disabilities to send in their input in their protection.

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