Cameroon's government will resist anglophone demands

Significance

For over a month, the government has imposed an internet shutdown in the largely anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest Cameroon. This stoppage followed a government clampdown on growing protests and unrest over the discrimination against anglophone Cameroonians by President Paul Biya's administration. What started off as a strike by lawyers in Northwest region last October has now turned into a full blown political crisis.

Impacts

• An extended internet shutdown could devastate the tehnology sector in the Southwest region.
• The government’s unwillingness to cede autonomy to the Northwest and Southwest makes an extended crisis likely.
• The potential conviction of three civic leaders on trial for terrorism charges could spark widespread riots.
• The government will struggle to achieve a projected growth rate of 4.2% for 2017.
• A bird flu outbreak in northern Cameroon could hamper agricultural prospects.