Regional Cooperation in the Management of Internal Conflicts in Central Africa: The Case of Cameroon

The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon, which began in 2016 with protests by lawyers and teachers, quickly evolved into a complex political, humanitarian, and armed conflict with direct consequences for the entire Central African region. This study examines how regional organizations primarily the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and other sub regional mechanisms respond to this crisis and what instruments they employ to manage internal conflicts within member states. The analysis identifies key contradictions between their normative commitments to collective security and the practical limitations these institutions face due to political sensitivity, the principle of non interference, and institutional fragmentation. Special attention is given to how regional cooperation influences conflict dynamics, contains cross border spillover, and shapes the space for potential political settlement. The study’s methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that includes political analysis, institutional analysis, an examination of the normative frameworks of regional security, and qualitative analysis of documents from the African Union, ECCAS, and international humanitarian organizations. The scientific novelty of this research lies in its interpretation of the Anglophone crisis not merely as a national armed conflict, but as an indicator of systemic limitations within Central Africa’s regional mechanisms. The article demonstrates that existing forms of cooperation function primarily as mechanisms of stabilization and escalation prevention rather than as tools of political settlement. The analysis shows that structural obstacles such as the priority of the non interference principle, the absence of a unified negotiation platform, the fragmentation of armed actors, and the limited mandates of regional organizations hinder the resolution of the root causes of the crisis. The conclusions emphasize the need to combine internal reforms, strengthen institutional coherence, and create incentives that make political dialogue more advantageous than military confrontation as a key condition for sustainable peace in Central Africa.