Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Minister Mounouna Foutsou was in the Far North, in Maroua to chaie the intergenerational Peace Forum under the theme "Strengthening Peace, Preventing Intercommunity conflicts and combatting Hatespeech".
The forum was of capital importance in a region hit hard by violent extremism in recent years with Boko Haram. Bringing together different generations of Cameroonian and Chadian actors for two days to discuss peace and social cohesion was essential.
More than 300 young people from the four corners of the Far North participated in this event organized as part of African Youth Day. Administrative, religious and traditional authorities were also present.
The Minister welcomes the commitment of young Cameroonians
In his opening speech, Minister Mounouna Foutsou praised the “active engagement” of young people in the efforts to build an “exemplary Republic”.
He encouraged them to continue on this path to build the emerging Cameroon by 2035, in accordance with the vision of President Paul Biya.
The regional “Youth, Peace and Security” agenda adopted
One of the main results of this Intergenerational Forum is the adoption by the participants of a regional “ Youth, Peace and Security ” agenda for the Far North.
This agenda defines concrete recommendations to further involve young people in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. It will serve as a roadmap in the months to come.
The Cameroonian information site 237online welcomes the holding of this Forum in Maroua. Consolidating peace and social cohesion in the Far North must indeed involve listening to and promoting youth.
Young people are the main victims of insecurity. They must be supported and seen as an opportunity for the future, not a threat. Their commitment is essential to fight extremism.
Closing remarks from the Minister
Closing the work of the Forum, Minister Mounouna Foutsou praised the work accomplished during these two days. He promised to personally monitor the implementation of the recommendations resulting from the discussions.
The Minister called on each participant to now become an ambassador of peace, tolerance and living together. And to put into practice the ideas generated collectively during this cross-border intergenerational dialogue.
Hope for the stability of the Far North
At the end of this Forum, there is hope for an improvement in the security situation in the Far North. On condition that the authorities take the words of young people seriously and support their peace initiatives.
The region can return to stability if generations unite their efforts against extremism. But we will have to move from words to action, giving young people real prospects for the future.
Communication Unit, MINJEC