The general secretary of the National Union of Higher Teachers (SYNES), Blaise Mtopi Fotso, made this known in a press release released on November 15, 2021. The organization wishes to see initiatives in favor of peace in the North West and Southwest regions.
The National Union of Superior Teachers (SYNES) did not remain indifferent following the separatist attack perpetrated at the University of Buea, capital of the South-West region, on November 11 and causing at least 11 injured.
Faced with this attack which extends the list of “many cases of kidnapping of teachers from the universities of Buea and Bamenda“, SYNES through the voice of its secretary general, Professor Mtopi Fotso “informs the national and international community of this that in the absence of initiatives in favor of peace, and in the event of new attacks on the liberty, bodily integrity or life of a member of the national university community, BEN SYNES would be obliged to consider purely and simply the suspension of academic activities in state universities to preserve the lives of students and teaching and non-teaching staff until the conditions are again met for a peaceful resumption of teaching activities and research, ”read the press release.
While sending its “sincere condolences” to the families affected by the Anglophone crisis, SYNES “condemns with the utmost energy” the perpetrators of the explosion in the amphitheater of the University of Buea and the hostage takers. He calls on those who have taken up arms to give peace a chance by making themselves available for a dialogue with a view to the return to peace in the English-speaking regions. The Higher Teachers’ Union calls on the government “to take the leadership for a peaceful resolution of the conflict“.
He recalls that the final count of the ransoms paid to obtain the release of their colleagues is estimated for the university of Bamenda alone, at 200 million CFA Francs.