Students attend a history class at a bilingual high school in Buea, Southwest Region of Cameroon, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Photo by Muleng Timngum/Xinhua)
by Arison Tamfu, Wang Ze
YAOUNDE, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The morning sun rises over Buea, the chief town of Cameroon's Southwest region. But instead of the usual chatter of pupils, silence cloaks shuttered classrooms. Teachers and students remain indoors, forced by separatist fighters enforcing a month-long lockdown aimed at disrupting the new school term and the presidential election scheduled for October.
Among those who once helped impose such disruptions is Okha Clovis Naseri, a former separatist fighter now determined to rewrite his story.
"One of the hardest things to accept as a fighter was the kidnapping and shooting of schoolchildren and teachers," he recalled. His breaking point came the day he refused an order to attack a government school.
"If we attacked children instead of protecting them, then we had failed in our mission of fighting for independence," he said.
Naseri joined the separatist armed group at 17. After nearly two years in combat, he surrendered to Cameroonian authorities, disillusioned by what he called "persistent deception from separatist leaders and deviation from the original mission."
He spent 18 months in a state-run rehabilitation center, reflecting on his past and what his future could look like. "Then I went to the university, studied logistics and transport management, and graduated with an upper grade," said the now 25-year-old. "I think I will continue my studies and see what I can do for children's education."
For years, students and teachers have borne the brunt of Cameroon's separatist conflict, which pits the country's largely French-speaking government against fighters demanding independence for the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions.
In June, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that the school boycott had gravely disrupted learning: 41 percent of schools were non-functional, leaving nearly 224,000 children out of class.
Another ex-fighter, Ateasong Beltus Tajoah, has also rebuilt his life around education. He now teaches logic and philosophy at a secondary school in Dschang, a town in Cameroon's West region. Yet his childhood dream of becoming a teacher was almost derailed in 2017, when, at just 22, he joined a separatist militia.
"We attacked schools, teachers, and students. We used classrooms as our camps. We turned schools into weapons of war, imposing boycotts to hurt the government," he said.
After laying down arms, Tajoah returned to his studies, pursued philosophy, and eventually earned a master's degree. Now 31, he shares his past with his students as a warning.
"The students I teach today can never fall into the same trap I fell into because I tell them my story. Despite once fighting, I now encourage the same children to go to school. I don't just preach it -- I practice it," he said.
Both Naseri and Tajoah are now outspoken advocates for education. "We use social media to sensitize the population and preach peace and unity," said Naseri.
Their journeys reflect a wider shift. According to Cameroonian authorities, more than 2,000 separatist fighters have surrendered since the conflict began in 2017. Over half have either resumed school or taken up vocational training -- progress officials view as a milestone in restoring peace and safeguarding the right to education.
Teachers believe the rebels' strategy of targeting schools has ultimately backfired.
"Education is a fundamental tool for children's progress and future. To use it as a political weapon was a mistake on the part of the separatists," said Richard Ndifor, an educator. "It is encouraging to see former fighters returning to school. This sends a strong message: those who attack education are not fighting the regime, they are fighting the future of young Cameroonians."
Today, Naseri and Tajoah stand as examples of redemption. Once armed with rifles, they now wield pens and lesson plans, urging young people to claim their future through education.
"The people I used to fight alongside are still enforcing lockdowns," said Tajoah. "We must not disturb children's education. It is their basic right." ■
Ateasong Beltus Tajoah gives a philosophy lesson in a classroom in Dschang, West Region of Cameroon, on Sept. 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
This photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows an empty classroom in a secondary school in Buea, Southwest Region of Cameroon. (Photo by Muleng Timngum/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows an empty playground at a nursery and primary school in Buea, Southwest Region of Cameroon. (Photo by Muleng Timngum/Xinhua)
