Youth Unemployment in Africa as a Catalyst of Conflicts and Insecurity: The Case of Cameroon

This reflection attempts a clarification of youth conflict in Cameroon basing on unemployment as a catalyst of youth issues. Conflict in general and youth conflict in particular is a problem to developing countries. Beside youth bulge, youth unemployment appears to be the most glaring cause of youth conflicts on the continent as of date among many other causes. Using deprivation theory coupled with both primary as well as secondary methods of data generation, we came to the conclusions that youth unemployment is at the heart of youth driven conflict in Africa. As measures to remedy conflicts in Africa on a larger scale and in Cameroon on a smaller scale, youth aspirations and voices should be heard and taken into consideration. Poverty and joblessness being seen as the main factor of insecurity and youth violence/conflict, creating opportunities for these ones is the only remedy as criminal convictions have failed to deter or curb insecurity caused by young people public authority and policy makers therefore are call upon to formulate and implement employment policies so as to limit youth violence.