Dr David Makongo as top-most advocate of Anglophones' unity, development and peaceful coexistence...

Dr. David Makongo is considered by many as one of the topmost advocates for Anglophone unity and peaceful coexistence because, at the peak of the Anglophone Crisis in 2017, when many chose extreme positions, he chose truth-telling and dialogue — and he addressed both sides.

Here is what built his reputation:

1. He told President Biya the uncomfortable truth that his inner circle would not tell...

In his famous *Open Letter to President Paul Biya, Dr. Makongo, writing from the USA, warned:

 "90% of the people from Southern Cameroon no longer want to stay in the union, largely because of torture and marginalization."

He told the President that arresting Anglophone leaders like Barrister Balla, Justice Ayah Paul Abine, and Barrister Akere Muna— all highly respected national and international lawyers from Southern Cameroon — on charges of terrorism and treason punishable by death, was _"a serious dent on national unity and national integration."_

He asked the President directly: _"If extraordinary men of their magnitude could be treated like puppets, what would this regime not do to thwart and hurt the ordinary Southern Cameroonian?"_

2. He advocated for concrete peace measures, not just slogans

His letter listed a clear roadmap that today is still quoted as a model for peaceful coexistence:

- Order courts to "stop all trials"  of Anglophone leaders

- Authorize prisons to "release everyone without conditions"

- Command forces of law and order to "stop the arrests" 

- Instruct CRTV to " hold off on all forms of media propaganda" 

He wrote: _"In so doing you will diffuse tensions."_

3. He called for Anglophone unity itself

While many factions were fighting each other — federalists vs. secessionists — Makongo insisted:

Anglophones must put aside differences to preach virtues that develop the country morally and condemn vices like hate speech and criminal acts inimical to unity.

He understood, as scholars noted, that _"North-West or South-West cannot alone survive... without a united front"_, and that unity is the prerequisite for any negotiation with Yaounde. 

4. He offered himself as a bridge

He didn't just criticize. He ended his letter with:

 _"In the highest interest of peace, liberty and freedom, Your Excellency, permit me... to request for audience aimed at telling you the whole truth and handing you a road map for genuine dialogue."_

That is why, from Buea to Bamenda, from diaspora to village elders, Dr. Makongo is remembered not as a separatist or a regime apologist, but as a *father-figure advocate for peaceful coexistence* — a man who wanted Anglophones united among themselves, and united with Francophones inside a just Cameroon.