SUMMARY

The Balikumbat tribe, today located in Cameroon, migrated from north-eastern Nigeria in the 17th century. The Balikumbat tribe is said to have originated when the head of the Bali tribe vanished, shortly after he led his people to Cameroon. Legend has it his five children all aspired to become the leader of the tribe, prompting it to split into five fractions, one of these fractions being the Balikumbat tribe.

The population of the Balikumbat tribe number approximately 16 000 people, a majotity of which are peasants. They are located within the Northwest province of Cameroon where they have their own sub division with a regional council.

The Balikumbat tribe was historically ruled by a Fon, which is loosely translated to a chieftain or a king. Traditionally these leaders were the highest authorities in the tribal system, but their power is now more symbolic than practical. The traditional power structure was drastically altered when Cameroon was colonized; old historical ways of decision making were replaced by foreign ideas and theories regarding power structures. Yet another factor- the democratization process that followed several decades after Cameroon gained its independence in 1960 - eroded the traditional ways of decision making in the tribal areas of Cameroon. However, the Fon is still a prominent figure in the tribal societies, and up until 2005 he was granted total immunity. This however changed when the Fon in power of Balikumbat, Fon Doh Gah Gwanyin III was accused, and later convicted of murdering a politician with whom he had a heated argument. In this case the judiciary decided that justice would prevail and hold precedence over tribal cultural legislation. In this case the conviction of Fon Doh was welcomed by the Balikumbat people who saw him as a flawed, power hungry leader, and embraced his jailing as an opportunity to select a new leader. Fon Doh was often described as a big obstacle to peacefully solving the various conflicts the Balikumbat tribe was involved in, and after his arrest the peace initiatives have in fact increased and in some cases been successful.

The Balikumbat have not had any links to other ethnicities or groups in the context of conflict and violence, nor have they been part of any overarching communities regarding religion.

The Balikumbat tribe has been involved in the non state category of UCDP organised violence.