Monthly Archives: October 2017

8, October 2017

AU silent over Southern Cameroons Crisis ⁰

Cameroon has disputed a report that said 100 people died in anti-government protests. The African Union has largely remained quiet as secession sentiments gather steam in the central African nation.

AU Chairperson Moussa Faki (picture-alliance/abaca/M. Wondimu Hailu)

Cameroonian authorities on Thursday rejected a report by a human rights group which said at least 100 people were killed by government forces during last weekend’s protests. Initial reports stated 17 people had been killed.

Didier Badjeck, Cameroon’s army spokesman, also disputed figures released by Amnesty International which put the death toll at 17. Badjeck said they recorded 10 deaths. “A lot of countries in Africa have decided to use heavy handedness to squash opposition,” Christian Ani, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, told DW. “This is the challenge of lack of foresight within government.”

Violent protests broke out in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions following a symbolic declaration of independence from the rest of the country. President Paul Biya has completely ruled out independence, he also strongly opposes the return to a federal structure, which existed in Cameroon from the time it gained independence in 1961 until 1984, when Biya abolished the federal system for a unified Republic of Cameroon.

Cameroon police drive in van with arrested protesters (Getty Images/AFP/STRINGER)

Cameroon’s security service has been cracking down hard on protesters

English speaking Cameroonians make up 20 percent of Cameroon’s population of 23 million. They have long complained that they are treated like second-class citizens by the predominantly French speaking government in Yaounde. The root of the grievances date back to the end of World War One when the League of Nations decided to split Kamerun, a former German colony, between the allied French and British powers.

AU tight-lipped on Cameroon and Nigeria

The African Union has so far refrained from intervening in the ongoing crisis in Cameroon. Efforts by DW to get the AU’s position on the contentious issue were unsuccessful. “It’s a failure of the African Union and the UN collectively,” Ayo Johnson, Director of Viewpoint Africa and an expert on African politics told DW in an interview. “Nigeria and Cameroon are experiencing separatist calls from unsettled, unhappy, disgruntled parts of the country.”

In Nigeria, Igbo people are calling for a separatist state which they call Biafra. “These two [separatist movements], are pulling their respective countries apart,” Johnson said. “Sequentially, the international community; the African Union and the UN have been unable to take drastic action which is being called for by many people right now.”

External interference in such issues is very sensitive. The Biafran war (1967-1970) was devastating. More than one million people died, most of them through hunger and famine. It also left the Igbo people feeling further marginalized. “They have always thought they are not involved in politics, their voices are not heard, opportunities never come their way and they don’t have access to jobs,” Johnson said.

These are similar sentiments which are being heard locally in the English speaking regions of Cameroon. “But the international community is unable, unwilling and does not have the appetite to take strong measures which could put pressure on President [Muhammadu] Buhari of Nigeria and President Biya of Cameroon, therein lies the problem.” The EU, US and rights group Amnesty International have all spoken out against the violence in Cameroon.

The AU’s intervention options

For Johnson, there are a couple of options at the AU’s disposal. “Sanctions could be one, revoking of membership could be another.” He said, however, that revoking membership is symbolic as it doesn’t really affect the country. “But psychologically it has an impact.” Sanctions on the other hand are different; they could mean travel bans, restrictions on access to services in the international arena. Alternatively, they could be calls for a special rapporteur for the UN and the African Union.

Protesters march in Cameroon (Reuters/J. Kouam)

Pro and anti-government protests in Cameroon have been steadily growing

That type of special envoy could be sent, not necessarily to mediate, but to find out what’s acceptable or unacceptable on the ground; more so for those who are calling for separatism, to find out how those flames could be doused. “Such reports can be tabled at the UN Security Council and further action collectively across the UN and its African Union affiliate would be able to make stronger decisions.”

Source: Deutsche Welle

8, October 2017

UK prime minister signals she might demote her foreign secretary ⁰

British Prime Minister Theresa May has signaled she might demote Boris Johnson amid pressure to sack the foreign secretary, a report says.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, May hinted at her plans for Johnson, who is accused by some of her allies of undercutting her by taking a different position on Brexit.

“It has never been my style to hide from a challenge and I’m not going to start now,” the paper quoted May as saying.

“I’m the PM, and part of my job is to make sure I always have the best people in my cabinet, to make the most of the wealth of talent available to me in the party.”

May delivered a speech in Florence last month, proposing a two-year transitional period to be started after the UK leaves the European Union in 2019.

A few days earlier, Johnson said in a newspaper article that the two-year post-Brexit transition deal should be “done as fast as possible,” and that the period should last “not a second more” than two years for the UK.

His interventions were seen by many lawmakers as undermining May and causing unnecessary unrest prior to the party’s conference last week that culminated in a disastrous speech by May, spoiled by a coughing fit, a comedian handing her a bogus employment termination notice, and by letters falling off the slogans on the set behind her.

Referring to her conference speech, May told the newspaper, “I am a very determined person. I am not someone who gives up.”

Meanwhile, former Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said Friday that 30 Conservative members of parliament supported a plot to topple the prime minister.

Shapps, who chaired the party between 2012 and 2015, said the premier’s leadership should now be challenged.

“I think she should call a leadership election,” Shapps told BBC Radio.

The news, however, caused senior figures, including Johnson himself, to rally around May and call for unity.

“We have just had an election and people are fed up with this malarkey,” Johnson said in a message to Conservative lawmakers.

May’s authority was already diminished by her decision to call a snap election in June that lost her party its majority in parliament just days before the opening of Brexit talks with the European Union.

To trigger a formal leadership challenge, 48 Conservative lawmakers need to write to the chairman of the party’s so-called 1922 Committee.

Source: Presstv

8, October 2017

Abuja to try 2,300 Boko Haram militants ⁰

Nigeria is going to try more than 2,300 suspected members of the Takfiri Boko Haram militant group in unprecedented mass trials behind closed doors.

The defendants, whose trials are to begin on Monday, have all been picked up and held in detention since the start of Boko Haram militancy eight years ago.

To date, just 13 people have been put on trial and only nine convicted for their links to the Takfiri group, according to official figures.

The most high-profile current case is that of Khalid Al-Barnawi, a leader of Boko Haram offshoot Ansaru, who is charged with the abduction and murder of 10 foreign nationals.

Nigeria’s Justice Ministry announced the start of the trials at the end of last month, saying four judges had been assigned and that defendants would have legal representation.

Some 1,670 detainees at a military base in Kainji, in the central state of Niger, will be tried first and will be followed by 651 others held at the Giwa barracks in the capital of the northeastern state of Borno State, Maiduguri.

The trials are seen as a positive step, as many of the detainees had been held in custody for years, without access to a lawyer or ever having appeared before a judge. Amnesty International said in a June 2015 report that more than 20,000 people had been arbitrarily arrested as part of the fight against Boko Haram.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in 2015, has promised to look into repeated accusations of human rights violations, including by high-ranking officers.

At least two commissions of inquiry have been established but the army announced in June this year that no action would be taken against top brass accused by Amnesty.

Amnesty believes the mass trials of Boko Haram suspects were the result of international pressure on the Nigerian government.

Source: Presstv

8, October 2017

Why La Republique du Cameroun lost a war of choice it should never have declared ⁰

The struggle for freedom and independence of the Southern Cameroons is in the soul of every Southern Cameroonian born and unborn. It is a struggle which has been going on for the last fifty-six years. The genocide of armless Southern Cameroonians from all hooks and corners of the Southern Cameroons on October 1, 2017 has eternalized this spirit of freedom which has been elusive for these fifty-six years. The flame of freedom and independence which was lit by the blood of Southern Cameroons martyrs shall never ever be extinguished. Those who believe that this flame of freedom will be drown by the genocide and senseless bloodletting of innocent Southern Cameroonians may very well dream on.

The ferocity and intensity with which La Republique du Cameroun is executing its preplanned genocide against armless Southern Cameroonians has shocked the conscience of humanity with Catholic Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda pointedly calling it a genocide. The world must promptly take strong measures to halt this genocide before the pledge the civilized world made in the aftermath of the holocaust in 1945 is once more turned into an empty slogan in the African continent.

The deployment of the military equipped with international support to fight the Boko Haram terrorists to prosecute a genocidal campaign in the Southern Cameroons characterizing its citizens as terrorists calls for a strong international response. The deployment of helicopter gunboats and other weapons of mass destruction to kill and maim armless civilians cannot be justified under all circumstances. Also, the criminal characterization of armless Southern Cameroonians civilians as terrorists and waging a military campaign to exterminate them in whole or in part based on their cultural identity must invite a strong international response. Extending the definition of the enemy during an ongoing military campaign in North Cameroon sponsored by the international community and supported by the United States of America to include civilians far from the defined war front exercising their right to external self-determination grounded in international law, is a violation of international law requiring an international investigation and prosecution.

Despite the ongoing bloodletting, and its heavy toll, the valiant and freedom seeking people of the Southern Cameroons have scored a stunning victory over its blood sucking aggressor. Millions of Southern Cameroonians at home and abroad by words, actions and the ultimate supreme sacrifice of its martyrs sent an undiluted message to La Republique du Cameroun and the international community. The reassertion of the independence it obtained from the United Nations on October 1, 1961 on October 2017, carries significant symbolic weight.

The cowardly undeclared war of unprovoked aggression against armless civilians with profound regret, claimed precious lives but it did not deter the revolutionary soul of freedom and independence must was hence eternalized. Through this cowardly campaign, La Republique du Cameroun legitimized the methods deployed by Boko Haram which similarly targets armless civilians for mass killing, abductions, torture, mass destruction of property, looting and torching of civilian settlements.

The decapitated corpses and mass graves littering most of Southern Cameroons settlements in the Northern and Southern Zones of the territory could readily be mistaken for any territory that was a victim of Boko Haram attack. It can therefore be rightly said that a supposed partner in the war against Boko Haram is poking the nose of the international community by deploying Boko Haram tactics in the prosecution of a genocide against armless civilians in the Southern Cameroons. This is unacceptable and nothing short of an energetic response from the international community will stop the dangerous transformation of the army of a supposed state party to the war against Boko Haram into a prototype of Boko Haram in all but name.

The genocidal campaign in the Southern Cameroons must indeed have had Boko Haram smiling and feeling justified in its terrorist targeting of civilians to attain its terrorist religious/ideological objectives. In this situation, in respect of the military campaign of La Republique du Cameroun in the Southern Cameroons, does it have any legal or moral authority to remain a partner of civilized countries in the war against Boko Haram? The answer is clearly in the negative.

The international community must no longer address an ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in diplomatic terms. The perpetrators of the crimes are well known. Apart from Paul Biya who bears ultimate responsibility, the entire criminal architecture of the preplanned genocide is visible even to the jaundiced eye. They have proved themselves and even boast about it. When the military expedition was ongoing, Cavaye Djibril, Nyat Njipendji, Laurent Esso the Minister of Justice and Fame Ndongo minister of higher education mobilized militants of the CPDM and party militias in the major cities of Yaounde, Douala, Ebolowa and Bafoussam to celebrate the genocidal expedition. The mere presence in the hateful celebration of the genocidal campaign in Yaounde of some Southern Cameroonians genocide apologists like Tabetando, Nfon Mukete, Achidi Achu and others exposed to the public glare their role in encouraging and facilitating the genocide of their own people.

Cameroon Tribune, CRTV and supposed independent television networks and Newspapers belonging to the CPDM tribal or power cabal, characterized Southern Cameroonians as terrorists who must be exterminated. One Owona Nguini and one Obama of Television 4, among many excelled in the forceful propagation of this campaign of genocide. Issa Tchiroma the Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman consistently incited and encouraged the massacre of Southern Cameroonians and justified all criminal acts committed against them on the discriminatory and distinguishing characteristics of Southern Cameroons identity.

Apart from the Governors of the North West and the South West and all the Divisional Officers within the occupied territory, the Minister of Defense, the Secretary of State for the National Gendarmerie, the Delegate General for National Security, the High Command of the Cameroon Army and the close circuit of influential mystical fraternity surrounding the Head of State are culpable of these crimes. They are known for perpetrating many unimagined systemic and widespread crimes of an international nature within their own territory against its captive citizens. Therefore, an urgent need to dislodge this cabal of high profile criminals from governance before it sets the entire sub region of the Gulf of Guinea and the Central Africa sub region on an inextinguishable conflagration.

Cameroon Concord News calls on the United Nations, the Security Council, to invoke its Responsibility to Protect Mandate under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to intervene and abate the ongoing genocide of Southern Cameroonians. The Southern Cameroons by not taking up arms in self-defense so far has demonstrated its preference for the respect of the peaceful resolution of disputes advocated by the international community. By failing to intervene and abate the genocide against its people, the international community is in a way informing the Southern Cameroons and the world at large that the Southern Cameroons is on its own and must find ways to protect and defend its territory and its people.

The Southern Cameroonians have assessed the capacity of La Republique du Cameroon to fight and win a war in its territory to be paltry. Indeed, the next expedition if it occurs may well make the territory of the Southern Cameroons a graveyard for the genocidal forces of La Republique du Cameroun. Lest La Republique forgets the lessons of history. Kuva Likenye of Buea, the historic battle of Nsanakang in Manyu, the Fontem nine-year campaign against the Germans, the heroic warriors of Nso and many historic wars portraying the military prowess of our Southern Cameroons ancestors is evidence that we will never ever be intimidated by the abusive deployment of cowardly soldiers who humiliated by Boko Haram are redeployed and empowered to sneak into the homes of armless civilians to rape girls, women, assassinate grandmothers, shoot at babies, abduct and kidnap the youth, the elderly and the vulnerable, loot, steal, extort and torch civilian property and settlements .

In recent times, over these fifty-six years, Babatoura Ahidjo, Jean Forchive and La Republique’s repressive machinery tried these same tactics but that did not stop October 1, 2017 from occurring. The clear message is that no weapon used by the oppressor and cowardly murderers of grandmothers, children, women and young men at the heart of night in their sleep will deter the train of freedom from moving on. The blood of our martyrs will water the tree of freedom and we shall be free at last and forever. That blood and the wounds of the maimed are the staying power of this Southern Cameroons revolution. Let La Republique forget. You have deployed your tools and exposed those driving your genocide agenda, the capability of the Southern Cameroons to defend its sovereign will to be live as a people in a free and civilized world is still a mystery to you? Reason why you must be very worried and rethink your option of war of choice as a means of imposing a union which you irredeemably destroyed through the ongoing genocide.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Editor-in-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

7, October 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis created ‘warlike atmosphere’: Anglophone Bishops ⁰

Church leaders in Cameroon’s Anglophone region have spoken on the current crisis which has led to deaths, injuries and arrests after security forces clashed with protesters. The Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) in a statement issued on Wednesday October 4, said the clashes created a ‘warlike atmosphere’ during the period spanning September 29 to October 2.

“The sighs of those who have lost property through looting or arson, the pain of anxiety inflicted on families and friends of those abducted or missing, the trauma caused on the young and the old by the fright from the warlike atmosphere of last weekend in particular have left another heap of painful memories in our minds and hearts.

“We want, in the first place, to express our profound grief and sympathies to those families who in the recent crisis have lost their dear ones. We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died,” they said in the 26-point statement.

The release signed by six Bishops gave a detailed account of what happened in the region as they saw it and reiterated past efforts they had undertaken to avert the crisis. They also declared October 14 a day of mourning for those killed in the clashes.

Significant portions focused on the highhanded nature of the security response to what they said were very peaceful processions. Point 8 read as follows: “On Sunday, 1st October 2017, some Priests and some members of Christ’s Lay Faithful were prevented by the heavy military presence on their streets from going to church and so they failed to exercise their constitutional right of freedom of worship. In some areas, we noted with disgust that some Christians were teargassed as they came out of Mass!

“This move, by whosoever instructed, created a lot of confusion and chaos, especially as the faithful believed that the Archbishop’s letter, calling for prayers for peace and tranquillity and which had been endorsed by the Governor of the North West Region, was sufficient authorization for Sunday worship to go on as normal, despite the political tension.

“We, the Bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference, are sad and disturbed, having learned that some of our Christians were pursued into their houses – some arrested, some maimed and some (including defenceless teenagers and elderly persons) were simply shot to death, some from helicopters.

“Elsewhere in the world, the Forces of Law and Order protect demonstrating citizens. In our country, peaceful demonstrations, except perhaps those organized by the ruling party, seem to be an opportune moment for our Armed Forces to demonstrate their shooting prowess both from the ground and from the air on unarmed and helpless civilians.”

Condemnation of the deadly clashes have been coming in thick and fast. President Paul Biya, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations chief among others have all called for restraint and dialogue to resolve the tensions.

Cameroon’s English – speaking regions that have long protested marginalization from French Cameroon are now fighting for independence under the Ambazonia republic name. Yaounde, however, insists that the unity of the Central African country is non-negotiable.

Source: Africa News

6, October 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The debate on federalism is increasing ⁰

According to a poll conducted by the Nkafu Policy Institute, a think-tank based in Yaounde, majority of Cameroonians prefer federalism instead of the current unitary system of government. The findings revealed that of the 60.2% interviewed at the national level, federalism is advocated in the following proportions:

47.7% in the Central, South / East regions;

42.9% for the Grand North (Adamaoua / North / Far-North).

68.3% for Littoral and West;

And, 96.1% for the Southern Cameroons regions.

In the same vein, 44% of respondents claiming to be the militants of ruling CPDM crime syndicate prefer a federal system. Finally, the majority of Cameroonians (93.5%) are advocates of regional budgetary autonomy.

52% are recommending a full autonomy while 41% suggest that the budget be placed under the supervision of the central government in Yaoundé.

The majority of respondents, (91.8%) are against the appointment of regional governors. These Cameroonians prefer that they be elected. 75.2% of people claiming to be members of the ruling party also share the idea of elected governors.

669 Cameroonians aged 20 or more were interviewed during the research taken into account the 2013 population estimates by age, sex, region of origin and socio-economic status.

By Chi Prucence Asong, CCN

6, October 2017

Pope Francis’ adviser appears in court over ‘sex abuse’ ⁰

The Vatican’s Finance Chief Cardinal George Pell, who is a top adviser to Pope Francis, has made a second appearance at an Australian court on sexual abuse charges.

The frail-looking Pell, who is the most senior Catholic Church official facing such charges, attended the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

He intended to challenge what has been described as historical charges, meaning that the alleged offenses took place a long while ago.

He appeared at the largely administrative court flanked by police officers and did not react to a group of loud protesters carrying signs that condemned the extensive involvement of Catholic clerics in the sexual abuse of minors and aspiring priests.

Pell is accused of committing multiple sexual offenses, which he strongly denies.

Cardinal George Pell (L) walks after his committal hearing related to charges of historical sex abuse at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 6, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The allegations against the high-ranking Vatican official coincide with the final stages of Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, established in 2012 following a decade of pressure to probe widespread allegations of institutional pedophilia. The commission has reportedly interviewed thousands of survivors and heard claims of child abuse at churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups, and schools.

According to local news reports, the court’s Magistrate Belinda Wallington said all witnesses would be allowed except five, meaning that as many as 50 of them could be called.

The exact details and nature of the allegations have not been revealed. It has been said that there are “multiple complainants.”

The 76-year-old former archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne traveled from Rome to Australia in July to attend the first hearing in the case while maintaining his innocence. Though Pell has not yet had to enter a plea, he instructed his lawyer at his last court appearance to make clear he intended to plead not guilty.

Pell’s attorney Robert Richter has said one of the witnesses had given police a “vague” statement. Wallington, the magistrate, said the male witness in question was 11 years old at the time and that “we’re dealing with historical events. Memory’s not static.”

After years of widely-reported cover-ups and silence from the Catholic Church over pedophilia scandals, abuse survivors and their advocates have hailed the prosecution of Pell as a major shift in the way society is responding to the crisis. Meanwhile, Pell has been granted a leave of absence by the Pope.

Culled from Presstv

6, October 2017

Putin, Salman hold talks behind closed doors in Moscow ⁰

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman have held talks behind closed doors in the Russian capital of Moscow, reportedly discussing bilateral and regional issues.

The talks were held on Thursday with the participation of other Russian and Saudi officials. “We have held detailed talks behind closed doors to talk about bilateral relations and the situation in the region,” Putin said after the meeting. “That was a very meaningful, substantive and confidential conversation.”

The Russian president also said he was confident the visit by Salman would give a fresh impetus to the development of bilateral ties with Riyadh. Putin also accepted an invitation by the Saudi king to Saudi Arabia.

Salman and his delegation arrived in the Russian capital for a four-day visit on Wednesday. The Saudis have reportedly signed more than 15 cooperation agreements — with multi-billion-dollar energy and military contracts — with the Russian side. Moscow has also agreed to sell its advanced S-400 missile defense system to Riyadh.

Members of the Russian delegation, led by President Vladimir Putin, meet with members of the Saudi delegation, led by King Salman, at the Kremlin in Moscow, October 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Putin and Salman also discussed the conflict in Syria, where they support opposing sides. The Saudis have been backing the wide range of militants fighting the elected Syrian government, while Russia backs the legitimate Damascus government.

Saudi Arabia has officially been calling for an ouster of Assad, while Russia says the future of Syria and the political future of Assad should only be determined by the Syrian people.

Nevertheless, Salman claimed that Riyadh favors a political solution to the conflict in Syria, according to a report by TASS.

“A political solution must be achieved that would guarantee security, stability, unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” he was quoted as saying. The two leaders also discussed the oil market and how to stabilize prices.

Culled from Presstv

6, October 2017

UN justifies why hundreds of protesters are being shot dead in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Over the course of the past year, Cameroon has been experiencing internal turmoil and instability related to grievances pitting an Anglophone minority against a majority Francophone establishment. The Anglophone grievances, initially driven primarily by professionals – lawyers, school teachers, bureaucrats – have increasingly taken hold in a population that’s experienced a three-month Internet shut-down, several general strikes, school boycotts, escalating violence and the imprisonment of journalists and activists over the last 12 months.

During national holiday celebrations this past weekend, protesters were shot dead on the streets of several towns in Anglophone regions by Cameroonian security forces, and excessive violence has been widely reported. Amnesty International estimates that at least 17 protesters were killed. (Death toll now stands at a hundred) Cameroon has been led by the same long-standing president for over 30 years, Paul Biya, who has called for calm and “peaceful dialogue“, but hasn’t yet yielded an inch on the demand for reforms. Meanwhile, some Anglophone Cameroonians have a leader, a flag and a national anthem – and are demanding to secede from Cameroon, to form their own country of Ambazonia.

Deep Historical Roots

On October 1, Cameroonians celebrate Unification Day to mark not only the anniversary of when British Cameroon became independent from the British in 1961, but also their unification with French Cameroon to form a two-state federation, the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Over the years, the two-state solution gave way to a single state, the United Republic of Cameroon, in which the balance of power was centered around the Francophone majority. Over the years, the marginalization of Anglophone Cameroonians has become increasingly entrenched. Whether it be the lack of recognition for English education, services or applicable legal system, over the years the corrosive effects of this marginalization have been slowly eating away at the status quo. The central government operates only in French, and, in the last 35 years of Paul Biya’s rule, there has been no movement signaling interest in protecting, upholding – let alone promoting – minority interests in his country.

From Demands for Reform to Cries for Independence

Lawyers protest in Cameroon – via Africanews

Last year, protesters started taking to the streets to demand greater autonomy and recognition of the English language in institutions, systems and services. The central government responded by cracking down on activists and shutting down the Internet. While gradual progress has been made, with new government initiatives to be more inclusive of Anglophones, the International Crisis Group notes that this progress is seen as “too little too late.” As the crisis continues to fester, a secessionist trend within the broader reform movement has been gaining strength. Their vocal demands have prompted an even stronger crack down – further arrests, military deployment in the region – from the central government, leading up to last weekend’s deadly violence. In this violent political climate, secessionists have been emboldened and gaining in popularity, though the exact extent of popular support for full independence from the rest of Cameroon, under the banner of Ambazonia, is difficult to gauge. A rally for Ambazonia even took place in front of the UN during the General Assembly in September, with similar events in Cameroon where tensions escalated between protesters and security forces.

Local blogger Reuben Abati summarizes the current situation:

“On Sunday, October 1, 2017, Sisiku AyukTabe, Chairman of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council, formally declared the independence of Southern Cameroons or the Federal Republic of Ambazonia: “We, the people of Southern Cameroons are slaves to no one”, he said, “Not now, not ever again! Today we reaffirm autonomy over our heritage and over our territory…It is time to tell Yaounde that enough is enough!” The response from Yaounde has been characteristic. Weeks before the protests and the declaration of independence in Southern Cameroons, soldiers were sent to the region to shoot in the air, prevent rallies, and intimidate the people.”

Flag of Ambazonia – By Washiucho [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

A Path Forward

While Anglophone Cameroon has legitimate grievances that need to be addressed by the government, a resolution that would include secession or independence for Ambazonia is highly unlikely. Few nations in modern history have accessed fully independent status as a nation, and this only after hard-fought battles that were dearly paid for. The international community long ago established – in law and in practice – that it is preferable for borders to remain stable (The African Union’s own constitution spells out the defense of members’ territorial integrity.) The youngest nation in the world, South Sudan, and its sister nation, Sudan, have never really stopped fighting since South Sudan became independent in 2011. The United Nations – or other regional organizations such as the AU or ECOWAS – are therefore likely to continue to encourage dialogue between the government and representatives from Anglophone Cameroon, without “siding” with secessionist demands.

So far, the international community and media have shown little interest in the situation in Cameroon, though one clear option available would be to begin brokering a dialogue. The table has yet to be even set for any discussions to occur, and the international community has an opportunity to make a difference by creating the conditions for negotiations to begin in earnest. With this approach, the central government can avoid the worst – a full blow rebellion – and Anglophone Cameroonians have an opportunity to have their grievances addressed. A political, negotiated solution is still within reach – for now.

Culled from UN Dispatch

5, October 2017

Saudi Arabia agrees to buy Russian S-400 air defense system ⁰

Saudi Arabia has signed preliminary agreements to buy S-400 air defense systems and receive “cutting-edge technologies” from Russia as King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is on an official trip to Moscow as the first Saudi monarch to visit the European country.

Under agreements signed with Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Saudi Arabia is set to procure the anti-aircraft weapon system, the Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile system, 220mm 24-barrel TOS-1A multiple rocket launcher as well as AGS-30 Atlant automatic grenade launcher, the state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) said in a statement on Thursday.

SAMI, however, did not provide any information about the number of the systems or the value of the deal.

These contracts are “expected to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the military and military systems industry in Saudi Arabia,” the statement read.

The Saudi Arabian Military Industries further noted that the memoranda of understanding also “include the transfer of technology for the local production” of the aforementioned military systems.

“In addition, the parties will cooperate in setting a plan to localize the manufacturing and sustainment of parts of the S-400 air defense system,” SAMI said.

This file picture shows a Russian AK-103 automatic assault rifle.

Saudi and Russian military officials also agreed on the production of AK-103 automatic assault rifles and its ammunition in Saudi Arabia besides educational and training programs for Saudi nationals.

“These agreements are expected to have tangible economic contributions and create hundreds of direct jobs. They will also transfer cutting-edge technologies that will act as a catalyst for localizing 50 percent of the Kingdom’s military spending,” SAMI said.

A number of other deals have been signed during King Salman’s four-day visit to Russia, which started on Wednesday.

There are reports that Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company, Saudi Aramco, is discussing several investment opportunities with Russian producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“LNG is one of the areas where we are looking for partners in Russia,” Amin H. Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, told reporters in Moscow on Thursday.

Nasser noted that there are no current plans to take a stake in the Novatek LNG project, known as Arctic LNG-2. Novatek is Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer.

“We are not discussing this at this stage. We are looking at opportunities for working together with the different companies. But what you mention in particular – nothing from Saudi Aramco,” he said.

Source: Presstv