Monthly Archives: December 2018

10, December 2018

Nigeria: PDP accuses government of blocking Governor Peter Obi’s account ⁰

Nigeria’s main opposition party said authorities had frozen the bank accounts of its vice presidential candidate in the run-up to elections next February.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said late on Saturday accounts belonging to Peter Obi, its vice presidential candidate, his wife, family members and their businesses had been blocked by government agencies. The PDP did not identify them.

The presidency could not be reached for comment.

“Why is the presidency on a wild goose chase in investigating Peter Obi, who left office as Governor of Anambra state five years ago with a nationally acclaimed clean record,” the PDP said in a statement.

President Muhammadu Buhari last month launched his campaign for re-election for a second term, running on his track record on corruption. Buhari’s handling of a struggling economy will also be a central campaign issue.

PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, a former ally to Buhari, chose as running mate Obi, 57, to generate support in the southeast region, which includes Anambra, where the president has polled badly in past elections.

Geographical affiliations in Nigeria are crucial in a sprawling nation of 190 million people from 250 ethnic groups. With a tight race in prospect, a strong showing in the southeast could give the PDP enough votes to deny Buhari, a former military ruler, a second four-year term.

Source: Reuters

10, December 2018

2019 Women’s World Cup: Nigeria, SA, Cameroon in tough groups ⁰

The draw has been held for next years’ FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in France.

Africa’s representatives: the Super Falcons of Nigeria, South Africa’s Banyana Banyana and Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses have been drawn in groups considered to be tough.

The Super Falcons who earlier were crowned African champions were drawn in Group A along side host country, France, South Korea and Norway.

Africa’s second-best Banyana Banyana are drawn in group B with two times winner, Germany. China and Spain complete the teams in the group.

On the part of the Indomitable Lionesses, they have to deal with Canada, Netherlands and New Zealand in group E.

Analysts hold that across the board it is a pretty mouthwatering draw which would make for interesting display when the games kick off in Paris and other French cities.

A total of 52 matches will be played to determine the winner. Africa has usually struggled at previous tournaments.

Earlier this year, Africa’s representatives at the main World Cup in Russia, failed to achieve qualification past the group stages. Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal were all kicked out in the group stages.

France went on to win thecompetition beating Croatia in the final. The composition of the French team,gave Africa something to celebrate, given that it was dominated by players withAfrica roots.

Source:Africa News

10, December 2018

Sudan: Governor, six others killed in helicopter mishap ⁰

At least seven local government officials were killed in a helicopter crash in Sudan’s eastern al-Qadarif state on Sunday, state news agency SUNA reported.

The state’s governor and three security officials were among the dead. A number of people were also injured in the incident, SUNA said. The officials had been carrying out a security tour of the province.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. State TV earlier reported that a plane, not a helicopter, had crashed. Al-Qadarif state is known for its farmland and agricultural projects.

The governor of Gadaref state in Sudan, Mirghani Saleh, and a number of his companions died today morning after a helicopter crash

REUTERS

9, December 2018

French Cameroun’s judicial weapon of genocide: Ethnic Beti-Bulu Genocidal Court-Martial Task Force ⁰

From when the genocide mastermind and President of French Cameroun declared war against the Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia on 30 November 2017, Cameroon Concord News Group began exposing the details of the preplanned genocide against Ambazonia. Key actors in the preplanning and execution of the genocide closely supervised by Paul Biya himself made public statements which left no one in doubt about their involvement and their significant contribution to the criminal enterprise. Among a plethora of individual and institutional masterminds are Laurent Esso, Fame Ndongo, Biti Assoumou, Okada Bilai, Lele L’Afrique, George Tabetando, Atanga Nji, Philemon Yang, Patrick Ekema, Isa Tchiroma Bakary, Eno Meyomesse, Owona Nguini, television 4, Ernest Obama, CTRV. Added to this inexhaustible list are several military commanders deployed to execute the genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in and out the territory of Ambazonia.

George Tabetando, a Southern Cameroonian participant in the planning of the genocide publicly stated during a French Cameroun sanctioned meeting in Buea and in live interviews over CRTV that it was he and Mafany Musonge who advised Paul Biya to impose an internet ban that lasted over three months on the territory of Ambazonia. Mafany Musonge promptly denied his involvement in the criminal conduct.

It is green in our individual and collective memories that the internet ban facilitated the elaborate extermination of armless Ambazonians, the rape of Ambazonia girls and women; paralyzed the economy of Ambazonia, its educational institutions, hospitals, the pillaging of its natural resources and launched the ongoing genocide. The internet ban also facilitated the abduction of thousands of the citizens of Ambazonia to concentration camps and underground dungeons in French Cameroun. Many of them were tortured to death in detention and many others have since been brought before a court-martial and promptly convicted in sham trials conducted in furtherance of the genocidal policies of French Cameroun.

The abduction and rendition to French Cameroun from Nigeria of the President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, His Excellency, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of the Interim Government escalated and internationalized the conflict and the crimes committed in and out of Ambazonia against citizens of Ambazonia. The President and members of the Interim Government were legally in Nigeria under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The inter-state use of terror, abduction and rendition of His Excellency Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of the Interim Government, to French Cameroun outlawed in international law, places French Cameroun and Nigeria as state party apologists and sponsors of international terrorism which threatens world peace and security. Nigeria through the national security adviser to President Mohammedu Buhari Baba Gana Mugano and French Cameroun through government spokesman Isa Bakary publicly made official statements on behalf of their respective governments admitting the shameful acts of international criminality. Cameroun Concord News Group warned then, that left unsanctioned by the United Nations, the inter-state use of terror and abduction, by these countries might, provide a fig leaf of legitimacy and embolden Boko Haram and armed groups worldwide in their modus operandi of using terror and abduction to victimize and destabilize significant parts of the world.

The inter-state terrorism by French Cameroun and Nigeria on whom the international community is relying on to combat that form of outlawed international criminality, validates the claims by keen observers that the two states are indeed the sponsors of Boko Haram. This explains why the war against Boko Haram cannot succeed because Boko Haram masterminds cannot meaningfully lead the war against themselves. The slaughter of hundreds of thousands of poor, jobless and uneducated youth in both countries is a mere subterfuge to conceal the Boko Haram criminal activities of the political, military and economic official structures within both countries. The real enemies are the crime syndicates in power in Nigeria and French Cameroun and Daesh/Isis political Islamic conglomerate operating in the Sahel and the sub-region of which the ethnic political cabal in and out of the Buhari presidency and the Paul Biya crime syndicate are key participants.

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia may be said to be lucky survivals of the ruthless hit squad that had a mandate to abduct and kill them immediately. The inter-state cooperation in this crime was not an isolated event. The government of Buhari and Paul Biya are united in economic and commercial terrorism arising from the imperial and neo-colonial exploitation of the oil and natural resources from the Niger Delta, and the Southern Cameroons.

The strong opposition by the exploited communities over many years threatens the pecuniary interests of these masterminds of economic and commercial terrorism. Boko Haram provides a basis for them to eternalize power and provides an alibi for the channeling of funds to sustain economic and commercial terrorism against Ambazonia, the Niger Delta and South Eastern Nigeria.

Once the occasion to promptly assassinate Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and others failed, the problem about how to dispose of him and others has preoccupied the inter-state coconspirators. French Cameroun decided to empanel a court-martial that was already very active in the execution of the genocide against Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia to put them on trial.

The court-martial is presided over by Colonel Abega Mbezoa epouse Eko Eko. The other members are Edou Mewoutou and Ngouongue. The commissioners of government are Engono Eric and Tanjmou Dang Assabe. The entire court-martial is made up of Beti-Bulu ethnic power elite, members of Essingan and like Clement Atangana, the President of the constitutional court of French Cameroun, members of the CPDM crime syndicate. In addition to its ethnic composition and royalty, the court-martial is under the direct command responsibility of Paul Biya, the Commander-in- Chief of the French Cameroun genocidal armed forces that are executing the genocide of Ambazonians.

Apart from the multilayered conflict of interests, ethnic, political and military command and control of the court-martialand concerns over this court-martial, the Presiding Judge of the court-martial is the wife of one of the key actors in the prosecution of the war and genocide of Ambazonia Leopold Maxime Eko Eko. He actively participated in the abduction and rendition of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and others to French Cameroun. It is therefore a case of the husband overseeing the genocide, the massacres and the abductions of Ambazonians in and outside their country and the wife sitting in judgment to complement the crimes of her husband by providing a legal cover to them.

Leopold Maxime Eko Eko since 2010, is the director general of DGRE (Direction Générale de Recherche Exterieure) formerly known as SEDOC, DIRDOC and CENER. He operates in collaboration with the National Security Council whose Secretary-General is the criminal kingpin, Atanga Nji.

It is a matter of grave concern to Cameroon Concord News Group that Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and others over whom the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has asserted jurisdiction should be allowed by the civilized world to stand trial in a court-martial that itself is actively involved in the genocide and the wider economic and commercial terrorism in Ambazonia. Cameroon Concord News Group strongly urges the United Nations and the International Community to step forth and stop this creative use of this court-martial tool of genocide from legitimizing this mother of all crimes that the free world promised to banish. French Cameroun’s empaneled Beti-Bulu ethnic genocidal-martial is a judicial weapon of genocide and must be stopped by the international community.

To this I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

9, December 2018

President Buhari pushing Nigeria to the brink ⁰

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday for the fourth time, rejected assent to the Electoral Bill which was passed to him to sign into law by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. President Buhari who has written to the lower and Upper chamber said that he could not sign the Electoral Bill into law at this time that the country was preparing for the 2019 Presidential and general elections, adding that he could only assent to it after next year’s elections.

He said that if it was done now, it would endup causing uncertainty and crisis in the land. Meanwhile, the PeoplesDemocratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization, PPCO, has charged membersof the National Assembly to save thenation’s democracy by immediately overriding President Muhammadu Buhari’srefusal to sign the amendment of the Electoral Act.

Signing amended Electoral Act for 2019 elections will create uncertainty, crisis – Buhari

In the letter dated 6th December, 2018 and addressed to both the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara which was received yesterday, President Buhari said that he would only sign the bill after the elections, just as he identified some aspects of the bill that should be corrected by the lawmakers.

President Buhari’s letter read, “Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( 1999 as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate my decision on 6th December, 2018 to decline assent to the Electoral( Amendment) Bill, 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly. “I am declining assent to the bill principally because I am concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general elections which commenced under the 2015 electoral act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process. Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the election may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process. “This leads me to believe that it is in the best interest of the country and our democracy for the national assembly to specifically state in the bill that the electoral act will come into effect and be applicable to elections commencing after the 2019 elections .

President pushing Nigeria to the brink—PDP

In its reaction, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in a statement by the Director, Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan on Friday said the legislative action has become imperative as the President’s decision is “a calculated attempt to hold the nation to ransom, inject crisis into the electoral process and ultimately scuttle the conduct of the 2019 general elections.” The statement read in part: “President Buhari’s repeated refusal to sign amendments passed to check rigging of election, raises issues of his sincerity of purpose and has the capacity to trigger political unrest and violence, which can, in turn, truncate our hard-earned democracy. “The PPCO invites Nigerians to note that this is the fourth time President Buhari is withholding assent on the amendment, without any cogent reason following his rejection by Nigerians. “Nigerians can recall how the Presidency plotted to plunge the 2019 elections into a needless controversy by delaying the submission of the election budget to the National Assembly, presenting it at the time the legislators were commencing their annual vacation and asking for virement of funds already approved for development projects, instead of sending a fresh supplementary budget for the election. “It is unfortunate that Mr. President, in his desperation to hold on to power, has resorted to taking steps that are capable of destabilizing our nation, just because the people are resolute in voting him out of office democratically. “It is also instructive to note that President Buhari is mortally afraid of the amendments because they essentially checked the All Progressives Congress, APC, rigging plans, including the use of underage and alien voters, vote-buying, alteration of results and manipulation of voter register”.

www.vanguardngr.com

9, December 2018

Comoros approach CAF seeking Cameroon’s disqualification from Afcon 2019 ⁰

Comoros have turned to Caf Statutes seeking Cameroon’s expulsion from the 2019 Afcon qualification after the Central Africans lost hosting rights. Comoros have written to Caf asking for the disqualification of Cameroon from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals after the Central Africans lost rights to host next year’s edition.

The stripping of Cameroon’s 2019 Afcon hosting rights could lead to a legal wrangle as Comoros seek to evoke Caf statutes for the Indomitable Lions to be expelled from the tournament. Caf found Cameroon ill-prepared to stage the tournament and withdrew mandate which would be handed to another country before the end of this year.

According to Article 92 of Caf regulations: “If a country having been entrusted with the organisation of the final tournament of the Africa Cup of Nations is desisting or the tournament is being withdrawn from it, it shall be subject, in addition to further disciplinary sanctions, to a fine fixed according to the following scale:

“92.3. Withdrawal notified within one year before the date of the final tournament: a fine of five hundred thousand (500,000) U.S. dollars and a suspension of the next edition of Afcon of it’s A national team, without considering the concerned edition.”

Strengthening their case, Comoros have cited the case study of Morocco being expelled from the 2015 Afcon finals after withdrawing their hosting responsibility.

Also cited were Kenya who had the 2018 African Nations Championships (Chan) taken away from them and expelled from the tournament for not being ready to host.

The Madagascar national Under-17 team were also booted out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 finals after they had hosting rights withdrawn from them for ill-preparedness.

Comoros General manager Saadi Ben Amir confirmed that they had raised issues with Caf. “I was with my president this morning and he sent a letter to Caf asking for clarification,” Ben Amir was quoted as saying by Afrik Foot.

“We are asking for the application of the regulation, and more specifically Article 92, which states that a country which is withdrawn from the organisation of Afcon does not participate in the edition in question.”

Interestingly, Cameroon host Comoros meet in the final Afcon qualifier and if the latter wins, they would book a place at the finals for the first time ever in their history. The two teams are separated by three pints in Group B which has Morocco as leaders.

Source: Goal.com

8, December 2018

Ambazonia Self-Defense and Restoration Forces Council is an anti terror organization ⁰

The Biya Francophone regime is targeting Southern Cameroonians in the Diaspora and individuals and groups supporting the Anglophone uprising and quest for an independent state. For over a year now, Southern Cameroons businessmen and women owed money by the government of La Republique du Cameroun have not been paid.

Biya and his consortium of CPDM crime syndicates are imposing even more hard-hitting policies against the people of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia to further starve them. Yaoundé has accused the Anglophone Diaspora of being behind the crisis in Southern Cameroons in which some 4000 Ambazonians have been killed including some 1400 Cameroon government army soldiers.

Biya is trying to distract from his numerous political problems in French Cameroun following the rigged October 7 presidential polls by blaming the Ambazonian Interim Government and by extrapolation, the Ambazonia Self-Defense and Restoration Forces Council.

The 85 year old president-dictator including his gang of French Cameroun political elites are claiming that the Ambazonia Self-Defense Council is a terrorist group which is a lie. The Ambazonia Self-Defence and Restoration Forces Council (ASC/RF), the command and control system prosecuting the war against La Republique du Cameroun, does not go out of its way to target civilians.

As an expert in Terrorism, International Crime and Global Security, I understand that terrorism is a military tactic and it is a tactic which consists of intentionally targeting civilians. The Ambazonia Self-Defense and Restoration Forces does not do that. On the contrary, the ASC/RF is a Southern Cameroons resistance group which is fighting to prevent French Cameroun terrorists army soldiers from continuing to overrun the Ambazonian territory that does not belong to them.

Nothing in Southern Cameroons or its surroundings belong to French speaking Cameroonians and their Francophone government in Yaoundé. Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun were two separate nations that came together and created a federation. Then French Cameroun invaded, used terrorism as their main tactic for more than 56 years. Today, Southern Cameroons resistance groups are focusing on stopping this invasion and stopping the terrorism. So, Ambazonia Restoration Force actually is an anti-terror group. That is why the international community should and must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ambazonia Interim Government to put an end to French Cameroun terrorism and genocide in Southern Cameroons.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

8, December 2018

Financial Fair Play: PSG ‘vehemently deny’ plan to sell Mbappe, Neymar ⁰

French champions Paris Saint-Germain have quashed reports the club could be forced to sell either Kylian Mbappe or Neymar in a bid to circumvent eventual Financial Fair Play(FFP) sanctions.

Qatar-owned PSG are one of a number of clubs under scrutiny from UEFA’s FFP regulations after splashing a combined total of more than 400 million euros in 2017 for Brazil star Neymar and World Cup winner Mbappe.

Rival clubs and even the president of Spain’s La Liga championship, Javier Tebas, bemoan the lack of sanctions for PSG, who according to recent leaked documents have violated the strict financial regulations put in place by European football’s ruling body.

UEFA still have their eye on PSG and their finances and daily sports newspaper L’Equipe claimed late on Friday that any future sanctions could see the club sell one of their most coveted stars.

But PSG were quick to shoot down the report. “In an article published on their website on Friday night, L’Equipe dared to say that ‘PSG is ready to lose Kylian Mbappe or Neymar Jr to avoid (FFP) sanctions’,” said a statement issued by the club.

PSG “vehemently denies these totally false and ridiculous allegations, which serve only to recreate a climate of tension between the club and this media outlet.”

The front page of L’Equipe on Saturday carried pictures of both Mbappe, the 19-year-old who struck in a 4-2 World Cup final win over Croatia last summer, and Brazil star Neymar while page two claimed the club are “ready to lose a star”.

UEFA’s FFP rules mean clubs are forbidden from spending more money than they generate. UEFA’s auditors opened an investigation into PSG in September 2017 following the purchase of Neymar from Barcelona and Mbappe from Monaco earlier that summer.

The case was shelved in June 2018, before being reopened in September 2018. PSG reacted by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming it has met UEFA’s FFP demands. A UEFA spokesman said last month: “We will have to wait for CAS’s decision on PSG’s appeal before looking at this issue.”

AFP

8, December 2018

France braces for fresh protests amid fears of further violence ⁰

France has been braced for fresh“yellow vest” protests for a fourth weekend in a row in the capital Paris and other cities as further street violence is looming large. Authorities have deployed thousands of police and security forces to the capital and other cities on Saturday.

They urged shops and restaurant around the famous Champs-Elysees to shutter. Museums, metro stations and the Tour Eiffel will also remain closed over the weekend. The protests began in opposition to a rise in fuel tax, but the government it has been hijacked by ultra-violent protesters.

France’s interior minister Christophe Castaner said “large scale” security operation would be launched on Saturday as they expect radical elements” infiltrate planned “yellow vest” protests. He said that “only a few thousand people” are expected to descend on the capital after the 8,000 protesters counted last weekend, “but among them are ultraviolent individuals.”

“These past three weeks have seen the birth of a monster that has escaped its creators,” he said, vowing “zero tolerance” towards those aiming to wreak further destruction and mayhem.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also announced on Friday evening that 89,000 police officers will be on duty across the country and armored vehicles will also be deployed in Paris, which was the scene of worst riots in decades last weekend. The French government says it will consider imposing a state of emergency amid the worst civil unrest in more than a decade, which has caught authorities off guard.

The “yellow vest” movement began three weeks ago, but has snowballed to take in other issues, including education reforms. But the demonstrations led to the worst violence in decades; dozens of vehicles were torched, shops looted and the Arc de Triomphe war memorial was wrecked. Only hundreds were arrested and scores injured in Paris.

President Emmanuel Macron, who is are expected to address nation early next week, is now experiencing the biggest crisis since being elected 18 months ago. He has s not spoken in public since he condemned last Saturday’s disturbances while at the G20 summit in Argentina. Opposition leaders accused him of turning the Elysee Palace into a bunker where had taken cover.

The 40-year old president, who is under mounting pressure, has left the issue largely to his prime minister to deal in public with the turmoil and offer concessions. Prime Minister Philippe met a delegation of self-described “moderate” yellow vests who have urged people not to join the protests.

After the meeting a movement spokesman, Christophe Chalencon, said the premier had “listened to us and promised to take our demands to the president”.

“Now we await Mr Macron. I hope he will speak to the people of France as a father, with love and respect and that he will take strong decisions,” he said. Following last weekend’s riots in central Paris and dozens of other cities and towns across France, the government decided to abandon its plan to raise the fuel tax next year.

But protesters want the president to go further to help hard-pressed households, including an increase to the minimum wage, lower taxes, higher salaries, cheaper energy, better retirement provisions.

Some of them have demanded Macro’s resignation. They say the president is part of an elitist coterie that neither understands, nor cares how they live. Police used tear gas against students protesting over educational reforms, in Lyon on Friday. According to local media, dozens of protesters were arrested.

Also on Thursday, police arrested dozens of high-school students protesting in Mantes-la-Jolie west of Paris. Images of detained students who were kneeling in mud with their hands behind their back or on the head, circulated on social media, and sparked outrage across the country. Footage shows children and teenagers, some reportedly as young as 12 years old.

The education minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, said that the images had to be seen in the context of police responding to student violence. “There are shocking images because we are in a climate of exceptional violence.”

More than 700 students were arrested across France on Thursday alone.

Source: Presstv

8, December 2018

US DEMOCRATIC SENATORS RAISE ALARM OVER HUMAN RIGHTS IN CAMEROON ⁰

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led a letter signed by a group of Democratic Senators to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raising deep concerns about violations of human rights, the breakdown in the rule of law, and elections fraud in Cameroon. In addition to Senator Van Hollen, the letter was signed by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

The Senators write, “Cameroon has become an increasingly important regional counterterrorism partner and the United States has increased its commitment of security assistance in recent years. However, rising tensions in the Anglophone North West and South West regions, coupled with credible reports of human rights abuses by the Cameroonian armed forces in those regions and the Far North, where Boko Haram is active, have changed the tone of discussions regarding U.S. security assistance.”

They continue, “Reports indicate that government forces are responsible for extrajudicial killings, the burning of villages, torture, and other human rights abuses, including a much-publicized video reportedly showing soldiers executing two women, a child, and a baby they accused of being members of Boko Haram. The violent death of American missionary Charles Wesco underscores the level of bloodshed engulfing the Anglophone areas of the country. United Nations figures indicate that more than 21,000 Cameroonians have fled to neighboring countries and 160,000 are internally displaced.”

The Senators close the letter urging, “The U.S. government should make clear to the government of Cameroon that, while we remain dedicated to the fight against Boko Haram, our commitment to human rights and the rule of law is steadfast and we expect our regional partners to share that commitment. We must also emphasize the critical importance of a political solution to the crisis in the Anglophone regions, work with civil society groups to ensure that elections are free, open, and transparent, and offer our assistance as mediators. The United States should impose sanctions on individuals found to have committed gross violations of human rights, consistent with the law. In addition, we will work with our colleagues in the Senate to assess whether additional conditions should be imposed on security assistance to Cameroon.”

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary Pompeo:

We are writing in response to concerns that have been raised about the recent elections in Cameroon, the ongoing crisis in the Anglophone regions of the country, and human rights abuses related to the crisis and the campaign against Boko Haram.

Cameroon has become an increasingly important regional counterterrorism partner and the United States has increased its commitment of security assistance in recent years. However, rising tensions in the Anglophone North West and South West regions, coupled with credible reports of human rights abuses by the Cameroonian armed forces in those regions and the Far North, where Boko Haram is active, have changed the tone of discussions regarding U.S. security assistance.

Reports indicate that government forces are responsible for extrajudicial killings, the burning of villages, torture, and other human rights abuses, including a much-publicized video reportedly showing soldiers executing two women, a child, and a baby they accused of being members of Boko Haram. The violent death of American missionary Charles Wesco underscores the level of bloodshed engulfing the Anglophone areas of the country. United Nations figures indicate that more than 21,000 Cameroonians have fled to neighboring countries and 160,000 are internally displaced.

In addition, recent elections were marred by irregularities and intimidation. Voter turnout in the Anglophone regions was reportedly “marked by apathy, and in some regions, outright fear,” and driven to unprecedented lows by the military’s campaign against Anglophone separatists, which has often veered into human rights abuses against civilians. The results of the election remain heavily disputed, and multiple presidential candidates have petitioned for the results to be voided, citing allegations of ballot stuffing and intimidation. The program director for Central Africa at the International Crisis Group told Foreign Policy that “[t]here is an emerging civil war. Anglophones feel completely disenfranchised, but they didn’t need the elections to tell them that.”

The U.S. government should make clear to the government of Cameroon that, while we remain dedicated to the fight against Boko Haram, our commitment to human rights and the rule of law is steadfast and we expect our regional partners to share that commitment. We must also emphasize the critical importance of a political solution to the crisis in the Anglophone regions, support civil society groups to ensure that elections are free, credible, and transparent, and offer our assistance as mediators. The United States should impose sanctions on individuals found to have committed gross violations of human rights, consistent with the law. In addition, we will work with our colleagues in the Senate to assess whether additional conditions should be imposed on security assistance to Cameroon.

We look forward to working with you on this critical issue.

Sincerely,