Monthly Archives: January 2021

6, January 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The U.S. Can Help Fill the Void ⁰

Over the last several years, since at least 2016, an inconceivably violent conflict has ravaged the Central African nation of Cameroon. The daily barrage of bloody images posted to social media and the accounts of cruelty and likely war crimes have – at least to date – not been enough to galvanize meaningful or concerted action to resolve what has become known as the Anglophone Crisis. After years of wreckage, there is now a domestic stalemate, a paralyzed status quo that has served to radicalize hardliners on both sides of the conflict.

The roots of the Anglophone crisis date back much farther than 2016, of course. Like many long-simmering issues in the region, hostilities can be traced to the maneuvering of former colonial powers who spliced up African territories with little regard for the dignity or preferences of local populations. This fact, however, does not excuse the failed leadership that has more recently been the norm – embodied most profoundly by President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982, longer than most Cameroonians have been alive. In October 2018, Biya secured yet another term in office during an electoral exercise that was marred by credible allegations of vote rigging and a clampdown on political adversaries, including opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who had remained under house arrest until last month.

The Anglophone crisis has registered among the world’s most neglected,’ according to assessments by the Norwegian Refugee Council. And according to the International Crisis Group, the fighting has killed well over 3,000 people and displaced an additional 600,000 more. In Anglophone regions, an estimated 850,000 children are currently out of school – likely much higher today in light of the covid-19 pandemic – and one in three of the region’s four million people are in need of humanitarian aid. Cameroon, once a reputed host for refugees is now a major exporter of people who are fleeing violence and government persecution. The number of Cameroonians seeking refuge in neighboring Nigeria, for example, has crossed the 300,000 mark. The instability inside Cameroon has thus produced negative ripple effects on an entire region, including disastrous economic and commercial blowback.

These statistics, as staggering as they are, barely do justice to the overall magnitude of a conflict that has exacted a huge toll on the lives of ordinary Cameroonians – mainly women and children – who have literally been caught in the crossfire between government forces and Anglophone fighters. In the words of local journalist Comfort Mussa, “hardly a day goes by without news of deaths, abductions, arson attacks and other forms of violence that have become a reality for people in [Anglophone] regions.”

As 2021 gets underway, however, there is a small glimmer of hope that momentum has built behind a reform agenda. Rather symbolically, on New Year’s Day, the United States Senate passed a resolution (bit.ly/3rU9lf1) by unanimous bipartisan consent – no small feat in Washington these days – that sent a strong signal to the Biya government and armed groups alike to end the violence and to commit to an inclusive process of international arbitration. The resolution also raised the prospect of punitive sanctions on those individuals responsible for participating in atrocities. (This author has long called for these actions by the U.S. government, a significant donor to and enduring security partner of the Biya government).

As a longtime partner of human rights defenders and pro-democracy leaders in Cameroon, we at Vanguard Africa heartily welcome this development in the halls of the U.S. Senate. We will also advocate that the incoming Biden-Harris Administration make this resolution – and the key principles upon which it is premised – a key priority of its US-Africa policy moving forward.

Put simply, it is time for both sides of the Anglophone crisis to come to terms with the fact that there is no military solution. The guns need to be silenced. The chaos can no longer continue. Importantly, there is some recognition even among the most militant Anglophone leaders, that this is the only feasible way forward. What is needed today is a negotiated settlement that holds human rights violators accountable and paves the way for a new era of leadership that many Cameroonians are demanding.

The violence perpetrated during the Anglophone crisis, and the lack of respect for the sanctity of human life, has taken a massive toll on future generations of Cameroonians. To relieve citizens from this tailspin, both the government and Anglophone leaders need to take a hard look at this freefall and their respective roles in perpetuating it. A genuinely inclusive dialogue must begin, and the U.S. Government – now vitalized by a rare act of bipartisanship – should help to fill Cameroon’s leadership void that has been so readily exploited.

Source: Vanguard Africa

5, January 2021

Ambazoniagate 3 years later: Looking back at NERA Hotel ⁰

Interim Government Statement; Three years since NERA10 abduction

On this day three years ago, French Cameroun and Nigerian authorities engaged in an unacceptable violation of human rights and international law. Secret Service and military personnel of both nations interrupted a meeting chaired by President SisikuAyukTabe, the leader of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, and abducted him with eleven members of his cabinet from the NERA hotel in Abuja. Our leaders were held incommunicado for 21 days in Nigeria before they were transferred to Yaoundé where they have all been sentenced to life by a military court.

Since the abduction of our leaders, the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria denounced the act as “illegal and unconstitutional”. The Nigerian judge said that irrespective of whether the Southern Cameroons leaders posed a threat to the Nigerian state or not, the Federal Government did not follow due process and thus violated both the Nigerian constitution and articles 32 and 33 of the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Observing that their human rights were violated, Justice Chikere ordered their return to Nigeria. He also decided that the government should pay compensation of ₦5 million each to the 12 and ₦200 000 each to the 39 other deportees.

The US Senate Resolution 684 published on 01 January 2021 must give the Southern Cameroons hope. The Resolution was unambiguous in illustrating the crimes of the regime in Yaoundé and for the first time threatened sanctions against senior members of the Biya French Cameroun regime.

The abduction of our leaders was intended to stifle the Ambazonian struggle but it has instead galvanized a great movement. 05 January 2018 remains a day that French Cameroun committed a costly political error, and we the people of Southern Cameroons must continue to make the French vassal state of French Cameroun pay for its astonishingly low sense of judgment and ruthlessness.

As French Cameroun continues to illegally confine our leaders, we must make sure that the plight of His Excellency President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides including the thousands of Southern Cameroonians currently being held in French Cameroun detention centers is articulated forcefully and accurately. The French Cameroun ruling CPDM crime syndicate in Yaoundé might ignore us for now, but the fact remains that freedom of the Southern Cameroons will be a reality. The so-called one and indivisible Cameroun is now a myth. Yaoundé will not know peace until we are a free people.

Thousands of innocent Southern Cameroons’ lives have been lost ever since the abduction. So, today is indeed a day of sadness for every Ambazonian. As your Vice President, I am therefore calling on all the people of Southern Cameroons to put our leaders in prayer and keep the faith that, in not too distant a future, we shall overcome.

Thank You,

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

5, January 2021

US: Trump, Biden hold duelling rallies in Georgia ahead of crucial Senate runoffs ⁰

President-elect Joe Biden and outgoing President Donald Trump held duelling rallies in Georgia ahead of Tuesday’s critical US Senate runoffs that will determine the balance of power in Washington.

The Georgia races pit a pair of incumbent Republicans, Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, against Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively.

Biden wants both Democrats to win so his party will control both houses of Congress when he takes office on January 20. Trump’s team wants Republicans to win so that, with Senate control, his party can block or curtail Biden’s legislative agenda.

Reporting from Atlanta, FRANCE 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani said both races were tight with the polls showing Republican and Democrat candidates within the margin of error, making it hard to say which party had the edge.

“The fact that both, Joe Biden and Donald Trump were here in Georgia with their respective candidates shows how important these two races are. What could be decisive is the turnout,” she noted.

More than 3 million Georgians have already cast their ballots, a state record of nearly 40% of registered voters opting for early voting.

‘Fight for Trump!’

Trump, a Republican who lost the November presidential election to his Democratic counterpart, has not conceded to Biden, and he spent part of his rally remarks in Dalton, a city in Georgia’s heavily Republican northwest, suggesting that he would try to hold on to power.

“They’re not taking this White House. We’re going to fight like hell,” Trump said to cheers from the crowd, which chanted “Fight for Trump!”

“Donald Trump is showing no signs of giving anything up. Throughout most of his speech during this rally, he attacked again Georgian election officials. He started the rally here with these words, ‘There is no way we lost Georgia’. He’s been attacking the integrity of the election process in Georgia, but at the same time he’s asking his base to come out and vote even though he thinks everything is rigged against him and against the candidates he’s supporting,” explained Gorjestani.

Biden criticised the outgoing administration for its handling of the pandemic and promised a fresh start for the country with Democratic control. More than 350,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the United States, and it is spreading rapidly in most states.

“It’s a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America,” Biden said.

He said the Trump administration had “gotten off to a god-awful start” with the slow rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines. “The president spends more time whining and complaining than doing something about the problem,” he said.

Democratic candidates, if elected, would ensure that $2,000 stimulus checks were delivered to Americans as the economy struggles during the coronavirus pandemic, Biden said.

The outgoing president also put pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, who will receive the results of the state-by-state Electoral College in Congress on Wednesday, to take action in his favour. Biden beat Trump 306-232 in electoral votes and carried the popular vote by more than 7 million ballots.

“I hope Mike Pence comes through for us,” Trump said, referring to the vice president as a great guy. “If he doesn’t come through, I won’t like him quite as much,” Trump said.

Historic shift in Georgia

Long a solidly Republican state, Georgia surprised the nation in November by choosing Biden, the first time it had backed a Democratic presidential candidate in almost three decades.

That has raised liberals’ hopes for Warnock and Ossoff, although they face a tough battle in the still deeply conservative state. About 3 million have already voted.

A win by the two Democrats would hand the Senate to Biden’s party, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would hold the tiebreaking vote in the 50-50 chamber. That would make it easier for Biden to enact further coronavirus relief and tackle climate change, as Democrats also control the House of Representatives.

None of the Senate candidates won a majority in the November 3 election, which spurred the runoff elections.

Trump has continued to assert, without evidence, that his loss in November was the result of widespread voter fraud – a claim that reviews by state and federal election officials, multiple courts and the US Department of Justice have rejected.

In a call on Saturday to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that was recorded, Trump pressured the Republican official to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat, and suggested Raffensperger’s failure to alter the November results could hurt Republican turnout in the Senate runoffs.

Democrats and election experts say Trump’s efforts almost certainly broke the law.

Biden, who won Georgia by almost 12,000 votes, did not mention the call directly in his remarks on Monday.

Loeffler, the senator who is contesting in Georgia, said on Monday night she would object to the certification of the election results in Congress on Wednesday, joining about a dozen other Republican senators and over 100 Republican House members. The move has virtually no chance of overturning Biden’s victory.

It is not clear whether Trump’s actions and his repeated claims of election fraud will affect the outcome of the Senate races. Strategists from both parties say the outcome could likely hinge on how many Republican voters participate on Tuesday, given strong Democratic early voting turnout.

The Senate campaigns have obliterated spending records and spurred unprecedented turnout, as political groups have flooded the state with a tsunami of advertising.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

5, January 2021

Southern Cameroons War: No end in sight ⁰

After four years of civil war in Anglophone Cameroon, state and rebel forces have refused to engage in serious dialogue while citizens and children suffer in crossfire. DW’s Adrian Kriesch reports from western Cameroon.

Kamerun Beerdigung des achtjährigen Nsoh Macpeace in Bamenda

“Drive on!” a soldier shouts at us in the middle of Bamenda, the economic capital of northwestern Cameroon. We have stopped because a large pool of blood, next to a pair of plastic sandals, blocks our way. “Maybe it’s just animal blood. We’re still investigating,” says the soldier dismissively. Meanwhile, around us, soldiers go house-to-house. A street further on, they load young men onto a lorry because they cannot show proof of identification. “We’re scared of the army. They make us very angry,” a young motorcycle taxi driver tells us. Violence has escalated in Cameroon since 2016. Lawyers in the city of Bamenda had taken to the streets, protesting the neglect of the English-speaking minority in the western regions of Cameroon. Soon, other branches of civil society joined. Cameroon became an independent country in the 1960s by merging a former French-speaking mandated territory and an English-speaking one. To this day, formally there are two official languages (English and French), two education systems, and two legal systems. But, in reality, the English-speaking minority in western Cameroon has felt disadvantaged, neglected and oppressed by the central government in the capital Yaounde.The state reacted to the peaceful protests in 2016 with force. At least six people were killed, and soon afterward, armed resistance groups formed. The security situation remains out of control.

The absent father figure

Bamenda’s mayor Paul Achobang is a member of President Paul Biya’s party. Biya has been in power in Cameroon for almost 40 years. But since the beginning of the crisis, the 87-year-old strongman has failed to visited the region once. Instead, he is said to spend weeks Swiss luxury hotels, booking entire floors. Bamenda mayor still supports Paul Biya, and blames his towns problems on its people Still, Biya — whose portrait hangs in the mayor’s office — is seen by some, including Achobang, as a father figure. According to the mayor, Biya wants the best for everyone, has offered amnesty to all, and, if the region is neglected, it is down to lazy parliamentarians, or there are not enough resources to go around. The government would like to repair the disastrous roads, but no company has tendered for the contract, because it is too dangerous. “Is Paul Biya at fault?” asks Achobang before answering himself: “No, it’s the people of Bamenda.” Besides, he claims, Bamenda has improved dramatically due to “Operation Clean Bamenda,” a military maneuver that has the army greatly increase its presence in the city. “Sooner or later we won’t hear any shots being fired here,” declares Achobang. But just a few hours later, shots ring out across Bamenda, and an explosion is heard. Two days later, 8-year-old Nsoh Macpeace is buried. Separatists and soldiers battled in front of his home, and when the child left the house, a grenade exploded. Nsoh Macpeace died in crossfire between separatists and government soldiers “The boy is so experienced with this conflict over four years. He knew where to hide when people were shooting,” says his aunt Gladys Kum, as she struggles to hold back tears. On this day, he hid with his grandmother. “This explosion with the grenade — they were lying there, waiting for the child to come out, it happened,” Kum says. “I don’t know why God allowed this to happen How long will this go on?!” Aunt Gladys Kum breaks down.

City of fear

Bamenda is filled with fear of attacks by soldiers and separatists. Everyone knows someone kidnapped for ransom. Schoolchildren only wear uniforms during classes because they fear being kidnapped by separatists if they wear their school uniforms in the town.

Cameroon separatists target schools

In the countryside, most schools have been closed for the past four years. Separatists target schools to pressure the government. In October, a shocking attack killed seven children in the town of Kumba.

Drunk soldiers, armed separatists

We travel to Numba. The road is a procession of checkpoints, where security forces openly drink liquor and demand bribes. Further along, a gang of separatists armed with hunting rifles and machetes holds us up. Their leader, Kevin, says he was a former student at the University of Bamenda, while another member of the gang counts money collected from passing cars. A separatist shows his hunting weapons near Numba town. Gangs claim to recieve donations from passing travelers Kevin claims the locals willingly give money to the fighters. The soldiers are the evil ones, he says: “They rape, burn houses. They commit so many crimes. They rape young women.” In Numba, Pastor Roland Arrey says he is tired of hearing the same thing. “Everyone wants to tell their story and show they are winning,” he says, “but nobody wants to engage in dialogue. They are playing peoples’ lives.” Both the military and the separatists are accused of profiting financially from the conflict. Any peacemaking dialogue seems a long shot: The government has incarcerated an important separatist leader. Meanwhile, separatist groups do not speak with one unified voice.

Cameroon in mourning after deadly school attack

Many used to sympathize with the separatists, but now that has changed. Pastor Arrey looks downcast as he walks through the remains of the village school. Torn schoolbooks litter the floor, broken desks stand aside. Schools should have reopened in September, but separatists threatened the teachers. “The school symbolizes a lot for every community that aspires for development and growth. How does a community like this build a future with children that have never gone to school?” he asks in a hollow voice. Schools rarely open outside urban centers in western Cameroon for fear of attack

Dialogue?

The German government said in 2020 that gross human rights abuses and atrocities have been committed by both actors in the conflict. Only dialogue, Berlin said, would solve the crisis — and Germany welcomed new laws to decentralize Cameroon’s government as “an important signal in their readiness to compromise and engage in dialogue.” In the town on Numba, Pastor Arrey has provided a ray of hope by building a youth learning center. Young people can train to become tailors or barbers. An alternative school program is available to children three times a week. Pastor Roland Arrey’s youth center in Numba gives youngsters a space to learn Youngsters sit in an overcrowded classroom. Two volunteers from the village take the classes: in one corner, a woman teaches the older children to write. In another corner, younger children listen as they are taught to read. This kind of center is a blessing, says a smiling Pastor Arrey. For him, life is worthless without hope. Culled from Deutchwelle

5, January 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Panic and confusion permeate Etoudi after US Congress slammed Biya Francophone regime ⁰

After four years of conflict in Southern Cameroons, the US Senate finally passed a strongly-worded resolution paving the way for punitive sanctions on those Biya Francophone government officials responsible for atrocities in the breakaway region.

Yaoundé is reportedly in a panic situation and the regime has annulled its usual end of year dinner at state house citing Covid-19 as reason for the cancellation.

In two communiqués signed on Monday, January 4, 2020, the Minister Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo informed the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Cameroon, members of national constituted bodies, as well as their wives that the respective ceremonies of presentation of wishes to the Head of State and his wife for 2021 have all been cancelled.

In a rare bipartisan motion, the US Congress slammed the Biya Francophone-dominated government, accusing it of repressing Anglophone citizens both politically and economically for decades. The Senators also cite the Yaoundé administration’s corruption and allegedly fraudulent elections.

The resolution calls for targeted smart sanctions against armed actors implicated in human rights abuses, it demands unfettered humanitarian access to the conflict zone, it calls for the Biya government to participate in mediated talks to address the root causes of the conflict, and it commits the US to continue to limit its security assistance to Cameroon.

Lord Alton of Liverpool has raised the Anglophone issue in Parliament since the outbreak of the conflict. Commenting on the US Congress resolution he said, “This now puts additional pressure on the British government, as the former colonial power in the Southern Cameroons. The UK must apply targeted smart sanctions against armed individuals implicated in human rights abuses in this devastating conflict. It is no longer possible for Britain to maintain a detached position while millions of Africans who cherish their English legal and school systems, and the English language, are asking for our moral support. The UK must exercise its diplomatic influence to press the regime of President Biya to attend mediated peace talks.”

In an interview with Independent Catholic News, Dr Chris Fomunyoh, senior director for Africa at the National Democratic Institute in Washington DC, and a native of Cameroon, commented, “It is remarkable that the US Senate adopted such a bipartisan resolution, given the very polarized nature of current US politics. There is a reason to believe that the resolution will significantly shape or influence US policy toward Cameroon under the new Biden/Harris administration.”

Dr Fomunyoh continued, “One of the innovations with Resolution 684 is its reference to targeted sanctions against perpetrators and proponents of violence, whether in uniform or among civilian leadership or among the armed groups. Certainly, the killings and atrocities that have become the hallmarks of this conflict can no longer be condoned.”

The Congressional resolution condemns the excessive force used by Cameroon armed forces in crushing peaceful protest against the imposition of French laws and schooling in the Anglophone regions. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that 700,000 are internally displaced by the violence, and another 60,000 have fled to Nigeria. The US resolution notes the burning of villages, live ammunition used against non-violent protestors, and the arbitrary arrest, detention and torture of opposition leaders. The UN Children’s Fund reports that 855,000 students have been unable to attend school for the last four years.

The Biya regime responded to increasing international pressure by holding a Major National Dialogue in October 2019. However, many Anglophone leaders were afraid to attend in case they were detained and jailed. Since the meeting, the security situation has deteriorated, with massacres, including the killing of seven schoolchildren in Kumba in October. The Catholic Church has been foremost in rallying moderate civil society opinion against the violent extremes of all sides to the conflict. Its members have faced intimidation and kidnapping, and the murder of several priests.

Dr Fomunyoh says the US resolution may now put pressure on other world leaders to follow suit. “Friends of Cameroon and of humanity can no longer be indifferent to ongoing mayhem and utter destruction. The government of Cameroon and the armed groups have to understand what the world is saying, as captured by the US Senate Resolution 684: there is no military solution to this conflict. What is needed is a mediated negotiated solution that addresses the root causes of blatant Anglophone marginalisation and alienation in Cameroon.”

Independent Catholic News with additional reporting from Camcordnews

4, January 2021

French Cameroun: Boko Haram kills three vigilantes ⁰

Three members of a self-defense group were shot dead by suspected members of Islamist group Boko Haram in the north of Cameroon.

Local authorities reported that the casualties were member of the Kaliari Vigilant committee

These self-defense groups is usually composed of civilians and are responsible for providing information or serve as scouts to soldiers.

Boko Haram attacks have killed nearly 2,500 Cameroonians between 2014 and 2017, according to the country’s defense ministry.

The UN Refugee Agency estimates approximately 26 million people in the Lake Chad region have been affected by the Boko Haram violence, and more than 2.6 million displaced.

The Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009 in northeastern Nigeria before spreading to neighboring countries. Since then, more than 36,000 people (mostly in Nigeria) have been killed and 3 million have fled their homes, according to the UN.

Source: Africa News

4, January 2021

Southern Cameroons: IG won’t relent until French Cameroun culprits in Ngarbuh, Kumba massacre brought to justice ⁰

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Dabney Yerima has once again censured the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé for committing craven acts of terror against innocent Ambazonian civilians in Kumba, Muyuka, Ngarbuh, Buea and Bamenda vowing to prosecute the French Cameroun culprits including the Francophone Senior Divisional Officer for Meme.

In a televised speech on Sunday January 3, 2021 some two days away from the 3rd anniversary of the abduction of President Julius Ayuk Tabe, and 11 of his associates at the NERA Hotel in Nigeria in a flagrant disregard of international law, Vice President Dabney Yerima said French Cameroun’s continued terrorist acts in Southern Cameroons are being carried out in blatant violation of international law.

“Ngarbuh Massacre of 24 women and children in February by French Cameroun military, the torture, and murder of Journalist Samuel Wazizi whilst in detention in June, the beheading of Comfort Tumassang in Muyuka in August by French Cameroun militia, the October execution of seven schoolchildren in Kumba- a diabolic crime organized by the colonial SDO of Meme, the December outbreak of xenophobic violence in Fako County sponsored by rogue chief Monja Monja, were some of the low points of a gloomy year.”

“The Interim Government must continue efforts to establish concrete diplomatic breakthroughs with friendly and sympathetic governments. On Friday, 1 January 2021, US Senate Resolution 684 was passed calling on the government of La Republique du Cameroun to respect human rights and pursue genuinely inclusive dialogue towards ending the crisis between our nations. The Resolution was robust and a move in the right direction. We shall continue to explore all diplomatic tools available to us over the next twelve months. I want to register my appreciation to our comrades in the US who worked tirelessly to get this resolution to the Senate floor” Yerima added.

Emphasizing that all the Biya French Cameroun acts of lawlessness in Southern Cameroons are full show, the Ambazonia Vice President furthered that, the Southern Cameroons Interim Government won’t rest until it brings all those French Cameroun criminals responsible to justice.

Dabney Yerima also stated that “With regards to the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations, Ambazonia Intelligence Service (AIS) has briefed the Interim Government on sophisticated new strategies that would be employed to defend our national interest. We have informed French Cameroun and nations participating in this tournament that any attempt to bring its activities to Ambazonia would be considered a deliberate violation of our sovereignty, and our response will be prompt and definite.”

By Isong Asu

4, January 2021

US: Nancy Pelosi re-elected as House speaker with slim Democratic majority ⁰

Nancy Pelosi, the only woman to serve as US Speaker of the House, was narrowly re-elected to the position Sunday in a deeply divided new Congress that convened in the final weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Pelosi, 80, faced a scare when five fellow Democrats defected and voted “present” or for someone else during the floor vote.

But the woman who is third in line to the presidency secured her fourth — and perhaps final — non-consecutive term as House speaker by earning 216 votes versus 209 for Republican leader Kevin McCarthy.

In a symbolic gesture beginning the 117th Congress, McCarthy formally handed the speaker’s gavel over to Pelosi, who raised it in triumph as Democrats cheered and applauded.

“We begin the new Congress during a time of extraordinary difficulty,” Pelosi told the chamber, noting the toll of 350,000 dead and 20 million infected by Covid-19.

“Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus,” a masked Pelosi said. “And defeat it, we will.”

The vote took hours, as lawmakers were required to vote in groups of several dozen due to social distancing rules imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Pelosi has been Trump’s chief nemesis in Congress, and the two clashed bitterly over the past two years, particularly as she leveled impeachment charges against the president.

Trump was impeached in December 2019, but the Senate acquitted him early in 2020. His successor, Joe Biden, takes office on January 20.

With Pelosi scrambling to keep her post, it was a handful of progressive lawmakers and members-elect who have been critical of her leadership but ultimately voted for her on Sunday.

Among them was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most high-profile Democrats in Washington, and incoming lawmaker Cori Bush, who is the first African-American woman to represent Missouri in Congress.

There are normally 435 members of the House, but just 427 votes were cast Sunday as a few congressmen-elect are in quarantine due to Covid-19 and a tight House race in New York has yet to be formally decided.

One congressman-elect from Louisiana, Luke Letlow, died of complications from Covid-19 last week, days before he was due to be sworn in.

That leaves Democrats with one of the slimmest House majorities in two decades, 222 to 211 with two vacancies, as they navigate the remaining few weeks of Trump and carry into the Biden presidency.

On a day that was anything but conventional, Republican Chip Roy interrupted the swearing-in process to ask that the delegations from the six swing states where Trump has contested the election results not be seated Sunday as House members.

Pelosi dispensed with the effort by holding a vote that affirmed her right to swear in all members.

(AFP)

4, January 2021

Rebels capture Central African diamond-mining city of Bangassou ⁰

Rebel fighters captured the southern diamond-mining city of Bangassou in the Central African Republic on Sunday, weeks after they were accused of an attempted coup and ahead of partial results from a tense presidential election.

At least five rebels were killed and two army soldiers wounded in the clashes in the Central African city of Bangassou, which lies on the southern border with Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA said in a statement.

Rebels, whom the government and UN say are backed by ex-president François Bozizé, launched an offensive last month after the constitutional court rejected Bozizé’s candidacy to challenge President Faustin-Archange Touadera in last Sunday’s vote.

Bozizé’s party officially denies he is working with the rebels, but some in the party have suggested they are working together.

The coalition of armed rebel groups, which control two thirds of the coup-prone country, launched an offensive on December 19 aiming to disrupt last weekend’s elections and “march on Bangui”.

They have been kept away from the capital so far by federal soldiers, UN peacekeepers and reinforcements sent from Russia and Rwanda.

‘They are everywhere’

But the rebels attacked Bangassou, about 750 km (470 miles) from Bangui, at dawn on Saturday.

“The rebels control the town,” Rosevel Pierre Louis, head of the UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA’s regional office in the city, told AFP. “They are everywhere.”

Government troops had “abandoned their position and are at our base”, he added.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had transported 15 wounded in the fighting.

Bangassou resident Ismail said Sunday’s attack had been expected locally for around two weeks, and many had fled over the border to DR Congo.

“My children left, I stayed with my wife,” Ismail told AFP as gunshots could be heard over the phone.

Bangassou has previously been the target of brutal assaults.

Trying to ‘suffocate Bangui’

Rebel fighters also attacked Touadera’s hometown of Damara, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Bangui on Saturday, MINUSCA said.

Roland Marchal, a specialist on the Central African Republic at France’s Sciences Po University, said “the rebels thought they could reach Bangui, but they did not expect the arrival of the Russians and Rwandans”.

Conflict analyst Nathalia Dukhan said the rebels have adopted “a long-term strategy by securing the resources to suffocate Bangui”.

The landlocked country is one of the poorest in the world and among the most volatile, suffering coups and wars since independence from France in 1960.

In 2013, it spiralled once more into bloodshed when then-president Bozizé, who had himself seized power in a coup a decade earlier, was ousted by a mainly Muslim coalition called the Seleka.

Five years later,”anti-balaka” militiamen, drawn mainly from Christian communities, attacked the city, slaughtering dozens of Muslim civilians as well as 12 UN peacekeepers.

Country ‘at war’

In a year-end speech on December 31, Touadera said his country “is at war” and that its “survival is threatened. We are going to win this asymmetrical war,” he added.

The capture of Bangassou comes on the eve of partial results being published for the presidential election.

Lack of security meant that voting did not take place in 29 of the country’s 71 sub-prefectures, while thousands were prevented from casting ballots or never received their voting cards.

Touadera’s party claimed victory, while a coalition of opposition groups called for the election to be annulled, claiming ballot stuffing and electoral rigging.

MINUSCA spokesman Vladimir Monteiro accused the opposition of making “false and baseless” allegations.

“Bizarrely, they don’t say anything about former president François Bozizé, an ally of the armed groups who are responsible for the current violence,” he tweeted.

On Sunday the UN mission said in a statement that the main armed groups “the UPC, the MPC, the 3R, the FPRC, the anti-balakas and former president Bozizé are responsible for these attacks and the grave consequences for the civilian population”.

The definitive results from the first round are not expected before January 18, and if there is no outright winner a runoff will be held on February 14.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

3, January 2021

Southern Cameroons: Yerima speaks, breaking silence and repositioning the Ambazonian Revolution ⁰

State of the Nation Address

Repositioning the Ambazonian Revolution

Happy New Year 2021 to all the people of the Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia). We are mindful of the difficulties that many of you are enduring back in the forests, the burnt-down villages, the deserted towns in Ambazonia, the refugee camps in Nigeria, and the strange and hostile communities in French Cameroun. We are mindful of all the families that have lost loved ones over the last four years due to the brutality of the French Cameroun regime. The thoughts and prayers of the Interim Government of Ambazonia are with you and your families at this challenging time.

Today January 3, 2021, is two days away from the 3rd anniversary of the abduction of our leader President Julius Ayuk Tabe, and 11 of his associates at the NERA Hotel in Nigeria in a flagrant disregard of international law. To our leaders in detention, our restoration forces, and all our fallen heroes, I say your sacrifice to our nation shall never be forgotten.

On 11 February 1961, our forebears were lured into a bungled decolonization process by Great Britain and the United Nations. On 1 October 2017, after 56 years of subjugation and abuse, we, the people of Southern Cameroons, under the leadership of President Julius Ayuk Tabe, made a bold step to take our destiny into our hands. This decision was met with a declaration of war from the President of Cameroun Republique on 30November 2017. Since that declaration, more than 10,000 of our citizens have been executed, over one million have been internally displaced, 120,000 are refugees in Nigeria, Ghana and the Mexico border, and 550 of our villages have been burnt down.

2020 was a challenging year. The coronavirus pandemic, Ngarbuh Massacre of 24 women and children in February by French Cameroun military, the torture, and murder of Journalist Samuel Wazizi whilst in detention in June, the beheading of Comfort Tumassang in Muyuka in August by French Cameroun militia, the October execution of seven schoolchildren in Kumba- a diabolic crime organized by the colonial SDO of Meme, the December outbreak of xenophobic violence in Fako County sponsored by rogue chief Monja Monja, were some of the low points of a gloomy year.

The question in front of our nation during our lifetime is one of independence or extinction. French Cameroun’s continuous movement of armed men, militias, and heavy weapons of war into our territory is an obvious statement of intent. Are armies, guns, and bombs needed in our villages and towns if Mr. Biya had reconciliation in mind? Are we unwilling to be reconciled that brutality and murder must be employed to win back our love? Let us not delude ourselves, these actions from Yaoundé are the instruments of war. And it is a war that if our enemy wins, our subjugation is ensured forever.

Many of you have been advocating peace and a return to the status quo. It is natural to shut out reality and indulge in illusions of optimism. One of the best ways to judge the future is by looking at the past. Looking at the past 59 years, what gives anyone any hope that French Cameroun would be able to engage in constructive discussions towards a peaceful resolution of our struggle? The regime in Yaoundé knows not peace and dialogue. Its currency is violence.

Where it is safe to do so, the Interim Government is advocating for community schooling whilst the new Secretary of state for the Department of Education will work with international partners to facilitate schooling on online educational platforms and international communities where possible.

Chiefs and Fons must know that they remain the traditional fathers of our nation and must avoid being political footballs of our enemy. As traditional leaders, Fons and Chiefs have a special standing in the Ambazonian structure. Consequently, they must now stand with their people. Many traditional rulers did not take part in the regional elections, and on behalf of the nation, I want to thank them for their wisdom and courage.

This week, President Paul Biya of French Cameroon in his speech to his nation, spoke of the Republic of Cameroun, thus confirming to the world that we are two separate nations. Let us rise this year with greater readiness and stand with greater determination to confirm our freedom. With regards to the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations, Ambazonia Intelligence Service (AIS) has briefed the Interim Government on sophisticated new strategies that would be employed to defend our national interest. We have informed French Cameroun and nations participating in this tournament that any attempt to bring its activities to Ambazonia would be considered a deliberate violation of our sovereignty, and our response will be prompt and definite.

Today, I will be announcing a bold and ambitious program to deliver our freedom. We intend to restore security and confidence to our communities. If there is one message that comes through loud and clear over the last three years, it is that the overwhelming majority of Ambazonians are in support of this struggle. This plan re-strategizes and refocuses our struggle with clear actionable and achievable goals in 2021. This plan will focus on Defense, Diplomacy, Humanitarian, Finance, and Communication. Details of this plan will be made available in hard copies.

DEFENCE

The Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing has emerged as an important global principle since its unanimous adoption at the UN World Summit in 2005.This Interim Government from this day of 2021, will be rolling out an innovative and dynamic plan to ruthlessly adhere to its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Ambazonia.

We would be bold and resolute in taking our territory by launching OPERATION CAPHOT aka THE BIG RUBBER GUN. This operation specifically provides equipment and prepares our Restoration Forces for the next phase of this revolution. The Interim Government will build the necessary capacity through training and supply of sophisticated equipment to our Restoration Forces to reclaim, defend our territory, and protect our population.

DIPLOMACY

The Interim Government must continue efforts to establish concrete diplomatic breakthroughs with friendly and sympathetic governments. On Friday, 1 January 2021, US Senate Resolution 684 was passed calling on the government of La Republique du Cameroun to respect human rights and pursue genuinely inclusive dialogue towards ending the crisis between our nations. The Resolution was robust and a move in the right direction. We shall continue to explore all diplomatic tools available to us over the next twelve months. I want to register my appreciation to our comrades in the US who worked tirelessly to get this resolution to the Senate floor.

HUMANITARIAN

To focus and bring international awareness to the plight of our refugees, we have decided to create a separate humanitarian organization to coordinate with all private humanitarian initiatives for maximum impact. I am announcing the creation of the REKINDLE HOPE OUTREACH to engage the international donor community. The Interim Government can now state without equivocation that the plight of our refugees will be on the front pages and editorial boards of mainstream media in 2021.

DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS

The Department of Home Affairs has worked on advancing our cause by developing Data Management Portals. The CR20 – Ambazonia Citizen Registration and Census Portal aims to present Ambazonians with a user-friendly system to capture and manage the data of Ambazonians across the globe in preparation for a possible referendum. The AR21 – Ambazonia Refugee Portal has been developed to manage the records of refugees and IDPs on G0, G1, G2. The system will enhance the work of our leadership and promote the operations of civil society organizations operating in these communities to give our refugees and IDPs the dignity they deserve.

FINANCE

We have worked hard to re-establish trust with credible institutions like the Bank of Ambazonia. The Chairman of the Transitional Restoration Council announced last year that a group of patriotic Ambazonians agreed to fund a complete and independent audit of the Ambazonian Foundation and Ambazonia Consulting Inc, two organizations that were responsible for mobilizing funds since the creation of the Interim Government.

The IG, in compliance with that audit request, ordered the Secretary of State for Economy and Finance to release all the information and documents necessary to facilitate and complete this process. Mr. Tabenyang Etchu has complied and submitted all the documents and is reporting to the independent auditor. I will call on all those who were involved with these two organizations to comply with the independent auditor so we can have closure on this matter that undermined trust in our structure.

The killing of our people has not stopped because of the mismanagement of prior resources. We must continue funding the prosecution of our fight for independence. The launching of OPERATION CAPHOT and the strengthening of our payment platforms will mark a new beginning backed by thorough accountability of the funds that will be raised. We respect those who want to remain anonymous and will provide secure channels for them to continue funding the revolution. To our most loyal and committed donors, we say thank you and promise to get it right as we have learned from the past.

COMMUNICATIONS

The Interim Government has decided to bring in an external professional firm with a global presence in 2021. I am excited to announce to you that, we have engaged the Services of a Media Relations PRfirm to work with us and improve our visibility in the global mainstream media.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) is 45 000 sq km and has an estimated population of eight million people. It is bounded to the west and north by Nigeria, to the east by Cameroun, and to the south by Equatorial Guinea. This erstwhile UN Trust Territory under UK administration is the aggrieved victim of a bungled decolonization by the UN and the UK.

As a direct consequence of that incomplete decolonization, the Southern Cameroons finds itself under colonial annexation, occupation, oppression, spoliation, and a war of extermination by the adjacent French vassal state of Cameroun. This humiliation and indignity are unacceptable. The decolonization of the Southern Cameroons must be completed by the UN and the UK as a matter of international law and obligation. Decolonization is the only alternative to colonization.

The objective of the ongoing national liberation struggle of the people of the Southern Cameroons, under Cameroun’s hideous and ravaging colonial occupation and exploitation, is clear. The objective is to take back control of their territory, their lives, and their destiny.

Anything else that apologists of colonialism, propagandists, and conspirators may say is nothing but deceit, intoxication, and distortion. If there is one permanent thing in human society, it is change. The Southern Cameroons Incomplete Decolonisation Question is not the inconsequential matter of marginalization, deprivation, neglect, or patronage sinecures. It is a political question. It is a fundamental issue that concerns the very existence of a people, their survival, their sovereignty, their territory, their identity, their dignity, and their humanity. Colonial annexation and occupation, like apartheid, cannot be reformed. It cannot be endured in whatever guise it is camouflaged. It can only be eliminated.

To end the consequences of colonial annexation and occupation, a subjugated people must first seek the political kingdom, turn the annexation inside out and take absolute control of their own state of affairs and shape their destiny. No subjugated people anywhere in the world have ever enjoyed freedom and the benefits of development. No people, not even animals, willfully subject themselves to extinction. The purpose of the plebiscite was not to procure the extinction of the Southern Cameroons through a transfer of the trust territory to Cameroun Republic, itself a trust territory barely decolonised twelve months earlier, or to any other country.

There is no warrant for that under international law. The plebiscite was primarily a vote for independence (that is, freedom from UK rule and UN international tutelage), and secondarily, a vote for federal political association with Cameroun. The territory of the Southern Cameroons was to be politically linked to the territory of Cameroun but not to become part of the territory of Cameroun. The federal political association involved the linking of the two federated states (the Southern Cameroons/West Cameroon, and Cameroun Republic/East Cameroun) at the level of the Federal Government, and not one federated state absorbing the other. In legal terms, the Federation involved a dovetailing rather than a supersession of legal orders.

The restoration of the independence and statehood of the Southern Cameroons is legitimate and consistent with international law. Any person, state, or organisation propagating the colonial apology and falsehood that the territory of the Southern Cameroons is part of the territory of Cameroun is hereby challenged to exhibit to the world at large the legal instrument by which Cameroun purportedly acquired title to the territory of the Southern Cameroons, when and how it did it. It is the historic duty of the people of the Southern Cameroons to leave a rich legacy for their descendants.

No nation is born great. It is the citizens who through diligence, hard work, creativity, innovation and inventiveness, and patriotism make their nation great. All free nations and free peoples of the world are governed under a democratic constitution that they have framed and given to themselves.

TO THE PEOPLE OF LRC

Our peace is your peace and prosperity. There will be no tranquility in French Cameroun until the Southern Cameroons is free. Our quest for freedom will continue to shake the foundations of your homeland until justice emerges for our nation. Your government must commit to peace between our two nations and it must find a way to work with the constituted authority of Ambazonia.

The move that was made by the regime in Yaoundé in July 2020 by engaging with President Ayuk Tabe and other leaders in detention was commendable and a step in the right direction. We shall never negotiate out of fear but never fear to negotiate. States are made legitimate by people and the domination of La Republique du Cameroun over the Southern Cameroons ended on 1 October 2017. As a people, we have the right to freely determine our international status and we reject the notion of returning to the status quo.

DIASPORA

Fellow Southern Cameroonians in the diaspora, Millions of people have put their faith in the Interim Government and support our President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and his vision for our nation. We cannot afford to let them down. We have become the prey of a hostile nation, but we must remain masters of our own house. United, there is little we cannot do. Divided, there is little we can do. Our Defense and Intelligence community ask only for your dedication and funds. If our self-defense forces are to succeed, it is vital that their equipment and training are the best. That is why we are moving ahead with OPERATION CAPHOT aka THE BIG RUBBER GUN

The last three years have exposed the incompetence in Yaoundé. It will take more than platitudes from Yaoundé to erase the memory of years of neo-colonial vandalism and genocide upon our people. That is why we did not engage in their so-called HD initiative. Many of us were born in hardship and abuse but have been groomed in civility. We are proud of our roots and are unwilling to accept subjugation anymore. Let the regime in Yaoundé and France know that we shall pay any price and meet any hardship to succeed. This much, the diaspora must pledge.

Fellow Ambazonians, this war for independence is worth it. In the end, we intend to build a Southern Cameroons where children are given a chance to reach their full potential irrespective of their background. A prosperous and peace-loving nation is our goal. That is the future and vision that our leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has. I am humbled by the support that millions of Southern Cameroonians have placed in the Interim Government at this challenging moment.

If we in this generation, cannot deliver freedom for our nation, we all would be guilty of betrayal. Now the trumpet summons us again as a call to donate financially and sacrifice our energy to this struggle against tyranny and oppression.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the opportunity of achieving freedom. Let us welcome this responsibility rather than shrink from it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other generation.

My Fellow Ambazonians, your time to deliver freedom is now. I am ready. Are you ready?

If you are, come with me on this journey of Operation CAPHOT and Operation REKINDLE HOPE OUTREACH.

Stay safe during this pandemic.

God bless you.

God bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia

Vice President

Dabney Yerima