Editorial

23, January 2025

Yaoundé: Hope and Despair in the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison ⁰

Tsi Conrad, a Cameroonian journalist who has been unjustly imprisoned since December 2016, is hopeful that President Donald Trump will continue to call out the Biya regime’s abuses and push for democracy in Cameroon.

When the news that Donald Trump had been reelected reached my cell in Cameroon’s Yaoundé Central Prison, I was filled with both hope and despair. I felt despair because it was a reminder that I have been wrongfully imprisoned for eight years—I was arrested in December 2016, in the wake of his first electoral victory. But I also felt a glimmer of hope, because during his last administration, President Trump took important action to hold the government of Cameroon accountable, and I am hopeful that he will continue to call out the Biya regime’s abuses and push for democracy in Cameroon.

As an independent journalist in Cameroon, I always knew that my work could land me in trouble. Reporters Without Borders has called Cameroon “one of the continent’s most dangerous countries for journalists,” and with good reason—journalists have been harassed, arrested, kidnapped, and even killed. My reporting is particularly sensitive, as it relates to the Anglophone crisis—the civil unrest in the country’s English-speaking regions —and the abuses and atrocities that have occurred in these areas. This topic is not just a professional interest, but a personal one as well: I am from Bamenda, the epicenter of the Anglophone protests.

On December 8, 2016, I was arrested while filming a demonstration at which police shot and killed four people. The police seized and destroyed my camera and tortured me into signing a false confession. In May 2018, after an unfair trial in which I was not even allowed to call defense witnesses, I was convicted on a variety of baseless charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

It is widely recognized that my detention is nothing more than retaliation for my reporting. In fact, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention not only found that my detention is arbitrary and in violation of international law, but also concluded that it “resulted from the exercise of [my] right to freedom of expression.” Numerous human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have similarly called for my release.

December 8, 2024, marked the eight-year anniversary of my detention. If this is to be the last Christmas that I celebrated in prison, and if human rights in Cameroon are to stand a chance, then the Trump administration will once again need to step up.

First, the new administration should refuse to reinstate Cameroon’s benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). In 2019, the Trump administration suspended Cameroon from trade preference benefits under AGOA due to “persistent gross violations of internationally recognized human rights,” including “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and unlawful detention, and torture.” However, Cameroon has recently been lobbying for reinstatement, and the outgoing US ambassador to Cameroon reportedly told Cameroonian officials that the United States is ready to support the country’s reinstatement. But this would send exactly the wrong message, as Cameroon has only become more repressive over the past few years. In 2017, for example, Cameroon received a score of 24 out of 100 in Freedom House’s annual Freedom in the World report; by 2024, its score had declined to 15 out of 100. And as the US State Department has documented, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and torture remain serious concerns.

Second, the United States should impose targeted sanctions on the government officials responsible for serious human rights abuses. Despite Cameroon’s consistently deplorable human rights record, including the repression and detention of journalists, there are no government officials on the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list (though the US State Department did announce a policy of imposing visa restrictions relating to the Anglophone crisis in 2021).

And third, with Cameroon’s October 2025 presidential election fast approaching, the Trump administration should emphasize in all its meetings with Cameroonian officials that a free and fair election cannot occur without a free and independent media. While there are many restrictions on the media that need to be addressed, perhaps the most important—and the easiest for the government to fix—is the detention of journalists who criticize its actions. The United States should therefore demand that I and the other detained journalists be released before the election so that we—and the many others who have been intimidated into silence—can do our jobs.

Culled from Freedom House.Org

20, January 2025

Brenda Biya competing with poor saloon girls as the country burns ⁰

Her dad President Paul Biya is fast exceeding his quota of killing. Roads in the country are so bad that potholes are swallowing cars, okadas and bicycles the way his ministers Paul Atanga Nji, Laurent Esso and Ngoh Ngoh are swallowing opponents of the regime.

The Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele observed recently that driving from the nation’s capital Yaoundé to Mutengene in the South West region, the only way to continue the journey is over the rooftop of the vehicle which the road has already eaten.

So, the best way to survive in Cameroon is by relocating to Bastos in Yaoundé with all your belongings including small shops, hair dressing saloons, beer parlours and cosmetic shops. This is what Brenda Biya, daughter of President Biya the so called Father of the Nation has just done.

Bastos is supposed to be a kind of Stamford Bridge hosting foreign diplomats, billionaires and those who matter deep within the Cameroonian society. But Brenda Biya and her dad President Paul Biya have made it a free for all with every Tom, Dick or Harry steaming up and down eating roast corn and plums like in Metta Quarter in Kumba.

Recently, a small shop Bree Cosmetics opened its doors in Bastos under the direct supervision of the Minister-Secretary General at the presidency of the republic Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh. Bastos is the place no one can be killed in Cameroon.

The decision by Brenda Biya to open her cosmetic shop in Bastos is essentially to keep her father’s failed and empty legacy alive. Brenda Biya is now competing with poor Cameroonian girls who are shuttling between Dubai and Douala to make ends meet!! And Cameroon is burning.

Brenda reportedly studied in one of the best universities in the USA when thousands of English speaking Cameroonians were being killed by the Francophone dominated military in a war that her dad declared against English speaking Cameroonians.

Today, the monstrous liability of a head of state and the all powerful Fon of Fons is watching his children either committing the same shameful errors or falling into spectacular new ones.

The fire burning up the Biya family is the result of him thinking that he is a god. His refusal to bow to demands for change in Cameroon and hand over power to the new generation and his corrupt policy in which the funds of Cameroon as a country are confused with his own, have led to a complete breakdown of law and order.

The Biya family is now opening a small cosmetic shop for Brenda Biya, after more than 42 years of watching the economic and political corruption that has reduced Cameroon to wretched and grinding poverty.

Roman Catholic Bishops have appealed to Mr Biya to step down, but he is not showing any sign of leaving. Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that he is now struggling to pay his destitute army.

Although French speaking Roman Catholic Bishops are trying to chip away Mr Biya’s authority, the 92-year-old dictator is still firmly entrenched. The most powerful elements of the army, the gendarmerie, the police force and the media are all under his control.

Ultimately Biya’s survival depends on the loyalty of the secret service dominated by elements from his Beti-Bulu tribal extraction, the Francophone military including the National Gendarmerie and to this end, the privileged service men and women will be allocated funds to go and shop at the Bree Cosmetics Shop in Bastos. That will give them a special kind of divinity.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

18, January 2025

There are reasons why Anglophones believe Biya is a loud sounding nothing ⁰

A huge influx of French speaking Cameroonians coming back every December into the country from Germany, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, UK and the USA and a swelling desire for infrastructural development as seen in English speaking countries such as Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya is now spelling the end for the 42 year-old Biya regime.

While Mr Paul Biya may have no intention of stepping down before this year’s presidential election as demanded by prominent Roman Catholic Bishops or giving up the chairmanship of his ruling CPDM party, change in Cameroon is now inevitable.

It has long been a French Cameroun’s policy to make English speaking Cameroonians feel inferior and marginalized in a union they voted to join via a UN sponsored plebiscite in 1961 and the French government in Paris has been helping them! France is happy when Francophones control everything in Cameroon and they also do not want Anglophones to have authority over their own internal affairs.

English speaking Cameroon political leaders have all along pursued a strategy of cozying up to hostile French Cameroun leaders including the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya, in the hope that a united and prosperous bilingual Cameroon will emerge in Africa.

But while Francophone Cameroun political elites have never taken any significant measures towards building a united, strong and democratic nation fully integrated in the African Union, Biya and his backers in Paris have actually strengthened his legitimacy and absolute rule over the Republic of Cameroon and for forty-two years, the President of Cameroon has virtually been living in the French speaking part of Switzerland.

There are a lot of signs that French Cameroun under Biya is continuing its failed policy of assimilation of English speaking Cameroonians and, even with the present armed conflict in Southern Cameroons, the regime in Yaoundé is only following directives from Paris.

During a televised conversation with business tycoon Mo Ibrahim in France, Biya made it public that the French policy of assimilation has failed woefully in Southern Cameroons. But the French puppet is still not interested in abandoning the cuvee-type policy. Consequently, Southern Cameroonians over the last seven years have taken very resolute actions by increasing additional economic pain on the French backed Francophone regime in Yaoundé.

Biya and his Francophone political elites think that the only way to achieve victory over Southern Cameroonians is to buy time like what Nigerians did with Biafra. But this is not working!

Nigeria justified their continued acquisition of Biafra as a tribe within the federation. But British Southern Cameroons was already a nation before reunification with La Republique du Cameroun.

Recent developments in Yaoundé are very alarming. The reality is that no French Cameroun political leader is really serious about solving the Anglophone problem. And this denial is slowly but surely giving birth to a new state-the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

If you follow the propaganda in Yaoundé, it seems that everything is working for the 92-year-old President Biya and his men and that Cameroon is prosperous. But looking at the reality, the Biya regime is indeed a Francophone crime syndicate. The bones have a French structure, but the flesh has already turned English.

The number of French speaking Cameroonians sending their children to Anglophone schools in Southern Cameroons and to English speaking countries such Ireland, Nigeria, the UK, South Africa, Canada and the United States is increasing every year. In the next decade, Cameroon will be an English speaking country. Biya and his men are all aware but are simply deceiving their French supporters in Paris.

Take a look at the French speaking millennial generation of the so-called CEMAC region grouping Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo-Brazzaville, Central African Republic and Chad, they are the only ones deep within the African continent who have grown up with computers and there is a boom of English learning. And they are no longer interested in watching Bel Mondo, Bernard Tapie content or even the French Ligue 1 football competition. They are only interested in Nigeria movies, music and comedies. To be sure, the eyes of the new generation of French speaking Africans whether in Burkina Faso, Mali or Niger are not on this nonsense French ideological machine, but on material things. And even though Macron wants to stop it with a pro Nigeria stance, the French can’t stop this future in black Africa.

Change is coming to Francophone Africa and their militaries or security forces cannot halt this process because the new young forces are demanding it. Biya is a finished man and the people around him except his wife Chantal Biya and the Minister-Secretary General at the presidency Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh are all in their 80s! So power is no longer in the hands of the ruthless and merciless generation. Today, the young generation knows that if they stand up, there will be no crackdown! But they are waiting patiently for the demise of the butcher of Yaoundé which is coming soon and very soon and they will be brave enough to go to the streets and celebrate.

From every indication, Cameroon is Biya’s family business and there are some people in the military, the National gendarmerie and the police force who are thinking wrongfully that the Biya dynasty should go on and on. But Southern Cameroonians have come to the conclusion that the final change in the Republic of Cameroon will be the collapse of the Biya’s nonsense machine this 2025 presidential election.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

15, January 2025

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe leading the Ambazonia revolution from behind bars ⁰

Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe has already served seven years of his life sentence at the Yaoundé principal prison in Cameroon, but he is not ready to budge an inch in the political beliefs that landed him there. “The fight for homeland is existential and non-negotiable – being part of the struggle is a calling and not a vocation,” he tells the Guardian.

The 59-year-old computer engineer and former president of a breakaway state is still fighting his revolution from jail. As Cameroon’s civil conflict festers, his quest remains the freeing of his anglophone community from what he sees as the shackles of a francophone Cameroonian state.

Undated photo of Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, leader of the anglophone community in Cameroon. — Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, leader of the anglophone community in Cameroon

“We have an obligation – dead or alive – to bequeath to our children a nation that they can call theirs, something we have been deprived of for too long,” he says.

On 1 October 2017, Ayuk Tabe declared the independence of “Ambazonia” – Cameroon’s English-speaking north-west and south-west regions, known during the colonial era as the British Southern Cameroons – after a government crackdown on protesters.

In November 2016, lawyers from the regions had marched against the government’s decision to appoint francophone magistrates in anglophone courts, seeing it as a threat to common law. Educators followed with their own protests after French-speaking teachers were imposed on anglophone schools.

Ayuk Tabe’s de facto presidency ended in January 2018 when he was arrested in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, allegedly by Nigerian special forces.

Demonstrators protest against perceived discrimination in favour of the francophone majority on 22 September 2017 in Bamenda, the main town in north-west Cameroon and an anglophone hub. — A protest against perceived discrimination in favour of the francophone majority in September 2017 in Bamenda, north-west Cameroon, an anglophone hub. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

He was extradited with nine others to Cameroon, despite claims that many of them were refugees and asylum seekers. The move was later ruled illegal by the UN.

In August 2019, a military court in Cameroon sentenced Ayuk Tabe and his aides to life imprisonment on terrorism and secession charges. They were fined FCFA 273bn (about $428m).

The UN human rights council and three federal high court of Abuja judgments have ordered their release but none of these rulings have been respected, and the men remain in prison.

We will hoist the Ambazonian flag, we will sing the Ambazonian anthem – until that happens, the struggle won’t end

Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe

“How can civilians be charged and sentenced in military courts?” Ayuk Tabe asks. “Before any court in Cameroon, all Southern Cameroonians have a life sentence reserved for them just because of who they are. We are taking one for our nation and we pray it should be the last for all Southern Cameroonians.”

The declaration of Ambazonia’s independence triggered deadly clashes between anglophone armed separatists and the state security forces, which resulted in widespread atrocities against the civilian population.

Protesters march with signs saying ‘we need pens, not guns’ — Pupils, parents and teachers protest after gunmen opened fire at a school, killing at least six children, according to the authorities. Photograph: Josiane Kouagheu/Reuters

More than 6,000 people have since been killed, according to the International Crisis Group, although Ambazonia’s leadership claims the figure is far higher. More than a million people have been displaced within and outside the country. Thousands of people suspected of supporting the revolt have been detained and many are still awaiting trial.

When the Guardian arrives at Yaoundé prison it is teeming with visitors – mainly relatives, friends and acquaintances – who have come to see Ayuk Tabe and those detained with him.

With his customary charm, Ayuk Tabe speaks to everyone, telling them he has three key messages to send to his people back home: “Tell them that we will go to Buea whether [president] Mr Paul Biya likes it or not; come rain or shine. Tell them that we will hoist the Ambazonian flag in Buea and that once this is done, we will sing the Ambazonian anthem – until that happens, the struggle won’t end.

“Finally, tell them to take good care of the needy of the struggle – families who have lost loved ones, the internally displaced, refugees, those in detention, not forgetting the heroes of the struggle – the men and women who have opted to fight and die for the struggle,” he says.

Four men walk down a street outside a building, led by an armed guard — Men arrested in connection with Cameroon’s anglophone crisis at the military court in Yaoundé, 14 December 2018. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

After singing a few verses of the national anthem, Ayuk Tabe gets up to move around and hug a few of his visitors.

“We call them our guardian angels because they baby us,” he says, adding that these supporters have helped the Ambazonian inmates at the prison by bringing them food and bedding.

He says conditions at the prison are difficult: they’re given flimsy beds without mattresses and a single “terrible” meal a day.

“But Ambazonian detainees in this prison feed themselves twice a day, thanks to the generosity of our relatives and friends – they don’t consume anything offered by this prison except the water used for bathing,” he says.

An undated photo showing a group of men in camouflage clothes, with one pointing a rifle towards the sky from behind some bushes — Anglophone separatist fighters training at an undisclosed location. Photograph: Chris Anu

Cameroon was first colonised by Germany between 1884 and 1916, then divided between France and Britain after the first world war. French Cameroon gained independence in 1960, joined by English-speaking Cameroonians through a federation a year later.

The French-speaking area makes up about 80% of the country and the English-speaking part about 20%, both in territory and population. A referendum in 1972 repealed the country’s federal structure which had guaranteed rights and secured a distinct educational, judicial and political system for the minority anglophone section.

The group of officials stands in front of a large crowd of people. Behind them a banner reads: ‘Major national dialogue. Yaounde conference centre. — Cameroon’s prime minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, presides over the opening session of the national dialogue called in September 2019 by president Biya. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Close to the principal prison is the Yaoundé central prison, where nearly 300 anglophone detainees are being held. Abdul Karim Ali, 43, a Muslim scholar, IT engineer and business consultant, has been awaiting trial here since February 2023.

Ali was arrested in the north-west regional capital, Bamenda, on 11 August 2022, for criticising the injustices committed against his anglophone community. He was detained for three months in a windowless room with no toilet and denied access to his family and lawyers for three weeks, he says. Transferred to the dreaded State Defense Secretariat detention facility, he spent another three months there before being transferred to Yaoundé central prison.

I was abducted to be silenced. Not just because I believe in the right to self-determination for Southern Cameroons but because I defended those rights

Abdul Karim Ali

“I was abducted to be silenced. Not just because I believe in the right to self-determination of the people of Southern Cameroons, but because I defended those rights and called out the occupying regime of Yaoundé,” Ali says.

“Like other activists, I have been accused of terrorism and secession. I consider the military court incompetent to try a civilian like myself. I have made it known that I’m not going to court. I want to be tried in a civilian court and in my Bamenda home town where I was abducted.”

Abdul Karim Ali, Cameroonian activist — Abdul Karim Ali, who has been detained since August 2022

Ali says he has no issue with the Cameroon government, but that it has a problem with Southern Cameroons.

“I’m in their captivity just like every other freedom fighter. I don’t wish anybody to experience the prison conditions I have endured.”

He says the situation in Cameroon’s north-west and south-west regions is one of “torture, genocide, colonisation, incarceration and dehumanisation” – the consequence of the annexation that started in 1961.

He blames the current conflict on the “incomplete decolonisation” of Southern Cameroons by Britain and Cameroon’s annexation of the territory thereafter.

“The Cameroon government declared war on Southern Cameroons. They are the invading bully and illegitimate state actor. So, the burden to call for a ceasefire lies on them,” he says.

Peace, he says, would require the unconditional release of all Southern Cameroonians; the demilitarisation of the territory of Southern Cameroons; and dialogue between the two parties.

Ali eats once and prays five times a day. Otherwise, his daily schedule includes exercising in the prison courtyard and reading.

“History provides us with enough verdicts: every dictatorship collapses and every annexation comes to an end,” says Ali, whose political activism was inspired by Gandhi. “Today or tomorrow, the people of Southern Cameroons will be given the right to determine their political future,” he says.

Soldiers of Cameroonian rapid intervention battalion line up — Members of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, an elite unit of the Cameroonian armed forces, on parade for Unity Day in Yaoundé, May 2023. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Sitting nearby in the prison hall is another detainee, Mancho Bibixy Tse, a 40-year-old journalist and activist.

In November 2016, Mancho mounted a coffin at a crowded roundabout in Bamenda to denounce the social and economic injustice of his anglophone community, which became known as the “coffin revolution”.

He was arrested, charged with terrorism, secession, rebellion, inciting civil war, and spreading false information through social media, and sentenced to 15 years.

A man weeps among the ruins of a building razed by gunmen in Mamfe, south-west Cameroon, 6 November 2023.

In July 2019, Mancho led a protest against conditions at the prison, which earned him an additional 18 months.

Mancho says frustrations about 60 years of Cameroon’s occupation of Southern Cameroons led to his activism. The idea of using a coffin came about “spontaneously”.

“I have always wanted positive change wherever I found myself – I have been a freedom fighter all my life,” he says, maintaining that he has never regretted – and will never regret his actions.

“I am the first person who declared the Ambazonian revolution,” he says. “And I will do it over and over again if the opportunity shows up. I am ready to die for freedom.”

A car allegedly destroyed by separatist fighters in Buea, Cameroon — A burnt-out car beside an abandoned market after unrest in 2018 in Buea, capital of the anglophone south-west region. Photograph: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images

Back at the Yaoundé principal prison, Ayuk Tabe is hopeful of ultimate victory.

“Rather than waning, our independence ideology is gaining more ground. Proof is that we are in the eighth year of the struggle and a Cameroon military victory is still very far-fetched,” he says.

“No matter how long this darkness has been, victory is assured and on the way. We all, eight million Ambazonians, share a common pain and plight. We cannot continue this life of servitude and pass it on as a legacy to our future generations.”

Culled from The Guardian

10, January 2025

Biya will die soon ⁰

The clock is ticking on whether President Biya will continue as head of state beyond the 2025 presidential elections.

The 91-year-old leader and his acolytes would not say if he is preparing to step down this year or face a forced eviction out of the Unity Palace by angry Cameroonians.

The failed leader has still not made a decision on whether he will run for the upcoming elections and go beyond 2025.

While senior Roman Catholic Bishops are demanding that he resigns, ambassadors from the US, UK and Canada have also been pushing his Minister of Territorial Administration; Paul Atanga Nji to convince Biya to accept that time has come for him to leave the political stage.

Our Yaoundé city reporter said late yesterday that the dictator after forty-two years in power is still not sure that Cameroon as a nation has options if he decides to step down.

With age now telling on him and his health failing at catastrophic rapidity, we of the Concord Group believe that sooner or later it will happen and Cameroonians have to prepare.

However, if Biya does decide to go on beyond 2025, he will end up in the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison in Yaoundé with many of his most trusted allies.

Our informants in Etoudi watching him as he struggles to receive New Year wishes from his cronies have all admitted that the presidential part of Biya has left him and he will die soon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

7, January 2025

Buea: Roman Catholic Bishops say Cameroonians must not lose hope ⁰

The Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon has formally entered a Synodal Process. We of the Cameroon Concord News Group are convinced that this is the way to go and it will be a fruitful new departure.

During the opening ceremony of the 48^th annual conference of the Cameroonian Bishops in Buea the chief city in the South West region, the Bishops unanimously said that they are in Buea to map out a pathway not a runway.

Millions of Cameroonians both at home and abroad are wondering if the Roman Catholic Bishops are dampening down expectations on the current state of political and economic affairs in the divided nation. The truth is the Bishops are being realistic.

The Bishops want Cameroonians to learn how to journey together being guided by the Holy Spirit. In the words of His Grace Archbishop Andrew Nkea it means being patient with each other and respectful of differing views.

Welcoming the Bishops, His Lordship Bishop Michaël Bibi of the diocese of Buea during a joyous ceremony attended by the Francophone Governor of the South-West region, Bernard Okalla Bilaï and the Mayor of Buea David Mafany, said the focus has to be on Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.

The President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, His Grace Archbishop Andrew Nkea on behalf of all the bishops, took advantage of Pope Francis’ message for the Jubilee Year 2025 to convey hope and peace to the Cameroonian people, who are being battered on a daily basis by a sea of crises and natural disasters.

‘We must not lose hope, despite all the difficulties we have, despite all the problems we face, we must not lose hope. Hope is a theological virtue, and without hope there is no life. We continue to hope for a new Cameroon, a Cameroon of unity, a Cameroon of joy, a country that will take care of all Cameroonians,’ said His Grace Andrew Nkea.

The proceedings are currently going on in the Bishop Pius Awa Conference Room inside the pastoral centre.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Fon Lawrence and Rita Akana

5, January 2025

2025: Roman Catholic Bishops, Imams should move to decide Cameroon’s next president ⁰

As the divided Cameroon inches closer to the 2025 presidential elections, thousands of Cameroonian voters are itching to see their spiritual leaders like Bishops and Imams play a major role in deciding who will be Cameroon’s next head of state.

Spiritual leaders in Cameroon have always urged their followers to pray for peace and vote for the candidate that guarantees stability. But the 2025 presidential elections might be different as three Roman Catholic bishops have called on 91-year-old President Biya not to run for the highest office in the land.

Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Metropolitan Archbishop of Douala, Bishop Emmanuel Abbo of the diocese of Ngaoundéré and Bishop Yaouda Hourgo, Bishop of Yagoua have all said that Mr Biya should step down.

While some Roman Catholic revered fathers have openly and privately endorsed the position of the Bishops, renowned French Cameroun political commentator Moussa Njoya in a recent outing opined that Cameroon Imams and Islamic experts must not hide behind so-called religious teachings, and a supposed specialty and specificity, to justify their cowardice and corruption.

Moussa Njoya stated that following statements by Roman Catholic bishops on bad governance in Cameroon and on President Biya’s candidacy for the October 2025 presidential election, Cameroon Imams should also give their position on the subject. For him, it is not a question of taking subsidies from the Ministry of Territorial Administration, but of taking a clear stand.

Njoya furthered that Cameroonians should not be surprised that after the outbursts from the Roman Catholic bishops, Imams will be coming out with motions of support for the Cameroonian dictator.

“The role of the clergy is to tell the people what the lord wants; if we tell the Cameroonian people this is who God wants, but they refuse, then it’s up to them. Roman Catholic Bishops are not for Biya and they are not for anybody; they simply stand for God” a revered father contacted by this reporter in Yaoundé and who sued for anonymity said.

The 2025 presidential election is not going to be business as usual; Cameroonians Francophone and Anglophone are well informed.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

29, December 2024

Manyu Development: The Diaspora can help ⁰

Manyu is gradually emerging from the damage of the socio-political crisis which has been running for almost eight years, but the tell-tale signs of the adverse impacts of the conflict are still on the faces of our people.

Many of our people are slowly returning to their native Manyu but starting all over is a Herculean task. Many have lost almost everything. Some had to spend years in the jungle just to hide from Amba fighters and Cameroon government soldiers.

Many of our people are desperate. Though cocoa prices have brought some hope, it must be pointed out that many of those farms had been neglected when the fighting was at its apex. It takes years for a cocoa plantation to be productive and it takes lots of maintenance for a plantation to deliver the “golden seeds” and without money our people are not earning as much as they should.

Though some of the farmers are celebrating, it should be noted that not everyone in Manyu Division is a cocoa farmer. Despite increased cocoa production in the past two years, Manyu farmers are not making a kill as they should because their poor mastery of the global cocoa market is robbing them of lots of money.

There are no structured marketing channels which can guarantee our people long term money for their labour and since they have no control over the cocoa supply chain, most of our farmers are obliged to accept whatever prices are offered to them.

The socio-political crisis has hit Manyu Division like a ton of bricks. The situation has been compounded by escalating cost of living, leaving many young Manyu men and women in dire financial straits.

Even young Manyu businesspersons are struggling. The business environment is not enabling. Access to loans is almost non-existent and the entire Manyu Division has no bank to cater to the needs of our people.

Moreover, the mentality out there is hurting our people in a big and bad way. Anybody who starts making some baby steps forward has the obligation of taking care of an entire family, a situation which has caused many budding businesses to collapse even before they could send down their roots.

Furthermore, any businessperson who makes giant strides forward is always erroneously thought to be involved in a cult. Many Manyu people have never really known wealth and many do not understand that speculation, determination and persistence can deliver tons of money.

Once someone makes huge amounts of money, the entire village starts accusing them of things which only exist in fairytales. There is no witchcraft when it comes to making money. The people of Manyu Division need a mentality purge. A new mindset needs to be engineered to enable the people to accept that a neighbor could be wealthy in a short time due to their clear and long-term vision as well as their persistence and determination.

The Diaspora, indeed the open-minded, informed and selfless Diaspora, has a role to play, not only in the engineering of a new mindset for Manyu, but in the creation of self-help programs which will give the Division a shot in the arm.

A once booming economic hub, Mamfe, the Division’s capital, is spotting a miserable and helpless figure. The town’s infrastructure is crumbling, the environment is deteriorating at lightning speed, power failure remains a tough challenge to businesses and the Division’s best and brightest are leaving to seek little opportunities in other towns of the Southwest Region.

Mamfe has lost its attraction. Even the schools which used to attract people to the Division have become shadows of their former selves. Manyu and Mamfe need a massive injection of cash which can help small businesses to stabilize and grow. The absence of financial institutions in the Division has robbed struggling businesspeople of the access they need to where they can have investment resources.

The Diaspora has a great role to play in the revitalization of the once vibrant Division. The Diaspora has been supportive albeit on individual basis. Manyu needs more than individual efforts. Manyu’s development requires the collective efforts of its sons and daughters, both at home and abroad.

Manyu does not have its own microfinance institutions. Manyu does not have its own cooperatives. Manyu is bereft of basic financial and financing institutions which can give the Division’s population access to much-needed financing.

The Diaspora, in particular, can help restore Manyu’s past glory through collective efforts. Organizations such as EYUMEMA and MOHWA are making some strides but their efforts need to be shored up, especially with the creation of sound project implementation mechanisms which can ensure that they get real value for any dollar they invest in the Division.

Manyu sons and daughters abroad should know that they have a role to play in Manyu’s economic and cultural renaissance. The Diaspora can reverse certain things in Manyu through generous contributions and participation in development projects. Indifference will only lead to the Division heading down the abyss of depression and chaos. The Diaspora should mobilize itself to give Manyu a fighting chance.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

23, December 2024

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s Christmas message in full as he thanks the Ambazonian people ⁰

Fellow Ambazonians,

As we close the chapters on 2024, in this long and painful journey, know that your resilience in the face of adversity is a testament to our collective strength, our unwavering spirit, and the hope for a brighter future. During this year, there have been moments that have made us anxious, desperate and even despondent. However, your steadfastness to our struggle for independence is a lamp of hope in such challenging times. It is driving us forward, even in the darkest hours. Many of you have sent us messages of love and encouragement. My fellow Ambazonian Prisoners of Conscience (APoCs) and I are eternally grateful. We are still standing tall & strong and firing on all cylinders, regardless.

We remember and honour our fallen comrades who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. May we continue to draw strength from their sacrifices. We invite you to join us in prayer, seeking eternal rest for their souls and solace for their grieving families. Their legacy strengthens our resolve to fight on until we achieve a free and independent Ambazonia.

For them and for Ambazonia, we must redouble our efforts at solidifying our unity of purpose and staying focused on the prize at the foot of the mountain. We must continue the resistance that will show the international community that our resolve cannot be broken. We are not naive to the Cameroun government’s insincerity which has only intensified throughout the past eight years. Their empty promises and continued human rights abuses are a testament to their unwillingness to address the legitimate grievances of the Ambazonian people. We must show the world that even in the face of Mr. Biya’s insecurity, insincerity, impunity and intransigence, we will remain resolute till we get to the negotiating table. Note that the international community is saddled, plagued and distracted by a mirage of global challenges. We cannot entrust our fate to external organisations. We must make our struggle our priority and do all that it takes to move it forward. To my fellow leaders, I urge us all to embrace the call for unity. Our people look to us not for divisions but for a shared vision that will lead us out of this wilderness and into our Promised Land.

This year, the world has witnessed significant events. The re-election of President Donald Trump in the United States of America provides a sobering reminder of the importance of engagement on the global stage. We remember that his first term in office paid attention to our plight. His re-election rekindles our hope for renewed international attention to our cause. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria serves as a poignant lesson on the consequences of authoritarianism. The Gaza-Israel conflict and the ongoing war in Ukraine/Russia underscore the devastating human cost of protracted conflicts and the importance of pursuing peaceful resolutions.

A new dawn is emerging across Africa. The Sahel nations like Senegal, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are rising to challenge colonial legacies. These nations are pushing boundaries, asserting their rights, and giving us hope in Ambazonia’s own journey towards self-determination. Joined to these efforts, the re-election in Ghana of President John Dramani Mahama should challenge many African oligarchs and bring a rejuvenation of the pan African spirit that reminds us of the dreams of the venerable Osagyefor KWAME NKRUMAH and his likes. The new Ubuntu spirit in Africa is not only healthy but promising for our struggle. The urgency of the moment is evident.

Our fight also includes uncovering the truth behind any clandestine agreements that handed our territory and resources to La République du Cameroun. We remain committed to uncovering any treaties between the governments of the UK and La République du Cameroun concerning the Trust Territory of the British Southern Cameroons. Such treachery has subjected us to another cycle of colonisation, but we vow to expose these injustices, restore the independence of our homeland and regain our rightful seat in the assembly of the community of nations.

On a final note, I urge all Ambazonians to actively engage in community mobilization efforts. Share your stories, raise awareness, and demand international recognition for our cause. Together, we stand strong. Together, we rise. Let us unite in our resolve, and usher in a new era for Ambazonia. The finish line is near. In solidarity and unshakeable hope, victory is certain.

We ask for ancestral blessings upon Ambazonia and wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025.

Sisiku AyukTabe

Kondengui Prison Principal Yaoundé (KPPY)

20, December 2024

Letter to Camcordnews ⁰

Dear Cameroon Concord News

Help us to understand the new finance law many people are talking about. Francophone newspapers in Cameroon have spent a lot of time talking about the new taxes which will destroy Cameroonians and the economy but our own news platform has not yet shed light on this disturbing problem.

The parliament of Cameroon has been in session for weeks now and the law-makers of the country who are supposed to represent the population will be passing some new finance laws which might hurt many struggling citizens.

As ordinary citizens, we are yet to recover from the high prices caused by the pandemic. The stress and tension in the country arising from hardship are visible and many people are losing their lives due to hardship.

Cameroonians are already paying taxes but not much is seen in terms development, especially concerning the building of infrastructure.

To my knowledge, taxes are not a bad thing. They can help a country to develop. In Western countries such as France and Great Britain, many people lose huge amounts of money to the state by way of taxes. I don’t live in the West but I read a lot about life abroad.

It is true that citizens in Western countries hate paying taxes, but they do admit that taxes go a long way in positively impacting their lives.

Good roads, hospitals and schools are some of the things which make westerners to accept some of the high taxes they pay.

There is also the issue of security. Where there is security, there is a tendency for people to settle there and security usually gets financed with tax money.

Cameroonians are afraid of taxes not because they do not know what taxes could do for a country if well used. Their fear comes from the fact that Cameroon does not have good roads, good schools and hospitals but the citizens get punished every day, every year with taxes.

Taxes are not bad, what makes Cameroon’s taxes bad is the way tax revenues are used. For now, not many people back home are talking about the new taxes and high cost of living.

Like many ordinary Cameroonians, I will like the Cameroon Concord News to shed light on this new burden that will be soon imposed on Cameroonians by a government that hardly renders account.

Thank you for helping our government to understand our pain and for helping Cameroonians to understand what is in that new finance law.

Ngah Jude in Bamenda