Fellow Cameroonians,

My Dear Compatriots,

This year, the coronavirus pandemic has yet again featured among the major causes for concern worldwide.

The disease has not been eradicated despite significant efforts by the scientific community and governments.

It is noted that the virus tends to adapt to our environment over time, as evidenced by the emergence of new variants, thus making control of the pandemic particularly challenging.

Unfortunately, it continues to plunge families into mourning, disrupt social life and create economic distortions.

Should we then despair and yield to pessimism? Obviously NO.

We learn from history that this is not humanity’s first epidemic, and it is undoubtedly far from being its last.

By the way, I am confident that we will overcome the coronavirus in the same manner as previous epidemics.

For my part, I will spare no effort in ensuring that the requisite measures to stem its spread in our country are actually implemented.

The response strategy implemented by the Government is yielding excellent results. Over the past two years, it has helped to save lives and to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our country.

Accordingly, it should be continued and, as appropriate, improved to better adapt to the mutations of this dangerous virus.

Hence, the need to stay alert and to continue observing the rules of hygiene and preventive measures such as wearing a mask in all public places or physical distancing.

However, given the virulence of the virus, vaccination is definitely an additional preventive measure.

In many cases, a full vaccination course helps to avert severe complications of the disease, which are generally fatal.

That is why I urge each and every one to get vaccinated and not to pay heed to the conspiracy theories that abound on social media about the coronavirus vaccine.

Indeed, combining preventive measures with vaccination will enable us to break the chain of contamination of this virus and return to normal life more speedily.

My Dear Compatriots,

Notwithstanding the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic-related health crisis, we have remained focused on the target we set within the framework of our National Development Strategy for the 2020–2030 period.

Despite its adverse impact on the economic fabric, we have relentlessly continued implementing our transformational projects, thanks to the sustained mobilization of non-oil revenue, the implementation of domestic budget consolidation measures and support from our development partners.

Fiscal reforms, particularly in the taxation and customs sectors, have boosted our capacity to mobilize funds from the international financial market.

The credibility of Cameroon’s signature thus helped to successfully refinance the Eurobond and to conclude a new Economic and Financial Programme with the International Monetary Fund.

Thanks to financial resources mobilized both within and outside the country, substantial investments have been made to complete the first- generation transformational projects.

These include:

completion of the first phase of the Yaounde-Nsimalen, Yaounde-Douala and Kribi-Lolabe motorways. They have been operationalized under public-private partnerships;

construction of 914 kilometres of asphalted roads;

extension of the health map with the commissioning of the Ebolowa and Bafoussam referral hospitals, as well as the completion of that of Garoua;

implementation of projects to achieve energy self-sufficiency through continuation of construction work on the Nachtigal dam and completion of the hydropower transmission line from the Memve’elé dam.

Works are ongoing to interconnect the Northern and Southern electrical grids. The implementation of this project will contribute to a sustainable reduction of the energy deficit in our country’s northern regions. 

At the same time, there was a need to continue ensuring private sector competitiveness in a macro-economic environment severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is common knowledge that the pandemic has led to rising sea freight costs, thus directly increasing the price of essential goods.

Aware of the huge sacrifices made by national economic operators to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, I instructed the Government to reduce by 80% the sea freight transportation cost to be included in calculating customs duties.

The Government must also continue discussions with the private sector to identify further measures that can be implemented.

By the way, if we have to meet the growth challenge, we must strive to reduce our imports and increase the volume of our exports by boosting domestic production.

In any case, it behoves us to create conditions for more robust, sustainable, inclusive and employment-generating growth, particularly for our youths who are and will remain the primary beneficiaries of ongoing reforms in various areas.

Considering the measures taken, we have reason to be optimistic about economic recovery and an uptick in our growth rate to 4.2% in 2022, from 3.6% in 2021. This positive outlook is consistent with that of a global return to   growth as announced by the relevant international bodies. Our country has the capacity to make the most of this situation.

My Dear Compatriots,

Despite the challenges faced by our country, we continue to be respected on a global scale.

The trust Cameroon enjoys among our partners is the result of our constant efforts to ensure that the country remains the haven of peace and stability that it has always been.   

To this end, we have stepped up our efforts to maintain peace and security nationwide. 

Boko Haram’s sporadic incursions into the Far-North Region in recent months have been met with stiff resistance from our defence forces. Once more, I wish to pay them a well-deserved tribute for their courage, commitment and professionalism.

I take this opportunity to commend the full mobilization of the nation’s lifeblood, the population and vigilante committees, that are contributing decisively to the success of our popular defence strategy.

I am pleased to note that a large number of our compatriots who had joined armed groups have accepted my peace overture.

Many Boko Haram members have laid down their arms and are being catered for in Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Centres in the Far-North Region. The same holds true in the North-West and South-West Regions where many members of armed groups continue to surrender.

However, many of our compatriots remain within the ranks of armed groups. They continue to engage in criminal activities, increasing attacks with improvised explosive devices and murders of unarmed civilians.

The recent assassination of three students and a teacher of Bilingual High School Ekondo Titi added to their long list of abuses and atrocities.

I would like, once again, to reiterate Government’s firm determination to restore peace in the regions that are under security threats.

It should be clearly understood that wherever the perpetrators and sponsors of such acts are hiding, they will be relentlessly tracked down and will face the full force of the law.

In this fierce fight against barbarism, I urge the Cameroonian people to step up collaboration with our defence and security forces in order to neutralize the fanatics of armed violence and to preserve the integrity of our territory.

Many of our compatriots have fallen in battle while engaged in this lofty civil and military defence task. May our determination to keep up the fight bring solace to them as their sacrifice for the Republic will not be in vain.

They are role models for our youths, whom I urge to shun indoctrination attempts by secessionist groups.

In this fight against terrorism, we plan to enlist the support of a wide range of partner States by debunking falsehoods about our country’s human rights situation propagated within international circles by some of Cameroon’s detractors.

My Dear Compatriots,

True to our commitment to peace and tolerance, we have continued to demonstrate openness and readiness for dialogue in order to call a halt to this crisis that has wreaked far too much suffering on our populations.

Thus, after holding the Major National Dialogue, we have continued to accelerate and deepen decentralization.

Regions, as regional and local authorities, were set up this year and are beginning to find their feet.

The North-West and South-West Regions have been granted special status to reflect their cultural and language specificities.

Overall, regionalization is being implemented countrywide and contributes towards increasing our fellow citizens’ participation in the management of local affairs.

These democratic strides very clearly demonstrate that our country is irreversibly and resolutely engaged in the methodical perfection of its democratic process, in order to further meet the legitimate aspirations of the Cameroonian people.

I am fully aware that some people would prefer that we move faster in this area. However, we must avoid any kind of haste that may undermine our country’s unity and our republican ideal. Surely, we will carefully and patiently do whatever needs to be done.

In all circumstances, we must promote constructive and regular dialogue between the various sociological components of the Republic in order to mobilize them for our country’s emergence.

My Dear Compatriots,

Lately, we have witnessed an upsurge in unpatriotic behaviour, the proliferation of hate speech and the posting of violent, obscene and shameful videotapes which have shocked the nation’s collective conscience.

The persistent publication of “fake-news” in the mainstream or social media has contributed towards sustaining falsehood, thus preventing many of our fellow citizens from getting the right information on key issues.

Therefore, I appeal to your sense of individual responsibility and urge each of you to promote the culture of peace.

I call on the Government to step up efforts to raise awareness on the responsible use of social media by all social classes.

We must remain a patriotic, united and supportive people.

We must cherish peace and seek harmony at all times.

Let us resolve to actively ensure that these values promote living together to which our people as a whole deeply aspire.

Fellow Cameroonians,

My Dear Compatriots,

We are faced with specific challenges at the dawn of the new year. Our country will host the Africa Cup of Nations from 9 January to 6 February 2022.

In the run-up to the tournament, we have all witnessed the profound transformation that has taken place in the cities that will host AFCON 2021 matches.

The preparation of the tournament has helped to accelerate the infrastructural development of many of our cities.

Urban roads have been constructed or rehabilitated.

The technical capacity of existing health facilities has been upgraded. New hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment have been built in our regional capitals.

Ultramodern hotels have been built to accommodate official delegations, special guests and tourists who will visit Cameroon during the tournament.

We will continue implementing this investment programme by reducing the infrastructure disparities existing between the regions of our country in various areas.

It is unacceptable that some regions should feel forsaken, while others are progressing.

That is why I decided to create State universities in the three regions of our country that do not yet have one, namely the East, North and South Regions. Other infrastructure will follow, particularly in the airport, industrial and road sectors, in order to make each region a real development hub.

To that end, we must enhance public finance management governance by fighting corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Therefore, all those found guilty of financial malpractice or illicit enrichment will face the consequences before the competent courts.

My Dear Compatriots,

As we prepare to celebrate African football, I urge Cameroonians to mobilize massively to make AFCON 2021 the most beautiful football jamboree ever organized on our continent.

We want it to be a great moment of brotherhood. It therefore behoves us to extend a warm welcome to the 24 sports delegations, officials and all those who will be staying in our country during the tournament.

Let us offer our guests the rich cultural diversity that has earned our country the nickname “Africa in miniature”. Let us extend to them the hospitality they rightfully expect from us, and which is part and parcel of our traditions.

Thanks to the virtues of our people, particularly their courage and selflessness, we have not only overcome the ordeals encountered during this year that is ending, but we have also continued to forge ahead.

As a Nation, we have the duty and opportunity to remind the world that we are a united and indomitable people, capable of displaying this fighting spirit that has enabled us in the past to win great battles.

Before I conclude, I would like to call on our Beloved Indomitable Lions to do their utmost to ensure that they end this festival in grand style on the evening of 6 February 2022.

Let us rise to the challenge and remind the world that we are a great Nation.

Happy and prosperous New Year 2022.

Long live the Republic!

Long live Cameroon!

Dear Cameroon Concord People, donors, reporters and staff writers,

Dear readers,

2021 is ending and it was indeed an extraordinary year.

A footballer for the first time is head of the Cameroon Football Federation, another Roman Catholic cleric was voted Cameroon Concord Person of The Year, still no negotiating table for both the Biya Francophone regime and the Ambazonia Interim Government and a great leap backwards for the one and indivisible Cameroon as French speaking Cameroonians embrace the Africa Cup of Nations.

But thanks to you, we of the Cameroon Concord News and Cameroon Intelligence Report have worked tirelessly covering the crisis in Southern Cameroons and the politics of the CPDM crime syndicate in Yaoundé. With your support, 4 of our undercover reporters including Oke Akombi Ayukepi Akap and Asu Vera Eyere are no longer on the list of journalists in danger in Cameroon. I am very grateful to you and promise that we of the Concord Group will continue to defend the right to news and information in both English and French Cameroun.

A French multinational TOTAL is pushing for the holding of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations amid a crisis that has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Cameroonian civilians. Several English speaking journalists and opinion leaders are in prison in Douala and Yaoundé. Hundreds of primary and secondary schools have been shut down in Southern Cameroons and an average of nearly one Southern Cameroons child a week is still being killed in connection with the crisis in English speaking Cameroon.

Fortuitously, 2021 was also marked by great developments that encourage us to continue our fight. The decision to hold a Southern Cameroons crisis retreat in Canada and the calls made by prominent Nigerian human rights activists for the release of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides.

In 2022, we are going to expand our coverage in both French and English Cameroon. We will also continue to fight for the release of all Southern Cameroons journalists in French Cameroun jails. We will support Southern Cameroons detainees and prisoners of conscience and carry out advocacy activities. With your support, Cameroon Concord News Group will take every action in a united manner.

I am therefore standing at attention for every member of the Cameroon Concord News Group team because you kept the ink flowing and bolster Cameroon Concord News and Cameroon Intelligence Report activities despite a difficult year.

As your Chairman and Editor-In-Chief, I am very proud of you. Dear Cameroon Concord People, friends, donors, reporters and staff writers, – you can also be proud in the light of our results.

While wishing you all a great festive season and an excellent 2022, I take this opportunity to appeal to you all to stay safe during this pandemic.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Following the release of three Cameroonian students sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in jail for sharing a sarcastic text message that referenced Boko Haram, Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director, said:

“The release of Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob, three young men who were absurdly punished for simply sharing a joke on their mobile phones is a great relief.

We are delighted that they have been released over the weekend and were finally able to reunite with their families after seven long years behind bars.

Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director

“All those who have tirelessly campaigned for their release, including the more than 300 000 people across the globe who wrote in 2016 to President Paul Biya asking him to end this injustice, were also delighted that they are finally free.

“These three students who were only exercising their right to freedom of expression should never have been arrested in the first place. Cameroon’s authorities should protect human rights and ensure all people can speak freely without fear of reprisal.”

Background

Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob, three students who had been handed a 10-year jail sentence on 2 November 2016 by a military court which convicted them for “non-denunciation of terrorist-related information” have left the prison over the weekend.

This follows the 16 December 2021 supreme Court ruling to reduce their sentence from 10 to five years in jail, which they have already spent.

According to their lawyer, Victorine Chantal Edzengte, the Court upheld the charges of “non-denunciation of terrorist-related information’’ against them but quashed the 10-year sentence.

In December 2014, Fomusoh Ivo Feh received a text message from a friend, saying: “Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, including religion”.

His friend’s message was intended as a comment on the difficulty of finding a good job without being highly qualified – joking that even the armed group Boko Haram won’t recruit you without good exam results.

Ivo forwarded the message to Afuh Nivelle Nfor, who sent it to Azah Levis Gob. One of their teachers saw the text, having confiscated the phone, and showed it to the police. Ivo and his friends were all arrested. They were transferred to prison in Yaoundé on 14 January 2015.

Amnesty International campaigned for their release and over 310 000 people across the globe, including former Cameroonian football striker Patrick Mboma, wrote to President Paul Biya.

Culled from Amnesty International

Dear Mr. Samuel Eto’o,

I am writing this letter to you as a concerned citizen of Cameroon and as a Cameroonian who has been looking forward to the day our country’s football will be given a shot in the arm.

Like most Cameroonians, I was happy to see you win the elections, even when many held that you could not win. It has always been my wish to see someone driven by a strong passion for transparency and football development lead FECAFOOT.

As we all know, our country has many issues in that regard, and we all feel humiliated when our national team does not perform very well. For more than twenty-five years, our national team’s performance has been anything but spectacular. Internal fighting, of which you have been a part, failure to pay player allowances on time, and lack of insurance policies to protect players have made it hard for some of our most talented players, especially those playing abroad, to be fully committed to our national team.

Like most Cameroonians, I have been more than disappointed to see that Cameroon no longer has a good championship, whereas in the 70s and 80s, our second division clubs could produce formidable players for the national team.

Moreover, we have noticed that some of our former players have died in circumstances that have left many Cameroonians bitter and disappointed. No Cameroonian should die in frustration after having served his country, sometimes in the most challenging circumstances. A good health insurance policy could have saved some lives and such actions will only instill more patriotism in our young men and women who find pride in serving their country.

These are some of the issues you will have to deal with as you assume the mantle of leadership of our beloved FECAFOOT. You know the issues, and you have the name recognition that can help the country, especially our children, to dream big. You have been a successful player and you have always held Roger Milla as your idol. Many young Cameroonians also see you as their idol because of your success on the pitch.

But this time around, their faith in you is about something else. They see you as that man who can help them incarnate their dreams. They just want to play football and make us, the ordinary citizens, proud of them just as we have been proud of you when you brought those trophies to our beloved country.

Your time at FECAFOOT should be the most memorable. This is the first time a global football icon like you is leading FECAFOOT. I have seen videos of young Cameroonians pouring onto the streets to celebrate you.

This should inform you that you have a huge burden on you. To whom more love is showered, more is expected! Cameroonians love you. They admire you. They want you to remain the icon they have known for years.

But for you to continue earning their respect, you must deliver on your mandate at FECAFOOT. You must come up with mechanisms that will take care of our former players. You must work with your team to end the humiliation that the national team has been inflicting on Cameroonians.

There must be a mechanism in place to settle players before they head into battle. There are many Cameroonians who are experienced in that regard. Do not hesitate to seek advice from other professionals. Listening to others is the hallmark of a good leader. 

Know when to make compromises and never hesitate to incorporate other people’s ideas into your initial plan, especially if those ideas are better than the ones you have. It never hurts to listen!  Our national pride has been hurt because of the fighting and corruption at FECAFOOT and those who trust you, think you can help to change things for the better.

You now have a crown of thorns on your head, but that crown will be easy to wear if you adopt a collegiate approach to management which should be spiced with selflessness and humility.

I do not master all the rules establishing the Cameroon football federation, but from my perspective, FECAFOOT can invest in other income-generating activities in order to address some of those issues that have undermined the federation’s efforts to deliver meaningful results.

I would like to let you know that I have been keeping an eye on all your activities and I will praise you when you deserve my praises and criticize you when you fail to live up to the glorious expectations of our youths.

 I have seen you sharing the same meal with your staff, and it has been widely reported that you are working hard to cut down on cost at the federation and the reduction of breakfast expenses is one of those measures you have taken. I pray this becomes the official policy of the federation and this policy should be extended to other domains.

Saving money is not a bad idea. However, I would like to draw your attention to what I think are some of the errors you have made since you taking office.  The long road trip to Sangmelima was one great initiative. It helped you to see things for yourself and to reconnect with youths in that region of the country.  However, the long convoy that accompanied you does not speak well of you given that you are also on a cost-cutting mission.

 The many cars you used consumed lots of gasoline. The many drivers and officials earned per diem. The wear and tear put on those cars is a huge financial burden on a cash-strapped federation. Your convoy made you look more like a rock star than a man who is on a cost-cutting mission. If I were you, I would reflect on that.

Second, you locking out your collaborators because they were late for work was not the best decision you could have taken at that time. You should have given yourself sometime to observe and hold a meeting with departmental heads for them to cascade your concerns to their staff.

That would have projected you as a democratic leader. Locking people out of work is a clear sign of dictatorship and it does not speak well of you. I know you want to instill discipline in FECAFOOT but you need to take a look at some of your ways if you want to continue earning the respect of most Cameroonians who expect a lot from you.

Regarding corruption at FECAFOOT, be advised that you cannot fight it by talking about it. FECAFOOT must deploy the right state-of-the-art soft that will help to reduce the spread of this cancer within the institution. The world is full of software that can help you achieve this goal. Share notes with leaders of other federations and they will give you ideas that have helped them make giant steps forward in that regard. If you continue talking about it, it will seem as if you are targeting individuals and your opponents will accuse you of orchestrating a witch-hunt. Act more and talk less. Once the systems are in place, you will have a good night’s sleep.

Let me end here for now. You will always hear from me. I am driven by a passion to see you succeed. Our children and young men are looking up to you. You cannot afford to disappoint them. They deserve to be happy like you have been. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Joachim Arrey, Ph.D.

About the Author: He is a keen observer of the Cameroon political landscape. He is driven by a strong passion for football, and he is committed to ensuring that Cameroon’s youths get a better life than the one their parents have. He is a language expert and provides language services to multiple international organizations. He could be reached at: arreyjoachim@hotmail.com.

For some time now, there has been a de-escalation in the military violence playing out in the two English-speaking regions of the country where tens of thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Many political analysts thought the government had understood that its collective punitive expedition was counter-productive and images emerging from some towns and villages in the conflict areas where government forces were working with the civilian population gave the impression that the government had understood that it could win this war more by wining hearts and minds than by counting on its questionable military might. 

But yesterday’s images of soldiers burning down entire neighborhoods in the Northwest regional headquarters of Bamenda clearly revealed that government forces were walking back to their old bad ways. Old habits die hard, and the government’s demons are clearly rearing their ugly heads. 

For close to five years, army soldiers have been burning homes in the two English-speaking regions in the hope that the population will submit, but this old and ineffective strategy is not delivering the desired results. Southern Cameroonians are determined to get this problem addressed once and for all and throwing in the towel is not an option. 

As many people get robbed of their dignity and means of livelihood by the brutal military through such devilish ways, so too do these civilians look for ways to get their ‘pound of flesh’ and there is no better way than joining the ranks of the separatists who are only too willing to see their ranks swell.

The burning of homes did work in the early 1960s when the government of Amadou Ahidjo, the country’s first president, was facing a guerrilla warfare against a movement which was fighting the French-imposed government in East Cameroon (French-speaking Cameroon), but that strategy is, without a doubt, the least effective in modern times. 

A lot has changed after more than six decades. Today’s fighters have more means than anybody would have imagined in the 1960s. There are millions of Southern Cameroonians living out of the country because of marginalization and poor governance and this huge Diaspora will continue to support the struggle until the Yaounde regime agrees to come to the negotiating table.

Burning homes and gunning down innocent civilians will only breed bitterness and this will lead to revenge and further killings. Within the Southern Cameroonian community out of the country, it is held that those burning homes and roasting people alive are young boys from the Center and South regions of the country whence the president hails, and this does not augur well for those who hail from these two regions, especially as the country’s president is on life support and his regime is steadfastly heading to a chaotic end. 

There is revenge in the air. Southern Cameroonians will want to make the Betis, people from the dying president’s ethnic group, feel the pain they have gone through for decades. There are also the northerners who are hellbent on teaching the Betis the learns they learned shortly after the April 6, 1984 Coup d’Etat in Cameroon. More than a thousand northerners were summarily executed, and this unfortunate situation has left many northerners very bitter. 

The government needs to ask itself if there is really any wisdom in the way it has conducted its crackdown against the country’s English-speaking minority. More than ten thousand lives have been lost in a war that could been avoided if a more diplomatic approach had been adopted.

The military, for its part, has also lost more than 4,000 soldiers in a senseless war and the burning of homes will only cause separatist fighters to continue killing soldiers. And most of those being killed are young men from the South region who have been deceived into thinking that power belongs to them, and that Southern Cameroonians want to claim what rightfully belongs to the Betis.

Power will always come and go, but human life is irreplaceable. Destroying property and other assets will not deliver the results expected. The only way is to get to the bottom of things and deal with the root cause of the dispute. There is simply no wisdom behind the burning of homes. Dialogue and negotiations will surely deliver better results and lasting peace. 

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The revolution in British Southern Cameroons that broke out five years ago was part of a wider wave of anti French Cameroun sentiments that spread across the whole of English speaking Cameroon territory. The Cameroon Anglophone diaspora supported the revolution without reservations in spite of its shortcomings and ever since the arrest of the Ambazonia leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides in Abuja, Nigeria, revolutionary leadership became a very scarce commodity and what was a genuine expression of the Southern Cameroons masses in both Ground Zero and in the West, was now hijacked by reactionary elements that had a very different agenda.

Although clearly prompted by the actions of the failed CPDM leadership in Yaoundé, the seeds of the Ambazonia uprising were to be found in the social and economic conditions that existed in Southern Cameroons itself.  What allowed the Biya French Cameroun regime to maintain its presence in Anglophone Cameroon in spite of the rampant political marginalization and growing economic difficulties was the fact that it had a sizeable military presence in the territory.   The atrocities committed on a regular basis by Francophone gendarmes, army soldiers and the police led to a growing social polarization, which is at the very heart of the revolutionary upheavals.

Initially there was a genuine revolution that was evident in the early days of the uprising against La Republique du Cameroun. And it was the duty of all Southern Cameroonians to support that movement. However, once the revolutionary content of that movement ebbed and Yaoundé and Abuja helped passed the Ambazonia initiative to various reactionary elements in the USA, there was an impasse in the situation and the patriotic Ambazonia revolutionary elements were overwhelmed by all kinds of opportunist and counter-revolutionary elements that came to the fore seeking to promote their own reactionary interests. We of the Cameroon Concord News Group think that this is a tragedy which has come about because of the lack of a revolutionary leadership with roots among the masses in either Ground Zero or Ground 1.

Faced with the initial revolutionary upsurge before the Abuja incident, attempts were made by the Biya Francophone regime to divide the Southern Cameroons population along the North West and South West lines. The ill-prepared Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako, Cho Ayaba Lucas, Boh Herbert and one John Mbah Akuro also fomented such divisions when they realized that they could not mobilize the Ambazonian diaspora in the way Sisiku Ayuk Tabe had done. The actions of these so-called Southern Cameroons front line leaders successfully cut across the genuine revolution that had begun and provoke conflict between the different groups that make up Southern Cameroons.

This was done in the classic manner of pinpointing particular persons and tribes and carrying out brutal indiscriminate social media attacks against them. On the other side of the Ambazonia divide, reactionary fundamentalist groups such as the AGovC/ADF saw the divisions as a means of promoting their own agenda. And that is what has led to the present impasse. In this process the voice of the genuine revolutionaries in the Southern Cameroons Interim Government led by Dabney Yerima has been drowned out by the forces of reaction.

This factor explains also why the French Cameroun regime under Biya abandoned the peace talks it initiated with the Southern Cameroons jailed leaders in Yaoundé. Had the Maryland cabal read from the same script with the NERA 10 in Kondengui, the story would have been completely different. Unfortunately, Elvis Kumeta, Sako Ikome, Chris Anu and Irene Ngwa failed to look at the bigger picture and it opened up more space for Biya and his Southern Cameroons CPDM political elites. The main message expressed by the Maryland cabal via its spokesman Chris Anu was for the downfall of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and more financial donations to keep ABC TV on air. But their message has not been sufficient to mobilize the people of Southern Cameroons. It must be combined with an answer to why Ambazonia university dons had to be arrested in Nigeria and handed over to Yaoundé.

Apart from the Maryland cabal, very dubious and reactionary fundamentalist elements such as Cho Ayaba Lucas entered the struggle and are working tirelessly to divert it down a different road, giving the Biya French Cameroun regime precisely the resources it required for the purchase of international sympathy. The idea Yaoundé has built up among pro federalism Southern Cameroonians is that the Ambazonia revolution is merely made up of separatists who want to drag the Southern Cameroons society backwards and not forward. This has undoubtedly had an effect in at least neutralizing some layers of the Southern Cameroons population, who cling on to the Yaoundé regime, not because they support Biya or love the union with La Republique du Cameroun, but for fear that something worse could take its place like in South Sudan.

There is another factor that explains the stalling and derailing of the Ambazonia struggle. The reading culture! Southern Cameroonians do not read and many rely on social media postings that only tells them what they want to hear—we are winning!! There too, although the revolution saw the mass participation of teachers and lawyers, once the NERA 10 were arrested, unfortunately, Southern Cameroonians were pushed away from the Interim Government to rally behind smaller groups. A vacuum appeared and it was filled with what was available name them: AGovC/ADF, Sako-IG, Morisc,Ikata, SCNC, Restoration Council and an untrained motor mechanic, Capo Daniel became one of the most important spokesperson of the revolution.

The recent situation deep within the so-called Sako IG and the kidnappings being staged by the AGovC/ADF militiamen in Ground Zero have further added to the confusion. Sako Ikome’s IG has eventually collapsed and he and Chris Anu are no longer an item. But what has replaced the Maryland cabal cannot be very attractive to many ordinary Ambazonians who earlier bought the false notion that Sisiku Ayuk Tabe was trying to govern from prison. The departure of Mr. Chris Anu, the breaking up of the ABC TV, the constant attacks on Sisiku Ayuk Tabe coming from AGovC/ADF is not a very attractive happening. But this again explains why La Republique du Cameroun, in spite of its brutality, has been able to hold on in the Ambazonia homeland.

Having said all this, it is clear that every Southern Cameroonian will sooner or later stand behind the Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government, Dabney Yerima. For over five years now, the sea of front line leaders have left Southern Cameroonians with nothing than empty slogans. Sako, Chris Anu, Irene Ngwa, Elvis Kumeta, Cho Ayaba have no revolutionary tendencies, rooted within the Southern Cameroons masses and therefore, they cannot win the ear of the masses and lead them in a class struggle.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

We of the Cameroon Concord News Group developed interest in Mr. Cho Ayaba Lucas when we got intelligence that he had an inappropriate relationship with one Emerald Johnson living in Nigeria. Emerald Johnson had hosted Cho Ayaba Lucas (now with a PhD attached to his name) in her motel while he visited Dadi in Manyu on November 2017, to tour a camp he claimed his ADF boys were being trained.

Lady Emerald Johnson didn’t only host Dr. Ayaba, she accompanied him, sitting in the back seat in the car with him to Dadi. Cameroon Concord News and Cameroon Intelligence Report told the world that it wasn’t a coincidence that Dr. Ayaba Cho chose Emerald Johnson and her hotel facilities to host the meeting in Calabar that saw the arrest of innocent needy Southern Cameroons refugees who had gone there hoping they would get some money after Ayaba addresses them.

Unfortunately for those who ignored the signals we incessantly flashed out and went to the meeting, they were picked up right at their hotel locations before the meeting even started. News began to filter out immediately after the arrest from the police station in Calabar as one of them had succeeded to sneak his phone into the cell. From behind bars, he began sending text messages to others who had stayed back in Ikom. He said what happened to the NERA 10 in Abuja has happened to them, that they have all been abducted.

When things took the wrong turn, Cho Ayaba and his criminal gang spun the news, denying knowledge and responsibility for the meeting entirely! First, he accused the Ambazonia Interim Government of calling the meeting, actually naming the then Acting President, Dr. Sako and Homeland Security Secretary, John Egywang as the ones who called for the meeting. He said that the disgraced Sako Ikome set up the meeting purposefully to get his supporters abducted like in the Abuja case. To some other people, he said that the IG had called for the meeting to persuade his ADF members to defect him and join the joint initiative that was being put together by the IG for self-defense. When contacted, both the disgraced Sako Ikome and John Egywang denied ever knowing about the meeting.

Now, it was well past midnight on 29 November 2021 in Bamenda the chief city in the North West when gunmen pulled up in an AK30 car and snatched Mr. Ndopping Roger Ndem and his breastfeeding wife. The spokesman for AGovC/ADF, Capo Daniel went on social media and demanded a ransom payment. Abductions are now common in Southern Cameroons, but the Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Dabney Yerima called the instance “an attack on the Ambazonia liberation struggle… aimed at helping Biya and French Cameroun”.

While they are yet to be released, the incident has once again raised questions about the threats faced by innocent Southern Cameroons citizens in Ground Zero, as many are seeing the abductions as teleguided by leaders of AGovC/ADF, one of the numerous armed militia groups committing horrible crimes in Southern Cameroons.

Some of the ones kidnapped were initially leading mass protests against La Republique du Cameroun in Ground Zero and had taken the lead, with mass rallies frequently staged amid the heavily fortified streets in Bamenda and Buea.

Southern Cameroonians living in Ground Zero are now being monitored by the Francophone dominated Cameroon government intelligence agencies and armed militants of AGovC/ADF. One Southern Cameroons analyst based in Bamenda who commented on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of this kidnapping matter, told Cameroon Concord News that AGovC/ADF militias were trying to frighten Southern Cameroons civilian activists through kidnappings and assassinations.

The kidnappings currently being carried out by Mr. Cho Ayaba Lucas and his men is a vain attempt at sending a message to Southern Cameroons civilians that the AGovC/ADF militias are the most powerful [force] today in Southern Cameroons. However, it is shining a light on the Cho Ayaba corruption that took him to London for an oil deal.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon, Mr. Matthias Z. Naab is deeply saddened and shocked by another attack against a school, leading the death of four children and a teacher in the South-West region.

On 24 November, unidentified gunmen attacked a Government Bilingual High School in Ekondo Titi, South-West region. Four students aged 12 to 17 and a teacher were killed, and an unconfirmed number of students and teachers were injured and are receiving treatment.

“I strongly condemn attacks on schools, teachers, and children. They are a serious violation of international human rights law and of the right to education. The perpetrators of such heinous acts and those supporting them must be held accountable. I urge all parties to respect and promote the right to education,” said Mr. Naab.

The opposition against Government administered education by non-State armed groups and subsequent attacks on education continue to mark the crisis in the North-West and South-West of Cameroon. As a result, over 700,000 students remain out of school. Five years into the crisis, attacks against education continue. Violence against education facilities and personnel as well as kidnapping for ransom of children and teachers by non-State armed groups are reported on a regular basis.

Mr. Naab expressed his deepest condolences on behalf of the United Nations and the wider humanitarian community to the families of the victims.

The media in French Cameroun in craven deference to the criminal Paul Biya regime in Yaoundé is not reporting news of Cameroon government military casualties in Southern Cameroons. In actuality, Cameroon government army soldiers are dying like flies- at least 3000 so far and many more are being wounded and crippled.

Having learned nothing from Sudan and South Sudan and from the current situation now in Ethiopia, the ethno fascist Biya cabal is proceeding pell-mell in its homicidal and doomed campaign to achieve mastery over English speaking Cameroonians.

We of the Cameroon Concord Group are of the opinion that Biya and his gang will not succeed. Southern Cameroonians will no longer accept to be ruled by a French Cameroun tribal, amoral, selfish and corrupt cesspool that is today’s La Republique du Cameroun.

Since all French Cameroonians understand and respond only to force, every Southern Cameroonian must encourage and support Ambazonia Revolutionary Fighters in their campaign to rid the Federal Republic of Ambazonia of the so-called French Cameroun colonial army soldiers. The Igbos and the Calabars of Nigeria including the Efiks that value their independence must be urged to maintain and step up their support for Southern Cameroons Self Defense forces.

It’s only when thousands of coffins arriving Yaoundé and Ebolowa reaches critical mass, when thousands more Francophone families must bury their sons and daughters — killed by Paul Biya — that the message will sink in.

The war in Southern Cameroons is the laboratory for French speaking Cameroonian’s ambition to keep Southern Cameroonians as second citizens forever, which is why Ambazonian fighters must not stop until every Francophone army soldier has fled the Ambazonia homeland or died there.

Beginning January 2022, we of the Cameroon Concord News Group would love to have the following headlines from our Amba fighters:

-Cameroon government soldier killed in roadside bomb attack

-A roadside bomb blast today killed one Francophone soldier and wounded another near Buea

-At least 500 BIR have died since the beginning of 2022

-40 Francophone soldiers were killed on the Bali-Batibo road when a driver swerved to avoid a roadside bomb explosion! The soldier’s death brings the number of Cameroon government military deaths in the Southern Cameroons war to 6000.

-A roadside bomb on the Ekok-Eyumojock highway destroys a Cameroonian military truck

-Attack on a Cameroon military convoy injures a sea of Cameroon government troops on a highway linking Kumba to Ekondo Titi.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai