Cameroon’s Governors, Senior Divisional Officers, District Heads and even traditional rulers still go around proudly with uniforms that were assigned to them by French colonial officers.

 The uniforms that were introduced by Roland Pre, the French Commissioner to French Cameroon, often provides insight into French Cameroon’s history, especially when it comes to how they position themselves in relation to Southern Cameroonians.

The ultimate measuring stick, it turns out, is excessive use of force. And as the Cameroon government military’s efforts appear to be collapsing—or have collapsed in Southern Cameroons, it is evidently clear that the 88-year-old President Biya and his ruling CPDM crime syndicate are losing the war in Southern Cameroons.

The ruling crime syndicate has always made President Biya look invincible, going into political conflicts aiming high, achieving nothing and then going back to Etoudi with as much dignity as possible.

The war in Southern Cameroons has demonstrated that the Biya leadership experiment has all along been rooted in a national myth and many French Cameroon political elites have now realized that Biya and his gang have not lived up to the stories they have told the Cameroonian people.

Is the country’s military losing in Southern Cameroons? We of the Cameroon Concord News Group think the tides are turning against the military. There’s no other way to characterize the 4-year war as anything other than a failure.

The Biya regime and its Francophone dominated army is not losing the war in the sense that the military has been defeated and chased out of Southern Cameroons, but Yaoundé is losing the war given that the human and material costs are high: some 3,000 Cameroon army soldiers have died, 2,500 have been injured, and millions of dollars have been wasted on things that do not have any economic benefits.

The Ambazonia Restoration Groups now look like they are in total control of Southern Cameroons and this is likely to go down in history as a major Biya regime failure.

But prior to the war in Southern Cameroons, Biya and his political party won nearly all the major political wars that they fought.

There are many reasons for this, but the most important one is that after the Social Democratic Front war with Fru Ndi, the nature of Cameroon’s geo-political wars itself changed. But Biya and his men were not aware.

So, the 88-year-old Biya is now really struggling. And the nature of both the Boko Haram and Southern Cameroons wars has shifted just at the moment when Biya is attempting to market his eldest son Franck Biya as his successor.

Biya has been in power for more than 40 years. Why has he not figured out how to relate with Southern Cameroonians?

There are a few things going on in his mind. Biya thinks he has kept Southern Cameroonians frightened enough to enable him govern the country’s two English-speaking regions the way he and his cohorts want! He therefore thought that recruiting light weights such as Paul Atanga Nji, Paul Tasong, Victor Mengot and Paul Elung including the reckless polygamist Joseph Dion Ngute will lead to progress on the Southern Cameroons battlefield which could end in a capitulation of Southern Cameroonian fighters.

In the words of the late Chief John Agbor Tabi, “Biya got it all wrong” and the armed conflict in Southern Cameroons has become a millstone around his neck.

The country’s army soldiers can destroy anything that it can see in Southern Cameroons towns and villages, but what it can’t see is the Ambazonia Restoration Forces whose experience and time has given them an upper hand in the conflict.

After four years into the war that is tearing the country apart, Ambazonia Restoration Forces and the Southern Cameroons Interim Government are more committed to the struggle than the regime in Yaoundé ever thought, because for the Biya regime, the Southern Cameroons crisis is just one of many different challenges around the so-called one and indivisible Cameroon.

But for the Ambazonia Restoration Forces, it is the only thing that matters. In this Southern Cameroons crisis, we of the Cameroon Concord News Group believe and fervently too that Biya and his military have the watches, but Amba fighters have the time – an indication that the beleaguered regime in Yaoundé has the military capabilities, but Amba Boys have greater commitment.

This is a synopsis of the Southern Cameroons crisis situation report

•There is a recruitment drive for more gendarmes and soldiers in the country, but the ruling  political elite in Yaoundé is concerned that if it recruits more young men from other ethnic groups, there might be a coup against the Biya regime.

• An association (Njangi) of Gendarmerie officers and their wives in Yaoundé has gone from a membership of 210 to 26 as the men have all returned in wooden boxes from Southern Cameroons.

• Most of those who have been sent to Southern Cameroons have visited their medical doctors and have feigned illnesses to obtain 6-month sick-notes.

• Young recruits are quitting daily.

• Many in the military are now handing themselves in to be imprisoned for 6 months (customary prison term for disobeying war orders) instead of going to Southern Cameroons.

• A Memo has been communicated to the army and gendarmes that should they die in combat, their families would receive CFAF 5 million. This financial incentive has not helped.

• The rank and file in the military knows they can’t win the war, but their bosses are insisting that they fight as they (the bosses) are making a fortune from the war.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The proliferation of illegal arms in Cameroon increases violence and insecurity in a country already grappling with violent extremist attacks and a separatist conflict.

The African Union Commission’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council estimates at least 120 000 small arms and light weapons in illegal circulation in Cameroon, including revolvers, pistols, rifles, assault rifles and machine guns. However the government has granted only 3 800 authorisations to carry small calibre ammunition, according to data provided by Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration.

On 8 June, Cameroon’s House Speaker of the National Assembly, Cavayé Yéguié Djibril, said illicit weapons held by civilians should be retrieved with urgency amid rising criminality and insecurity.

Evidence suggests a strong link between arms trafficking into Cameroon and an upsurge in crime in the capital Yaoundé and the country’s two Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions, where there is ongoing insurgency and separatist conflict. Recent increases in Boko Haram attacks on civilians in towns and villages in the Far North are also a factor.

Cameroon and Nigeria have a history of cooperating to combat arms proliferation. These efforts will need to be stepped up in the face of reported advances by the Islamic State in West Africa Province along the borders of Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad. These incursions could increase illegal arms flows into Cameroon.

Conservative estimates by residents in these regions who spoke to the ENACT organised crime project indicate that over 250 footpaths from Nigeria’s Borno, Adamawa and Benue states lead into Cameroon. These tracks are mostly unknown to security forces, including the Multinational Joint Task Force. The routes provide unfettered passage for those smuggling arms into the country.

Cameroon has a long history as a source, transit and destination country for arms trafficking. In September 2013, 5 400 AK-47 rifles were seized in Maroua, the capital of the Northern Region. In January 2014, security forces arrested a man attempting to transport 655 guns to Nigeria. In 2018, the military reportedly raided a warehouse operated by Cameroonian nationals containing a cache of 10 500 rounds of ammunition and an undisclosed number of explosives, guns and cutlasses.

In 2019, Cameroon’s military arrested several men and seized and destroyed 2 500 locally made guns, ammunition and other weapons allegedly being circulated along the northern border with Chad and Nigeria. The illegal weapons were seized from smugglers, hostage takers, poachers and suspected Boko Haram fighters.

Over the past two years, many illicit firearms have been seized from dealers in northern Cameroon coming in from countries experiencing conflicts such as Sudan, Nigeria and Chad, according to a police source in Garoua.

Cameroon has a long history as a source, transit and destination country for arms trafficking

Weapons traffickers in this part of Cameroon include Boko Haram, community militias, separatist rebels and gangs engaging in banditry in the ungoverned border spaces linking Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad. Known as the ‘Triangle of Death’, residents are victims of murder, rape, kidnapping and livestock robbery.

The death of Chad’s president Idriss Déby in April 2021 has also raised concerns about increased arms trafficking from Chad into Nigeria and Cameroon. Observers fear for the future stability of Chad’s neighbouring West and Central African states, as Déby’s military provided a bulwark against violent extremist threats in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin.

The government of Cameroon’s multiple approaches and policies to counter arms trafficking and related problems have proven ineffective. A 2016 law made the unlawful possession of a gun in a manner that disturbs the peace or alarms anyone punishable by three months to two years’ imprisonment or a fine.

The military has a major role to play in stemming the flow of arms into the country. However, a shortage of personnel to control the extensive borders that it shares with Nigeria and Chad makes military patrols almost impossible.

Cameroon has made limited resources available for deploying soldiers and police to the unstable north

Cameroon has made only limited resources available for recruiting, training and deploying soldiers and border police to the country’s unstable north. Doing so would enable better surveillance and intelligence. Instead, inaction and corruption in the security sector and among customs officials allow arms to flow uninterrupted through the northern corridors. Police intelligence to identify and track the groups dealing in weapons is also inadequate.

In terms of a regional response, in 2018 Cameroon hosted the first conference of state parties to the Central African Convention for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. The meeting, known as the Kinshasa Convention, aimed to find solutions to arms trafficking in the region. Given the current dire situation, a review is needed of what has been achieved since the convention was ratified in 2017.

The Multinational Joint Task Force’s efforts to boost border security between Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria are insufficient. A fundamental problem is a lack of resources to recruit, train and support the military and the operational demands of tackling arms trafficking. There is also little evidence of collaboration among defence intelligence units of the three countries.

Stabilising the situation should be a priority for Cameroon. However, it should be handled as part of a plan to invest in human and infrastructural development in the north of the country. Addressing the region’s underlying challenges is essential for long-term stability, which at present seems unattainable.

Source: Issafrica.org

Fellow Ambazonians,

On Sunday, 22 August 2021, despicable cruelty was unleashed by the military of French Cameroun upon our people in Presbyterian Church Ntanfoang, Bali, during a service of worship. Eyewitness reports and videos from worshippers confirm that the French Cameroun army randomly attacked and fired at the Church from the windows. A Southern Cameroons Christian, Grace, was massacred at the scene. The Pastor was injured and taken to the local health centre. Our thoughts and prayers are with Grace’s family at this challenging time in the history of our country-The Federal Republic of Ambazonia. The Interim Government wishes all those who sustained injuries during the Bali attack a speedy recovery.

On Friday, 20 August 2021, the French Cameroun army attacked children at St. Theresa School (STS) Kumbo and killed Sinclair Shalanyuy. Sinclair was young and had a bright future ahead of her. Our thoughts are with Sinclair, too, and what’s more? She will never be forgotten!

Fellow Southern Cameroonians, these savage attacks perpetrated by soldiers loyal to the Biya French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé on our defenseless civilian population have become endemic. These ongoing crimes against humanity are premeditated and designed to terrorize and traumatize our suffering civilian population. Your Interim Government is presently consulting with Ground Zero commanders, and Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces shall respond to these unprovoked attacks appropriately.

People of Ambazonia, our fight represents an unyielding rejection of colonialism in any form, shape or manifestation. The rejection is consistent with international law, which gives hope to colonized people struggling for their liberation. History teaches us that many nations have won their liberation battles. Consequently, we shall overcome.

Fellow Ambazonians, we will continue to fight until self-determination is achieved. Be neither discouraged nor distracted. Our time shall come. Grace and Sinclair Shalanyuy, like thousands of Southern Cameroonians, have not died in vain. We owe them a debt to make Ambazonia a reality. Attacks on Churches and Schools underscore how desperate French Cameroun has become. It is a nation that has no respect for human lives and international norms. But we must continue our fight for freedom and justice with the belief that we shall overcome.

We have many long years of struggle and suffering before us as the path we have chosen is full of danger, but it is a path worth taking. The cost of freedom is high, but we must pay the price. As a people, one path we shall never choose is the path of surrender. Our task is simple; we must win and live free or die in the process of freeing ourselves.

Thank you,

God bless the Federal Republic of Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia

Dabney Yerima

After a long medical visit to Switzerland, Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, is currently working on a new cabinet based on an assessment of the country’s military, political and economic realities. Over the last five years, the country has been bleeding money due to the military crisis in the country’s two English-speaking regions. Southern Cameroonian fighters have been inflicting huge damage and losses on the country’s military, and military equipment has been disabled in many parts of Southern Cameroons.

All over the country, the economic situation is pathetic. Unemployment rates across the country are significantly high and corruption has reached lamentable and appalling levels. Many small- and medium-sized enterprises are shutting down due to punitive taxes and this is giving Mr. Biya a very bad name, making it hard for him to shake off the stress that is blighting his life.

While cabinet reshuffles are supposed to be conducted under wraps, in Cameroon, it is possible to have an insight into what is happening. A source close to the Presidency of the Republic has hinted the Cameroon Concord News Group that there will be significant changes and many heads will be rolling for the economic and military failures that will forever characterize Mr. Biya’s government. Mr. Biya is very bitter for the failings and wants to take out the dead wood in his government. These dead woods include, but not limited to:

Chief Joseph Dion Ngute: The current prime minister who is so laid back to the point where many think the country can really function without him. Since his appointment some two years ago, he has not succeeded to visit his own village due to the crisis that caused his massive palace to be burnt down. He was appointed on the grounds that he would help to disconnect the South West Region from the North West Region by giving currency to the fake news that South Westerners were a peaceful people who did not want to be part of the war that is still tearing the country apart. But Prime Minister Dion Ngute has not succeeded to bring out any South Westerners from the bushes. The indicators on the ground clearly point to the fact that South Westerners are as angry as North Westerners and that they are actively involved in the war that has resulted in the death of thousands of Cameroonians. In two years as Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute has achieved only one thing – getting married to a very young lady and this has really given him a bad name within government circles. He might be let go to fully enjoy the “ship” he has conquered recently. Will he have the energy to deliver on the mandate he has set for himself? 

Joseph Beti Assomo: The country’s Defense minister who arrogantly declared that he would implement the president’s decision without batting an eyelid. For more than four years, Southern Cameroonian fighters have proven that they are a force to reckon with and this has called into question the quality of soldiers being trained in Cameroon’s military academy. Despite the military’s brutality and primitive approach, Southern Cameroonian fighters have succeeded to kill some 3,000 army soldiers and maimed almost the same number and this is already creating an uprising within the military. Many soldiers have fled to neighboring countries and scandals about the payment of per diem to soldiers fighting in Southern Cameroons and the disappearance of huge amounts of money intended for the soldiers have given Joseph Beti Assomo a very bad name. He is one of those who erroneously think that only a military victory will put an end to the conflict that has been considered by the international community as a conflict that could have been avoided if it had been properly managed. He is also being accused of running a war economy that makes it hard for the conflict to be addressed. Regime insiders hold that he will be cut off following the cabinet reshuffle that is on the horizon because of his hawkish approach to the conflict in Southern Cameroons.

Paul Atanga Nji: The country’s poorly educated Territorial Administration Minister who has made a mountain of mistakes ever since becoming the boss of the territorial administration ministry. His poor mastery of English has transformed him into a laughing-stock. He is known for expressions such as “the boyses in the bushes”, “buring the bereaved”, and “Kumba is the capital of Fako Division”. Paul Atanga Nji, also known as the conman par excellence, was appointed as the country’s territorial administration minister because he had suggested that he would end the Southern Cameroons crisis if given the territorial administration portfolio and it was handed to him. Since taking over this portfolio, he has made multiple mistakes which have only made the conflict worse. He has created death squads just to overcome the brave Southern Cameroonian fighters, but his efforts have come to nothing. He has also tried to pit the different factions against each other, but his tricks have always fallen flat on their faces. He has also been implicated in many financial scandals. He is being suspected of using the war to illegally enrich himself and the “sparrow-hawk” is carefully looking at his file which may be submitted to the president very soon. His role in the disappearance of huge chunks of the COVID-19 resources is one scandal that might send him to the Yaoundé Maximum Security Prison. Ever since he got implicated in this scandal, he has been advised by the country’s security community to keep a very low profile and his has not been seen in public for over three months. His bold display of wealth by building a church and handing it over to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ebolowa is one action that has proven that he has robbed the country and is seeking to cast himself in very bright religious light. However, he is not fooling anybody. The Sparrow-hawk is hovering over his head and it is waiting for him to be taken out of government before it picks him up and takes him to where he rightfully belongs. 

Jacques Fame Ndongo: The country’s higher education minister, also known as an ethno-fascist, is one of those responsible for the escalation of the conflict in the two English-speaking regions of the country. He is also suspected of stealing funds allocated for the purchase of computers for the country’s university students. Though he sings Paul Biya’s name all over Cameroon, it is becoming very clear that Mr. Biya is sick and tired of a man who has done a lot to split the country with his violent speeches and manipulation. He has led the higher education ministry for almost fifteen years, but his presence at the helm of this ministry has been very destructive, as appointments in the country’s state universities are based on loyalty and not on merit. He is also accused of setting up extortion groups throughout the country and this is giving the government a very bad name that sickens Biya to the stomach. 

Jean de Dieu Momo:   This beggarly lawyer appointed as the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice some two years ago has been an embarrassment to the government on many occasions. His love of social media and his combative approach to politics are not very much liked by members of Mr. Biya’s inner circle. He was appointed just to demonstrate that the government was inclusive, but he is turning out to be a massive embarrassment to the government. He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar trying to plead with a lawyer in France to secure him residency in France; an incident that did not go down well with his boss and President Paul Biya. He will be released for him to continue living his low life in Douala where he is at ease to drink in very dirty drinking spots. 

The Cameroon Concord News Group is gathering more information on the upcoming reshuffle and it will be releasing it as it comes in. There is a lot of tension in Yaoundé, and many ministers are working overtime just to prove that they are still up to the task. The pressure is real, and the fear is palpable. Many families will soon be in tears and many know that things will change. For Anglophones in the government, many fear that new faces may come onboard as a way of calming tempers in the two English-speaking regions of the country and this implies taking out the old faces which have not delivered on their mandates.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai 

I think it’s a good thing that we are able to operate and rebuild quietly to the point of being classified as having abandoned the fight for our own freedom. I cannot speak for all those whose photos appear on that tabloid… The noise and attention was not helping especially coming from our own ranks and from people we had thought were comrades and who truly wanted to see a veritably Free Southern Cameroons. Time and experience has taught us all lessons. Now cannot be a free for all ride as it was in the past…and so whatever we do must be done with tact and a ruthless determination not to let the ball out of our sight again. And because we do not pull the crowd is significant reason to believe that one has abandoned the struggle.

True many who joined the struggle with a lot of enthusiasm have quietly dropped off out of frustration and shock at what people turned out to be. One cannot fault some as we ended up being our own worst enemy. Many came in good faith but could not stand the filth, especially in the realization that some of our brothers were no better than the enemy regime we are fighting against. As a result they have quietly faded away with all their brilliant ideas, experience, expertise and goodwill.

Then there are those who had expected quick gains and positions. Were quick to take short cuts and betray ideals, thinking that Buea was just a stone-throw away. These ones would indulge in all kinds of deceit and mudslinging with the hope that by eliminating perceived rivals, they would have a smooth sail to Buea. They were instrumental in destroying the social cohesion that was being built, creating enemies where we should have made friends. And then realising that this is going to be for the long haul and they have quietly exited. We will have to live with that reality.

And then the group that joined because of the thrill of it, blewbwith every wind regardless of the direction. Saw the struggle as a path to build social capital and fanfare. In fact some demanded salaries as they thought those in charge were making a living off the struggle. But with thrills come exhaustion especially when when you are standing on the stage and realise that the audience has dwindled. Now with a struggle evidently lacking vision, a clear leadership and a concrete action plan, the thrill has died and they have quietly gone back to their day jobs. That’s why one notices an almost dead social media with increasing propaganda coming from sponsors of the regime instead of our own narrative to educate our people.

And finally the third group of people who joined because they. were hungry and angry. My political mentor had taught me one great lesson. He said “Be careful of hungry revolutionaries. They are often very radical, advocate unnecessary violence as a means of showing off their commitment to the revolution. But it is when the hunger goes, and jaws fill out that you can tell if they are truly revolutionaries or hungry mouths that were spewing angry words”. With the struggle, they managed to find new pastures, moved to new countries, got better jobs and started a family…in the process quietly exiting the scene. Their priorities have changed and that is life. All liberation struggle have gone through these.

In the midst of all this chaos and confusion, we must always be reminded that many did not join for positions and for fanfare. As my mentor said, always be on the lookout for people who have achieved everything in life but chose to sacrifice risk those achievements for the greater good. When I look at the newspaper caption, I think it is an embarrassment to have someone like Hon. Wirba in the same sentence as some of the greedy comedians one has come to know over the years (and I’m not saying everyone on there is a greedy comedian. I can identify one or two other comrades for who whom I have a lot of respect). Wirba is someone who could have selected to quietly frolic and have a comfortable life with the regime but chose to stand up and shout when others were still whispering. In the process went on exile and discovered the true face of some of our people in the diaspora. But such are revolutions. You cannot eat omelette unless you break eggs. There is a price to be paid for every decision you make and sometimes that price is being ridiculed and reduced to the same pedestal as those you would normally not share ice cream with. He must take it in his stride.

Anyway whatever the routes we have all taken, my appeal goes out to the true fighters and believers of our liberation struggle. We must never let a few rotten potatoes spoil the whole pack. We cannot afford to walk away completely when we have our comrades in prison who are paying the price on behalf of us all. When we have children who have been deprived of a normal childhood for over 5 years. There are tens of thousands in foreign lands living as refugees and asylum seekers. And now we are having cases of comrades committing suicide because we abandoned them in hunger and frustration. We have boyses who are in the bushes fighting without equipment, with no political education, have received no training and being killed through the greed and selfishness of those who would rule hook or by crook, by pitting them against each other. These are our brothers, our nephews and our sons. We all have relatives among these boys and therefore cannot afford to look the other way.

Finally there are our brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers who have lost their lives as a result of our struggle to live as a free people. That is true sacrifice and no true freedom comes without sacrifice. What would be most painful is to wake up one morning and realise that we made all these sacrifices in vain…and that we quietly resigned ourselves to our SPECIAL STATUS as glorified slaves in a system that clearly has marked us for the democratic and diplomatic abattoir. Whenever we think of giving up, we must remember that this is not another job from which you can just resign and get another job tomorrow. This is not changing the school of your children because you don’t like the face of the teacher. This is not a decision to change your church and become Pentecostal because you think the catholic church preaches boring sermons and offers no prosperity sessions. Given what some of us have been through since the start of this liberation struggle, the easy way out should have been to down our tools and run long ago. But abandon it to where? To what? A new job? A new car, new school?

THIS IS ABOUT MY EXISTENCE, MY IDENTITY, HOMELAND There are things you cannot abandon. You push on until you succeed. We will triumph or Die trying!

Millan Atam

As the world seeks to make sense of the chaos playing out in Kabul, Afghanistan, Southern Cameroonian fighters are also thinking that victory in their fight against the Yaoundé government is in sight.

The Southern Cameroonian fighters, who have over the last two months posted some significant results, have now been emboldened by the victory of the Taliban who have always fought to be in total control of their country.

In a recorded message sent to the Cameroon Concord News Group’s London Office, a Southern Cameroonian commander speaking in pidgin, the language widely spoken by Southern Cameroonians, said victory was in sight, adding that if America could be defeated, then La Republique, the derogatory name Southern Cameroonians use to describe the Republic of Cameroon, can be defeated in Southern Cameroons.

 “The situation in Afghanistan is talking to us. The Taliban have proven that it is possible to beat even the most sophisticated military in the world. If America can be humiliated in Afghanistan, then we can humiliate La Republique in our own territory. We can replicate what has happened in Afghanistan right here,” the commander said.

“Over the last two months, we have proven that we can inflict a lot of pain and damage on the Cameroonian army which thought it would just come here to kill our people and walk away. They have already killed more than 5,000 civilians, but we have also dealt them some deadly blows and they now know that nobody has the monopoly to kill others with impunity,” he added.

“The time when we had outdated weapons is long gone. We have migrated from machetes to IEDs, and this has struck fear into the minds of the soldiers. We have proven to them that fighting our boys is not a walk in the park. We have delivered results which the government did not expect us to deliver. We are no longer scared of the military. With our new weapons and experience gained over the last five years, we are capable of getting to Buea a lot sooner than expected. Many Cameroonian soldiers are scared of us. Many have fled to neighboring countries and they no longer want to be part of a military that is poorly paid and is organized along tribal lines,” the commander said.

“We hear many people say the government wants to negotiate, but we have not seen any moves that convince us that the government is sincere and serious. We are going to continue rolling these forces of occupation out of our territory until the government sees the need for negotiations. The government is always saying that it has no people to discuss with, but our leaders are in their jails. Mandela negotiated while in jail. Nkrumah negotiated when he was in jail. Patrice Lumumba negotiated his country’s independence while in jail. Why does the government think that President Julius Ayuk Tabe and his colleagues who are in jail in Yaoundé cannot negotiate with the government? We are talking here about negotiations for our independence. We cannot continue to be with Francophones. Their ways are different, and we have come to the conclusion that we have to go our separate ways,” the commander stressed.

“We hope that now that the President of La Republique, Paul Biya, is back from his long sick leave, he will be able to understand that his soldiers cannot win this war. The soldiers have been crippled by fear just as age and diseases have crippled Mr. Biya and his Senate President, Marcel Niat Njipenji. We will never down our weapons until all foreign forces on our land leave. We don’t want to hear of federalism. Anybody who discusses federalism with Yaoundé will be doing so at his own risk. We have gone beyond federalism. We are now working for the total liberation of our land,” the angry commander said.

Meanwhile, the fighting in the two English-speaking regions of the country continues. While the military has been demoralized, Southern Cameroonians fighters, for their part, are motivated and they have succeeded to impose their law in many parts of Southern Cameroons where the military is scared of going to. Cameroon army soldiers do not want to get into any confrontation with the fighters because they understand that Southern Cameroonian fighters now have more sophisticated weapons and are capable of killing them.

Army soldiers have been beaten in the rural parts of Southern Cameroons, and the humiliation that has been inflicted on the soldiers captured has struck fear in many soldiers who prefer to quit the military or feign an illness just because they want to be out of the killing fields of Southern Cameroons. 

While the soldiers are being killed in Southern Cameroons, the politicians, especially those of the ruling party, are doing their best to line their pockets. Many of them see the killings in Southern Cameroons as an opportunity to make money to feather their nests.

Like their president, the ministers who are directly involved in this war, hardly visit the two English-speaking regions but have constantly misinformed the president about the progress of the war.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai  

On Friday, charges against Cameroonian tech entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong were dropped, after she had been illegally detained for three days by the government.

“I’m free!! All charges dropped!” Enonchong said on Twitter. “We can retire the #FreeRebecca hashtag. So immensely grateful to all of you for believing in me and supporting me.”

Enonchong was held in detention in her home country and brought before a court in Douala on Thursday.

She was accused of “contempt” and arrested according to a “verbal instruction” by the attorney general of the Littoral Region, according to social activist Edith Kahbang Walla, who also leads the Cameroon People’s Party (CPP).

“There’s no written complaint…no elements of the said contempt, there’s no warrant, there’s no summons.”

Enonchong’s lawyer, Sylvain Oum, confirmed that they received no documentation of what she is accused of nor a formal written complaint against her.

“She is a victim of an abuse of power,” Oum was quoted as saying by CNN. “She never should have been detained in the first place.”

Enonchong, who resides and works in the United States, is one of Africa’s most prominent tech entrepreneurs. She’s the founder of AppsTech, a global provider of enterprise software solutions, co-founder of three other companies, and sits on the boards of at least nine corporations.

Outside of the tech and business world, Enonchong is known to be an advocate for progressive policies and better governance in Cameroon, which has often involved criticising the oppressive administration of Paul Biya.

Outrage on social media followed Enonchong’s detention, with some commenters seeing the arrest as an attempt to intimidate her while setting an example to the diaspora who often speak out against President Biya.

Such claims are hard to prove but the unlawful detention is certainly a reminder of an enduring habit of arbitrary arrests and detentions in the West-Central African country.

Biya’s regime has long been accused of using arbitrary detention to lock up opposition voices, in addition to other various forms of repression and human rights abuses. But despite the number of listed accusations, Biya won the presidential elections in 2018 for a seventh consecutive time.

Reports show that activists, politicians, and academics, particularly from the Anglophone regions, languish in Cameroon’s prisons.

Enonchong has been released but thousands of others suspected of opposing President Biya haven’t been so “lucky”.

Culled from Techcabal

Tribute to a friend and prison-mate; Christian Penda Ekoka

Ten days ago, when we learnt of the passing of Mr Christian Penda Ekoka, we were filled with sadness. On behalf of my people, and in my name, I extend our profound condolences to his immediate family and to the larger community he created through his activism within ACT/AGIR.

In the nine months that Mr Penda Ekoka spent at the Yaoundé Principal Prison, my people and I got to know him. The memory of him and his teammates in the prison courtyard, where we meet to pray, exercise, eat, relax or meditate, lingers on.

He came across as a rigid, stern, decisive, reserved, unbiased administrator and politician. At all times, his intellect and technical mastery was on display. He was soft-spoken, especially while gazing eyeball to eyeball for frank talks. Even where and when we disagreed, we did so respectful of each other.

We learnt and appreciated his keen interests, concerns and personal sacrifices to ameliorate the living-conditions, empowment and liberty of his country-people from their plight. We understood how some of his stances made him incompatible with palace crew and colleagues. 

His death must leave a huge vacuum and an unwavering legacy. We join in prayers that those whom he has mentored through ACT/AGIR and through his other partnerships will carry his mission further.

May his family, friends and community be granted the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

Adieu dear friend Christian Penda Ekoka. May you journey well into God’s heavenly kingdom and find rest.

Sisiku AyukTabe

18th August 2021.

Kondengui Principal Prison Yaoundé