AMBAZONIAN VP ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON THE AMBA FOUR POINTS AGENDA

Fellow Ambazonians,

Today I come to you out of genuine love for our country Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) to address a matter of national importance. The best hope for advancing our struggle is in engaging with honesty and humility. Endeavour, generosity and genuine intentions have put us where we are today as a people. As a result of your generosity and hard-work, we have come this far in our quest for justice and liberty.

This struggle has reached a point of no return. The upper gear for a free Ambazonia has been engaged and will not be reversed. Ambazonia is not for turning! We are committed to independence or resistance forever.

After months of negotiations and diplomatic wrangling amongst nations, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on July 1 2020, unanimously adopted UN resolution 2532, endorsing UN Secretary General, Antonio Gutterres’ call in late March 2020 for a global ceasefire. The resolution has three main provisions: (i) a demand for a cessation of hostilities, (ii) an appeal for an immediate 90-day pause to allow for humanitarian activities, (iii) a plea for intensified international cooperation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many countries have signed this resolution but La Republique du Cameroun has not. Instead, they made a move to engage with our leaders in detention under President AyukTabe to explore the option of both nations calling for a ceasefire in the Cameroons colonial conflict. On 2 July 2020, the regime in Yaoundé called a meeting with nine of our leaders in detention.

Since that meeting, our airwaves have been polluted with inaccuracies and deliberate distortions. The peddlers of these inaccuracies intend to poison the minds of Ambazonians with the fiction that “prisoners do not negotiate for freemen”. As a wise negotiator, the great Nelson Mandela employed the phrase in the 1980s to negotiate his release from detention. Any attempt to misinterpret the great man is disingenuous and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

I challenge you to show me a free Ambazonian. None of us is free when we can’t freely visit the land we call our own. Freedom is much more than social media activism and self-exile. The idea that any genuine Ambazonian is free anywhere on this planet is a myth. We all die when one of us is killed. We are all in prison when one of us is jailed as a result of our cause.

The words widely misrepresented on social media by some frontline leaders are “Negotiations” and “Dialogue”. Resolution 2532 pushes for a ceasefire to allow for humanitarian aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our leaders in detention are public servants doing their best for our nation against all odds. Their personal pain is intense but they are still going strong for our nation. They are called to a mission to liberate the Southern Cameroons; a mission to fight for freedom over tyranny and oppression. Owing to their dedication, astuteness and wisdom, they crafted four points as a basis or pre-requisite for Ambazonia agreeing to a ceasefire;

• A call for a ceasefire by La Republique Cameroun and an order for its military to go back to barracks- supervised and enforced by the United Nations
• Unconditional release of all people detained and imprisoned as a result of this crisis as well as declaration of general amnesty to them.
• Declaration of a general amnesty on all our people in the diaspora to visit home without embarrassment by any La Republique du Cameroun authorities.
• Acceptance by the government of La Republique du Cameroun to participate in a genuine, open and inclusive dialogue without preconditions, with timetable, neutral venue, and in the presence of independent and impartial mediator acceptable to both parties.

These four points were crafted by our leaders as a condition to employ confidence building measures that will eventually lead to a ceasefire and create an enabling environment for sustainable justice and peace. The four points from the leaders were created with the Ambazonian public in mind which is standard procedure before any subsequent evolution into a legal document. The pressure from the international community upon La Republique du Cameroun is rock-solid and we must seize our moment. La Republique du Cameroun should stop deceiving herself that Ambazonia will be defeated in the battlefield.

To the leaders of frontline movements, I say to you that as leaders of this revolution, we owe our people a debt of honesty and reality in finding a lasting solution to the war in our country. True leadership does not mean we have to kill or abandon our fellow leaders in detention. Our revolution must be characterized by mutual respect, not by falsehoods and contaminated politics. The individual and collective sacrifices from our people in Ground Zero must be carefully considered in every move we make. We must balance our national goals with their daily misery. Any condition that shortens their suffering while leading the nation to its objective of freedom and independence must be supported.

Pre-talks are not Negotiations or Dialogue! I want to assure all Southern Cameroonians that neither of that is taking place between President Ayuk Tabe and the Government of La Republique du Cameroun. Our President has made it abundantly clear that no single person can negotiate for Ambazonia. It will take our finest experts from across the board to engage in negotiations as the complexity of the assignment is enormous.

Our people are desperate in the forests, disrespected by La Republique du Cameroun military and despised by the regime in Yaoundé. They are on edge and seek relief from their distress. They need us now more than ever.  They have devoted faith, hope, and trust in us but our actions over the last twelve days have been dishonorable. The diaspora must send our people in Ground Zero a signal that they care. This is a time for action, integrity and honesty.

It is alarming, pointless and irresponsible for any Ambazonian of good-intent to disagree with the move from our leaders in detention. Since the meeting of 2 July 2020, we have reached out to nearly all the frontline leaders of this revolution. We have personally briefed Hon Wirba, Dr Cho Ayaba, John Mbah Akuroh, Dr Ebenezar Akwanga, Boh Herbert, Dr Fontem Neba and Abdul Karim just to name a few. We have also reached out to the clergy and civil society organizations in G0 and the diaspora. Most Activists, Restoration Forces and tens of Ambazonian legal minds have also been briefed. Our resolve has been to bring the Ambazonian family together. Any leader who says one thing in private and propagates a different narrative to the nation in public is not doing our nation justice.

For all who see this revolution as a game or business, I have news for you; your game is up. The smear campaigners, blackmailers, doomsayers, tricksters and social media warlords must understand that they will never succeed in derailing the commitment of Ambazonians. The people of Ambazonia are better than what you are serving them. There is an appropriate season for everything. There is a time to compete and a time to cooperate. The time for cooperation is now. The time for all Southern Cameroonians to back the four points tabled by our leadership team to La Republique du Cameroun as conditions for any ceasefire is now. The Ambazonian people are watching.

To our Restoration Forces; I salute your courage, dedication and selflessness. Your bravery and commitment to the Ambazonian struggle is indisputable. Your collective sacrifice to defend our parents, brothers, sisters, children, and properties from the oppressor will live long in the consciousness of our nation. We are proud of you. The optics is good, and we are determined more than ever to provide you with what is needed to defeat the oppressor. Stay committed and resilient, your sacrifice is the only thing that has brought us to this stage in which the oppressor is willing to talk. We must continue with our coordinated and ruthless firepower in self-defence.

Fellow Ambazonians in G0, G1 and G2, your daily suffering is our concern. The Interim Government of Ambazonia in all its decisions balances your suffering with the national goal of freedom and independence. Your leaders in detention are much too intelligent and committed to your dream and would settle for nothing less than total independence. After 59 years of abuse and subjugation, we cannot be satisfied by just returning to the status quo.

Time is neutral and does not change things but people with vision change things. No generation can choose the age or circumstance in which it is born but every generation can choose to make the age in which it is born an age of enlightenment, freedom and justice. Ours is that generation of Southern Cameroonians endowed with the task of attaining freedom for our people. Let us stand together for history to judge us favorably.

Factionalism in a revolution is not limited to Ambazonians. La Republique du Cameroun also has factions in her midst; those that are in support of war without end and those who want peace and justice with Ambazonia. For the La Republique du Cameroun advocates of war against Ambazonia, I have bad news for you; you will never defeat the never-again generation of Ambazonians in the battlefield. I urge you to join in good faith your brothers who want peace between our two nations

Fellow Ambazonians, when the trumpet of negotiation sounds, let us walk to the table with one voice and one vision to free our homeland. Our independence is non-negotiable. Let our collective voices mirror that of President AyukTabe and our leaders in detention whom despite their present personal plight articulate our struggle with courage and put Ambazonia first. The path to freedom and independence is always difficult but despite the current darkness, if we muster our collective energies and talents, Buea will be a reality soon.

Our time has come. Our faith, hope, and dreams will prevail if we give truth and honesty a chance. Our time has come. No amount of atrocities and slaughter from Yaoundé can hold us down. No lie can live forever. Our time has come. We must leave social media politics behind and unite as one people. Our time has come. If we unite as a people, no force on this earth will stop us. Our time has come. It’s Independence or Resistance Forever.

Thank You and God bless you all.

DabneyYerima

Vice President

Federal Republic Of Ambazonia

Soldiers in Mozogo, in the Far North region of Cameroon, have forced civilians to perform local night guard duty to protect against attacks by the armed Islamist group Boko Haram, Human Rights Watch said today.

At the beginning of this forced labor, from mid-March to late April, 2020, soldiers beat or threatened those who refused to perform the tasks, although Human Rights Watch was told that for now, following denunciations by local nongovernmental organizations and the National Human Rights Commission, the beatings appear to have stopped. However, people in the town report that they continue to live in fear of beatings resuming, and that the forced labor and threats continue.

“The Cameroon authorities should immediately stop forcing civilians to perform night guard duty and instead protect civilians through lawful means,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Cameroonian authorities should investigate the reported beatings, threats, and forced labor and members of the security forces found to be responsible should be brought to justice.”

Boko Haram has since 2014 waged a violent campaign against civilians in the Far North region. The Cameroon army started to forcibly mobilize civilians after a February 4 Boko Haram attack, during which its fighters burned an estimated 40 homes in Mozogo and killed 2 civilians, one of them a blind man, who was killed and then burned inside his home.

In April and May, Human Rights Watch interviewed 15 people by telephone who have been forced to perform night guard duty under threat. Six had been beaten for initially refusing to join. Human Rights Watch also spoke with 12 Mozogo residents who witnessed but had not been subject to the forced labor, 4 victims and witnesses of other alleged military rights violations, and 4 representatives of local human rights groups.

Human Rights Watch shared its research findings on June 9 with Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the secretary-general and Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, the Civil Cabinet director, both at Cameroon’s Presidency, requesting responses to specific questions. Human Rights Watch also followed up with a senior official from the Presidency on June 18. Cameroonian officials have yet to respond.

The civilians who were forced under threat to perform guard duty received no compensation and were put in harm’s way. They were not trained, were unarmed, and were told to run back to town to alert the army if they saw Boko Haram fighters approaching. Human Rights Watch has been monitoring local media, including Sembe TV, L’Oeil du Sahel, and reports by nongovernmental groups, for accounts of attacks by the militant Islamic group. This monitoring indicates that since January, Boko Haram has carried out over 200 attacks and raids in the Far North region, killing at least 126 people.

Mozogo residents said the military unit based in Mozogo – the 42nd Motorized Infantry Battalion (BIM) – worked with local authorities to compile lists of about 90 men and at least one boy who were required to join the night guard duty and displayed these lists in public spaces. They identified at least 12 locations in and around Mozogo as posts for night duty and assigned nine civilians to each location. Those who did not willingly comply were sought out in the neighborhoods and threatened with death and beatings. Some were beaten in public.

According to victims, witnesses, and residents, at least 40 people were threatened with death and beatings or were beaten for refusing to take part.

A 38-year-old man said that a soldier beat him after he initially refused to perform night guard duty in early April: “A soldier came to my house around 10 p.m. He asked why I skipped my duty. I said that it was not my job. So, he forced me to do push-ups and hit me several times with the flat end of a machete. Then he took me by force to the river to serve guard duty.”

Once the civilians were on duty, it appears, the soldiers usually stayed until midnight, then left the civilians alone to guard the areas without any means of protection and communication. The civilians said that they would generally stay from 7 p.m. until around 3 or 4 in the morning.

A 28-year-old man who was forced to serve as a night guard for at least two months, described the forced labor: “They said everyone whose name is on the lists needs to go, but they don’t pay us anything, they don’t give us anything to protect ourselves. If Boko Haram attacks Mozogo, we will be the first targets.”

At least 40 men fled Mozogo after soldiers threatened them. A 23-year-old university student said he fled to Maroua, 100 kilometers away, after being beaten and forced into guard duty. “If I wanted to be a soldier, I would have joined the army,” he said. “But I chose to study. I do not want to spend my nights in dangerous locations and face Boko Haram fighters.”

The night guard system in Mozogo has no legal framework and those forced to perform it are not only untrained, but also lack the necessary experience and supervision needed to perform the dangerous security tasks demanded of them.

Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc in the Far North region, carrying out abusive attacks, often indiscriminate and sometimes directly targeting civilians. The attacks have included suicide bombings in crowded civilian areas; kidnappings, including of children; and widespread looting and destruction of civilian property. As a result of Boko Haram’s abuses, over 297,000 people have fled their homes and are internally displaced across the Far North region. Cameroon also hosts approximately 113,000 refugees who have fled Boko Haram’s attacks in Nigeria.

In the face of such atrocities, the government of Cameroon has the legitimate duty to protect civilians, but it must do so while upholding its human rights obligations under domestic and international law, Human Rights Watch said. Cameroon has ratified both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the 1930 International Labour Organisation (ILO) Forced Labour Convention No. 29, which prohibit the use of forced or compulsory labour.

Human rights groups have reported widespread human rights violations and crimes under international humanitarian law by security forces, including extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, incommunicado detention, systematic torture, and deaths in custody. Witnesses, victims, and residents have reported that security forces in and around Mozogo continue to commit other abuses, including extortion and sexual violence.

“Cameroon security should address threats posed by Boko Haram in a way that respects rights and wins the trust of the population,” Mudge said. “That trust has been broken by a climate of near total impunity for the military’s abuses.”

Soldiers from the 42nd Motorized Infantry Battalion have been based in Mozogo since at least the beginning of 2020 and have forced civilians to perform local night guard duty since mid-March. When people refused to perform this duty, soldiers beat them or threatened them. In April, the National Human Rights Commission visited Mozogo and raised concerns with local authorities about this practice. Local human rights groups echoed this call saying it is illegal and puts people at risk. While reports suggest that the beatings have stopped, people continue to report threats, and participate in the duty out of fear of abuse at the hands of soldiers.

Abuses Related to Forced Guard Duty

Beatings

A 33-year-old man said he was beaten by a soldier in April for arriving late to his night guard duty.

I had a family emergency and went to the hospital to assist a relative. I arrived late for the night guard and a second-class soldier beat me up. He slapped me several times. I was in pain for two days; my ears were hurting so much. He told me not to tell anyone what had happened.

A 25-year-old farmer said he was beaten by soldiers in mid-March and forced to perform the night guard duty:

Several soldiers came to my neighborhood late in the evening. They were looking for men whose names were on the lists. My name was on the list. The soldiers approached me and said, “You are going to spend the night by the river and carry out the guard duty. If you do not agree, you’ll pay the consequences.” I replied that I did not want to go, so they slapped me several times in my face and forced me to go. Since then, I have no other choice by to go. I do not want to be beaten again.

Threats

A 43-year-old man said that he was threatened by soldiers in mid-March when he refused to join the night guard duty for health reasons:

A BIM officer came to my neighborhood and asked me why I did not go to perform my night guard. I explained to him that I had been sick, and the doctor had recommended me to rest. [The officer] replied: “If you don’t go, I am going to kill you, I’ll cut your throat.” Two days later, another solider came to my home, broke the door, and threatened to beat me if I didn’t carry out the night guard duty. It is only thanks to a neighbor, who interceded for me, that I was not beaten up.

A 17-year-old boy told Human Rights Watch that he is living in hiding to avoid night guard duty.

 When I learned my name was on the list, I got scared. I did not want to go and spend the night by the river because it is dangerous. Between March and April, the soldiers came three times to look for me at my place. Since then, I hide. I am afraid that if they find me, they will force me to go and if I refuse, they’ll beat me up.

A 24-year-old student said he was forced to carry out a night watch guard following repeated threats by a soldier in mid-March.

I was on my motorbike outside my home at 9:30 p.m. when a soldier came, accompanied by a member of the vigilante committee. He ordered me to carry out the night guard duty by the river. I refused and I told him I am student, not a soldier. He replied: “You’ll go, or we will force you to go.” I asked him if I could speak with his boss, who came and let me go. But since then, I fled Mozogo and now live in Maroua.

Culled from Human Rights Watch

Despite the press release issued by the country’s communication minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, Cameroonians are still hopeful that meaningful talks will soon take place after the first informal meeting between government representatives and Southern Cameroonian leaders in Yaounde.

After four years of bloodshed and a stressful existence, Cameroonians on both sides of the Mongo are now scanning the horizon for lasting peace. Last week’s meeting was, indeed, a silver lining on a huge dark cloud that has been hanging over the country for four years.

Cameroonians now know that without peace, economic development is a near impossibility. Even government officials who have been playing tough for a long time are now softening their stance and this is music to the ears of the international community that has been pushing for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The Southern Cameroons crisis that started as a protest by teachers and lawyers rapidly morphed into a civil war that has hit the country’s economy where it hurts the most and consumed more than 5,000 lives. The economy is currently on its knees and the government has lost many income streams that were used for development purposes.

Current peace efforts are being promoted by the country’s Prime Minister, Dion Ngute, a native of the Southwest region where the scars of war are visible, and the economic impact will linger for a long time. Most state corporations that were in the region are simply out of business and thousands of south westerners are out of work, making it hard for their children to go back to school. Life is tough and the people are bleeding internally.

However, there is hope on the horizon, although the Yaounde government is divided over how to proceed. Mr. Rene Sadi’s press release is a clear indication of the divisions within the government. While moderates like the Prime Minister want to go the full distance, hardliners like the Secretary-General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, are still frozen in their positions, holding that Southern Cameroonians in jail are all terrorists and should be treated as such. A huge mistake that will haunt the country for a very long time.

Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh’s camp does not seem to know that the dynamics have changed, and that Cameroon will never be the same again. If the arms must be silenced, then the mentalities of the leaders must also keep pace with the changing times.

Southern Cameroonians will never be caged in silence. They may be frustrated, but they will never be intimidated, as they know that the government is a bully and must be challenged and confronted if things must evolve. Southern Cameroonians know how to kick against the pricks and their resistance of the government’s military onslaught for four years speaks volumes of their bravery and determination to bring about change in Cameroon.

However, with the international community breathing down the government’s throat, the reactionaries in the government are bound to change their position. The economy is ailing, and the coffers are empty. The government’s focus is now on paying the salaries of the civil servants as its liquidity issues continue to grow.

The government is currently having problems buying cars for Members of Parliament and it has clearly advised the Members of Parliament that the resources available are just for the payment of salaries. This is causing some pain among the Members of Parliament, most of whom are members of the ruling party who do not have a choice.

Regarding future peace talks, the road ahead is still long as government officials are still looking at the conditions put forward by the Southern Cameroonian leaders as preconditions for any frank and fruitful talks to take place. Southern Cameroonian leaders have clearly indicated that the government must call for a ceasefire which would require the military to return to its barracks, making it possible for Southern Cameroonians to go about their business without fear of military violence and aggression.

The country’s military is not professional and disciplined. Some of its rogue elements are still exploiting the population and they have turned the crisis into a money-making operation. On Monday, army soldiers in Mamfe invaded homes in Banya, a popular neighborhood in Mamfe, arresting any and everybody.

They usually pretend to check for national identity cards and in the process, they ask the poor civilians to give them money. They are not even ashamed to bother women and children who know nothing about the fighting that will not likely stop if these army soldiers do not change their ways. Their harassment of the population is revolting the fighters on the ground and this has resulted in attacks on military targets.

On July 1, 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Anaba was shot by unknown gunmen in Besongabang, a town some 3 km from Mamfe, where there is a military barracks while he was celebrating his promotion.  Lieutenant Colonel Anaba is currently in Douala where he is fighting for life in a military hospital. For such attacks to stop, the military must learn how to win hearts and minds instead of fanning the embers of conflict by harassing the local population.

Southern Cameroonian leaders also called for the unconditional release of all those who have been detained and imprisoned as a result of the crisis, as well as a declaration of a general amnesty for all Southern Cameroonians in the Diaspora, making it possible for them to visit their homeland without any embarrassment from the Yaoundé authorities. They also called on the Yaoundé government to participate in a genuine, open and inclusive dialogue without preconditions, with a timetable and venue, in the presence of an independent and impartial mediator acceptable to both parties. 

These conditions are still very challenging to a government that has misused its mouth by tagging all Southern Cameroonians as terrorists. It is always hard to walk backwards, but in this case, it will be more challenging for the government, as its hawks had said a lot of things that would be hard for them to take back.

But they must bend over backwards if they must have the support of development finance institutions which are still very reluctant to give Cameroon loans and grants because of the fighting in the two English-speaking regions of the country where some of the country’s most important projects like the ring road are located.

The ball is in the government’s court. Southern Cameroonians are ready. They have put their faith in their president, Julius Ayuk Tabe and his team, and they are prepared to talk with a view to bringing about peace in Cameroon. The government must come up with its own team, but with many cracks on the government’s wall, it will be hard for the talks to hold anytime soon. The Yaounde government must clean up its mess. It must place the country’s interest above any individual’s interest if it wants Cameroon to return to its former status as an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos. The world is watching, and it is running out of patience as more people get killed every day in Southern Cameroons.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Global Headquarters

Cameroon Concord News Group London

The news that Southern Cameroonian leaders met with officials of the Yaounde government in the presence of certain ambassadors brought a lot of happiness to many across the world and this news has been on many lips, especially among Cameroonians, who have been hankering for peace for close to four years.

Over the last four years, Cameroon has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The Southern Cameroons crisis has left the Yaounde government with a bloodshot eye and it has hit the country’s economy like a of ton bricks. Almost all state corporations in Southern Cameroons have been put out of business due to the violent fighting and thousands of families have been left jobless and desperate.

Many Cameroonians from the two English-speaking regions of the country have become the “roving Jews” of Africa, with many travelling to distant lands just to seek peace and stability. Cameroon, a country that was once the pride of the continent has simply joined the ranks of third world countries that cannot weave together the different tribes and linguistic blocs that make up the country into a harmonious, peaceful and prosperous society.

Cameroonians need peace and last week’s announcement that the government had decided to talk with those it had tagged as terrorists in the presence of third neutral parties was a welcome relief to the international community that has been pushing for a peaceful resolution of a conflict that has the potential to destabilize the entire sub-region.

As many stakeholders of the Southern Cameroons crisis prepare for real future talks in a neutral location to be agreed upon by all the parties, the Yaounde government came out with a press release whose objective was clearly to pour cold water on the enthusiasm that has been building up following the announcement that peace may soon return to Cameroon; a country many people around the world love and admire.

The government’s inconsistency about the situation in Southern Cameroons only makes it hard for its citizens to have faith in it. The story about the meeting came from credible sources and the Cameroon Concord News Group had been duly advised of the meeting by a source close to the government. The Group’s editorial team had simply kept things under wraps, waiting for the right moment to fill the population in.

The French and the Americans want peace to return to Cameroon and the Americans used last week’s informal talks to raise the possibility that a return to a federal system could address most of the issues that had triggered the carnage that had taken place in the country over the last four years.

Southern Cameroonian leaders were simply invited to this meeting and they had to honor the invitation. The international community has hailed the parties for the talks, as they offered them an opportunity to take the first important step towards narrowing their differences. Mr. Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the Secretary-General at the Presidency of the Republic led the government’s delegation and sources close to the Yaounde government have clearly indicated that the country’s Prime Minister, Dion Ngute, has been pushing for a moderate approach to the conflict.

The source added that Mr. Dion Ngute had been in total support of the informal talks that would pave the way for a greater forum that would enable both parties to share their perspectives on the issue that could tear the country apart. In the view of those who attended the informal talks, the government simply wanted to test the waters and the Nera 10 and under the able leadership of the people of Ambazonia, President, Julius Ayuk Tabe, rose to the challenge with courage and flexibility.

Mr. Ayuk Tabe knew that no firm decision could be taken in a circumstance where all Southern Cameroonians were not represented. He also understood that there were more stakeholders whose opinion must be given due consideration if the fighting in Southern Cameroons had to be ended. That explained why he and his team insisted that for genuine, frank and fruitful negotiations to take place, certain conditions must be met. 

They therefore used the occasion to call for a ceasefire which would require the military to return to its barracks, making it possible for Southern Cameroonians to go about their business without fear of military violence and aggression.

The leaders also called for the unconditional release of all those who had been detained and imprisoned as a result of the crisis, as well as a declaration of general amnesty for all Southern Cameroonians in the Diaspora, making it possible for them to visit their homeland without any embarrassment from the Yaoundé authorities.

They also called on the Yaoundé government to participate in a genuine, open and inclusive dialogue without preconditions, with a timetable and venue, in the presence of an independent and impartial mediator acceptable to both parties.

Last week’s meeting was a response to a call by the United Nations Secretary-General for a ceasefire and these measures had been designed to build confidence with a view to creating an enabling environment for frank and fruitful discussions that would enable the country to return to the path of peace.

But can the government meet the demands of the leaders? Mr. Ayuk Tabe and his team cannot decide for all Southern Cameroonians, so the government has to create the right environment for other factions to fully participate in any future talks and such talks can only take place out of Cameroon, as many Southern Cameroonians living out of the country cannot return to Cameroon at this time, especially as many have been informed that their names are on the government’s black list.

Besides, can the government come down its high horse to understand that making peace with your enemies or adversaries implies bending over backwards? From the look of things, the government is letting its ego to stand in the way of peace. The country’s authorities it must understand that the country’s progress and development depend entirely on the return of peace to that beautiful land. Peace will always be a pre-condition for development in any country in the world.

Currently, there is enormous pressure from the international community for a peaceful negotiation and the government has to demonstrate that it wants peace to return, especially as its reconstruction program of the two English-speaking regions of the country depends on development finance institutions which are still reluctant to pour money into  a region of the country wherein killing is still a sport.

For many years, the government has held that taking a strong approach to the chaos in the two English-speaking regions would project it as a government that is consistent and tough. But such an approach clearly belongs to the past and it can only generate more conflict. Being tough is an attitude that will only stand in the way of talks and make it hard for the country to return to the path of growth.

Cameroon needs to reclaim its leadership role as the economic engine of the Central African Sub-region, and this requires it to clean up the mess that has given it a very bad name. Holding on to old ways will surely not help things and admitting that there are talks going on through unofficial channels does not take anything away from the government. On the contrary, the admission will only make the government to better respected and encouraged by an international community that is already tired of the government’s intransigence.

If the Yaounde government really wants peace, then it must come down its high horse. It must understand that its tough stance has eroded its credibility and in the eyes of the international community, it is not playing its role. There is strength and admiration in accepting to talk with those you disagree with, especially if such talks can help to silence the guns that have already killed thousands of your citizens. 

Monday’s press release by the Minister of Communication, Rene Sadi, was absolutely not necessary. If anything, it did only underscore that it is hard to work with the Yaounde government that has lost its credibility around the world. Cameroon needs to regain its past glory and this requires the government to be open to its citizens and be willing to address those issues that have put its economic and social development on hold for four years.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey in Canada

Ever since news broke out that a meeting had taken place between the Yaoundé government and Ambazonian leaders, some members of the Southern Cameroonian community have been questioning why people who are in chains should be the ones to negotiate for those who are free. This situation is not without a precedent. Mandela did it for South Africa and this rainbow nation is eternally grateful to a man who placed his country’s interest above his personal interest. 

This question is indeed out of place given that for more than three years, many Southern Cameroonians, especially those in the Diaspora, have been arguing that if the Yaoundé government had to negotiate, it must do so with their leaders who are in jail in Yaoundé.

The Yaoundé government has been falsely arguing that there is nobody to talk with as there are many factions fighting a regime that has functioned for decades on divide and rule. Due to enormous international pressure, the government now believes that the time has come for talks with the people it tagged as terrorists, and it is honoring the wishes of most of the Southern Cameroonian population which has put its trust in the Nera 10 led by the President, Julius Ayuk Tabe.

Nine of the Nera 10 participated in the informal talks which President Julius Ayuk Tabe promptly reported through a tweet to clearly demonstrate the transparency and honesty of his team. The team was invited and it honored the invitation, especially as the international community was involved. Through their leader, the Ambazonian leaders raised four points and this was to ensure that Southern Cameroonians got ready for the talks and that other factions got involved.

The demands of the leaders include calling for a ceasefire which will require the military to go back to the barracks. This action will make it possible for Southern Cameroonians who have been traumatized for years to be psychologically liberated to go about their businesses without fear of sudden aggression.

The leaders also called for the unconditional release of all those who have been detained and imprisoned as a result of the crisis as well as a declaration of general amnesty for all Southern Cameroonians in the Diaspora, making it possible for them to visit their homeland without any embarrassment from the Yaoundé authorities.

The leaders also called on the Yaoundé government to participate in a genuine, open and inclusive dialogue without preconditions, with a timetable and venue, in the presence of an independent and impartial mediator acceptable to both parties.

It should be recalled that the meeting was a response to a call by the United Nations Secretary General for a ceasefire and these measures are designed to build confidence with a view to creating an environment for a successful and sustainable peaceful negotiation.

Despite the transparency, this news has rattled and ruffled a few feathers and there has been a lot of writing and talking over the last two days, with many Southern Cameroonians insisting that the fighting must continue even when the fighters are demonstrating some signs of fatigue and the resources are dwindling, as many Southern Cameroonians are not putting their money where their mouths are.

Some Southern Cameroonians, especially those living abroad, think that the Yaoundé government could be defeated in the battlefield. Many are not aware of the reality on the ground. The local population is suffering, and the military is exploiting the people. The Southern Cameroonian leadership is aware of the people’s pain and it thinks talks and negotiations could also deliver the same results. The fact remains that no war has ever been ended in a battlefield. Supporters of Southern Cameroonian independence must understand that most wars end with talks and negotiations.

The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. The Treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919 in Versailles, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which had directly led to the war. For the Second World War, it ended with two major conferences. The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences which served as a framework for the definition of the relationship between Europe and Germany once Hitler was out of the picture.

It therefore goes without saying that the Southern Cameroons crisis cannot be ended without talks, and the talks will not require everybody but those who have clearly demonstrated that they have the charisma and the people’s confidence. In this case, President Julius Ayuk Tabe and his team will be articulating the Southern Cameroonian dream and they will be paving the way for others to join the talks whenever a neutral place will be agreed upon.

At this time, not everybody who is involved in the crisis can travel to Cameroon and President Ayuk  Tabe and his team are fully aware of this constraint and that is why they are calling for the negotiations to take place in a neutral place to ensure that more Southern Cameroonians participate and share their views without fear. Like Mandela, Julius Ayuk Tabe is paving the way for talks and negotiations that will surely define the fate of Southern Cameroons. This is the time to demonstrate unity. No Southern Cameroonian should be driven by greed and envy. Southern Cameroons needs that unity of purpose and those who seek to split the people of Southern Cameroons will end up on the wrong side of history. The world is watching!

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

For more than three years, the world has been watching an orgy of killing playing out in Cameroon due to misrule, poor governance and arrogance. The Southern Cameroons crisis that started in 2016 rapidly morphed into a war game, with the country’s military slaughtering thousands of its civilians as if Cameroonians were mere cattle that could be disposed of at any time.

As the government’s killing machines rolled into the two English-speaking regions of the country, young Southern Cameroonians scrambled for means to defend themselves. Initially, they used sticks and clubs, but over time, hunting rifles emerged and with those rifles, they frustrated Cameroon’s military.

Today, with the support of the 4-million strong Southern Cameroonian Diaspora, the fighters have purchased some of the most sophisticated weapons which have regrettably resulted in the death of many young soldiers who, in reality, do not even know why they have to fight their English-speaking compatriots who are simply and politely complaining about a system that has not met their dreams and aspirations.

Cameroon, a country once touted as an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos, has finally gone down as a country bereft of peace and stability. Over the last years, the country’s government has morphed from a liberal and budding democracy into a full-blown dictatorship, with journalists and human rights activists arrested and thrown into jail without respect for due process.

Many English-speaking journalists have lost their lives due to torture in Cameroon’s dungeons and millions of the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora members cannot go to the country of their birth because of the government’s unpopular decision to arrest and jail anybody whose name might be associated with the Southern Cameroons crisis.

In most countries around the world, the Diaspora is justifiably considered as a significant source of development finance, but in Cameroon, the government has deliberately failed to harness these resources for the general good because it wants to prove a point. But the government has only one thing to prove – that it is capable of living up to the glorious expectations of its people.

Unfortunately, it has failed and woefully too in many respects. Poverty is blighting the lives of the country’s citizenry and it is spreading like ragweed. Corruption is all over the place like a very bad rash and the country’s social and road infrastructure has collapsed like a pack of old retired cards.

Southern Cameroonians living abroad have the resources and they are capable of engineering a nightmare for the Yaounde government if it does not change its stance on many issues. Times have changed and the government must keep pace with the changing times. The tough resistance put up by the poorly organized fighters in Southern Cameroons over the last four years should inform the Yaounde government that there will never be a total military victory in that part of the country.

The fighters are determined, and the Diaspora remains focused and knows how to give the Yaounde government a run for its money. The bloodshed that was once localized to Southern Cameroons is gradually making its way to the nation’s capital. Over the last week, some three bombs have gone off in Yaounde, hurting innocent by-standers. It will not be long before massive bombs will start going off in the city’s downtown core if the arrogance that has become the hallmark of the Yaounde government is not curbed and if peace is not given a chance.

For four long years, the Yaounde government has turned a deaf ear to calls by the international community for a peaceful solution to the conflict. For four years, more than 5,000 Cameroonians have been mowed down by a government that is supposed to protect them. For four years, many young soldiers have been pushed into an early grave because of the arrogance of a government that holds that only military violence can bring peace to a country that has been running on injustice, corruption and incompetence.

The country’s president, Paul Biya, for his part, has been conducting himself as if  his compatriots do not deserve him. He has failed on many occasions to address the nation on a major challenge like the Southern Cameroons crisis that has robbed the country of billions of dollars.

Cameroonians seem to plead with their president for him to reassure them during challenging times, but Mr. Biya who has earned a reputation as an absentee president has ignored calls from world leaders for the Southern Cameroons situation to be addressed promptly and rapidly in order to reduce the bloodshed.

His leadership has left the country in a very bad political, social and economic shape. Tribalism and nepotism have become the hallmarks of his politics, with his tribesmen and women considering other Cameroonians as sub-humans.

After four years, wisdom seems to be prevailing. On July 2, 2020, the beleaguered Yaounde government finally thought it wise to discuss with the people it had tagged as terrorists. For years, the arrogance-driven government gave the impression that there was nobody to discuss with. It instead opted for tricks and corrupt practices as a way of ending the insurgency that has made the two English-speaking regions of the country ungovernable.

The ball is now rolling, and the international community is now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, though the light might be that of an oncoming train that might wreck lots of things. The Yaounde government is noted for is double-speak and tricks. It might be too early to smile, although the news that both camps are working on the details of a possible ceasefire has been a reason for many to rejoice. 

But the discussions also touched on other topics which both camps have chosen to leave under wraps. Facilitated by the Belgian, American and French ambassadors, the discussions were friendly, although the Ambazonian President, Julius Ayuk Tabe, did not miss the moment to remind the Secretary-General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, of the regime’s wickedness and failure to live up to the people’s expectation; the reason why Southern Cameroonians are opting out of the lopsided union that was hastily stitched together in 1972 with the blessing of John Ngu Foncha who was West Cameroon’s Prime Minister at the time.

Federalism was also on the table and all the ambassadors were in support of it. They hold that a federal system will go a long way in addressing most of the issues that have caused the conflict that has put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. But tempers are still flaring on the Ambazonian side. Federalism may not be very attractive at this time, but world-class negotiators will always advise that when involved in such an exercise, sacrifices must be made. Negotiating is like meeting the other person halfway and in this case, federalism will be that “golden halfway” that might restore peace in Southern Cameroons, the region of the country that is endowed with many natural resources.

Though the discussions are underway, there are still some concerns. Some extremists who have fallen out of favor with the people are already crying foul. Only a fool never sees negotiations as a way out of a bloody situation. An intelligent person like Mr. Ayuk Tabe, the poster boy of the revolution, understands why it is necessary to talk and even negotiate. A lot of blood has soaked the soil of Southern Cameroons. It is time to mop up the soil and make the soil fertile again.

The Cameroon Concord News Group stands with President Julius Ayuk Tabe and his colleagues in their effort to find a long-lasting solution to the Southern Cameroons crisis that has already consumed more than 5,000 Cameroonian lives. The Group calls on all well-meaning people to exercise patience as the international community helps both camps to narrow their differences. Anybody who condemns the talks that President Julius Ayuk Tabe is involved in is someone who has been ripping off the people of Southern Cameroons and such a person or persons must be ignored and disrespected.

Cameroonians like the international community are focused on bringing about peace in Cameroon and Mr. Ayuk Tabe is working with his team to obtain the best for Southern Cameroons. The talks are on, but we must keep an eye on the enemies of peace who have transformed the fighting into a money-making operation. Cameroonians must support the peace initiative and the Yaounde government must not speak from both sides of its mouth. It must respect its commitments under any agreement if it wants the guns to be silenced.

A good gesture will be releasing all political prisoners, granting a general amnesty to all those who have been involved in the conflict and reconciling with the Diaspora that is capable of turning the country’s economic fortunes around. The world is watching and there is no room for errors. This is the time for talks and not for any form of sabotage!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai and Isong Asu

INTERIM GOVERNMENT OF AMBAZONIA STATEMENT ON LEADERS MEETING WITH REGIME IN YAOUNDE  

Fellow Ambazonians,

Yesterday, 2^ndJuly 2020, nine of our leaders in detention were invited to meet with a team from the government of La Republique du Cameroun (LRC), on initiating a ceasefire following the United Nation’s request to bring an end to the war in Ambazonia. The genocide in Ambazonia has earned the attention of the United Nations and the international community due to the atrocities committed by the army of La Republique du Cameroun.

As no war has ever been wrapped up in the battlefield, our leaders in attendance were led by President Julius Ayuk Tabe. Real, sustainable peace and independence are a product of the negotiating table. The realization has dawned upon the regime in Yaoundé that the war on our people is counterproductive and a French Cameroun victory is candidly impossible.

The Interim Government of Ambazonia has informed other front line movements of our struggle about this formal meeting. Despite this meeting being an initial confidence building procedure which is mandatory in all negotiations, our position on a negotiated ceasefire was made clear and unambiguous to the representatives of La Republique du Cameroun. Once significant progress is made, the Interim Government of Ambazonia will update Ambazonians.

IG-CARE VP STATEMENT…

The Interim Government of Ambazonia is extremely indebted with the commitment and sacrifice of our ground zero heroes. For over four years, our mothers, fathers and children have been massacred indiscriminately but the resistance from our heroes with limited capital continues to give us hope as a nation. Let me use this opportunity to thank our people in Ambazonia for the sacrifice and commitment they have displayed over the last two weeks in their observation of Lockdowns.

Fellow Ambazonians, the path to freedom and independence is always difficult but despite the current darkness, I see hope and a bright future. Our cardinal objectives are freedom and independence. Be reassured that we remain committed to the restoration of the independence of our homeland.

Thank You

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

The West Cameroon Association, (WCA) would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of Mola Njoh Litumbe, who passed away in Cameroon on the 29th of May 2020 at the age of 94.

We will always remember with fondness and profound gratitude that Mola Litumbe honored our invitation to a symposium held at the Coventry Hilton Hotel in the United Kingdom, on the 30th of September 2017.

Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges which were faced by all the invited panelists, Mola Njoh Litumbe was the only one who was able to overcome the obstacles to make it safely in person to the symposium.

That singular act of commitment is a great testament to Mola Njoh’s exemplary character and his unimpeachable integrity. He presented the case for The Independence of Southern Cameroons (a cause in which he firmly believed and to which he had dedicated a significant portion of his life), with such eloquence that fascinated and inspired the audience.

Mola Njoh Litumbe was a quintessential product of the old school of gentlemen from Southern Cameroons. A doughty and fearless activist, a persuasively articulate polemicist, fair-minded and brilliant in debate and with a willingness to listen to others. He was engaging, intelligent and an inspirational speaker. It was a privilege to hear him talk. He reminded us of the best qualities in the Anglo-Saxon tradition; a part of our colonial heritage over which he had fought fiercely to uphold and preserve

Needless to say that Mola Njoh Litumbe will be sorely missed. In gratitude to his life-long dedication to the cause of the liberation of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons, we, of the WCA, promise to continue to work towards securing a negotiated lasting settlement. We aspire to eventually secure that missing proverbial ‘marriage certificate’, to which he often alluded, for the self determination of the people of Southern Cameroons.

Richard Nfor

On behalf of the West Cameroon Association

UN Secretary General Calls for a Ceasefire in the Conflict between Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun

The United Nations Secretary General recently called for a ceasefire in the on-going conflict in the Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia). In his statement, the Secretary General requested both parties to engage in a ceasefire to pave the way to finding a lasting solution to the crisis between Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun.

On behalf of the people of the Southern Cameroons and their leader, Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, currently detained unlawfully in a prison in Yaoundé by the government of French Cameroun, I want to inform you of the following confidence building measures we believe will conduce to and create an environment propitious for a sustainable and fruitful engagement between the two parties:

• A ceasefire and at the same time La Republique du Cameroun to pull out all its forces from the Southern Cameroons.

• Unconditional release of all our people held in any detention centres or prison facilities anywhere in connection with the on-going conflict.

• A commitment from La Republique du Cameroun that it would no longer engage in violence of any shape or form against our people.

• A good faith commitment from the government of la Republique du Cameroun to come to the negotiation table on an agreed date and neutral venue in negotiations led by muscular multiple tack one mediators acceptable to both parties.

We believe the above to be (i) minimum confidence building measures that will generate momentum necessary for eventual talks between the two sides to resolve the territorial and human rights disputes that are at the root of the crisis; and (ii) the precursor of the following inevitable international action: humanitarian intervention, fact-finding mission to investigate atrocities and hold those responsible accountable, and an independence referendum.

Yours Sincerely

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

To avoid chaos, anarchy and possible explosion, CPDM apologists and Beti tribal jingoists should perish the thought that Frank Biya will succeed his father as the next President of Cameroon.

In December 2008, a Guinean newspaper published a photo of a frail and ailing President Lansana Conté, who appeared to be struggling to stand up. The photo sparked rumors of the president’s ill health and angered the country’s political elite, who hastily ordered the editor’s arrest. The next day, on the instructions of the security chief, the same newspaper carried an even bigger photo of Mr. Conté on its front page – this time smiling broadly and looking spirited. But Conte died a week later, vindicating the newspaper’s initial resolve to let Guineans know that the president’s health was failing.

The head of the National Assembly, Aboubacar Somparé, later explained that leaders hid the president’s “physical suffering in order to give happiness to Guinea.” Mr. Somparé’s clumsy explanation implied a need to avoid succession squabbles and potential violence. Yet six hours after the president’s death was officially announced, the army staged a coup, suspended the constitution and threw the West African nation into political turmoil.

The same scenario seems to be playing out in Cameroon where speculation is rife and rumors abound that the 87-year-old octogenarian President Paul Biya has groomed his son, Frank Biya to succeed him as president. Cameroon’s socio-economic and political crisis is the inevitable result of poor leadership. In a country where the retirement age is 55 years, the average age of the cabinet is 68 years. The Senate President and constitutional successor to the president, Niat Njifenji Marcel, is 85 and has been recycled in different positions of authority for 58 years. House Speaker, Cavaye Yeguié Djibril is 79 and has been an MP since 1971; and Speaker for the last 27 years and counting. The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. René Claude Meka is 80; the Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguélé is 86 years old.

In a mindless distraction from the urgency of the moment, however, the Betis are not only pre-occupied with confiscating power by foisting Frank Biya on the nation, they find it convenient to embark on their quest in the most insulting manner to the sensibilities of all Cameroonians. It does not require a special skill or intelligence to recognize that Cameroon is sick. Although the Betis who have confiscated power may find it a bitter pill to swallow, Biya like very reluctant mortal will eventually die. It is a sad commentary on the character of Cameroonian politics and politicians that the debate as to who will succeed Biya continues to dominate public discourse despite the clear and unambiguous constitutional provisions about presidential succession. Needless and distracting, it is deafening and getting volatile by the day, threatening the fabrics of the nation. As a matter of fact, this needless debate is the pivot on which every political development and activity in the country today, negative and positive, is anchored.

Within the corridors of power in Cameroon, the topic of succession is twisted by delusions, secrecy and ineptitude. The ruling political party’s strategy over the last four decades is for the Cameroons to be a champion of zero-imagination. They have existed in illusions as if Paul Biya would live forever. They have had over thirty years to devise a progression strategy but have done nothing. Paul Biya and his close acolytes have been lazy and reckless in a crucial leadership responsibility to work out a succession plan for the nation.

The daily rumours and briefings from high level regime officials about the appointment of Franck Biya, the president’s son, as the next head of state has been a showcase of lack of preparedness and exceptional absurdity. The drumbeat for Franck Biya’s coronation from high level regime officials and Biya’s tribesmen is shameful. Cameroon is not a monarchy!

Franck Biya has had a profoundly mysterious existence. It was reported that he abandoned school in the US. Little has been reported and documented about his education and professional life. Cameroon Concord News Group has been allowed official papers that evidenced he was issued a license to exploit and export the country’s timber with impunity through Ingeniere Forestiere (ING-F) which has now been declared bankrupt. The accounts of the business and its paid taxes are non-existent.

The Panana Papers alleged that he owned several bank accounts in financial havens around the world. It was rumoured for decades that he showed no interest in politics. But recent photographs of him in motorcades with huge military presence, released by the inner-circle of the CPDM crime syndicate, have raised eyebrows. Why would a country of 25 million settle for such an experiment in the middle of the worst political and economic crisis to befall it? It would not take a rocket scientist to work out that the plan is to put the best person in place to cover the tracks of the crime syndicate that has ruined the country for four decades.

President Biya, presumably a good student of history and a dramatis personae of the system has had 38 years to change the narrative and halt the nation’s steady decline, but he has failed woefully to rise up to the challenge of personal example which is the hallmark of true leadership. Ironically, Cameroon started out on an excellent note as patriots were not in short supply after unification. With their sterling qualities, the likes of ET Egbe, Achidi Achu, Ayissi Mvodo Victor, Samuel Eboua, Maikano Abdoulaye, Dorothy Njuema, Claude Tchepanou, Andze Tsoungui, Sadou Daoudou, Augustine Federick Kodock, Charles Doumba, Eteki Mbouma, Sengat-Kuo Francois, Andre Ngongang Ouandji, Delphine Tsanga, and many others of that Ahidjo era illuminated the horizon with ideas for a nation bound for the greatest of heights. They were men and women who till date remain beyond compare.

In a civilised democracy, where democratic values and culture have been sufficiently implanted in the soul, mind and spirit of the people and imbibed as tenets and societal norms, the ridiculous notion that Frank Biya can succeed his father as president of Cameroon would pass for a mere mundane issue that is laughable and should attract no further comment. This leadership vacuum created by Biya’s absence has left in its trail, economic crises, political turmoil and wanton impoverishment of the people. Worst still, the prospect of prosperity for all in a land so blessed materially and in every other respect is undermined by corruption. Nothing seems to be working in the country today. To make matters worse, the bond that binds the ethnic nationalities together appears at the very best tenuous, if not snapping, and threatening fundamentally the unity of the country.

It is perhaps right to say at no time has the basis of Cameroon’s existence as a multi-ethnic bilingual nation been as furiously assailed as has been witnessed in recent times. The unity in diversity of the country which hitherto was advertised as its strength has been supplanted by the diversities in the unity, such that an average Cameroonian sees himself first in the mold of his ethnic nationality. This explains why the country is politically weak and structurally fragile, even as the regime insists on its pig-headed war of attrition against Anglophones; a majority of who now favor outright separation from the union with French Cameroon. The rising insecurity and frightening prognostications is exacerbated by poverty and insensitive political leadership that prides itself in a false sense of direction with little or no accomplishments to show.

Amid repeated media reports that Biya is dead, political watchers have determined the president is showing more wear and tear mostly in the form of wrinkles on his face; the declining swagger of his gait; the alleged uncontrollable flatulence and protracted anal blasts and the deterioration in his husky voice even as the subterfuge amongst the President’s men is to insist all is fine even when Biya can barely walk. Over the last thirty-eight years, the moral and intellectual equilibrium has slackened under Mr Paul Biya. Political appointments, personal advancements and many things under his reign have been dependent on an inconceivable degree of tribalism, nepotism and a personality cult around him. Over time, Paul Biya has become increasingly ruthless. Under him, the aggregation of power is unprecedented. It is a cult. He rules predominantly by decree. His parliament is a collection of comedians and common criminals. His 180 parliamentarians and 100 senators are spokespeople, subservient to his CPDM crime syndicate. All ministers and parliamentary comedians are expected to recite from a script written in the presidency. It’s fascinatingly dull and depressing but somehow normal in one of the poorest countries on earth despite being blessed with enormous natural resources.

Paul Biya is old, weak, and medically incontinent. But he is surrounded by hand-clappers and ruthless henchmen. Their determination to stay in power is matched by their viciousness. Franck Biya’s unpreparedness for the presidency is obvious. The argument that one doesn’t need a sound university education to govern a nation is weak and made weaker with the rise of Donald Trump. Cameroon Concord News Group summits that if a man cannot exploit timber for free and export for a profit, such a man is ill-suited for the presidency of a nation.

Cameroon’s current state of economic and political woes demand a man or woman of integrity, equipped with the knowledge of world economics in a fast changing world. The country needs to make a logical choice to clean up the mess of the last thirty-eight years. Cameroon needs a choice to drag the country from the abyss into peace and prosperity. This is not the time for costly political experiments and cover-ups. Generations have been destroyed. This country, blessed with abundant human and natural resources, cannot afford to waste another generation.

The next president of Cameroon should not emerge by accident. He ought to have been cultivated, has a clear pedigree, knows the nation, and has the capacity to capture the imagination of Cameroonians by the way he articulates the problems plaguing the country and seeking solutions to such problems. Nor should he be driven by the modern madness of primitive material accumulation and conspicuous consumption of the Biya regime. He must lead by being led by the people.

Cameroon post-Biya must somehow recapture the true spirit of leadership, of service, of sacrifice. Such new kind of leader must espouse a clear vision for the country. He must possess big dreams for Cameroon and sell it to all and sundry. Unlike Biya, he must be a man capable of empathizing with the people – weeping when the people are hurt, and rejoicing when the people are happy. Such a leader must possess the acumen, candour and courage to weld together all of Cameroon’s disparate parts. Such new kind of leader must not be a man of doubtful character and credibility. He must be someone who finds himself in the nation’s highest office by clear grooming and preparation.

Cameroonians must stop moaning and start questioning those who offer themselves for leadership positions. They must look beyond the immediate gratification and the corrupted process that politicians are pirating. They must back up their desire for a better country, by mobilizing to challenge any such effort to impose Frank Biya as the next president of Cameroon. The country needs a president who can recapture the dreams of our founding fathers and once again, begin the earnest journey to true nationhood.

By Isong Asu

London Bureau Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group