Paul Biya has entrusted prime minister Joseph Dion Ngute with the task of leading the crucial national dialogue from 30 September to 4 October. The talks are supposed to lead to a resolution to the crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. It is a mission of trust but also a dangerous one.

1. Rooted

He comes from an family of high-ranking officials in the English-speaking South-West, where he was born sixty-five years ago. A traditional chief attached to his Sawa roots, he maintains a very strong link with his region, while pursuing a career – administrative and political – in the capital.

2. Teacher

Educated in Yaoundé and London, with a PhD from the University of Warwick (Great Britain), this expert on business law was a professor at Université Yaoundé II in the 1980s.

3. Prestige

In 1991, he became director general of the École Nationale d’Administration et de Magistrature, a highly respected institution in Yaoundé.

4. Loyal

Between December 1997 and March 2018, he was minister delegate to the foreign affairs ministry with responsibility for the Commonwealth. He was then appointed minister in charge of the presidency. Loyal to Paul Biya, he is a member of the central committee of the ruling Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais party.

5. Diplomat

He represented Cameroon at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, Gambia. He also led the Cameroonian delegation to the negotiations that led to the creation of the African Union and was his country’s main representative on the Gulf of Guinea Commission.

6. Bakassi

As a member of the Cameroon-Nigeria Joint Commission under the aegis of the United States, he participated in the negotiations that led to the implementation of the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague concerning the Bakassi border dispute.

7. Problem solver

Last May, he spent nearly a week travelling through North-West and South-West provinces, meeting with local authorities, politicians, religious leaders and representatives of civil society. Each time, he explained that he was carrying an offer of dialogue from President Biya.

8. Rolling up his sleeves

This very discreet insider will be the mastermind of the national dialogue at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé. On the agenda: bilingualism, decentralisation, the return of displaced people, demobilisation and the reintegration of former combatants.

9. Diaspora

To resolve the Anglophone crisis, he was mandated to conduct broad consultations to gather the opinions and complaints of all Cameroonians. In the coming days, delegations will be sent to meet the diaspora.

10. Taking a risk

Leading the national dialogue is both a privilege and a risk. If these talks fail, there is no doubt that President Biya, who has chosen to remain in the background, would hold him responsible.

Source: The Africa Report

Jacques Chirac, who died on Thursday, infuriated Washington by refusing to join the US-led coalition in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a landmark decision which badly hurt Paris-Washington relations.

Chief UN inspector Hans Blix had submitted a report on Iraq’s attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction and suggested that more inspections were needed.

But then US secretary of state Colin Powell argued that Saddam Hussein was preventing inspectors from uncovering the full extent of his arms programme.

Chirac was convinced a war would destabilise the region, and sent his then foreign minister Dominique de Villepin to do diplomatic battle at the United Nations.

De Villepin’s address to an emotionally charged Security Council on February 14 was a vibrant challenge to the logic of war, and elicited rare applause from his audience.

“In this temple of United Nations, we are the guardians of an ideal, we are guardians of a conscience. The heavy responsibility and great honour that is ours must lead us to give priority to peaceful disarmament,” de Villepin said.

“This message comes to you today from an old country, France, from an old continent like mine, Europe, that has known wars, occupation, and barbarity.”

– Tensions with Washington –

On March 18, 2003, Chirac raised the stakes, declaring: “Iraq does not represent an immediate threat that would justify an immediate war. France appeals to the responsibility of all to respect international law.

“Acting without the UN’s legitimacy, putting power before law, means taking on a heavy responsibility,” he warned.

The position was backed by three-quarters of the French population.

Chirac’s stance strained France’s relations with the United States for several years.

But as Iraq slipped into chaos in the aftermath of the invasion, many observers saw his opposition to the conflict as one of the crowning achievements of his political career.

Source: AFP

The French Cameroun dictator has reportedly been using the enormous influence his regime wields within Europe and the United States including Canada to get away with the crimes Cameroon government army soldiers are perpetrating against the people of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia.

We of the Cameroon Concord News Group believe and fervently too that it basically makes Europe and the US a cosponsor of French Cameroun terrorism against a people Yaoundé had once described as its own citizens.

Never in the history of the African continent has a regime been allowed to go scot-free after trampling on the legitimate rights of a people. More than 4000 Ambazonians have been killed, thousands of Southern Cameroonians have been relegated to a lower class in French Cameroun detention centers, thousands are living in the bushes and thousands are now refugees in neighboring Nigeria. By some strange happenstance, certain European countries are complicit in Biya’s crimes against Southern Cameroons.

The truth is that the Biya Francophone regime has been able to get away with these crimes against humanity not only by the political influence in Europe guaranteed by the French government and support from lobby groups in the US but by given bribes to UN and Commonwealth diplomats.

Biya is slowly but surely criminalizing any political speech or disagreement from Southern Cameroons over the political future of the so-called one and indivisible nation. In Yaoundé and in some areas in Douala, Southern Cameroonians can disagree about any Cameroonian political figure or any French Cameroun government official on any issue except separation or federation including who will be Cameroon’s next head of state.

The Francophone Beti Ewondo political elites have twisted Cameroon’s penal code laws..to say that any agitation for better living standard by Southern Cameroonians is only motivated by hate for fatherland and therefore, anybody Ambazonian that protest is exposed to terrorism charges.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The consortium of CPDM crime syndicates headed by the 86 year old President Paul Biya is in the final stages of its life, and the youthful Beti Ewondo political and military leaders are expediting the regime’s demise through their policies against the people of Southern Cameroons.

The Biya administration is old, unbearable, intolerable, unacceptable and at best primitive and is definitely in the final stages of its life because of natural reasons like its cruel measures over the past 37 years, the systematic corruption in the regime, suppression of the Cameroonian people, and totalitarianism of its rules.

The performance of incumbent Beti Ewondo French Cameroun political elites such as Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh and Joseph Beti Assomo – which is in sharp contradiction to that of their French Cameroun predecessors such as the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo – will expedite the collapse of the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime.

Biya and French Cameroun’s war on Southern Cameroons, the crimes committed by the regime’s army soldiers and Biya’s polarization of every aspect of the Cameroonian society has seriously affected the future unity of the so-called one and indivisible state.

We are currently seeing for the first time French Cameroun taxation officers intimidating business owners and collecting money to pay the army and civil servants and we are also seeing major Cameroonian partners such as the USA and Germany withdrawing support they had provided the Cameroonian people for decades.

An ex-convict Paul Atanga Nji was appointed Minister of Territorial Administration while a mentally deranged person is deputy minister for justice. Deranged means insane!

Biya started his hostile policies toward Southern Cameroons after the declaration of independence by the Ambazonia leader, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Biya’s rare address to the nation recently in which he accepted for the first time that there was indeed a serious crisis in Southern Cameroons and the silence of CPDM hardliners over the issue showed the regime’s ultimate humiliation and indicates that pressure is mounting.

French business tycoon, Bollore and the Chinese are taking over whatever is left of Cameroon in exchange for the political support that Biya receives from Paris and Beijing. French and US lobby groups are forcing Biya to pay more for political service offered in the West.

United Nations diplomats including Secretary General Gutteres are happy to keep Biya and his ruling CPDM elites as close partners because of Yaoundé’s extravagant payments in gold constantly being made to them!  To be more accurate, Biya and his CPDM regime have nothing but cash that they dish out to lobby groups in Paris, Washington, Geneva and New York.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Ever since Cameroon’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, announced his national dialogue in lieu of the inclusive dialogue called for by the international community, many hypocrites have sprung into action.

Some are still speaking the old and provocative language that brought about the crisis in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Many claim federalism is not good for the country, adding that it is too expensive. Many of them fail to understand that excessive centralization is hyper-expensive, as it creates the conditions for corruption and the abuse of power.

Corruption is expensive. The number of government officials in jail today and the amounts of money they are being accused of embezzling speak to the fact that corruption is more expensive than federalism.

The current form of the state is to blame for most of the country’s woes and suggesting that it cannot be changed simply implies the chaos of the past three years should continue.

If the form of the state cannot be discussed and changed, then the so-called national dialogue does not need to take place. Mr. Biya’s government has had multiple opportunities to make Cameroon great, but he has misused every single opportunity available to him.

The Tripartite Talks and the 1996 Constitutional talks were huge opportunities for him to endear himself to Cameroonians. He unfortunately missed all the targets.

If Mr. Biya and his CPDM government do not walk away from their old ways, then they want more bloodshed in Cameroon. The country has already lost a lot of blood and it is time to turn off the unpleasant streams of blood that have turned our country into an abattoir.

The government must always bear in mind that the dynamics have changed. The Internet has come and it has come to stay and Cameroonians will use it to expose the corruption and the dishonesty of Cameroon government officials.

Besides, if Southern Cameroonians are not satisfied with the outcome of the so-called dialogue, they will ensure that more guns head to Cameroon for action and this will be bad news for the suffering masses. We must avoid this.

Today, it is not only the government that can purchase weapons. The equation has changed. Government officials must always know that they cannot always lead Cameroonians by their noses.

As Cameroonians, we must work hard to ensure that old demons do not rear their ugly heads again in our country. We must prevent bloodshed in our country by having a frank and fruitful discussion on the Southern Cameroons issue and other problems that have pitted ordinary citizens against their own government.

Francophones should understand that they must never speak for Southern Cameroonians. They do not understand the issues and they are easily corruptible and contented with whatever crumbs Mr. Biya has for them.

Southern Cameroonians know they deserve more. They also know how to be patient. But after five decades of patience, they feel it is time to do things differently and that was why they stood up as one man to challenge the Yaounde authoritarian regime.

And they will never be apologetic about it. Cameroon belongs to all of those who have been born in the country and it will be preposterous to let a few people exploit others. It is always great to live for a day as a lion than to live for a century as a sheep. Southern Cameroonians have proven that.

They have also proven that they still have a stomach for a fight if the government still wants to continue with its manipulation and tricks.

The financial resources are there and there is a huge pool of willing fighters prepared and ready to muddy the waters.

The irony is that it is the government itself that has created the huge pool of fighters. Its inability to create jobs for young graduates has only made it possible for the government’s enemies to create work for the idle hands and minds that are available across the country.

Second, the government’s arrogance has also made things easy for Cameroonians to hate it. An efficient and arrogant government can only incur the people’s wrath. The government’s refusal to heed the people’s call for changes in the manner in which the country is being run has only made the country ungovernable.

The form of the state must change for peace to prevail. If Francophones are happy with Mr. Biya’s disastrous decentralization, let them know that Southern Cameroonians will never accept that.

Like most Cameroonians, I don’t want any more bloodshed. I want to see honesty and determination during the so-called talks which are gradually turning into a carnival of press releases and motions of support for Paul Biya.

This is bad news for some of us who hold that the dialogue could bring about peace. The guns, that have spoken for three years should be silenced for us to make giant strides.

However, the government must understand that Southern Cameroonians will always keep their gun option on the table if the government does not change its ways. The chaos of the past will always be a reminder to the government whenever it wants to play its pranks.

The fund-raising events will surely continue until the right solutions are found if the government does not display a lot of good faith.

Cameroon is bigger than Paul Biya. It is bigger than the ruling CPDM. The chaos of the last three years should always serve as a reminder each time a major decision has to be taken.

The government should also seek to repair its relation with the country’s Diaspora. The Diaspora has the resources to destabilize the country for a long time.

Having a good relationship with it, implies that those resources could be converted into investment funds.

Dr Joachim Arrey

President Buhari shares paternity with Paul Biya of Cameroon in leadership style. Both men are joined by the umbilicus of repression and abrasion.

In 2010, Bertrand Teyou, an author, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for insulting the wife of Biya, Chantal. The Cameroonian Government filed charges against him for this spectacular reason.

Under Biya, Southern Cameroon has become the scene of a volcanic crisis – killings, illegal detentions and arrests. Specifically, the government is zeroing in on dissenting voices in effecting these violations.

I think, the situation is much more execrable in Nigeria than in Cameroon.

Amnesty International encapsulates it in these words: ‘’The human rights situation in Nigeria is marked by serious human rights violations such as extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, violence against women and girls, restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, mass forced evictions, environmental pollution and lack of accountability for human rights violations and abuses.’’

As a matter of fact, the Buhari government has racked up egregious human rights records more than any other administration before it. In 2017, the United States Department of State released a convicting exposition on this villainy.

“Impunity remained widespread at all levels of government.

“The government did not adequately investigate or prosecute most of the major outstanding allegations of human rights violations by the security forces or the majority of cases of police or military extortion or other abuse of power.

“Authorities generally did not hold police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody.

“State and federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths generally did not make their findings public,” it said.

I have studied the charges levelled against Omoyele Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters, and they ossify my position that the gentleman is being put through a mill of thistles and thorns for being a relentless critic of the administration.

He is charged with ‘’insulting’’ the President, and for transferring money from New York to Nigeria? What a phenomenal charge? Obviously, Sowore’s only crime is that he has a roaring voice which puts the foundations of Aso Rock to fright.

And does it mean words cannot change the General, but they get to him?

Really, the cyberstalking law, by which Sowore is charged, was fashioned under President Jonathan. This was, perhaps, the former President’s response to social media criticism at the time. But the law, being defective, was never applied under him.

Jonathan was vilified, abused and defamed but not one Nigerian was incarcerated or charged with ‘’treason’’. In fact, in the North, coffins with photos and semblances of Jonathan were coursed through the streets by dissenters but not a single protester was detained. And he was even stoned in Yola on his way to Taraba.

These were clearly grievous offences that are punishable by the law. But a democrat will see beyond an act and ask, ‘’why is this happening? Why are citizens angry?’’

Although Jonathan was not without freckles, he exercised his own brutish aspect with the clampdown on media organisations.

Really, only a non-performing government will be afraid of citizens’ protests or interpret civil actions as subversion. Only a failing administration will be extremely irritated by criticisms and divergent opinions.

In the case of Sowore, he has exercised himself in the discipline of civil opposition. He has only used his voice as a protected child of the Nigerian constitution.

Section 39(1) of the 1999 constitution establishes that “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information without interference.”

This is the grundnorm to which all laws submit. This is the pillar on which our democracy is built.

The charges cannot stand. But why do dictators rise in AFRICA? It is because of the people, who do nothing; who enable them and who only pray for an end to their suffering.

Culled from Sahara Reporters

Cameroon is going through the toughest moment of its life and the future looks bleak as the Central African country deals with multiple crises. The country’s economy is facing tough times and the level of employment is very high. But it is the Anglophone crisis that is the government’s toughest challenge. The country’s president, Paul Biya, recently addressed the nation and called for a national dialogue that should help the country heal. After the address, staff lady Chi Prudence Asong spoke with Dr. Joachim Arrey, a writer, who has continued writing on how the government could proceed to end the crisis that has resulted in the deaths of many people and he had this to say.

Cameroon Concord News: What is your impression about the president’s address to the nation?

Dr Arrey Jaochim: I think it was an opportunity to reassure Cameroonians. The address comes a bit too late, but better late than never. The president should have done this a lot earlier to spare the country and the international community the horror movie that has been playing out in the country’s two English-speaking regions for almost three years. The country’s economy has been hurt, many people have been displaced and thousands have lost their lives in a conflict that could have been prevented. However, I think we should be forward-looking. Many mistakes have been made, but I think the call for dialogue is an opportunity for Cameroonians to take a long and hard look at their country’s past to figure out how to address those issues that have brought untold hardship on the people. It is also an opportunity to address the Southern Cameroonian issue once and for all.

Cameroon Concord News: The dialogue has already begun as the Prime Minister has been receiving many delegations to obtain their views. It has been announced that the main event will start on 30 September. What do you think about the government’s approach?

Dr Arrey Joachim: I think the government is doing something, but the population is simply not happy with what it is doing. It is a good idea to receive opinions from political parties and traditional leaders, but it should be pointed out that Southern Cameroonians who have triggered this dialogue do no longer trust their politicians and traditional leaders, most of whom have escaped to East Cameroon as a result of the conflict. This conflict is born out of frustration and marginalization and the government should understand that certain measures need to be taken now to instil confidence in the English-speaking minority if it wants its dialogue not to end up as a deadlock.  The truth is that those who have financed this revolution are living abroad and the best the government can do is to head to those countries and try to negotiate. The government itself has lost credibility and those living abroad will never take it seriously. The government needs to seek a mediator who must be impartial and objective to ensure that the country does not end up with a deadlock on its hand. That is why many people around the round still express fear and doubts as to the government’s sincerity in organizing a dialogue. The government seems to be playing the role of a judge and jury at the same time.  I would advise that the United Nations be given a chance to play an important role so that Southern Cameroonians can feel that there is a neutral third party involved. If Mr. Biya really wants peace to return to Cameroon, then he must yield a lot of ground and must yield to calls for an international mediator.

Cameroon Concord News: But the president did also say that there was nobody to discuss with and that has been the issue facing the government for all these years.

Dr Arrey Joachim: I think Mr. Biya is frozen in time. He is of the opinion that he knows it all and the other Cameroonians are not smart enough to generate any good idea. If he had listened to many people just when the crisis started, we would not be where we are today. If he had addressed the nation using the right words at the beginning of the crisis, more than 2,000 lives would have been spared. Saying that he cannot find someone to dialogue with only makes him sound ridiculous. He seems to be looking for a solution that is already in his bedroom. As far as Southern Cameroonians are concerned, Julius Ayuk Tabe is their president and a poster boy of the rebellion. Besides Julius Ayuk Tabe, there are many other leaders in jail. If ?r: Biya were serious about this dialogue which I am considering as a deadlock, he would grant general amnesty to all those arrested during the crisis as well as people living abroad who have been directly or indirectly linked to the crisis. This will not only be a goodwill gesture, but a clear signal that he wants things to return to normal. History is littered with stories of people who have negotiated for their groups while in jail. Nelson Mandela did it for South Africans and Julius Ayuk Tabe can also do it for Southern Cameroonians.

Cameroon Concord News: But it is held that Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe and Co. are terrorists because of their role in the rebellion.

Dr Arrey Joachim: I think it is time to change the rhetoric. If the government continues to use the anti-terrorism law to eliminate its opponents, nobody will ever have confidence in it. Julius Ayuk Tabe and others arrested in the context of this conflict are not terrorists. They are freedom fighters who truly hold that the Yaounde system needs to change. They hold that Southern Cameroonians have been marginalized for too long and despite all the peaceful means used over the last four decades to draw the attention of the government to the sorry plight of the people of Southern Cameroons, the Yaounde government has continued to argue that there is no marginalization in Cameroon. The best any reasonable person can do is to listen to those who are complaining. Killing and jailing them will not cause the problem to go away.  The anti-terrorism law should not be used by the government to push the country into conflicts that are sapping its economy of its vitality. For real development to take place in Cameroon, there must be peace. The government of Cameroon must live up to the expectations of its people. It must sow the seeds of peace and must understand that a government is not chosen for it to oppress its people, but to create the right conditions for its citizens to prosper and live life in a peaceful environment.

Cameroon Concord News: Will you attend the national dialogue in Yaounde?

Dr Arrey Joachim: Personally, I do not need to be physically present in Yaounde for me to contribute my ideas. I have been writing for decades to let the government know that something is broken and needs to be fixed. My role as a writer is to inform and admonish, where necessary. It is also up to the government to accept what I say or write. But it now knows that failure to listen could lead to the type of disaster the country has witnessed over the last three years. As far as I am concerned, the government should ensure that the Diaspora is properly represented. However, I don’t know how that will happen as Mr. Biya and his government are still threatening the Diaspora with arrests. The Yaounde government needs to fix its relationship with the Diaspora. The Diaspora has the resources to destabilize Cameroon for a long time. If the government really wants to succeed, then it must send delegations to London, Washington and Toronto to meet with those who can help Cameroon return to the path of peace. I know you will be surprised that I have mentioned Toronto and not Ottawa, but I would be quick to add that Toronto is where the money has been coming from. If you need to address the right crowd, then the Greater Toronto Area is where you should be, as many successful Cameroonians have settled in places like Brampton, Mississauga and Ajax which constitute the Greater Toronto Area and most of them are in the private sector and have the resources to keep Yaounde politicians awake all night.

Cameroon Concord News: Which other group of people would you recommend for the national dialogue?

Dr Arrey Joachim: I would recommend religious leaders and activists. These groups of people can make or mar the national dialogue. Religious leaders are much respected in Southern Cameroons. Their views should be taken seriously. Activists also have a huge following.  If the government wants them to change their perspective and their rhetoric, then it must stretch a hand of friendship to journalists and activists. When you need peace, you must bend over backwards to have it.

Cameroon Concord News: Will you be willing to work for the government so that you can share your views with the authorities?

Dr Arrey Joachim: I will continue to use all the platforms available to me to share my perspective. I do not need to work for the government for my views to be known. I have been writing and will continue to do so for a long time. As a writer, my role is to inform and not to be a bureaucrat. There are other Cameroonians who can deliver more than me. I prefer to be on the sidelines to draw the government’s attention to mistakes that may cause our country to implode, but I will always do so in all objectivity and honesty.  That is my role and I love to play it.

Cameroon Concord News: Thank you Dr. Joachim Arrey for sharing your thoughts with us.

In December 2019, Cameroon Concord News Group shall be announcing the Man of the Year!!  We are asking our readers and subscribers to nominate their own personal Man of the Year.

Over the years, we of the Concord Group have seen a few same float to the top!! However, it is vital to observe that ever since we started the Man of the Year Award in 1999 in Essen Germany, the variety of responses from our readers have been surprising and truthfully, a little touching.

Here are some of our favourites for 2019:Prime Minister Dion Ngute, the Ambazonia leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the commander of the Ambazonia Restoration Forces in the Lebialem County, Field Marshal, Journalist Mimi Mefo and Prof Maurice Kamto!!

Let your voice be heard!! Nominate a man or woman with solid personal achievements for the Cameroon Concord Man of the Year Award 2019

By Chi Prudence Asong

Despite mounting French Cameroun army atrocities in Southern Cameroons and towards the Ambazonia leadership, Biya and his gang of French Cameroun political elites should begin dealing directly with the Ambazonian leader, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe in an effort to bring the violence in Southern Cameroons under control and get both sides of the political divide to the negotiating table in a foreign land and with a neutral third party to chair the talks.

Biya’s recent call for national dialogue which has become increasingly common in French Cameroun editorial columns, on the floor of the Francophone dominated national assembly and in open-door cabinet meetings in the Star Building presided over by Prime Minister Dion Ngute will fail woefully.

The Francophone political elites who have erected a stonewall all in a bid to prevent Biya from holding talks with the Ambazonian leadership are making the same serious error the late Prof Martin Belinga and Rene Sadi made by deceiving the Buhari administration in Nigeria that arresting President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides will bring an end to hostilities.

French Cameroun political elites who say the so-called national dialogue should be held without the jailed Ambazonia leadership do not understand the nature of the Southern Cameroons crisis and the Southern Cameroons Interim Government.

We of the Cameroon Concord News Group do not believe that this is a duel between two personalities, Biya and Ayuk Tabe. It is a confrontation between two different peoples, French Cameroun and British Southern Cameroons. Correspondingly, it is a costly mistake on the French Cameroun side to ignore the fact that President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe represents the Southern Cameroons people — their hopes, their desperation, their mistakes, and their language and not Peter Mafany Musonge, Atanga Nji or Dion Ngute.  It is also an illusion to think that if Sisiku Ayuk Tabe is kept in jail for life, the problems of the one and indivisible Cameroon would be solved.

Pro Biya comedians such as Ngolle Ngolle Elvis, Victor Mengot, Paul Tasong and Elung Paul also forget, or unrealistically discount, the wide-ranging international Southern Cameroons diaspora support that President Sisiku Ayuk has cultivated from South Africa and Europe to much of the USA and Canada.

The arrest of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides in Abuja, Nigeria and the systematic infiltration of the Ambazonia Interim Government under Dr Sako Ikome by French Cameroun agents caused the Southern Cameroons Interim Government to lose control over armed Ambazonia factions operating in both the Northern and Southern Zones of Ambazonia.

For the sake of Biya’s own legacy, and peace in the Gulf of Guinea, Biya and French Cameroun must make sure that the Ambazonia Interim Government has one authority over the rifles in Southern Cameroons. Bankrolling the creation of several militias in Southern Cameroons is not the solution but is instead making matters more intractable.

Though Ambazonia Restoration Forces have made no fatal attacks on French Cameroun army soldiers in the last several days, it is evident that those attacks will resume as the diaspora have began regrouping under the banner of Patriotic Amba Citizens and raising tens of thousand dollars in 72 hours to finance the resistance and its jailed leadership.

Biya and French Cameroun for the last time should avoid counterproductive acts that could further inflame the situation and drag the fighting into French Cameroun. Added to this hydra-headed situation is the fact that it is indeed hard to tell who has legitimate authority in French Cameroun.

French Cameroun Minister of Interior, Paul Atanga Nji has constantly contradicted Prime Minister Dion Ngute on the way forward in resolving the crisis in Ambazonia. Biya himself has also been flip-flopping on his position! Today he is not talking to terrorists; tomorrow he is willing to dialogue with separatists. Yet his acolytes insist that when he articulates policy he speaks for the entire government of French Cameroun.

In his rare televised address to French speaking Cameroonians recently, Biya proposed nothing as a long-term plan for Southern Cameroonians. We of the Concord Group are aware that Biya will come under fierce criticism if he meets with President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe but that will be the right thing to do.

Biya and French Cameroun are claiming that they cannot negotiate under fire from the Ambazonia Interim Government but Vice President Dabney Yerima of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia has also opined that Biya must talk to the jailed Ambazonia leaders about how to bring an end to the fire.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

At least 2,000 people have died in the insurgency that began in 2017 in the country’s North-West and South-West regions, where Cameroon’s English-speaking minority is concentrated. English-speakers have accused the French-speaking majority of marginalizing them politically and economically. A government crackdown on a 2016 strike organized by Anglophone teachers and lawyers precipitated the creation of a violent, separatist movement to form a new independent nation called Ambazonia.

Undeterred by international criticism, Biya actually appeared to be stepping up his attacks on the separatists in the months after his October 2018 reelection, as Robbie Corey-Boulet reported in April for WPR. The situation further deteriorated last month when a military tribunal sentenced an Anglophone separatist leader and nine of his followers to life in prison. Separatists have responded with attacks on government security forces and kidnappings of officials perceived to be allied with the regime. They have also instituted a broad shutdown of shops and social services in the Anglophone region. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes.

“We should all know that we are Cameroonians, appointed to serve Cameroon, not our tribes or linguistic groups,” Biya proclaimed in his speech. But even as he announced the dialogue, Biya refused to confirm whether separatist representatives would even be invited.

The process is also set to address other national emergencies, including the Boko Haram insurgency along Cameroon’s border with Nigeria and post-election violence that occurred following Biya’s latest victory.

Culled from World Politics Review