Anglophones never voted to become the footstool of French Cameroun exploitation and plunder. (Part 1 of this soul-searching write-up is found on Cameroon Intelligence Report)

Despite claims to the contrary, French Cameroun never wanted any union with Southern Cameroons. In the countdown to the 1961 plebiscite, the standing view was that Southern Cameroons was not economically viable and would be a drainpipe on Her Majesty’s government who was passing the buck to French Cameroun taxpayers. But if Britain had consulted the geological survey maps left by the Germans after their defeat in WWI, they would have granted Southern Cameroons full independence because the Germans had documented huge potential oil reserves in the Rio del Rey basin. Thanks to British indolence, the 3rd option of independence agreed by the 43 delegates at the August 1959 all party conference in Mamfe, chaired by Sir Sidney Phillipson, Acting Southern Cameroons Commissioner, was rejected by Andrew Cohen, Britain’s representative to the UN Trusteeship Council; and not presented as an option during the 1961 plebiscite.

Even after the UN Plebiscite, in which Southern Cameroons voted for independence by joining French Cameroun, French Cameroun acted in bad faith by challenging the plebiscite results and proceeded to vote against UNGA Resolution 1608 (XV) of April 21, 1961 to prevent unification with Southern Cameroons. There were 64 votes for; 23 against and 10 abstentions. Amongst the countries that joined French Cameroun to vote against unification with Southern Cameroons were France, Ivory Coast, Congo-Brazzaville, Zaire, Senegal, Dahome (Benin), Niger, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Chad, Central Africa Republic and Gabon (the last three being former German Kamerun territories). President Ahidjo even went ahead to declare Feb 11 a day of national mourning for British Northern Cameroon, which had voted to join Nigeria. This begs the question: if Cameroon was one, united and indivisible as Francophones are now claiming, why did French Cameroun vote against unification at the UN?

This act of bad faith remains a sore point in Cameroon’s history and speaks directly to the hypocrisy and contradiction of French Cameroun’s assertion that Cameroon is one, united and indivisible. By rejecting political association with Southern Cameroons, French Cameroun maintained its international boundaries duly recorded when it was admitted to membership of the UN after obtaining independence from France on January 1, 1960. Southern Cameroons was then a self-governing British UN-mandated territory with all the trappings of a nation-state, including internationally recognized borders. French Cameroun started asserting territorial claims over Southern Cameroons only after Yves Bie’ville; the French jurist who drafted the French Cameroun constitution learned about the existence of huge oil deposits in Southern Cameroons from a German intelligence source and informed officials at the Quai d’Orsay, who ordered Ahidjo to drop his opposition to unification.

The French then dispatched a team of advisers to help Ahidjo navigate the Foumban conference of July 17-21, 1961. The Foumban conference was to be followed by a four party conference to work out modalities of the federation ahead of the planned October 1st unification date. But the conference never held. Rather, on August 6, 1961, Ahidjo announced an amendment of the French Cameroun constitution to “accommodate Southern Cameroons as the western part of German Kamerun.” On October 1, 1961 shortly after the Union Jack was lowered, Ahidjo sent French Cameroun troops into Southern Cameroons; where they have remained till this day. The hidden agenda of the deconstruction of Southern Cameroons had begun in earnest. In 1962, the pound sterling was abolished and the East Cameroun CFA franc imposed on the whole country. In 1964, the measurement system of feet, pounds and miles was abandoned in favor of the metric system of kilometers and kilograms.

In 1966, an unsuccessful attempt was made to harmonize the legal systems of the federated states, but this precipitated a crisis and was shelved. In the same year, all the political parties were dissolved to form the Cameroon National Union (CNU). Three years later, all trade unions in the country merged into a federation attached to the CNU, forswearing its allegiance to the international labor movement. French Cameroun’s sickening interest in Southern Cameroons is driven only by the desire to continue exploiting Southern Cameroon’s natural resources to finance their corrupt system of abusive patronage and ethnic-inspired clientelism, while Southern Cameroonians wallow in abject poverty and misery in the midst of plenty. Proof: in the 2017 Public Investment Budget, the South region (the President’s region of origin) with a population of 800,000 was allocated FCFA 126.2 billion; while the two English speaking regions (which account for over 60% of national GDP) with an estimated population of eight million people was allocated FCFA 85.7 billion. This is insulting and unacceptable!

Before Francophones continue peddling the hoax of a one, united and indivisible Cameroon, they need to answer these questions. When they reaffirm their commitment to a united Cameroon, are they referring to the territory or the people? When government spokespersons cite former German Kamerun to justify why Cameroon must remain one, united and indivisible; why then did French Cameroun oppose unification and voted against UN Resolution 1608 in April 1961? Can anyone not blinded by prejudice and self-interest justify this act of bad faith? From 1961-1972 when the country was a federal republic, was Cameroon one, united and indivisible? Even as Francophones continue to remonstrate about one, united and indivisible Cameroon, they must apologize for the 1961 vote against unification and stop pussyfooting and paying lip service over addressing the needs of the exploited Anglophone region which produces the bulk of the nation’s wealth. Anglophones are no longer fooled.

While French Cameroun argues that Southern Cameroons is an integral part of its territory because they have been administered jointly for 56 years, it is worth noting that Ukraine and Russia parted ways despite sharing over 1,000 years of common history. Southern Cameroons broke away from Nigeria in 1953 despite sharing 44 years of common history as well. Even if French Cameroun claims Southern Cameroons is only two of its ten regions, it cannot forget that Eritrea used to be the only former Red Sea Province of Ethiopia. That did not stop Eritrea from gaining independence. The decentralization offer for regional autonomy sold as tangible reform under the 1996 Constitution is unacceptable notably because it makes the assumption that Southern Cameroons is part of French Cameroun, and not an illegally occupied and recolonized territory.

Besides, the past 56 years are littered with evidence that French Cameroun violated the terms of unification. It has broken every promise beginning with the promise to the UN to create a federation of two equal states. In addition, autocratic regimes do not honor such pledges. It was the case when in 1961, the emperor of Ethiopia revoked the autonomous status granted Eritrea by Britain in 1952, annexing it as Ethiopia’s 14th province; leading to the 30-year war of independence. In 1989, Serbian leader, Slobodan Milosevic, revoked the autonomous status of Kosovo leading to a decade of repression, culminating in the NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999.

With Anglophones expressing disgust about the union, many are seeking a redefinition of the association in such a way that the imbalance and injustice in the system could be addressed for the emergence of a stronger and virile union.Within the circumstance, no amount of threat or intimidation will make Cameroon united. The government should stop reveling in self-delusion; we are no longer in the 1970s. The government can say what it wants, but nobody is fooled anymore. This generation of Anglophones are well-educated and know that the issue at stake here is their natural resources. And they have demonstrated their resolve to fight and die for their future and that of posterity!

The ostrich evasion of the President who pretended to dismiss the escalating crisis as the handiwork of terrorists masking as secessionists is a self-defeating strategy, which only aggravates the self-inflicted tragedy of a nation not prepared to engage in hard thinking; unwilling to introspect dispassionately and speak hard truths to itself; to muster courage to re-direct itself and do what is germane to peaceful co-existence.The only thing that will bring unity in Cameroon is for the government to eschew this conquest mentality and dialogue with Anglophones in a sovereign national conference where both sides will renegotiate the unity and the future of Cameroon as equal partners. This will enable French Cameroun to reconcile with the truth about unification – the subject of the next article in this series.

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

*Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai is a Public Intellectual and graduate of Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. A former Research Analyst for Freedom House, he is a Consultant and lives in Boston, USA. Talk back at ekinneh@yahoo.com

Over the last thirty-six years, Paul Biya Bi Mvondo, the blood thirsty leader of French Cameroun has pursued the colonial and annexationist agenda of his predecessor Babatoura Ahmadou Ahidjo over   the Southern Cameroons with brutal and cruel arrogance.  Southern Cameroonians have endued fifty-six years of French Cameroun’s colonial rule of terror with revolting indignation in the hope that the international community would come to our rescue.

Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of petitions filed by Southern Cameroonians to the United Nations, the African Union and international organizations established to protect and promote the liberating ethos of freedom and respect for international law received only timid acknowledgement. The bureaucratic shield surrounding the United Nations system and the corrupting influence of French Cameroun using the wealth obtained from looting the natural and mineral resources of the Southern Cameroons guaranteed French Cameroun the impunity to prosecute its policy of oppression and criminality over the Southern Cameroons. Considering French Cameroun and himself insulated from scrutiny over the brutality of French Cameroun’s colonial policies in the annexed territory of the Southern Cameroons, the leaders of French Cameroun ignored all entreaties and appeals to dialogue with the leaders and peoples of the Southern Cameroons to find a lasting solution to longstanding issues.

The time has come for all the leaders of the various liberation movements of the Southern Cameroons to join the revolutionary train set on the rails by our people back home in the Southern Cameroons to support the interim government established at the just ended conclave in Kaduna, Nigeria to kick French Cameroun’s out of our territory. This support is critical because the only language that will get the UN and the international community out of slumber to right the consequences its misfeasance in our territory is that of a united targeted field action. The time for that action is now.

At the threshold of the ongoing irreversible popular revolution in the Southern Cameroons, Paul Biya Bi Nvondo the sanguinary vampiric emperor of French Cameroun paid two visits to Abuja in one month. He met with His Excellency President Mohammandu Buhari.  Nothing but the Southern Cameroons revolution could have compelled this aging dictator to make the unprecedented visits to Aso Rock considering his legendary record of ignoring Africa.  He hoped that he could persuade the Nigerian President through diplomatic means and may be corruption which is his hallmark, to deport hundreds of thousands Southern Cameroonians and their leaders who over the years,  sought refuge in Nigeria.Among these Southern Cameroonians future prominently, SesekuAyuk, the humble but determined pillar of the Southern Cameroons revolution.

Those who know the President of French Cameroun, his missions to Nigeria portrayed his tacit acknowledgement at long last, that the much-anticipated David of the Southern Cameroons struggle had emerged in Nigeria to confront the Goliath of French Cameroun brutal annexation of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

The dispatch of French Cameroun’s Minister of Territorial Administration Rene Sadi to Nigeria where he was received by the Vice President of the Federation His Excellency Professor Yemi Osibanjo a few weeks ago carried further symbolic weight. This visit is a testament to the fearful impact on the colonial regime of the outcome of the conclave of the Southern Cameroons that took place in Kaduna, Nigeria. Far reaching decisions were taken in that conclave regarding the road map for the actualization of the liberation of the Southern Cameroons. This road map is premised on the threshold of the Southern Cameroons independence and freedom pact that was sealed on October 1, 2017 with the blood of hundreds of thousands of our citizens.

These desperate actions by the criminal regime in French Cameroun underscore the significance of Nigeria in our liberation struggle. The presence in Nigeria of our interim leader and hundreds of thousands of Southern Cameroonians are key advantages that we have in our wining strategy. This is one compelling reason why we must support our interim leader and the interim institutions of governance established at the conclave for the actualization of our freedom.

Currently, there are officially over forty thousand Southern Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria. These are but conservative figures because over the last fifty-six years, hundreds of thousands of Southern Cameroonians sought refuge in Nigeria fleeing from the brutality of the annexation of our territory. They did not fold their hands and resigned themselves to fate. They have been active in our struggle in many ways. They, for example, are significant participants in the grass roads revolution that has reclaimed our independence and are actively defending it at the colossal costs of blood and limb.

Nigeria is of great importance to our cause not just because the Federation has offered our people and leaders the protections and support afforded in international law to victims of war crimes and international criminality. Nigeria is and was and will always be a key player in the defense of our liberty, freedom and independence. The Southern Cameroons has some enduring historic ties with Nigeria.  The ethnic,nationality and cultural identity that the Southern Cameroons shares with Nigeria from the Niger Delta, Bakassi, Cross River, Ogoja through to Mubi in the North are indelible factors that must be seriously weighed and acknowledged.  The presence of our leadership and hundreds of thousands of our people in Nigeria, and millions more directly concerned with the ethnic and nationality component in this struggle, calls for urgent attention. It is in our best interest to support a leadership that realises this reality and has the capacity to mobilize it for our common good.

Nigeria is the natural environment where our people will and have always sought refuge in time of need. Our interim Head of State Seseku Ayuk Tabe was in Cross River State of Nigeria to visit and support our people. Our diaspora has been blackmailed by some collaborators of the colonial rule making Nigeria the natural ideal environment where they will sooner or later meet and commune with their families.  For example, over the past few days, one Benard Foju, a disgraced CPDM MP for Lebialem accused the Lebialem diaspora of brainwashing Lebialem youths and providing them drugs to torch his house and to resist colonial rule. This conduct which is not isolated, was intended to mobilize the enemy forces of oppression to target members of the diaspora, making Nigeria the natural environment for many to establish contact with their families back home.  There is therefore good reason for us to support the interim government whose base in Nigeria offers the best hope yet to liaise with all Southern Cameroons organizations to prosecute the urgent realization of our peoples’ freedom.

We are conscious that there are many Southern Cameroons organizations and individuals out there agitating for leadership or to present alternative leadership of our struggle. It is possible for them to make meaningful contributions towards the realization of our cause without tacitly helping our adversary French Cameroun in dislodging us from Nigeria and depriving us of a natural environment for the realization of our liberation. This perforce must lead to the vacation of our territory by the occupation forces of French Cameroun.  Those who are attacking the interim President and the interim government are missing the target and in ignorance advancing the objectives of our enemy. They should spare the invectives in them and direct them towards French Cameroon. The Southern Cameroons needs a leader who is humble, matured, composed, resolute, determined and focused.

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has demonstrated that he can reach out to front line leaders and all Southern Cameroonians. The postings by some leaders disclosing the subjects of their communication portray him as a steady leader who reaches out to Southern Cameroonians in the hope of building a consensus and grand coalition for the realisation of our objectives.  This is what the leader of a revolutionary struggle must be.  He has demonstrated that he can accept criticism and wise counsel in all humility.  He is approachable, and available. We salute his endurance, steadfastness, vision and focus. He has depersonalised the leadership of the struggle. This is an attribute we sought many years ago. He is at the very heart of every man, woman and child in the Southern Cameroons.  We strongly call on all the leaders of the various organizations in the Federation of Ambazonia to work with the interim government to confront our common enemy. There is a place and role for everyone in this struggle. Let us support Sisiku Ayuk Tabe who so far has led us this far. In him, we see the star of the Ambazonia revolution shining.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Editor-in-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

For the past few days, Zimbabwe has been in the spotlight for the wrong reason. The country’s former president, Robert Mugabe, who thought he would die in power, is now caught in tough negotiations just to spare himself the humiliation that has been the fate of many dethroned dictators on the continent. The negotiations are going on behind the scenes to persuade Mr. Mugabe to kiss Zimbabwe goodbye so as to avert a situation wherein he would be reduced to a villain. From every indication, the man who transformed Zimbabwe from a “bread basket” into a basket case is insisting that he would not exit honourably as that will legitimise the coup. The military has, however, been saying that its action is not a coup as it is seeking constitutional means to put an end to Mr. Mugabe’s dictatorial rule that has thrust the country into a tough political crisis.

After having served the country for thirty-seven years, the liberation struggle hero felt he could spin any and everybody around his little finger. He has always thought that he would die in power and nobody born of a woman could change that. Under his wife’s influence, the man who had transformed Zimbabweans into “poor millionaires” as the country’s currency, the Zimbabwe dollar, took a nosedive and lost its entire value, had even started purging ZANU-PF, his political party, of the very people who had brought him into the presidency. He simply failed to understand that only a fool challenges his god after having eaten to his fill. He had successfully fired many of his fellow comrades from the party, but the dismissal of his vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, to make way for his wife, Grace Mugabe alias Gucci Grace, to succeed him as the country’s next president was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Mr. Mugabe had clearly crossed the red line and the military had to stop him before he could implement his ill-advised plot.

Grace Mugabe who had thought she would be the next president of Zimbabwe has seen her dream shatter into pieces. She has been hiding ever since the military stepped in to put an end to her husband’s comedy that has cost the country its economy and image. Her arrogant public pronouncements had angered the military and made her feel that she was untouchable. But this could not continue indefinitely. When nature wants to destroy you, it gives you madness. Grace Mugabe had tasted power and it had gotten to her head. She could no longer control herself. She failed to understand that management and governance are not sexually transmissible. Being upgraded from a typist to a first lady did not imply she had all what was necessary for her to run a country like Zimbabwe. If she had any doubt about how difficult it was for her to rule the country, she has now figured out that she will never be a president in Zimbabwe and not even in her native South Africa.

While Mr. Mugabe is still dragging his feet, the military is working hard to make sure he stays in the past where he clearly belongs. Mr. Mugabe must understand that time is not on his side and when a monkey has to die; all trees will be very slippery. His gimmicks will surely come to nothing as even the youth wing of his party is gradually gravitating towards the military. The pouring of thousands of Zimbabwean onto the streets of the country’s capital on Saturday to demonstrate the people’s support to the military looked like a well-choreographed exercise designed to lend legitimacy to the political transition that is being discussed by the military and politicians. The size of the crowd was a clear demonstration that Mr. Mugabe’s support base hadcollapsed and his chances of returning to power were indeed very slim. His fellow independence war veterans, who have always stood by him for thirty-seven years, are also walking away from Mr. Mugabe who has become more and more isolated.

But the most devastating blow to Mr. Mugabe and his ego will surely come on Sunday, November 19, 2017, when the central committee of his ruling Zanu-PFparty meets to recommend his dismissal as their party chairman. Though Mr. Mugabe looked unfazed on Friday during a graduation event he presided over, it was clear that the 93-year-old had lost his arrogance and tough language during the event. He spent a good part of his time at the event sleeping and reflecting on the unfortunate fate that has become his. He has been demystified and his arrogant wife has been cut down to normal human proportions.  Mr. Mugabe has seen the writing on the wall, but the fighter and trickster still believes that he can still pull a fast one. He fails to understand that times have changed and that the attractive aura he had about him when he came to power in 1980 has worn out and nothing will be good enough to restore that aura to its pristine state.

While the Mugabe saga is bringing smiles to many Zimbabwean faces, the drama playing out in this beautiful country seems to be robbing many people in Cameroon of their sleep, especially the country’s president who has been in power for thirty-five years. The country’s authorities have been displaying an air of indifference to what is happening to Mr. Mugabe. For more than three days now, the country’s national TV channel, CRTV, has not discussed the Zimbabwean situation and no pictures of the incident have been shown on the channel. According to a source at the country’s presidency, the network director, Charles Ndongo, has been given firm instructions to ensure that nothing relating to Zimbabwe is shown on the network. The source added that Cameroon’s leader,  Paul Biya, on Friday, November 17, 2017, had a secret meeting with the country’s top military brass at the presidency where he thanked the generals for their support during the numerous crises that have brought the country and its economy to their knees.

He urged them to continue supporting the government, adding that it was only by working together that the country would be able to roll back Boko Haram and Anglophone secessionists who have robbed him of a good night’s sleep and ruined his health. The octogenarian, according to our source, was visibly disturbed, as he is conscious of the fact that he is as popularly unpopular in Cameroon like Mugabe was in Zimbabwe. Mr. Biya is scared that history might repeat itself on the continent, but this time, not in Zimbabwe, but in Cameroon where his thirty-five years of mismanagement and corruption have angered many and sent millions into voluntary exile.

It should be recalled that like Mr. Mugabe, Mr. Biya came to power on a wave of popularity, with many Cameroonians holding that he was the right man to transform their country into an El-dorado by virtue of his education and experience, but after thirty-five years, Mr. Biya has been a disappointment to many. Unemployment is unbearably high and many university graduates have been reduced to beggars. Many of these graduates are still living with their poor parents who have spent their fortunes just to give their children the education that can help them become financially independent. Besides, being unemployed, it is increasingly hard for these students, especially those from poor backgrounds and whose parents are not in the ruling party, to have access to some of the higher institutions of learning, popularly known in French as “GrandesEcoles”. Many Cameroonians hold that in order to gain admission into the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM), the school that trains magistrates and administrators in Cameroon, candidates are expected to unofficially pay about USD 10,000; an amount that is well beyond the reach of many Cameroonians.

Also, after thirty-five years, the country’s economy is on life support. High taxes are crippling many businesses and corrupt tax and customs officials have transformed the country’s treasury into their ATM where they can withdraw money whenever they want. Mr. Biya and his ministers have been cited in many cases of corruption. It should be pointed out that many of his former ministers are currently in jail, including a former prime minister, two former secretaries-general at the presidency and thousands of middle level collaborators.

Regarding infrastructure, Cameroon is completely bereft of modern infrastructure. The country’s roads have become death traps, killing more people than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. In 2017 alone, the country’s roads have already killed more than 20,000 people and the government is doing little or nothing to improve upon things.

Besides the country’s roads, its hospitals have been reduced to consultation clinics where many Cameroonians are sent to an early grave. Medical doctors and nurses have entered into an unholy alliance where they are ripping the sick just to make themselves rich. It is normal for patients to be turned away by nurses and doctors if they do not have money to pay for any services, regardless of their health situation. A few years back, a lady had to operate upon her pregnant sister to get out the fetus when officials of a prestigious government hospital in Douala, Laquintini, refused to attend to the lady who was in travail. The negligence of these officials resulted in the death of the lady and her fetus; a situation that shocked the entire country, but strangely, no one was held accountable and no heads rolled.

While Cameroonians have been losing their lives due to poor healthcare, the president has made it a duty to head to Switzerland for treatment even when he has malaria. Recently, he spent almost thirty days in Geneva with a staff of about 50 persons where he had been admitted for a failing heart and a devastating prostate cancer. After such a long period abroad, the country had to disburse some USD 2 million to pay for Mr. Biya’s health and hotel bills, while the common man has continued to die of curable and preventable diseases due to lack of resources.

From every indication, all the ingredients that have resulted in Mr. Mugabe’s ouster are also in place in Cameroon. Personality cult, corruption, embezzlement, mismanagement and authoritarian rule are blighting the lives of Cameroonians just like they did to Zimbabweans during Mr. Mugabe’s time. This has caused many Cameroonians to start asking if Cameroon will be the next. Mr. Biya has been in power for thirty-five years and he holds that he has been ordained by God to lord it over his people. The same flawed thinking Mr. Mugabe had. Mr. Biya’s wife, Chantal Biya, who is noted for her flaming red hair, is also noted for her love for shopping. A crime Mrs. Mugabe was charged with by the people and something that earned her the title “Gucci Grace”.

If Mr. Biya has to spare himself the embarrassment that has come Mr. Mugabe’s way, he has to start thinking of handing over. Cameroonians are sick and tired of the corruption and mismanagement he has imported into the country. He might be thinking that he has the support of the military, but he must also know that palace coups are always staged by people you trust. After thirty-five years in power, Mr. Biya should be bidding goodbye to his people. He has to stop listening to the bunch of criminals around him. They are there to serve their interest and will never tell him the truth. There is some time for him to see the writing on the wall. It is time for him to leave when the ovation is still loud. Cameroonians are really looking forward to the day he will leave or the day the Lord will recall him. He has inflicted a lot of pain on his people. He must not wait for popular anger to spill onto the streets of Yaounde for him to know how popularly unpopular he is. Zimbabwe is a good lesson for him and his party members. However, will they take time to learn the lesson?

A Cameroon Concord News Group Production

London Political Summit 2017

“Nationalistic Tendencies: What Future For Global Citizenship?”

 Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe

President

Interim Government of UN-Recognized Southern Cameroons

or Self-Proclaimed Republic of Ambazonia, West Africa

 London, United Kingdom

October 23, 2017

Abstract

Identified people with defined territories seeking nationalism towards recognition in the international community of states in rising throughout the world including in Africa. Four recent independence events confirm this trend. On June 23, 2016, the British people voted “yes” in the Brexit referendum to leave the European Union. Two recent referendums — one held in the Iraqi Kurdistan region on September 25 and the other in Spain’s Catalonia on October 1 — resulted in overwhelming victories for “yes” voters calling for secession. And in Africa — the independence proclamation and celebration in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions on October 1, resulted in at least 300 dead, 500+ maimed, 2000+ missing and 40000+ refugees. Southern Cameroon movements seeking secession from La Republic du Cameroun was already underway since 1961 and many of the political developments and non-violent protests emerging since October 2016 are direct manifestations of its resurgence.

However, when Southern Cameroons independence is discussed, it is usually understood to mean, disgruntlement of young Anglophone Cameroonians abroad who do not sympathize with the Government of La Republic du Cameroun and had been prevailing since the Foncha era. And it is also understood to characterize what is exactly opposite to state unity, democracy and globalization. Worst, it is branded a “terrorist group.” If explicitly expressed in such statement, it is obviously wrong. There have been, are still and will be popular feelings towards national consciousness in Southern Cameroons: attachment to “Southern Cameroons”, loyalty to the state of Southern Cameroons, desire to have pride of being Southern Cameroons, fondness of Southern Cameroons culture and life-style and love of native-land. Those phenomena, often taken for granted and suppressed by existing Cameroon’s Paul Biyagovernment, characterize basic features of a modern independent-democratic-sovereign Southern Cameroons. A rare perspective and understanding of Southern Cameroons’ complete and unconditional independence rest in the answers to questions: What is the nature of Southern Cameroons nationalistic tendency, how does it differ from other secessionist movements, and what impact does it has on British foreign policy attitudes?

For Southern Cameroonians, more than seven-million indigenes at home and in the diaspora, have decided they cannot secure their rights within the framework of the Cameroon’s Paul Biya government, and must separate from it. The people recognize they live in an occupied territory called Southern Cameroon and the occupying power La Republic du Cameroun has no intention of extending the full rights of citizenship to them or of complying with constitutional principles. Although we favored enforcing constitutional compliance within the existing union with La Republic du Cameroun Government for over half a century unsuccessfully, independence is the only way.

Acknowledgement

Good morning.Thank you to the organizers and sponsors of this meeting. A special thanks to the chair of this session.

Introduction

As we’ve already heard this morning, we come together in London at a remarkable time. We live in a world of constant and at times turbulent change.

So let me start by explaining the background. As you may know, UN-recognized former British Trusteeship Territory Southern Cameroons (and self-proclaimed Federal Republic of Ambazonia) is a unique case of recognized people and territory seeking recognition of its sovereignty, independence and democratic state in the international community of nations using legal and diplomatic frameworks and institutions with the ultimate goal of urging Mr. Paul Biya, President of La Republic du Cameroun, together with his appointed officials and defence forces station in our territory, to seize all activities and depart our homeland that they have illegally occupied and in turn enslaved our citizens for more than 56 years.

And when we think of the non-negotiable resolve and resilience of the over 8-million people of Southern Cameroons in the homeland and more than 3-million who have acquired refuge in scores of democratic-peace loving countries across the world including the United Kingdom, we are clearly dealing with a growing problem – a problem in need of urgent and new solutions.

I would like to take a few minutes this morning to ground ourselves in the problem and then talk together about some of the solutions I believe we have the opportunity to pursue together.

Problem

But let’s start with the problem. The problem is clear. We see them everywhere. We see them in the actions of the President, Government and people of LRC toward the territory, resources and people of Southern Cameroons. We see this in the enslavement, abuse and violation of the rights of the people of Southern Cameroons.

But more than anything, if you think about what has happened over the 56 years, if you think about the recent massacre and destruction of property of the people of Southern Cameroons by the armed security and defense forces of LRC following the largest peaceful protest staged by the citizens of Southern Cameroons globally on September 22 and the independence self-declaration by the people of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia on October 1, I think we should come together and reflect on one thing, one thing that has clearly made the situation even more challenging – that is the drive for people to seek unorthodox means like North Korea and Iran to create their statehood and ensure their survival. We’ve seen my people use only their voice and bare hands to seek freedom and they have been killed in return, injured, kidnapped and dehumanized by LRC army. This is unacceptable, unsustainable and cannot be tolerated any longer.

And think about these facts.  First,the pioneer President of La Republique du Cameroun Mr. Amadou Ahidjo proclaimed independence of La Republique du Cameroun from France on 1 January 1960 and Southern Cameroons was not a part of his territory. Second, international law provides the international boundary that separates Southern Cameroons from La Republic du Cameroun. Third, despite a UN-sponsored referendum in 1961 in which Southern Cameroons voted to join La Republic as equal partners, neither the parliament of Southern Cameroons and La Republic ratified and deposited the instruments with the UN. Therefore,no agreement or treaty or convention establishes and binds a union between Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun, per Article 102(1) of the UN Charter. To that end, LRC illegally and forcefully annexed Southern Cameroons. Yet, we’ve seen these issues burst into the news in terms of geopolitical controversies. We’ve seen them become even more pronounced.  And the world powers must stand up and lead the world toward global citizenship, peace and stability.

Solution

I think there are three things that we should consider enhancing Southern Cameroon achieve statehood and become a global citizen, and I’d like to talk about each of these three this morning.

First, for the sake of world peace and the respect of the value of human life, the international community must urge Mr. Paul Biya of LRC to seize all military campaigns in the territory of Southern Cameroons and withdraw all forces to its internationally recognized boundaries, which are the boundaries LRC inherited from colonization.

Second, the international community using appropriate forums such as United Nations, European Union and African Union have to apply the principles of international law to its case. This should include a UN sponsored referendum for Southern Cameroonians to fully restore their independence and statehood under international law and institutions.

Third, the international community have to initiate an investigation into the unlawful killings, injure and disappearances of thousands of family members and loved ones of Southern Cameroons and hold Mr. Paul Biya and his government and defence forces accountable for all crimes committed against humanity under international law.

Conclusion

As we think about Nationalistic tendencies: What future for global citizenship, achieving global peace and security as we think about addressing theillegal annexation of the territory and people of Southern Cameroons by LRC, this forum is a powerful force that should inspire us, and on which we can build to use international laws and instructions to build on my recommendations.Let’s use that inspiration. Let’s use what we have learned. Let’s build on what we share with each other. And let’s go forward and show the world that it needs us to be what we can be when we’re at our best – free nationals and democratic states with working for global peace.  A global society that earns everyone’s trust every day. A world that even in an age of nationalism, is a peace loving community of states on which everyonedepend and rely for peace and security.

Thank you very much.

Ask most people what they know about Cameroon, and the best informed may mention the national soccer team. Otherwise, the small central African country rarely makes the headlines. Yet, it deserves the international community’s attention right now, before a trickle of refugees becomes a flood; and before the dozens of peaceful protesters shot dead by security services become hundreds or thousands.

Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur should have taught us that if the world looks the other way, rather than applying diplomatic pressure on autocratic leaders, we pay a high price for peacekeeping operations and reconstruction, once the killing ends. Purely on economic grounds, prompt action makes sense. Morally, preventing ethnic cleansing and massive human rights abuses with early diplomatic intervention is also clearly the right thing to do.

In Cameroon, the grievances of the English-speaking minority, long side lined by the French-speaking majority, have boiled over. After decades of discrimination, Anglophones are calling for a fair share of economic and political power. However, the Francophone government of President Paul Biya, Cameroon’s ruler since 1982, has responded with disproportionate ferocity. Shooting church-goers as they emerge from mass, and firing at unarmed civilians from helicopters, is a sure way of inciting further unrest.

What began as a peaceful strike by lawyers and teachers for better working conditions soon became a grassroots campaign for a federal, less centralized government, giving English-speakers equal rights. But the protesters have become polarized by President Biya’s heavy-handed response. People who would have settled for a more devolved form of power are now demanding secession and the formation of an independent country called Ambazonia. Twenty thousand Anglophones have fled to neighboring Nigeria in fear of what is to come. The deaths of several gendarmes, in addition to explosions on November 12, are signs that Anglophone grievance may become increasingly violent.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission does not have a good track record on standing up against the corrupt ruling elite of developing nations. However, even they have been moved to call on the Cameroon government to ensure the equal treatment of the English-speaking minority, guaranteeing its rights of expression and assembly. The Commission urged officials to carry out an impartial investigation of “the excessive use of force by Cameroon police officers,” resulting in deaths and injuries during protests at the beginning of October.

Anglophone frustration exploded a year ago when lawyers protested that new laws were not translated from French into English; courts in Anglophone areas were forced to conduct their business in French; and they had Francophone judges who could not or would not speak English foisted upon them. The lawyers were soon joined by teachers and others from civil society. There was anger that Francophone teachers with little or no English skills were teaching Anglophone children in French.

Once a week, schools and shops close down now, creating so-called Ghost Towns. There are suggestions that some Anglophone citizens feel intimidated into cooperating with the Ghost Town protests by the more militant Anglophone activists who are pushing for separation.

Representing the more moderate Anglophone voices are the Roman Catholic bishops of Bamenda, and the moderators of Presbyterian and Baptist churches. They are calling on the government to engage in genuine dialog and to investigate attacks on civilians. The bishops warn that a volatile situation may deteriorate further. Observers believe the churches are well-placed to host any dialog which would need to include grassroots representatives if it is to be perceived as legitimate. However, until there is a unified and coherent Anglophone position, it is feared President Biya will divide and rule.

The government has disrupted civil society by suspending the internet in the Anglophone areas intermittently, and enforcing a curfew regularly. Moreover, the Francophone authorities designate activists as terrorists, akin to the Islamist Boko Haram jihadists present in west and central Africa. President Biya, said to be in denial about Anglophone grievances, ordered the arrest of journalists and opposition figures, and the reported torture of dozens of activists. According to the International Crisis Group, 40 people were killed, hundreds imprisoned, and many more are missing or unaccounted for .

Despite all this, the international community is reluctant to criticise Biya’s government because Cameroon’s armed forces are fighting the West’s war against militant Islamism. Its soldiers are engaged in a battle against Boko Haram in the Far North region of the country, where 2,000 Cameroon civilians and soldiers have been killed. The country also hosts 348,000 refugees fleeing sectarian conflict in the neighboring Central African Republic.

The United Kingdom has colonial ties with the Anglophone region, and left behind its legal and education system, as well as “Anglo-Saxon values,” according to local people. However, when pressed in Parliament, British ministers blandly encourage dialog. They urge all sides to be peaceful, as if there is an equivalence between the unarmed civilians being shot from helicopters, and the security services doing the killing.

It is not too late to apply diplomatic pressure on President Biya’s government, but it requires the international community to think one or two steps ahead, learning the lessons of past atrocities.

Source: Huffingtonpost

Our intention as a news organisation is not to alarm you, but the 2017 calendar year has already passed us by. Where did the time go? As you all are very much aware, plenty has happened: The 2016-17 political season is virtually coming to a close with no solution to the Southern Cameroons crisis.  Bishop Balla of the Diocese of Bafia was killed and President Biya addressed an empty hall at the UN. Already, the Southern Cameroons Governing Council has mandated interim Head of State, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to form a government. Cat calls have greeted the killings of hundreds of Southern Cameroons protesters on October 1 2017 and Barrister Agbor Balla and the people of Ambazonia are no longer an item. Interestingly, radio host Bibixy Mancho including hundreds of other Southern Cameroons detainees are still being held in French Cameroun detention centres.

With all that in mind, it felt like a good opportunity to revisit our Cameroon Concord News Man of the Year Award.  Our readers have always nominated and voted for men and women with exceptional qualities. Name them: Former Nigerian Head of State, Goodluck Jonathan, Bishop Francis Lysinge of the Mamfe Diocese and African football legend, Samuel Eto’o.

We’ve ranked some of the best political actors of the year so far including Mark Bara and Tampang Ivo.  Is Sisiku Ayuk Tabe in line to win the Cameroon Concord News Man of the Year Award, or has Bibixy Mancho stolen a march on him? The brutal murder of Bishop Balla indicates that CPDM actors are still the dominant force, or have the SDF and the outlawed Consortium performances broken the glass ceiling?

Another tendency of the Cameroon Concord News Man of the Year Award is to largely ignore Ambazonians and French Camerounians in the Diaspora.

Let your voice be heard!! Send us your nomination for the Cameroon Concord News Man of the Year 2017!! Be part of the history making process!!

Email us at: cameroonintelligencereport@gmail.com

cameroonconcordnews@gmail.com
By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Over the last week, Cameroon’s ruling party members have been celebrating, telling the world that Cameroon is synonymous with peace after being led by Mr. Paul Biya for thirty five years. Each November 6, the country’s ruling party celebrates the accession of the country’s president to power some thirty five years ago to remind the suffering and dying masses that the government and the ruling party have granted them the best gift they can ever long for – peace. Mr. Biya, who has been in power for thirty-five years, has always taken pride in the country’s pseudo-stability. He holds that, thanks to him, Cameroon has always been seen around the world as an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos. But that now belongs to the past as the country’s peace is more of a mirage. This year’s celebrations of his many and fruitless years in power were held in a particularly challenging context, as the country is gradually unravelling and losing its appeal to tourists and investors.

Cameroon, which was once the benchmark for peace, has become a reference for mismanagement and conflict. The country has become a convergence point for all types of conflicts and disorder. In the North, Boko Haram,which exploded into the global stage some four years ago, has continued to sow terror in the country’s northern part. Thousands of civilian and military lives have been lost as a result of this insurgency, while trade between Nigeria and Cameroon has been interrupted as a result of this unfortunate situation, and there is no end in sight. The country is struggling both militarily and financially to contain this real danger that has given it a bad name. Its tourism sector has taken a hit, rendering thousands unemployed. The Boko Haram insurgency, which feeds on the high unemployment rate in the region, has created lots of refugees; a situation that is unfortunately challenging to the cash-strapped government.

In the eastern part of the country, Central African Republic (CAR) rebels have continued to stage sporadic attacks, as refugees born out of the country’s decades-old conflict continue to cross over into Cameroon. With the support of the United Nations, the Yaounde government seems to be handling the refugee crisis in the Eastern part of the country relatively well, though incursions by CAR rebels are robbing the government of a good night’s sleep.

However, it is the Southern Cameroons crisis that has really shattered the myth that Cameroon is an oasis of peace. Since October 2016, Cameroon has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The country’s English-speaking minority has been battling the aging and cash-strapped government for more than one year. The struggle that started as a result of socio-professional demands by lawyers and teachers quickly developed into widespread protests,as images of Buea University students being made to drink raw sewage went viral on social media.

Southern Cameroonians had had enough of the marginalization and dictatorship and it was time for them to show their teeth and this they have done for months. The struggle has finally grown into a full-blown rebellion due to the slaughtering of more than 30 Southern Cameroonians on October 1, 2017, following a failed declaration of independence that caused the government to unleash the full spectrum of its anger on unarmed citizens who were simply displaying their frustration with a system that has robbed them of economic opportunities and dignity.

Today, the military wing of the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) led by Cho Ayaba is robbing the government of a good night’s sleep, as army soldiers and gendarme officers are being rushed to an early grave. In the North West region, Cameroon government troops are having a hard time restoring law and order. Some three uniformed officers have already lost their lives in this struggle that still has many more scenes. The fear of bombs going off in this volatile region is palpable, as many young men have made up their minds to fight government troops that have been killing civilians and raping women.

In Manyu Division alone, more than ten soldiers have met an ugly fate in the division’s equatorial jungle. The people of Manyu who have taken the full brunt of this struggle have vowed to make the government pay for its crimes and young innocent soldiers are falling like flies, leaving their wives and kids in tears, especially as the government of Cameroon is noted for reneging on its promises when it comes to compensating families of fallen soldiers.

Since October 1, the Cameroon government has been working hard to cover up the truth about the death of its army soldiers, as it does not want to demoralize those who are being sent to the jungles of Manyu to fight a war they know nothing about. According to our source at the Mamfe general hospital mortuary, once the body of a uniformed soldier is brought into the mortuary, officials quickly take off his uniform to hide his true identity. Our source revealed that by hiding the identity of the fallen soldiers, the government wants to give the impression that government troops are not taking any casualties in a war that is wholly unconventional. He added that army soldiers living in Mamfe are permanently nervous as they know they are targets of angry youths who want to take their revenge on those who killed their friends and brothers on October 1.

It should be recalled that many of the boys fighting in Mamfe are among the refugees who have fled to neighboring Nigeria and their use of hit-and-run tactics is working like a charm. According to an ally of Cho Ayaba who has elected to be anonymous, the struggle has simply entered into a critical phase. He added that with time, the government of Cameroon will regret why it had refused to come to the negotiating table. He stressed that, before long, government troops would be suffering from fatigue, adding that right now, many are permanently having butterflies in their stomachs, as they do not know where the next bullet will emerge.

He urged the government to look into the mirror of history in order to stave off the type of situation that saw off Mobutu from former Zaire. He recalled that it was a small bunch of rebels from among the “Banyamulenge”who had sought refuge in Rwanda and Uganda who came back under Laurent Desire Kabila’s leadership to humiliate the so-called Leopard of Zaire who was later put out of his misery by heartache and prostate cancer in the Kingdom of Morocco.

He stressed that the government’s victory of October 1, 2017 was pyrrhic and indeed a flash in the pan. He swore that since the government only understood one language – violence – Southern Cameroonians would stop at nothing to deliver violence to  a government that is already living its last days.   Peace, he said, was no longer Cameroon’s hallmark, adding that the world was already in the know of the charade Mr. Biya and his entourage have been selling to people around the world for decades.

He stressed that the Southern Cameroons crisis was gradually bringing the government and the economy to their knees, underscoring that the government’s latest request to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a three billion dollar loan was testimony to the financial challenges facing the moribund government. He pointed out that while falling oil prices were also to blame, the Southern Cameroons crisis, which is costing the government a pretty penny, had delivered a dangerous economic blow to the government’s tired liver.

A Cameroon Intelligence Report/Cameroon Concord News Production

The Biya Francophone regime is quietly trying to reach out to the European Union, the African Union and the UN on the disturbing situation in Southern Cameroons. The Yaounde regime’s ties with the West and many other African states have been virtually frozen since La Republique authorities ordered soldiers to killed hundreds of protesters in West Cameroon.

Yaounde denied it ordered the killings on October 1 but offered talks with Ambazonians to start “shedding light” on the British Southern Cameroons marginalisation case.

For more than a year now, La Republique du Cameroun has done little or nothing to investigate the rapes, extra judicial killings and arbitrary arrests currently going on in Ambazonia. Some French Cameroun political elites have called the genocide in Southern Cameroons a national disgrace. But there seems to be no signs of a thaw in the two nations.

Ambazonia biggest consumer of La Republique’s goods and services

French Cameroun exports to the Federal Republic of Ambazonia internet services, which dropped amid sour relations, electricity, banking, the franc CFA and medicines. And as Southern Cameroonians are working to pressure La Republique to end its colonization and genocide- terrorism in Ambazonia, a few passing for CPDM militants are moving in the opposite direction. But there are signs that these pro CPDM comedians will fail.

The success of the 4^th Conclave and the renaming of the territory by the Governing Council have made matters more intractable for the 84 year old French Cameroun dictator. Soon and very soon, the interim head of the state of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia will announce his first cabinet and some U.N. member states are expected to recognize the government.

EU, AU and U.N. representatives have turned a blind eye on the fake revelations made by the French Cameroun government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma that Southern Cameroons militants killed 4 gendarmes including a soldier. The international community is aware that junior officers in the French Cameroun army have recently been killing top Francophone commanders. Many of such incidences have been recorded in the Far North and East regions of La Republique du Cameroun. La Republique has been deploying troops to Southern Cameroons with no food, no money and to be sure, no nothing. In the Manyu State, Francophone soldiers have been stealing from shop keepers and looting business centers in Mamfe, Ekok and Eyumojock.

La Republique keen to mend ties with the EU and the US

Biya and his CPDM crime syndicate have every reason to want to mend relations with the EU and the US. Running short of cash and increasingly isolated due to its mismanaging of the Southern Cameroons crisis, Yaoundé has few allies such as Gabon and Chad and badly needs European friends including some in the US after it accused Paris of working to destabilize Cameroun. Biya’s motives for warming up to Gabon and Chad are unclear. In general, we see a ‘Third Worldism’ in La Republique’s foreign policy – asserting independence from the big powers such as France which of course is already heralding the collapse of the Francophone regime.

The United States has had its own difficulties with the Biya Francophone government. There are concerns about unresolved issues following the deployment of US troops in the North of La Republique du Cameroun. Amnesty International reported that US soldiers were overseeing a torture chamber used by the French Cameroun army on captured Boko Haram militants.  Francophone political elites had described as a “Greek Gift” hundreds of helmets donated to the Cameroun army by the US. The incident annoyed Washington.

French Cameroonians worried

French Cameroun communities have grown increasingly worried over the Biya regime’s astonishingly low sense of judgment ever since the beginning of the Southern Cameroons crisis with many Francophone political elites expressing their unease about the future of La Republique after Paul Biya.

That unease is shared by even the Bamilekes who from the very beginning supported the Biya regime and are now losing millions due to the crisis. The Bamilekes are unlikely to push hard for the replacement of President Biya with one of their own.

Governing Council denied allegations that it planned attacks:

In a recent statement with Cameroon Concord News Group, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the interim president of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia condemned the killings of French Cameroun security agents deployed to Southern Cameroons. The Governing Council also reechoed  that “Relations between the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and the people of French Cameroun have been the subject of Biya-CPDM sabotage.

African Union and UN voices have however said that there are limits on how close La Republique du Cameroun can get in seeking the support of the international community with thousands of Southern Cameroonians as refugees in neighbouring Nigeria.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The Southern Cameroons crisis that has put Cameroon in the spotlight for some thirteen months has also left the country in tough and challenging circumstances. Since October 1, 2017, when the government unleashed the full spectrum of its anger on unarmed citizens, there appear to be some calm, but many experts hold that this is the type of calm that spells doom for both the government and those who thought they could declare their independence just by sending unarmed citizens to take control of government buildings in major cities across Southern Cameroons. The tactical failure led to many being killed and thousands transformed into refugees, while hundreds are still missing. The government, for its part, is still not repentant for killing the people it is supposed to protect. The Biya government imported “red terror” from Mengistu Haile Mariam’s Ethiopia into Southern Cameroons on October 1. But it is its indifference that is troubling to the international community. The government’s indifference to these deaths has left many to wonder if the country’s unity and indivisibility can really be enhanced through mass killings.

The government has an obligation towards its citizens. It has signed treaties to protect minorities. Its obligations under international law are known. Taking up arms against its own citizens is one act that may never cause the psychological wounds to heal properly even after the holding of sincere and genuine dialogue. By this act, the government has declared the people of Southern Cameroons its enemy. This should not be the case.Political differences must always be addressed at thenegotiating table. Nobody, regardless of their age or intellect, should be too big to despise those who have put him in office. The president, Paul Biya, seems to have lost his voice like the ant that lost its voice after having drunk the “strong cough mixture” designed for adults only. If you had attended primary school in West Cameroon in the 60s and 70s, then you should easily understand something about this strong cough mixture.

Mr. Biya’s silence has been criticized both at home and abroad, with many tagging him as arrogant even at his age. Cameroon needs a frank and fruitful dialogue that should be moderated by a third neutral party to ensure deliberations do not degenerate into a slanging match. The anger is too much. The frustrations are incredible. The people’s silence is deafening. But Mr. Biya seems to be tone deaf and blind to the sorry plight of his fellow citizens.He seems to be more concerned about his failing health than with the human disaster that is unfolding in a country he has led for thirty-five years. While the country bleeds, Mr. Biya’s party, commonly known as a crime syndicate, made out of the same mold as the Sicilian Mafia, is more concerned about celebrating the time he has been in office and his supporters are already heading to the various regions to celebrate on Monday, October 6, 2017. A great provocation to the suffering masses who have been reduced to sorry spectators of events in their own country.

However, the responsibility for the October 1 disaster must also be shared. It takes two to tango. No government in the world will yield to any pressure to lose part of its territory. While violence – the type that was unleashed on innocent people on October 1 – should be condemned, those who ordered the declaration should also accept full responsibility for their actions. Independence is never granted on a platter of gold, except it is tainted like what the French had given to most of their former territories. No government ever comes to the negotiating table to discuss secession with its adversaries, except it has been defeated like what happened in Sudan, resulting in the creation of South Sudan.

Taking a look into the mirror of history, we will find out that for more than fifty years, only two secessions have successfully taken place in Africa. South Sudan pulled it off after more than twenty-five years of a bloody struggle. It should, however, be underscored that it was thanks to American support and thanks,in particular,to the Obama administration that actually facilitated things. After more than thirty years of fratricidal killings, South Sudan and Sudan still have to work together for both countries to survive. While the oil deposits are in South Sudan, the oil refineries are in Sudan. The cooperation that both countries could not establish when they were one has today become a grim necessity. The only other country is Eritrea that beat Ethiopia to the game. Despite long years of fighting, the two countries now work together after a negotiated agreement to grant Ethiopia access to the sea; something that underscores that everything always ends up at the negotiating table, regardless of the outcome.

It should, at this juncture, be pointed out that independence is seized. It is never given. Those who called for young men to take to the streets on October 1, simply pushed them to an early grave. Secession implies having the arms to defend ones territory. The Governing Council just like SCNC had no weapons. They do not have a standing army although they are rich in thousands of Internet generals who have never been combat-tested. They never armed their people and this young men and women could simply not stand the fury of the machine guns and helicopters that sprayed tear gas and bullets on them. Even those who had purported that they would be in Buea on that day, simply did not show up. They were simply a no-show. How can independence be celebrated without the architects and founders of modern-day Southern Cameroons?

Ever since the incident happened, there has not been a proper and proportionate response from the Internet generals to convince the people that they have the means to strike awe in the minds of Cameroon government officials. The country has been engulfed in total calm while the wounded are still licking their wounds. The best has so far been the creation of a government after a long conclave that almost shattered the integrity of the Governing Council. While many people hail the creation of this government as a major step forward in the struggle against marginalization in Cameroon, some have already expressed fear that the setting up of a government could spell danger to the Governing Council, as there might be infighting that could cause old demons to rear their ugly heads. Many advise that the President, Ayuk Julius Tabe, has to tread carefully, stressing that he is indeed skating on thin ice. They fear that if not well-managed, the creation of a government could become another whirlwind that could destroy the unity of purpose that has marked the struggle just like the Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla saga that is threatening to split Southern Cameroonians who have all through displayed exceptional unity.

Balla who has played a key role in the Southern Cameroons struggle has in recent times become a lightning rod for controversy. He has been accused of all the crimes and sins that make up the political world for holding views that are different from what the majority thinks. Of course, he has also made obvious mistakes that need to be condemned. His lack of sound public relations knowledge and youthful exuberance are hurting his credibility, big time. He must make amends. He is not a man who is scared of apologizing in public. He has done it before and will do so to save whatever little credibility he still has. As a leader, he has to be careful how he speaks and conducts himself. Criticizing other leaders in public does not bode well for a struggle that is on life support. It should, however, be pointed out that there are so many hardliners in the struggle, which highlights the fact that the Southern Cameroons struggle is gradually walking down the path designed by architects of the soviet system that only made provisions for monolithic thinking. Dictatorship seems to be rearing its ugly head among Southern Cameroonians. In any struggle, there are always several, if not many shades of opinions, but the key is always knowing how to establish alliances and work with everybody.

The South African example may be a shiny classroom for many young Southern Cameroonians who do not seem to have a serious grinding in pluralistic democracy. In the days of apartheid many black South Africans thought fighting the racist government meant rolling the white minority into the ocean. Some thought the objective could only be attained through an armed struggle. The ANC, led by Oliver Tambo, had global support and the right resources to engage in such a war, but wisdom was also necessary, and only Mandela had to come up with the right steps that could actually result in the rainbow nation that we all admire today. Mandela knew that it would all end at the negotiating table, but waited for the racist government to make the first step. And when that came, he made the most of it, though he was accused of all the crimes and sins in the world. Of course, time has proven him right. While situations of oppression require military responses too, it is always necessary to leave room for possible negotiations. After all, you can only make peace with your enemy and at the end of the fighting, you must still sit down and talk, and talking Mandela did.

A struggle should have many fronts. There could be the military wing that will work hard to inflict pain on the enemy. We are not talking here of Internet generals who spend lots of time threatening and sending young men back home to early graves. There could also be pressure groups that must work hard to bring the plight of the suffering masses to the attention of the international community and there must be intellectuals, especially writers, political scientists, sociologists, politicians and lawyers who must properly articulate the views and sell them to the world so that the oppressor ends up with a black eye and a bad name.

It is therefore necessary for Southern Cameroonians to avoid scrambling any action that can give them the opportunity to sell their case, regardless of their differences. Disagreeing is an idea that is as old as man. All Southern Cameroonians have to do, is to ensure that when they disagree they must not be disagreeable, as that plays in favor of the enemy who is always looking for any cracks on the wall to fully exploit and render the struggle useless. Southern Cameroonians must understand that together they will achieve more and the more they focus on their goal, the better for their struggle. Let them not be distracted by side events that can diminish their morale and energy which are very much-needed to make sure their struggle stays on the front burner. Differences of opinions will always exist, but it is incumbent upon the leaders to handle them with tact and care. The plain truth is that there will never be struggles without disagreements, but good leadership requires that such disagreements be arrested in time to rob the enemy of any chance to gain an advantage.

A Cameroon Concord News Group Production