As conflict intensifies in Cameroon thousands of civilians are being forcibly displaced from their homes. Violence between state forces and separatists has displaced more than 246,000 people within the Southwest region, while at least 26,000 have fled to Nigeria. The population is preparing for further violence following the outcome of the October 7 presidential election.

While votes are yet to be counted in an election that many see as neither free nor fair, a premature declaration of victory from opposition leader Maurice Kamto, for which he was branded an “outlaw”, is threatening to cause “new strife in a tense country”. The election was marred by both civil unrest and low turnout- largely because there are few residents left to vote. In some areas, it is estimated that more than 90 percent of residents have fled. Government officials, who would normally oversee the vote, are thought to have abandoned their posts in more than a dozen localities.

While the origins of the conflict can be traced back to language divides imposed by post- World War 1 colonial endeavours in the region, the conflict in Cameroon has steadily worsened in the two years since lawyers and teachers in the Anglophone areas began protesting the Francophone- dominated federal government. President Biya concentrated power in favour of French speakers during his six terms in office and blocked access to the internet in the English speaking areas for months, and Anglophone separatists have been turning to increasingly violent means, with bloody atrocities being reported on both sides. Residents and local officials provide frequent accounts of troops burning homes and shooting, detaining and executing civilians.

At least 26,000 predominantly Anglophone Cameroonians have sought protection in Nigeria, where many have reported being shown solidarity; “many refugees have found support within host communities. The inhabitants of small border villages share what they have with them – food, a room to sleep or work in the cocoa plantations. Some received a piece of land to cultivate. However, solidarity alone is not enough for people who have lost everything to re-start their lives.“

The UN has said the situation is becoming increasingly desperate. The Nigerian government have given land for refugee settlements but it is now fully occupied, and the UNCHR’s own provision for shelter, food, water and sanitation has been “constrained by sever underfunding”; “Most families are down to one meal per day. The coping strategies people are using are themselves risky, and range from borrowing money to cutting food portions or saving food only for children….Most asylum seekers say they are having to drink water from streams, ponds and other unsafe sources” and “malaria is reportedly already on the increase”.

Source: ecre.org

Cameroon is on the brink of a political crisis after the government branded a leading opposition politician an “outlaw” for declaring victory in Sunday’s presidential elections. President Paul Biya is widely expected to win re-election to a seventh term when results are certified in the next two weeks, but a declaration of victory from Maurice Kamto is threatening to cause new strife in a tense country. The US embassy in Cameroon has called “on all parties to wait until the official results are announced before making pronouncements about the supposed winner”. The election took place with tensions in Cameroon running high as Mr Biya, a francophone leader in power since 1982, faces an armed rebellion sparked by a crackdown on peaceful anglophone protests in 2016.

The poll became a flashpoint in English-speaking regions, where rebels who want to create an independent anglophone state banned voting. The contested result threatens to further undermine elections seen by many in Cameroon and in the international community as neither free nor fair. Mr Kamto, a former minister in the Biya government, said at a press conference that he had “received a clear mandate from the people and I intend to defend it until the end”. He did not cite any evidence for his claim. Mr Biya is among Africa’s longest-serving rulers. Issa Tchiroma Bakary, his information minister, said: “You cannot want to govern Cameroon and not abide by its laws and regulations. We call upon the Cameroonian people, of whose great maturity we are convinced, to wait serenely for the proclamation of the results by the constitutional council.”

Hans De Marie Heungoup, an International Crisis Group analyst, estimated that turnout in the anglophone region was under 5 per cent, compared with about 55 per cent in francophone areas. He tweeted that Mr Kamto’s declaration of victory meant Cameroon was “de facto getting into a post-electoral crisis”.

A number of African countries have in recent years seen opposition candidates claim victory in elections marred by irregularities. In 2016, the government of Gabon responded violently to the opposition claiming victory. Last year’s Kenyan elections had to be rerun after disputed results. This year, security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in Zimbabwe, killing at least six, after the opposition declared victory in what it deemed a stolen election.

Zanda Carol, who lives in Buea in English-speaking Cameroon, said his city of more than 100,000 people was a ghost town on election day. Soldiers stalked the streets, while armed independence fighters declared a ban on voting in what they called an illegal poll. “We are between two devils,” Mr Carol said by phone from Buea, where gunfire raged throughout election day.

The insurgency in the anglophone region, where a fifth of Cameroon’s 24m people live, represents perhaps the greatest challenge Mr Biya has faced in 36 years in power. Hundreds of thousands have fled violence from soldiers and militant separatists. The president rules by decree and has abolished term limits while allowing what critics call a façade of multi-party democracy. The international community has largely been silent about the anglophone crisis, in part, critics charge, because Cameroon is a key member of the fight against Boko Haram, the jihadi group present in the country’s far north.

Culled from The Financial Times

CPDM OFFICIALS ARE HAVING A TOUGH TIME. THEIR BREAD AND SARDINE APPROACH DURING THE CAMPAIGNS IS NOT DELIVERING THE DESIRED RESULTS.

ACCORDING TO A SOURCE WITHIN THE PARTY, JEAN KUETE AND HIS COLLABORATORS ARE ALL HAVING BUTTERFLIES IN THEIR STOMACHS.

DESPITE HUGE AMOUNTS SPENT ON CAMPAIGNS BY THE RULING PARTY, EXIT POLLS ARE CLEARLY INDICATING THAT THE CPDM CANDIDATE IS, ON THE WHOLE, STRUGGLING.

A SOURCE AT THE UNITY PALACE HAS INDICATED THAT THERE IS PANIC IN THE HOUSE. THE EXPECTED LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN THE CENTER AND SOUTH REGIONS IN FAVOR OF THE INCUMBENT IS TURNING INTO A NIGHTMARE.

THE SOURCE HAS ALSO INDICATED THAT THE PHONES ARE OFF THE HOOK AS EXIT POLLS ARE DELIVERING BAD NEWS TO THE RULING PARTY.

ACCORDING TO THE CAMEROON INTELLIGENCE REPORT EXIT POLLS, MAURICE KAMTO IS LEADING IN THE FAR NORTH, LITTORAL, WEST AND CENTRE REGIONS.

HE IS CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY JOSHUA OSIH AND CABRAL LIBII WHILE PAUL BIYA IS AT A DISTANT FOURTH POSITION.

MEANWHILE PAUL BIYA IS LEADING IN THE SOUTH WEST, NORTH WEST WHERE ONLY GOVERNMENT TROOPS ARE VOTING.

NO CIVILIANS ARE VOTING IN THOSE REGIONS AS THERE ARE INTENSIVE GUN BATTLES BETWEEN SEPARATISTS AND GOVERNMENT TROOPS.

BIYA IS ALSO LEADING IN THE SOUTH PROVINCE. HE IS NECK AND NECK WITH CABRAL LIBII IN THE EAST WHICH IS NOT A POPULATED REGION.

ACCORDING TO THE EXIT POLLS, MAURICE KAMTO OR JOSHUA OSIH WILL BE THE NEXT EAST CAMEROON PRESIDENT IF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL DOES NOT DOCTOR THE DOCUMENTS.

CAMEROON CONCORD NEWS GROUP HAS REPORTERS IN ALL THE REGIONS AND THEY ARE INTERVIEWING VOTERS AFTER THEY HAVE CAST THEIR BALLOTS.

Cameroon’s next government must urgently tackle human rights crises in which hundreds of civilians have been killed this year alone and thousands internally displaced amid violence by security forces, Boko Haram and armed separatists in the country’s Far North and Anglophone regions, Amnesty International said ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.

“Whoever wins the election cannot ignore the perilous situation for people living in the Far North and Anglophone regions and must prioritize their protection,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Deputy regional director for West and Central Africa.

“For far too long, numerous human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have been committed with impunity in three of Cameroon’s regions and the next government must take urgent action to end these human rights crises.”

On Sunday 7 October, Cameroonians will elect a president for the next seven years. There are nine candidates including the incumbent President Paul Biya. Sunday’s election takes place against a backdrop of violence in both the Far North and Anglophone regions.

Some political opponents to President Paul Biya, including the president of one of the main opposition parties in northern Cameroon, Aboubacary Siddiki, are still in detention on trumped-up charges.

Security situation remains perilous in the North

Since the beginning of the year, Amnesty International has recorded more than 90 violent incidents involving the armed group Boko Haram in the Far North of Cameroon.

These include five suicide bomb attacks and raids resulting in the killing of 123 civilians in 2018 so far, along with the destruction and looting of private and public properties.

In 2017, there were 111 Boko Haram-related incidents – 41 of which were suicide bombs attacks – with 201 civilians killed. Despite the year-on-year decrease in the number of attacks, the situation remains fragile in the Far North and Boko Haram still constitutes a threat for civilians.

The humanitarian situation in the Far North is bleak with overall more than 230,000 people internally displaced. Some 98,000 Nigerian refugees are also hosted in the Far North.

Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances

In response to Boko Haram attacks, Cameroonian security forces have raided villages in the Far North, destroying homes, killing civilians and arbitrarily detaining thousands of suspects, often on the basis of little or no evidence.

Among the more recent examples of human rights violations perpetrated by the Cameroonian security forces and uncovered by Amnesty International is the extrajudicial killing of four civilians and the enforced disappearances of two others on 26 June 2018 in the village of Mouri in the Far North.

On that day, soldiers from the regular army, accompanied by about 10 vigilantes fired at three unarmed men, among whom the chief of the village, injuring them seriously. Then, they arrested four other men and took them out of the village. The vigilantes came back later in the afternoon and arrested two others. Three days after the incident, four bodies were discovered by herders who recognized the men among those arrested on 26 June. The two others never came back. Amnesty International has clearly identified at least three vigilantes aged between 36 and 47.

In July, an investigation by Amnesty International experts confirmed that Cameroonian soldiers were depicted in a video carrying out the brutal extrajudicial executions of two women and two young children.

Also, a horrifying video obtained and authenticated by Amnesty International in August showed Cameroonian soldiers killing at least a dozen unarmed men during a military operation in the village of Achigachia. The organization had already documented the case depicted in the video in its 2016 report Cameroon: Right cause, wrong means: Human Rights violated and justice denied in the fight against Boko Haram.

Anglophone region plagued by violence

In the Anglophone regions, Amnesty International has recorded over 360 violent incidents since the beginning of the crisis in late October 2016. More than 400 people have been killed in the past year, while the violence has resulted in total in the internal displacement of more than 240,000 people across the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, in addition to some 25,000 having fled to Nigeria. All are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Security forces have committed serious human rights violations, such as unnecessary use of force during peaceful demonstrations and in search operations that have resulted in arbitrary arrests, unlawful killings and the burning of dozens of villages.

On 24 September, at least two unarmed men were unlawfully killed by soldiers of the Rapid Intervention Battalion in an area of Buea known as Great Soppo. On 23 September, security forces undertook search operations in two neighborhoods in the capital Yaoundé which led to mass arbitrary arrests of over 50 Anglophone people. They were released on 24 September but only after giving money to security forces.

Armed separatist groups have also been responsible for acts of violence such as killings of security forces and ordinary people, kidnappings of state officials, students and teachers, and destruction of school buildings, gendarmerie and police stations, and military vehicles.

Amnesty International has also observed that armed separatists have become more organized with more deadly and effective weapons, including long range scoped rifles and PKM machine guns, some of which were seized from the Cameroonian security forces.

“If the incoming administration subsequent to the election outcome wants to end the impunity that has fuelled years of violence in the Far North and Anglophone regions, it must ensure that members of armed groups, security forces and others suspected of involvement in human rights abuses are brought to justice and victims compensated,” said Samira Daoud.

Source: Amnesty International

Manyu Advisory Committee (MAC)

We wish to bring to your knowledge the following important announcement

On the 30th of September 2018, the Manyu Advisory Committee (MAC) met in an extraordinary session and after two rounds of voting and intensive questioning, to unanimously vote Sissiku Dr. Peter Ako as the Chairman and Spokesperson to represent Manyu County.

By this announcement, Sissiku Dr. Peter Ako shall henceforth become the undisputed face of both the Manyu Advisory Committee and the entire Manyu County. He is the only person to present every final, credible and official policy position of the Manyu Advisory Committee and Manyu County during this revolution.

On this note therefore, and in the spirit of oneness, solidarity and clarity, we the people of Manyu County do make it known to all our partners within this Revolution and the world in general that we throw our full support behind Sissiku Dr. Peter Ako as the sole representative voice of Manyu County.

We consequently ENDORSE Sissiku Dr. Peter Ako and strongly encourage all Manyu citizens at home and abroad to lend their support and rally behind his charismatic leadership, and through our collective endorsement prove to the world that in him, we have what it takes to project the image and aspirations of Manyu County as a formidable partner and stakeholder among the 13 Counties of this Revolution.

God Bless Manyu County.

Sincerely,

The Manyu Advisory Committee

“One group can’t threaten the whole nation. We’re not scared,” said technician Mohamed Saulu Muha, 35, who travelled to the heart of the separatist insurgency engulfing Cameroon on Monday to support President Paul Biya.

Muha was one of several hundred pro-Biya activists who braved persistent insecurity and driving rain to journey through the foothills of the mountains around Buea to reach the capital of the majority English-speaking southwest region.

The southwest, along with the northwest, has been torn by two-years of clashes between English-speaking fighters, who want to break away from majority francophone Cameroon, and government forces.

“No there’s nothing wrong here. I believe in Cameroon we have a system to fix problems,” added francophone Muha, from the nearby coastal town of Limbe, who wore green Islamic dress and a blue and a white Paul Biya scarf.

Around him women in wax print dresses emblazoned with the president’s face sang under Cameroon flag-coloured bunting, and men sat on plastic patio chairs played drums.

But even the town’s police chief was unsure if Biya would actually attend the rally. The president, dubbed “the Sphinx”, keeps a low profile and has so far only attended one campaign rally ahead of Sunday’s polls.

“We don’t know if he will come today — but there is no problem here,” commissioner Aboubakar Yacoubu told the media, adding that “those linked to the separatists have fled”.

Despite Yacoubu’s confidence, the town and others in English-speaking regions were subject to strict curfews on Sunday and Monday as anglophone separatists marked one year since a symbolic declaration of independence.

‘Intimidate people with guns’

Gunfire was heard at three locations across Buea on Monday as skirmishes between secessionists and security forces continued unabated. More than 400 civilians, 170 security forces and an unknown number of separatists have died since the beginning of the crisis.

“The people of Buea support Biya.

The majority here are local. We want to say no to all the actions committed by the separatists,” said Dimitri Assoa, 40, who runs a local society group. But as the pro-Biya convoy sped to a grandstand in the shadow of cloud-covered mountains, local people made hand gestures and soldiers, posted every 100 metres along the route, took photos on their phones.

Thirteen luxury 4X4s roared past the convoy of coaches escorted by elite troops wearing balaclavas. Many of those in the grandstand spoke in French and had been brought in on buses from other areas of Cameroon.

“They intimidate people with guns,” said Assoa of the insurgency, adding that security forces were not guilty of doing the same to the region’s English-speakers. “I have not seen such intimidation,” he said.

English-speaking locals have long complained of abuses at the hands of security forces. Ruling-party MP Etombi Gladys told the media that “the campaign will cut through all of the divisions of our region”.

But with separatists vowing to disrupt polls in English areas, and many thousands of the region’s voters displaced due to the violence it’s unclear whether Sunday’s polls will proceed meaningfully in the anglophone areas.

“The security comes from God,” said Etombi who added she was confident Biya could win, even in the English-speaking region.

Source:  Agence France-Presse

On Monday Oct. 1, Cameroon’s Anglophone separatists marked the first anniversary of their self-declared breakaway state, the Federal Republic of Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons) in a somber mood. This was a marked difference from last year’s outpouring of celebrations and rhetoric by locals to unilaterally and symbolically declare independence of Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions.

That was because both the Cameroon government and the separatists themselves had decreed a total lockdown for the date, Oct. 1 and beyond—with an eye on a contentious national election less than a week away.

In order to circumvent the type of massive mobilization of English speakers which saw thousands on the streets last year, the government placed restrictions on movement. In the north-west region, movement of persons from one sub-division to another was prohibited for a period of 48 hours, spanning from Sunday Sept. 30 to Monday Oct. 1. The public gathering of more than four people was also temporarily outlawed. This added to a dusk-to-dawn curfew earlier in place.

The governor of the north-west region, Lele Lafrique Tchoffo Deben Adolphe said the temporary restriction of movement of people was an “appropriate measure taken to guarantee security of its citizens and their properties before, during and after this day [Oct. 1].”

In the south-west region, similar restrictions, including shutting down of all businesses, suspension of socio-cultural meetings, closure of motor parks and ban on circulation, were instituted by local administrators.

However, despite the measures, pro-independence English-speaking Cameroonians hoisted the blue-white flags of Ambazonia, and chanted their national anthem in some towns like Muyuka, Santa, Pinyin, Fontem, Ndu, Bafut, and even in far-off London where demonstrations took place.

For their part, separatists started enforcing a lockdown expected to end on Oct. 10, in a bid to frustrate political campaigns and a presidential poll on Oct. 7 in the two English-speaking regions.

The lockdown and the fear of being caught up in fresh clashes sparked the mass exit of people. Thousands of residents in the north-west and south-west regions have crossed over to the French-speaking parts of the country while others have gone abroad. In the south-west region alone, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 246,000 people have been internally displaced, with a further 21,000 having cross over the border to Nigeria as refugees.

To enforce the lockdown, separatists have sabotaged bridges linking different localities and used trees to block major highways in the restive areas. On Sept. 30, no fewer than five vehicles were set ablaze along the Kumba-Mamfe road and the wreckages used to block the road. Gunshots were also heard in towns like Buea and Bamenda, while clashes between the warring parties get more frequent and deadly.

Armed separatists are determined to forestall any election in “their region.” However, Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration has said the presidential poll will take place across all 360 sub-divisions of the country, including those in the embattled English-speaking regions.

The race for president involves nine contenders, including incumbent Paul Biya, 85, who is seeking to extend his 36-year rule by another seven years. Biya is campaigning on his “force of experience” to floor his eight challengers in the Oct. 7 poll. There is little likelihood the incumbent won’t win. Besides the fact that Transparency International says elections in Cameroon are often marked by irregularities, the challengers will have to share opposition votes, giving Biya an edge in a one-round election in which one requires just the highest number of votes to emerge winner.

President Paul Biya has reiterated his resolve to end the conflict which started as a modest protest by English speakers against real and perceived marginalization by his Francophone-dominated government. While launching his bid for re-election in the northern city of Maroua, on Sept. 29, he claimed the state had overcome the toughest ordeal in the conflict-ridden regions.

Culled from Quartz

Cameroon rail company Camrail said on Thursday it will appeal its conviction along with 10 of its executives of manslaughter for a 2016 rail disaster that killed 79 people and injured around 600.

The Cameroonian branch of France’s Bollore group, in which the state holds a 13 percent stake, was Wednesday also ordered to pay $89 000 to the victims, Guy-Olivier Moteng, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, told AFP.

Camrail said it would “immediately appeal this decision”, in a statement sent to AFP.

The train was travelling between the capital Yaounde and the economic hub of Douala when it derailed on October 21, 2016. A government inquiry found that Camrail was mainly to blame for the derailment as the train was going at more than twice the speed limit, was overloaded and its brakes were defective.

Moteng said the compensation ordered by the court was far higher than the initial estimate of three million euros. Camrail said the government inquiry was marked by a “complete lack of qualified and competent expertise” and said the experts were former employees who bore a grudge against the company. It said the engine of the train had undergone the necessary checks and tests.

Source: AFP