Politics

22, March 2019

EU gives UK two more weeks to sort out Brexit impasse ⁰

European Union leaders have given Prime Minister Theresa May two weeks’ reprieve, until April 12, before Britain could lurch out of the EU if she fails to persuade lawmakers to back the withdrawal treaty she concluded with Brussels.

But after seven hours of summit brainstorming on Thursday, her 27 peers kept a host of options open, ramping up pressure on parliament to support May, giving Britain an outside chance of staying in for much longer – but also preparing to deflect blame for the chaos of any no-deal Brexit.

May had wanted to be able to delay Britain’s departure until June 30 to tie up legislative loose ends, and tried to reassure the EU that she could overturn two heavy defeats to clinch a last-gasp parliamentary ratification of her deal next week, so allowing a status-quo transition period to come into effect.

EU leaders had planned to endorse a shorter extension, to May 22, the eve of EU parliamentary elections, and leave any discussion of how to deal with May losing until next week. But diplomats said the prime minister singularly failed to reassure them she could win. Some sensed she did not believe it herself.

After May left the room, and with French President Emmanuel Macron pitching a surprise ultimatum for Britain to be out, deal or no deal, by May 7 — the eve of a summit on the EU’s post-Brexit future — the meeting plunged into frantic debate.

PressTV-British PM seeks short Brexit delay: Spokesman

The outcome, with which May declared herself satisfied, was that the May 22 date will apply if parliament rallies behind her next week. If it does not, Britain will have until April 12 to offer a new plan or choose to quit without a treaty.

That date corresponds to the six weeks’ legal notice required for the EU election – which the Union would insist Britain hold on May 23 if it remains a member. If it does not hold the election, leaders said, the very last date Britain must leave would be June 30, before the new EU parliament convenes.

‘Options remain open’

Until April 12, said summit chair Donald Tusk, “all options will remain open and the cliff-edge date will be delayed”.

“The UK government will still have a choice between a deal, no deal, a long extension or revoking Article 50 (the withdrawal notice),” he told a news conference.

If Britain decides by April 12 against holding the EU election, it could then leave the EU without a deal at any time up to May 22.

May said she would not cancel Brexit or seek a long delay that would mean asking people to vote in EU elections three years after voting to leave. She insisted she could secure a deal next week.

Many in London doubt that, not least after she offended many lawmakers on Wednesday by publicly blaming them for the deadlock. She tried to soften those remarks somewhat on Thursday.

“What this decision tonight does is show the clear choice that is open to MPs,” May said. “I think the choice is clear for people.”

But May’s stated belief in her strategy of a third vote did not communicate itself to the summit table.

“It did not go well,” said one EU official familiar with the talks. “They basically realized that she doesn’t really believe it herself. They don’t want to be seen to be forcing the Brits out now. But they are looking for ways to end the agony.”

While some brinkmanship from Brussels may be part of a strategy to bounce reluctant British legislators into backing May, there is also a growing impatience that efforts to avoid a messy Brexit are bogging the EU down when it has other priorities, from a weakening economy to rising nationalism.

‘We have bought two weeks’

Macron has led the charge, calling for Britain, long a thorn in France’s plans for deeper European integration, to put up or shut up on Brexit.

“We have come up with a response that protects our interests,” he said. “It is up to the British to sort out their own internal contradictions. As for us, we don’t have any.”

May’s opponents at home range from hard-core Brexit supporters who say her deal gives the EU too much influence in Britain to others, inside and outside her own Conservative party, who would prefer to stay much closer to the EU or cancel Brexit.

Voicing the fears of business that a “no-deal” Brexit would hurt economies across the continent, German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued for caution, saying she would “work to the last minute” to avoid a disorderly departure.

By pushing the Brexit crunch toward Britain’s April 12 deadline to declare its decision on holding an EU election, EU diplomats said, the leaders also dodged potential blame if they had simply allowed Britain to crash out next Friday.

“That way, Merkel and the rest of the EU can avoid blame for forcing the British out,” one EU official said. “It will be up to the British themselves to say they are leaving with no deal.”

The basic problems of Brexit remain, however. Britain could still crash out without a transition, disrupting business and souring relations before the sides sit down to negotiate a trade pact and decide how to manage their politically sensitive land border in Ireland.

“Today was a long seven hours that bought us two weeks,” another EU diplomat said. “It just lets us say with a clear conscience that we didn’t throw them under the bus on March 29 … But before April 12, we will face the very same questions as now.”

(Source: Reuters)

20, March 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: President Trump’s message hits Biya like a ton of bricks ⁰

The messages delivered by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, to Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, on Monday have hit the Cameroon strong man like a ton of bricks. The true meaning of the messages is sinking and it is becoming clearer that he is losing his staunchest supporter, France, which is already looking for a replacement for the ailing 86-year-old president who has ruled his country for almost 37 years.

While some of the messages were clearly expressed, some were coded and required time for analysis. The most coded was the picture that the straight-talking American gave to Mr. Biya. The picture of Mr. Biya and late president George Bush Senior was taken in 1991. While Mr. Bush left power a long time ago, Mr. Biya has hanged on to power for many decades and has no plan to leave power.

Americans want him out and there is no better way to let him know that he has overstayed his welcome than by letting him know that his contemporaries are all gone. Sources at the Unity Palace say the 86-year-old Biya is fuming and is losing sleep as his allies are already walking away from him.

Even France is reducing contact with the dictator who is now considered by the French as more of a liability than an asset. The French are gradually coming to terms with the fact that they might lose their influence in Cameroon if they continue to count on Mr. Biya as the only person who is capable of protecting their interest.

Over the last week, the French have been urging Mr. Biya to change course and embrace dialogue in order to address the multiple issues facing the country, especially the Southern Cameroons crisis that has gained international attention for things to return to normal while they continue their search for a new strategy to keep their influence in Cameroon.

Mr. Biya is at his wit’s end. He remembers what happened to President Mobutu of Zaire and he knows that if he does not listen to the Americans, he might incur their wrath. The American ambassador in Yaounde had urged Mr. Biya to think about his legacy in 2018, but the sit-tight leader did not heed the ambassador’s advice.

With the message coming in a different form and from a higher authority in the State Department, Mr. Biya might want to consider his options. Though the meeting between the U.S. diplomat and president Biya was friendly, there were still some rough edges which left the Yaounde strong man ruffled.

During Mr. Biya’s meeting with the U.S. diplomat on Monday, the American urged the president to embrace the frank and inclusive dialogue proposed by the international community, adding that Southern Cameroonians only wanted to be considered as normal citizens of Cameroon and that they would never accept the second-class citizenship the country had imposed on them.

He said that the US administration was closely monitoring events in Cameroon, pointing out that only dialogue could put an end to the crisis in the country. Mr. Nagy also stressed that the route taken by the government to end the crisis was unnecessary and that the loss of human life and property was a clear indication of a disproportionate use of force by the government.

Mr. Nagy also said America would encourage the country to pursue other forms of government that might reduce tensions in the country, adding that Donald Trump’s administration was ready and willing to lend a hand in the development of a truly federal system in Cameroon, a message that had also been sent to the Cameroon government by the Canadian embassy in Yaounde.

Canada, it should be underscored, has significant experience in the handling of minority issues and is very willing to bring that experience to Cameroon so as to enable the two linguistic groups that make up the country to live in peace.

Mr. Nagy used the occasion to remind Mr. Biya that Cameroon was a major American ally in the region, stressing that chaos in Cameroon could spill over to other countries and this could result in disorder that might disrupt life in the entire region.

He hailed Cameroon’s economic potential, adding that the country was blessed with abundant human and natural resources that could be used to bring about shared prosperity and wealth, but for this to happen, there must be peace and justice.

Speaking to journalists after his meeting with President Paul Biya, the American diplomat said diplomatic discussions were always confidential, but added that his discussion with Mr. Biya was frank and direct. A statement which has made sources close to the government to hold that Mr. Biya has been delivered a tough message which he has to take seriously or face destabilization from the frustrated American administration.

Mr. Nagy however said he appreciated Mr. Biya’s wisdom, adding that the United States and Cameroon had much in common and that he would like to bring many American investors to Cameroon so as to create opportunities for the country’s youths.

He said America wanted the best for Cameroon, stressing that he would like young Cameroonians to have the best jobs possible, but that would require peace in the country.

By Linda Embi in Yaounde

20, March 2019

Africa’s “PRESIDENT FOR LIFE” trend continues as Museveni seeks reelection ⁰

n September 2017, lawmakers from Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), President Yoweri Museveni’s party, introduced a bill to abolish a constitutional provision that bars anyone 75 or older from running for president.

Two years on, the same lawmakers have unanimously endorsed the president to continue his tenure. If approved by the National Executive Committee and the National Delegates’ Conference, the endorsement would mean Museveni at 74 years old and already in power for 33 years, would seek a record sixth re-election in the upcoming general elections in 2021.

In one word, there is a possibility Museveni could become president for life. This is nothing new, it is a recurring trend and has been the case in several African countries.

Together with Museveni, two other African heads of state have ruled for over three decades each. These include Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea and Paul Biya of Cameroon.

They could have been five but in 2017, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos stepped down after thirty-eight years in office, and in November of that year, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was forced from office after thirty-seven years by a military coup.

In addition, more than a dozen other African heads of state have been in power for at least ten years, such as Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza. While in the northern part of the African continent, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is being governed by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in power since 1999.

After the announcement of his candidacy for a fifth presidential term last month, nationwide protests broke out in the capital city of Algiers. Weeks of protests and nationwide demonstrations in the country have pushed the long-time leader to drop his plans of running for another term. However, he remains in office and protests have continued, with calls for him to resign immediately.

Bouteflika suffered from a stroke in 2013, has been in a wheelchair since then and is frequently hospitalized. However, his desire to hold on to power has not weakened.

President Bouteflika, who had a stroke in 2013 and has been in a wheelchair ever since assumed office in 1999. Photo credit: Al Arabiya

These long reigns in the countries highlighted reflect a common problem throughout Africa; the region is home to many of the world’s longest-ruling heads of state.

Military coups were once common as a means to seize power, with both Mbasogo and Museveni entering their presidencies this way. However, they have declined during the last two decades – there were twenty-seven successful coups from 1970 to 1982, but only twelve from 2000 to 2012, and just the one against Mugabe since then.

Now, despite laws prohibiting presidents from holding power for so long, many of these leaders secure longer terms by proposing amendments and eventually changing their constitutions in a bid to get additional terms in office – an act described as “constitutional coups.”

Paul Biya is serving as the President of Cameroon since November 1982. Photo Credit: CGTN

As a result, democratic societies in the African continent are stuck with ageing leaders or family dynasties who cling to power through fraudulent elections or constitutional changes forced on their people.

The popularity and widespread practice of entrenched leadership in Africa propel corruption, instability, societal fractures, stagnant economies and democratic backsliding. Zimbabwe, Sudan and now Algeria are just some of the notable examples that come to mind.

Refusal by African heads of state to step down at the appointed time has had devastating consequences and correlates with developmental, economic and security challenges in the countries affected.

Although some African countries with long-serving leaders such as Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone have recorded democratic victories and regime change recently. Albeit elsewhere on the continent, leaders continue to disregard their countries’ own constitutions and laws governing presidential tenure, despite actions from regional and international bodies.

Separating African leaders from the addiction to power is an ongoing struggle, and there appears to be no end in sight.

Source: Venturesafrica

20, March 2019

France and U.S. Striking Different Notes In Africa ⁰

There were smiles all around in Kenya as French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta shook hands over a series of infrastructure deals worth $3.3 billion.

It was the third stop on the French president’s East African charm offensive – and the first-ever visit to Kenya by a French head of state.

France wants trade and commercial relationships that are “fair and profitable for the Kenyan people,” Macron said. Alluding to Africa’s many relationships with China often freighted with debt, French investments would be respectful of the receiving country’s sovereignty and sustainable, he pledged.

Among the newly signed deals is a contract for a railway line from Nairobi to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a trip of about 12 miles that can take up to two hours by car.

Other signed deals include a 30-year concession for a French company to operate a highway linking the Kenyan capital and Mau Summit in western Kenya, a contract for a solar power plant and a contract for coastal and maritime surveillance.

The railway, President Kenyatta said, “will help completely transform the lives of millions of urban workers”. It should be operational by 2021.

The two leaders then shared a photo op seated in Uhuru’s new Peugeot 3008 SUV – assembled in Kenya.

Still, France faces an uphill battle to win more deals in Africa, where China, Turkey and others have moved in quickly and competition is fierce.

In 2017, French exports to Kenya, a former British colony, were about $200 million — about half Uganda’s exports to its neighbor. China exported $3.8 billion, making it Kenya’s biggest trading partner.

Nonetheless, France made few missteps if any on its four nation African tour while U.S. Asst. Secretary of State Tibor Nagy earned negative headlines while in Cameroon for chiding President Paul Biya over a list of human rights violations.

Pro-government groups were unhappy with his references to the detention of opposition leader Maurice Kamto and 150 of his supporters and to the violence in the western Anglophone separatist regions. Other countries on Tibor Nagy’s itinerary are Uganda, the DRC and Rwanda.

Coincidentally, the official visits come as both French and America governments are under fire at home over the erosion of civil liberties, income inequality, racism and the rise of white nationalism and neo-Nazism.

Source: Indepthnews.net

20, March 2019

Democrats push for ending Electoral College to prevent Trump triumph in 2020 ⁰

Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the many Democrats running for 2020 US presidential election, has joined a partisan push to scrap the Electoral College, the constitutional entity tasked with electing US presidents, in order to prevent President Donald Trump from repeating his controversial 2016 victory.

The current election system in the US overrides the popular vote, which gives the victory to the candidate winning the most ballots, in favor of a so-called winner-take-all mechanism.

This means the Electoral College with its 538 electors across different states, who are chosen based on each state’s representation in Congress, is liable for electing the chief executive.

Despite losing the popular vote to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, by a significant margin, Trump still won the 2016 White House race in a 304-227 electoral vote landslide. The threshold for winning presidency is 270 electoral votes.

Speaking in a televised CNN town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, Warren said Monday that it was impossible to have a “national vote” in America with the Electoral College in place.

“Well, my view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting. And that means get rid of the electoral college and everybody counts,” Warren said to enthusiastic applause.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of several Democrats running for the party’s nomination in the 2020 presidential race, speaks during a campaign event, March 8, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by AFP)

The 69-year-old Massachusetts lawmaker called for amendment to the US Constitution that guaranteed the right to vote for all citizens, including convicted felons, and said it was equally important to scrap laws that made casting ballots more difficult.

This puts Warren next to Clinton, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and many other Democrats who have called for ending the Electoral College.

Last October, when she was running to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District, Ocasio-Cortez famously called the Electoral College a vestige of slavery.

“It is well past time we eliminate the Electoral College, a shadow of slavery’s power on America today that undermines our nation as a democratic republic,” she wrote on Twitter.

PressTV-US Electoral College ‘shadow of slavery power’: NY Dem

NY Dem Ocasio

Hillary Clinton made a similar call in an article published by The Atlantic last month, saying that the “legitimacy” of the US election system was in doubt.

“And you won’t be surprised to hear that I passionately believe it’s time to abolish the Electoral College,” she wrote.

Ongoing efforts

Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee has introduced a constitutional amendment to eliminate the electoral college but it has yet to be brought up for a vote in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats.

At the same time, at least 12 states plus the District of Columbia – with a total of 181 electoral votes— have signed onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement that requires the signatory states to select their presidential electors based on who wins the popular vote nationwide regardless of the overall state outcome.

The compact would only take effect when enough states have signed to push the total electoral votes to 270, an objective that experts say is impossible to fulfill before the 2020 election.

Republicans in favor of keeping Electoral College

Unlike Democrats, most Republicans are against changing the current election system in US, a trend that rose sharply after Trump’s victory.

A Gallup poll conducted weeks after the 2016 Election Day showed that only 19 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents supported changing the system, down from 54 percent in 2011.

Democrats were a mirror image as 81 percent of participants in the survey said they supported an amendment to switch to a national popular vote, up from 69 percent five years earlier.

US movement seeks to axe Electoral College system

Republican state Senator Paul Lundeen, who voted against the compact in Colorado, said removing the Electoral College would hurt smaller and more rural states while giving more power to urban areas, where Democrats have a stronger base.

He also said the move undermines the principle of federalism by ceding power to larger states like California and New York, something he said was short-sighted and only fueled by Democrats’ opposition to Trump.

“If there’s a partisan element it’s the knee-jerk reaction: ‘I hate this current president and he didn’t win the popular vote,’” he said. “And I think that hurts us in the long run.”

Presstv

19, March 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: US Diplomat Reminds Biya of his long stay in power ⁰

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, who met with Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, used the meeting to send home many messages to Africa’s oldest and longest serving president.

While passing on messages from the Trump Administration to Mr. Biya, the diplomacy-savvy and straight-talking American handed Mr. Biya a picture of him and President George Bush senior of blessed memory.

The message in the picture was clear though not many people, especially those in government, could figure out the message. The picture which contains a much younger Biya was a reminder that Mr. Biya belonged to the past. Americans have an uncanny way of delivering their messages and this one did actually produce the desired effect.

It is therefore up to Mr. Biya to understand that Americans are no longer admiring him as a leader. America and Cameroon may be allies especially in the fight against terrorism, but they hold that Mr. Biya has overstayed his welcome in power and should quit the scene.

A source in Yaounde has indicated that the picture put Mr. Biya off balance. He seemed to have decoded the message contained in the picture and is not very happy about it.

It should be recalled that before coming to Africa, Mr. Nagy had to go to Brussels and Paris where he raised the issue of Cameroon with his interlocutors.

Americans understand that Cameroon is France’s sphere of influence, but they are insisting that the French should let the old leader to quit power in order for peace to return to the sub-region.

Americans do not want to alienate their French allies, but they are insisting that Mr. Biya must go as he is the problem in Cameroon. He is being accused of human rights abuses, dictatorship and corruption.

Mr. Biya seems to be seeing the writing on the wall. The European Union is no longer comfortable with a dictator who is maiming and mowing down his own people. Mr. Nagy’s shuttle diplomacy is hurting Mr. Biya and even the French are gradually changing their position.

It should be recalled that while in Yaounde, Mr. Nagy had a straight talk with the country’s Mr. Biya on the Southern Cameroons crisis which he qualified as “unnecessary”.

During the meeting with Mr. Biya, the American diplomat urged the president to embrace the frank and inclusive dialogue proposed by the international community, adding that Southern Cameroonians only wanted to be considered as normal citizens of Cameroon and that they would never accept the second-class citizenship the country had imposed on them.

He said that the US administration was closely watching events in Cameroon, pointing out that only dialogue could put an end to the crisis in the country. Mr. Nagy also stressed that the route taken by the government to end the crisis was unnecessary and that the loss of human life and property was a clear indication of a disproportionate use of force by the government.

He said America wanted the best for Cameroon, stressing that he would like young Cameroonians to have the best jobs possible, but that would require peace in the country.

Asked about the statements he had made prior to his coming to Cameroon, Mr. Nagy said quotations could be interpreted in different ways and that he was happy the country’s press was still vibrant and that he was either an angel or a devil depending on the interpretation of his declarations.

It should be underscored that Mr. Nagy had made statements regarding the Southern Cameroons situation that cast the government of Cameroon in very bad light. He had called on the government to stop the killings, adding that only a global forum could definitively deal with the issue that was tearing the country apart.

The tough talking diplomat had struck fear in Yaounde and many government officials have been worried about America’s position regarding the Southern Cameroons crisis. Before arriving Cameroon, Mr. Nagy had said the Trump administration clearly felt that the Southern Cameroons crisis that had put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons was an issue that required the international community’s attention as the government of Cameroon had clearly demonstrated that it was incapable of dealing with it using peaceful means..

Meanwhile, sources within Yaounde government say Mr. Nagy who had visited other African countries, was bearing a special message from many countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom who strongly believe that the Yaounde regime has crossed the red line.

“They are all scared of Americans. They know what America and its allies are capable of doing. They know the American diplomat is carrying a message from different nations and if the Yaounde government does not change its approach to this conflict, it might incur the wrath of the US,” our sources said.

“We know what Americans are capable of doing. If the government decides to ignore American advice on this, it runs the risk of dealing with a larger crisis. Government officials are scared that America might arm Southern Cameroonian fighters who are still using hunting rifles. If America comes to help Southern Cameroonians, their language might change from peaceful negotiation to regime change and this will imply more chaos and panic in the region,” our sources pointed out.

“It is not Mr. Nagy that is talking. It is Mr. Trump. President Biya knows that and he knows with more oil being discovered in the Southwest region, Americans might come in to get a fair share. The government will surely change its language and that will mean a return to normalcy in the two English-speaking regions of the country. But some hawks in the region are still beating the drums of war as they are making the most of the situation. Many of them have become rich overnight and would want the chaos to continue,” our sources said.

“Americans are not happy that an American missionary was killed in Bamenda as a result of this conflict. The message to Mr. Biya could be clear, but there are undertones which the government must seek to understand. Americans hardly forgive and they will surely want to take their revenge if the government does not listen. Americans are mad at the Yaounde government for the humiliation they have inflicted on the American ambassador after he advised Mr. Biya not to run in the last presidential election which he clearly lost,” our sources pointed out.

By Linda Embi in Yaounde

18, March 2019

Should we worry about genocide in Southern Cameroons? ⁰

Cameroon has been making headlines as another hot spot of instability in Africa. This time, the conflict is along linguistic and cultural lines, between the Francophone majority in the country, who comprise over 80 percent of the population and dominate politics, administration, education, professions and the military, and the Anglophone minority in the western provinces of Cameroon, who make up little more than 15 percent of the population.

The current conflict began two years ago as a protest by middle-class professionals, predominantly lawyers and educators, against the policies of the Francophone central government, perceived to be further marginalizing English speakers and English-speaking areas. The government of Paul Biya, which has been in power since 1982, believed those initial protests were a challenge to the authority of his regime, and responded with a severe crackdown. This, in turn, led to a full-fledged, generalized secessionist movement among the English speakers in the west.

So far, this is in line with the course of post-colonial African politics. But emerging information from within the country is increasingly setting alarm bells ringing, and the international community needs to monitor the situation very closely.

Initial reports of extrajudicial killings of women and children carried out by the central government army personnel are starting to look like systematic campaigns of violence against civilians, with thousands already dead. Entire villages have been evacuated, as some 500,000 people, well over ten percent of the Anglophone population, have been displaced from their homes as a result of indiscriminate state aggression. And attitudes are only hardening on both sides.

Rwanda’s voices are also echoing in response to these international developments. The situation in Cameroon only started making news after an American citizen was caught in the crossfire and killed. This is despite the fact that the United States has been aware that a good proportion of the documented atrocities seem to have been committed by the Rapid Intervention Battalion, an elite military unit that the US trained to fight Boko Haram in the north of Cameroon.

France, the former colonial power, is taking a stand of wilful ignorance that is eerily similar to its attitude toward Rwanda in the months leading to that genocide. And nobody else wants to go anywhere near Cameroon, since none of the major international players have strategic interests in the area – and certainly no interests tied to the Anglophone minority.

The Western press is also taking a rather strange stance on this conflict, which they often term a “near-civil war”. But a civil war implies that there is some kind of equivalence of power between the two parties, as if there was any doubt about which side might prevail. This is simply not the case here. No amount of hardened “secessionist insurgents” is going to pose a real threat to the Francophone government, or indeed the Francophone regions. Short of the two sides coming together to agree on some kind of compromise – and at this stage neither is contemplating such a thing – there are exactly two possible outcomes: Either the Biya government decides to just cut the two Anglophone regions loose and carry on with the Francophonie, or it decides to drown the two provinces in blood.

The decision over what happens next rests entirely with the Biya government. So far, there are no international power players interested in pressuring the government in one direction or the other. And at every given opportunity, the government has chosen to escalate the matter.

We may not be talking about genocide this week, but it is squarely pointing in that direction. There is nothing to suggest that the internal dynamics of the crisis, or the conduct of the Biya government, will divert the course of events, or that it will slow down.

Perhaps the best hope for Cameroon at this moment in history is, in fact, the US. The US has some leverage over Cameroon’s government and has already cut some military assistance to the Biya government over the escalating humanitarian crisis. But can we have any faith that the Trump administration will initiate a sufficiently robust policy response to a developing humanitarian crisis? That would be out of character for the administration. And as long as that remains the case, Cameroon’s most likely outcome, tragically, looks like Rwanda.

Source: alarabiya.net

17, March 2019

CPDM Crime Syndicate: ELECAM attempts to register 10 million voters before elections ⁰

Cameroon’s electoral body Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) attempted to register at least 10 million voters before the legislative and municipal elections in September, said ELECAM Chairman Enow Abrams Egbe.

During the first annual meeting of the body, Egbe called on all eligible voters in the country to “exercise the right to vote and to participate in the choice of the country’s leaders.”

Voter registration throughout Cameroon and in the country’s diplomatic representations abroad began in early January.

Cameroon will hold at least two elections, including legislative and municipal elections scheduled for September, according to the electoral calendar. Regional elections could also be held in the year.

According to ELECAM statistics, about 6.67 million people were registered in the presidential election in October last year, including 19,420 abroad, with a turnout of 53.85 percent.

“We hope that calm and peace will return to facilitate the registration process,” said ELECAM’s Director General Erik Essousse.

Cameroon is facing growing insecurity in its two anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, where separatists want to create a new nation called “Ambazonia.”

Xinhuanet

16, March 2019

Algeria: More ruling party officials ditching President Bouteflika ⁰

A senior leader of Algeria’s ruling FLN Party says President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is “history now,” in another sign that the party is potentially embracing the cause of the recent widespread protests against the long-time president.

Bouteflika on Monday abandoned a decision to seek a fifth term amid weeks of mass rallies, but he canceled the upcoming election without setting a new date, prompting accusations that he was plotting new “tricks” and sparking a new round of protests.

On the eve of the first Friday protests since Bouteflika’s announcement, Hocine Kheldoun, a former spokesman for the FLN, said in an interview with Ennahar television that the party had to look ahead and take sides with the anti-Bouteflika protesters.

Kheldoun’s remarks late on Thursday were another major setback for Bouteflika as several other senior FLN officials had already broken ranks with him publicly.

PressTV-Algeria’s Bouteflika drops re-election bid amid protests

On Friday, thousands of protesters gathered in the center of the capital, Algiers, demanding Bouteflika to step down. Some of the demonstrators shouted “FLN, go!” during the protest, signifying that they are not just dissatisfied with the president but with the party long associated with him as well.

“Those who think we are tired are wrong. Our protests will not stop,” said the 37-year-old protester Madjid Benzida, who was attending the protest.

Anti-government protests first erupted in Algeria on February 22 over Bouteflika’s bid to extend his 20-year rule. The demonstrators demanded a new era with younger leaders who would offer greater social freedoms and prosperity.

‘Game over!’

Algerians have barely seen their ailing 82-year-old president since he suffered a stroke in 2013, and demonstrators are also angry about corruption and secrecy in Algeria’s power structure.

A former minister, who is familiar with Bouteflika’s inner circle, said the president could not survive the pressure building against him.

“Game over! Bouteflika has no choice but to quit now,” the former minister anonymously told Reuters.

Presstv

16, March 2019

Will Trump’s African Liaison Help Solve Cameroon’s Unending Conflicts? ⁰

There is great expectation among Cameroonians for a solution to its numerous conflicts, especially that orchestrating in the Anglophone regions as the United States Assistant Secretary of State in charge of African Affairs, Nagy Tibor, arrives the country on March 17th for a two-day official visit.

According to the State Department, Ambassador Tibor will be meeting with Cameroonian authorities to discuss security issues and the ongoing war in the two restive regions. This has pushed many Cameroonians to see the high level visit as part of the solution to the country’s unending conflict in two of its richest regions economically. While the government has been mum about the visit, it has been making the rounds in both the conventional and social media.

In the last two weeks, the U.S government and lawmakers have been very vocal about the prevailing situation in the two Anglophone regions in Cameroon, askeing their government to take firm measures. Just as he started his African tour on March 4th, Tibor, in an interview on the French international radio channel RFI , said the government of Cameroon should grant more autonomy to the Anglophone minority so that they can be able to manage their affairs by themselves. The diplomat also urged the government to release opposition leader, Professor Maurice Kamto and members and sympathizers of his party who were arrested on January 28 after organizing a peaceful march two days earlier.

He later on in another interview expressed his regrets over the happenings and stated that, “my heart breaks for Cameroon,” while promising to take the matter to the highest international instance. Moreover, on March 12th, the U.S government released a damaging human rights report on Cameroon detailing the excesses of the security forces as well as armed separatists in the two Anglophone regions and as Boko Haram militants in the North of the country among others. Prior to the publication of the report, the Chairman of the U.S House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Eliot Engel, prayed the Secretary to use his visit and challenge the decision of the Cameroonian authorities to incarcerate political opponents as well as its alleged human rights violations in the Anglophone North West and South West regions.

The government of Cameroon sleepless has on several occasions explained its policies, insisting the military has maintained a technique of “professionalism” in its mission to the Anglophone regions and the North. Communication Minister Rene Sadi also accused the U.S government of interfering in Cameroon’s internal affairs while stating that the opposition party members were arrested and charged for purely common law crimes and not politically motivated questions.

Since the advent of the conflict in the two English speaking regions, the U.S government has never taken such a firm stance. Moreover, it has also expressed so much interest in the arrests and incarceration of politicians recently. It is to be noted that Ambassador Tibor is no stranger to the politics and political players of Cameroon, having served as a diplomat in charge of Cameroonian affairs in the early 1990s.

The conflict in Anglophone regions of Cameroon began as a peaceful protest by lawyers and teachers in September 2016 and has since transformed into a war between government soldiers and armed separatists who are clamouring for the creation of a state for Anglophones called Ambazonia. The conflict has led to some of the worst human rights violations in the history of Africa with thousands being killed – some burnt alive in their houses – and reports of torture and disappearance. The United Nations has reported that the conflict has created more than 400,000 refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and about 2 million persons have been affected.

The situation in the country has been worsened by the arrest of opposition leader and Chairman of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Maurice Kamto, who was the official runner-up in the October 7th, 2018 presidential election which saw incumbent Paul Biya being re-elected. However, Kamto and his peers argued that there were gross irregularities which is why they were protesting on January 26th. They also challenged the government to stop the war in the English speaking regions and call for dialogue.

Source: The Organization For World Peace