14, November 2018

Nigerian Activist says ECOWAS must take the initiative to resolve the Ambazonia crisis ⁰

Certainly, the kidnapping of 79 Cameroonian students by gunmen last week was a veiled message to the government that the Ambazonian separatists are indefatigable in their demand for autonomy and would make all sacrifice to achieve the goal

Though the gunmen were not immediately identified and the students have been released, it is instructive that they rejected ransom. Rather, they demanded that the school should be closed. It is not the first time students would be kidnapped but it is the first time such a large number of students were involved and ransom was not demanded.

Apparently, the demand for the closing of schools is to ensure the safety of the students. However, the kidnapping of students by insurgents to drum home their message has remained a worrisome development in the subregion. But beyond the closure of schools in the two regions, what is clear now is that Cameroon is sliding into civil war. Last week, President Biya asked the separatists to lay down their arms or face the rigour of the law and the determination of the defense and security forces. He spoke during his inauguration for the 7th term in office.

He reportedly promised to defeat terrorism in the country. Agency reports quoted him as saying that they would continue fighting terrorism until separatists in the two English-speaking regions drop their guns or are defeated. He however said “a good number of responses” will be provided “through the framework of accelerating the decentralization process which is underway,” adding that “the future of our compatriots in the Northwest and Southwest lies in the framework of our republic.”

In this report, Nigerian journalist, lawyer, activist and Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) African Bar Association, Mr Osa Director comments on the crisis and proffer solution. African Bar Association has been is a strong advocate of respect for fundamental human rights in Cameroon and other African countries.

Asked to react to the kidnapping of the 79 students, Director condemned the act, describing it as “an unfortunate development.” He said: “No sane and rationally minded human being will be happy at the incarceration or deprivation of the freedom of others.”Kidnapping is an issue that is subjected to immense physical torture. So, I felt sad and disappointed.”

With a cautious voice, Director was quick to say it is also important to identify the factor(s) that may have instigated the action of the gunmen. “However, we have to look at the root cause of such incident which I think is not unrelated to the crisis in Cameroon, where the English-speaking people are seeking independence from the dominance of the French-speaking north.

But for how long will Cameroon remain in a state of anarchy? Director said “until injustice and lopsidedness in national affairs in Cameroon is property addressed with a sense of fairness, justice and equity, we will continue to have incidence like this.” Director is aware of the implications of kidnapping of students by insurgents, either in Cameroon or in Nigeria. He pointed to the situation in Nigeria and how payment of ransom has encouraged kidnapping. “Unconfirmed source indicated that the Nigerian government always pays ransom to Boko Haram, although the government had continued to deny it. But even the international community continues to insist that certain ransom were paid.

“Those kind of attitude will embolden other kidnappers, knowing that it is now a veritable way of making money. So, it has serious implications for Nigeria in the sense that whatever happens in Cameroon can easily dovetail into the Nigerian states having borders with it . . . Akwa Ibom and Cross River.” He expressed fear that “some of these kidnappers could even be operating from the borders of Nigeria, knowing how porous our borders can be.” He suggested the tightening of Nigerian borders. “It means we have to tighten our security network and processes to ensure that the impact is not maximally felt in Nigeria as a way of causing tension and putting life at risk in these states.’

The Cameroonian crisis started with peaceful protests against the imposition of the French language on the schools and courts in the two Ambazonian regions where English is the general language used in schools and other public institutions. The thinking among observers at the time was that the crisis would be resolved, especially after international bodies like the European Union and the United Nations called for peace. So, what happened? Director believes that “in a situation like this, there must be a meeting ground.”

Since the crisis started, calls for dialogue between the government and the separatists have been made without tangible result. Director puts “the blame at the doorstep of the government.” He wondered why the government is reluctant to embrace dialogue when “the right to self determination is guaranteed under the UN charter. And if people say they want to secede, all you need do is to have discussion with them, it is possible that after the discussion, they may change or review decision.”

Describing President Biya as a tyrant and dictator, he said the president has been uncooperative, recalcitrant and reluctant to dialogue with the separatists. He wants the government of Cameroon to know that “nothing on earth can muzzle people who are determined and who are focus.” He believes that it is going to be a matter of time for the Ambazonians to realize their dream.

He dismissed claims that the separatists were giving tough conditions for dialogue with the government. “In negotiation, one of the parties should not be in a position of immense superiority. The Ambazonians are saying if we have to dialogue, the environment had to be equitable and there must be unbiased mediators in this process. So, it cannot be said that the Ambazonians are giving impossible conditions if the Cameroonian government is unwilling to have unbiased mediators in the process and in an environment that is seen to be equitable to both parties.”

Some observers have argued that Nigeria has the vigour to resolve the crisis but it is shying away even as some of its states are overwhelmed with Cameroonian refugees. Director agrees with this school of thought. “Nigeria is seen as a big brother in Africa and especially in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) but in this particular circumstance, it has played a very disappointing role,” he said.

Buttressing his argument, he said Nigeria bowed to the demand of the Cameroonian government when it “deported nine Cameroonians, seven of them are professors in Nigerian universities.” According to him, some of the deported Cameroonians are naturalized Nigerians. But even more surprising to him was that the deportation took place “in spite of the fact that some of my colleagues, Abdul Oroh and Femi Falana had gone to court to enforce the fundamental human rights of the Cameroonians. The government deported them before the application was held in court.”

Nigeria is a democratic country that has respect for fundamental human rights. It against this backdrop that Director said: “If Nigeria can connive with a dictatorial regime to deport even naturalized Nigerians, even though they were originally Cameroonians, that tells you that it has not been up and doing in trying to resolve the challenges in the Ambazonian regions. He accused Nigerian of not acting with an open mind and with a sense of transparency and fairness to all the parties involved He wants Nigeria to have a rethink on its position over the crisis.

“I will urge the Nigerian government to sit back and review its foreign policy disposition and ensure that if it wants to interfere or interface with areas of conflict in the subregion, it should be done with a sense of commitment, fairness, determination and be resolute in its decision irrespective of whose Ox is gourd, not by oppressing the weaker side and backing the government in power.”

The Cameroonian crisis came on the heels of agitation for secession by several groups in the south-south and northeast regions of Nigeria and the Federal Government has been mindful of its action in some neighbouring countries. Perhaps, it does not want to be seen as supporting secession in those countries. Director thinks differently. Hear him: “Yes, you can say that sentimentally and diplomatically, it would appear as if it is not in the interest of Nigeria to encourage secession in neighbouring countries when there are also pockets of agitations within Nigeria. “But as I said earlier, even though people are asking for self-determination, at the end of the day, all parties must sit on the round table and have discussion. And even at the end of the day, every war ultimately gets decided at the conference table.”

What exactly does Director wants Nigeria to do? His response: “If the Ambazonians say they want to secede, what I expect the Nigerian government to do is to encourage dialogue between the two parties just like we are saying in Nigeria that any region that is agitating for secession should not be crushed by military might.

“It does not necessarily mean that when a group says it wants to secede, it really meant it, it is only saying so because it believes it has been deprived of fairness, justice, equity and access to development and the enforcement of their full constitutional rights in the present set up. And if the government can guarantee those conditions, it will not secede.”

Though ECOWAS has been praised as an active subregional body in Africa, analysts say the body seems to lack the capacity to intervene in the Cameroonian crisis. They point at the speed with which the crisis is escalating without pronouncements by ECOWAS. The analysts are not alone. Director also believes ECOWAS has not lived up to expectation. He explains thus: “It is with a sense of disappointment that most of us have watched ECOWAS behaving like a lame duck, unable to resolve conflicts within its own subregion.

“ECOWAS has left much to be desired as far as this matter is concerned. And that may not be unrelated to the fact that the key drivers of ECOWAS like Nigeria are sending conflicting signals and are being lukewarm too, in confronting and trying to resolve the crisis in the Ambazonian regions. That in a way has brought out the general outlook, character and disposition of ECOWAS in the crisis in Cameroon.”

He does not agree with those who believe Africa must depend on Europe and America to resolve its problems. Referring to African leaders, he said “these are the same people when they are being rebuked by the international community, we would say we are independent nations. “But when there is crisis in another sphere, they would say what is America doing, what is UK doing and what is EU doing.” He said it must be remembered always that “you can’t approbate and reprobate. The only way the subregion can progress is by ensuring that it is able to solve its own problems in its own way, taking into consideration the historical peculiarities and nuisance of the subregion or continent.”

Culled from Sunnewsonline

13, November 2018

A Call For Compassion: An Open Letter To Mrs. Chantal Biya ⁰

Madam Chantal Biya

The First Lady of the Republic of Cameroon

The Unity Palace

Yaounde, Cameroon

Central Africa

November 13, 2018

It is with greatest concern and respect for the future of women, children and people of Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) that I greet you in this unusual correspondence. It is my hope and certainly my trust that this letter finds you in the best of health.

I still recall the excitement and joyous day on April 23^rd, 1994, when as a young woman you got married and became the First Lady of the Republic of Cameroon. I celebrated that day for two reasons; that the country had as First Lady a younger woman and with the establishment of the Chantal Biya Foundation that same year, you demonstrated your desire to attend to the sufferings of the vulnerable,underprivileged, the sick and weak in Cameroon. I knew that as a woman and a mother, the sanctity of life and the burning desire to protect it was very close to your heart and this has been demonstrated through your philanthropic and humanitarian efforts through the years.With your humanitarian credentials, there was no doubt in my mind that you would protect the best interest of the people of Cameroon as their First Lady.

However, I write to you today, forced into exile and no longer in Cameroon, nearly twenty-four years later with a heavy heart. I hold a heavy heart because of the desperate and horrific situation in Southern Cameroons

The conflict in the Southern Cameroons has taken a terrible toll on the vulnerable community and the stench of death and desolation has engulfed the villages,towns and cities. The depravity and senseless disregard of human life by the security forces of the government of Cameroon is alarming. We are seeing scenes reminiscent of the Ethiopian civil war in the 80s with dead bodies abandoned on the side of our roads, charred bodies of our elderly and vulnerable, burnt alive in their homes and entire villages incinerated from the face of the earth.

The security forces are carrying out extra-judicial killings of the population, the lives of our active young men are no longer assured today than it is tomorrow, and our young women are raped with reckless brutality by the security forces of the government of Cameroon. The trauma and scars of death on the desolate eyes of our children seeing their parents savagely bludgeoned by the security forces is leaving a painful impact characterized by nightmares in these young minds. Most of the indigenous population has been forced into the open forest and exposed to the elements. Nursing mothers and women under their period are left with no options, but to use dead vegetation for their basic hygienic needs. It is a terrible sight to behold.

Cash crops like cocoa, coffee, palm kernels have been abandoned to waste in the farms because the farmers have either been forced to flee or are too afraid to even hold their artisanal tools like cutlasses to go to the farms because that is in itself a death sentence from the security forces. Almost 300,000 IDP and about 100,000 refugees living in squalid conditions in neighboring Nigeria, thousands killed, and some buried in mass graves and thousands arrested, abducted and whisked to dangerous dungeons in Cameroon. The economy of Southern Cameroons that have been systematically abandoned for the last 57 years has been completely eviscerated and devastated by the conflict, punitive curfews and road closures that make movement and commerce between villages and towns perniciously impossible and frustrating.

My hearts bleeds for the children and women rendered orphans and widows, my heart bleeds upon the dark clouds circling above Southern Cameroons, My heart bleeds for the painful and horrific burning of elderly men and women in their homes, the pain, the anger, the complete obliteration of entire communities and cultures. I weep for the mothers and wives of the young soldiers whose lives are also being wasted in this senseless war.

It was permissible in the beginning of this crisis that you stayed silent, it was permissible that you remained indifferent, but it is no longer permissible in light of what we know now. It is no longer permissible as a mother of the nation who understands the pain of childbirth to remain indifferent to the plight of the people of Southern Cameroons. It is a travesty that the pain and suffering of mothers and young women who looked up to you, who sang, praised and celebrated you have been abandoned and treated with this level of disdain. How do you sleep at night as a mother knowing that young children have been deprived of education because of the security situation for the past two years, how do you wake up each morning not knowing what may happened to your loved ones in Southern Cameroons and how can you stay mute for this long with the unravelling refugee crisis in Southern Cameroons. What has happened to the humanity in you? Cry My Beloved Country!

As the wife of Sissiku Julius Ayuk-Tabe (leader of Southern Cameroons), I understand the political implication of this crisis. However, there are times when humanity and government come together for a common goal. In this case, the goal is the protection of humanity; the innocent and helpless men, women and children in Southern Cameroons. They are unable to speak or defend themselves. They live in terror because they never know when they hear the sound of guns in their village, if it is their turn to be killed or taken away in the darkness of the early morning. Imagine the terror that overcomes them when they hear the deafening screams of a sister, aunt, cousin, a playmate or a mother being brutally raped. They know then that they are next. It is compared to an execution queue where men are waiting to be taken away for execution, and they hear the deadly sound of the firing squad as they queue in and wait their turn. The torture, taunts and torments are unimaginable, and you could hear grown men crying.

I realize that I may come under criticisms and accusations for writing this letter to you. I have no other motive to write this letter, other than for you to rally the mothers of Cameroon and bring pressure to bear on your husband and the government of Cameroon for an inclusive dialogue and a negotiated solution to this crisis and the immediate release of our leaders including my husband. The deafening silence from you is no longer acceptable. The lives of 8 million Southern Cameroonians and the fate of their leaders in jail is in your hands. Madam First Lady set the example for other women to follow.

It is not too late for you to send the message; that the mothers of Cameroon will no longer tolerate this war. The Southern Cameroons women will applaud you and women around the world will celebrate you.

The Lives of Southern Cameroons children, mothers and fathers also Matter and the continuing silence in the face of these killings is collusion.

I look forward to collaborating with you to look for an inclusive and negotiated solutions to this crisis.

Respectfully,

Lilian Ayuk-Tabe

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The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons. The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers. However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization. It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

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12, November 2018

African Union: Fresh push for peace in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The head of the African Union Commission has called for a renewed effort to try to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Cameroon.

Moussa Faki Mahamat’s call for an inclusive dialogue comes after dozens of school children were reunited with their parents after being kidnapped.

They were reportedly held by Anglophone separatists. The principal and one of her teachers are still in captivity. Mr Mahamat called on the perpetrators to be identified and brought to justice.

A peace conference, organised by religious leaders, is due to take place later this month however it is not clear whether the Cameroonian government or the separatist rebels will attend. Activists claim the country’s French-speaking majority is marginalising the English-speaking minority.

BBC

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10, November 2018

UK Minister resigns, demands new Brexit referendum ⁰

British transport minister Jo Johnson has resigned from his post, dealing a severe blow to Prime Minister Theresa May who is hoping to win parliament’s backing for her Brexit plan.

Jo is the younger brother of Boris Johnson who quit as UK foreign secretary in July over May’s plans to leave the European Union.

In the 2016 referendum, Jo Johnson voted to remain in the bloc, while his brother Boris voted for leave.

On Friday, Jo called May’s Brexit deal “con,” demanding a Final Say referendum to allow the public to decide about the fate of their country.

“Brexit has divided the country. It has divided political parties. And it has divided families too,” he said in his resignation statement.

“It has become increasingly clear to me that the Withdrawal Agreement, which is being finalized in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake,” he added.

Johnson said, “Britain stands on the brink of the greatest crisis since the Second World War,” adding, “The democratic thing to do is to give the public the final say.”

May is in the final phases of talks with Brussels on clinching a deal that could guarantee a smooth Brexit and ensure that there would be no hard border between the two sides on the island of Ireland.

However, the negotiations may collapse simply because of the very issue of the Irish border as the two sides keep insisting on their conditions.

According to a senior journalist, the government will officially release the details of a long-anticipated deal next week.

Sam Coates, who has seen a draft timetable on the issue, said Thursday that the cabinet would discuss the Brexit deal on Monday and the publication of the full Withdrawal Agreement would be due on Tuesday.

The reported finalization of the Brexit agreement effectively puts an end to calls for a second referendum on Brexit or a reversal of May’s Brexit strategy.

May had indicated several times that she would bring the United Kingdom out of the EU on March 29, 2019, no matter what happens at the end of the Brexit talks.

Source: Presstv

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10, November 2018

Biya’s 7th term: A standing but dying nation ⁰

On October 22, the Cameroun Constitutional Council announced that incumbent President Paul Biya won the presidential election with 71.3 percent of the vote. Opposition parties petitioned the ruling of the Constitutional Council, citing eighteen cases of voter fraud, ballot stuffing and intimidation. The Council dismissed each case. After claiming victory for himself earlier in the month, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) leader and presidential candidate Professor Maurice Kamto rejected the results. In his refutation, Kamto called on all Cameroonians to be prepared to fight for their freedom and vowed that his party would use all legal means available to restore truth to the ballot box.

In another unusual turn, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, the Archbishop of Douala and president of the bishops’ conference in Cameroon, stated that it was virtually impossible that Biya had won in the Far North and in the two Anglophone regions, the North West and South West, by the landslide margins he claimed. The northern region is the most underdeveloped part of the country, and a majority of residents there still harbor the scars of their parents and loved ones, who were brutally executed by Paul Biya’s government on the heels of an attempted coup d’Etat in 1984. In the Anglophone North West and South West regions of the country, representing roughly 20 percent of Cameroon’s 25 million citizens, Cameroun government forces and Ambazonia Restoration Forces have been fighting since 2017.The conflict has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and fighters, and Cameroonian soldiers have burnt close to 1000 homes in at least 100 villages in the Anglophone region, following the Biya regime’s “scorched earth” policy. More than 50,000 refugees have fled to Nigeria; over 500,000 people have been internally displaced, and upwards of 300,000 people are estimated to be hiding in the forest.

This presidential election was a watershed moment for Cameroonians to salvage a collapsing nation by listening to the people’s voice at the ballot box. It offered an opportunity to peacefully transition to new and fresh leadership that would reform democratic institutions and apportion political and economic opportunities based on character and merit, instead of deferring, time and again, to corrupt party and tribal lines.

Despite glaring cases of fraud, incredibly low turnout (just 5% of the electorate voted in the Anglophone regions), and popular resentment against Biya’sregime, both domestically and internationally, it appears that the election results will stand. However, these flaws in the election process could hamper Biya’s attempts to attract foreign investment in the future and could further strain relations between Yaoundé and western capitals like Paris, London and Washington.

Biya—86 years old, President since 1982, and suffering from terminal prostate cancer—is no longer considered a force of stability in the fragile central African region. In international circles, he is perceived as a fatigued despot whose failure to adequately manage contemporary political challenges could worsen the already formidable financial, political and social crises confronting the nation. These crises could in turn incur further humanitarian consequences and could exacerbate security threats and stability challenges for neighboring countries, especially Nigeria. To that end, as a measure to contain the challenges presented by French Cameroun, western powers are likely to shift their focus and begin to support the Ambazonia Liberation War in international diplomatic forums.

In the face of mounting domestic strife and piqued international attention, Biya will have to make a number of difficult decisions in the coming months and years. Will he attempt to contain domestic resistance at the possible price of alienating international powers? Ultimately, the Biya regime may opt for peaceful separation with Ambazonia and aim to establish friendly relations with their neighbors by negotiating new trade and security agreements. Otherwise, the Biya regime will face the uphill task of sustaining an asymmetric fight with highly determined guerilla splinter groups, which number over 20,000 fighters and are supported by more than 90 percent of the population. The Ambazonia decolonization process hangs over the head of Cameroon like Damocles’s sword.

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8, November 2018

Francophone Politics: Bread, Sardine and Condoms for Breafast That’s actually delicious ⁰

Cameroon will never be the same again. The whole world was anticipating that 85 year-old President Biya will step down in the best interest of the Cameroonian nation that is badly in search for greater peace, justice, development, unity and joy. It is abundantly clear that things have taking an excellent backward trend with condoms, bread and sardine now featuring prominent in Cameroonian politics.

To be sure, Cameroonians deserve to enjoy good living conditions, democratic governance, equity and freedom for their unbelievable tolerance and long – drawn hope which the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo (military and civilian) regime have always promised, at each election year.

Recently and particularly in French Cameroun innocent Francophone voters, youths and non-partisan technocrats have been regaled with flowery campaign promises, unimaginable project deliveries from French Cameroun’s old and new public office seekers.

This seventh mandate stolen from Prof Maurice Kamto and given to President Biya did not witness the furnace of chop – I – chop political tomfoolery. It however saw the rise of bread and sardine and the presidential distribution of condoms. The French Cameroun monarch did not even campaign but reportedly dispatched his desperate merchants who masqueraded as saviours of the Cameroonian nation and assailed the Francophone population with worn-out and empty promises.

The October 7 counterfeit presidential polls in French Cameroun revealed one small thing-small but great and it is that even the Bamileke and Hausa business communities including the clergy all live on politics. So, after 35 years as Head of State, all what a University of Sorbonne graduate is offering his people is sardine and bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The 2018 presidential elections were also quite apt for those French Cameroun CPDM professionals who make their fortunes when politics, especially campaigns, hot up.

This begs the question: Who were the immediate beneficiaries of the October 7 presidential poll? They included Chinese printers, French Cameroun textile merchants, carpenters, drivers, transporters, Makossa and Bikutsi musicians, news reporters, print and electronic media, food vendors, the Francophone dominated army, body guards, soothsayers, prayer warriors, native doctors, godfathers etc.

Partaking in the bread-sardine and condom party were respectable clergies such as the Arch Bishop of Yaounde and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. Food is indeed ready!! Enjoy your meal.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

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8, November 2018

US: Trump claims Republicans won midterms, threatens Democrats ⁰

US President Donald Trump insists his Republican Party has won the 2018 midterm congressional elections despite losing the House of Representatives to Democrats, threatening the opposition party against using their newly found power in the lower chamber of Congress to hinder his political agenda.

The Republican head of state took to Twitter on Tuesday to take credit for his party’s success in widening their narrow majority in the Senate by winning more seats in midterms.

“Those that worked with me in this incredible Midterm Election, embracing certain policies and principles, did very well. Those that did not, say goodbye! Yesterday was such a very Big Win, and all under the pressure of a Nasty and Hostile Media!”

While Democrats were never projected as the favorites to flip the Senate, it is still surprising to see how they failed to make a splash despite receiving intense support from party heavyweights such as former President Barack Obama, former VP Joe Biden and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.

In a major blow to President Trump, Democrats score a critical victory by flipping the House of Representatives, while the Senate remains in Republican control.

Trump wrote only the “fake news” would refuse to “give us proper credit for this great Midterm Election.” Trump then went after Democrats, advising them against launching House level investigations into his administration like some party members have suggested.

“If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!”

Immediately after it became clear that Democrats had won the lower chamber of Congress for the first time in eight years, there were speculation that they would use the opportunity to give Trump more headache.

While impeachment seems a distant possibility now that Democrats have failed to secure a big enough majority, they still can put Trump under pressure by frustrating his legislative agenda and also dig deep into his business career.

The president has already been accused by Democrats of obstruction of justice in the ongoing investigation into his alleged ties with Russia which is led by Justice Department’s Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump took a jab at the probe in his post-election Twitter rant, calling it a “witch hunt.” Keeping control of the Senate was the highlight of the night for Republicans as they lost ground in pretty much every other aspect of the midterms.

In addition to losing the House, they were also projected to lose seven gubernatorial races to Democrats as well. Overall, however, it seems like Trump managed to do well enough in what shaped up as the first chance for many Americans to pass judgment about his presidency.

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7, November 2018

Hollow and Symbolic Gesture: Biya Pledges More Powers for Anglophone Regions ⁰

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya pledged to give more powers to the central African nation’s regions, starting his seventh term in office with a call to separatist groups in the country’s English-speaking areas to end a bloody insurgency.

The speech to lawmakers marked only the second time that Biya, 85, publicly addressed the conflict that has left at least 400 people dead since it began two years ago. “I understand your problems, I know them and will do well to solve them,” Biya said Tuesday in the capital, Yaounde. “Government will accelerate the decentralization process in response to the desire of the population to manage their own affairs.”

Africa’s second-longest serving head of state easily won presidential elections last month that were overshadowed by the insurgency and a security clampdown that hindered voting in the two Anglophone regions. Cameroon is divided into 10 semi-autonomous regions, which are headed by governors appointed by Biya.

Biya didn’t mention the apparent kidnapping of 79 pupils and three staff members of a secondary school on Sunday near Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest. While details of the incident remain sketchy and responsibility for the kidnapping hasn’t been claimed, army spokesman Didier Badjeck said that military operations are underway to free them.

The unrest started with peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers in the English-speaking areas against the dominance of the French language. While initial protests focused on calls for decentralization, a majority of the population in the restive Northwest and Southwest regions is now believed to support separatism.

Opposition Arrests

Maurice Kamto, one of Biya’s opponents in the October polls, and some of his supporters were arrested Tuesday when they protested in the capital against the outcome of vote, according to a party official.

“Our president was also arrested but quickly released,” Ndong Christopher, secretary general of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, said by phone.

Source: Bloomberg

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7, November 2018

French Cameroun Monarch Tells Ambazonian Forces to Lay Down Arms ⁰

Cameroon’s president on Tuesday warned Anglophone separatists to lay down their arms or face the full force of the law, a day after dozens of schoolchildren were abducted in the rebel region.

Clashes between a secessionist movement and the army began more than a year ago in west Cameroon, killing over 400 civilians and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

On Monday, unidentified assailants kidnapped 79 children, their principal and a driver from the PSS Nkwen school in Bamenda in Northwest region and took them into the bush outside town, military and government sources said.

An army spokesman blamed separatists for Monday’s kidnapping. A separatist spokesman denied involvement and said government soldiers had carried it out, as a ploy to discredit the insurgents.

President Paul Biya, making an inauguration speech after re-election last month that extends his 36-year-old rule, did not mention the kidnapping but attacked the separatists.

‘Rigor of the law’

“They need to know that they will face the rigor of the law and the determination of our defense and security forces,” Biya said in the national assembly. “I appeal to them to lay down their arms.”

Last week, an American Baptist missionary was shot dead amid fighting between the army and separatists in Bamenda.

The secessionists have imposed curfews and closed schools as part of their rebellion against the French-speaking government, which they say has marginalized the Anglophone minority.

Samuel Fonki, a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, said he had been mediating with the kidnappers for the children’s release. He said separatists were responsible.

The search for the children continued Tuesday. About 200 parents gathered outside the school, waiting to hear if their children were among those who had been abducted or had remained unharmed at the school.

Authorities denied parents access to the school, according to six parents and a security guard who spoke to Reuters.

The kidnapping was a chilling echo of the 2014 abduction of the Chibok girls by Boko Haram in neighboring Nigeria. There are no known links between the Cameroon separatists and the Nigerian Islamist militant group.

Culled from The VOA

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