24, March 2021
Should Biya worry about US President Biden’s Africa policy? 0
Will new US President Joe Biden change the situation in Yaoundé? Opposition leader Maurice Kamto certainly hopes so. However, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, who intends to maintain his relationship with the US, hopes that it will not interfere in Cameroonian affairs.
On 19 January – in front of US senators – Antony Blinken was sworn in as US secretary of state. Delaware Democrat Chris Coons asked him about Africa. Blinken replied, saying that “I share your concerns about the recent elections held in Uganda and Cameroon, especially the violence directed against the English-speaking population.”
President Paul Biya’s balancing act
He added that “there are a whole series of places where I think the United States can help make a difference.” Blinken – who is already familiar with Morocco, Djibouti, Nigeria and South Africa – has for years been in favour of a stronger partnership between the US and Africa.
In a speech broadcast on 7 February at the 34th African Union summit, US President Joe Biden echoed this sentiment saying that “America is back. [We will work] to renew our role in international institutions and regain our credibility and moral authority.”
But what form will this turn of events take? As soon as Biden was elected, Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto welcomed the news. Congratulating the Democrat, he wrote that “The United States is proving that democracy and democratic institutions matter. So does political change. I look forward to working with the Biden administration on a new path for Cameroon.”
A diplomat in Yaoundé adds that “the opposition’s future is also at stake in Washington. Due to the crisis in the English-speaking regions and the fact that opponents are being incarcerated, Paul Biya does not have good press there.”
The fight against Boko Haram as an asset
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya knows that the Anglophone crisis is a subject of concern for Washington, which advocates dialogue to resolve the conflict, while Yaoundé favours the security approach.
“For the moment, the United States has not gone further than the stage of declarations, notably at the instigation of the Senate, but the Biden presidency could go a step further,” continues the diplomat. One of Yaoundé’s fears is that the new US administration will bring up the Anglophone crisis more regularly during UN Security Council meetings, through their ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Thomas-Greenfield, who is an African-American and a seasoned diplomat who was former President Barack Obama’s Africa adviser, knows the continent well and met with Biya at a UN General Assembly in 2016. She has already set up a team to work specifically on African issues in New York.
“However, Paul Biya does not lack assets, such as his army’s fight against Boko Haram, which is important to the Americans,” says an analyst.
To conclude: “On the one hand, he does not want to cede anything to the Americans or the opposition regarding the Anglophone crisis. On the other hand, he does not want Cameroon to be blacklisted or for some of its officials to be targeted by sanctions. He has to find a balance between firmness and tact.”
Culled from The Africa Report
27, March 2021
Chinese leader exchanges congratulations with Biya on 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties 0
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday exchanged congratulations with Cameroonian President Paul Biya on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
In his message, Xi said that over the past half a century since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, China and Cameroon has been standing side by side through thick and thin, and the traditional friendship between the two countries has grown stronger with time.
In recent years, the friendly cooperative relations between the two countries have enjoyed a strong momentum of development with deepening political mutual trust and fruitful results in practical cooperation, Xi said.
The two countries have understood and supported each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, and have coordinated closely in international and regional affairs, he noted.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, China has been working with Cameroon and other African countries to help and support each other in fighting the epidemic, which demonstrated the brotherly friendship between China and Africa that shares weal and woe, Xi said.
Xi emphasized that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Cameroon relations.
He expressed the willingness to work with Biya to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and enhance their joint efforts to build the Belt and Road, so as to benefit the two countries and peoples and to make positive contributions to forging a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.
In his message, Biya said for a long time, with the efforts of the heads of state of the two countries, the friendly cooperative relations between Cameroon and China, which are mutually-beneficial and win-win, have been fruitful and continuously consolidated.
The fruits of cooperation between the two countries have made great contributions to enhancing the Cameroonian people’s well-being and helping Cameroon achieve national modernization, Biya said.
Noting the Chinese leadership is far-sighted and the Chinese people are diligent and brave, the Cameroonian president said China has become a significant force on the international stage.
What is even more encouraging is that China has been attaching importance to South-South cooperation and supporting African countries in achieving development and vitalization, Biya said.
On the occasion of grand celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Biya said he wishes Cameroon-China cooperation becoming closer with a broader prospect to better benefit the two peoples.
Source: China.org