Corruption investigators in Ukraine are looking into allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gave a multi-million euro donation to the presidential campaign of Yulia Tymoshenko in 2010, Ukrainian MP Volodymyr Ariev said.

Tymoshenko denies the claims, but reports of past illicit campaign financing could damage the Ukrainian opposition leader, who is currently beating President Petro Poroshenko in opinion polls ahead of next year’s presidential vote.

Ariev, who is a member of Poroshenko’s ruling BPP faction, said he and other MPs had formally asked the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) look into the allegations published by pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat in February.

As soon as this information appeared in the newspaper, three MPs sent a request to NABU with a request to verify this information.

According to Asharq al-Awsat, a Gaddafi representative flew by private jet to Kiev to deliver a briefcase with 4 million euros ($4.9 million) in cash to help finance Tymoshenko’s ultimately unsuccessful 2010 presidential bid.

“As soon as this information appeared in the newspaper, three MPs sent a request to NABU with a request to verify this information,” Ariev told Reuters after he posted a photo on Facebook of NABU’s alleged written acceptance of the request.

Under Ukrainian law, state bodies must investigate any claims if requested by members of parliament. No criminal case has been launched.

Asked to comment on the allegations, the press service of Tymoshenko’s Fatherland party said: “It is nonsense. The information is not correct.”

NABU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gadaffi’s financing of foreign elections

The case threatens to draw Tymoshenko into a broader scandal surrounding Gaddafi’s alleged bankrolling of foreign elections.

France is investigating whether former President Nicolas Sarkozy received 5 million euros of Libyan cash to finance his 2007 election campaign.

Tymoshenko has been prime minister twice and was imprisoned by former president Viktor Yanukovich in a case condemned by Western leaders as selective justice.

Known for her trademark braided hairstyle, Tymoshenko lost the 2014 presidential race, but the latest poll by Rating shows her ahead of Poroshenko with 18.7 percent support versus 15.6 percent for the incumbent president.

The next presidential election is slated for March 2019.

While Tymoshenko served as prime minister in 2007-2010, Kiev and Tripoli agreed a number of commercial deals including a plan for Libya to grow wheat on 100,000 hectares of Ukrainian land.

Gaddafi visited Kiev during a tour of ex-Soviet states in 2008, three years before he was overthrown and killed by rebels. He hosted Tymoshenko in a Bedouin-style tent that he had pitched in central Kiev as was his habit on official trips.

REUTERS

President Donald Trump says he could have “a very good relationship” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, even as the United States and many European nations have expelled more than 150 Russian diplomats.

“Getting along with Russia is a good thing,” Trump said Tuesday during a joint press conference with leaders of three Baltic countries most concerned about the potential for “aggression” from Moscow.

“I think I could have a very good relationship with Russia and with President Putin, and if I did, that would be a great thing. And there’s also a great possibility that that won’t happen. Who knows?”

Trump made the comments as his administration raised the prospect of a White House meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump and Putin had “discussed a bilateral meeting in the ‘not-too-distant future’” during their most recent phone conversation last month, and that the White House was among “a number of potential venues.”

Trump called Putin on March 20 to congratulate him on his reelection, stoking criticism he is overly warm with the Russian president even as the US intelligence has conduced Russia interfered in the 2016 US election.

During the White House summit on Tuesday, Trump said he was looking to expand business ties with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as their leaders have called on the US to take a tougher stance against Russia.

“The Baltic countries remain a key market for US aircraft, automobiles, machinery and medical equipment, and we welcome increased bilateral trade with all three nations based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity,” he said.

Trump told the foreign leaders that “nobody has been tougher on Russia” than he has been, noting he has pushed for increased military spending and energy production to beat Russia.

“We’re essentially now energy-independent. We’re an exporter of energy. That is not a positive for Russia,” he said.

“We are going to have a military stronger than we’ve ever had before by far,” he added. “That’s not exactly a great thing for Russia.”

The three states, along with the US, moved to impose new sanctions on Moscow in response to the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England last month, an attack that Western officials have blamed on the Kremlin.

The UK says the nerve agent Novichok had been used to poison the pair, claiming only Russia had the capability, motive and intent to be behind the attack.

Moscow has vehemently denied any involvement, saying the substance could have originated from the countries studying Novichok, including the UK itself, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

The Trump administration announced plans to expel 60 Russian diplomatic officials it accused of being spies following the nerve agent attack against Skripal.

Despite diplomatic actions by his administration, Trump has not forcefully condemned Putin and Moscow for the incident.

Moscow has also expelled nearly 60 diplomats from different countries in retaliation.

Source: Presstv

For the past three weeks, an encampment of activists from Ambazonia, the English-speaking territory also known as Southern Cameroon, has been holding vigil outside the Nigerian Embassy in South Africa. The  purpose is to demand the immediate release of leaders in their struggle with the French neo-colonial regime in Cameroon, and to shine a light on Nigeria’s betrayal of the Ambazonian people. In January 2018, Nigeria arrested and  handed over several Ambazonian refugees to the Cameroonian regime, the second longest-running dictatorship in the world.

Cameroonian authorities have since announced that among those Nigeria handed to them was Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, regarded by millions of Ambazonians as their political representative in the struggle for their basic human rights. Ambazonia has been under military occupation by Cameroon since 1961, and, all this time, the people have been struggling for basic human rights and dignity. Tensions rose sharply in October 2016 in response to a strike by legal workers to defend the Ambazonian common law–based judicial system from the Cameroonian regime’s attempt to replace it with a French colonial court system.

In response, the Cameroon military used force. They deployed helicopter gunships to shoot live ammunition at protesters, executed hundreds and detained more than a thousand summarily and without charge. In direct response, some factions of Ambazonians have chosen to defend their communities with force. These acts have created a wave of refugees crossing the border to Nigeria in fear for their lives.

The UNHCR had registered 20,291 refugees as of March 8; community leaders on the ground count close to 60,000. Ayuk Tabe and 11 other Ambazonian leaders, who were betrayed by the Nigerian government, had gathered at the Nera Hotel, Abuja to plan a meeting with the UNHCR on the plight of the refugees when they were arrested. Nigeria’s handing over of these activists to Cameroon, clearly done under pressure from France, was a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, a fundamental pillar of international humanitarian law, which forbids a country receiving asylum seekers from returning them to a country in which they would be in likely danger of persecution. It has drawn rebuke from Amnesty International, the UNHCR, and even the US Department of State. Moreover, it constituted a devastating attack on the survival of the Ambazonian people.

Ayuk Tabe has recently emerged as a unifying figure that commands the respect and confidence of the Ambazonian community. This betrayal on the part of the Nigerian government is not just injurious to the Ambazonian people. In fact it is deeply harmful to Nigeria as well, and should be read as the most overt display yet of France’s calculated conquest of the whole of Africa.

Nigeria has always been the crown jewel of the French project to re-conquer all of Africa. Through a combination of underhandedness, blackmail and influence peddling ,France has meddled in Nigeria affairs since the eve of her independence. When the Biafran war broke out in 1967, France positioned itself as its international champion — serving as the main supplier of weapons and mercenaries to the Biafran army and declaring “Biafra Week” on March 11-17. Yet France declined to formally recognize Biafra — which was what they needed the most in their struggle.

Having blackmailed their way into huge oil concessions from the northern-dominated federal government with their support for Biafra, France then switched sides and betrayed the Biafrans to government. The spoils of this act were demonstrated four years after the defeat of the Biafrans, when a French oil company emerged as the biggest winner in the 1974 issuing of new oil leases by the Nigerian government. Today, some French institutions and operatives play an oversize role in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Observers are not surprised that Nigeria is slowly becoming France’s gendarme in Africa. Evidence of this lies in the disjuncture between Nigeria’s response to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, vs. to Côte d’Ivoire. Nigerian political leadership has never found the courage to criticise electoral fraud in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, two French clientele regimes to Nigeria’s immediate eastern and south-eastern borders which can boast of the world’s longest-running and second longest-running dictatorships in the world. The forcible return of the Ambazonian prisoners, including Ayuk Tabe, is in keeping with this behavior.

French oil interests are the driving factor in the move to squelch the movement for human rights in Ambazonia. Were it to gain the attention it deserves, more than just Ambazonians would raise their voices for their fair share of the profits reaped by the French extraction industry in Africa.

Source: Vanguard Nigeria

Turkey has warned France over bolstering its military presence in Syria, stressing that such a move would amount to an invasion.

“If France takes any steps regarding its military presence in northern Syria, this would be an illegitimate step that would go against international law and in fact, it would be an invasion,” said Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli on Saturday.

“Especially if they intend to support terror group elements or give direct or indirect protection with armed forces, this would be a really calamitous step,” he added.

Canikli’s remarks came in response to a Thursday pledge by French President Emmanuel Macron to further support US-backed Kurdish militants in northern Syria.

Turkey began the so-called Operation Olive Branch in Afrin on January 20 to clear the northern Syrian border of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a US-backed Kurdish militant group which Ankara associates with the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighting for autonomy on Turkish soil.

Macron’s remarks also drew an angry reaction from Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, who said Friday that the promise to back the Kurds amounts to support for and legitimization of terrorist groups.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also denounced France’s stance as “completely wrong.”

Source: Presstv

The Southern Cameroons crisis that started like a joke in 2016 is gradually producing one of the least expected consequences. When it all started playing out, the Cameroon government thought it could address the issue through military violence. In its view, killing a few demonstrators would send the others home and things would return to normal. But this strategy that has worked for years has turned out to be the government’s worst mistake.

Instead of sending the other demonstrators home after manhandling lawyers and Buea university students, things have instead snowballed and a small problem that could have been nipped in the bud through constructive and inclusive dialogue has metamorphosed into a full-blown conflict that has already consumed more than 1,000 lives. Despite this unfortunate picture, the government still holds that this unconventional war can only be won through conventional methods. It has declared war on the people it is supposed to protect and instead of using the population to gather intelligence so as to gain a better understanding of things, it has resorted to collective punishment which has only pushed the innocent and desperate population into the waiting arms of the secessionists.

Government measures have been anything but effective. Its arrogance has surprised the international community. Its financiers are gradually questioning its management effectiveness and this is gradually manifesting itself through dwindling resources.  Pride goes before a fall, so say the wise. And this is gradually coming to pass in Cameroon where a government that has been at grips with a rebellion in the English-speaking part of the country and an endless insurgency in the north is dealing with empty coffers. The arrogance with which the government declared war on Southern Cameroonians a few months back is gradually fizzling out.

Mr. Joseph Beti Assoumou, the government’s defense minister, had declared that his troops would implement the president’s decision without batting an eyelid, but it turned out that Southern Cameroonian fighters, most of whom are ill-equipped, have killed so many army soldiers without batting an eyelid; a situation that has caused the docile Francophone population to start questioning the rationale behind the declaration of a war on fellow citizens as if they were some foreign fighters.

The violence escalated following the extradition of the Ambazonia President, Julius Ayuk Tabe, on Monday, January 26, 2018, to Yaoundé and this has continued for many weeks. Many young Southern Cameroonians have stepped up attacks on soldiers and gendarmes in a bid to express their frustration and anger. Many cities have been the theater of intense fighting for months with Manyu Division being the epicenter and this is costing the government a pretty penny. The government is facing a tough financial situation. Declining oil production and falling commodity prices are hurting a government that has spent more time wasting money on fake elections than on real and sustainable development projects.

The increasing attacks had been predicted by many analysts and politicians who had posited that the arrest and extradition of Sisiku  Ayuk Tabe would only exacerbate things as more people would be radicalized. Most analysts based their thesis on the fact that the arrest of Mr. Mancho Bibixy, Barrister Felix Nkongho Agbor-Balla and Dr. Neba Fontem in January 2017 had only made matters worse and their predictions have been perfect. The Southern Cameroons crisis will not be over anytime soon. Ambazonian fighters are determined and the existence of many armed groups is giving the government much food for thought. It is today fighting an expensive war on many fronts with very limited resources. This is a huge challenge, but due to its legendary arrogance, it prefers to avoid the negotiating table. But this might not continue for a long time. Its Western backers are already skeptical about its ability to win this war.

Despite this, the violence continues. The government is wont to using violence as its weapon of choice to address even the least disagreement with its population. It still believes that it could use the same means to suppress a more determined Southern Cameroonian population that is receiving significant amount of help from abroad. Arms have been shipped into the country and there is a huge pool of willing fighters that is currently giving the government a run for its money. The stiff resistance is causing the government to lose sleep, while its expenses are increasing by the day, with government officials involved in the management of the war effort doing their best to line their pockets.

Despite the poker face that the country’s leaders have been spotting for some time, it is clear that the pride is gradually dwindling, as the country’s limited financial resources head south. The government is cash-strapped and it is in search of money to prosecute a war in the English-speaking regions that will surely last for years. It is also seeking to roll back a Boko Haram insurgency that has killed thousands in the north, including army soldiers who are poorly trained to deal with such a violent and radical insurgency.

The government has been drumming up support for its efforts to stem the tide of Boko Haram attacks in the north, but its efforts are not good enough. Years of neglect of that part of the country have created a vacuum that is being filled by Boko Haram. Years of unemployment among the youths have caused these youths to turn to other sources for help and Boko Haram has used this failure by the government to endear itself to the people.

Decades of corruption and recklessness have begun having an impact on a regime that has been anything but prudent in its financial management. Many former government officials are currently in jail for using state funds to feather their nests, although there are rumors that many of them ended there because they had the ambition of taking over from the country’s long-ruling president, Paul Biya. The country’s maximum security prison in Yaounde is today harboring distinguished personalities who had served in Mr. Biya’s government. A former prime minister, former Secretaries General at the presidency, a former minister of health, and a former minister of finance have all been roped in by anti-corruption campaign that is no longer inspiring fear. Government officials know that Mr. Biya’s time is almost up and given that they have participated in the mess, many of them are using unorthodox means to secure a good future for themselves.

A recent case is that of Basile Atanagana Kouna (BAK) who has simply underscored that there is nothing to write home about the government’s security system.  BAK, as he is popularly known, was until early March, the powerful minister of water and energy who had transformed himself into a weapon of mass destruction for young jobless Cameroonian boys, many of whom have been condemned to wearing diapers for the rest of their lives. During his time at CAMWATER and the ministry of water and energy, if any young man had to dream of securing a job or having a promotion, then he had to think of bending over forward. BAK has left behind a trail of destruction and corruption wherever he has been to. At CAMWATER, the mess he left behind is still flowing and it has made its way to many neighborhoods. Even in Yaounde, the nation’s capital, there are many neighborhoods without water and electricity and this has gone on for years. BAK had decided to line his pocket instead of using the money for the purpose for which it was intended.

But BAK is not alone. There is still a long list of people to be arrested and taken to the Yaounde Maximum Prison that is already bursting at the seams. Adolphe Minkoa She, Magloire Ondoa, Jean Parfait Koe, Stanislas Victor Atangana, Rene Martin Mbida and Fidele Solange Ngono are among the people who are being watched closely. The country’s secret services are already on their trail. While in China with a begging bowl in search of financial resources, the country’s dictator had issued instructions that none of the people on the long list of suspects should be allowed to leave the country. He did not want a repeat of Basile Atanagana Kouna’s drama. His instructions were clear and firm and the country’s secret services want to prove that Basile Atanagana Kouna’s drama is just a flash in the pan.

Some of these people are already sick. Enow Agbor Kenneth, a native of Manyu Division, who has made this list of shame, has been suffering from diarrhea ever since he was informed of this decision. A source close to Benjamin Amenguele says his heart is already failing him ever since the country’s secret services summoned him to one of their many offices. Mr. Biya seems to have put all his collaborators on a diet. Many of them are losing weight, but this is against their wish. They know sooner or later, they will be at Kondengui and this is not a place a rich person should end up. Many of them are having violent nightmares and this is already impacting their health.

Biya has failed his people. He has disappointed his financiers. And this is hurting him, big time. With very limited financial opportunities, he is bound to look eastward. In this quest for more resources, China is gradually becoming a good friend. But there are many questions popping up regarding the viability of the corrupt system Mr. Biya has put in place in Cameroon. Even the Chinese have questions, but out of courtesy, they had to spare their host a lot of embarrassment. Mr. Biya has already been to China seven times. None of those visits seems to be producing the desired results.

Chinese are business people and they won’t be doling out money to a man who has run his own economy aground.  Like in previous visits, many cooperation agreements were signed, but coughing up the money that will oil that cooperation, will be the hardest part of the agreements. Chinese have worked hard to earn their beautiful spot and respect under the sun. They are surely not going to be throwing their money down a dark and dry hole. If Mr. Biya’s Western backers are reluctant to give him vast financial resources, why would China do so when it knows the West will never allow it to take full control of Cameroon’s economy. China knows Cameroon is simply a fair weather friend. It will therefore not be fooled by Mr. Biya’s vain seduction.  Things are clearly falling apart for the Yaoundé government.  No matter how it pretends, the world is aware of what is happening.

The government of Cameroon had declared that it would never negotiate with English-speaking Cameroonians who have been demonstrating their frustration with the government for almost two years. This frustrated English-speaking minority has shown a lot of resilience. Its fighters are determined and their determination is something the government has not succeeded to understand. The fighters’ strategies have been evolving and this has produced some unexpected outcomes. They have moved from organizing ghost town operations to kidnapping senior administrative officers and this is spreading fear across the entire nation.

Civil servants sent to the two English-speaking regions now move around with lots of butterflies in their stomachs. The dangerous fighters have a nasty habit of surprising their targets. Even the Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji, knows that he is in their cross hairs. His out of control rhetoric is not making things better. The country is going through one of its most challenging moments and many people hold that only genuine dialogue can spare the once prosperous nation the pain it is seeking to inflict on itself.  Analysts around the world are thinking that with dwindling resources, the government might soon have to eat its own words. It might soon be holding a peace plant and an invitation for an inclusive dialogue. The world is watching and it is really looking forward to that dialogue. Without inclusive dialogue, things will continue to fall apart. Fake elections and presidential decrees will not address the issues.

By Kingsley Betek and Rita Akana

Cameroon Concord News Group

Yaounde

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed to the Government of Cameroon to respect human rights of all citizens for the sake of peace. The commission’s representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Antonio Canhandula, made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Makurdi. Canhandula said the instability in Anglophone Cameroon had forced thousands of citizens to seek asylum in Nigeria. He said Cameroonian Government should explore alternative ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace and that both parties should respect human rights.

“UNHCR urges the Government of Cameroon to explore ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved, for the sake of peace. “We also reiterate the need for respect of human rights by all parties involved,’’ Canhandula said. He said the refugees complained of exclusion from the national life by the Cameroonian Government, political processes and important positions in the government. “Longstanding grievances against the central government in Cameroon took a new turn in 2016 when a group of Anglophone Cameroonians triggered civil society-led demonstrations. “This was based on allegations of marginalisation by the authorities, particularly in the education and justice system. “Initially, the protesters called for the return to a federal system of government and greater autonomy. “However, on Oct. 1, 2017, the separatist movement, Ambazonia Governing Council, declared unilaterally the independence of Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest Regions.

“Tensions ensued with government security forces clashing with movement, resulting in injuries and deaths and leading to an influx of English-speaking Cameroonians into Nigeria. “Critics accused government forces of killing dozens of civilians while the administration is also alleging that suspected separatists have killed more than 10 security personnel since the crisis intensified in October.’’

Canhandula further said that the UNHCR had registered 20,485 Cameroonian refugees seeking asylum in Benue, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states. He explained that the commission also opened a permanent office for the coordination of their activities in Calabar, Cross River, field offices in Adikpo, Benue and Ikom in Cross River. The UNHCR representative said that the Benue Government had allocated 191 hectares of land for the settlement of refugees in Kwande Local Government Area. He added that the site was being developed. According to him, each site has the capacity to host 4,000 persons. He, however, said that the influx is expected to continue and there is the need for more land in Benue. “We are still working with the state authorities in Cross River to identify a suitable location to move the refugees away from the border in line with international standards. “Issues of accessibility, security, topography, water resources, absorption capacity and good terrain for sanitation facilities are taken into consideration while selecting potential refugee sites.’’

Canhandula said the commission was yet to gain access to Akwaya, where some Nigerian refugees in Cameroon were located. “The Akwaya sub-division, in particular, hosts small refugee population of around 1,800 Nigerians and around 600 Cameroonian returnees, who had been refugees in Nigeria before being repatriated in 2015 and 2016. “This area is very difficult to access, particularly during the rainy season. “Nevertheless, our office in Cameroon is working to organise an assessment mission there. “But we cannot provide first-hand information at this moment,’’ he said.

Source: www.vanguardngr.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his rival presidential candidates in Moscow on Monday, after preliminary results suggested he had secured a landslide victory in the Russian presidential election.

He expressed his hope that in the future all of the candidates could unite their efforts and work for the benefit of Russia.

The Russian president also stated that his government’s main job in the future will be focused on “solving the internal problems of the country,” and announced that Moscow plans to reduce defense spending over the next two years.

He noted however that “due attention” will be paid to further strengthening Russia’s defense capabilities. “No one is going to accelerate an arms race. On the contrary, we will build constructive relations with other states of the world,” he concluded.

Source: Presstv

African presidents including the heads of state of Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and Nigeria congratulated the Chinese president upon his re-election, even as political analysts remarked that China’s life presidency project would be welcomed in many African countries.

Xi Jinping unanimously re-elected by the country’s parliament on Saturday, which thereafter also voted to amend the constitution to remove presidential term limits, meaning Xi can stay indefinitely.

Life presidency projects are the subject of fierce debates and violent protests in many African countries including Uganda where the ruling party recently lifted the age limit that would have prevented president Museveni from standing for a sixth straight term as president.

On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you most sincerely on your re-election as the President of the Peoples Republic of China.

The Ugandan president was indeed one of the first African leaders to congratulate Xi Jinping and commit to continued economic and diplomatic ties.

Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta also touted the re-election as a demonstration of the Chinese people’s confidence in Jinping’s ‘vision and wisdom in the governance of China and international affairs’. The Nigerian president, in a letter, also praised the Chinese leader for his wisdom and vision.

“On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you most sincerely on your re-election as the President of the Peoples Republic of China. Your re-election is an indication of the trust and confidence reposed in you by the people of China on your ability to bring your vision and wisdom to bear in the conduct of national and global affairs,” Buhari is quoted to have written.

Many other African and world leaders have been congratulating the Chinese leader and reaffirming their commitment to bilateral ties with the global trade superpower.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin who won the presidential polls in his country over the weekend was also congratulated by leaders including Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah el – Sisi and Cameroon’s Paul Biya.

Source: Africa News

The Southern Cameroons crisis that started with strikes by lawyers and teachers in October 2016 has sent the country in a downward spiral. Before this crisis, Cameroon was touted around the world as one of the most peaceful and growth-oriented nations on the continent. The country’s natural and human resources, as well as its strategic location in the Central African region, have always given it a privileged position on the continent. But this now belongs to the past.

The Southern Cameroons crisis has thrust the country into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The crisis is gradually eroding the country’s economy and being the engine of the sub-region, Cameroon is dragging the entire sub-region into an economic and financial abyss. The country’s English-speaking region that has always accounted for a sizeable portion of the country’s gross domestic product has witnessed a significant decline over the last two years.

The region’s population, noted for its dynamism, is today dealing with severe economic malaise due to the conflict and the government’s military action is depleting the region’s population, with many heading out of the country in search of safe havens.

For many who have been directly affected by the conflict, especially in Manyu Division in the South West region, Nigeria remains their first port of call as it is close, and they do not require a visa to travel to the continent’s most populated country. But their destinations of choice remain the United States and Canada which are countries which have, for decades, opened their doors to people fleeing persecution in their homeland.

Today, there are over 50,000 Southern Cameroonians living in squalor and facing tough economic times. Many of them are at the mercy of Nigerian authorities and Southern Cameroonian groups abroad that have been extending a hand of charity to them. The Yaoundé government has not shown any remorse for causing its own population to seek asylum in a foreign country and this is drawing a lot of flak both at home and abroad.

The refugee crisis is gradually becoming a huge concern to Nigerian government officials, as hordes of English-speaking Cameroonians show up every day, complaining about Cameroon government brutality that has left not less than 500 civilians dead and hundreds homeless in towns where government troops have resorted to collective punishment as a means to send home a strong message to the population that is clearly sympathizing with Southern Cameroonian fighters who have, over the last six months, given the cash-strapped Cameroon government a run for its money.

But it is the insecurity in the English-speaking regions of the country that is a huge concern for many people. After more than 17 months of turmoil, the government is still in denial that there is a serious issue that might threaten the country’s integrity.

Last week, a Manyu traditional authority in the Awanchi-Betieku clan was among the latest casualty in the war against Southern Cameroonians; a war that has already claimed hundreds of lives since the country’s President, Paul Biya, launched an anti-secessionist war last year. The chief was accused of cooperating with the enemy – the government of Yaounde.

It is alleged that Chief Boniface Atchu Njang of Mbeme had even brought in security officials to his village to arrest some young men he suspected of sympathizing with the secessionists. He did not know he was doing that at his own risk as secessionists have gained grounds and the cash-strapped Yaounde government is incapable of providing security to local administrative authorities who are seeking to help put an end to the conflict that has spiraled out of control.

Cameroon government sources have reported that Chief Boniface Njang was on board a government patrol vehicle when motorcycle-riding suspects fired at him. Cameroon Concord News Group informant said Chief Njang succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, March 18, 2018, suspected separatists abducted a top civil servant, Professor Leke Tambo, who was on his way to his native Alou, Lebialem Division, where he was supposed to celebrate his appointment as the chairperson of the country’s G.C.E Board.

Professor Leke was supposed to join other newly appointed government officials to celebrate their appointments but their party was cut short. He has been charged with human trafficking and importation of foreigners into the country – Ambazonia – without the visas. A video of him being naked has been circulating on social media under the control of Anglophone restoration forces.

Government authorities have not yet confirmed Professor Leke Tambo’s abduction, the latest in a slew of abductions in recent weeks. Last month, an official of the ministry of social affairs was also kidnapped in the northwest city of Batibo.

There is increasing tension in the country’s English-speaking regions which account for about a fifth of the country’s population since separatists declared the independence of the self-proclaimed Republic of “Ambazonia” on October 1, 2017.

The government has also been silent on an attack reported on Saturday by security sources in the southwest town of Alou by unidentified assailants on a convoy accompanying Economy Minister, Paul Tasong.

Social media footage has shown an attack on a bus carrying some 30 people by armed members of the self-declared Ambazonia Defence Forces. The latest attack came a day after newly-appointed Interior Minister, Paul Atanga Nji, embarked on a 48-hour “peace mission” to the north west region of the country.

A message sent to the Cameroon Concord News Group’sglobal headquarters in Coventry, UK, by a leader of the Ambazonian Defence Forces who have charged Prof. Leke Tambo of human trafficking and importation of illegal immigrants into the Republic of Ambazonia said “the people’s court will try Prof. Leke for his crimes. He has been collaborating with the enemy and this carries the death penalty.”

“He should have known that he was running a huge risk. Helping to run election campaigns for the enemy in our country is a serious crime. Prof. Leke has been backing the wrong horse and he should be made to pay the price. The party he supports is foreign to our country and it is widely considered as a crime syndicate. He should have known this and he should have understood that things have changed. Ambazonia is an independent country and we are going to do our best to ensure we remain independent of the other country that is being ruled by an 85-year-old president who does not love his country. We will not allow that madness to be brought over into our country,” the message said.

“We will continue to turn the heat on the Yaounde government until it tells us where our leaders are. They have been held incommunicado for almost two months and this is against international law. Our fight against the brutal Yaounde regime has entered a new phase. Anybody collaborating with the enemy is a target. Until we see our leaders on TV or in a duly constituted court, we will continue to take administrative officers and their collaborators as captives. They are enemies of the people. Any of them coming into our territory to preach the wrong political philosophy will be doing so at their own risk,” the message stressed.

“We have declared that there will be no elections in the Republic of Ambazonia. Anybody who thinks he can challenge us will be doing so at their own risk. Anybody who belongs to the ruling CPDM party is now a target. We are yet to build jails and due to a lack of penitentiary facilities in our new country, we will be disposing of our captives in a manner that will be far from being fair. These people have brought untold hardship to our people and they do not deserve any sympathy,”the message underscored.

Cameroon has been caught in a downward spiral. While its economy is on a tailspin, the country’s security is calling for a change of strategy on the government’s part. If the government thinks it can win this war anytime soon, then it is still living in the past. The country is now awash with arms and the separatists are determined to render the English-speaking part of the country ungovernable and they are clearly matching words with action.

The government still has time to negotiate. For long, it has taken a tough approach that is not producing any promising results. Hundreds of army soldiers have been rushed into an early grave, while thousands of civilians continue to flee their homeland because of government brutality.

The government still has some leverage. Its convening power can make it possible for both parties to sit at the table and work out an agreement that will restore peace and security in the two restive English-speaking regions. It is in a position of strength, especially as it has Southern Cameroonian leaders in its custody. This is indeed the time for it to head to the negotiating table. But it will soon lose that privileged position as separatists capture and kill their captives.

It will not be in the government’s interest to head to the negotiating table in a position of weakness. Now is the time to talk and the dialogue must be inclusive and sincere. Until that happens, any government official operating in Southern Cameroons will be a target and any CPDM parliamentarian or senator is vulnerable. Campaigning in the region for the upcoming elections will be one huge mistake and anybody doing so will be doing so at their own risk.

By Kingsley Betek and Etchi Ebot, with contributions from Soter Agbaw-Ebai and Rita Akana

The crisis that has thrust Cameroon into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons is unfortunately getting worse by the day. The country that was known as an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos has itself become the epitome of chaos. Human rights abuses are legion. The country’s English-speaking population is being depleted through organized state killings, with many heading out of the country in search of safe sanctuaries. For many helpless English-speaking Cameroonians, Nigeria is always their first port of call as it is close and they do not require any visas to travel to Nigeria. But their destinations of choice remain the United States and Canada which are countries which have, for decades, opened their doors to people fleeing persecution in their countries of birth.

Despite the growing refugee and humanitarian crisis playing out on the country’s border with Nigeria where some 50,000 Cameroonian refugees have sort asylum, the Yaoundé government has not shown any signs of remorse or planned any initiatives that will help resettle the people it has destabilized. The refugee crisis is gradually becoming a huge concern for Nigerian government officials, as hordes of English-speaking Cameroonians show up every day in Nigeria, complaining about Cameroon government brutality that has left not less than 500 civilians dead and hundreds homeless in towns where government troops resorted to collective punishment as a means to send home a strong message to the population that is clearly sympathizing with Southern Cameroonian fighters who have, over the last six months, given the cash-strapped Cameroon government a run for its money.

The government seems to be in denial that it is losing the country’s two English-speaking regions after more than 17 months of turmoil. There is increasing insecurity in the two regions. Boko Haram attacks in the northern part of the country and Central African rebel attacks in the eastern part of the country are clearly setting Cameroon up for a huge failure. The country’s economy has been losing jobs at a disturbing rate, and many of its best and brightest are heading out of the country to seek stability and prosperity for their progeny. Falling oil production and declining export earnings have clearly manufactured a nightmare for the country’s ailing and aging government. Economic and political experts around the world hold that Cameroon will surely be the next fragile state on the continent if care is not taken. Given its position as the sub-region’s economic engine, if something is done and in time too, the fragile sub-region will end up with a sticky mess on its hands.

But the government of Cameroon known for its inefficiency, manipulation and indifference seems to be putting a brave face on the ugly socio-political situation. Despite the growing insecurity in the two regions, it is still maintaining that there is security in the regions. But the creation of a fifth military region in Bamenda, the North West region’s capital, and the vast increase in troops in other parts of the English-speaking regions speak to the government’s apprehension and confusion. Despite the lull in fighting, there are still many skirmishes in the region and tensions remain very high. Places like Kembong in Manyu Division and Mbonge in Ndian Division are still considered by many as ticking time bombs that could go off at any time. Indeed, the entire region is a tinder box waiting to explode.

Analysts across world see the government’s deployment of troops in the regions as a move to face off with the separatists who are hell-bent on breaking up the country to grant the English-speaking population the independence it has been longing for years. The Southern Cameroons crisis might just be the final financial nail into the government’s coffin. The crisis has gobbled up tons of money and this has caused the government to review its economic growth forecast for this year.

The deployment of troops and movement of military equipment to the English-speaking regions have left the government with a huge and scary financial bill.  Its economic partners and foreign investors are reluctant to pour money into a country they consider as a black hole. Poor economic policies and corruption have reduced the country’s attraction and this is costing it tons of jobs. Cameroon’s unemployment rate is very high and the youths are the most affected, especially as the government is governed by the old who clearly belong to a different epoch. Their ability to introduce innovative measures to power the economy is impaired by greed and outdated economic theories.

The Southern Cameroons crisis that is gradually sapping the country’s economy of it vitality remains a major concern to the government. The government’s inability to contain this crisis is baffling many people across the globe. A crisis that started with just socio-professional demands has been mismanaged, causing it to metamorphose into a full-blown civil war that is threatening to destabilize the entire sub-region. The fear of having another sticky mess on its hands has left the international community perplexed. There have been calls for a broad-based and inclusive dialogue by the African Union, the Francophonie and the United Nations. But the calls seem not to have reached their destination.

Recently, Nigeria’s former Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called on the Cameroon government to take appropriate action to ensure the crisis does not roll over into other countries. Speaking to Jeune Afrique on October 25, 2017, Mr. Obasanjo discussed the crisis in Cameroon’s restive English-speaking regions. He used the occasion to denounce Mr. Biya’s continued stay in power, adding that “federalism is a good system of governance because thanks to federalism, each party can express itself on the future of the country and move at its own pace without disturbing others.” He added that in a federal system each state would have its executive, judiciary, and legislature, stressing that matters pertaining to nationality, currency and foreign policy will be the business of the federal government. He underscored that the fear inspired by anti-federalism was not justified, adding that he could mediate if given the opportunity to do so.

But all these calls have fallen on deaf ears. Mr. Biya and his plethoric government are hard of hearing. The Cameroon government is still counting on its policy of attrition. It is noted for leaving things to time. But this time around, time does not seem to be on its side. Armed groups are cropping up across the entire region and their actions have left the government in a tight spot. The armed groups have succeeded to kidnap a few government officials and they are threatening to kidnap more as a strategy that will push the government into telling the world where their arrested leaders are.

The groups also hold that this may help to reduce the abuses that are fueling the conflict.These abuses are ongoing and getting serious by the day. The international community is concerned about the Cameroon government’s refusal to call for genuine and inclusive dialogue. And its approach to the resolution of this conflict has been criticized by the International Crisis Group and other rights groups. It should be recalled that Southern Cameroonians leaders are being held incommunicado in Yaounde and this fueling the violence in the restive regions. Cameroon is not playing by international rules and by refusing access to the jailed Southern Cameroonian leaders, Mr. Biya’s government is clearly telling the world that it is an iron fist in a velvet glove, an accusation many Cameroonians have been making for years.

Behind the government’s facade, there are genuine and justifiable fears. Southern Cameroonians fighters have been making significant gains in recent times. The killing of over 300 army soldiers remains a concern to the government. Besides, its near-empty coffers are causing the country’s president to lose sleep. Last week, the government had to cancel an international cycling event due to a lack of financial resources. But it is the Africa Cup of Nations that is keeping government officials awake all night. The stadia are yet to be completed, the country’s road infrastructure is begging for improvement and with the violence in the English-speaking regions taking a turn for the worse, it is clear that Southern Cameroonian fighters would like to use the event to make a huge statement to the government and international community.

Yesterday’s cabinet meeting that was held behind closed doors and supposedly chaired by the country’s president, Paul Biya, speaks to the growing fear that is taking root within government circles. According to our sources which elected anonymity, the meeting focused on security. The sources added that Mr. Biya said the government was winning the fight to secure the country’s English-speaking regions and the Far North which is riled by incessant attacks from the Boko Haram group. If security was the only item on the agenda, then Southern Cameroonian fighters are having a huge impact on a government that has been orchestrating a charade.

In a statement published on the CRTV website, Mr. Biya said “Thanks to the firm action of our defense and security forces, we have been able to drastically curb the atrocities perpetrated by criminal groups in the Far North, North-West and South-West Regions.Efforts in that regard need to be continued, especially to ensure that economic and social activities return to normalcy,” adding that “There are a lot of things to do.” He pointed to the Africa Cup of Nations which Cameroon will host next year and the presidential election scheduled for October 2018.

There cannot be any better way of expressing the government’s fear. Mr. Biya’s statement above speaks volumes. It is obvious that the government has taken a blow to the liver and it is scrambling for solutions. Its rhetoric looks more like a charade. While putting a brave face, the government knows that there are major concerns and this year’s elections could spell the end of a system that is loathed by many Cameroonians.

The government, for its part, is not resting on its laurels. It has always rigged elections and it masters the art and science of robbing the people of their victory. In 1992, the popular SDF Chairman, John Fru Ndi, beat Mr. Biya in an election that was highly contested. But the Supreme Court that was acting as the constitutional council handed the victory to Mr. Biya who after that consolidated his grip on power.

Today there is a constitutional council and it is headed and populated by Mr. Biya’s men. Even the country’s elections body, ELECAM, is full of members of the ruling party. It is therefore clear that Cameroonians are in for more trouble. They will be seeing more of the Biya drama for the next eight years and the ailing and aging Biya is determined to hold on to power by all means even though his health is failing him.

However, there is something Cameroonians are counting on. The country’s youthful population believes that it can help counter any Machiavellian plan the ruling party is hatching. Many younger voters are currently registering to vote and they are determined that their votes must count. Besides, many opposition parties understand that a younger candidate may tilt the scale in this year’s election and that explains why the Social Democratic Front (SDF) has produced a younger presidential candidate in the name of Joshua Osih who is not only bilingual, but very conversant with the political machinations of the ruling party that have robbed the people of their victory in the past.

The government’s charade is obvious. The fears are easy to perceive. It is up to Cameroonians to take major actions that will help them kiss the Biya government a lasting goodbye. In this struggle to reboot the country, individualism is not the best option. Cameroonians must sink their differences if they really want to rid themselves of this government that has robbed them of their happiness. A holistic approach is also very necessary. While the fighting in the restive English-speaking regions is continuing, Southern Cameroonians must also understand that change could also come through the ballot boxes. They must register to vote and they must help to sensitize their Francophone colleagues who are considered to be politically inactive.

By Kingsley Betek, with contributions from Etchi Ebot and Soter Agbaw-Ebai in Dublin, Ireland.