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4, February 2018

Falana To Buhari: Bring Back Nigerians Illegally Deported To Cameroon ⁰

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him to “bring back naturalized Nigerians, Refugees and Asylum Seekers who were illegally arrested, detained and deported from to Cameroon on Friday, January 26, 2018 by the National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd).”

In the open letter today Falana said “We write this protest letter on behalf of our clients whose names and status are set out in the List of Deportees attached to this letter.”

According to Falana, “Our clients are not illegal immigrants in Nigeria. Three of them are naturalized Nigerian citizens while others are recognized refugees and political asylum seekers in Nigeria.”

The letter read in part: “Twelve of our clients who are the leaders of the people of Southern Cameroon and who have been living in Nigeria for several years were assembled for a meeting at Nera Hotel, Abuja on Saturday, January 6, 2018 to discuss the challenges faced by the over 10,000 Cameroonians who have sought political asylum in Nigeria due to persecution and repression under the Paul Biya regime in Cameroon.”

“But before the commencement of the meeting a team of armed security personnel invaded the venue, abducted our clients and took them away to an undisclosed place. The said abduction was reported by the Premium Times edition of Sunday, January 7, 2018.”

“In spite of the detailed report of the credible online news medium the Police and the security agencies denied knowledge of the abduction of our clients. Consequently, all efforts made by the lawyers, doctors and family members of our clients to visit them in custody were frustrated without any legal justification. Even Mrs. Nalowa Bih who is pregnant was denied medical attention by the National Security Adviser.”

“However, a representative of the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees in Nigeria was allowed to visit our clients at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the visit, the United Nations representative found that our clients were held in an underground cell at the headquarters of the Defence Intelligence Agency on the orders of the National Security Adviser.”

“On account of the refusal of the National Security Adviser to allow access to our clients by their lawyers, relatives and doctors we filed an application at the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court on Thursday, January 25, 2018 for the purpose of securing their fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.”

“Notwithstanding the pending suit and the intervention of the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, the National Security Adviser expelled our clients from Nigeria and deported them to Cameroon on Friday, January 26, 2018.”

“Although the National Security Adviser was ashamed to disclose the deportation of our clients from Nigeria the Government of Cameroon has celebrated the deportation and threatened to prosecute our clients for unspecified crimes. Thus, with the connivance of the National Security Adviser the Government of Cameroon has since held our clients in an undisclosed military custody in Cameroon.”

“Out of the 52 people who were expelled from Nigeria the Government of Cameroon has maintained that the National Security Adviser handed over to it 47 deportees. Up till now, the National Security Adviser has not accounted for the whereabouts of the remaining 5 detainees!”

“The National Security Adviser knew that two of our clients are naturalized Nigerians, six are refugees while 37 others are political asylum seekers who are entitled to be protected by the Federal Government of Nigeria. For the avoidance of doubt, the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees in Nigeria drew the attention of the National Security Adviser to the legal obligations of Nigeria to respect the rights of our clients.”

“Under the National Security Agencies Act (Cap N74) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and the Immigration Act 2015 the National Security Adviser is not competent to arrest, detain and deport any alien or immigrant from Nigeria to any other country.”

“Since the Government of Nigeria has never violated the provisions of the United Nations Convention Relating to Refugees and the OAU Convention on Refugees by deporting refugees and asylum seekers to any country where they might be persecuted we are compelled to urge Your Excellency to grant the following requests: Order the National Security Adviser to produce the missing 5 deportees and bring back to Nigeria our clients who have been illegally deported to Cameroon without any further delay.”

“If the National Security Adviser is unable to bring back our clients to Nigeria he should be removed from office for such brazen impunity which has exposed Nigeria to ridicule before the comity of law abiding nations. The Federal Government should prevail on the Government of Cameroon not to persecute our clients to prevent the United Nations from sanctioning Nigeria for violating the provisions of the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to Refugees.”

“You will therefore agree with us that the arrest, detention and deportation of our clients from Nigeria to Cameroon by the National Security Adviser cannot be justified on the following grounds: Based on the appeal by Nigeria for a peaceful resolution of the political crisis in Cameroon the people of Southern Cameroon filed a suit at the Federal High Court to determine whether the people of Southern Cameroon are not entitled to self-determination within their clearly defined territory separate from La Republique Du Cameroun.”

“By a consent judgment delivered by the Court on March 5, 2002, the Federal Government was directed to file a suit at the International Court of Justice to have a judicial confirmation of the human right of the people of Southern Cameroon to self determination. Attached herewith and marked annexure A is a certified true copy of the judgment.”

“The Federal Government also undertook to take other measures as may be necessary to place the case of the people of Southern Cameroon for self determination before the United Nations General Assembly and other international organizations.”

“Even though the suit has not been filed at the International Court of Justice the Federal Government has continued to recognize the human rights of our clients and other people of Southern Cameroon to self determination.”

Source: PMNEWS

4, February 2018

The Abuja abduction and identifying the traitors: Cameroon Concord News revised position ⁰

Since our last publication, Cameroon Concord News has received further information which if believed may incriminate many people in the conspiracy in the abduction of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Cameroon Concord News is pleased that persons who have been adversely mentioned in the betrayal of the President and members of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia have taken to the social media and other communication channels to explain themselves or to clear their names. Cameroon Concord News encourages them to pursue this course. Cameroon Concord News similarly encourages Ambazonians to continue to pursue this matter until answers are found and solutions to this matter found.

Cameroon Concord News drew a tentative conclusion relating to the allegations made against Mr Milan Atam but has since received more information that raises more concerns on information posted by him in attempts to clear his name. Due to public scrutiny this matter should not be swept under the carpet. No lead that may help in piecing together the pieces of the puzzle be ignored. Cameroon Concord News is aware of the treachery and corruption that facilitated the abduction and rendition of our leaders. The alleged involvement of persons who professed their commitment to the freedom of the Republic of Ambazonia; and relied on that to gain and abuse our trust cannot be a subject of a cursory investigation. Cameroon Concord News therefore, revises and updates its tentative conclusion relating to Mr Milan Atam and others who have been adversely mention.

Like others who have been adversely mentioned, Mr Milan Atam benefits from the presumption of innocence. Like others, he on his volition put out evidence to support his public statements in attempts to push back on suspicions cast on his conduct prior to, during and after the abductions. Like in the case of others who have been adversely mentioned, there are critical matters he will have to clarify in relation to his role in the betrayal of the President, members of our Interim Government and the Ambazonia revolution.

Mr Milan Atam provided boarding passes to demonstrate his travel Itinerary from Kigali to Lagos and to Abuja. These boarding passes only establish that he travelled to Lagos and then to Abuja, nothing else. He needs to factor the information on these boarding passes to the timeline of his activities once he arrived in Abuja vis a vis the timeline of the Abductions. Mr Milan Atam needs to provide the name of the hotel in which he lodged while in Abuja, the day of the abductions and a record of the persons he contacted by phone or email or other means of communication and the timeline of the said communication contact.

Cameroon Concord News has not ruled out the possibility that some of individuals adversely mentioned might have been brought into the conspiracy to satisfy distinct interests, some in search of power, others for pecuniary motives, informants and others in a more coordinating role. The enemy might have recruited them separately with each playing a distinct role. Once the crime was consummated they discovered themselves in their respective roles and realized the extensive web of conspiracy and the faces behind it.

Cameroon Concord News has it on good authority that had the captives been executed immediately after abduction as was preplanned, some of actors who had infiltrated the Interim Government and other layers of the Ambazonia revolutionary struggle would have been eliminated as well. The intention of the principal perpetrators of the crimes was to conceal all traces of incriminating evidence pointing to the corrupt cartel of government officials and members of the intelligence units involved. It is the fear of this possibility of eliminating the conspirators in and out of the IG that probably scared some participants in the joint criminal enterprise to raise an alarm that prompted a change of plan and the rendition of our leaders to French Cameroon instead. Cameroon Concord News is interested to know if any of the persons adversely mentioned established contact with person(s) within the corridors of power or the intelligence services in French Cameroons, before, during and after the abduction of our leaders.

Cameroon Concord News is aware of public a statement revealing the prospective abduction of the president prior to the holding of the reboot conference intended to delegitimate him and the Interim Government. The maker of that statement Ebenezar Akwanga has been vilified as an accomplice in the abduction and rendition, Cameroon Concord News. It may well be that he was privy to the information or the intelligence about the prospective abduction from accomplices who were seeking to secure his support to delegitimate the President and Interim Government.

The enormity of the crime committed jointly by Nigeria and French Cameroon requires that Mr Akwanga clarifies his statement on this matter. Because the preplanned decision to execute the President and members of the Interim Government did not materialize, the possibility of the participants in this international crime being investigated and prosecuted at some point in time by any one of the several countries interested in the investigation became apparent. The elaborate corruption scheme and huge amount of money laundered must elicit legitimate concerns and enquiry from international investigation organs. This is a potential nightmare to each of the coconspirators who hence will never know peace. After the rendition of our leaders to French Cameroon, therefore the coconspirators seriously considered the possibility of reviving the idea of executing our leaders as opposed to putting to them to trial. They feared that a trial will be publicly watched by the international press, members of the diplomatic community and international human rights organizations. They feared that a court-martial which they may likely face will be strenuously opposed by the international community because it violates International law. A court-martial will offer a tribune for the captives to lay out the restoration of the independence of the Ambazonia case. The corrupt crime cartel in Nigeria and French Cameroun will come under scrutiny and the very ebullient Nigerian Press will bring the news to the attention of Nigerians and the world. This option failed due to the mass demonstrations by Ambazonias at Nigeria Embassies worldwide. That prompted Nigeria to seek and obtain guarantees from French Cameroun that the execution option was off the table. Nevertheless, the energetic reaction of Southern Cameroons against Nigeria has exposed the hypocrisy of the Buhari/Osibanjo government who touted themselves are anti-corruption warriors and champions of human rights. Osibanjo on occasion flashed his credentials as a Pastor in support of his alleged intolerance to corruption. Prior to this case, those credentials had been called to question. The huge amount of money involved in this criminal deal, possibly the highest single corruption deal in Nigerian history in which he and Buhari and their intelligence chiefs are involved, will not go down without a thorough investigation as soon as they leave power. Buhari set the tone by investigating the Jonathan administration including his national intelligence adviser who is held in jail despite several court orders for his release. Our prayer was that Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of the Interim Government remain alive. If they are, then it is not by the will of their abductors. It will be a victory for the people of Ambazonia ordained by God and God alone.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman and Editor-in-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

4, February 2018

Cameroon: Fear grips government officials as Biya sinks into a deep coma ⁰

Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, has finally succumbed to the inevitable, a source at the country’s presidency has revealed. The source at the Unity Palace, which elected unanimity, has informed Cameroon Concord News Group that everything points to the demise of the 85-year-old dictator who has ruled the Central African country for 35 years with an iron fist.

The source adds that given the way in which government officials have been visiting the Unity Palace over the last twelve hours, it is clear that Mr.Biya is no more. The atmosphere at the presidential palace is tense and government officials have been holding meetings to come up with a common response so as to keep the population in check.

Our source adds that members of the Cameroon strong man’s entourage are working hard to keep the information from the public square in the pious belief that they can change things to suit their intention. He stressed that the Secretary General at the presidency has been holding a series of meetings with some of his collaborators who have been advising him to issue decrees that will usher in constitutional changes on Mr. Biya’s behalf.

But the Secretary General and some of his collaborators are reluctant to undertake such an action as it may create a backlash and attract strong criticism from the international community that is intent on seeing meaningful political change in Cameroon.

Under the country’s current constitution, the constitutional successor is the president of the senate, Marcel Nyat Njifenji, himself 83years old and a collapsing figure who has been involved in the corruption and mismanagement that have become the country’s hallmark. Many Cameroonians hold that if the country has to change significantly, figures like the senate president and national assembly speaker have to disappear from the political scene.

It should be pointed out that Mr.Biya has been out of the spotlight for more than two weeks now and this has fueled rumor that his health situation has deteriorated. Our source, a member of the presidential guard, says he has seen some of the dictator’s closest collaborators leave Unity Palace in tears, while others have been pensive ever since they visited the 85-year-old dictator.

He has been suffering from prostrate cancer and a failing heart over the last decades and this has been exacerbated over the last year by the escalating Anglophone crisis that is threatening to tear the country apart.

It should be recalled that over the last two weeks, there have been rumors that Mr. Biya’s health had deteriorated and that he had been secretly taken out of the country for emergency treatment. However, our source at the presidency had intimated that Mr. Biya could not sit on an airplane for long hours and instead of flying him abroad, a team of cancer experts had been rushed from Switzerland to come and attend to the ailing dictator.

According to our source, ever since the experts arrived in Cameroon, Mr. Biya’s health has been a huge concern. The 85-year old has not been responding to cancer treatment and his failing heart has made it impossible for the experts to properly do their job. This has been compounded by the political situation in the country which has clearly wiped out the dictator’s shaky legacy and demonstrated how ineffective he has been in 35 years.

It is worth recalling that Cameroon Concord News had announced in October 21, 2017, that the ailing dictator who had been hospitalized in Switzerland for many weeks was simply coming home to bid farewell to friends and family based on intelligence obtained from sources in Switzerland.

The government of Mr. Biya, it should be noted, is full of octogenarians who have been in the corridors of power for more than sixty years and are prepared to ruin the country before leaving the world. The country’s economy is on its knees and the unemployment rate is concerning.

But the most challenging issue is the Anglophone problem that has put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Following the declaration of independence on October 1, 2017, by the two Anglophone regions, many Anglophones have been killed at the behest of the country’s president whose methods of governance of choice have been intimidation and corruption. This has caused almost all Anglophones to see secession as the only option that can bring them the peace they need.

Even on October 21, 2017, when Mr. Biya had landed in Yaounde, there were serious concerns about his health. Behind the scenes and numerous cameras that were on hand to welcome the president at the Nsimalen International airport, was the fear that anything might happen anytime as Mr. Biya’s collaborators were aware of his deteriorating health and were scared that he might be back home just to bid farewell to them and his family.

Many analysts knew that the Anglophone problem was a nightmare that would not go away anytime soon and they knew that it would take a toll on the old president’s health. Even before heading to New York in October 2017 where he delivered a speech to an empty hall at the United Nations, Mr. Biya had to stop over in Geneva for him to get a medical boost from his doctors, but the long trip to New York was so demanding on him that he had to return to Switzerland for more medical support that has been costing the country an arm and a leg.

Our source in Geneva had advised at the time that Mr. Biya had been receiving treatment for a malignant cancer that was robbing the dictator of his strength and happiness. The source had added that besides cancer, Mr. Biya was also dealing with high blood pressure and a failing heart that might give up anytime.

In October 2017, Cameroon Concord News had reported that Mr. Biya had hard time alighting from the chartered aircraft that brought him back to the country. Mr. Biya whose real age is not known, has,over the last months, had a hard time sleeping, our source at the presidency said, adding that the “Monarch” has, over the last month, been chewing sedatives like candy, a situation that is concerning to his entourage, especially his wife. It was rumored at that time that the “Monarch” had headed home with an entire pharmacy, with sedatives accounting for about 60% of all the medicines that had been put on the chartered flight.

Other sources close to the government stress that Mr. Biya’shealth had been a problem for many years, but it took a turn for the worse when Anglophones decided to challenge his authority. He had declared in January 2017 that the form of the state was non-negotiable and since January 2017, Anglophones at home and abroad have been working hard to make the Anglophone crisis a millstone around his neck. The government has since tried to take a few cosmetic measures to appease Anglophones, but the English-speaking minority has been resolute and determined to walk away from a union whose foundation is, at best, shaky.

Over the last months, the situation has deteriorated, with armed groups engaging the country’s military in running battles which have resulted in more than 300 army soldiers and more than 400 civilians dying.

Mr. Biya’s death is very likely to lead to some political chaos. For years, he has been working hard to ensure that other leaders do not emerge. While his collaborators continue to seek ways to keep Cameroonians in the dark with the intention of changing the constitution, Cameroonians and the international community are closely watching as things play out.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde with files from Sama Ernest

4, February 2018

Tanker with 22 Indian sailors on board goes missing off West Africa ⁰

A tanker with 22 Indian crew members on board has gone missing off West Africa, in waters plagued by piracy, officials said Sunday.

The Panama-registered MT Marine Express, loaded with 13,500 tonnes of petrol, had been anchored off the Benin City of Cotonou before authorities lost contact with the vessel on Thursday.

“Our mission in Abuja (Nigeria) is in touch with the authorities in Benin and Nigeria for their help in locating the ship and is constantly monitoring the situation,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.

The Hong Kong-based Anglo-Eastern shipping company, which manages the tanker, said the last contact with the crew was made on Thursday.

“Authorities have been alerted and are responding. Our top priority is the safety of the crew, whose families have been contacted,” it said on Twitter.

Local media reports said it was the second ship to go missing from the area in the last month.

In January, MT Barret went missing, but the crew, most of them Indians, were released six days later after reportedly paying a ransom.

Several ships have been targeted by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, seriously disrupting the international shipping route and costing the global economy billions of dollars.

(Source: AFP)

4, February 2018

German spy chief: Pyongyang procures missile parts via Berlin embassy ⁰

Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency has said that North Korea has been purchasing parts for its missile program via its embassy in Berlin.

BfV head Hans-Georg Maassen made the announcement in a program to be aired on NDR on Monday. Pyongyang is yet to comment on the matter.

“We determined that procurement activities have been carried out from there that are, in our view, done with a view to the missile program and sometimes also for the nuclear program,” said Maassen in comments released ahead of the broadcast.

He noted that the purchases were usually so-called dual use goods, which can be utilized for military and civilian activates.

Maassen noted that German authorities usually block such activities, but “We can’t guarantee that we can detect and prevent this in all cases.”

This file photo taken on June 28, 2016 shows German domestic intelligence agency chief Hans-Georg Maassen during a press conference in Berlin to present the agency’s yearly report for the year 2015. (Photos by AFP)

Pyongyang has defied years of multilateral and bilateral sanctions in relation to its nuclear and missile programs.

The United States and its allies in the West and in Asia engineered tough UN sanctions on North Korea last year when Pyongyang test-fired two missiles in July and then carried out its most powerful nuclear test in August.

However, many said the sanctions would not deter North Korea from pursuing its nuclear and missile program, which Pyongyang insists is part of its defense policy against the United States. Critics have repeatedly warned that sanctions would more affect North Korean people rather than its military and the government.

Source: Presstv

4, February 2018

Trump tweets that GOP memo ‘totally vindicates’ him in Russian probe ⁰

US President Donald Trump has defended a recent recent release of once-classified congressional memo on FBI, saying it “totally vindicates” him in an investigation into his presidential campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia.

The president took to Twitter on Saturday morning to once again deny any such collusion or obstruction.

“This memo totally vindicates ‘Trump’ in probe,” he wrote. “But the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on. Their (sic) was no Collusion and there was no Obstruction (the word now used because, after one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead). This is an American disgrace!”

On Friday, he approved the public release of a memo written by House Intelligence Committee member Devin Nunes that alleges the FBI abused its surveillance authority.

The release of the four-page document prompted senior Democrats to denounce the controversial memo as an inaccurate and misleading portrait intended to undermine the probe. They warned Trump, in a written statement, not to use it as a “pretext” to fire special counsel Robert Mueller or the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.

Trump reportedly ordered f Mueller the firing of Mueller in June. Democrats, said in a statement that, the memo release is an attempt to undermine the integrity of Mueller’s investigation, warning that such action could trigger a constitutional crisis not seen since the 1970s, when then President Richard Nixon gave orders to fire justice officials involved in the Watergate scandal.

“We write to inform you that we would consider such an unwarranted action as an attempt to obstruct justice in the Russia investigation,” the statement said.

Former CIA director Leon Panetta (File photo)

The memo’s central allegation is that the FBI and US Justice Department had been spying on a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page.

GOP memo release sends ‘terrible message’ to US allies

Former CIA director Leon Panetta also warned that Trump’s approval of the congressional memo sends a “terrible message” to US allies to be worry about sharing classified information with Washington.

Panetta, who was discussing the memo release with the CBS News on Friday, described it as an “unprecedented” move, which could have far-reaching effects on Washington’s foreign policy.

“All of this sends a terrible message to our allies who are going to worry about sharing classified information that is so easily released as part of this political effort,” said the former CIA director.

He also called Trump’s move as “a breakdown in the fundamental trust that is important to the institutions of our democracy.”

There are currently several investigations into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, but Trump has consistently denied any ties with Moscow. Analysts, however, say Trump’s attempts to hinder the probe, including his attempts to sack Mueller, suggests that he has something big to hide.

Source: Presstv

4, February 2018

Cameroon Concord News Strong Statement of Support for the Interim Government and President Ayuk Tabe ⁰

Cameroon Concord News Group strongly supports the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Cameroon Concord News urges Nigeria and French Cameroun to free our leaders held in captivity and all Ambazonian captives in their dungeons with immediate effect; failing which they will bear the consequences of the conflagration caused by their reckless and illegal conduct.

Although Nigeria has declined to make a public admission of its abduction of Ambazonian leaders who were legally within its territory under the protection of international law, French Cameroun in its published admission of the crime, incriminated Nigeria in the crime. French Cameroun confessed that the impugned criminal conduct was in furtherance of cooperation agreements it had with Nigeria which they relied on the perpetration of the abduction and rendition of our leaders, and in furtherance and support of French Cameroun’s genocide of Southern Cameroons/ Ambazonia.

Cameroon Concord News can confirm that Nigeria’s support of French Cameroun’s war efforts, crimes against humanity and genocide against Southern Cameroons/ Ambazonia goes far beyond the abduction and rendition of our leaders to the French Cameroun’s terrorist regime. Apart from information at our disposal, French Cameroon has by its actions and public statements provide a reasonable basis for Cameroon Concord News Group to conclude that this allegation has merit.

Within a month, Paul Biya paid two visits to the President of Nigeria. Subsequently, French Cameroun’s Minister for Territorial Administration a certain Rene Sadi was received by the Vice President of Nigeria Professor Osinbanjo and the Nigeria Ambassador was received by Paul Biya. This is a deal wrapped in one of the most scandalous corruption deals in history whose details will emerge with time although there are sufficient indices to conclude that it took the intervention of France for the final deal to be sealed. It is no wonder that the visit by the French Ambassador in Abuja to the Nigerian Foreign Minister shortly after the abduction carried symbolic weight. The poor Minister who like the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of the Police although aware of the abduction were kept out of the loop because the pecuniary interests of the inner circle of the corrupt circle of power around the President controlled the process, provided a cursory statement relating to the abduction in troubling language signifying his apparent distaste for the prurient criminality surrounding it. He did not know how to characterize it. Was it an arrest? And invitation for investigation? And abduction? That equivocal response provided by the Minister cast a slur on the soul of the Nigerian Government on whose head the blood of Southern Cameroons leaders and its people arising from this crime and more must lie.

The international crimes and violations committed by French Cameroun against Southern Cameroons go back as far and fifty-seven years. On 19/9/63, French Cameroon signed the Geneva Conventions 1949 on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts 1949. It signed the Convention on Statutory Limitations to War Crimes 1968 on 6/10/72 and the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, 2006 on 6/2/2007.

French Cameroon signed an agreement of friendship and cooperation on February 6, 1963 and on the 27 March 1972 Nigeria and French Cameroon signed a Mutual Agreement regulating relations between the two countries.

French Cameroun signed the Rome Statute creating the ICC on 17 July 1998 but took no further action to ratify the treaty. However, Nigeria ratified the treaty on the 27 September 2001 as a result became a state party to the Rome to the Statute. By its willing participation in the crimes coming before the Rome Statute by French Cameroun against Ambazonia, part of which have been jointly committed within the territory of Nigeria, the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over these crimes.

French Cameroun has justified the abduction and rendition of Southern Cameroons leaders who were lawfully in the territory of Nigeria under the protection of international law to French Cameroon on alleged cooperation agreements it signed with Nigeria in 1963 and in 1972. French Cameroun characterized these agreements as the foundational judicial basis for abduction and rendition. The purported agreements do not qualify as treaties under the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties 1969. They are not extradition treaties as such for an extradition request to be valid. For an extradition request to be valid and considered, it must conform to the norms of international law and must be submitted to a judicial process within the territory of the country to which the request is submitted. Cameroon Concord is not aware of any judicial process that was initiated in Nigeria to justify the rendition of Southern/ Cameroons captives to French Cameroun to face a court-martial and potential death sentence.

Even if the agreements put forward by French Cameroun to justify the terrorist style abduction of Ambazonian leaders and rendition to French Cameroun were to be construed as valid, rendition under the spurious agreements would still be circumscribed by the treaty obligations of French Cameroun under the Geneva Conventions 1949, Convention on Statutory Limitations on War Crimes and the Convention for the protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearances 2006. Nigeria was barred from the Rome Statute from engaging in the criminal acts of abduction and aiding and abating genocide, enforced disappearances, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Ambazonia within its national territory and in the territory of Ambazonia. There have been credible allegations that French Cameroons soldiers and gendarmes crossed into Nigerian territory to abduct and massacre Southern Cameroonians and Nigerian civilians in Cross River State, and Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. These crimes coming within the jurisdiction of the Rome Statute but Nigeria in complicity with French Cameroun has allowed these criminal acts to continue unrestrained. Nigeria has not provided adequate protection to these persons at risk within its national territory.

There is a pecuniary motivation for the criminal conduct of decision makers within the Nigerian Government. This motivation facilitated the perpetration of international crimes for which they and their co-conspirators in French Cameroun bear criminal responsibility. It is troubling that the international community is slow to intervene to investigate, prosecute and punish members of the criminal cartel in the hands of whom it has entrusted the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram which they are the main sponsors and beneficiaries. This misplaced trust has blinded them from intervening with the urgency it requires to abate the ongoing genocide against Southern Cameroons and other international crimes. The warning alarm raised by the Catholic Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, African Bar Association and lately the very poignant ultimatum given by the Communication Secretary of the Interim Government of Ambazonia Chris Anu to Nigeria and French Cameroun to produce our leaders by the dateline of Monday February 5, or face an energetic response making that which was make by the survivors of the Rwandan Genocide a child’s play must be taken seriously, and urgently too. Cameroon Concord News applauds the Interim Government for providing the window of opportunity for Nigeria and French Cameroun to abide by the International Rule of Law and release our leaders and abate the crimes in Ambazonia.

Cameroon Concord News calls on citizens of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia to stand resolutely by our Interim Government and to staunchly defend our territory and our leaders in captivity. Our President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe stated that no one is above the revolution and the freedom of Ambazonia. His abduction should rally all Ambazonians around the Interim Government to free our leaders and all abductees in French Cameroun’s dungeons. As we prosecute this revolution, let us not forget the fact that we shall prevail. In our moment of victory, our president and abducted leaders and all our abductees will be with us but Paul Biya, and his Nigerian co-conspirators will not be there to enslave us anymore.

Cameroon Concord News Group wishes to take this opportunity to caution and advise our people to not fall into the trap of the enemies through their agents in our midst. Cameroon Concord News Group with its cream of intelligence officers serving with Cameroon Intelligence Report has carefully investigated the spurious allegations made against Mr Millan Atam as the person who betrayed our Interim leaders and found them to be false. If anything, it is part of the efforts deployed by French Cameroun and its co-conspirators to undermine the Interim Government and destroy the revolution and our unstoppable quest for freedom.

It is troubling that the persons peddling these allegations have made or done things which fit the agenda aimed at destroying or distracting the Interim Government from its stated efforts of securing the release of our leaders and the freedom of our land. Cameroon Concord News has carefully listened to, analyzed and investigated audios and statements made by key members of the gang of individuals wrongly accusing Millan Atam in efforts to deflect attention from their culpable and treacherous conduct. The Southern Cameroons Radio Television which Millan Atam hold in trust for Ambazonia and which is one remarkable symbol of our sovereignty and communication with our people and the world at large is a great source of worry to French Cameroun. Millan Atam is therefore one of French Cameroun’s staunchest enemies. Efforts deployed to prevent the broadcast to our people have failed. Had he been abducted in Nigeria, that crucial tool of communication would have been eliminated. Cameroon Concord News Group has investigated his travel itinerary and found it to accord with his narrative. Efforts by the messengers of doom who had made public statements predicting the abduction of our President before it occurred to trace his where about while in Nigeria so that he too be abducted failed leading to panic in their camp. Millan Atam’s presence in Nigeria was God sent because he was the one who immediately alerted our lawyers and set in motion the mobilization of the Interim Government to step in and move the revolution on while fighting to free our leaders.

In a last-ditch attempt to scuttle the Interim Government, the same persons floated the idea of disbanding the Interim Government, electing a new government and above all they are relaunching the reboot conference in Washington DC to enable them take over power while the President is in the cruel dungeon of French Cameroun. The question has been asked by Mr Mbah John Akuru why Millan Atam arrived late for the meeting. Back to sender. Why did he who is a member of the Interim Government and residing in Nigeria not attend the meeting? Where did he get all the facts with which he announced the execution of the President and our leaders? Was his intention to prepare Ambazonians for such an eventuality or was it aimed at sowing confusion and justifying the takeover of the revolution by proxies of French Cameroun and their allies within the Nigerian Government? Chris Anu the communication Secretary went to Nigeria with his American passport and took credible initiatives for the protection and defence aimed at securing the release of our leaders. He granted received press interviews. He mobilized international awareness of the abductions and about our case. Nigeria hoped that the abduction and the rendition would scare Ambazonians not to venture into Nigeria and hold it accountable for her role in this international crime. Chris Anu braved the odds and went there and jumpstarted the battle for the release of our leaders. Additionally, he has lately issued a strong ultimatum to French Cameroun to show proof of the existence of our leaders.

In the face of published statements aimed at preparing the minds of our people towards the potential execution of our people, the Interim Government rightly acted to save their lives and make sure a plan to fail and there are indications that such a wicked ploy for which our minds were being prepared has failed. That is one victory on the part of our Interim Government. However, persons who were complicit in making publications aimed at facilitating such an eventuality and who have never strongly joined the Catholic Bishops, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the Interim Government through its Communication Secretary Chris Anu, the Southern Cameroons television under the mandate of Millan Atam, activists like Mark Barata, Tapang Ivo and many others in denouncing the genocide in Ambazonia, or have never visited the refugees or contributed to their well being, suddenly commenced a timid attack against this much applauded ultimatum. If that ultimatum is a precursor of a bold response to the genocide and crimes committed in Ambazonia from now hence by the Interim Government, then we in Cameroon Concord News Group will stand resolutely behind our Interim Government. We call our people to ignore all distractions and redouble all efforts to free our leaders and all our abductees held by French Cameroun. We must free our land and people from the bondage of slavery and colonial rule to which we have been subjected for the past fifty-six years.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman and Editor-in-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

3, February 2018

CAF President says La Republique must improve efforts to secure AFCON 2019 ⁰

CAF President Ahmad Ahmad has warned Cameroon that they must step up their preparation if they’re to retain hosting rights for the 2019 African Cup of Nations.

Cameroon’s ability to host the biennial African football showpiece has been under increasing scrutiny since the Confederation of African football voted – at the CAF Symposium in Rabat in July 2017 – to extend the competition from 16 teams to 24.

Speaking at the Caf 40th Ordinary General Assembly in Casablanca on Friday, Ahmad confirmed that, following an inspection of the country, Cameroon are still falling short of expectations and must improve their efforts if they’re to retain hosting rights.

“There was already an inspection by the company, Roland Berger, who make their analysis and then propose to the executive committee which decision to take,” Ahmad told journalists. “They were in charge of auditing the infrastructure and organisational issues for the tournament.

“Between the inspection reports and the specifications, there’s still a deficit,” the Malagasy football administrator added. “As a result, Cameroon were told to double up.”

Representatives from global strategy company and independent assessors Roland Berger toured Cameroon between January 12 and 23 in order to asses the nation’s preparations.

The competition is set to be staged in five cities across Cameroon – Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua, Limbe and Yaounde – with the venues each in different states of readiness.

“There are people who are lying,” he continued. “I am a man of my word, and my Executive Committee won’t make any changes to the decisions made at the Symposium.

“We will apply the regulations with vigour, the key actors in football want a better AFCON in all areas.

“The specifications require infrastructure, hotels, stadiums, hospitals and a lot more. These are all priorities now.”

As reported by BBC Sport, Ahmad has previously acknowledged that CAF will find an alternative Nations Cup host if Cameroon ultimately fail to demonstrate their preparedness.

According to Africa News, Morocco, hosts of the ongoing African Nations Championship, are committed to hosting the 2019 event should Cameroon have hosting rights taken off them.

Source: ESPN

3, February 2018

Legacy of history drives Cameroon’s rift ⁰

Unrest has spread in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions since October as a secessionist movement has pushed for independence.

Dozens of people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled the violence.

But the tensions can be traced back to events a century ago, when Britain and France occupied Cameroon, taking over Germany’s major colony in West Africa.

– World War I split –

Cameroon was a Germany colony until 1916, when British and French troops forced the Germans out.

The two countries divided it into separate spheres of influence that were later formalised by the League of Nations, the forerunner to the UN.

The much larger French colony gained independence in 1960.

A year later, the British colony also gained independence. Some of the English-speaking areas choose to join newly-formed Nigeria, others to become part of the federation of Cameroon.

– English-speaking regions –

The two mainly English-speaking southern provinces are home to around a fifth of Cameroon’s 23 million population.

Named the Northwest Region and Southwest Region, they jut into southeastern Nigeria.

The English-speaking areas were allowed some self-governance.

But many English-speakers complained of discrimination at the hands of the francophone majority in areas such as education and the justice system, and alleged national wealth was not shared fairly.

– Disputed ‘unity’ –

In 1972, the original federal structure was scrapped in a national referendum that approved the creation of one state.

Calls for a breakaway English-speaking state mounted in the 1990s, with demands for a referendum on independence accompanied by low-level unrest.

In 2001 banned protest rallies turned violent. Several people were killed when security forces moved in and secessionist leaders were arrested.

The separatist Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC) set up a “government” in Britain and leaders moved into exile.

– 2016 flare-up –

Lawyers in the English-speaking regions, which are also strongholds for the political opposition, went on strike in late 2016 to demand the right to use Anglo-Saxon common law.

Teachers followed, protesting at the appointment of francophones in the region’s education system.

Tensions rose in December, when the national flag was torched at protests and a separatist version hoisted. Clashes in some areas left several people reported dead.

Prime Minister Philemon Yang, himself an anglophone, ruled out secession — “Unity is the bedrock of our country.”

– ‘Independence’ declared –

In January 2017 senior secessionist activists were arrested and charged with terrorism and rebellion.

New protests brought several cities to a standstill, but the government hit back by cutting off internet access to flashpoint areas for several weeks, alleging the spread of “fake news”.

In an apparent effort to calm the situation, President Paul Biya halted the secessionists’ trials in August and some were later freed.

In October, several thousand defied a ban on protests to mark the anniversary of the country’s October 1961 unification.

Separatist leaders issued a symbolic declaration of independence. “We are no longer slaves of Cameroon,” said Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the self-declared “president” of a new republic called “Ambazonia”.

Biya, in power since 1982 and standing for reelection in 2018, branded the secessionists “a band of terrorists” and ordered a crackdown with curfews, raids and other restrictions.

At least 17 people were killed in clashes the following weekend. Nearly two dozen members of the security forces have also been killed since the flareup, according to a toll compiled by AFP.

– Nigeria role –

Since January 2018, much of the focus has shifted to Nigeria, which the Cameroon authorities suspected was being used as a safe haven for separatists.

The two neighbours have experienced tensions in the past over various issues, but forged cooperation on fighting the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency.

On January 29, Nigeria extradited 47 anglophone separatists, including Tabe, which was followed by fresh unrest English-speaking regions of Cameroon, in which three policemen and at least one civilian died.

Cameroon security forces, according to local sources, have also been seen among the estimated 30,000 people who have fled the violence to southeast Nigeria.

Source: The Citizen

3, February 2018

France condemns killings in Cameroon, urges dialogue ⁰

France condemned on Friday attacks by suspected English-speaking separatists in Cameroon that killed three gendarmes on Thursday, but urged the Cameroonian government to engage in dialogue to stop an escalation in violence.

The separatists have taken up arms over the past year in an attempt to create a nation they call Ambazonia. The insurgency represents the gravest challenge yet to the 35-year rule of Cameroon’s President Paul Biya.

France, which has significant business interests in its former colony and relies on it to fight against Islamist militants, has been careful not to overly criticize the government’s handling of the crisis.

“France condemns the new killings of law enforcement officials that took place on 1 February in Cameroon,” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Von der Muhll told reporters in a daily briefing after three gendarmes were killed in separate clashes on Thursday in towns in the North West Region.

She said only dialogue would enable a peaceful response to the concerns of all sides and ensure the unity and integrity of the country.

“This is a message we are also passing on to the Cameroonian authorities, in close consultation with our European and international partners,” the spokeswoman added.

Violence has flared in the past week, with armed separatist factions clashing against Cameroon security forces in several towns and villages in the two English-speaking regions after Nigeria deported the leader of the self-declared state and 46 others.

The United Nations refugee agency condemned the handing over of the 47 people, saying most of them had submitted asylum claims and their forced return was in violation of international refugee law.

More than 43,000 Cameroonians have fled as refugees to Nigeria to escape the government crackdown on the separatists, say local aid officials. The majority are in Nigeria’s Cross River state, which borders southwest Cameroon.

REUTERS