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5, May 2017

Cameroon has worst press freedom records ⁰

A recent world classification on press freedom has ranked Cameroon 130th among 180 countries. By this position, the country dominated by French speaking political elites took a downward trend from the 2016 classification. In 2016, Cameroon held the 126th position.

This revelation has rubbished statements made by the so-called government spokesman and Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary that journalists in Cameroon were free and independent. The findings noted that Cameroon is considered a “Not Free Zone”, meaning it is one of the countries with a massive media crackdown.

The International Organization for the Defense of Journalists says media professionals in Cameroon are constantly under police harassment and arbitrary arrest. The Yaounde regime operates a vicious media regulatory board known as the National Communication Council that shuts down independent news organizations. Journalists were arrested during demonstrations in the English-speaking regions where Internet connection was cut off in January 2017 for three months.

Source: Cameroon Intelligence Report

5, May 2017

Francophone Public Health Minister says Bamenda Teaching Hospital is a special gift from Biya ⁰

Andre Mama Fouda, the Francophone Minister of Public Health who blatantly refused to hand over mosquito nets to the Anglophone regions donated by the World Health Organization was in the North West recently pretending to launch the construction of a Teaching Hospital in Bamenda. Mama Fouda who hails from the Mfoundi constituency in Yaoundé made up of 44 families and having 4 ministerial positions said his mission to Southern Cameroon was to lay the foundation stone for a new Regional University Teaching Hospital at the Ntambang neighborhood, Bemenda III Sub Division.

Minister Fouda was not alone as his Beti Ewondo kinsman, Jacques Fame Ndongo, the anti Anglophone Minister for Higher Education was also busy commissioning the construction of 4 new building for the University of Bamenda. Our senior correspondent in Bamenda hinted that the Wednesday 3rd May 2017 events were all aimed at countering the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and that the Biya Francophone regime was not interested in seeking an end to the Anglophone crisis.

The Minister Andre Fouda project estimated at FCFA 15 billion is to erect and equip a modern day health facility featuring 121 hospital beds. Fouda revealed that the ultra-modern facility will offer services that include; Obstetrics, Cardiology, Neurology, Dentistry, CD scanning, delivery rooms, medical and surgical hospitalization, intensive care units and many more.

For the second time in the history of Southern Cameroon, a sitting cabinet minister announced that a project will be completed in 18 months. As a reminder, the late Prof. Peter Agbor Tabi had told the Manyu people that he was going to tar the Kumba-Mamfe road in 18 months.

The Francophone political elite also added that the hospital was a special gift from the Head of State to the region. Minister Mama Fouda emphasized on government’s commitment to ensure that the project is delivered within the prescribed time frame.

By Rita Akana

4, May 2017

Anglophone Problem: A bitter pill to swallow ⁰

Over the last weeks, the government has been talking about dialogue and how the grievances of the Anglophone minority are being addressed in order to restore the country’s shaky peace. Current efforts by Anglophone Cameroonians to ensure an end to the marginalization it has suffered for fifty-six years have really hit the target and are serving as a bitter pill for the government to swallow. Though the government has been bending over backwards to address some of the issues the country’s English-speaking minority has complained about, it sometimes still resorts to its old tricks to find out if some of those outdated pranks can actually produce the desired results. Instead of doing the right thing, it has been urging its surrogates to engage in operations which the population considers as provocative and meaningless.

Over the last months,it has organized several sporting events in Buea and Bamenda, as well as ferrying criminals and unemployed Francophones to the English-speaking region for them to march during national events such as the Youth Day which took place on February 11 and Labor Day on May 1, believing that such activities will help dissolve the will and determination of a people whose resolve is unbreakable. West Cameroonians know that there is something in the offing regarding the upcoming National Day on May 20, which is highly contested by the English-speaking minority. By engaging in such disgraceful activities, it is clear that the government is still finding it hard to swallow the bitter pill the English-speaking minority has administered to it. Its underhand operations aimed at stifling the civil disobedience are simply giving the country a bad name and eroding Cameroon’s image as an oasis of peace in a sea of turbulence. The world is watching Cameroon in bewilderment and disgust as the country slides down the slippery slope of chaos. The inability of the government to find appropriate solutions to this issue has brought it down in everybody’s estimation.

Wont to imposing its will on the peace-loving people of Cameroon, the Cameroonian government initially felt its authority had been called into question by the English-speaking minority and it was time for it to display its muscles. The government of Cameroon, that has always thrown dust into the eyes of the international community by brandishing its pseudo-democratic credentials, lost control of itself and unleashed a reign of terror on students and lawyers who were simply demonstrating their frustration with a political system that has never really taken their plight into consideration when it comes to planning the country’s development. The government’s iron-fist approach has caused peaceful demonstrations to become a months-long civil disobedience, with courts and schools in the English-speaking part of the country remaining closed for over seven months.

However, despite the ferocious brutality, the English-speaking minority has made up its mind and is very determined to stand its ground. With their leaders languishing in jail and after more than five decades of marginalization, with thousands of lives destroyed and about 30% of the region’s population living in exile, it will be hard to placate West Cameroonians into being part of this union that has brought more pain than pleasure to them.

Today, the government has figured out that intimation will not cut it. It is seeking ways to engage the English-speaking minority in a dialogue that will appease them and rebuild confidence in a country that has neglected 20% of its population for more than five decades. In a bid to convince the rebelling West Cameroonians, the government is acknowledging some of its mistakes and it is trying to yield some grounds vis-à-vis the demands of the English-speaking minority. Its surrogates are currently speaking a different language and all those who tried to argue that there was no Anglophone problem, have all eaten their words. Issa Tchiroma, Fame Ndongo, Atanga Nji and Laurent Esso are all keeping a very low profile to ensure that they do not make a bad situation worse. Their arrogance and lack of sound understanding of the current breed of Anglophones is responsible for the escalation of the conflict in Cameroon. They simply did not understand that after five decades of marginalization, West Cameroonians had left the country in droves and after many years abroad, they have become a formidable political force that cannot be overlooked. They even failed to understand that a monkey does not provoke a lion where there are no trees. Home-based Cameroonians know the source of their strength, especially their financial power. The government has taken a blow to the liver and West Cameroonians are simply not scared of it. It must look for new and innovative ways to engage with an intellectually-sound and financially rich Anglophone Diaspora if it really wants to lay this issue to rest. But it must first of all release all those kidnapped and taken to Yaounde.

The government is calling for peace, but West Cameroonians are not buying into whatever peace it is selling. The government seems to be talking to a wall and the proof of its failing efforts is the boycott by West Cameroonians of all the events it has been organizing in the English-speaking part of the country ever since its stand-off with the English-speaking minority started. It will be preposterous for the government to think that it can deceive West Cameroonian into forgetting the Kafkaesque brutality that was unleashed on them by their own government. If there has to be any dialogue, then there must be some confidence building measures. The government has to swallow its pride and accept that things have changed and that Cameroon will never be the same again. The Anglophone minority has changed Cameroon for good. No dialogue can take place when Agbor Balla, Paul Ayah, FontemNeba and Mancho Bibixy are still in jail, with many others still on the run. It is hard to talk about peace when many have been killed and hundreds are still fleeing for their lives. If the government is serious about restoring peace, it must start by releasing all those who have been jailed and granting amnesty to all those who have fled the country. It should also be prepared to account for all those who have been killed. A lot of things can be forgiven, but they will never be forgotten. West Cameroonians will be happy to bury their heroes on their own land and they will want to make sure that they have not lost their lives in vain.

The government has gradually been displaying its “olive branch” though West Cameroonians hold that its intentions may not be genuine. It has, on several occasions, spoken from both sides of its mouth and this is not inspiring confidence. It has promised that West Cameroonians will have a section at the School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM), the school that trains civil administrators and magistrates in Cameroon. Common law will be used in English-speaking parts of Cameroon and Francophone judges and magistrates will no longer be posted to West Cameroon, except they have a good understanding of Common Law. In the same vein, Francophone teachers will stop plying their trade in the English-speaking part of the country given that their rudimentary knowledge of English is hurting many West Cameroonian kids.

Its restoration of the Internet in West Cameroon is a step in the right direction, but the disconnection of the Internet for almost a hundred days is one thing that has hurt many Anglophones. It did not only roll them into the dark ages, it also hurt the sources of their livelihood. The Internet blackout has brought untold hardship and pain to firms and citizens of the affected regions. The South-west region’s Silicon Mountain is today struggling. While some of the start-ups are returning, West Cameroonians are still not sure that all of them will return to the Southwest regional capital of Buea. Banks, micro-finance institutions and money transfer agencies are gradually picking up. The Internet blackout has been a disaster to the English-speaking region’s economy and the ghost towns designed to draw the government’s attention to the people’s plight is sapping the economy of its vitality. But West Cameroonians understand that to eat an omelet, you must break eggs. If the ghost towns can help West Cameroonians have a better destiny at the end of the process, then they are prepared to follow the instructions of their leaders. They hold that fifty-five years of sheepish subservience to the Yaoundé government have ruined the destinies of their children, with many living in exile.

Also, the creation of the bilingualism commission is one of the measures the government has taken to address some of the issues raised by Anglophones. Its creation did not generate any excitement among West Cameroonians. Members of the commission have recently been appointed by the country’s president and while it is too early to judge the commission’s work, it is clear from the appointments that the government is not ready to walk away from its old ways. The commission is being chaired by Peter Mafany Musonge, a former prime minister, who drew a lot of flak following a hate speech delivered in Buea, the south west regional capital, against North westerners. The commission’s decision to tour West Cameroon has come in for castigation as many see the tour as a waste of taxpayers’ money. The commission’s work has been clearly cut out and touring the English-speaking region of the country will not change a lot as many on the commission belong to the ruling party which is wont to doing things for political expediency. Mr. Musonge, himself an Anglophone, has been a magnet for controversy. His knowledge of bilingualism and multiculturalism leaves much to be desired. He is being castigated for using his political office to feather his nest. Many West Cameroonians, especially those in the Diaspora, question the rationale behind the appointment of a man who is struggling with age and health issues to lead a commission that is supposed to foster mutual co-existence in the country. Many, especially among the Anglophone Diaspora, argue that such an important commission should have been the subject of wide consultations with opposition parties and the Diaspora that has become a formidable political and economic force in Cameroon. The Diaspora contends that the government is still ignoring Anglophones and their problems though there are four West Cameroonians on the twelve-member commission.

If the government of Cameroon needs genuine peace, then it must start practicing justice. Instead of considering the West Cameroonian as an enemy, it should see him as a resource,a fellow citizen in his own right, who if well utilized, could make significant contributions to efforts at lifting the country out of poverty. It must also consider West Cameroon, not just in terms of its resources, but also as a region that is in dire need of development. It should be pointed out that West Cameroon accounts for about 60% of the country’s wealth. It is blessed with many resources, including oil, gas, diamond and timber. Its rich sub-soil has brought lots of economic benefits to the country. For four decades, the Rio Del Rey estuary,located in the southwest region, has been the source of more than 90% and at times 100% of all the country’s hydrocarbons, specifically oil.In 2014, Cameroon exported US$5.88 billion worth of products, of which US$2.65 billion, about CFAF 1,650 billion, was from crude oil. This is a significant amount of money and some of this money should be reinvested in the region, especially in Ndian Division where the oil fields are located.

The government’s failure to equitably share the country’s oil wealth is one of the issues that is hurting many West Cameroonians. Instead of viewing demands by West Cameroonians as a display of arrogance and a bitter bill, the government should see the current situation as a wake-up call. After fifty-six years of marginalization, West Cameroonians feel it is time to try other things. The unity they had sought with East Cameroon has only brought them untold hardship and pain. They want a real evaluation of the situation and they are brandishing federalism and secession as possible options. The government has to listen to them if it really wants to come up with a lasting solution. Injustice has caused West Cameroonians to see rebellion as a means of liberation. The government must now come to the table with good policies that will ensure that Cameroon remains one and indivisible. It must shun manipulation and it must embrace political transparency, social justice and genuine unity through a system the people will choose. Cameroon can still be indivisible within a federal structure. The United States, Canada and Germany are all united countries within a federal structure. It is time for the government to take the right measures for Cameroon to be spared the scourge of conflict that has affected many of its neighbors. Cameroon stands to gain if its leaders listen to those who feel marginalized. The Anglophone problem may be a bitter pill, but it should also be seen as the pill that sometimes cures many diseases. If the government can swallow its pride, then it will stop seeing the Anglophone problem as a bitter pill. It will instead view it as an opportunity to redesign the country’s fate and future.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

Cameroon Concord News Group

About the Author: The author of this piece is a keen observer of Cameroon’s political and economic landscape. He has published extensively on the country’s political and economic development, especially in the early 90s when the wind of change was blowing across the continent. He has served as a translator, technical writer, journalist and editor for several international organizations and corporations across the globe. He studied communication at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and technical writing in George Brown College, Toronto, Canada. He is also a trained translator and holds a Ph.D.

4, May 2017

French presidential candidates hold heated debate ⁰

French centrist presidential candidate Emanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen have exchanged barbs at their only televised debate prior to the Sunday presidential runoff in France. The duel on Wednesday night was rife with verbal clashes between the two presidential hopefuls, who discussed an assortment of controversial issues on economy, national security, and foreign policy.

During the two-and-a-half hour debate, Le Pen tried to highlight her flagship policy of “France-first” nationalism, including a crackdown on illegal immigration, scrapping the euro currency, and holding a referendum on European Union (EU) membership.

Macron, for his part, called for political openness, pro-market reforms, and the slashing of public spending. At one climactic point, Le Pen branded the former economy minister as “the candidate of the elite” and a “darling of the system.” Macron called her a “liar” and a “parasite of the system” in response.

Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right Front National (FN) Party candidate

On foreign policy, the 48-year-old candidate of the far-right Front National (FN) party accused her rival of being “submissive” toward German Chancellor Angela Merkel, taking a dig by saying, “France will be led by a woman, either me or Mrs. Merkel.”

Le Pen also accused Macron of having “no plan” on national security and of adopting an “indulgent attitude” toward the terrorist threats faced by the country. The 39-year-old centrist replied that he would be “uncompromising” on terrorism, which he described as the biggest issue of the next few years in France.

Accusing his rival of “hate-filled speech,” Macron warned that Le Pen’s bellicose rhetoric would divide France and lead to “a civil war.” In a final blow, Macron reproached his rival for her policies and said, “I’m sorry, Madame Le Pen; France deserves better than you.”

Emmanuel Macron, France’s presidential candidate for the En Marche! Movement

In an opinion poll immediately conducted by Elabe pollsters for BFM TV after the heated debate, some 63 percent of the people interviewed found the pro-EU former economy minister more convincing versus 34 percent for the leader of the FN party.

Macron and Le Pen won the first round of voting in France’s presidential election on April 23. Macron finished first with 24 percent, ahead of Le Pen with 21.3 percent. They will now have to contend in the runoff, scheduled for May 7. Nearly 47 million voters are eligible to vote on that day. France’s outgoing President Francois Hollande urged voters last week to back Macron and reject Le Pen.

Culled from Presstv

4, May 2017

Anglophone journalists protest police harassment, media crackdown ⁰

Some news reporters grouped under the National Union of Cameroon Journalists, SNJC converged in Buea and demanded the immediate release of all Southern Cameroon journalists arrested during the current Anglophone uprising.

They marched through the streets of Buea from the University junction to Miss Bright Inn brandishing placards which called on the Francophone government to stop harassing journalists. Others held banners with messages calling for the release of some six Anglophone journalists arrested this year.

The World Press Freedom Day commemoration in the Southern Cameroon was observed under strict and firm instructions that journalists should appear in black, signifying the stifling of Press Freedom. Kum Leonard, President of SNJC revealed that Southern Cameroon journalists were now in hiding and some like Tina Nene Nganda have fled the country.

Appeals have been made to competent authorities to make sure that rights of journalists are respected in Cameroon. Celebrations marking WPFD in Fako ended in Limbe with the participation of the loud sounding nothing Peter Essoka, President of the National Communication Council. The event was organized by the UN information center for Central Africa.

Source: CIN

4, May 2017

Soldiers representing U.S. Army Africa currently in Cameroon ⁰

Soldiers representing U.S. Army Africa are currently in Cameroon for exercise Unified Focus 17, the second accord event of the year. The accord series is composed of four major events scheduled to take place intermittently on the African continent through the beginning of August. Exercise Justified Accord 17 was held in Ethiopia last month, and the following exercises, United Accord 17 and Shared Accord 17, will take place in Ghana and South Africa, respectively.

The accord series is a U.S. Africa Command program composed of four annual, combined and joint military exercises that take place in African countries and encourage partnerships between participants from United States, African Union, European and other coalition partner forces and agencies. Although each event addresses a specific peacekeeping or security issue, they all share common objectives: communication and interaction between partners, and mutual readiness training, said Col. Anthony J. Healey, the U.S. Army Africa training, readiness and exercises director.

“The exercises facilitate enhancing information sharing and cooperation on regional security issues, strengthening regional access and freedom of movement, and increasing the participating forces’ abilities to collaborate on common missions and increase their readiness for real-world scenarios,” he said.

Until recently, each exercise was named for its targeted region. The current iterations, however, reflect the specific focus of the event instead, according to Healey. “The exercises were regionally aligned: Southern Accord, Eastern Accord, Central Accord … but when AFRICOM changed (from region-based operations) to lines of effort-based operations, they changed the names to match,” he said.

The accord exercises generally can fall into one of three categories: tabletop, command post and field training. Tabletop exercises often include senior personnel working through the decision-making process they would use in a crisis scenario. These exercises can take place in a classroom environment and include instruction from subject matter experts, Healey said.

Command post exercises are expanded tabletop exercises for commanders and staff. They require increased tactical operations and communications and may be simulation driven. These exercises can be conducted on a garrison or in the field.

Field training exercises simulate realistic combat conditions and integrate the total force, involving combat units, drills and situational training exercises, as well as the personnel required for tabletop and command post exercises. A year or more of planning and smaller events with other U.S., partner and host nation organizations go into each exercise, Healey said, which helps coordinators overcome some of the challenges that arise when multiple agencies and cultures work toward one vision and grapple with logistics.

“You’re bringing multiple agencies together and trying to come up with a singular plan to execute,” he said. “Does everyone agree with it? Can you support this? Where is the money coming from? You have to plan transportation well in advance, contracts have to be letted out … those are some of the challenges we have to work through to get from initiation to execution.”

Despite any difficulties that might accompany USARAF’s participation, there is inherent value in building and strengthening partnerships through the accord exercises, Healey said. “Whenever we go anywhere on the globe these days, it’s going to be with another partner. (Through these exercises), we get that cultural understanding from working with partners, not just American forces. … Ensuring that everyone has a shared understanding of how to solve the issue in the scenario builds confidence between the partner nations and interagencies.”

Culled from Defenseweb

4, May 2017

Nigeria army bombed Sambisa forest to distract from Buhari deteriorating health ⁰

The Nigerian army has said that its air force carried a raid near the Sambisa forest that wounded the crazy Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau and killed one of his deputies. The Nigerian military also stated that the northeastern Nigeria air raid was staged last Friday in Balla, a village some 40 km from Damboa.

Military sources in the Federal capital Abuja further suggested that the wounded Shekau would be treated near the border with Cameroon, towards Kolofata. One of his deputies killed during the raids was identified as Abba Mustapha, alias Malam Abba and another of his lieutenants, Abubakar Gashua, alias Abu Aisha reportedly had a narrow escape.

Abubakar Shekau was announced died several times by the Nigerian army and many believe this recent announcement is to divert attention from President Buhari deteriorating health situation. The Nigerian Islamic sect is now divided, weakened and has suffered heavy setbacks but still carries out murderous attacks in northeastern Nigeria and Cameroon. Its eight years insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 20,000 and 2.6 million displaced.

By Sama Ernest

3, May 2017

Southern Cameroons: Hopes fade for deal as Lawyers protest continues ⁰

Southern Cameroon lawyers did not respect the call from the so-called President of the Bar Association of Cameroon Jackson Francis Ngnie Kamga to put an end to their strike action on Tuesday, May 2. In Bamenda and Buea the courts remained empty and work has not resumed. The Anglophone lawyers had warned Barrister Kamga to stay clear of Southern Cameroon matters and to ask his Francophone political elites to release with immediate effect the detained leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium currently being tried for terrorism and incitement to secession.

The Southern Cameroon lawyers said they were astonished to see the Bar President called for an end to the strike, but not for the release of the detainees, including the leader of the Consortium, Agbor Bala. Lawyers are at the forefront of the Southern Cameroon uprising and all the legal minds have opined that the way justice is done in Southern Cameroons is not consistent with the Common Law anglophones inherited from the British.

The Southern Cameroon lawyers also demanded that at the level of the Supreme Court, a section for Anglophones should be instituted to listen to appeals coming from the jurisdictions of the Northwest and the Southwest. In English, they call it the “Common Law Bench at the Supreme Court.” The Biya Francophone Government has announced several fake measures to satisfy these demands and none have been rightfully implemented.

By Fru James

Cameroon Concord News

3, May 2017

EU to stop Schengen controls by November ⁰

EU countries that imposed border controls in the passport-free Schengen area because of the migrant crisis should end them by November, Brussels said Tuesday.

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and non-EU Norway introduced the ID checks in 2015 and have been allowed to repeatedly prolong them at set intervals. Sweden said earlier Tuesday that it was scrapping the checks.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said it would now only recommend one final half-year extension from mid-May. “The time has come to take the last concrete steps to gradually return to a normal functioning of the Schengen area,” EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told reporters.

“This will be the last prolongation.” The five countries first introduced the checks as a record wave of refugees and migrants from Syria and other Middle East countries and from Africa streamed across Europe. Brussels initially set the goal of getting rid of the checks by the end of 2016 but that proved impossible.

3, May 2017

Biya expected in China ⁰

President Paul Biya will visit China at the invitation of the Chinese President. The information was made public by Wei Wenhua the Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon. It would be Mr.Biya’s sixth trip to a country whose volume of trade with Cameroon now stands at 1, 96 billion US dollars.

Ambassador Wei Wenhua told local newsmen recently that “Despite a gloomy global economic context, Sino-African cooperation is performing well.” He revealed that China was helping Cameroon in constructing the Yaoundé-Douala highway, the Kribi-Lolabé highway and the Bini hydroelectric dam at Warack.

Ambassador Wenhua also pointed out that by removing the visa requirement between China and Cameroon for holders of diplomatic passports; it was a step forward in Cooperation between the two countries.

By Sonne Peter

Cameroon Concord News