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23, March 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis will not be resolved in Yaoundé and risks creating a generation of disenfranchised, displaced people nursing a grievance ⁰

Cameroon is an amalgamation of former French and British territories combined into a single country in 1961. The North-West and South-West Regions (NWSW) of Cameroon are home to most of the country’s English-speaking population (Anglophones), roughly 20% of the total population. The Anglophone Conflict stems from 2016 when Anglophone teachers and lawyers mounted protests demanding better representation in Cameroon’s legal and educational systems. What started as peaceful protests quickly turned violent as demonstrators clashed with security personnel. Cameroon President Paul Biya’s response included deploying U.S. trained special forces[2], curfews, and implementing regional communications blackouts. In 2017, Anglophone protestors switched tactics from wanting increased representation to demanding an independent state. On October 1, 2017, Anglophone separationists unilaterally claimed independence from Cameroon creating the Federal Republic of Ambazonia which would be led by an interim government.

Ambazonia is now in quasi-civil war albeit with limited recognition from President Biya in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé. He maintains that the conflict is a terrorist/criminal issue, which he promises to resolve through bureaucratic maneuvering and force[3]. The struggle continues to grow deadlier, with more improvised explosive device attacks taking place in the first five months of 2021 than all other years of the conflict combined[4]. The situation continues to deteriorate with separatists beginning kidnap for ransom operations and the Cameroonian state conducting cross border operations of questionable legality into Nigeria. The Cameroonian government’s harsh tactics against its citizenry prompted allegations of human rights abuses.

The magnitude of the crisis and numerous filmed events obtained by international aid organizations lends strong credence to the allegations. As a result of the abuses, the U.S. cut military aid to Cameroon in 2019[5]. The U.S. is in a difficult position as Cameroon is a key ally against Islamist terrorism in the region, through their contribution to the Multi-national Joint Task Force and allowing U.S. forces to operate from bases in the country[6].

Little is likely to be resolved in the immediate future. The government is unable to claim victory, and the separatists have not gained and held ground, leading to in-fighting[7]. The separatists seek to change their fortunes through an alliance with Nigerian separatists and the purchase of weapons from foreign powers[8]. Another element to consider is President Biya. At 89, Biya is the oldest elected official on the continent and the second longest serving. Many, if not most, Cameroonians do not know life without Biya. He has no intention of ceding power, and more importantly does not have any clear succession plans. Disorganization from Biya’s hospitalization, death, or cessation of power may give Amabazonia the relief it needs to find better footing.

For a country battling Islamist terrorists in the north and separatists in the south, the death of an autocrat may be the final straw. The U.S. would be well advised to consider response options to the Anglophone crisis beyond advocating for human rights. If the U.S. continues to ignore the Anglophone crisis and does not develop solid response options, it risks ceding regional leadership and allowing the problem to spiral. Considering the NWSW regions’ coastline and other natural resources, the area will draw international attention for cocoa, oil, or an Atlantic Port. In 2019, China wrote off a substantial portion of Cameroon’s debt[9], and is building the region’s largest deep-water port[10]. China is presumably ready to and willing to fill any partnership void caused by U.S. inaction.

There are several possible outcomes. The first, already underway, is the continued stagnation of the crisis. With neither side moving towards peace and conflict increasing, the growth of criminal activity, extremism, and continued human rights abuses is likely. Combined with other regional instability and increased piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the equivalent of a West coast Somalia is an unattractive prospect.

Second, should the crisis escalate, and Cameroon prove ineffective at containing the situation, say in the case of Biya’s death, would regional intervention be justified? Is the U.S. prepared or able to, with Leahy Law requirements, support regional action to stabilize the area? How would the U.S. react to Nigeria retaking the Bakassi peninsula under the premise of a responsibility to protect intervention?

Given the vast uncertainty facing Cameroon post-Biya, the U.S. and international community should not be shocked by renewed claims of Ambazonian independence. Should Anglophone Cameroonians coalesce, they may prove more capable at maintaining security in the region than Yaoundé. The Anglophone Cameroonians would then have a solid footing for seeking recognition, which could prompt additional calls for succession from groups like the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta in neighboring Nigeria. As evidenced by recent events, a country seeking de jure recognition has the potential to disrupt the international order, in this case that could occur in an already unstable region which could prove disastrous for U.S. regional efforts.

The current situation is the culmination of bad international politics in the 1960’s which amalgamated peoples regardless of their language and culture. The crisis will not be resolved as is and risks creating a generation of disenfranchised, displaced people nursing a grievance.

Culled from realcleardefense

23, March 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: What has the government learned? ⁰

The Southern Cameroons crisis which started with protests by lawyers and teachers in the country’s two English-speaking regions has not only crippled the country financially. It has also created a strange strain of distrust towards the government and this distrust will have dire consequences for the government which has a huge burden of proving that it is capable of leading the country in an objective, serious and honest manner.

Southern Cameroonians in particular and Cameroonians in general do not trust the government because of its constant use of brutality as its weapon of choice for the resolution of issues which could be addressed around a negotiating table.

The government’s excessive use of brutality throughout the Southern Cameroons crisis has sent more than ten thousand Cameroonians to an early grave, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and thousands are now living with disabilities which will be reminders of the mistakes that were made because of a huge dependence on violence as a tool of choice for conflict resolution.

Today, things are improving in the country’s two English-speaking regions, though small crooks and criminals are still on the prowl for possible victims. The two regions are awash with light weapons which made their way into the country through the border with Nigeria, and trigger-happy young men are using these weapons to harass innocent people, kidnap those they suspect of having money and even settling scores with those they disagree with.

This has left many people in fear, though the killings, especially government-sponsored killings, are dwindling. This is giving many people in the two English-speaking regions some hope that someday, things will return to normal. They are looking forward to the day when their children will be able to go to school without anybody harassing them. They are longing for the day they will be able to travel without the little criminals who pass off as fighters will not block the road and make their lives miserable.

In many parts of the two English-speaking regions of the country, civilians are coming together to fight those fake fighters who have made the lives of many Southern Cameroonians a living hell. The crooks are there for their own interest and have nothing to do with the liberation of Southern Cameroons. The people had supported the struggle in the beginning because they thought it would enable them walk away from the Francophone majority whose goal was to subjugate the English-speaking minority.

But their support for the fighters started dwindling when so-called leaders abroad started embezzling money meant for the war and the desperate fighters started using kidnapping and intimidation as a means of raising money to prosecute the war. In any situation where there is a total breakdown in law and order, criminals can easily make hay while the sun shines and that is what armed criminals have been doing to line their pockets.

Many people have been killed not by soldiers or real fighters but by criminals who are taking advantage of the chaos that the government has created and sustained for years. The seeds of oppression sown by the government have produced some of the worst ferocious violence and brutality in the two English-speaking regions of the country and this unfortunate situation will linger for a very long time, especially as unemployment remains a millstone around the necks of many young men.

As the fighting is burning out, many observers are asking if the government has learned any lessons, especially from its own mistakes. The fighting itself could have been avoided if the government had used well-known conflict resolution mechanisms. Dialogue, not arms, will deliver more meaningful results in any conflict situation and the government should be aware of this.

The government’s refusal to sincerely dialogue with Southern Cameroonian leaders when the conflict just started is to blame for the thousands of deaths on both sides. Many young men have been killed in a conflict which does not make sense to many people. Thousands of soldiers have been sent to an early grave and thousands of children will never have the opportunity of seeing their fathers because of the government’s wrong decisions.

Repression will never address the country’s issues and the government seems to have learned that but only after many lives have been cut short and development resources wasted in the purchase of arms that were unnecessary. The country’s economy has taken a beating and it will take time for an economy that has been on life support for decades to recover from another unnecessary shock like the war that is still raging on in Southern Cameroons.

The violence started dying down once the government advised the military against killing civilians just to prove a point. Many Southern Cameroonians killed by the military were innocent civilians. They were not fighters. Fighters do not live in towns and cities. They seek refuge in bushes where they can plan their war strategy without fear. Many civilians were killed either in their homes or at city centers and they were not armed. Those killings only triggered a wave of revenge, and this unfortunate situation only created a large pool of fighters who were dead serious about revenging the death of their loved ones.

Today, Cameroonians know how to build IEDs. Those IEDs have wreaked havoc on the military, with thousands sent to an early grave and expensive military equipment destroyed. The massive human cost and huge economic and military consequences should call the government to reason.

Calling off unnecessary military killings of civilians has helped to reduce the tension and pressure that were hanging over many towns and cities in Southern Cameroons. The government should understand that its faulty policies are to blame for the conflict and a reversal of some of those policies could restore peace and security in the two English-speaking regions.

The current systems are not working and a persistence to use them may only push the country into a downward spiral that might trigger serious adverse consequences for the country. Cameroon needs peace and without peace, meaningful economic and social development will remain a distant tomorrow affair. The government seems to have understood this and the current conflict with teachers speaks to the government’s understanding and vulnerability.

By opting for a speedy processing of teachers’ salaries and benefits, as well as avoiding any physical confrontation with thousands of teachers who have vowed not to return to school until their demands are met, the government has demonstrated that a non-military approach is the best when it comes to dealing with conflict. If this approach can be maintained, many issues will be dealt with, and Cameroon will regain its status as an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

22, March 2022

European Union issues “empty” statement on Cameroon ⁰

Today the Council approved conclusions on Cameroon stressing the importance that the EU attaches to its partnership with that country, and reaffirming the EU’s readiness to intensify engagement with the government, local authorities and civil society on all areas of mutual interest.

In its conclusions the Council encourages the government of Cameroon to ensure a peaceful and inclusive political environment and welcomes the commitments made to strengthen local governance following the Major National Dialogue of 2019.

The Council remains, however, extremely concerned by the ongoing crisis in the North-West and South-West regions, and appeals for an immediate end to the violence, respect of human rights and humanitarian principles, unimpeded humanitarian access and a safe environment for humanitarian work. In the light of the situation, the Council underlines the EU’s readiness to support any meaningful mediation initiative which might lead to a peaceful and long-term settlement.

The EU condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist actions by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Far North, and reaffirms its solidarity with Cameroon in this fight.

The EU will continue supporting Cameroon and Cameroonians in their efforts to build a stable and prosperous country for all, where human rights and democratic principles are fully respected.

22, March 2022

Biya Regime Blames War Between Russia and Ukraine for Wheat Shortage ⁰

Cameroon’s government says Russia’s war on Ukraine is responsible for a wheat shortage that has led to a 40 percent increase in the price of bread. The central African state is encouraging local substitutes like cassava and yams to replace the wheat usually imported from Russia and Ukraine.

More than 40 consumers are waiting for bread Monday morning at the La Mama bakery in Mokolo, a neighborhood in Cameroon’s capital.

Youssoufa Daouda, who sells bread at the bakery, said in the past two weeks the bakery has served less than 200 of its usual 500 daily customers.

He said importers informed bakers in the first week of March of a potential shortage of wheat in Cameroonian markets because countries that supply wheat to Cameroon were at war. Daouda said the price of a 50-kilogram bag of wheat increased from $35 to between $50 and $60, and the supply is not regular.

Cameroon says 13 million of its 26 million citizens who consume bread daily no longer have a regular supply.

Cameroon’s Minister of Trade Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana presided over a meeting with bakery owners and wheat importers on Monday meant to educate consumers associations that the shortage of wheat is a result of the war in Ukraine.

Atangana said anyone who is informed and is honest will not disagree that the war between Russia and Ukraine is having disastrous consequences on economies all over the world. He said the war has deprived Cameroon of about 60 percent of wheat imported from both Ukraine and Russia, and the government is very worried because the absence of wheat can cause a social crisis in Cameroon.

Atangana said Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, asked the ministers in charge of agriculture and trade to find alternatives to wheat imports.

Cameroon produces less than one-fourth of the 1.6 million tons of wheat it needs each year. Last year, it imported more than 850,000 tons from Russia and Ukraine.

Delor Magellan Kamseu Kamgaing, president of Cameroon’s Consumers League, said Cameroonians should learn to consume bread made without wheat imported from Ukraine and Russia. He said local substitutes, including tubers like cassava, yams and potato, can replace imported wheat. He added that it’s imperative the government provide funding and tractors to farmers to increase tuber production to spare Cameroon from a looming social crisis.

Other countries in Africa and the Middle East are also facing wheat shortages due to the war in Ukraine. On Monday, the head U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development, Gilbert Houngbo, warned the situation “could cause an escalation of hunger and poverty, with dire implications for global stability.”

Source: VOA

22, March 2022

Indomitable Lions: Andre Onana involved in car crash ⁰

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has reportedly been involved in a sickening car crash on his way to play for the Indomitable Lions in their World Cup play-off against Algeria.

Horrifying pictures show two cars smashed into each other at the front, with both bonnets destroyed and the ground covered in debris.

Onana had been travelling from Yaoundé to Douala when he was caught up in the accident but the 25-year-old has fortunately escaped unscathed.

He was headed to Lion’s training camp in Douala at the time of the incident, local media says – with no casualties reported in the collision from either vehicle.

Onana is still on course to start for the Indomitable Lions in their crucial World Cup on Friday despite being involved in the incident, it says.

A Champions League semi-finalist in 2019, Onana has been rated as one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in world football in recent years before his career was blighted by a failed drugs test.

22, March 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Global Think Tank for Africa Reaches Out to IDPs ⁰

The Global Think Tank for Africa, a not-for-profit organization, has reached out to internally displaced children in the town of Mamfe where there are thousands of IDPs who fled the fighting triggered by protest by teachers and lawyers in 2016.

The event took place on March 22, 2022, in Mamfe and it brought together kids from many schools in the town. The Global Think Tank has made the donation of school supplies to pupils in Mamfe a continuous event and yesterday’s event is the third organized by the not-for-profit organization.

Many of the kids from the rural areas lack basic school supplies and The Global Think Tank for Africa has been donating school materials to primary schools in Mamfe town and this has been made possible by donations and resources from people of good will.

Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Director of the Global Think Tank for Africa, Dr. Joachim Arrey, used the occasion to urge other organizations and individuals to help the children who have been displaced by war. He thanked donors like Mr. Donald Besong of the United Kingdom, who reached out to the Global Think Tank for Africa so that the not-for-profit organization could deliver on its mandate.

“We will continue to bring much-needed assistance to those children who have been sent away from their homes by a war they know nothing about. I am urging other people to come to the help of these children. They deserve a fair chance at life. They know nothing about this war and without education, their future will be compromised. Education is a key that can open many doors and granting these children an opportunity to acquire education is like preparing them for a bright future,” Dr. Joachim Arrey said.

Also speaking during the occasion, the Inspector of Basic education for Mamfe Central, Mr. Harman Taku Arreyngang, expressed his appreciation for the gesture, urging other donors to help children affected by war to have access to education.

“I am calling on the elites of the Manyu Division to come to the help of these children who desperately need their support. Education is important in a child’s life and anybody who reaches out to a child, especially when he or she is in need, is giving that child a fighting chance at life,” he said.

The Global Think Tank for Africa has promised more assistance in the coming months and its commitment to the education of children can be seen through its donations.

By Philip Nkongho in Mamfe town

22, March 2022

Southern Cameroonians will never compromise on independence struggle ⁰

The exiled leader of the Ambazonia Interim Government Dabney Yerima says the people of Southern Cameroons will never compromise on defending the interests and resources of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

“Members of the Interim Government have always maintained that unity among Ambazonia groups and front line leaders will add momentum to the struggle and bring Buea nearer” Yerima said in a recent message to Amba fighters in Ground Zero and Ground One.

Dabney Yerima emphasized that Southern Cameroonians will confront any sinister plot or sedition designed by the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé to harm the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Vice President Yerima furthered that all Ambazonia fighters are duty-bound to fully defend the homeland anywhere and anytime and to closely monitor all French Cameroun appointed DOs, SDOs and Governors moves with full vigilance.

“All Ambazonia Revolutionary Guards should increase their readiness and combat capability as leadership struggle in French Cameroun intensifies” Yerima concluded.

The war in Southern Cameroons has killed more than 6,000 people and forced one million English speaking Cameroonians to flee their homes as they are caught between the Francophone Cameroon government army and Ambazonia fighters.

The war broke out in October 2017 when British Southern Cameroonians under the leadership of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe declared an independent state-the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

The five-year conflict is slowly but surely spilling over into Nigeria, with the Nigerian press reporting that Cameroonian security forces and Ambazonia fighters care little for the territorial integrity of their neighbours.

By Chi Prudence Asong

22, March 2022

War in Ukraine: Latest developments ⁰

Zelensky ready for talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is ready for talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “in any format”.

The Ukrainian leader indicates the status of Russian-occupied Crimea and breakaway Russian-backed statelets in Donbas are up for discussion, adding that any peace deal will be put to a referendum in Ukraine.

Warning on chemical weapons

US President Joe Biden warns Russia will pay a “severe price” if it uses chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.

He says Moscow’s claim that the US helped Ukraine develop biological weapons is “a clear sign” President Vladimir Putin is himself considering biological or chemical warfare.

Russia steps up air operations

The Pentagon says Russia is boosting air and sea military operations in Ukraine, flying more than 300 missions in the past 24 hours, in a bid to break Ukrainian resistance.

Eight dead in mall bombing

At least eight people are killed in the bombing of a shopping centre in northwest Kyiv. The 10-storey building is completely destroyed in the blast. Russia claims the mall was used to store rocket systems.

New Kyiv curfew

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko announces a new curfew for the capital from 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Monday to 7:00 am on Wednesday.

Holocaust survivor killed

Ninety-six-year-old Holocaust survivor Boris Romantschenko is killed by Russian shelling in Kharkiv. Romantschenko had survived detention in Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen.

Protesters under fire

Ukraine’s leaders accuse Russian forces of firing on unarmed protesters in the occupied southern city of Kherson. Videos emerge to show residents fleeing flash-bang grenades and bursts of gunfire during the latest demonstration against the Russian invasion.

Red Cross mission

The head of the international Red Cross, Peter Maurer, tells AFP he will travel to Moscow this week for talks on the conduct of the war in Ukraine and efforts to secure visits with detainees.

Russian toll

Kremlin-allied tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports 9,861 Russian troops have been killed and 16,153 injured in the nearly month-old war, 20 times the official tally. The figures are quickly removed from its website.

Nearly 3.5 million flee

Nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia’s invasion, the United Nations says, of the 10 million who have been displaced from their homes.

US-Russia ties near breakdown

Russia summons the US ambassador to Moscow to protest at Biden branding Putin a “war criminal”, saying relations are “on the verge of rupture”.

Facebook, Instagram ban

A Russian court bans Facebook and Instagram as “extremist”, part of the Kremlin’s sweeping efforts to censor news about the war in Ukraine.

Source: AFP

21, March 2022

Football: Man City top Deloitte Money League for first time ⁰

Manchester City have topped Deloitte’s Football Money League for the first time in their history after emerging from the coronavirus crisis in a stronger position than their rivals.

The Premier League champions, bankrolled by their Abu Dhabi owners, are only the fourth club to top the rankings after Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United

City’s revenue of 644.9 million euros ($712 million, £541 million) in the 2020/21 season — up 17 percent — propelled them from sixth position to the top on the list of the 20 highest revenue-generating clubs in world football.

However, some of City’s commercial deals — which account for nearly half of revenue — are a source of controversy, with a number key partners such as shirt and stadium sponsor Etihad having links to the club’s owners.

The club were 4.2 million euros ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid, with German champions Bayern Munich next followed by Barcelona and Manchester United.

A total of 11 English clubs were in the top 20, with Wolves making their first-ever appearance as the Premier League continued to flex its financial muscle.

Average revenue of the 20 clubs on the list was 409 million euros — a marginal increase on the 2019/20 season thanks to broadcast deferrals due to Covid disruption, but a 12 percent decrease on the 2018/19 season because of the absence of fans.

The clubs in the Money League have missed out on more than two billion euros of revenue over the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons as a result of the pandemic, the Deloitte report said.

Premier League clubs were more insulated due to the much larger television rights deals they enjoy compared with their competitors in the other top European leagues and the gap is likely to widen.

“Premier League broadcast rights values are set to pull further away from the other ‘big five’ European leagues from the 2022/23 season with the rollover of existing domestic arrangements on the same terms and the total value of international rights reportedly set to increase by 30 percent and exceed the value of domestic rights for the first time,” said Dan Jones, head of Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.

Source: AFP

21, March 2022

At least twelve soldiers killed in Burkina Faso attack ⁰

At least twelve soldiers were killed Sunday in eastern Burkina Faso by suspected jihadists, security sources told AFP, the sixth attack of its kind in the country in ten days.

“On Sunday, armed elements attacked a (military) unit around Natiaboani. The provisional toll is twelve fallen soldiers,” a security source told AFP.

“This was a patrol and security team that were attacked by presumed jihadists,” another security source told AFP, adding that around ten soldiers had been killed.

“Multiple elements on the enemy side were also neutralised,” they said, without giving further details.

Natiaboani is a rural community about sixty kilometres south of Fada N’Gourma, the largest town in the Eastern Region administrative area that since 2018 has been regularly targeted by armed groups.

Around 15 youths were kidnapped by armed individuals during an attack on Friday in nearby Nagre, according to the country’s information agency.

Burkina Faso has seen an uptick in violence after a period of relative calm following a military junta taking power in January.

Disgruntled officers toppled elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who had been facing protests over his handling of the bloody jihadist insurgency.

In total, 23 civilians and 25 policemen or soldiers have been killed over the last ten days.

Burkina Faso has been struggling with jihadist attacks since 2015, when militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group began mounting cross-border raids from Mali.

The violence has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced at least 1.7 million, according to an AFP tally.

In January alone, 160,000 fled their homes, a group of international charities said last Thursday.

Source: AFP