Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the so-called Cameroon government spokesman and Minister of Communication has said that secession will never see the light of day in Cameroon. The French Cameroun political elite known for his role in the 1984 April 6^th Coup against President Biya and for his anti Beti Ewondo statements also observed that the Biya Francophone government has satisfied the demands of Southern Cameroonians and added that each time a concession is made, “the seccessionists raise new conditions.”

Tchiroma was speaking during a visit to the headquarters of La Meteo, a pro Biya regime newspaper based in Yaounde on Tuesday the 10^th of October 2017. The controversial cabinet minister whose health has been failing of recent, acknowledged that Cameroon was indeed at crossroads but secession has no place in the country.

Exactly one year ago, the anglophone crisis sparked off in Southern Cameroons basically from demands made by anglophone lawyers and teachers which ultimately metamorphosized into demands for federalism and later secession by the peoples of Southern Cameroons.  The Francophone dominated government in Yaounde has reported an uneasy calm lately within these regions after the riots of October 1.

By Rita Akana, CCN

According to a poll conducted by the Nkafu Policy Institute, a think-tank based in Yaounde, majority of Cameroonians prefer federalism instead of the current unitary system of government.  The findings revealed that of the 60.2% interviewed  at the national level, federalism is advocated in the following proportions:

47.7% in the Central, South / East regions;

42.9% for the Grand North (Adamaoua / North / Far-North).

68.3% for Littoral and West;

And, 96.1% for the Southern Cameroons regions.

In the same vein, 44% of respondents claiming to be the militants of ruling CPDM crime syndicate prefer a federal system. Finally, the majority of Cameroonians (93.5%) are advocates of regional budgetary autonomy.

52% are recommending a full autonomy while 41% suggest that the budget be placed under the supervision of the central government in Yaoundé.

The majority of respondents, (91.8%) are against the appointment of regional governors. These Cameroonians prefer that they be elected. 75.2% of people claiming to be members of the ruling party also share the idea of elected governors.

669 Cameroonians aged 20 or more were interviewed during the research taken into account the 2013 population estimates by age, sex, region of origin and socio-economic status.

By Chi Prucence Asong, CCN

I am greatly saddened with the death of my dear friend Martin Yembe. Martin was a passionate defender of human and peoples’ rights. He was a fallen general in the defence of our people. The Southern Cameroons and Lebialem in particular have lost an irreplaceable hero.

Martin took the risk to undertake a detailed investigation of the perennial damage and carnage carried out by land grabbers across our international boundary with the criminal intent of altering the said international boundary protected by a binding international treaty.

The unimpeachable report which was commissioned by the SCNC documented the criminal acts of provocation and unprovoked aggression perpetrated against our peace-loving people of Lebialem. That report forms part of an increasing body of evidence that supports the preplanned nature of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against our people.

Martin, you have gone so soon. But your contributions to the improvement of our dire human condition will live on. Your premature death follows the predictable visit of the angel of death. But the future of the cause you lived and died for will not be determined by the angel of death and apologists of genocide. It will be determined by the sovereign will of the righteous oppressed.

With history our witness, the sovereign will of the righteous oppressed will, as it has done with absolute precision, prevail. But history has already retained that you and most us opted for dialogue but it was rejected and criminalized.

The irrepressible mirror of history captured every moment of the unfolding preplanned genocide that claimed your life and that of hundreds of victims with absolute accuracy. It could not have been otherwise. Indeed, the last images that transposed your transition with that of hundreds of other victims vividly show some of the principal ideologues and actors mobilizing people from the divide with messages portraying the victims as terrorists, thus by conduct and words encouraging soldiers deployed for the purpose to massacre unarmed civilians protected as such by the Geneva Conventions 1949 which Cameroon ratified since 1963.

But for God, the ultimate Judge, how come that with the arrogance of absolute power, and justice of the barrel of the gun at their beg and command, they came out every so often to record their crimes in the soul of time? Martin, God will administer Justice at a time of His choice.

May God bless your gentle soul dear friend and brother.

Chief Charles A.Taku

Cameroon has banned public meetings and travel in a mainly English-speaking region ahead of a protest to demand independence for the area. The South-West region’s border with Nigeria has also been shut to block “infiltration” by people threatening Cameroon’s unity, officials said.

Pro-independence marches have been planned for Sunday, the 56th anniversary of Cameroon’s unification. English speakers accuse the Francophone majority of discrimination. They say they are often excluded from top civil service jobs, and that the French language and legal system have been imposed on them.

The government denies the allegations and insists that it treats all citizens equally. The divisions in the central African state date back to the post-colonial settlement. Cameroon was colonised by Germany and then split into British and French areas after World War One. Following a referendum, British-run Southern Cameroons joined the French-speaking Republic of Cameroon in 1961.

It is now divided into the South-West and North-West regions. Demands for independence have grown in the two regions in recent years and tension has been escalating ahead of Sunday’s planned protests, reports the BBC’s Randy Joe Sa’ah from the capital, Yaoundé.

The South-West region’s governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, has called protest organisers “dogs”, and has warned them that they will be met by troops if they take to the streets on Sunday, our correspondent adds. At least six protesters were killed and dozens arrested during protests earlier this year. Access to the internet in the Anglophone regions was also blocked from January to April.

Announcing the new security measures, Mr Bilai said there would be a ban on gatherings of more than four people, and travel between towns, from 20:00 GMT on Friday until 08:00 GMT on Monday. The region’s border with Nigeria would also be closed during this time “following persistent threats of destabilisation” by individuals based outside Cameroon, he added.

In a statement on Thursday, the UN said Secretary-General António Guterres was concerned about tensions ahead of Sunday’s protests. He urged Cameroon’s government to address the grievances of its Anglophone population, and to take steps to promote national reconciliation, it said.

“The Secretary-General supports upholding the unity and territorial integrity of Cameroon and urges all parties to refrain from acts that could lead to an escalation of tension and violence,” the statement added.

Culled from the BBC

Hon. Joseph Mbah Ndam of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) has said that President Biya and his gang of French Cameroun political elites have pushed Southern Cameroonians to the wall. The Deputy Speaker of the French Cameroun National Assembly, received at his residence on Friday some Southern Cameroons demonstrators and at the reception, the SDF MP appreciated the Southern Cameroons popular uprising.

Speaking in his native tongue and pidgin, Joseph Mbah Ndam told the demonstrators that September 22, 2017 is a date chosen by God himself for the liberation of Southern Cameroons. “Democracy and freedom do not happen, they are snatched up,” said the SDF leader to his many admirers.

“Southern Cameroons has become a place of slavery under the regime of Paul Biya,” he said, adding that “if Cameroon splits into two, Paul Biya is the only culprit.” The MP feels that the anglophone crisis is the result of frustration. “The anglophones were pushed back to the wall and here are the results,” says Mbah Ndam. The member of the SDF indicated that if there is another protest march, he will take part because the President has refused to dialogue with Southern Cameroonians.

Since the beginning of the Southern Cameroons crisis, Mbah Ndam has supported the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the Southern Cameroons Governing Council. He has always challenged the jurisdiction of the Yaounde Military Court to try those arrested in Southern Cameroons in the context of the Anglophone crisis.

By Rita Akana, CCN

The Commission that was created by President Biya to resolve the Southern Cameroons crisis and led by Senator Mafany Musonge has existed for eight months already. And so far, it has nothing to its credit. This September 23, 2017 will be nine months of its existence and the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism (CNPBM) is still on paper.

Apart from the installation ceremony of its members and the secretary general and the two sessions it held, the institution headed by Mr. Mafany Musonge is virtually non-existent. For the records, the commission was established to examined several subjects related to the anglophone crisis. A visit was was announced last June in the Northwest and South West Regions during the apex of the crisis, which began in November 2016. Musonge and his men were to visit Southern Cameroons as part of the “facilitation mission “. Cameroon Concord News can reveal that until now, the so-called National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism has not set foot in Southern Cameroons.

After the release of the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium on August 30, French Cameroun political elites were anticipating a reaction from the president of the Commission on the antennas of the Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV). No reaction regarding this measure was made public. Mafany Musonge and his gang have never commented on the violence, particularly the destruction of schools and other public buildings, which are constantly pacing life in Southern Cameroons. Similarly, the institution headed by former Prime Minister Mafany Musonge has also refrained from any statement on the non resumption of schools.

Peter Mafany Musonge (to use his three names) was approached by a French Cameroun newspaper and he observed that there is no need to worry. “The commission is working. You will hear from us soon,” he said. The Commission was created on the 23rd of January 2017 by a decree of the President of the Republic. Its creation took place after the Government decided to end the negotiations begun with the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Concord News

A symposium on the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon has been organised for all Cameroonians to attend regardless of their persuasion. Whether you are Anglophone or Francophone, come along and let’s debate the issues.

This is a joint initiative of WCA and WCMC UK to explore lasting solutions to the recurrent Anglophone problem.

Date of Symposium: 30th September 2017, Start time 11am prompt.

Location:  The Hilton Hotel, Paradise Way, Walsgrave Triangle, Coventry CV2 2ST.

Questions from delegates will be address to our distinguished panel of speakers consisting of:

*1. Edith Kahbang Walla (Kah Walla) 2. Prof. Jean Emanuel Pondi 3. Barrister Ben Muna 4. Mola Njoh Litumbe 5. Prof. Nelson Enonchong – (as moderator) 6. Hon Jean Mitchel Nintcheu – MP for Doula and Wouri central*.

Other potential Independent guests who have been approached are:

• Representative from Commonwealth Secretariat • Representative from Ghanaian High Commission • Representative from Nigeria High Commission • MP for Coventry North East, Colleen Fletcher, MP. • Representative from the Community Secretary, Sajjid Javid’s office .

We have engaged a market research company to conduct a survey  of the views of delegates on which option they are for,  prior to the symposium and again take their views after they listen to all the panellists in order to measure opinion of a cross section of the UK Cameroonian Diaspora.

Tickets will be priced at £40 which will,

include dinner and alcoholic beverages at the end of the symposium and an opportunity to network with the panellists and some of the distinguished guests who will be attending.

This is a significant and inclusive gathering of Cameroonians in the UK to debate the issues facing Anglophones specifically. The organisers are looking to engage all parties and steer a better way forward with input from all attendees.

For tickets to book your place please call – Judith +44 7916 276295, Frank +447429880730 or Phil +44 7975981048

You can also purchase tickets online using:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cameroon-anglophone-crisis-symposium-coventry-uk-tickets-37259450018

Please note that tickets will be available on a first come first serve basis as the places are limited.

We would be most grateful to have you at the Symposium.

Organisers and sponsors:

*West Cameroon Association (WCA):* Is a Think Tank and a collective of English-speaking Cameroonians based in Cameroon and the Diaspora.

*West Cameroon Movement For Change (WCMC):* Is a Coalition of West Cameroonians worldwide who are campaigning for the restoration of the dignity of the people of West Cameroon.

A monument has been erected in honour of the late freedom fighter Ruben Um Nyobe in his village at Libellingoi Boumnyebel in a ceremony that held on the 13th of September 2017. Libellingoi Boumnyebel is located some 84 kilometres from Yaounde. The occasion was attended by many politicians in the company of the wife and son of the fallen hero, Mme Ngo Ndjock Y. Marie and Daniel Ruben Um Nyobe.

Speaking during the event, the Secretary General of the UPC party enjoined the youth to emulate the example of Ruben Um Nyobe. He regretted the fact that the freedom fighter did not live to see Cameroon gain her independence.
Ruben Um Nyobe was co- founder of the Cameroon People’s Union (UPC) on 10th April 1948. On 14th September 1958, the independence crusader was assassinated by the French army still in Libellingoi Boumyebel . On the 27th of June 1991, President Paul Biya promulgated the law on the rehabilitation of UPC martyrs as national heroes.

Ruben Um Nyobe was born on 13th September, 1913 in the Nyong and Nkelle Division in the centre region. He attended Presbyterian schools in the French occupied territory and worked as a civil servant in the Finance and judicial administration sectors.

He made several appearances at UN the headquarters in New York where he criticised French refusal to prepare Cameroon for independence or self government . His efforts paid off when the Trusteeship council issued a series of resolutions asking France to implement political reforms in French Cameroun. French Cameroon finally became independent on 1st January 1960.

The respected SDF MP from the Jakiri constituency in Southern Cameroons has said that the Biya Francophone government should engage with West Cameroon elites in relation to the 1961 Foumban Agreement.

In a correspondence dated September 7, 2017, addressed to several diplomatic missions such as La Francophonie, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, CEMAC, UNHCR, etc., the MP stated that Southern Cameroonians are being treated as slaves by French Cameroonians.

The Honourable Joseph Wirba reviewed the Bui incident of September 4, when a teenager was shot dead by a gendarme. For the deputy, it is a “genocide” orchestrated on his people with “the complicit silence and the blessing of President Paul Biya, commander in chief of the armed forces”.

The MP also described the militarization of Southern Cameroons on the eve of the new school year and the suspension of the Internet for a period of three months as “a discriminatory sanction” that has ruined several businesses in these regions.

The Honourable member noted that despite his parliamentary immunity, an arrest warrant had been issued against him. “All this to silence the injustice suffered by the marginalised people of the Northwest and Southwest regions,” the MP said.

Joseph Wirba called on the international community and the United Nations to put pressure on the Cameroonian government to engage in dialogue with the leaders of the Anglophone uprising. The MP further pointed out that he would like to see federalism on the agenda in this dialogue as ruled in Foumban in 1961.

By Sama Ernest
Cameroon Concord News