18, December 2018
Southern Cameroons Crisis: Playing into the enemy’s hands 0
We are completely at a loss for words. We have been trying to wrap our minds around what is happening in Cameroon, but we are yet to achieve that goal. Success in this area seems to be a distant tomorrow affair. Things are gradually spiraling out of control from both ends.
In Yaoundé, the government is losing its grip on power. Scandals are destroying the crime syndicate that has ruled the country for 36 years. CAF’s withdrawal of the right to host the 2019 African Nations Cup has opened a can of worms that might sweep an entire government out of power.
The country’s ministers are accusing each other for the collapse of the plan put in place to hoodwink the world into believing that things are working out well in Cameroon. The population is devastated while the government is trying to put on a brave face.
It never rains, but it pours. After CAF, there was more embarrassment for the criminal enterprise made in the mold of the Sicilian Mafia. The World Bank recently released a report indicting the country’s government of corruption, overspending and misappropriation of funds.
This has left many government officials scrambling for solutions, as the country’s president, Paul Biya, also known as the “monarch” keeps an ominous silence which is destroying many of his ministers who fear they could be arrested anytime or kicked out of government.
The regime has never been this weak. Those who have been propping the government are gradually showing signs of fatigue. Years of lying and defrauding the state are clearly taking a toll on the health of these key actors.
The economy is crumbling; the population has lost hope in the country. The government’s mismanagement of the country and its determination to hang on to power despite losing many elections has pushed the population into the worst form of despair.
This situation has been made all the more desperate by tribalism and nepotism which have become the government’s tools of administration par excellence. Tribalism that had very little space in Cameroon’s politics under the country’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo has become a key component of the country’s politics.
In Cameroon, power belongs to a few, most of whom are from a particular ethnic group. For those who belong to the criminal enterprise known as the CPDM government and are not from the ethnic group that is calling the shots in Cameroon, there is the belief that if they hang on to what they have, they could change the destiny of their children.
To most of them, they just want to feather their nests and they know things could fall apart anytime soon. They are therefore doing everything they can to pick up any dimes and pennies they meet in their path. The impunity that has characterized the current regime is driving many government officials to ridiculous extents.
It is rumored that the Secretary-General at the presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, who was in charge of the 2019 AfCON development projects is gradually coming to terms with the fact that he could be arrested anytime. His crime is known by all in Cameroon.
He established many fictitious companies to which he granted many major projects for the 2019 AfCON on mutual agreement and many of those projects have not taken off the ground and the “monarch” is now aware of the pranks his collaborators have been playing on him.
The World Bank report which clearly states that projects in Cameroon cost six times more than similar projects in Cote d’Ivoire and other countries comes at a time when the government is struggling for answers to the many questions Cameroonians have been asking about the government’s ability to build proper infrastructure for the country.
The truth is out and this has significantly diminished the government and many people around the world have been thinking that with such a huge setback, the government could be easily led to the negotiating table where it would cut a deal with Southern Cameroonian separatists.
But for many weeks now, Southern Cameroonian separatists have become their own enemies. They have decided to poison themselves. The devil has moved into their midst and has taken control of everything. Common sense has taken French leave and things are falling apart. The fighters have been shooting themselves in the foot for some time now and this is weakening their resolve to deliver good punches to the government and where it hurts the most.
Over the last two weeks, most of the rebel groups have focused on eliminating each other, giving the enemy the respite and time to plan on how to put the rebellion out of business. This is bad news for the ordinary people who have been living in the jungles Southern Cameroons for more than a year where they are expecting to hear victory songs for an independent Southern Cameroons.
Hundreds of Southern Cameroonian fighters have had to bite the dust in recent days because of the chaos and disunity that have gradually replaced the unity and discipline that have been their hallmarks for a long time.
Some Southern Cameroonians have already been bought over by the government and they are working with government troops to betray the cause. Things are really going down the hill for the rebellion, especially as key leaders in the Diaspora cannot even come together to establish a common ground.
They seem to be drunk with the little influence they have and this is causing them to lose sight of the overall objective of the struggle. Even members of the international community who had thought Southern Cameroonians were making some inroads are gradually throwing up their hands in despair as government troops continue to slaughter Southern Cameroonian fighters in many parts of the two English-speaking regions.
The knife has finally decided to turn inwards. Instead of facing their common enemy, Southern Cameroonian fighters have decided to play into the enemy’s hands, and this is costing so many youthful lives. Many donors are already withdrawing their support and this could herald the demise of a rebellion that had every chance of succeeding. Losing the unity of purpose that has characterized the struggle is really bad news for many Southern Cameroonians.
What is more disturbing is the apple of discord. Southern Cameroonian fighters and their leaders are still very far from Buea, but they seem to have lost their focus. They are failing to keep their eye on the ball. They must know that the enemy is clearly somewhere else. The enemy is not their fellow fighter. They must simply agree that there will be differences of opinion, especially regarding strategy, but that should not be reason enough to start a new war and split the group.
They need to remind themselves of the original objective. The people on Ground Zero have taken the brunt of the government’s massive and merciless attack for two years and this will not be a good way to reward them for their bravery and loyalty.
The people could not have been exposed to this disaster just for the leaders to start squabbling over little issues that can easily be addressed through negotiations. Disagreement is as old as man, but leaders must always recognize such cracks on the wall early enough and take actions that will keep the team together.
These leaders should have looked into the mirror of history to find examples that could guide them to success. The African National Congress (ANC) has a template that deserves some attention.
While fighting Apartheid, the ANC had to work with other groups in order to achieve the cardinal objective. Southern Cameroonian leaders must cast off their egos if they really think about the people on Ground Zero who have religiously listened to them and continue to look up to them for salvation.
Why are these leaders fighting? Are they fighting for popularity? Are they already seeing positions when many of us are still seeing hardship and desperate days ahead? Why are they going after reputation when from the onset it was the sorry plight of the people that constituted the basis for this struggle? These leaders should understand that reputation comes without merit and goes without deserving. They should read their history books in order not to lose their focus.
They should remember that Oliver Tambo, the man who engineered the victory against Apartheid, never lived to see an independent South Africa. But Mandela, the man who incarnated the struggle, made sure his name was etched on the stones of history.
While accepting the presidency in 1994 in South Africa, Mandela openly acknowledged that the presidency was clearly that of Oliver Thambo, the small but smart man, who went into exile just to ensure his people were free from the grip of Apartheid.
It was on the basis of his selflessness that Mandela renamed the Johannesburg International Airport as the Oliver Thambo International Airport. Oliver never lived to see his people free, but his name is permanently on their lips and they are genuinely grateful for his role in the unseating of Apartheid.
Southern Cameroonian leaders need to know that the enemy is strong and he is rejoicing when he hears that the knife has turned inwards. They must stop playing into the hands of the enemy. Killing each other is no good news to the people on Ground Zero who have nowhere to turn to.
Yielding to the temptations of popularity and recognition is like herding Southern Cameroonians to an abattoir. They will never be forgiven if they betray their people. Only a globally recognized inclusive dialogue should herald the end of this rebellion on which a lot rides. Stop playing into the hands of the enemy!
A Cameroon Concord News Group Production
19, December 2018
A Call for Solidarity: Letter To Ambazonians from the wives of detained leaders 0
Fellow Southern Cameroonians,
On behalf of all the mothers, sisters, daughters and wives of this revolution, accept greetings from the spouses of your abducted and detained leaders. We appreciate you for the daily struggles you go through to sustain your various families, the people of Southern Cameroons and this revolution. Our condolences to all the families who have loss love ones in this struggle. Last year was a year of extraordinary transformation. The people of Southern Cameroons around the world stepped forward to determine their own destinies on October 1, 2017 with the symbolic restoration proclamation of our independence. Fifty Seven (57) years of untold suffering, subjugation, marginalization, arbitrary arrests and detentions, killings and disrespect has driven our people to the precipice, but through the resilience of our lawyers and teachers, our people were given renewed hope for a better future.
We want to salute the collective contributions of all the leaders of this Southern Cameroons reawakening who ignited this revival in 2016: the leaders of the Consortium, Barrister Agbor Balla, Deacon Tassang Wilfred, Dr. Fontem Neba, Barrister Eyambe Elias, Barrister Shufai Blaise and Barrister Bobga Harmony. We salute Ntumfoyn Boh Herbert of MORISC and Mr. Milan Atam of SCACUF who rekindled the consciousness of the diaspora. We salute the leaders of the SCNC, AGC, Ambazonia and SCYL, Dr. Nfor Ngalla Nfor, Dr. Ayaba Cho Lucas, Fon Gorji Dinka and Dr. Ebenezer Akwanga respectively, who have been in the trenches of this struggle for decades. We want to salute the leaders of the Interim Government headed by Sisiku Julius Ayuktabe and now Dr Ikome Sako for globalizing the Southern Cameroons consciousness. To the Southern Cameroons Women and our Takumbengs, our hearts go to you as mothers of this revolution. To all our news outlets, from SCBC, Cameroon Concord News Group, Bareta News, National Telegraph and to all our social media activists, we salute you. The strides made last year gave our people a false impression that a revolution of this magnitude was like a walk in the park and Buea was next door. Unfortunately, no revolution has ever been a walk in the park and this one will not be an exception. We must prepare our minds that we might be in this tussle for a while, but we must know that for the struggle to succeed we should remain steadfast and learn to lean on each other.
2018 has brutally reminded us of the nemesis of every revolution: the enemy’s determination to decapitate the leadership of the revolution by inserting their agents within the revolution to implement counter revolutionary measures. Their strategy is to destabilize the revolution and sow seeds of discord amongst us. Their aim is to divide and conquer. This has come to life with the plotted abduction of the leadership of the Interim Government and the infiltration of agents amongst our ranks both in the Diaspora and on ground zero. This has resulted in unnecessary confusion, conflict, distrust, animosity and discouragement. Our present predicament is like the pain of childbirth; no matter the extent of the labor pains, no matter the urge to give up pushing, no matter the insults or provocation from the nurses, you never give up because your goal is to hear the first cry of your child. We shall hear that cry and our joy will return if only we work together for our common goal.
We know that many feel frustrated by the seeming lack of progress, but we should also agree that there is no shortcut to end a dispute that has endured for almost 6 decades. Yes, it has been over a year of needless squabbling, but now, we stand at the crossroads of history with the chance to collaboratively and collectively move decisively in the direction of actualizing our independence, especially with the level of international awareness that we have created. To do so we must return to the wisdom of our forebearers, who despite their political differences placed the patriotic interest of the state above individual interest. That was what made them in the 1950s to collectively leave the Enugu House of Assembly and practice a nascent democracy. The truth is that each of our revolutionary movements have legitimate aspirations and this is what makes the resolution of our differences so hard. Despite these differences in ideology, we can work together for our common goal – the fight for the independence of our people. This deadlock will only be broken when each group learns to stand in each other’s shoes.
Our leaders must act like facilitators for peace, not instigators of confusion, disinformation, disorganization and hate. Our hope and dying desire as mothers and spouses is to see the quick resolution of this dispute and end the killings, pain and suffering of our people of Southern Cameroons. We the women are aware of the present quandary within the struggle and we intend to begin the confidence-building process that will lead to ultimate reconciliation and resolution of our internal differences.
We may not have all agreed with the processes that led to the creation of the Interim Government, but we can all agree that the regime in Yaoundé was threatened by the formation of the Interim Government in exile. This prompted them to sponsor the abduction of some of our leaders and their subsequent incarceration in the dungeons of the Republic of Cameroun. Their abduction and incarceration further exposed some of the complexities in a struggle such as ours: needless infighting, alienation of committed activists, sabotage, grandstanding and unnecessary distraction in our various social media platforms.
Some among us have taken pleasure in attacking Dr. Agbor Balla, Dr. Cho Ayaba, Dr. Ebenezer Akwanga, Boh Herbert, Milan Atam, Chris Anu and AP Dr. Samuel Sako and have labelled them as scammers, blacklegs, saboteurs, embezzlers and corrupt. It appears we have forgotten the 57 years of subjugation and the carnage that has been meted upon our people by the regime in Yaounde. It appears we have forgotten about our detained compatriots and leaders in the dungeons of Cameroun. It appears we have forgotten the roasting of Mami Appia in her home and the burning down of about 124 of our villages. It appears we have forgotten that about 400,000 of our people are IDPs and almost 120,000 are in refugee camps in Nigeria, languishing in poverty.
In view of the foregoing, we want to appeal to all the women of Ambazonia to join us in the search for peace. Some of our women have been sticking their necks out, advocating for the helpless people of Southern Cameroons. We are appealing to you as mothers, spouses, daughters, sisters and aunties of this revolution: if you have ever felt the pain of childbirth; if you have ever felt the pain of losing a child; if you have ever felt the desperation of praying to God for a child; if you have ever felt the embarrassment of having your period without any hygienic pads and if you have ever felt helpless being raped or listened to the story of an innocent child who has been raped, then imagine what some of our mothers, sisters, daughters and aunties are going through at home and some in the forests, exposed to all the dangers therein. Imagine what our people are going through in squalid living conditions in refugee camps in Nigeria. Imagine the torrid smell of decomposing bodies in our villages and towns of North West and South West Provinces. The live of every child born of a woman matters.
We want to appeal to us all to collectively say “Time Out” to the unnecessary personal attacks on our frontline leaders and ourselves and focus on our common goal. No matter anyone’s shortcomings and no matter how flawed any leader’s processes are, they pale in comparison to what the military is doing to our people. They pale in comparison to the killings, the rapes, the burning down of villages and the abusive exploitation of our natural resources by the regime in Yaoundé. Our appeal is that we should redirect our anger and frustration with laser focus on the adversary and not on any disagreements among ourselves. We wish to caution our leaders to collectively reign on their surrogates to stop the peddling of smear and hate within the struggle. Any leader who cannot publicly call for an end to this reprehensible behavior on social media platforms is therefore not fit to lead. The desire of our people is to see the end of infighting and rivalries. Our appeal is for you to join us to continue the process of reconciling our differences as we close this painful year and enter a very decisive 2019.
January 5, 2019 will be one year since some of the leaders of this revolution were abducted and incarcerated. Their abduction has taken a significant toll on this revolution. We are therefore appealing and calling for a 1,000,000-woman match on Washington DC on January 5, 2019, to commemorate this day and to call for the unconditional release of our abducted leaders and all other Southern Cameroonians.
We wish to shine attention on the plight of our people and leaders and communion with the other leaders for the revival of this struggle for the sake of our people.
We must lean on each other and learn to appreciate the roles each group and the Interim Government are playing. They are interdependent on one another and we can only win collectively through unity and collaboration. We will be reaching out to the Interim Government and all the frontline groups of this revolution for proper notification and planning.
“Save The Date” #Southerncameroonslivesmatter
Accept season’s greetings. From the wives of our detained leaders: