Cameroon

27, October 2019

Buea: Controversial mayor dies ⁰

Patrick Ekema, the controversial CPDM mayor of Buea, who climbed out of hardscrabble poverty to the Fako County’s highest office only to spend most of his last years killing his own people and making a mockery of Anglo-Saxon values at the University of Buea died Sunday, the 27^th of October.

The city and the Francophone regime in Yaoundé have both not commented on the man described as an academic fraud and an intellectual gate crasher. The mayor reportedly died in a Buea hospital surrounded by family.

Cameroon Concord News Group had predicted that Ekema was going to die in 2020. Patrick Ekema had dozens of criminal charges ranging from bribery, fraud to criminal conspiracy after a corruption probe at the admission board of the University of Buea.

He received more than 500 million FCFA from the Biya regime to help sponsor armed militias in Buea and Muea and was described as a man full of contradictions.

Ekema’s sudden disappearance has provided Ambazonians with the momentum to buy freedom bonds launched recently by Vice President Dabney Yerima.

By Rita Akana

27, October 2019

French Cameroun Military Frees Hostages, Kills Captors ⁰

Camerooon’s military freed a group of people this week who had been taken hostage by rebels from the Central African Republic.

The rebels took 22 locals hostage two weeks ago and held them for ransom. But the military’s raid Thursday night on Garoua Boulai freed 13 Central Africans and Cameroonians.

Residents in the Cameroon villages of Mbaimbum, Tchabal and Bigao were still discussing the raid days later.

Cattle rancher Muhamady Issa was one of those abducted. He said the kidnappers had killed some of the hostages.

Issa said that while in captivity in the mountains on the border with CAR, he decided to escape to the surrounding bushes and hills instead of being slaughtered, as had happened to seven fellow captives within 10 days.

Issa fled and was found in the hills by the Cameroon military. At least two of the people kidnapped were still missing.

Five kidnappers killed

Cameroonian army Colonel Dominique Njonkan, commander of the troops who carried out the raid, said his men killed five of the abductors. He said that with the public’s help, the army was trying to determine which armed gang the men belonged to.

“The results are satisfactory and the population is collaborating more and more,” Njonkan said. “They must have confidence, make sure that they go ahead with their activities without fear, to make sure that economic activities are revamped to the maximum.”

Cameroon shares a boundary of over 1,000 kilometers with CAR. Since conflicts in the neighboring state erupted in 2013, many armed gangs have established bases in eastern Cameroon.

Members of the Cameroon military display weapons seized from hostage-takers, in Mbaimbum, Cameroon, Oct. 25, 2019. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA) — Members of the Cameroon military display weapons seized from hostage-takers

Cameroon deployed its elite corps, the Rapid Intervention Batallion, to fight the rebels.

George Kombo, spokesman for youths of Kadei district on the border, said that despite the heavy presence of troops, armed gangs continued to attack them regularly.

He said hardly a week goes by in the Kadei district without armed groups crossing over from CAR to steal, kill or capture people for ransom. He said the last incident occurred Thursday when an armed gang killed six people in the border village of Bombe, which is also home to hundreds of CAR refugees.

The government and local authorities have not confirmed the attacks, but they say the military presence has been increased in villages in the Kadei district.

1 million-plus displaced

Violence erupted in CAR in 2013 after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown by a predominantly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka. The conflict has displaced more than 1 million people, according to the U.N.

This week, close to 400 CAR refugees in Cameroon agreed to voluntarily repatriate. But the vast majority of the 274,000 refugees are reluctant to go home because of continuing violence.

Source: VOA

27, October 2019

Nigeria committed to ensuring welfare of Southern Cameroons refugees’ ⁰

How has it been since the refugee camps started?
By October 2017 when this crisis between the Southern Cameroon people and the government of Cameroon started, they got to Nigeria and by our being part of the signatory to the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Convention on Refugees, we are not supposed to send any refugees back because of the non-referral policy. So, since that time, we have accommodated them.

We went to the host communities to interface with them; we spoke to the people that the refugees were vulnerable and that they came here out of need. We asked that they should be allowed to be there. SEMA, at the instance of the government of Cross River State, led by Senator Ben Ayade, provided settlements and camps for the refugees. And since then, they have been here.

In mass care of this nature, which we call camp coordination and camp management, we have nine sectors, but they have been fused into about six. These bother on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) protection; health and education, which fundamentally are their rights, and issues of sustainable livelihood for the refugees.

Initially, when they started, they were given food and non-food items directly. At some point, however, it became necessary to convert the supplies to money. So, as we speak, each Cameroonian or each refugee earns about N7, 200 based on the standard in the food basket. So, if you are five in number, it means you are earning N7, 200 times five in each household (amounting to N36, 000). When you contrast this with what obtains in Nigeria where N18, 000 is what an average household of five takes as minimum wage, you should know the worth of our effort.

The government of Cross River State, by extension the Nigerian government, has taken the Cameroonians and given them refuge. In different ways, they have been united with the host communities. Presently, the refugees are paying almost nothing to have their wards in school up to secondary school, courtesy of the Cross River State government. A primary school pupil pays a stipend of about N1, 000, while a secondary school student pays about N2, 000 because of their vulnerable situation.

The state has also given them settlement areas. There are five of such with two already working – that is Adagom and Okende. There are about 11, 000 inhabitants in Adagom and 4, 000 in Okende, making a total of about 15, 000 refugees that are in the settlements. Given that the settlements were made for less than the population we currently have, the state government, through the Director General, SEMA, have been able to secure a place in Adagom that is a bigger than the current settlement. This is in addition to new ones in Uyia and Oban that would also accommodate refugees.

Regarding the health situation in camp, the refugees have been integrated to state health facilities. Apart from that money paid to them, the health facility and education is free. They also have the right to interface with the communities in terms of livelihood. So, they can go to work and earn a living as Nigerians. There is a policy that ensures that the refugees will not be cheated or undermined. We have a mechanism that takes care of all the fundamental human right of settlers.

How many houses do you have?
We have up to 41 communities and each community has not less than 18 households or houses. In Okende, we have about 15 settlements (houses). We have about 15, 000 refugees here.

And how many refugees do you have in the state?
We have about 45, 000 in the country and Cross River state has more than 60 per cent of those refugees, about 28, 000 or more. Those are the ones that are biometrically registered. But those in the host communities who have not been registered are more. So, as we manage them here, we still go to the host communities where they are. They are in about eight or nine local government areas of Cross River State. They are in Boki, Obanliku, Etung, Akampka, Calabar South and Calabar Municipality, Ogoja and Odukpani.

Do you think their population could overwhelm the state and the Nigeria government in terms of resources?
Human wants are insatiable and in any economy, you have limited resources. The resources have been over-stretched, no doubt. But we have accommodation and we have a way of containing the people even though facilities are over-stretched.

Issues of poor health facilities, poor education standard and discrimination against the refugees have been raised. What is your take on this?
I wouldn’t agree with that. We signed the referral policy of being part of the AU and UN convention that allows for refugees to be part of us. We did that with the knowledge of the entirety of what it contains in terms of their rights and whatever is enshrined in the convention.

For instance, the schools in the host community are the same schools children of the Cameroonians attend. It is the same situation with health. A human being is a human being irrespective of where you come from. So, when you go to a doctor, he will not ask you whether you are a refugee or not. All the doctor knows is that somebody is sick and needs to be attended to.

It is said that since the camp started, over 80 persons have died because of alleged poor health issues and nutrition?
That is not exactly correct. However, they do have the attitude of not going to the hospital or health facility because of their belief in herbs. Some of them only surrender to the medics when their health situation has got to the critical stage. But we are doing a lot of sensitisations in conjunction with SEMA.

Prostitution is alleged to be very high in the camp due to lack of jobs?
Prostitution is not as a result of vulnerability. It is your act or your person. If you want to be promiscuous, you will be promiscuous. There are people in the settlements that are not promiscuous. We have some of them here who are heading organisations in three countries. There are two of them, for instance, that are here; they got jobs and are working and interacting in Ghana and Sierra Leone.

So, if you have come and you want to work, you will work. If you go through Ogoja, most of them are working in different areas. If you don’t have the attitude to work and you want everything to come to you, it is alright. But on the whole, in this intervention, one of the sectors is livelihood and professionals are the ones handling it. The ones willing, who are serious, are getting jobs. As we speak, we are trying to de-emphasis the issue of giving fish to them but to teach them how to fish, which is what they call durable and sustainable solution.

What are the major challenges that you face taking care of the refugees?
Resources are scarce generally. We need more resources, and more hands on deck. Multinational agencies and others should come to our aid and collaborate with UNCHR, the government of Cross River State and by extension, Nigeria. Again, when people come from another area with cultural differences, there would always be issues of variations. But we are trying to manage them to see how we can co-exist.

Source: The Guardian

27, October 2019

Mimi Mefo says prejudice against Africans may have had role in Australian visa refusal ⁰

A Cameroonian journalist who was denied a visa for Australia because the government believed she might not leave has questioned if they made assumptions about her because she is African.

Mimi Mefo, an award-winning journalist who is currently based in Berlin and working for Deutsche Welle, was booked to appear at the Integrity 20 conference in Brisbane on Friday.

Mefo was due to speak about press freedom and her experiences reporting on the Cameroon conflict, in a speech entitled “Without fear or favour”.

However, applications for a visa were refused because Australian immigration authorities “were not satisfied that the applicant’s employment and financial situation provide an incentive to return following [her] stay in Australia or to abide by the conditions to which the visa would be subject”.

Mefo dismissed suggestions she would seek asylum in Australia, noting she had a two-year contract and a home in Berlin, and was booked to fly on from Brisbane to speak at another conference in South Africa, alongside Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph E Stiglitz.

“I’ve been to so many countries in the world where I could seek asylum,” told Guardian Australia. “There is no way I would come and be in Australia when I have a job in Germany.

“I think they took that position based on stereotyped assumptions on Africans and that is totally wrong.”

Mefo’s case has prompted widespread criticism of the Australian government, which has made international headlines over its encroachments on the press, including raids on journalists’ homes and offices.

The visa refusal occurred in the same week that Australian media launched a coordinated campaign for press freedom.

“Australia seems to be a country struggling in that direction and they might have thought we would bring some of these issues into the limelight,” Mefo said. “They possibly saw the invitation [to Integrity 20] and saw that it was on press freedom and was organised by a prestigious university in Australia.”

Mefo was rejected twice for her visa to Australia. Not long after her first application was rejected – for the same reason – her contract at Deutsche Welle and her visa for Germany were extended.

“So we appealed with the help of an immigration expert in Australia,” she said. “We knew we had everything right this time. But it was denied again with the same words [and] very strong terms: we are not considering this visa application anymore.

“I knew this time around it was way beyond my visa status, because there is no way I’d disappoint hundreds of people in South Africa to stay in Australia, and give up my job, after Deutsche Welle has gone out of its way… to make sure I’m really comfortable in Germany.

“I don’t know what they think I would do in Australia.”

Last year Mefo was briefly jailed in Cameroon for her reporting but she said Australian authorities did not question her about that.

“I was arrested not because I committed a crime but because I reported that soldiers in Cameroon killed an American missionary,” she said. “After four days, when the government couldn’t bear the international pressure, I was released and the charges were dropped.

“I don’t have a problem with the Cameroon government. That’s not even why I left Cameroon. I left because I was given the fellowship program with Pen in London.”

The Australian government said it did not comment on individual cases.

Source: The Guardian

26, October 2019

Douala: Over 200 rescued on sinking vessel ⁰

The Cameroon marine authority said Friday it has rescued over 200 passengers from their capsizing vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.

The rescued passengers mainly of African nationalities were rescued and brought at Cameroon air force base in Douala, Cameroon’s commercial capital.

Cameroon marine was still investigating what caused the vessel to capsize but passengers told reporters it likely ran out of fuel at sea in Cameroon territorial waters and was rescued after several hours by the marine and fishermen.

Witnesses said some passengers dove into the sea in an attempt to swim to safety and were rescued by local fishermen.

No deaths were reported but marine officials said they were still searching for “any missing passengers”.

Women and babies were among the rescued passengers on board the vessel that was heading to neighbouring Gabon according to Marine officials.

Source: Xinhuanet

24, October 2019

Mexico-Ambazonia Palaver: 2 Southern Cameroonians drowned off the Coast of Chiapas ⁰

Last week as Mexico’s national guard continues to block migration into their country, at least two people from Southern Cameroons drowned off the coast of Puerto Arista in Chiapas, Mexico.

The dead bodies washed up to shore after a small boat capsized on Oct. 11 that left two dead and two others missing.

The rest of the migrants (six men and one woman) were rescued, AZcentral.com reports. All migrants were from “a country that has seen a growing exodus of refugees amid an increasingly violent conflict between its French- and English-speaking communities.

24, October 2019

Yaounde begins repatriation of 4,000 CAR refugees ⁰

Some 4,000 Central African Republic (CAR), refugees in Cameroon on Wednesday began returning home in voluntary repatriation organised by Cameroon, CAR and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

According to Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, five hundred refugees signed up in the first phase of the programme, and the rest would return home by the end of 2019.

The refugees expressed hope they would find peace in their country after several years of atrocities that made them escape.

This repatriation followed a June tripartite agreement signed by Cameroon, CAR, and UNHCR for safe and dignified repatriation of 285,000 CAR refugees to their home country.

According to UNHCR, as of late September, about 290,000 CAR refugees live in Cameroon, representing about half of the total number of CAR refugees in neighbouring countries.CAR had been devastated by violence since 2013, when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted then-President Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias.

Source: Pmnews

23, October 2019

Ambazonia: Interim Gov’t Security Chief in Bamenda ⁰

Southern Cameroons Security Chief reportedly travelled incognito to Bamenda, the chief city in the Northern Zone days before the attack on Governor Lele Afrique and his convoy of invading French Cameroun soldiers.

Vice President Dabney Yerima has been quoted as saying that the Interim Government (IG) consented to the unannounced visit by the Security Chief to Ekok, Mamfe, Bali and Bamenda and is expected to provide a proper situation report on the happenings in Ground Zero this Friday.

More than 34 Ambazonia Restoration Forces attacked a convoy of cars that was transporting the Francophone governor. Yaoundé has ordered another massive deployment hoping to get the deteriorating situation under control.

Speaking in Manchester recently, Comrade Dabney Yerima said he plans to hold talks with other Southern Cameroons groups regarding the state of the revolution and to encourage other front line leaders to sign into the Amba Bonds Project.

We also gathered from IG sources that the new approach developed by the Department for Homeland Security will not allow any French Cameroun soldier to stay on Southern Cameroons soil.

By Sama Ernest in Bamenda

22, October 2019

Battle for Ambazonia: French Cameroun To Buy Russia’s Panstir-S1 Anti-Aircraft System ⁰

Cameroon is eyeing a Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system purchase from Russia, said Mahamat Paba Sale, Ambassador of the African Republic, on Tuesday.

“We are hoping to sign a contract. We are interested, and I believe this will be done. Russian equipment are of very high quality,” the diplomat said, during an interview with RIA Novosti.

The Central African nation also wants to buy armored personnel carriers and military transport and combat helicopters from Russia, he said.

The Pantsir-S1 is a self-propelled air defense system designed to provide protection from small military, administrative and industrial facilities from all means of air attack in an adverse radio-electronic situation. Its missiles and artillery shells can hit all types of manned aircraft and drones.

Source: Defenseworld.net

22, October 2019

Cameroon: Vigilance committees’ dilemma in the fight against Boko Haram ⁰

Boko Haram is attacking Cameroon’s Far North Region almost daily – especially the country’s vigilance committees and defence and security forces. On 7 October the group killed a man and a woman and kidnapped four members of the local vigilance committee in Kerawa (see Figure 1).

Civilian-led vigilance committees are informally structured groups made up of community-based volunteers. They emerged in areas affected by Boko Haram, especially in the Far North and North Regions of Cameroon. They vary in size and composition from one village to another. Their main function is to monitor people’s entry and exit into and from their villages, and to inform the authorities about suspicious activities.

Being community members themselves allows vigilance committees to play a critical early warning role – in collaboration with administrative authorities and security forces – to prevent violent extremist attacks. Though seemingly benign, the existence, structure and functioning of the committees inevitably creates new power dynamics within communities. They also serve as a buffer against Boko Haram’s recruitment of new members from the communities they attack.

Security forces work with these committees and traditional authorities on strategies to prevent and combat violent extremism. This role however also makes them vulnerable to targeted attacks by Boko Haram.

Pushed back by the Multinational Joint Task Force’s (MNJTF) counter offensives launched on 21 February along the Komadougou River and on the islands of Lake Chad, Boko Haram is looking for new territories. In response to increased military efforts, the extremist group has resorted to using the cover of darkness to attack villages. They massacre, kidnap, loot, burn houses, shops and granaries, steal cattle and lay landmines.

Most of these assaults target vigilance committees, their communities and traditional authorities. The attacks are meant to discourage these community groups’ collaboration with the security forces, and to deny the military its community-based battlefield advantage.

Vigilance committees are not a long-term security substitute in Cameroon’s border villages

However not all members of vigilance committees are as committed to Cameroon’s stability, and some are suspected of collaborating with Boko Haram. In a deadly attack on 10 June on a security outpost on Darak, a Cameroonian island in Lake Chad, Boko Haram reportedly had the help of locals who worked with scouts sent by the extremist group beforehand. The attack resulted in 37 fatalities – 21 military and 16 civilian – and caused serious material damage.

The attack on Darak could be seen as an attempt by Boko Haram to conquer new territory and gain control over commercial routes between the Logone and Chari Division of Cameroon and the Hadjer-Lamis Province of Chad (see Figure 2 below). Control of these routes would help them generate income through agriculture, pisciculture, cattle rearing, cross-border trade and collecting taxes from civilians.

Some vigilance committee members allegedly provide operational and economic support to Boko Haram. They reportedly give information on army positions and personnel, food reserves, shops and cattle to be looted, or abet the entry of Boko Haram members into Cameroonian territory in exchange for money.

They are also accused of providing cover for the sale of goods and livestock stolen during attacks, bolstering Boko Haram’s economic resilience. Some committee members are former cattle rustlers and highway robbers, which could explain why they are not entirely trusted.

The vigilance committees are thus caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, communities have grown hostile and distrustful towards them, and on the other hand, they are persecuted by Boko Haram through kidnappings and executions.

Resolving the situation is important because of the key role the committees play in the fight against Boko Haram. They alert the defence forces to threats and limit the access of people associated with Boko Haram into their territories, due to their knowledge of the environment.

Cameroon’s government has shown its appreciation of the committees’ efforts and provided them with logistical support. Some committees have also been restructured to maintain the trust of their communities and make them adaptable to the changing threat environment. However this hasn’t protected them from targeted attacks by Boko Haram, let alone from public suspicions of collusion with the extremist group.

There are several ways to make vigilance committees more effective. Committee members need to be trained in their responsibilities, accountability, human rights and due process. Campaigns aimed at making communities aware of the role of their vigilance committees should be a priority. A coherent government policy is also needed to enhance the protection of civilians.

Policies and awareness campaigns clarify the rules that govern roles and responsibilities. This provides some degree of certainty and predictability for all social actors concerned. Without them, it is difficult for communities to continue collaborating with the committees.

Some vigilance committee members allegedly provide operational and economic support to Boko Haram

Vigilance committees should also be provided with both operational training and material support (torches, safety shoes, raincoats, etc.) to enable them to fulfil their role as informal community-based security actors.

Vigilance committees are not a long-term security substitute in Cameroon’s border villages. But with the spate of Boko Haram attacks in the region, they are an important source of information and early warning. Without them, communities would not be safe. But while relying on vigilance committees is necessary in the short term, it isn’t enough for the foreseeable future.

The government’s civil protection capabilities – a combination of police, judicial and administrative figures – need to be improved to properly manage the country’s border regions. This must be accompanied by the gradual demobilisation of vigilance committees in the areas under effective state control.

Source: Reliefweb