Two former aides to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have signed on to represent Cameroon’s government in Washington despite recent allegations of serious human rights abuses by the government. David Polyansky, Cruz’s former chief of staff; Catherine Frazier, another former Cruz aide; and Jimmy Soni, a former Huffington Post managing editor who later worked for former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, will advise Cameroon’s government on public relations. They’ll promote a “positive and favorable image” of Cameroon’s government through digital ads and “by placing targeted op eds in conservative-oriented outlets in order to foster a robust and growing partnership narrative into the future,” according to a contract filed with the Justice Department.

Cameroon has found itself saddled with a less-than-positive-and-favorable image in recent months. The Trump administration has stopped providing as much military aid to Cameroon’s government because of what Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of United States Africa Command, described in congressional testimony in February as the “alleged atrocities” it had committed. Mausi Segun, Human Rights Watch’s executive director for Africa, wrote last month that Cameroon’s government had responded to separatist threats by “burning hundreds of homes, killing civilians, and detaining and torturing alleged separatists in a gendarme-run prison in the capital, Yaoundé.”

 There’s a long history, of course, of Washington lobbyists and public relations hands representing governments accused of committing atrocities, dating back to Paul Manafort’s work for Ferdinand Marcos, the infamous Filipino dictator. Polyansky, Frazier and Soni are representing Cameroon through Clout Public Affairs, a division of Axiom Strategies, a consulting firm run by Jeff Roe, who managed Cruz’s presidential campaign. Cameroon also retains Squire Patton Boggs to lobby on its behalf.

 Asked about the Cameroonian government’s human rights record, Clout defended its work. “Clout is pleased to be working with Cameroon to highlight the strong and developing relationship between our two countries,” the firm said in a statement. The firm noted that Cameroon had “been a longtime partner to U.S. military operations in Africa, and serves as a key ally in the United States’ effort to combat the radical Islamist group Boko Haram, which has for far too long victimized and ravaged innocent civilians in the region.” The contract is worth $55,000 a month.

Source: Politico.com

Article I:
I am an Ambazonian, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.[
Article II:
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
Article III:
I will not commit war crimes. I will treat any captive humanely. I will keep to the UN Conventions of Geneva.
Article IV:
If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
Article V:
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
Article VI:
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
Article VII:
I will never forget that I am an Ambazonian, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
OATH OF THE AMBAZONIAN SOLDIER

I, (name), do solemnly swear to bravely defend People of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia; and that I will obey the orders of the democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.
So help me God.”
LONG LIVE The Federal Republic of AMBAZONIA!

By Christoph Messner

They were forced to walk like “ducks in the mud” Traumatized and shocked by the ill-treatment

Detention of Maurice Kamto and some of his supporters reaches sixth month anniversary on Sunday

Authorities in Cameroon should promptly and independently investigate the severe beatings and ill-treatment that 59 opposition supporters -including six women- were allegedly subjected to during their questioning at the State Secretariat for Defense (SED), Amnesty International said today.

Before releasing them, security forces beat them with sticks and forced them into humiliating positions. Amnesty International also calls for the immediate release of their leader Maurice Kamto and more than 100 other supporters arbitrarily detained six months to the day solely for peaceful participation in protests.

“Like many other unofficial detention centres across Cameroon, the SED has a reputation for torturing detainees. These repressive and brutal tactics to silence dissent must end,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry, Amnesty International West and Central Africa Director.

“Judicial authorities must investigate the allegations that these 59 opposition members have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and take concrete measures to bring perpetrators to justice.”

The 59 opposition members were arrested on 1 June during a planned peaceful protest in the capital Yaoundé. Brought to the SED for questioning about the protest, they were tortured and arbitrarily detained by security forces, who also warned them against participating in another protest scheduled a week later.

Amnesty International interviewed several opposition members now released who were victims of torture or other ill-treatment. They detailed techniques including beatings and hard physical exercises, including against women.

A woman who was released on 3 June told the organization:

“When we arrived, gendarmes asked us to do physical exercises, knees and hips bent, arms out for balance…. They passed by and kicked my head and buttocks… Then ordered us to roll around the ground while continuing to kick with their shoes… we were moved up and down the stairs in the duck position. I was then asked to do push-ups with the men until I could not continue. So, I was again beaten with a belt.”

Another ex-detainee described the beating with wooden sticks, cables and batons:

“… We were taken to the SED where gendarmes were waiting for us. Each of them was armed with a wooden stick, a cable and a baton with which we were beaten in the ears and our bodies. They then forced us to walk like a duck in the mud. 53 men and six women were together, some crying, traumatized and shocked. After our release, I spent more than a week at the hospital as I had fractures, bruises and trauma.”

While some of his supporters were released, Maurice Kamto, arrested on 28 January 2019, is still behind bars six months later.

An 11 July 2019 military court decision said it has jurisdiction to judge them and confirmed charges of rebellion, hostility against the homeland, incitement to insurrection, offence against the president of the republic, and destruction of public buildings and goods against Maurice Kamto and 107 other people. The same decision dropped all charges against 61 other supporters and ordered their release. Under international law, military courts should not have jurisdiction over civilians.

In January, nearly 300 MRC supporters were arbitrarily arrested along with Kamto. Mass arrests also took place on 1 and 8 June. In Douala, where more than 200 protesters were arbitrarily arrested, 30 of them are currently in administrative custody waiting to appear before an ordinary court.

“By confirming these opposition members are to be tried before a military court, the Cameroonian authorities are failing to respect international law. Kamto and his supporters risk an unfair trial and the deeply disturbing possibility of facing the death penalty,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry.

“Maurice Kamto and all his supporters should have never been arrested in the first place. Authorities should immediately release them and drop all charges against them.”

Culled from Amnesty International

On Monday, the 22nd of July 2019, there were peaceful protests by Ambazonian Prisoners of Conscience held in Kondengui central prison, Yaoundé. Their reasons for demonstrating were; excessively overcrowding as their detention centre built for 1500 inmates now currently holds over 9000; unlawful detention without charge; no access to lawyers; living in inhuman conditions; no access to healthcare and routine torture.

 These peaceful demonstrations continued till late that night. Instead of sending in police officers, the Cameroun authorities sent their elite anti-terrorism unit. We were later informed by dependable sources and allowed video evidence showing live ammunitions and teargas canisters being used against defenceless, peaceful and caged protestors by the authorities in La Republique du Cameroun. 

 On Tuesday, the 23rd of July 2019, we witnessed yet another clampdown by the same regime on peaceful protestors in the prison in Buea, with the use of live ammunition and teargas.

 We are told that over eleven defenceless inmates were massacred, over 50 wounded, some with life threatening injuries. Over one hundred detainees have been ferried to unknown destinations for torture and perhaps massacre. Some prominent political leaders ferried away in blindfolds include Comrades Macho Bibixy, Penn Terence, Tsi Conrad, Ngalim Felix, Babila Vena. We find these events very disturbing, as they are nothing short of genocidal violence on a people guilty of nothing but the right to express their political views and uphold the origins of their constitution in an unholy union. 

 On behalf of the people of Ambazonia, and all people of goodwill the world over, The Interim Government of Ambazonia and her collaborators condemn this in the strongest terms.  We would use every tool in our armoury to take these incidents to the eyes, ears and minds of the international community.  1.  The facts of these two separate incidents confirm what was already the opinion of an overwhelming majority of Ambazonians when it comes to Cameroun’s disregard for the lives of our people, and thus the implications to the life and safety of our people everywhere in the world. In that sense what these incidents communicated to us is Cameroun’s unwavering commitment to violence as the sole medium of resolving this conflict and its determination to wipe Ambazonia (Southern Cameroons) as a nation and a people from the face of this earth.

After monitoring the situation in the Kondengui and Buea central prisons, The Interim Government of Ambazonia and its collaborators hereby make the following pronouncements:

 1. we call on the Cameroun authorities to make public immediately without delay the whereabouts of all the detainees that have been removed to unknown destinations;

 2. we call on the Cameroun authorities to release with immediate effect all Ambazonian political prisoners in their dungeons;

 3. we call on the Cameroun authorities to give immediate, unconditional access to all independent international media and human rights groups to be able to reach every detainee of their choice in any LRC detention facility, especially Kondengui, Yaoundé; and

4. we call for a Two Days Total Lockdown of the Republic of Ambazonia on Monday the 29th and Tuesday the 30th of July 2019. All business and social undertakings are required to adhere to this lockdown. We equally call for worldwide solidarity protests at the Embassies of Cameroon and/or France over the next few weeks. This is in solidarity with our heroes currently experiencing the worse acts if dehumanization in prisons and torture centres in La Republique du Cameroun.

 Fellow Ambazonians, this is a treacherous and difficult journey we have embarked on. No one can say with 100% certainty what the outcome will be. We have seen hundreds of our villages burnt to the ground, thousands of our men, women and children shot dead for no other reason than belonging to our community. Livelihoods destroyed from the burning of the bikes of bike-taxi riders to the destruction of corn farms in Bali. From the shooting dead of a 4-month-old baby to the burning alive of elderly grandparents, and everyone in between, our innocents have suffered. No one can say for sure how much more suffering we will be subjected to by this regime — how many more months of hardship, how many more people will be killed. We must continue forward and keep our eyes on the prize. The greatest danger of all is for us to give up at this point. The price of freedom is always high but we must remember that we tried peace at the expense of freedom and got 58 years of bone-chilling terror instead of real peace. We most definitely shall not accept a return to the status quo, nor accept anything less than total independence. This time, we want real freedom and real peace.

This declaration is one of our many peaceful steps intended to bring this gloomy state of affairs to a close. As a people, it has always been our intention to achieve our freedom and independence through peaceful means and we hope the regime in Yaoundé lives up to its international obligations.

 Short Live the Revolution

 Justice for Ambazonia Political Prisoners

 God Bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia

 Yours in Servant Leadership

 Dabney Yerima

Vice President  Federal Republic of Ambazonia

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Comrade Dabney Yerima has said that the continues  burning of Southern Cameroons homes by French Cameroun troops is a Biya regime’s policy to stifle the Southern Cameroons resistance and quest for independence.

The Ambazonia VP in a telephone conversation with our senior international correspondent, Chi Prudence Asong added that, “There are some Southern Cameroonians who are helping the French Cameroun regime to create problems deep inside Southern Cameroons to distract Ambazonians from the greatest danger posed by the occupying forces.”

Comrade Dabney Yerima assured Southern Cameroonians in Ground Zero that the international community has not turned a blind eye to their sufferings. The VP who is expected to decree a lockdown in support of Southern Cameroons detainees this weekend, further observed that the destruction of Southern Cameroons towns and villages by French Cameroun army soldiers is a policy that undermines the prospect for a just and lasting resolution of the three year-long conflict between British Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun.

The Ambazonia Communications Secretary, Hon. Milton Taka recently condemned the killings of innocent Southern Cameroons civilians in the Akwaya sub constituency in the Manyu County and French Cameroun military atrocities in Menchum and called on the international community to push the International Criminal Court (ICC) into opening an immediate investigation into the French Cameroun army actions in Southern Cameroons.

The US administration and the Swiss government have not only failed to stop the genocidal campaign going on in Southern Cameroons that have forced thousands to flee, but also failed to hold the Biya regime accountable for its crimes.

Vice President Dabney Yerima’s remarks came after he received images of the charred ruins of some 70 homes dot the streets of Alatchu village in Cameroon. The houses were razed by French Cameroun government troops after violent clashes with Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

By Asu Isong in London

The Cameroon government officially responded to the “digital” riot that rocked the main prison facility in the capital Yaounde on July 22. The protests also led to a fire incident in the Kondengui Maximum Security Prisons.

A Ministry of Communication release dated July 23, 2019, said a group of detainees of the Anglophone crisis were at the heart of the chaos which was live-streamed on Facebook.

According to the release the detainees were authorised to organise a meeting to discuss the prevailing situation in the restive North West and South West Regions, “but the move later became violent.”

The release signed by Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi, said no life was lost, that injuries were reported and no live bullets were used. Reports by rights groups however said there were injuries arising from heavy shooting at a point.

The government also confirmed a mass transfer of 77 inmates of the Kondengui Maximum prison to police and gendarmerie units in Yaounde for questioning.

Meanwhile the BBC Africa LIVE page is reporting that another government official who visited the facility was laying the blame at the doorstep of the main opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, who remains in jail over a treason charge.

Jean Claude Tilla, claimed supporters of Kamto’s party, Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM, were the key architects of the violence.

“We know that they are hiding behind the Anglophone problem to foment such trouble,” he told journalists.

Hundreds of pro-Kamto supporters are being held in the aftermath of disputed elections which incumbent Paul Biya won to secure a seventh term in office.

Kamto, a former Biya appointee, came a distant second in the vote but rejected the outcome, his poll petition was also thrown out by the Constitutional Court.

The Anglophone crisis in western Cameroon has snowballed into a call for independence by the English-speaking part of the country.

A government crackdown on protests against marginalization birthed a so-called independent Ambazonia republic, whose fighters continue to engage with state actors in the two regions.

Source: Africa News