Anglophone separatists have torched the home of Cameroon’s veteran opposition leader and kidnapped his sister, his lawyers said on Thursday.

The two incidents, which took place Wednesday, targeted Ni John Fru Ndi who heads the Social Democratic Front and comes from Cameroon’s troubled anglophone west.

Separatists “burnt (Fru Ndi’s) house” in the North-West, said lawyer Francis Sama, referring to one of Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions which have been hit by almost daily unrest that has left at least 400 dead this year.

“They kidnapped his younger sister,” he said at a hearing before the Constitutional Court, without giving further detail on either incident.

His remarks were made during a hearing at which three opposition candidates asked for the contested October 7 presidential election be annulled on grounds of massive fraud.

Fru Ndi has spent the past quarter of a century in opposition as head of SDF which he founded in 1990.

But although he ran for the presidency three times, Fru Ndi stood aside this time, letting his deputy Joshua Osih join the race against President Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years.

Although Fru Ndi has long opposed Biya’s rule, the separatists see him as a “traitor” because he is in favour of returning to a federalist solution in Cameroon, while they are fighting for the creation of an independent anglophone state, Sama said.

Yaounde is firmly opposed to any return to federalism.

– Cancel the vote –

Separatist activists had called for a boycott of the election, but SDF decided to run.

In a separate incident, the SDF said Fru Ndi’s driver had been shot at by the security forces after dropping the party leader home at the weekend. Without giving further details, they said he was “out of danger”.

The political crisis in the English-speaking west of this Francophone country erupted in 2016 and deteriorated into an armed separatist uprising last year which prompted a retaliatory crackdown by the security forces.

Following the election, SDF’s Osih asked the court to scrap the ballot because “there was no presidential election” in the English-speaking regions where voting was disrupted and turnout was below five percent, the ICG think tank said.

Two other opposition candidates also joined the petition — Maurice Kamto of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon and Cabral Libii, a TV news analyst and at 38, the election’s youngest candidate.

Libii’s request was dismissed as inadmissible, but the court has yet to respond to the other two petitions.

Source: AFP

Cameroon Concord News Group with the support of dozens of Roman Catholic clergies and Pentecostal Church leaders registered 4769 cases of serious human rights violations in Southern Cameroons as the ruling Biya regime relentlessly continues with its war against separatists and the civilian populations in the English speaking regions of the country now known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

The Ambazonia Interim Government based in the USA announced recently that French Cameroun regime forces have killed approximately 4000 Southern Cameroonians including women and children throughout the past year and several hundreds have been arrested during raids on Ambazonian towns and villages.

Correspondingly, there has been an increase in the number of those killed and arrested recently despite the fact that the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church including domestic human rights organizations have condemned the killings currently going on in Southern Cameroons, and called for inclusive dialogue. Francophone soldiers and security agents stormed Southern Cameroonian homes both in Ambazonia territory and Anglophone neighborhoods in Yaounde, the nation’s capital in pursuit of imaginary separatists’ fighters.

Scores of Southern Cameroonians have suffered injuries as a result of excessive use of force by troops and gendarmerie officers loyal to the Biya Francophone regime in Yaounde. Parliamentarians of the so-called main opposition party, the SDF pretending to speak for Southern Cameroonians have instead been collecting their salaries, car allowances and parliamentary grants from the Yaounde regime.

The numbers of French Cameroun military atrocities highlighted by journalists of the Cameroon Concord News Group and the leadership of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government do not include other Biya regime crimes such as forced disappearances, torture and arbitrary sentences, which have occurred only after Southern Cameroonians exercised their rights to the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The Biya regime continues to tighten its grip on Southern Cameroons figures, and prosecutes Ambazonia activists and journalists such as Bibixy Mancho and Dzenyagha Thomas Awah and the Interim President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Sisiku Ayuk Julius Tabe. Biya is making use of law and regulations introduced to protect Cameroon against Boko Haram terrorism, in order to punish Southern Cameroons protesters through unfair proceedings and prosecutions.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Senator Tabetando, Minister Victor Mengot and CPDM Prof. Etchu George, escaped an apparent assassination attempt when Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces protecting the Manyu County attacked their convoy as it left GRA Mamfe on October 7, Cameroon government officials said.

The Manyu CPDM barons were caught by surprise and forced to run for cover at the residence of the Senior Divisional Officer for Manyu.  In an impassioned narration of the events, the Francophone SDO noted that Ambazonian fighters attempted to kill him and the Manyu CPDM leaders.

CPDM business tycoon, Enow Bate, popularly known as Bescam, told friends and family that Cameroon government security officers ordered them to lie on the floor for more than 12 hours. Cameroon Intelligence Report correspondent in Mamfe said the incident took place shortly after 7: a.m. as the Manyu CPDM leaders were heading to stage a voting process in front of CRTV cameras at the Women’s Home in Mamfe.

The visibly shaken Manyu CPDM Senator has never been heard from again since he left his home constituency.  Troops loyal to the Biya regime escorted Senator Tabetando and Minister Mengot out of Mamfe.

The Manyu CPDM leaders have all taken refuge in Yaoundé and are still supporting the deeply unpopular leader, 85 years-old President Biya, who is currently rigging his way to a new term in office, in a vote decried by dozens of African nations, including the European Union.

A well-placed Manyu CPDM source said the attempted assassination targeted not only Chief Tabetando and Minister Mengot, but rather the Manyu CPDM’s entire high command, including the SDO.  “We are in the midst of a wave of civil war in Cameroon,” noted a local militant of the ruling party.  The ruling CPDM party has been banned by the Interim Government of Southern Cameroons and designated as a terrorist organization.

By Asu Vera Eyere

On 22nd September 2018, the General Assembly of SOBA UK met at St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trent, the Home of England National Teams under the theme of “Together we Succeed”.  The General Assembly was well attended and members sat through a six-hour meeting to deliberate on all issues on the published agenda.

The following key resolutions are officially published;

1) The Appointment of New Patrons

The SOBA UK General Assembly appointed new Patrons in line with Article 15 (1, 3, and 5) of the SOBA UK Constitution;

1. Patron membership shall be awarded to persons who have been outstanding in their efforts and contributions to the business of SOBA UK.
2. Persons who qualify for patron membership shall be elected as such by the Convention Assembly on the proposal of the Chapter Executive. Persons so promoted, shall be notified in writing by the Secretary.
3. Patron membership shall be conferred for two years after which, membership is reviewed by the Convention assembly.

The General Assembly took two decisions, namely;

1. Ended the patronages of all existing patrons previously appointed in line with Article 15.5 2. Appointed the following new patrons in line with Article 15.1 and 15.3 effective immediately; Patron Joseph Foncha (Class of 1962) Patron Cyril Alima (Class 1973) Patron Ashu Akoachere (Class 1978) Patron Maximus Ewane (Class 1979) Patron Francis Shupo (Class 1980) Patron Thompson Egbe (Class 1982) We wish all our new patrons every success in their roles as patrons of SOBA UK.

2) The Dismissal of the lifetime bans of SOBA UK Executives Referral of ‘Misconduct outcomes’ and pronouncements by SOBA National Council in Cameroon to SOBA UK members.

Article 18: SOBA UK Constitution

1. The Convention Assembly shall be the supreme and final authority of the Association.
2. It shall comprise all the registered members of SOBA UK. However, it shall be constituted, and thus shall be entitled to proceed with its business, if at least four members of the Executive and a minimum of sixteen other members of the Association are present.

The General Assembly of registered members in SOBA is superior to the SOBA National Council (Article 22, SOBA Constitution 1991). The SOBA UK General Assembly has been used as the reference General Assembly due to its jurisdiction, and the members concerned are registered to the United Kingdom SOBA General Assembly.

Matter for General Assembly Consideration

On 3 September 2018, the SOBA National Council in Cameroon made the following pronouncements:

1. That Mr. Ayuk Akoh-Arrey, Mr. Francis Shupo and Mr. John Bawak were expelled from the Sasse Old boys Association (SOBA) for life with no recourse to re-admission in any SOBA chapter in the world.
2. Mr. Denis Angafor was suspended for a period of 5 years and without leave for registration in any chapter in the world.
3. Mr. Bime Lafon, Mr. Babangida Usamatu, Mr. Batey Tako and Mr. Frankline Egbe were seriously warned and advised to deceit (SGC representation) from unethical activities that will attract further sanctions from the SGC.

On the charge of a) Contempt of the Proprietor of St Joseph’s College Sasse, the SOBA General Council, SOBA General, SOBA President General and SOBA General Executives; b) Usage of the SOBA name, and logo for disruptive purposes; c) Slanderous and libellous statements made against the SOBA General Council, SOBA General, SOBA President General and SOBA General Executive; d) Advocating severance or complete separation from SOBA General (national chapter); e) Misrepresenting, fabricating and altering the contents of the SOBA Constitution to advance own agenda.

Decision of the General Assembly

The SOBA UK GA unanimously voted to DISMISS the SOBA National Council decisions in Cameroon put before it by its Executive and declared the decisions as INVALID. The General Assembly of SOBA UK confirms this matter as closed and members concerned should continue as members of the association in the United Kingdom.

The General Assembly cited the following reasons:

1. The General Assembly resolves that there are no bases for these draconian sanctions, and that the SOBA UK General Assembly was never consulted on this matter.
2. The General Assembly is the supreme and final authority of the Association in the United Kingdom as per Article 18.1 and 18.2 of the SOBA UK Constitution. The members concerned are registered members of SOBA UK and therefore cannot refer this matter to the General Assembly in Cameroon. The reference General Assembly is that of the United Kingdom which sat on 22nd September, 2018 and deliberated on the matter.

Background:

On 24 July 2018, members of SOBA UK received communication from Mr. Ebot Mfoataw announcing ‘Notice of Investigation for Gross Misconduct’. On 26 July 2018, a response proposing an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was sent by these “Individuals”, individually and together to Mr. Ebot Mfoataw and to the competent authority as prescribed by the 1991 SOBA Constitution.

On 3 September 2018, Mr. Ebot Mfoataw sent another communication to the same individuals making the above pronouncements, that have been circulated throughout the social media and a clear attempt to discredit and humiliate the SOBA UK executive.

The SOBA National branch has failed to hold General Assembly meetings and has allowed the SOBA National Council led by a handful of individuals to become the de facto Supreme Authority of SOBA which is against the constitution.

Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE Minister of State reportedly held a meeting with Lejeune Mbella Mbella, Foreign Minister of Cameroon, on the sidelines of the 17th Francophonie Summit in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Lejeune Mbella Mbella and Zaki Nusseibeh during the meeting discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. We gathered that the Biya acolyte told the United Arab Emirate politician that Cameroon was badly in need of financial support.

Reported by CIR with files from Urdupoint

The social media space was on Friday awashed with report that 85-year-old President of Cameroun, Paul Bila has been overthrown. However, the reports turned out to be untrue. Cameroun went to the polls last Sunday, in a determined effort by a coalition of opposition parties to puncture the 38 years rule of Bila.

The last time a coup d’état occurred in Cameroon was in 1984; when presidential palace guards unsuccessfully tried to overthrow President Paul Biya, resulting in fighting that began on April 6, 1984 and ended several days later.

The coup attempt is widely viewed as one of the most crucial events in the history of Cameroon since independence in 1960. The opposition coalition led by Maurice Kanto had declared himself the winner of the Sunday polls, a claim the Cameroonian authorities swiftly denied.

Of importance is that the English Speaking side of Cameroun has been embroiled in a crisis of succession owing to language imposition of the French language. The lack of transparency in connections with the misuse of power is the reasons that the Republic is ready for a political change, as the opposition has even claimed to be the winner of this rigged election. This being Maurice Kamto for instance.

Source: Anonymous

Troops loyal to the Biya Francophone regime in Yaounde reportedly killed eleven Southern Cameroons civilians in two separate attacks on Thursday.  The Cameroon government army said in a statement that the 11 were suspected armed separatists.

Four “separatist terrorists” were neutralized in Misaje in the Northwest, while seven others were killed in raids on Eshobi in the Southwest, according to the statement released on the army’s Facebook page.

According to the Francophone army statement, six hostages were released during the operation in Eshobi some few kilometers from Mamfe, the chief town in the Manyu County.

Fighting between government forces and armed separatist groups has been ongoing since Nov. 2017 after the separatists declared the independence of a nation called “Ambazonia” in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest.

According to the United Nations, over 200,000 people have been displaced internally and at least 30,000 have fled to neighbouring Nigeria.

By Rita Akana

As conflict intensifies in Cameroon thousands of civilians are being forcibly displaced from their homes. Violence between state forces and separatists has displaced more than 246,000 people within the Southwest region, while at least 26,000 have fled to Nigeria. The population is preparing for further violence following the outcome of the October 7 presidential election.

While votes are yet to be counted in an election that many see as neither free nor fair, a premature declaration of victory from opposition leader Maurice Kamto, for which he was branded an “outlaw”, is threatening to cause “new strife in a tense country”. The election was marred by both civil unrest and low turnout- largely because there are few residents left to vote. In some areas, it is estimated that more than 90 percent of residents have fled. Government officials, who would normally oversee the vote, are thought to have abandoned their posts in more than a dozen localities.

While the origins of the conflict can be traced back to language divides imposed by post- World War 1 colonial endeavours in the region, the conflict in Cameroon has steadily worsened in the two years since lawyers and teachers in the Anglophone areas began protesting the Francophone- dominated federal government. President Biya concentrated power in favour of French speakers during his six terms in office and blocked access to the internet in the English speaking areas for months, and Anglophone separatists have been turning to increasingly violent means, with bloody atrocities being reported on both sides. Residents and local officials provide frequent accounts of troops burning homes and shooting, detaining and executing civilians.

At least 26,000 predominantly Anglophone Cameroonians have sought protection in Nigeria, where many have reported being shown solidarity; “many refugees have found support within host communities. The inhabitants of small border villages share what they have with them – food, a room to sleep or work in the cocoa plantations. Some received a piece of land to cultivate. However, solidarity alone is not enough for people who have lost everything to re-start their lives.“

The UN has said the situation is becoming increasingly desperate. The Nigerian government have given land for refugee settlements but it is now fully occupied, and the UNCHR’s own provision for shelter, food, water and sanitation has been “constrained by sever underfunding”; “Most families are down to one meal per day. The coping strategies people are using are themselves risky, and range from borrowing money to cutting food portions or saving food only for children….Most asylum seekers say they are having to drink water from streams, ponds and other unsafe sources” and “malaria is reportedly already on the increase”.

Source: ecre.org