The United States has called upon Cameroon election body to urgently release election results to avoid suspicion of cooking the outcome.

The US argues for Cameroon’s elections to be free, fair and credible, the central African country should immediately announce all outstanding results.

Cameroon held elections on 7th October, but up until 16th October, the Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) was yet to finalise announcement of election outcome raising great suspicion President Paul Biya’s governing Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) were nicodemously working with the election body to cook the election results.

Already opposition leader Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement argued he won the polls before challenging the incumbent to hand over power to him.

“I call on President Paul Biya to ensure a peaceful transition and avoid situations that may be ugly for Cameroon,” Kamto said

On Monday, the US said it would continue playing a neutral role but urged the Cameroon election body to release the election results.

“We encourage Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) and the Constitutional Council to release results polling site by polling site to enhance transparency and citizens’ confidence in the outcome. Any disputes should be resolved peacefully and through established legal channels. The United States remains a committed partner on electoral, political, economic, and human rights reforms in Cameroon,” said the US.

The US also called for calm and peace in the country as it waits election body to exercise non-partisans conclusion of the remaining phases of the vote tabulation process.

“We appeal to all Cameroonians to exercise patience and avoid hate speech,” the US said.

Source:  CAJ News

Cameroon’s Constitutional Council that started hearing applications from opposition parties on election malpractice and irregularities today has rejected Professor Kamto’s request for recusal of Constitutional Council members on the basis that he did not have the capacity to raise the incompatibility of the members of the Constitutional Council. It was however said he could challenge the incompatibility of the person who appointed Council members and the person in question is President Paul Biya who himself was also a candidate in the October 7 presidential poll.

Knowing well that the outcome of the application could not be otherwise, Maurice Kamto felt it was necessary for him to follow the legal procedure as the best way to expose the Biya regime to the international community as being the judge and jury in a case on the country’s future and stability depend.

The debates are continuing, but what happened today during the hearing was just a foretaste of what will be playing out in the days ahead. In opening statements by Prof. Kamto’s legal team, the various lawyers called on the chair of the constitutional council to exercise justice, reminding him that the future of the country depended on whatever decision the Constitutional Council would take.

First to fire was Barrister Yondo Black who pointed out that all the members of the constitutional council were also members of the ruling party whose role in the just-ended election had been called to question. He added that the person who appointed them was himself a candidate in the election and it would be challenging to accept that the Constitutional council would be impartial in a case in which members of the constitutional council stood to gain.

For his part, Barrister Akere Muna added that Cameroon had never known a smooth transition as the country switched from a single party state to a single party democracy wherein the ruling party was in control of everything. He urged the President of the Constitutional Council to exercise sound judgement in taking a decision that could make or mar the peace of the country.

Other lawyers also pointed out the inconsistencies and the conflict of interest that would make it hard for the Constitutional Council members to be impartial. It should be recalled that the wife of the president of the constitutional council is a ruling party parliamentarian and the president of the constitutional council is still working as a lawyer and defending state interest with the latest situation taking place on September 30, 2018.

They also pointed out that various members of the constitutional council were either members of the central committee of the ruling party or had been appointed to serve as chairmen of the boards of directors of various state-owned corporation; a situation that made it hard for them to be impartial in addressing the post-electoral conflict in Cameroon.

With the application for recusal rejected, the debates on the various electoral irregularities will therefore continue and Cameroonians are looking forward to justice although many argue the outcome of the hearing is already known. With a Constitutional Council set up by Mr. Biya and comprising mainly members of his party, it is clear that many of the complaint on electoral fraud will be thrown out to give the incumbent another 7-year term.

Meanwhile, as the political crisis in Yaounde continues, the country has continued with its descent to chaos. In the English-speaking region of the country, the killings have continued and soldiers loyal to Mr. Biya are continuing with their rampage. They have shooting carelessly in major cities in the region and this has led to the death of many young men.

Cameroon’s downward spiral seems to be unstoppable. As the political situation continues to decline due to the presidential election, some people are secretly amassing weapons in preparation for a battle that might plunge the entire sub-region into chaos.

A cache of weapons was found yesterday on a bus heading to Foumban from Yaoundé. The bus company is known as “Super Confort” in French but, yesterday, the bus’ contents were something that could not provide any comfort to the country’s military.

It is interesting to know that arms are instead coming from the nation’s capital to the west. All the passengers on the bus had been detained at the Foumban police station yesterday, pending an investigation. All passengers on board had denied ownership or knowledge of the origin of the arms and this was indeed a cause for concern to the police who have been victims of firearms in Southern Cameroons.

Cameroon is currently awash with weapons ever since the government declared war on the English-speaking minority.  Presently there is a lot of killing going on in Southern Cameroons, especially by a Beti Mafia unleashed by the defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, who is the architect of the military violence.

The violence was stepped up two weeks prior to the presidential election that is causing more tension in the country. The country’s presidential election is splitting the Francophone majority, with the Betis holding that power belongs to them and that it will be an aberration for Bamilekes to take over from the incumbent, Paul Biya, a native Beti himself.

From results obtained by Cameroon Concord News Group, it is clear that Prof. Kamto has won the election and since declaring himself president, the government has been arresting his party members and stationing troops around his house.

Prof. Kamto has promised that he would defend the mandate the people have conferred on him and that he would stop at nothing to ensure that the people’s wish is respected.

A view reiterated yesterday by his campaign director, Paul Eric Kingue, during a live broadcast on Facebook. He challenged the territorial administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji, advising him that no intimidation would stop the people from realizing their objective.

It should be recalled that the country’s presidential poll has been marred by many irregularities and some opposition parties have already taken up the matter with the appropriate authorities while other parties have simply called for a cancellation of the poll.

The results of the poll will be made public on October 22, and opposition parties are calling on their supporters to pour onto the streets if the Constitutional Council hands the victory to Mr. Biya who did not even campaign due to age and illness.

Mr. Biya has been in power for 36 years and has nothing to show for his time in power. The country is bereft of roads and its hospitals have been reduced to consultation clinics. The country has no reliable infrastructure and roads accidents in the country are amongst the highest in the world.

Unemployment has reached alarming rates and many Cameroonians are looking outwards for opportunities.  If Mr. Biya wins, he will be ruling the country for another seven years and this implies the conflict in the two English-speaking regions will continue as he is in no mood to dialogue with the separatists.

Over the last years, the world has been calling for an inclusive dialogue but all the calls have fallen on deaf ears. Some 4,000 Cameroonians have lost their lives, including over 1,000 army soldiers as a result of the conflict, while more than a million people have been displaced both internally and externally. About half a million English-speaking Cameroonians are currently seeking refuge in Nigeria.

For those internally displaced, they are mostly in East Cameroon, but with the tension  rising in East Cameroon following the presidential poll, most of those who sought refuge in major East Cameroonians cities are already heading back home to avoid any confrontation that might occur after October 22.

Cameroon is on the brink. The world might be ignoring a situation that could complicate things on the continent. With Boko Haram still an active threat in the North and Southern Cameroons separatists giving the government a run for its money, it is clear that the country might implode if the political crisis borne out of the October 7 poll is not addressed very fast.

By Kingsley Betek, Sama Ernest and Rita Akana in Yaounde 

A cache of weapons has been caught in Foumban on a bus coming from Yaoundé. The bus company is known as Super Confort in French but, yesterday, the bus’ contents were something that could not provide any comfort to the country’s military.

It is interesting to know that arms are instead coming from the nation’s capital to the west. All the passengers on the bus are currently being held in the Foumban police station, pending an investigation, as all passengers have denied ownership or knowledge of the origin of the arms.

Cameroon is currently awash with weapons ever since the government declared war on the English-speaking minority.  Presently there is a lot of killing going on in Southern Cameroons, especially by a Beti Mafia unleashed by the defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, who is the architect of the military violence.

The violence was stepped up two weeks prior to the presidential election that is causing more tension in the country. The country’s presidential election is splitting the Francophone majority, with the Betis holding that power belongs to them and that it will be an aberration for Bamilekes to take over from the incumbent, Paul Biya, a native Beti himself.

From results obtained by Cameroon Concord News Group, it is clear that Prof. Kamto has won the election and since declaring himself president, the government has been arresting his party members and stationing troops around his house.

Prof. Kamto has promised that he would defend the mandate the people have conferred on him and that he would stop at nothing to ensure that the people’s wish is respected.

A view reiterated yesterday by his campaign director, Paul Eric Kingue, during a live broadcast on Facebook. He challenged the territorial administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji, advising him that no intimidation would stop the people from realizing their objective.

It should be recalled that the country’s presidential poll has been marred by many irregularities and some opposition parties have already taken up the matter with the appropriate authorities while other parties have simply called for a cancellation of the poll.

The results of the poll will be made public on October 22, and opposition parties are calling on their supporters to pour onto the streets if the Constitutional Council hands the victory to Mr. Biya who did not even campaign due to age and illness.

Mr. Biya has been in power for 36 years and has nothing to show for his time in power. The country is bereft of roads and its hospitals have been reduced to consultation clinics. The country has no reliable infrastructure and roads accidents in the country are amongst the highest in the world.

Unemployment has reached alarming rates and many Cameroonians are looking outwards for opportunities.  If Mr. Biya wins, he will be ruling the country for another seven years and this implies the conflict in the two English-speaking regions will continue as he is in no mood to dialogue with the separatists.

Over the last years, the world has been calling for an inclusive dialogue but all the calls have fallen on deaf ears. Some 4,000 Cameroonians have lost their lives as a result of the conflict, while more than a million have been displaced both internally and externally. Some half a million English-speaking Cameroonians are currently seeking refuge in Nigeria.

For those internally displaced, they are mostly in East Cameroon, but with the tension  rising in East Cameroon following the presidential poll, most of those who sought refuge are already heading back home to avoid any confrontation that might occur after October 22.

By Kingskey Betek

According to a leaked Cameroon government document, CPDM barons are planning to strictly control the activities of Prof Maurice Kamto, the man widely believed to have won the October 7 presidential elections including members of his coalition.  The ruling Beti-Ewondo elites are also aiming to further militarise the nation’s capital before the official proclamation of the results.

Meanwhile, leading members of the Francophone dominated Cameroon opposition and civil society groups this week hinted Cameroon Concord News Group about widespread surveillance and intimidation tactics being used against Southern Cameroonians and people from the Western region which is the political base of the President-Elect, Maurice Kamto.

The internal memo, written by the Delegate-General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele was leaked late this evening to our chief intelligence officer in Yaoundé and outlined plans for more than 300 officers to provide what the Biya regime intends to paint as a “protective custody” on Maurice Kamto, leader of the MRC party.

Prof Kamto was recently prevented from holding a press conference and many members of his campaign have been arrested on widely discredited claims that he declared himself winner of the October 7 presidential election.

While mainly detailing measures and tricks and action planned by the Biya regime to link the Kamto Campaign to terrorism, crime and social chaos, the document also mentions broader plans to crush the Southern Cameroons resistance.

The Francophone authorities are to strictly control activities of Bamilekes and Anglophone civil society organizations, Anglophone and Bamileke unions, Nigerians, former Anglophone military officers and the members of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, it read.

The document comes to light after the Maurice Kamto coalition won the presidential elections. The vote has been widely criticised as flawed. The ballot took place following a more than two years of intensified repression of Southern Cameroonians, Biya regime critics and independent media that has seen some 4000 Southern Cameroonians killed, several hundred  jailed and some 50,000 living in refugees camps in neighboring Nigeria.  There has since been an escalation in the surveillance of opposition groups and critics of the regime, sources said.

Cameroon government spies are currently standing outside Prof. Kamto’s residence and at his political headquarters disguised as news reporters or motorcycle taxi drivers. The Biya spies have been following everyone in the Kamto coalition in Douala, Yaounde and Bafoussam.

There are widespread complaints of police disrupting or shutting down meetings involving the Maurice Kamto Campaign. Recently, Senior Divisional Officers have started demanding that press conferences and political meetings should be banned.

A source, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, told this reporter that they had heard from sources in Cameroon’s secret service that a meeting had been pencilled in for the end of this week to draw up a list of top Bamilekes to be monitored by the regime.  The Betis have recruited many social media gurus to help in the fight to guarantee Biya’s continued stay in power.

The CPDM regime is mixing traditional techniques such as physical surveillance and intimidation with modern approaches including the use of digital tools in CAMTEL, the Ministry of Post and Telecom and the judicial system to silence Kamto and his coalition and by extrapolation, the Cameroonian people. Any hopes that space for critical voices would re-emerge after the October 7th election had been quashed.

The constant monitoring, intimidation and harassment of religious leaders and the corresponding lack of transparency and accountability when it comes to attacks against opposition figures has created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley criticized the U.N. Friday after its General Assembly elected new members to the controversial Human Rights Council — including countries with poor human rights records.

The 18 new members were selected from five regional blocs of countries, and their elections were largely predetermined since they were not challenged by other countries.

While other countries with stronger human rights records were voted in — such as Argentina, Czech Republic and Denmark — the addition of those with poor records was cited as evidence by Haley that the U.S. was right to withdraw from the body earlier this year.

“Today, the U.N. chose new members for the Human Rights Council. Yet again, countries with poor human rights records ran uncontested. This lack of standards continues to undermine the organization and demonstrates again why the United States was right to withdraw from it earlier this year,” she said in a statement.

‘This lack of standards continues to undermine the organization and demonstrates again why the United States was right to withdraw from it earlier this year.’

— U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley

“The United States will continue to support reforms that would make the Human Rights Council credible. More importantly, the United States will continue to be the world’s human rights leader regardless of the suspect composition and poor decisions of the Human Rights Council,” Haley, who is stepping down from her role in January, added.

Haley urged the body to reform in a speech in Geneva in 2017 focusing on its anti-Israel bias and also its membership — which she said led to human rights abusers being protected on the council.

“For too long the human rights council has been a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias,” she said in June of this year, announcing the United States’ departure.

The elections had been criticized by a host of other human rights groups as well. Ahead of the vote, Human Rights Watch said the election risks undermining the council’s effectiveness and credibility.

“UN member countries should show their outrage at the Philippines and Eritrea by leaving two spots on the ballot sheet blank and keeping them off the council,” said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch. “Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s abusive ‘war on drugs’ has been a killing frenzy that has left thousands dead. In Eritrea, the authorities persecute and jail government critics and force citizens into indefinite national service.”

Eritrea has been widely condemned as one of the most repressive countries in the world. A report to the Human Rights Council last year by a U.N. special rapporteur condemned Eritrea for its “indefinite length of conscription” and said that the government had “an ongoing unwillingness to meet its obligations and commitments under regional and international human rights instruments.”

Matthew Lee, a U.N. journalist who runs the Inner City Press blog and has focused on alleged human rights abuses in Cameroon, told Fox News that Cameroon’s elevation to the Council was “an outrage.”

“Only this year the government of 36-year ruler Paul Biya has been found burning villages in the Anglophone areas of the country, disappearing political opponents, and summarily executing women and children, on film,” he said.

The new members will take their seats at the council in January. One of the body’s more controversial members, Venezuela, will be replaced after serving two terms on the council.

Farhan Haq, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the matter was a question for the member states themselves.

“Ultimately we don’t evaluate or second guess the decisions made by member states,” he said. “They are the ones who chose to run people for these seats and their the governments who vote for them.”

Culled from Fox News