Cameroon Concord News Group has received a reliable intelligence briefing that French Cameroun has deployed members of its Special Operations Forces to Nigeria to infiltrate, abduct and massacre some Ambazonian refugees. These operatives have been deployed to states with high concentration of Ambazonia refugees.  In some cases, they will cause chaos within the camps and then kill some refugees for the blame to be placed on some Ambazonians within the refugee communities, inviting the Nigeria Police. Some of these operatives have taken up different forms of identities and profiles to deceive the unsuspecting refugee population to gain their confidence and integrate them into their communities.   The refugees are therefore advised to establish internal vetting mechanisms to fish out and denounce these criminal elements before they cause harm to them.

The Special Operational Forces is a secretive armed unit within the Presidency of French Cameroun which was created by Paul Biya on ascending power. The unit had a mandate to disengage from and replace the secretive operational units that through terror, sustained Ahidjo in power for twenty-two years.  The Biya Special Operational Unit has sustained him in power for thirty-seven years so far.

This unit has a mandate to eliminate political opponents, real or perceived enemies of Paul Biya.  Paul Biya has relied on these official terrorist operatives, to eliminate, massacred or disappear thousands of people with impunity. The victims included persons from all walks of life; among whom were members of the clergy.

The gullibility of some members of the Cameroun Catholic clergy made them supporters and allies of Paul Biya. Some of the victims were beneficiaries of the regime but also preferential preys. Professing Christ and serving the Devil placed them on a collision course with the faithful.  The assassination of clergy men and women from Jeanne Irene Biya’s Reverend Sisters confidantes to the Catholic Bishop of Bafia, Bishop Balla, was blamed on this unit.  The regime has never disputed these accusations nor accounted for the assassinations.  Instead, the assassinations are continuing unabated. The escape to Canada, of Martin Belinga who oversaw the special operations on behalf of Paul Biya has not affected the unit nor its mandate. The regime has a large deployment of operatives of the Directorate of External Research to infiltrate, spy and eliminate Ambazonians in the diaspora in different countries.  These professional assassins sent to harass, abduct and kill Ambazonia refugees must be promptly identified and arrested before they inflict further harm on Ambazonia refugees.

The mandate of this terror operative network was widened from when Paul Biya declared war and embarked on a genocide of Ambazonians. Some of the most egregious violations, massacres, rapes, abductions and disappearances that occurred during the internet ban were committed by members of this special unit deployed with other criminal actors in the army, BIR, the gendarmerie and the police.  By himself and through his surrogates, Paul Biya personally laid out the elaborate plan of the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ambazonia and neighbouring countries.  The cutting of the internet supply to the territory and the imposition of an economic blockade to facilitate the genocide of Ambazonia were announced by the Minister of Post and Telecommunications one Pauline Likeng. One member of the CPDM crime syndicate publicly took credit for the imposition of this elaborate plan of systemic criminality and genocide.  George Tabetando boasted in a widely publicised interview over CRTV that he and Mafany Musonge appealed to Paul Biya to impose the internet ban. Mafany Musonge promptly denied his participation in this criminal scheme. Through apologists and the executioners of the genocide such as Owona Nguini, Enoh Meyomesse, Theodore Obama of Television 4, CRTV, Isa Tchiroma, Laurent Esso, Fame Ndongo, AtangaNji, Ekema Patrick, Beti Assomo, Okalia Bikai, Lele L’Afrique, Rene Sadi, Pauline Likeng, among many others, the world now has a gruesome record of an unfolding genocide engulfing the Gulf of Guinea.

French Cameroun General Melingui confessed publicly that Ambazonia civilians and civilian settlements were targeted for attacks by forces under his command. Last week Rene Sadi, the Government Spokesman of French Cameroun issued a press release again reiterating the same confession. He stated that French Cameroun forces burn locations housing Ambazonia separatists. Separatists is rotational name Paul Biya has given Ambazonia self-defence forces, doubling down from terrorists.  The confession by Rene Sadi was another official policy of French Cameroun of the elaborate and extensive burning of close to two hundred Ambazonian civilian settlements, burning to death the inhabitants.  This confession finally came to clarify French Cameroun’s targeting and burning hospitals because they believed Ambazonia fighters were admitted in those hospitals to undergo medical treatment.

Coupled with a deliberate policy of targeting Ambazonia civilians, children, women and men for murder based on their Ambazonia nationality, the deployment to Nigeria of a death squad to pursue the genocide, calls for an immediate international response to abate the genocide and hold Paul Biya and his genocidal gang of terrorists to account. Cameroon Concord News Group calls on Nigeria to respect international law and its treaty obligations by providing adequate security to Ambazonia refugees and civilians lawfully in Nigeria under the protection of international law.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questions a reported push underway by the United States to “forcefully” band together a NATO-like Arab military alliance.

Lavrov referred to the potential grouping as the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), saying US President Donald Trump’s administration “is trying to impose [the alliance] on the Persian Gulf states plus Jordan and Egypt,” Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported.

Speaking at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam on Monday, he said undertaking the effort, Washington was “overcoming very serious doubts of potential members.”

Reports emerging prior to Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2017 said he was about to lay out his vision for the “Arab NATO.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo toured the kingdom, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman as well as Egypt and Jordan in January. “One of key tasks of the trip is bringing closer the positions of eight countries to create MESA,” TASS said.

Washington and some of its Persian Gulf allies, most notably Riyadh, have, ever since the start of Trump’s presidency in 2016, been citing regional powerhouse Iran as a common source of “threat.”

They commonly accuse the Islamic Republic of “regional interference,” an allegation which Tehran roundly rejects. Tehran has, meanwhile, been warning the littoral states against Washington’s divisive efforts targeting regional equations.

The US already heavily arms Saudi Arabia and its allies in a Riyadh-led coalition, which has been bombing Yemen since 2015. The coalition, which accuses the impoverished country of receiving assistance from the Islamic Republic, began the invasion to restore its Riyadh-friendly former officials.

Still addressing the US’s apparent push to form the military alliance, Lavrov said the drive seeks to “reshape geopolitical landscape in a way to obstruct the natural development of events and try to contain the formation of new growth centers,” TASS added.

“I want to compare natural processes integrating countries based on their coinciding interests and artificial processes, which they try to forcefully impose on the countries to carry out a joint effort in the interests of one geopolitically oriented power,” the senior diplomat noted.

“And here Israel is also pursuing its interests around this initiative,” he said.

Tel Aviv and some of the maritime countries have been growing closer over the past years, with back-to-back reports surfacing of mutual visits and backstage agreements.

The Arab capitals have even been accused of moving towards “normalization” with the occupying regime.

Late last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Arab countries viewed the regime as an “indispensable ally” against Iran.

Presstv

As the United Nations continues to mobilize resources to get its staff on the ground in Southern Cameroons, it is also looking to employ many local staff who will have to play a huge role in its humanitarian work. According to an inside source, United Nations bodies are already on the ground and their international staff are also in the region to lay the groundwork for its activities.

The number of international staff is gradually increasing as hostilities and targeted killings decline. The global body already has offices in Buea and Bamenda, but their office in Buea is more active and there are recruitments currently taking place. The UN office in the Southwest is an uncompleted building located in the Southwest regional capital of Buea and it is believed that the office will require more than 50 local staff, with thousands to be deployed in various towns to deliver humanitarian assistance to those who need it the most.

Our source, who elected anonymity, said that people with a solid background in conflict management and resolution will surely get recruited, as the global body needs their skills. He added that those with a background in law and mediation should also send in their CVs as their knowledge will come in handy.

He also said that even UN staff will require a lot of local labour. Drivers, security guards, cooks, domestic workers and others. It is estimated that the United Nations presence in the two regions will result in the creation of more than 4,000 indirect jobs. As the regions stabilize, so too will reconstruction and rehabilitation take off in the two regions. War has never been a good thing. It comes with a lot of pain and suffering. However, it also has its own beauty. Post-war reconstruction is usually a boom time for local businesses and it offers great opportunities for those with the right skills and experience, our source said.

He stressed that bodies like UNICEF will surely need people with child protection, counselling and education skills which are the skills UNICEF needs to achieve its goals in the two regions. He also pointed out that for these organization’s achievements and efforts to be known, it will also require communication specialists and journalists.

“It would like the world to know that it is achieving results on the ground and this will imply having people to tell its story in the best possible way. This is where journalists and communications officers come into play. The UN is a global body and its resource mobilization programs will only be successful when donors understand that it is achieving results. Since it uses many language, it will also want those stories to be translated into the various languages it uses. This will imply hiring translators, and within the organization, we know Cameroon has a huge and professional crop of translators, especially as it has a good translation school in Buea. This may be a good time for people living in and around the two English-speaking regions,” he said.

“Our salaries are not bad. The UN will surely be paying in dollars and earning USD 3,000 in a town like Buea or Bamenda will surely not be a bad deal for those with the right skills set. I hope people in the two regions with the right skills will do their best to get a place within the UN.  This is the time to help those in need. There is a lot of work to be done in the regions. Many people are in pain and they need counseling. Many are homeless and are even living far away from home. They need to be stabilized and possibly sent back to their homes. The United Nations has also achieved a lot in this regard in other conflict zones and will be using that experience to stabilize the North West and South West regions of the country,” he pointed out.

It should, however, be stressed that the UN’s job for now is not about peacekeeping, but strictly humanitarian. The global body is still in talks with the government of Cameroon for it to expand its role, especially with regard to peace-building and peace-keeping.

Though the government is still very wary of the UN, its collapsing finances and greater international pressure mean that it may waver in its opposition to the deployment of troops in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Meanwhile, the fighting in the two regions is reducing, making it easy for the UN to carry out limited humanitarian work. Though government forces are still targeting young males in the region, sources on the ground indicate that the killings are gradually reducing, although the burning of homes by government forces has continued on a large scale.

It should also be pointed out that a report by the global body released on January 31, 2019, has slammed the government and armed groups in the country’s two English-speaking regions for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the two regions. Produced in collaboration with humanitarian partners, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (https://www.unocha.org/) report states that the global body is seeking US$ 15.2 million to start humanitarian operations in the Northwest and Southwest regions.

“As of 7 January, donors had provided 35 per cent of the US$15.2 million required as per the emergency response plan, according to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS). This amount constitutes the $5.1 million CERF allocation under the rapid response window. Additional contributions were received by other donors but not yet reported on FTS,” the report underscores.

The reports points out that the socio-political issues in and concerning the two English-speaking regions of the country have been a matter of contention throughout the post-colonial period. Political protests against perceived marginalization intensified in 2016 and in late 2017 violence erupted in North-West and South-West regions prompting violent clampdowns by security forces. With the increased deployment of defense forces and proliferation of non-state armed groups, the crisis has increasingly become characterized as one of armed conflict. Increased insecurity, violence and consequent widespread injury and civilian loss of life have forced thousands of families to flee their homes. Displacement continues to have serious consequences on the livelihoods and living conditions of the affected populations, the report says.

It stresses that “vulnerability has been further compounded by lack of access to farmland, by deterioration in medical and water facilities and limited access to education for children due to a violently enforced ban on schooling called for by armed groups.”

The report also points out that “little political progress has been made to resolve the conflict. The ‘Anglophone General Conference’ had been set to discuss the crisis on 21 November 2018 however it was postponed with no new date yet to be announced. Efforts continue at regional and national level and with the diaspora. The stay-home ‘Ghost Town’ protest continues to be observed every Monday across the two regions. There were heightened tensions on the 10th of January as the second day of the trial of the ex-leadership of the opposition movement was held in Yaounde. Numerous incidences of violence took place across the region. In some areas, particularly the Buea-Kumba axis, an effective ghost-town was observed between Monday 7th and Thursday 10th. The trial was adjourned until the 7th of February.

The global body is also concerned about the country’s political situation. “Escalating tensions in Francophone Cameroon including protests in Douala and Yaounde included the Anglophone Crisis in their discourse. Maurice Kamto leader of the main opposition party, the MRC, was arrested on 30 January in connection with these tensions. Tensions increased as the month of February approached with the stated intention of some armed groups to declare a ‘lockdown’ for the month which would prohibit movement similar to ‘Ghost Town’ Mondays. This was subsequently reduced to a ten-day period from 4th to 14th during which significant days for the opposition forces would fall. Namely the trial of the leadership, National Youth Day and the anniversary of the plebiscite which joined Southern Cameroons and Cameroon.

Regarding insecurity, the UN stresses that “Insecurity in the affected regions remains high, with continuing armed attacks and confrontations between the military and armed groups. The crisis further worsened from mid-2018 onward due to increased hostilities ahead of the presidential election. Movements continue to be restricted in the two regions due to a curfew in the North-West, a “No Movement” declaration by non-state actors and the increase of both official and informal checkpoints.”

“In the South West, on 3 January CDC workers of the Rubber Plantation in Tiko, Fako Division while at work were attacked by Non-state armed men (NSAG). They were tortured, and their toes and fingers cut off for working in the Plantation against the policy of armed groups. In January, troops clashed with armed groups across the two regions with ensuing fatalities and destroyed properties and vehicles. Military operations increased in both regions to counter armed group plans for February ‘lockdown’. Preventive displacement and stockpiling was ongoing at the time of writing of this report. Declining security situation during the month is expected,” the report says.

Hostilities have continued to claim civilian lives, from indirect fire and from disturbing reports of targeted killings. Urban attacks have resulted in deaths from cross-fire and civilian casualties have been reported as a result of raids on villages. In late January, large scale military operations were launched in the Bafut area resulting in numerous casualties for both combatants and civilians. On 25 January, the military killed 11 people they suspected of being armed separatists in Mpundu-Balong in the Southwest region. Incidents were also reported taking place in Marumba and Tiko amongst others. Abductions continue to be an ongoing concern.

The violence has uprooted 437,500 people from their homes and forced over 32,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring Nigeria. Humanitarian organizations are striving to scale-up their presence in the conflict-hit regions. Shelters, NFI and Education have been identified in the North-West and South-West regions as the most urgent needs. Almost 50 per cent of the displaced have settled in rural areas and have an increased need for shelter and non-food items. More than 80% of girls and boys no longer have access to schooling on a continuous basis because of the crisis, the report says.

The outlook for 2019 is one of emergency response as displacement continues due to the ongoing conflict. Vulnerability is compounded as services deteriorate and resilience is eroded. Access remains challenging as poor levels of understanding of humanitarian action persist and infrastructure is damaged in armed conflict related operations to deny mobility to opposing forces. Armed fighting and insecurity continue to be the principal impediment to the provision of assistance as well as a barrier to those in need in terms of reaching areas where they can receive aid, the report says.

The majority of those displaced are women and children. Protection is the principal humanitarian concern as the ongoing conflict is the main cause of human suffering. Food and shelter are also of concern as displacement continues apace. Needs across all sectors are high and are being further compounded as the conflict deepens. Of particular concern is access to water for areas requiring water transportation during days when movement is limited. Many of the conflict-affected populations are growing more vulnerable as the violence persists and humanitarian assistance remains inadequate, the report stresses.

The deployment of humanitarian actors to the field continues. A further allocation of CERF to Cameroon will in part support humanitarian activities in the North-West and South-West regions. As of 7 January, donors had provided 35 per cent of the US$15.2 million required as per the emergency response plan, according to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS). This amount constitutes the US$5.1 million CERF allocation under the rapid response window. Additional contributions were received by other donors but have not yet reported on FTS.

By Kingsley Betek in Yaounde

The United States has made good on its threat to penalise individuals that undermine electoral processes, announcing on Friday that it would deny visas to officials that were involved in election misconduct in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Washington said it wanted to send a clear signal of the need for accountability in the conflict-torn nation but stressed that it will still work with the controversially elected new president, Felix Tshisekedi.

The United States said it would reject any visa request from five senior Congolese figures as well as their immediate family members over “involvement in significant corruption relating to the election process.”

They include Corneille Nangaa, president of the Independent National Election Commission, Constitutional Court president Benoit Lwamba Bindu and Aubin Minaku Ndjalandjoko, president of the National Assembly.

The State Department said it was also imposing visa restrictions on an unspecified number of other military and government officials over human rights abuses related to the election.

“These individuals enriched themselves through corruption, or directed or oversaw violence against people exercising their rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” the State Department said in a statement.

“They operated with impunity at the expense of the Congolese people and showed a blatant disregard for democratic principles and human rights,” it said.

A rigged election?

The United States and other international players had been holding their breath for the December 30 election, which ultimately marked the first peaceful transfer of power in sub-Saharan Africa’s most vast country since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Martin Fayulu, a former oil executive, alleged widespread fraud and accused Tshisekedi of collaborating with outgoing president Joseph Kabila.

Despite recognizing concerns over the election, regional and world powers led by South Africa quickly coalesced behind Tshisekedi in hopes of preventing greater instability.

Fayulu had accused Nangaa, the election chief, of breaking the law to help engineer the election results. Nangaa hit back after the country’s powerful Catholic church raised doubts about the election, saying it was in no position to know the vote tallies.

The opposition leader had earlier also accused Kabila of stacking the top court to have his way with the election. Kabila was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term and won praise for eventually stepping down — but he stayed in power even after his second mandate ended in 2016.

Fayulu has maintained that he is the elected president of the resource-rich nation and has maintained pressure, tweeting on Thursday,

“I say it and I’ll repeat it — I will not let Joseph Kabila take the destiny of an entire people hostage.”

The State Department, however, said that its actions were “specific to certain individuals.”

It said the United States was committed to working with the new government “to realize its expressed commitment to end corruption and strengthen democracy and accountability, and respect for human rights.”

AFP

A UN report has detailed how it plans to deploy its staff in Cameroon. The report slams the government and armed groups in the country’s two English-speaking regions for the deteriorating humanitarian situation. See excerpts from the report.

“The deployment of humanitarian actors to the field continues. A further allocation of CERF to Cameroon will in part support humanitarian activities in the North-West and South-West regions.As of 7 January, donors had provided 35 per cent of the US$15.2 million required as per the emergency response plan, according to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS). This amount constitutes the $5.1 million CERF allocation under the rapid response window. Additional contributions were received by other donors but not yet reported on FTS,” the report says.

“The Humanitarian Response Plan will be launched on 20 February 2019. The number of people estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2019 has increased by 31 per cent compared to 2018, from 3.3 million to 4.3 million. The number of people who will be targeted for assistance has also increased from last year, from 1.3 million to 2.3 million. This increase is mainly attributed to emerging needs in the North-West and South-West regions. More than a quarter of people targeted by the response (28 per cent or 820,000 people) lives in the North-West and South-West regions, which are now priority areas of intervention. Sectors need US $ 93 million – or 31 per cent of the total appeal – to support 437,000 IDPs in these two regions, the West and Littoral, and 376,000 vulnerable host communities due to forced displacement and disruption of social and health services,” the report points out.

See Cameroon Intelligence Report for a detailed report on UN plans to deploy in the Northwest and Southwest regions.

By Kingsley Betek

International Rights group, Amnesty International, AI, have described the insurrection charge slapped on Cameroon opposition chief as horrifying, accusing Yaounde of being less tolerant of criticism.

In a statement issued today (February 21), AI stressed that it was a clear violation of basic human rights to continue putting civilians before military courts.

Kamto appeared before the Yaounde court today, his second appearance since he was arrested in late January 2019. Reports indicate that the case has been adjourned till February 26.

“It is horrifying that the Cameroonian authorities are considering sentencing Maurice Kamto to death simply for daring to participate in a peaceful protest.

“He is one of many people who have been caught up in a wave of mass arrests as authorities attempt to silence their critics,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa regional director.

“As well as having their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly crushed, many of Cameroon’s opposition members are now facing unfair trials by military courts.

“We are calling on authorities to end this ruthless assault on dissenting voices. Civilians should not be tried by military courts and should not face the death penalty for exercising their human rights,” she stressed.

International and regional human rights bodies including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights consider that military courts should not, in any circumstances whatsoever, have jurisdiction over civilians. This is also recognized in the Principles of fair trial in Africa.

Africa News

For more than two years, Southern Cameroonians have been calling on the UN and other global organizations to come to their rescue, but their plea seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. The world’s silence has made many Southern Cameroonians to think that they have been left to their own devices. They argue that the world is either ignoring them or does not consider their issue as important as other issues that have earned the UN’s attention.

But the UN and the world are not ignoring the people of Southern Cameroons who have been marginalized and discriminated against for more than five decades. The UN is a slow and expensive machine to run because of the way it was set up after the Second World War and it has protocols it has to follow before coming with a resolution to deploy its staff or troops.

It is easier for the UN to deploy a skeleton staff than to deploy troops as it depends on its member countries for troops. In many cases, it has to negotiate with the country’s government and for more than two years the Yaounde government has turned down all appeals by the international community for external mediation or intervention.

For some time now, many UN specialized agencies have been seeking to set foot in Cameroon, but their efforts have met with government refusal. The government is wary of the UN coming into the country as that might reduce its ability to falsify information on the reality on the ground. The presence of UN bodies in the country might also make it hard for the government to continue with its killing spree.

However, the Red Cross, the World Food Program, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, etc are already operating on the ground to provide humanitarian assistance, though their efforts are being hampered by government decisions and gimmicks.

Indeed, to circumvent government obstruction, Cameroon has been placed under the cluster category which implies the global body no longer needs the government’s permission to intervene. Clusters are groups of humanitarian organizations, both UN and non-UN, in each of the main sectors of humanitarian action. They are designed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and have clear responsibility for coordination. This partially explains why the government has stepped up its military operations in the two English-speaking regions of the country in recent days.

With many UN bodies on the ground now, the right information is heading to Washington, Ottawa, London and New York and this is no good news to the Biya regime that has worked hard to deceive foreign governments that it has been fighting a bunch of terrorists who are intent on destabilizing the entire country.

The Yaounde government has employed many public relations firms to spread its gospel of falsehood in Western capitals and this has been one reason why the international community has been slow at having a good understanding of the real situation that is playing out in the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions.

The Yaounde government has always insisted that with limited foreign assistance, it will be capable of rolling back the “terrorists” and the world has believed this story for more than two years. But the Yaounde government’s refusal and insistence that it will handle the problem without external help are gradually unraveling as the beleaguered government is slowly running out of financial options.

While the French are still propping the Yaounde government, many of the country’s traditional partners and donors have finally come to terms with the fact that it will be hard conducting business with a regime that does not see the need for dialogue and democracy as key factors in economic development.

The government is out of cash and it is seeking ways of replenishing its coffers. The World Bank, the African Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund are currently withholding millions in loans and grants from the Yaounde government. Many projects have already been approved for financing in the two English-speaking regions of the country, but the hostilities in the region make it hard to implement those projects.

The ring road in the Northwest region has already been approved for financing by the African Development Bank and the World Bank, but the two multilateral development finance institutions have withheld the money until hostilities stop in the region.

Both institutions have urged the government to restore peace in the country if it wants to continue benefiting from concessional resources raised from global capital markets. Like the United States, Canada and Britain, multilateral institutions are urging the government to grant the United Nations unfettered access to the regions where the fighting is taking place so that humanitarian assistance can reach those in need.

As usual, Canada is using its leadership role in global politics to call for multilateral action that will lead to a comprehensive and inclusive dialogue that will deal with all the issues that have resulted in the conflict. This has given the United Nations more power to start thinking of drafting a resolution that will enable it to deploy both troops and staff in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

A source close to the United Nations in New York, which has elected anonymity, has hinted that the days ahead will lead to the drafting of a UN resolution that will urge members to contribute troops for peace-keeping purposes in Cameroon.

Last week, the UN Secretary General met with Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Dion Ngute, in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the Heads of State summit, where they discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. The UN Secretary General urged the government of Cameroon to take the right steps to restore peace to the country. Mr. Dion Ngute, for his part, assured the UN Secretary General of the government willingness and determination to restore peace in the coming days.

But events over the last couple of days have proven that the Yaounde government is not up to the task. Its determination to win the war by military means is escalating things and this has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cameroonians, a situation that has caused the international community to hold that external mediation is necessary, a point underscored by our source at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

“I think the government of Cameroon is out of steam. It has continuously refused appeals by the United Nations for external intervention and mediation of the conflict in the two English-speaking regions, but seeing the way things are unfolding, the UN has to step in to play a key role. The country is down financially, and many development projects have been put off. This is not good for the country’s long-term economic development,” the source said.

“The government cannot win a military victory in the two English-speaking regions of the country. The fighters have proven that it is hard to put an end to the conflict without addressing the root cause of the problem. After two years, I think it is time to think of other options. The military option is a disaster and it will only make things worse if the government continues to hold that it is the best option. Many lives have been lost and there is nothing to show for the money spent and lives lost,” our source regretted.

“With pressure coming especially from the United States and Canada in the United Nations, it is obvious that a peace-keeping force will be heading to Cameroon in the days ahead. Our specialized agencies are already on the ground, though on a small scale, but with pressure mounting and multilateral institutions also calling for an end to hostilities, the government of Cameroon is going to cave in anytime, soon,” he stressed.

“It is true that the Cameroon situation is challenging as the fighting is taking place in all towns and villages in the two regions at the same time, but UN officials are already brainstorming on how to end the hostilities first, as there cannot be any effective humanitarian operations if the hostilities are still going on. UN diplomats are working the phones to convince the government that an inclusive dialogue will the best way out of the crisis, although the government is still reluctant to accept UN proposals,” our source revealed.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Bamenda and Buea, it is proving challenging for the UN to find the proper infrastructure for its operations. The two regions are bereft of proper housing and office building which will accommodate UN staff and their offices.

In Buea, in particular, it is challenging to find strategically located story buildings that will enable the global body to conduct its operations confidently and professionally. Besides physical infrastructure, Internet connection and telecommunication facilities in both regions are unreliable, a UN source in Buea said.

“We have been looking for proper accommodation in Buea and Bamenda, but it is a little challenging. We need accommodation and office space that will not expose our staff to any danger in the event of any hostilities between the two warring factions,” our source said.

Meanwhile, as the fighting rages on, the country’s economy continues to suffer. The country’s seaport is witnessing a huge business shortage, especially as some countries like the Central African Republic and Chad have opted to use other seaports in the region.

For more than two years, the country has not been receiving revenues from the customs and border posts that were located in the English-speaking regions. Ekok, Otu and other border posts have been abandoned as the conflict escalates and this is a huge financial blow to a cash-strapped government.

If the UN does not step in, the country will continue its relentless descend to financial hell and it will be challenging to disarm the fighters who do not trust the government. Many diplomats around the world hold that only the UN will be able to do the job that the country’s disarmament commission has been assigned, as English-speaking Cameroonians, especially the fighters do not trust the government.

The news of the arrival of the UN has been welcomed by many people in the two English-speaking regions of the country and many are looking forward to the coming of the global body which will help them live a life without gunshots and maybe create a few jobs that will help reboot the economies of the two regions.

By Kingsley Betek in Yaounde, Irene Nanyongo in North America and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in the United Kingdom