I keep wondering if the UN, AU and our regional bodies are actually giving the necessary attention, or have a sense of urgency, towards the crisis in Cameroon. It seems as if, the world is immune to the situation in that beautiful country. The tapestry of the issues in Cameroon is such that, if care is not taken, global perspective may be thwarted to projecting the Southern Cameroons rebels who are fighting for self-determination with guerilla warfare tactics as terrorists, so that they be treated with the contempt associated with Boko Haram. In fact, this seems to have been the trend.

Worthy of note is the fact that, Boko Haram has remained a thorn in the flesh of the Cameroon government since 2014, when Paul Biya declared war on them. There is also an internal crisis stemming from the general election of 2018, where Paul Biya was accused of rigging the elections. This led to the incarceration of some opposition leaders including individuals such as Maurice Kamto.

Why should the world be quiet over the arrest and incarceration of a freedom fighter, astute advocate of human dignity and freedom, like the opposition Leader, Mr Maurice Kamto, the Leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC)? Let’s not be deceived. These are different issues with varied complexities and scopes.

The magnitude of hostilities reported from that part of our continent, on the mainstream media and on social media, in my opinion, is enough for the UN Security Council to craft a definite position on the crisis. This could be a more proactive way to chart a path towards resolving the conflict sustainably, and minimizing the obvious ills that come with crises of such nature and scale; such as overlooking the dignity and history of the victims or minority; the violation of human rights, the tendency to ignoring the legal complications and interest and positions of certain stakeholders, even when hostilities subside.

The African Union ought to have been involved more than they are, in mitigating the Cameroon crisis. They should champion the matter. A sustainable way for a peaceful resolution, based on equity and respect of human values and conventions could have been reached if the AU had played her role as prescribed by international conventions and charters which the Cameroon Government and the arm separatists ought to have abided by, and which time without number they have violated. Thousands of children have died in the crisis and as we speak, more atrocities are being committed on innocent people while the world turns its back, and seems unconcerned for reasons I am unfamiliar with. The UN itself reports that, there are more than half a million displaced, among them; more than forty thousand are hanging in neighboring Nigeria as refugees while a couple of hundreds have been killed and thousands more are languishing in jails as political prisoners, under circumstances that are very inhumane. Should it be in the name of sovereignty, geopolitical interest, or the game of global politics, and economic interest?

Certainly, only those who have not understood the intricate root causes of the Cameroon crisis would imagine that the separatists picked up arms just because of marginalization. Although this could also be classified as one of the deep-seated reasons for the crisis, the most fundamental are the acts and schemes that are tantamount only to colonialism. The evidence and presence of francophone military personnel still perpetrating gross violation of human rights- giving orders like colonial masters to the people of Southern Cameroons – maiming young boys and girls, and in some cases, raping them, have become a commonplace in this modern day and age.

The situation worsened in 2017 when Government soldiers made up of mostly Cameroon-Francophone and Chadians, walked into villages and burnt down farms, destroying plants of farmers, razed down homes with fire, killing the vulnerable ones in them; shooting armless people, carrying out extra judicial killings, arresting and jailing the young men and women, and leaving the rest with no option but to run to neighbouring francophone towns, into bushes and forests, or again, crossing the borders to Nigeria; or simply, choosing the option of self-defense; to fight and kill or be killed.

The complexity of this crisis is provoked by the growth of militant forces fighting along the borders of Cameroon and northern Nigeria. The brutalities and ‘ethnic cleansing’ by the Cameroonian army is sometimes sandwiched and substituted with the militant insurgencies which in effect is overshadowing the realities in the English-speaking Cameroon. That notwithstanding, the rebels popularly known as the Amba Boys, or Southern Cameroons restoration forces, have also, in some cases, taken the law into their hands in the guise of protecting lives, property and their political interest against the Cameroon army.

It would interest you to know that, in spite of the successful outcome of the maiden Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum, many Cameroons especially the Southern Cameroons were of the view that, such a strategic platform should have been used to equally discuss peace and security in Cameroon. Out of all the critical issues deliberated upon on this forum, what became the area of focus especially for most Ghanaians unfortunately, is the alleged non-verbal political communication between two political leaders in Ghana- President Nana Akufo-Addo and Former President John Mahama.

Geography and Demography of Cameroon:

Tourists literature describe Cameroon as “Africa in miniature” because it exhibits all major climates and vegetation of the continent: coast, desert, mountains, rainforest, and savanna.

The country’s neighbours are Nigeria on the Atlantic Ocean to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo to the south. (DeLancey, Mark W.; DeLancey, Mark Dike (2000).

Cameroon is the world’s 53rd-largest country, located in Central and West Africa. It lies between latitudes 1° and 13°N, and longitudes 8° and 17°E. The nation controls 12 nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean and it’s divided into five major geographic zones, distinguished by dominant physical climatic and vegetative features. The coastal plain extends 15 to 150 kilometers (9 to 93 mi) inland from the Gulf of Guinea, and has an average elevation of 90 metres (295 ft). Exceedingly hot and humid with a short dry season, this belt is densely forested and includes some of the wettest places on earth.

The population in Cameroon was 23,439,189 by 2016. The life expectancy is 56 years (55.9 years for males and 58.6 years for females). According to the latest census, Cameroon still has slightly more women (50.6%) than men (49.4%). Nearly 60% of the population is under the age 25, and people over 65 years of age account for only 3.2% of the total population.

Cameroon’s population is almost evenly divided between urban and rural dwellers. Population density is highest in the large urban centres, the western highlands, and the northeastern plain. Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua are the largest cities. In contrast, the Adamawa Plateau, southeastern, Bénoué and most of the South Cameroons Plateaus are sparsely populated.

According to the World Health Organization, the fertility rate was 4.8 in 2013 with a population growth rate of 2.56%.

The Genesis of the Crisis:

In 1961, two different people of two different colonial borders; two different national languages, two different political setups, with two different judicial and education systems; ‘freely’ united to form a confederation; a two federated states for prosperity sake. By 1972 however, the stronger counterpart as per population, and under the auspices of a colonial power – France; usurped the rights and freedoms of the less populated side – the Southern Cameroons, by augmenting the occupation police and taking over leadership of the land and the people through political institutions. Is it a coincidence that, it was during the same year oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the Southern Cameroons? Constitutional reforms were made on the 1961 constitution although there were clauses that rightly stipulated that, the form of the state shall not be altered. Not only was the form of the state changed, during subsequent years, the two stars on the flag were equally altered and even the former name of the French Cameroon became the name that both sides would bear up until today.

Many reasons accounted for the independence of African nations in 1960s and part of this was the wind of change. The founders of the UN had declared that human beings were equal and this automatically necessitated the labeling of nations equal as well because, they are politically inhabited. Thus, countries were called to be part of the UN so that; they could inherit the grace of territorial equality at international levels.

However, some trust territories (nations) that were considered small or economically weak at that time were given their “independence by joining.” By this I mean, attaching their national territories and sovereignties onto other states. To a certain extent, it meant that, during the celebration of the independence day of the smaller perched nation, both nations ought to celebrate and vice versa, while recognizing each one’s uniqueness. Such was the case of the Southern Cameroons for about 12 years. It was reported that, although the Union of both nations was not officially regularized at the United Nations, both people had lived respecting their different unique values, principles and systems, including their different systems of law and education to an acceptable degree, until 1972. The discovery of oil, many have said, fueled the sudden change towards crude annexation and this has adversely affected the twin nation’s economy, social and political systems, and sadly enough has destroyed the brotherly atmosphere that should have continued to exist and create the opportunities for both camps to build on interdependence and mutual prosperity as one people.

Although the UN has no laws that forbid people to ask for self-determination or self-governance, the people of Southern Cameroons have been tortured psychologically, mentally, and many a time physically when they make allusions of their origins. I believe that, the goal of seeing nations or a people heading towards self-determination and self-rule preoccupied the UN at that time when nations were given options on independence. It is not an easy task to coordinate an individual talk, less of all nations. It is normal therefore to imagine that, certain human errors could have been made by the UN officials during those tense moments of quest for liberation by various nations. No one and no institution is perfect, but what we cannot condone in this modern day, is the justification of errors, in the face of gross monstrosity carried out due to the consequences of the excess or omissions of that era.

The death of thousands of people should be everyone’s concern especially the UN. It is part of the UN’s responsibility to look into her legacy and see how they can right the wrongs that were carried out in Southern Cameroons. The eyesore in this area is nothing short of genocide and I don’t care which side is perpetrating the evil. Evil is Evil and must be condemned. The world must not let human beings be slaughtered like animals and come around to make peace, when war stories intertwine and become complex to detach. That should be done now. Indicators oblige us to act soonest.

Africa must honour the legacy of Mr. Kofi Annan with a demonstrable stable peace, by democratizing the principles and benefits of democracy for a sustainable leadership on the continent. It is no overstatement to say that, the greatest tribute the people of this continent must pay to this noble and illustrious elder – an incredible son of Africa, is to deepen the principles of good governance, peace and security; as tenets for achieving the Africa that we all desire to see: The Africa that will competitively engage in world affairs; taking a central stage in commerce, industry, technology, education, health, agriculture, water, sanitation, aerospace-technology, and banking; a continent that will be devoid of devastating brutalities, corruption, ethnic cleansing, racial segregation, nepotism, unemployment, and all forms of crimes against humanity; a people with access to clean and potable drinking water; the Africa with nations that can feed their own and have abundance to share with the world.

Dr. Adesina, the President of African Development Bank referred to the continent as the breadbasket to the world. In as much as I agree with him to a large extent, I still maintain that Africa is the hope of the new world that’s still trapped in a poisonous web of a serious leadership crisis; a flaw that has marred the enormous possibilities and potentials we have, to feed and heal the globe.

The underpinning reason for underdevelopment and many crisis in the region, in simply terms is poor leadership. The immorality of many leaders in Africa with the support of some of their past colonial masters cannot be overstressed. With the monetization of politics that is trending rapidly, and eating up the fabric of our ethics and morality, the crisis in Cameroon may last for decades, if righteous leaders don’t emerge to condemn and find ways to right the wrongs.

Thanks to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, J.J Rawlings, Paul Kagame, and many others who gallantly sustained the freedom struggle towards justice, peace, security, and accelerated development in their nations. Africa is gradually leaving the quagmire of colonialism but, we still have got much work to do, especially on areas such as political leadership. The Crisis in Cameroon is a signal that, we still have a long way to go.

To say the least, the international community and global leadership have woefully failed to take the appropriate measures that should have curbed the crisis in Cameroon and if nothing is done now, the future would be easily foreseeable although, it would be predictions of bad omen and doom.

While we appreciate a step of peace taken by Mr Paul Biya to hold a national dialogue on the crisis, I will equally urge the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres and his Security Council together with the AU, to quickly setup a special committee – high powered taskforce made up of experts, current and former heads of states, religious leaders, civil society organizations etc, to move into Cameroon as a matter urgent and help restore hope and a sense of security and trust in this unstable climate.

Culled from Graphic.com

The opposition Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC) party says it will not participate in the much-touted national dialogue to end the country’s Anglophone crisis unless the government first releases its imprisoned leader, Maurice Kamto.

The MRC issued a statement Wednesday, warning that the dialogue proposed by President Paul Biya in a televised speech last week won’t include them without Kamto and his allied political leaders and MRC activists, among them people who, like Kamto, have been detained for seven months. They faced rebellion, incitement to insurrection and other serious charges, some of which carry the death penalty.

Further, the MRC said its president called for national dialogue as early as December 2016 during a meeting in Ngaoundéré, as the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon began to escalate and the first protesters were rounded up or killed. The MRC believed that dialogue alone was “likely to prevent the outbreak of a civil war,” the party said in its statement.

That wasn’t what happened in Cameroon, as a peaceful movement to address grievances in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions – led by lawyers, teachers and doctors – was met with Biya’s iron fist and escalated in some areas into a full-blown armed secession.

Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, who is set to lead the proposed dialogue, has said no plan for a separate Ambazonia state is on the table.

In addition to demanding the prisoner release, the MRC has a list of action items and concerns that includes Ngute’s role because, they say, his government and party affiliation cast doubt on his impartiality and will lead to an “unbalanced” dialogue.

“The direct involvement of the defense and security forces, on the one hand, and the armed groups, on the other hand, poses a particular problem,” the MRC added, noting that it sends a dangerous message for armed forces to engage in political processes.

Source: Africa Times

Cameroon’s leader Paul Biya, in an infrequent outing on Tuesday, September 10, announced talks to put to rest the crisis rocking the country’s English-speaking northwest and southwest regions – an impasse elapsing for the fourth year.

The conflict broke out in late 2016 when English-speaking Cameroonians began to protest the ongoing marginalization from the Francophone majority, who say the French-speaking majority government has consistently oppressed their language, culture and economies.

The protest movement, led mostly by teachers and lawyers, evolved into a militant separatist movement calling for the secession of English-speaking Cameroon. The government clamped down on Anglophone separatists and the conflict led to close to 2,000 people killed and over 500,000 displaced, according to the United Nations.

President Biya, who has been in power for 37 years, said the discussion would pull together people from a vast array of the country and will be chaired by Anglophone Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.

“The dialogue in question will mainly concern the situation in the northwest and southwest regions. The dialogue will, therefore, rally all the sons and daughters of our beloved and beautiful country, Cameroon, to reflect on values that are dear to us, namely: peace, security, national unity and progress,” President Biya said on public television CRTV.

Gina Sondo @GinaSondo

In view of the National Dialogue, #Cameroon’s PM Dion Ngute will meet the following…

However, there are concerns the dialogue may be limited and remote-controlled by the country’s leadership.

Agbor Nkongho, a human rights lawyer, who was part of the initial protests, wrote on Twitter on September 11, reacting to the President’s speech:

Agbor Nkongho@AgborNkonghoF

The call for an inclusive dialogue is very appreciated. I urge those who will be attending to call for the release of all those detained in connection with the crisis, the need for constitutional amendment and also to ensure that the form of the state is equally discussed.

The Anglophone crisis in context 

After World War I, Britain and France shared control over Cameroon. France ruled French Cameroon and Britain administered a territory then-called British Southern Cameroons.

French Cameroon gained independence in 1961 as La Republique du Cameroun while British Southern Cameroons voted to join La Republique du Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, made up of two states: West Cameroon (English-speaking) and East Cameroon (French-speaking).

However, the first president of Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, who held power from 1960-1982, abolished the federal system in 1972. Today, there are 10 regions in the United Republic of Cameroon, made of 8 French regions and 2 English regions.

Anglophone Cameroonians have long lamented suppression from Francophone Cameroonians, who have dominated the country’s leadership since inception.

In 1991, efforts made to incise the abscess of the Anglophone problem with a similar call for dialogue fell flat. The All Anglophone Conference in 1993 and 1994 also made no impact:

Dibussi Tande@dibussi

When Anglophone members of the Committee on Constitutional Reform, set up by @PR_Paul_BIYA in 1993, proposed an alternative Federal Constitution, the President instead convened a “Grand Debat National” to water down & sidestep Anglo demands #AnglophoneCrisis #AmbazoniaConflict

Nonetheless, President Biya recently announced a national dialogue to take place at the end of September, and several groups have already submitted proposals on how to resolve the crisis.

In one of them, the opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, led by vice-president Joshua Osih called for a neutral personality to chair the talks. Several Anglophone separatists are calling for the release of their leaders from prison after receiving life sentences.

Doubt, hope, fear ahead of talks

Netizens took to Twitter to express hope as well as doubt about the impact of the national dialogue plan. Solomon Amabo called for the need for a third-party presence to ensure transparency and inclusivity:

Solomon Amabo@solomon_amabo

Dialogue:’Who will I dialogue with?asked Mr Biya?He turns around and calls for National Dialogue,to dialogue with who then?Dialogue with ready-made resolutions-One and indivisible Cameroon?Only negotiations with 3rd party presence(UN,USA,etc)can be binding.We are not in 1961!

Peter Tah also worries about inclusivity and wonders how peace is possible without a clear ceasefire:

Peter Tah@TFomonyuy · 20hReplying to @TFomonyuy

It’s increasing clear that the national dialogue will focus on issues like bilingualism, social cohesion, cultural diversity, return of refugees, reintegration of ex-combatants & rebuilding of affected areas in the Northwest & Southwest regions of #Cameroon. #AnglophoneCrisis

Peter Tah@TFomonyuy

Looking at how predialogue talks are unfolding, it’s evident that this will be far from being inclusive. The regime seems to be picking & choosing those who would attend. Plus if this is dialogue on a crisis involving two parties, how come one party gets to draw up the agenda?

However, Biya clarified on Monday, September 16, that the national dialogues will focus on “bilingualism, cultural diversity and social cohesion, the reconstruction and development of conflict-affected areas, the return of refugees and displaced persons, the education and judicial system, but also decentralization and local development,” according to Cameroon Online.

The United Nations says it has taken in the resolve by Cameroon’s leader Paul Biya to settle the armed conflict in the country’s English-speaking regions.

The UN urged inclusive talks to end the conflict that has persisted for nearly four years:

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement made today by President Paul Biya on the launch of a national dialogue process in Cameroon. He encourages the government of Cameroon to ensure that the process is inclusive and addresses the challenges facing the country. He calls on all Cameroonian stakeholders, including the Diaspora, to participate in this effort.

Still, the September talks are announced amidst ongoing violence and a new surge of refugees fleeing insecure situations — including lockdowns and school closures for the last three years — in the northwest and southwest regions.

Culled from The Global Voice

AK-47 was designed by the late Russian inventor Mikhael Kalashnikov and put into mass production in 1947. It has since undergone little changes. Thousands of these AK47s are in the hands of the French Cameroun army and very few currently with Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

The few AK-47 rifles presently being brandished by the Southern Cameroons self-defense groups were never provided by the Ambazonia Interim Government under the disgraced Dr Ikome Sako. The former Acting President fed Southern Cameroonians with stories about a renowned broker who had agreed to supply the rifles to Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces. Till this day, nothing has arrived Ground Zero.

All what Sako Ikome and his gang claimed to have done with Ambazonia money ranged from plain fiction to the most absurd. The few AK47s that the Ambazonia Self-Defense Forces seized from the Cameroun government army soldiers were test-fired in ambushes and encounters with the Biya regime troops.

Correspondingly, we see AK47s being used against Southern Cameroons women and children by troops loyal to the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé and Southern Cameroonians in the diaspora are maintaining a kind of deliberate silence on the issue!

The AK47 is an iconic weapon of liberation armies and self defense forces throughout the world-Southern Cameroons being no exception. It is even important for the Ambazonia leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to order the inclusion into the Ambazonia flag an AK-47 in its emblem throughout this period of the struggle.

We of this publication are appealing to all Ambazonians in the diaspora to help Vice President Dabney Yerima to procure AK-47s from gunrunners in South Africa, Zimbabwe and neighbouring Nigeria. The Southern Cameroons diaspora should be mindful of the fact that even militias run by Minister Paul Atanga Nji and Mayor Patrick Ekema now carry the AK47 rifles and Chinese mining companies are donating more AK47s to the Biya regime.

The AK-47 is a favorite assault rifle because of its durability even under extreme conditions. Its accuracy is rated as good enough. Most armies have found the AK-47 easy to operate. No wonder it is also the world’s most smuggled assault rifle and is a favourite among criminal regimes like the one in Yaoundé.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

What motivates Mr Paul Biya to call for a National Dialogue on the horrendous Anglophone situation should provoke continental and global debate in charting a sustainable way forward towards building a best alternative mechanisms and a workable agreement to resolving this modern carnage in the 21st century after never again in Rwanda. 

In 2016, a strike action by the Anglophone lawyers and teachers rapidly metamorphosed to a serious crisis and by October 2017, led to an unusual unrest which has not been quelled up until today and seems to threaten the peace and security of that twin nation like nothing has ever threatened it.

The principle of self-determination is prominently embodied in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Earlier, it was explicitly embraced by US President Woodrow Wilson, by Lenin and others, and became the guiding principle for the reconstruction of Europe following World War1.

The principle was incorporated into the 1941 Atlantic Charter and the Dumbarton Oaks proposals which evolved into the United Nations Charter. Its inclusion in the UN Charter marks the universal recognition of the principle as fundamental to the maintenance of friendly relations and peace among states.

It is recognised as a right of all peoples in the first article common to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which both entered into force in 1976.

The above positions are not alien to what our compatriots and founding fathers of Africa fought and died for.

Culled from Myjoyonline.com