Southern Cameroons Crisis: Cabinet ministers work overtime

27, February 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Cabinet ministers work overtime 0

Ever since French President, Emmanuel Macron, expressed his frustration with the Yaounde government’s inability to address the issues that have triggered the fighting in the country’s English-speaking minority, the relationship between the two countries seems to be falling apart. The Ngarbuh Massacre seems to be the tipping point. The French have repeatedly called on the Yaounde government to explore other options, but the Yaounde old regime seems to be stuck in the past.

In the government’s opinion, only military violence can bring about peace in that part of the country. Unfortunately, after close to four years and billions of dollars poured into the fighting, the situation has only gotten worse, with the country’s economy taking a nosedive.

The government has been in dire straits for a long time, but Macrons public statements have clearly sent the beleaguered Yaounde government into a tailspin. The Yaounde government never expected the French to throw it under the bus. It is completely taken aback.

No man will continue to support a bad child until his death. If a child chooses to be ineffective, he must be cut out at one point and this is what appears to be playing out between France and its struggling former colony – Cameroon.

The French have stood behind the corrupt and ineffective government ever since the fighting in Cameroon started. The corrupt government’s insistence on using violent military action to wrap up the insurgency and its establishment of tribe-based militia to kill thousands of people in the two English-speaking regions have turned out to be the wedge that will separate it from its French masters who now believe that at 87, Paul Biya, Cameroon’s second president, clearly belongs to a different and distant epoch.

It takes a lot of courage and determination to speak the truth in public. The French are noted for their diplomatic double-speak and nobody could imagine that Emmanuel Macron would speak about Biya in such despicable and demeaning language. The cat is out of the bag. The Yaounde government has not only been receiving money from Paris, it has also been receiving firm instructions from the Elysee Palace on how to run the country.

Macron’s statement has really angered and weakened the Yaounde government. The hastily organized protests in front of the French Embassy in Yaounde and in other parts of Cameroon are clear testimonies to the desperation into which Mr. Macron has dumped the Yaounde government.

soldiers supporting anti French protesters in Yaounde

Generally, in Cameroon, demonstrations are not tolerated. But since Monday’s demonstrations were organized by regime surrogates, there was no tear gas and no riot police to beat, maim and kill peaceful protesters. The Yaounde regime has simply evolved from a struggling democracy into a full-blown dictatorship that has no regard for human rights and human life.

The disappointment of the Yaounde government is so glaring that even Cameroon soldiers of Beti extraction could be seen trampling on the French flag right in front of the French Embassy. This has touched some raw nerves in Paris and many French officials are already talking of sanctions against the Yaounde government that has reluctantly been talking of its sovereignty. Indeed, there is no love lost between France and Cameroon.

Cameroon soldiers of Beti extraction trampling on the French flag right in front of the French Embassy

This faux-pas made by the Yaounde regime will certainly cost it a ton of money and its reputation. Its leading donor and backer, France, is angry and there will be consequences for Yaounde’s refusal to obey instructions from the Elysee on how to deal with the Southern Cameroons crisis.

The government is aware of this and government ministers have been working overtime to see if things could be repaired before they get out of hand. Cabinet ministers in Yaounde have been calling their contacts in France to see if they can help repair the damaged relationship.

A source at the Unity Palace in Yaounde said that the Presidency has been transformed into a call center, with government officials working the phones all day long in a bid to find a genuine solution to the situation that has left cracks on the Franco-Cameroon wall of unity.

But the French are not buying into whatever excuses President Biya’s ministers are giving. Paris wants a sustainable solution to the Southern Cameroons crisis that has torn the country apart. It also wants the country’s authorities to find a solution to the socio-political crisis that was triggered by the fake presidential elections in 2018 which gave Mr. Biya another 7-year term.

Paris needs genuine solutions and not cosmetic arrangements which have become the hallmark of the beleaguered Yaounde regime.

The French president is sick and tired of being embarrassed everywhere he goes. He is being accused of aiding and abetting the criminal regime in Yaounde and this is not reflecting well on him, especially as a leader whose democracy is predicated upon democracy and human rights.

The French will be going to the polls sometime next year and the French president wants to go into the polls knowing that he has no blemishes on him. Cameroon’s multiple problems have become another Coronavirus and Mr. Macron wants to distance himself from this virus that might mar his re-election next year.

For the moment, the French are focused on finding a more viable option to Mr. Biya. He has fallen short of the international community’s expectation and he must be made to leave the political scene which should be full of young energetic Cameroonians who can engineer real and long-term solutions to the issues facing the country.

The world does not need leaders who are driven by their egos. The world needs leaders who can display a lot of flexibility when faced with tough challenges. While Mr. Biya may be the head of the corrupt regime, the crowd around him must be axed too as those are some of the people who are spreading extremism and ordering the killing of other young Cameroonians just because they want to perpetuate themselves in the corridor of power.

The cleanup will be challenging, but it must be done if Cameroon, Central Africa’s engine of growth and stability, must know long-lasting peace. The journey ahead is long, but everything is doable. With Kamto eroding the government’s credibility abroad and Southern Cameroonians sapping the economy of its vitality, it is clear that before long, the Biya regime will be on its knees just like its wobbly economy.

Cameroonians must continue to pile the pressure on the crumbling government. With the French walking away from the establishment, it is obvious that Mr. Biya and his people will soon be in the disgraceful past.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in the United Kingdom

Archbishop Andrew Nkea says Southern Cameroonians are ‘tired of war’

27, February 2020

Archbishop Andrew Nkea says Southern Cameroonians are ‘tired of war’ 0

Preaching a message of peace in a conflict-ridden region, Archbishop Andrew Fuanya Nkea took over the Archdiocese of Bamenda in Cameroon on Feb. 22.

Bamenda is the capital of Cameroon’s North West Region, which together with the South West Region, forms the English-speaking regions of the majority French-speaking nation. Bamenda is the metropolitan archdiocese for all of Anglophone Cameroon, making Nkea the de-facto leader of English-speaking Catholics in the country.

Before being appointed to the archdiocese by Pope Francis in December, the 54-year-old had headed the Diocese of Mamfé, in the South West Region.

“I come to you as a shepherd, not as a politician,” Nkea said during his installation Mass.

“I come to you as a priest, not as a businessman. I come to you as a father, not as a policeman. I come to you as a message of peace, not as a warmonger. I come to you as a crusader for justice, not as a supporter of injustice. I come to you in spirit and in truth, not in flesh and with lies. I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ,” Nkea continued.

The archbishop told those gathered in the metropolitan cathedral that he hadn’t earned his position by merit.

“It’s a choice from God. I was appointed by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. I don’t know exactly why he chose me, but God must have a reason, and I just have to open myself to his will, and through the spirit of discernment, know what God wants me to do in Bamenda,” he said.

Nkea’s appointment comes at a very precarious time for Cameroon, and especially Cameroon’s Anglophone regions.

The population of the two English-speaking regions make up about 20 percent of the country’s total, and traditionally use a school system based on England as well as the common law legal system.

In 2016, a protest by Anglophone lawyers and teachers over attempts to change the education and legal systems by the central government quickly degenerated into an armed rebellion with many English speakers demanding for outright independence, with separatists declaring their new country was called “Ambazonia.”

The conflict has killed at least 3000 people, and left over 700,000 others displaced, according to the United Nations.

In October 2019, the central government hosted a “Major National Dialogue” in which they promised to give “special status” to the Anglophone regions with a limited amount of autonomy.

The separatist leaders refused to attend the meeting and have refused to abide by its conclusions.

In November, Nkea lead a “peace caravan” to the South West Region to explain the terms of the deal, and to urge separatists to lay down their arms. Cardinal Christian Tumi, the emeritus Archbishop of Douala, led the caravan to the North West region.

“We are tired of war. We are tired of running in the bushes. We think that peace should come back,” the archbishop told Crux after his installation Mass.

“I am coming to Bamenda at a very difficult time, a time when the socio-political crisis has hit the whole ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda,” Nkea said. “We have seen a lot of suffering; we have seen a lot of killing and violence.”

Nkea said religion was a key to peace in the region.

“It’s only through the Gospel that we can permeate all the spheres of society, and like the motto of my Episcopal Ordination says, ‘In spirit and in Truth.’ Therefore, whatever we do in this archdiocese, we do it, guided by the Holy Spirit, and for the Truth, and only the Truth,” he told Crux.

During his homily at the Mass, Nkea said anything other than preaching the Gospel is “a distortion” of ministry.

I come to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the light. I come to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace,” he said.

The Mass was attended by leaders of other Christian denominations, as well as by Islamic leaders.

“We shall continue to work together in a spirit of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue,” the archbishop told them.

The papal representative to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Archbishop Julio Murat, also called for dialogue during the event.

“Nothing is lost with peace, but all is lost with war,” Murat said.

Source: Crux

Cameroon striker Christian Bassogog pledges $16,000 to compatriots in China

27, February 2020

Cameroon striker Christian Bassogog pledges $16,000 to compatriots in China 0

Cameroon attacker Christian Bassogog has announced he will donate 10m CFA Francs ($16,000 or £13,000) to Cameroonian students living in areas of China stricken by the deadly coronavirus.

The 24-year-old, who joined the Chinese Super League club Henan Jianye in 2017, is currently in Yaounde while football is suspended in China due to the virus.

Cameroon’s embassy in China says there are close to 300 Cameroonians, mainly students, living in Hubei Province, considered the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic.

Of those around 200 are currently in the city of Wuhan which has been under quarantine since 23 January.

“China has a special place in my heart and that’s where I ply my trade,” Bassogog said after meeting with Cameroon’s minister delegate of external relations in charge of the Commonwealth.

“This money is aimed at helping Cameroonian nationals living in China especially the students.

“It’s important that we come together in such periods and show such support and love to the needy.

“We want more Cameroonians across the world to reach out and support not just their country men but also China as a nation.”

His donation comes after the central African nation’s president Paul Biya ordered for 50m CFA Francs ($82000 or £65,000) to be made available to the country’s embassy in Beijing, to provide assistance to Cameroonians living in the affected areas.

Bassogog, who burst into recognition after being named the Player of the Tournament at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as Cameroon won the title, says he hopes his donation can spur more Cameroonian athletes to pay attention to the medical crisis in China.

Earlier this month, a Cameroonian student Kem Senou Pavel Daryl, was discovered to have contracted the disease in Zhengzhou, Henan province.

After two weeks of treatment, the 21-year-old showed no trace of the ailment, becoming the first African person known to be infected with the deadly coronavirus and the first to recover.

Source: BBC

Police called as Ambazonia protester attempts to set herself on fire outside Cameroon High Commission in London

27, February 2020

Police called as Ambazonia protester attempts to set herself on fire outside Cameroon High Commission in London 0

Firefighters were called out to Holland Park in Kensington this afternoon (Wednesday, February 26) after a protester attempted to set herself on fire outside the Cameroonian High Commission.

A protest was taking place outside the embassy in reaction to the Ngarbuh massacre, which took place on February 14.

A Metropolitan Police said: “At around 2.10pm officers became aware of a woman attempting to douse herself in petrol and set herself on fire during a pre-planned event in Holland Park.

“Officers who were present immediately intervened and safeguarded the woman, who was not successful in igniting her clothing.

“The London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service also attended – medics assessed the woman at the scene and she was not found to be injured.”

At least 22 civilians were killed in the massacre which has been blamed on government forces in Ngarbuh, in the north west of the African country.

Reports on the incident state that at least 13 children and one woman were killed in the attack.

Source: My London

A plea from Southern Cameroons: “Take up our case to God”

27, February 2020

A plea from Southern Cameroons: “Take up our case to God” 0

A pastor has shared firsthand information regarding a dire situation in Cameroon. The pastor’s name and other details are being withheld in an effort to increase security yet still communicate candidly.

No civilian in Bamenda, Cameroon is safe any longer, he reported: “No protection from the military, no protection from the so-called freedom fighters. The situation is such that both military and militia are fighting against the innocent population.”

He further reported that, early each morning in one corner of the town, the militia attacks and kills people, claiming they are supporters of the government. “Then they will shoot, burn and run away,” he said, but a few minutes later, the military will appear at the scene. “They will accuse the same harassed population on the claim that they are hiding and aiding the militia,” he described. “Then a new process of killing and burning will be done now by the military.”

People are still managing – sometimes – to go to church, he reported, but during a recent worship service, the militia came in and stopped the service by beating up Christians and shooting some. “Then we all ran away back home,” he said. “We are only saved from above.”

The church is under serious attack, he continued. “Pastors are beaten daily to near death by both parties,” he said, asking for daily prayers. “But I and others are trying daily to push through and be a help to the broken.”

Their ecumenical bond is strong, the pastor said. “We are bound to work together,” he said. “How united can the church become in the bad times?”

Differences in doctrine seems to melt away in the smell of gun powder and in the face of the pellet, he added. “So please…take up our case to God. Sing for our God to forgive us and bless even the souls of those we will lose today or tomorrow,” he said. “Pray for us trying to brave it and help others who are already broken.”

“Pray for government without a heart or pity in Cameroon. Above all, pray for the return of peace, schools, life and blessings in Cameroon.”

Culled from World Council of Churches

Francophone dominated Court Orders Partial Election Rerun in Southern Cameroons

27, February 2020

Francophone dominated Court Orders Partial Election Rerun in Southern Cameroons 0

Cameroon’s constitutional council has ordered a rerun of the February 9 national assembly election in a majority of the crisis prone English-speaking regions due to allegations of widespread irregularities and fraud by President Paul Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement party, which was declared the winner. The opposition Social Democratic Front that filed the complaint says it is ready for the rerun as the constitutional councils verdict that can not be appealed.

It was a very happy opposition Social Democratic Front when Clement Atangana, chief justice of Cameroon’s constitutional council, pronounced the verdict calling for the rerun of the February 9 national assembly (lower house of parliament) election in a majority of the crisis prone English-speaking regions.

Among the hundreds of candidates, observers and supporters of the various political parties was Denis Kemlemo, spokesperson of the opposition Social Democratic Front and electoral candidate in the English-speaking Lebialem administrative unit.

Kemlemo says he is happy that the constitutional council, which has often been accused of being manipulated by President Paul Biya, is neutral in its judgment.

Kemlemo says he is very thankful to God, who has inspired the constitutional council to render true justice for once, because he can strongly confirm as an eye witness and a major player that no elections were held in a majority of the polling stations as voters fled for their lives.

The Social Democratic Front was one of more than 40 political parties that filed petitions with the constitutional council stating that the national assembly elections were marred by violence and massive fraud committed by the ruling party. Opposition leaders accused the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement of ballot stuffing.  The opposition also accused the military, sent by the government to protect voters from insurgents seeking  to disrupt the polling, of casting multiple votes for the ruling party.

The government has denied the accusations.

The constitutional council determined there was massive fraud by the ruling party, assisted by the government. It found that the elections management body ELECAM created new polling centers on the eve of the polling and informed only the ruling party of where the centers were created. The constitutional council also ruled that people identified as opposition supporters were chased from polling stations and that separatist fighters who had vowed to disrupt the elections prohibited a majority of voters from casting their  ballots.

Joseph Mbah Ndam, lead counsel for the SDF, says the verdict reflects what transpired in the English-speaking regions where clashes between the military and separatists left scores dead on election day.

Ndam says the verdict of the constitutional council confirms that the separatist crisis in the English speaking northwest and southwest regions remains so violent that no just and credible elections can take place.

Joseph Mbah Ndam, lead counsel for the SDF Cameroon Constitutional Council in Yaounde, Cameroon on Feb. 25, 2020. (VOA/Moki Edwin Kindzeka)
Joseph Mbah Ndam, lead counsel for the SDF Cameroon Constitutional Council in Yaounde, Cameroon on Feb. 25, 2020.

Gregoire Owona, assistant secretary-general of the ruling CPDM party, says the party is disappointed but will respect the verdict.

Owona says President Paul Biya’s Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement political party is very frustrated by the verdict because it worked so hard to secure victories in a majority of the English-speaking regions, in spite of the crisis. He says as a republican party, it accepts the verdict of the constitutional council and is already preparing for the rerun.

According to Cameroon’s electoral code, the verdict of the constitutional council can not be appealed and fresh election have to be organized in a minimum of 20 days and a maximum of 40 days after the court verdict. But there are still fears the election may not be successful as the separatist crisis has continued with the military and rebels involved in running battles.

More than 30 other petitions to partially or totally cancel the election due to fraud were rejected for lack of evidence.

Source: VOA

Chinese football transfer market collapses in face of coronavirus

27, February 2020

Chinese football transfer market collapses in face of coronavirus 0

A double blow of the coronavirus and a new salary cap has seen the bottom fall out of Chinese football’s transfer market, while Odion Ighalo led what could become an exodus of foreign stars.

Shanghai SIPG smashed the Asian transfer record when they signed Oscar from Chelsea three years ago for €60 million, with Hulk, Marouane Fellaini, Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez all moving to China in recent years.

Their arrivals put Chinese football on the map and provoked consternation in Europe’s major leagues that Chinese clubs were distorting the transfer market with world-leading wages.

But with wages now capped at €3 million a year, and the Chinese Super League on hold over the coronavirus outbreak, China isn’t the destination it once was.

China’s winter transfer window looks poised to close with a whimper on Friday, with Chinese Super League clubs spending just €28 million so far, the lowest since 2011.

There were two notable departures with striker Ighalo joining Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua and Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco returning to Atletico Madrid from Dalian.

China’s domestic football is indefinitely suspended because of the virus outbreak, which has killed nearly 2,800 people in the country and has now spread around the world.

Harry Belford Spencer, co-founder of First Pick Group, a Shanghai-based sports advisory company, said the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus had put off prospective foreign signings and dissuaded Chinese clubs from doing business.

“You are not going to invest a lot of money as a club if you don’t really know what’s happening,” said the Briton, who is involved in the Chinese transfer scene.

“You are signing these players with the intention of them playing earlier (from the start of the season in February), and there’s now this delay.

“You don’t want to build up a big wage bill and that’s probably why you see a guy like Ighalo joining United because why would Shanghai Shenhua want him on their books paying a salary when they’re not playing football?”

– Cooling measures –

Even before now, China’s transfer market had begun to cool after the Chinese Football Association brought in measures to encourage clubs to develop youth players.

The most significant was a 100 percent tax on foreign signings of more than 45 million yuan (€6 million), introduced in 2017.

In December, the CFA said that foreign players could not earn more than €3 million a year after tax.

That torpedoed any chance of Gareth Bale, who was on the verge of joining Jiangsu Suning from Real Madrid last summer, coming to China.

The salary cap will not affect existing contracts — SIPG’s attacking midfielder Oscar is one of the best-paid players in the world on a reported €26 million a year.

But it will hit foreign players when it comes to renewing, meaning they are likely to look outside China when their current deals expire.

– ‘Difficult for clubs’ –

In a sign of how Chinese clubs’ spending has plummeted this winter, the most expensive transfer over the last two months was Brazilian Ricardo Lopes, who went to SIPG from Jeonbuk Motors for €5.46 million.

The outlay this winter is the lowest since the 2011 window, with CSL clubs relying on free transfers, loans or signings for nominal fees.

Nine of the 16 sides in the league have not spent a penny, including Fabio Cannavaro’s champions Guangzhou Evergrande, according to transfermarkt.com figures.

While foreign players are hesitant to come to China because of the virus, domestic transfers have also slowed considerably because of the impact on everyday life and difficulties clubs face trying to plan for a season that has no start date.

Spencer, who expects the transfer market to pick up somewhat once the health crisis eases, said: “The virus of course makes it difficult for clubs to take players in.

“Whilst lots of China isn’t affected, it’s a reality of: do you want to play in China at the moment?”

Source:  AFP

Southern Cameroons-French Cameroun Crisis: No dialogue between close enemies

26, February 2020

Southern Cameroons-French Cameroun Crisis: No dialogue between close enemies 0

As the number of victims continues to pile up, the possibility of holding talks to end the Anglophone crisis seems remote.

A united family.

In the foreground sits a gold and coral tiered cake which matches the first lady’s dress. An immaculately dressed Paul Biya wears the hint of a smile.

For his 87th birthday, the head of state is surrounded by his loves ones: Franck, his son, two of his granddaughters and, of course, his wife Chantal. On this day, 13 February, only the sound of the water streaming down into the fountains of his home in Mvomeka’a seems capable of disturbing the calm of the Biya clan.

On 14 February, the din of bullets put an end to the tranquillity of the presidential fountains in the south.

At 2 p.m., soldiers burst into the neighbourhood of Ngarbuh in the North-West region. The death toll: 23, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, including 15 children, nine of whom were under the age of five. According to witness accounts, their bodies were burned at the same time as homes.

As the smoke subsides, indignation rises. Felix Agbor Mballa, lawyer and chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), condemned “the horrible murder” of women and children “by the state defence forces,” with army spokesperson Colonel Cyrille Atonfack Guemo tersely retorting that “the Cameroonian defence and security forces were not involved in this massacre.”Daily newsletter: join our 100 000 subscribers!Each day, get the essential: 5 things you need to know Sign up Also receive offers from The Africa ReportAlso receive offers from The Africa Report’s partners

Who can be believed? A few hours later, the defence minister called the killings a “regrettable incident.” The army is believed to have attacked a “fortified camp” of Ambazonian separatists and “the explosion of several fuel containers” killed “five victims, including a woman and four children, far from what is reported in social networks.”

An investigation has been opened by the national gendarmerie and military security.

Mballa tweeted that “an independent commission of inquiry should be set up to investigate the killings” and “should include members of the civil society, clergy and government.” Opposition figure Akere Muna lamented that “Suffering, death and killing are now the new normal.” At the time of this writing, President Biya had not publicly addressed the crisis, despite the growing violence these past months.

On 15 January, a young man was killed and his father injured near Bamenda as they tried to avoid the security checkpoints manned by separatists. On 23 January, soldiers attacked the village of Ndoh in the South-West region, killing 14. An endless litany of such acts has been perpetrated since 2017.

At least 8,000 Cameroonians have fled to Nigeria in the past three weeks, taking the number of refugees up to more than 60,000. In addition, some 680,000 people have been displaced by the conflict. In three years, the violence has killed at least 3,000 people.

Acts of violence and retaliations

Local communities, caught in a vice between an army accused of committing acts of violence and separatists keen to launch retaliatory attacks, are living in the grip of fear.

On 9 February, the day of parliamentary and municipal elections, polling stations in the Anglophone regions were empty.

A person close to the country’s top leaders commented: “Why did the government organise elections when they knew that the Anglophones couldn’t go out and vote? It just reinforces the idea that they’re not a part of Cameroon. The government has focused on a political solution, but that doesn’t change the fact that, facing poorly equipped guerrilla forces, the army isn’t capable of resolving the situation.”

Recently, there have been calls for the withdrawal of military forces and the introduction of African Union (AU) or UN peacekeeping forces. A letter on the matter was even recently sent to President Biya, but it has not received a response.

In reality, Cameroon’s diplomats have been working to discourage any foreign intervention. The country’s Minister of External Relations Lejeune Mbella, who represented Biya at the AU Summit held in Addis Ababa in early February, passed on a message to the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has expressed concern over the deterioration of the situation.

In essence, Mbella claimed that things are starting to go back to normal and repeated the dictum hammered home by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute over the past months: a firm response on the ground and the implementation of measures put forward – namely increased decentralisation – at the Major National Dialogue held in October 2019.

According to Eric Chinje, a former journalist who took part in the dialogue, “We’ve been waiting for four months now, but nothing has been done. The government needs to give its Anglophone citizens grounds to believe in its good faith.”

“The time for dialogue has passed. We’ve entered the reform implementation phase,” said a Cameroonian adviser in Addis Ababa. “Foreigners have to respect our sovereign will. We’re well aware that the only motive behind their interference is to drive out President Biya,” he added, referring to the Americans.

As it happens, the response of Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, to the crisis has been very active, from Washington DC to Addis Ababa, not to mention within the United Nations Security Council in New York City.

A game of influence

According to a diplomat involved in the feud, “The US and France are in a battle. The Americans are promoting a sanctions-based policy, while the French are supporting the Cameroon government’s narrative and blocking any initiative by the UN.”

Moreover, the UN prefers to err on the side of caution and wait for the AU to take a stance. But can the AU intervene? In Addis Ababa, Biya (who never goes there) is backed by his Central African peers, particularly Chad’s President Idriss Déby Itno.

According to a document we obtained, the Cameroonian conflict was discussed during a closed meeting at the most recent AU summit.

However, the pan-African organisation restricted itself to commending the government for “having held a national dialogue” and “giving peace a chance.” The same diplomat quoted above commented: “Cameroon can just grin and bear it until the West starts to look away.”

In Yaoundé, the game of influence playing out within the president’s inner circle is further paralysing the situation. Some members have taken on the role of “hawks,” such as Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, Civil Cabinet Director, and Paul Atanga Nji, Territorial Administration Minister.

Others, like the prime minister, act tough while simultaneously attempting to quietly negotiate with Ambazonian separatists.

Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute at the opening of the national dialogue in Yaounde
Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute at the opening of the national dialogue in Yaounde on 30 September 2019. DR / National Dialogue

Lastly, a few people from the inner circle of Ferdinand Ngoh, the president’s Secretary-General, are encouraging talks entrusted to a third party outside Cameroon.

Will the possibility of a succession battle for the president’s top spot, the date of which everyone is clearly in the dark about, encourage the war’s continuation?

“Biya lets different policies co-exist without giving official guidelines, which blocks the entire process,” said a person involved in the matter. He has made a political art of this management style for several decades now.

According to a source close to the president, “He seems paralysed by a system he himself was the architect of. But does he want his political legacy to be a country torn by bloodshed?”

Empty-chair strategy

According to our sources, the government does not intend to send a representative to the symposium organised in Kenya in April by the Africa Forum, a grouping of former African heads of state and government. “It’s a foreign initiative that doesn’t concern us,” said a Cameroonian diplomat.

As for the talks initiated with the Ambazonians under the auspices of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), they have reached a standstill. The government decided to withdraw from them at least until the measures set out at the Major National Dialogue in October 2019 are implemented.

Two other international meetings that seek to find a solution to the crisis will be held at the end of March in Potsdam, Germany and Washington DC, but once again, Cameroon’s authorities will not be in attendance.

Source: The Africa Report

Government forces and armed ethnic Fulani killed at least 21 in Ngarbuh, including 13 children and 1 pregnant woman

26, February 2020

Government forces and armed ethnic Fulani killed at least 21 in Ngarbuh, including 13 children and 1 pregnant woman 0

Government forces and armed ethnic Fulani killed at least 21 civilians in Cameroon’s Ngarbuh village, including 13 children and 1 pregnant woman, on February 14, 2020. They also burned five homes, pillaged scores of other properties, and beat residents. Some of the bodies of the victims were found burned inside their homes. The government denies that its troops have deliberately committed crimes.

“The gruesome killings of civilians, including children, are egregious crimes that should be effectively and independently investigated, and those responsible should be brought to justice,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Denying that these crimes have occurred adds another layer of trauma to survivors and will only embolden government troops to commit more atrocities.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed 25 people, including 3 witnesses to the killings and 7 relatives of victims, about these events that took place in Ngarbuh, Donga Mantung division, in the North-West region. This area has been severely affected by violence between government forces and armed groups seeking a separate state for the North-West and South-West anglophone regions. Ethnic Fulani also live in and around Ngarbuh. They are known as “Mbororo” and are mainly pastoralists.

Human Rights Watch also obtained lists of the victims’ names from five sources and spoke to people, including relatives of the victims and residents who carried out the burials, who independently confirmed the victims’ identities.

Witnesses said that between 10 and 15 soldiers, including members of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, the elite unit of the Cameroonian army, and at least 30 armed Fulani first entered Ngarbuh 1, a neighborhood in Ngarbuh, on foot at about 11 p.m. on February 13, looting scores of homes. Some of these forces then continued to the Ngarbuh 2 neighborhood, looting homes and beating civilians. At around 5 a.m. on February 14, a group of soldiers and armed Fulani attacked the Ngarbuh 3 neighborhood, killing 21 civilians in four homes, then burning the houses.

Human Rights Watch also reviewed satellite imagery taken before and after the attack in Ngarbuh 3. The post-attack image, taken at 10:24 a.m. Cameroon time on February 14, shows several homes in Ngarbuh with damage that is consistent with burning.

A 32-year-old man who witnessed the killing of his whole family, including seven children, said: “I heard gunshots and left immediately to hide beside my house. From there, I saw the military shooting my family members one by one as they attempted to escape. They shot our mother first. Then, they shot the children, whose bodies all fell on her. Then, they set my home on fire.”

Human Rights Watch made several attempts to contact a senior member of the government but did not receive a response. Cameroon’s defense minister issued two statements on February 17. He first announced that the government had opened an investigation and that its findings would be made public. In a second statement later that day, he stated that the investigation findings “could be published at an appropriate time.” Both statements asserted that armed “terrorists” attacked government security forces and that the fighting led to an explosion of fuel containers, which destroyed several homes and killed one woman and four children. This assertion was restated on February 18 in a news release from the communication minister.

However, witnesses and residents with whom Human Rights Watch spoke said that there was no confrontation between armed separatists and security forces, that they heard no explosions, and that the killings were deliberate.

Residents said the attack was to punish civilians suspected of harboring separatist fighters. Twelve witnesses said that, after the killings, the military addressed residents in Ngarbuh 2, warning that their village would be destroyed if they continued to shelter separatists.

During and after this speech, soldiers threatened people, admitting that they had killed children in Ngarbuh 3, and saying that they would do the same in Ngarbuh 2. “The military broke into my house,” a 45-year old woman said. “They said my children were Amba fighters [separatists] and they searched for guns. They found none, but they beat me and said: ‘We have already killed children in Ngarbuh 3, so we can kill you too.’”

On February 16, a joint team of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees attempted to carry out a humanitarian needs assessment in Ngarbuh, but Rapid Intervention Battalion soldiers blocked them in Ntumbaw, the village closest to Ngarbuh, where the UN teams had started interviewing those displaced by the attack. Witnesses said that the soldiers photographed those who were being interviewed and prevented the UN team from doing its work.

The UN secretary-general in a February 17 statement expressed concern over the killing of civilians in Ngarbuh and urged the government of Cameroon to open an investigation and hold those responsible accountable. The following day, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson said that Cameroonian authorities should ensure that its security forces “abide by applicable international law norms standards during the conduct of their operations.” On February 21, four UN officials, including the special representative for children and armed conflict, the special representative on sexual violence in conflict, the special representative on violence against children, and the special adviser on the prevention of genocide, issued a joint statement expressing their deep concern about reports of increasing violence in the Anglophone regions, including the attack on Ngarbuh, and called on the Cameroon government to ensure full respect for human rights.

The United States called for the government to authorize an independent investigation and ensure safety for witnesses. The killings in Ngarbuh were also condemned by other countries, including France, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

This is not the first time that the Cameroonian authorities have denied that its troops killed civilians. In 2018, an investigation conducted by Amnesty International, the BBC, and investigative journalists showed that Cameroonian soldiers depicted in a video carried out extrajudicial executions of two women and two children in the Far North region. The communication minister initially dismissed the video footage as “fake news.” However, seven soldiers were later arrested in connection with the killings. The trial is ongoing.

“The government of Cameroon should allow an independent investigation, with participation from the UN, into the Ngarbuh massacre, and make its findings public,” said Allegrozzi. “To be certain that assistance is not facilitating the commission of atrocities, Cameroon’s partners should halt military cooperation pending the results of such an inquiry.”

Background

Ethnic Fulani living in and around Ngarbuh are also known as “Mbororo” and are mainly pastoralists. Prior to the escalation of the crisis in the Anglophone regions, conflicts had occurred between the Fulani and local farmers over resources, including grazing land. This has been exacerbated since 2017, when violence erupted in the North-West and South-West regions. Armed separatists have targeted ethnic Fulani for their cattle in the North-West region and have accused them of joining vigilante groups sympathetic to the government. Armed Fulani groups have also attacked communities where armed separatists are known to operate.

Killings in Ngarbuh 3

Human Rights Watch research suggests that the killing of civilians in Ngarbuh 3 was deliberate. Witnesses and residents said that between 10 and 15 security force members acted jointly with a group of about 30 ethnic Fulani men who wore civilian clothes and were armed with machetes, clubs, and hunting guns.

Three witnesses said that the attack in Ngarbuh 3 took place at around 5 a.m. on February 14, 2020. Soldiers and armed Fulani attacked four houses, fatally shooting some residents. They also set the houses on fire, burning the bodies.

In one house, soldiers killed seven people, including five children, all from the same family. A 45-year-old relative who rushed to the scene after the killing said that four of the children were younger than 12.

In a second house, soldiers and armed Fulani killed nine people, including seven children and two women.

A resident who was among the people who buried the bodies told Human Rights Watch: “When I arrived at the scene, I could not believe my eyes. It was horrific. Some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition. Survivors were shocked and in panic. But many fled into the bush fearing for their lives.”

In a third house, military and armed Fulani killed two people, including a pregnant woman.

In a fourth house, military and armed Fulani killed three people, including a child. A woman living in the house was severely wounded but survived. A relative of the victims said he found the sole survivor with machete wounds all over her body.

Looting and Beatings

Twelve witnesses described how security forces and armed Fulani pillaged homes in Ngarbuh 1 and in Ngarbuh 2, forced people outside, and beat them.

A 32-year-old woman said that soldiers threatened to kill her if she did not give them money. “They kept beating me with the back of their guns and asking for money,” she said.

Another resident of Ngarbuh 2, a pastor, said:

The military were with a group of armed Fulani. They broke into and pillaged all the homes in Ngarbuh 2. They pulled people out, including me, and gathered us together at the village square, near the market. Some people were tied up with ropes. We were forced to the ground on our bellies. We could not raise our heads. When you looked up, they would beat you with machetes…. We were eventually released.

Culled from Human Rights Watch

US: Questions arise after Melania Trump’s unemployed sister Ines Knauss receives citizenship

26, February 2020

US: Questions arise after Melania Trump’s unemployed sister Ines Knauss receives citizenship 0

Melania Trump isn’t exactly the most public US First Lady we’ve seen in recent administrations, and we know almost no details about her life other than that she was a model and then married Donald Trump. To many Americans, she seems like the loneliest person in the White House right now, but she does have one person she can always count on—her sister, Ines Knauss.

Knauss is a few years older than Melania and lived near the Trumps on Park Avenue. She’s an artist and fashion designer.

Shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated, the New York Post referred to Knauss as “the older sister nobody knows” and Town & Country called her the “secret sister.”

But for a member of the Trump family, the first lady chooses to be a lot more private online than, say, Donald Trump himself or his children. Despite her relative secrecy, Melania Trump still mentioned her sister in her speech at the Republican National Convention in 2016. The now-first lady said Knauss was “an incredible woman and a friend.”

According to the Express, Ines Knauss obtained her citizenship last year, around the same time Melania’s parents obtained their citizenship.

Of course there are many questions about how Melania received her visa when she originally moved to the US, as the first lady obtained the “Einstein” visa for “extraordinary ability.”

While we can’t expect everyone in Donald Trump’s orbit to be an enthusiastic Twitter user, it’s hard to stress just how little is known for sure about Knauss. In fact, the same half dozen or so facts about her are written into almost relevant every article.

Ines does have an open Instagram account, but it appears she only posts photos of Melania and Barron from gossip magazines.

First, the New York Post confirmed via property records in 2017 that Knauss lived in a Trump Organization-owned Penthouse near Melania Trump. Town & Country reported that it’s the same building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that daughter and special adviser Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner lived in prior to their move to Washington, D.C. It’s unclear if Knauss still lives there now that Melania Trump has moved to Washington, D.C.

Next, she frequently shares vintage (the ’90s are now retro!) photos of Melania Trump on Facebook. After the New York Post published a get-to-know-her report on the first lady’s sister, she appeared to remove a few public posts, but some are still visible. Knauss’ Twitter account also seems to be private.

What is really impressive is that for all the professional photos of Melania Trump in photo services like Getty or the Associated Press, there seems to only be one of Knauss from 2005, seen here in Town & Country. In it, she’s pictured with her sister as well as Palm Beach philanthropist Audrey Gruss. “They are very close,” Gruss told the New York Post when they met at a fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago resort. “She struck me as a lovely person, and extremely creative.”

Speaking of Mar-a-Lago, CNN reports that Knauss served as Melania Trump’s maid of honor when she wed Donald Trump at the resort in 2005.

As Town & Country reported, the sisters were born with the last name Knavs and grew up together in Slovenia. They moved to Milan, Italy together in the early 1990s, where Ines wanted to break into fashion design while Melania was beginning to model – the career path that would lead her to meet her future husband.

“She really wanted to be in fashion but didn’t know how to break in,” Paris-based photographer Ale de Basseville told the New York Post. “Ines wasn’t like the other girls you would meet there, who behave like queens. She was really polite and very mellow.”

It’s reported that Ines Knauss is now an artist. Melania Trump has previously shared her sister’s pencil-based sketches on Twitter.

It’s a rare accomplishment to be in the Trump orbit and have so little publicity surrounding you, but Knauss has managed to retain a relatively large amount of privacy.

(Source: Political Flare)

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