22, January 2020

Southern Cameroons War: Government, Separatists Indicted For Killings, Torture, Kidnappings ⁰

“Human Rights Watch, HRW, has released its 2020 report on the human rights barometer on Cameroon, in which it has indicted Cameroon Government forces for killings, destruction of property, burning of villages, torture, alongside other human rights violations.”

The report also indicted Separatist fighters in the Anglophone Regions for kidnappings, torture, and occupation of schools.

Citing examples from documented cases, the HRW report on the situation in Cameroon, dwelling on the happenings of 2019, noted in its opening statement that: “Armed groups and Government forces committed widespread human rights abuses across Cameroon throughout 2019.”

The report, though largely concerned with the atrocities in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of the country, also documented attacks by the Boko Haram sect in Cameroon’s northern regions. It points out that the sect carried out over 100 attacks, killing over 100 civilians in 2019.

On the situation in Anglophone Cameroon, the report noted: “In Anglophone Regions, violence intensified as Government forces conducted large-scale security operations and armed Separatists carried out increasingly sophisticated attacks.

Over 3,000 civilians and hundreds of security forces personnel have been killed in the Anglophone Regions since 2016 when the crisis started. The unrest in these regions led to the displacement of over half-a-million people.”

Killings, destruction of Property, Torture by Government Forces Narrowing its report to groups, and pointing out their abuses, HRW accused Cameroon Government forces of destroying property, killings, torture, among others.

“Responding to increasing attacks by armed Separatist groups, security forces killed scores of people, burned hundreds of homes and other property in villages and cities across the Northwest and Southwest Regions, and tortured suspected Separatists in detention,” the report states.

The report cited the February 6 storming of the Bole Bakundu Market by State security officers, leading to the death of 10 men; the April 4 assault on Meluf village in the Northwest Region, which led to the killing five civilian males, including one with a mental disability, and wounding one woman.

Eighty homes were broken into, looted and some burnt; the May 15 incident in Mankon, Bamenda was cited, where Air Force and BIR soldiers killed three men, and burnt over 70 houses; the September 24 attack on the Bafut Royal Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site – where soldiers wounded a man and looted the palace museum, taking several precious artefacts; the incommunicado detentions of several people at the State Defense Secretariat, popularly known by its French acronym, SED, where Gendarmes and other security operatives used torture, including severe beatings and near-drowning, as well as other ill-treatment to force suspects to confess crimes or to humiliate and punish them.

The report also stated that: “While the Government maintained it did not tolerate crimes committed by security forces, it failed to demonstrate progress in investigating and punishing them.”

Kidnappings, Torture, Occupation of Schools By armed Separatists HRW’s report also indicted separatist fighters, stating that: “Armed Separatist groups have killed, tortured, assaulted, and kidnapped dozens of people, including students, teachers, clergy, and administrative and traditional authorities.”

Citing particular cases, HRW pointed out the February 16 abduction of 170 students, mostly girls under 18, a teacher, and two guards from a boarding school in Kumbo, who were released a day after; the mid-May torture of a man in an abandoned school in Bali village, Northwest Region; the June 18 incident where over 40 people were beaten and robbed in Bafut; the June 28 abduction of SDF’s Chairman, John Fru Ndi, as well as the abduction of the Bamenda Archbishop, Cornelius Fontem Esua.

Apart from the situation in Anglophone Cameroon, HRW also documented the crackdown on opposition protests, as well as the detention of peaceful protesters. It also recorded the crackdown on sexual relations between persons of the same sex.

The report also cited the lack of transparency in the trial of security personnel accused of carrying out human rights violations. It stated that: “The visible lack of accountability appears to have fuelled abuses, including killings, destruction of property and torture.”

The report mentioned the US’s decision to scale back military support to Cameroon, due to the country’s alarming human rights abuses. It also mentioned Germany’s decision to end its military cooperation with Cameroon, alongside the stance of other international actors, who generally take exception to the many human rights cases of abuse by the Cameroon Government, especially in Anglophone Regions.

Culled from Cameroon Info.Net

21, January 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Native doctors wanted ⁰

There is an acute shortage of native doctors today in the country’s two English-speaking regions of the country due to the ongoing civil war that is tearing the country apart.

Most native doctors, who used to say they could even prevent thunder from striking, have all vanished ever since the civil war broke out.

Native doctors have been targeted by both government forces and Amba fighters for different reasons.

Government troops accuse them of preparing the amulets, known as Odeshi, which are supposedly protecting the fighters against the military’s superior fire power.

Amba boys, for their part, have been targeting these doctors whose ability to protect anybody against death has not been tested.

Some Amba fighters have even had to take the native doctors with them to their jungle for them to spend time on practices that can protect them against bullets.

But some of the native doctors have been killed by bullets during fierce confrontations between the warring factions. Strangely, they could not protect themselves.

Speaking to a native doctor from Kumba who has become an IDP in Douala in East Cameroon, he said that the fighting had ruined his business.

Asked why he had to leave Kumba due to the fighting, he said bullets did not need a visa to reach anybody, adding that it would be foolhardy for anyone to stand in the way of a roaring bullet.

He added that most of his work tools had been ruined due to the fighting; stressing that living in East Cameroon was like living in Hell as he could not speak French.

He said he was praying for the fighting to end, adding that he had embraced God and would be mixing western religion and his native medicine to produce better results.

He urged his colleagues who had fled to Nigeria to return home so that they could work together to bring about peace in the war-torn country.

He pointed out that poverty was stalking him like a stubborn shadow since he had lost his clients and constituting a new client base in East Cameroon was indeed challenging.

He stressed that there were many mentally-ill people today in the two English-speaking regions of the country because of the war, adding that if the war had stopped, he and his colleagues could have helped to stabilize those who have been mentally and psychologically scarred by the war.

He opined that more native doctors would be required, as many had died due to poverty and lost business opportunities.

He indicated that there was a lot of work for new native doctors, especially those who could stand the pressure and stress of dealing with mentally-ill persons.

By Joachim Arrey

21, January 2020

Battle For Ambazonia: SDF in turmoil as local elections approach ⁰

The opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), destabilised by the mass exodus of its militants, most of whom have become the target of separatist militias, is divided over its participation in the local elections of 9 February.

With close to 40 members held hostage and three cadres’ residences torched, the SDF is suffering the full brunt of reprisals by armed militias operating in English-speaking regions. These militias continue to target those participating in the electoral process, initiated by President Paul Biya at the end of 2019. In the run-up to the February legislative and municipal elections, the SDF’s electoral strategy is causing divisions within the party.

In the North-West and South-West regions, strongholds of the SDF, members of the leading opposition party (in terms of the number of members elected to parliament) are being targeted by the militias, who have openly called for their “neutralisation” since the publication of the candidate lists, which are now closed. As a sign of the extent of the danger, John Fru Ndi, president of the SDF, was forced to abandon his residence in Bamenda and take refuge in Yaoundé “because of numerous death threats”.

While Biya’s historic challenger has often claimed he would be “ready to die in Bamenda if need be”, the aftermath of his last abduction in late June, which forces him to travel regularly to the United States for treatment, seems to have changed his mind.

Fear of further defeat

Within the SDF, the issue of participation in the February local elections is divisive. A fringe of the party, mostly comprising the remaining grassroots in the English-speaking regions, openly opposes involvement in the process. For them, the wounds the last presidential election — in which the SDF conceded a historic defeat by finishing fourth, a first since its creation in 1990 — are raw, and fears of a new setback are uppermost in their minds.

Before leaving Cameroon on 11 January, Fru Ndi reaffirmed his party would take part in the elections.

“The SDF has never had an easy election in Cameroon. We have even often had to win elections, and then we were beaten up and had our victory stolen. But we are competing because we want to let the world know that we are ready for these elections,” he told the press.

Differing opinions

According to internal sources, the SDF’s participation in the elections is a foregone conclusion, although Fru Ndi does not rule out a possible withdrawal from the race.

“If these elections are not held in safe conditions, we will cancel our participation,” he said. “We have until February to see what the situation is on the ground and draw conclusions,” said Joshua Osih, who took the reins of the party in the absence of the chairman.

Several withdrawals

However, on the ground, supporters of the boycott have already thrown in the towel. In Bamenda, Batibo, Bafut, and Bali, announcements of the withdrawal of the SDF candidates have been made one after the other and have provoked numerous comments.

Awabeng Daniel Babila, a former candidate for municipal elections in Bali, chose to resign, saying, “I have lost loved ones in this crisis. I was advised not to run, which I did. I am no longer a member of the SDF nor of any political party.”

These cascading withdrawals could seriously threaten the SDF’s chances — already weakened — in the February elections. Unlike the 2013 local elections, in which the party presented 103 candidates, only 61 candidates were registered for the upcoming polls.

Source: The Africa Report

21, January 2020

Climate change to take centre stage at Davos ⁰

The starkly opposed visions of US President Donald Trump and Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg on climate change will clash in Davos on Tuesday as the World Economic Forum tries to face up to the perils of global warming on its 50th meeting.

The four-day gathering of the world’s top political and business leaders in the Swiss Alps gets under way seeking to meet head-on the dangers to both the environment and economy from the heating of the planet.

Trump, who has repeatedly expressed scepticism about climate change, is set to give the first keynote address of Davos 2020 on Tuesday morning, on the same day as his impeachment trial opens at the Senate in Washington.

Around the same time, Thunberg will also attend a meeting at the forum, where she is expected to underline the message that has inspired millions around the world — that governments are failing to wake up to the reality of climate change.

The forum’s own Global Risks report published last week warned that “climate change is striking harder and more rapidly than many expected” with global temperatures on track to increase by at least three degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) towards the end of the century.

There are no expectations that the two, who have exchanged barbs through Twitter, will actually meet, but the crowded venue and intense schedule mean a chance encounter cannot be ruled out.

When Trump and his entourage walked through UN headquarters last year at the annual General Assembly, a photo of the teenager staring in apparent fury at the president from the sidelines went viral.

‘No turning point’

Sustainability is the buzzword at the forum, which began in 1971, with heel crampons handed out to participants to encourage them to walk on the icy streets rather than use cars, and the signage paint made out of seaweed.

Trump’s opposition to renewable energy, his withdrawal from the Paris climate accord negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama, and the free hand extended to the fossil fuel industry puts him at odds with the entire thrust of the event.

“Climate change is a hot topic at Davos,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, adding there had been a “change in the atmosphere” and realisation that climate change represented a downside risk for the economy.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said at a welcome ceremony in Davos that “for too long, humanity took away resources from the environment and in exchange produced waste and pollution”.

Business leaders attending the forum will be keen to tout their awareness on climate change but are likely also to be concerned by the state of the global economy whose prospects, according to the IMF, have improved but remain brittle.

The IMF cut its global growth estimate for 2020 to 3.3 percent, saying that a recent truce in the trade war between China and the US had brought some stability but that risks remained.

“We are already seeing some tentative signs of stabilisation but we have not reached a turning point yet,” said IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva.

‘Healthy balance’

Activists meanwhile will be pressing for much more concrete action to fight inequality, after Oxfam issued a report outlining how the number of billionaires has doubled in the past decade and the world’s 22 richest men now have more wealth than all the women in Africa.

Other key priorities will be exploring how to battle biodiversity loss, narrow the digital divide between the internet haves and have nots and step up the fight against pandemics in the face of vaccine hesitancy and drug resistance.

“I am angry about the state of the world but I am also determined to engage and provide solutions and deliver,” WWF director general Marco Lambertini told AFP. “There needs to be healthy balance between these two sentiments.”

The risk of global conflict will also loom large after the spike in tensions between the United States and Iran, following the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike.

But a planned appearance by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif — which could have paved the way for a showdown or even meeting with Trump — has been cancelled.

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido — who declared himself acting president last year — will be attending the forum in defiance of a travel ban imposed by the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

Source: AFP

21, January 2020

Biya to stay away from African Cup of Nations Final ⁰

At the end of his visit last week to Yaoundé, Ahmad Ahmad, the president of the African Football Confederation (CAF) reassured the authorities that the 2021 African Cup of Nations will indeed take place in Cameroon. Unlike the previous edition which was staged from June to July 2019 in Egypt, the tournament in Cameroon will be held in January.

However, the issue of hosting the games is not what is troubling senior officials of the Biya regime but rather the venue where the final of this competition will take place.

Information filtered to Cameroon Concord News that, Ahmad Ahmad was very mindful of the delay in construction work at the Olembe stadium in Yaoundé and indicated that the final will be moved to Douala where the stadium built by the Turkish Yenigun is already completed.

Biya reportedly told Ahmad Ahmad that the proximity of the economic capital to the Southern Cameroons region headquartered in Buea makes it completely impossible for him to be at the final. Apart from security reasons, Paul Biya informed Ahmad Ahmad that he will not be participating in the final in Douala, a city noted for being hostile towards his government and it is serving as the capital of the Cameroonian opposition.

By Rita Akana

21, January 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Senior government official bares his mind ⁰

Radicalized by the government’s use of death squads and arsonists to intimidate Southern Cameroonian fighters, a senior government official on Monday, January 20, 2020, clearly expressed his frustration with the government’s strategy to end the rebellion in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Speaking to the Cameroon Concord News Group Chairman, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, over the phone, the senior official who elected anonymity said he was really frustrated with the manner in which the Yaounde government had mismanaged the Southern Cameroons crisis which started as simple protests by teachers, lawyers and students.

He said his anger boiled over because of the speech delivered by the country’s president, Paul Biya, on December 31, 2019, wherein he promised more violence to Southern Cameroonians if the fighters did not down their weapons.

“I am still at a loss for words. After three good years, we still believe that only military violence and atrocities can help restore peace in the two English-speaking regions of the country,” he said.

“We cannot continue treading the same path and be hoping for different results. Let the government understand that it was its violence that caused things to spiral out of control,” he said, adding that “won’t it be wise for the president and his tribesmen who are committing these atrocities to embrace a different approach? Why are they destroying homes and killing the innocent when the fighters live in the jungles?”

“It is too disheartening to see a man many thought he wanted to become a priest conduct such a nasty war against his own people. What type of country is he bequeathing to the next generation? Today, the country is much divided and there are many Anglophones who hold that they are being killed by a Beti death squad set up by Joseph Beti Assomo, the country’s defense minister. Does this create room for national reconciliation and unity, or does it pit Anglophones against Betis?,” he questioned.

“Many Anglophones in Yaoundé are really upset with the war strategy adopted by the government and the bitterness generated by government atrocities will linger for a long time,” he pointed out.

“Only very few Anglophones in Yaoundé are in favour of what is happening in our two English-speaking regions. Many are angry, but cannot talk. Some like the puffy jaw former Prime Minister, Mafany Musonge, are indifferent to the people’s plight because they are enriching themselves as things deteriorate in the two regions of the country. The world is really surprised at such display of greed. How are these people living with themselves?” he quipped.

He also took aim at Anglophones, stressing that the unity that characterized the revolution in the early days could have brought the government to its knees if the Diaspora had not resorted to shooting itself in the foot.

“Those of us who really feel for our people, but cannot talk, were counting on the Diaspora for salvation. We saw the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora as a silent liberating force. The huge amounts that were being raised in the United States and Canada to finance the war effort gave us hope. But our hope was dashed when the leaders started fighting each other and vital resources were allegedly embezzled by some Interim Government officials,” the disappointed official said.

“Many of us were quietly happy when arms started getting to our fighters who before that could only lay their hands on machetes and hunting rifles,” he said.

“If Anglophones have to make more progress, the different factions must stop fighting each other. In moments like this, everybody should be your ally regardless of the individual goal. We know some factions are for independence, others for federalism, while others are gradually settling for autonomy within Cameroon, but regardless of the philosophy of each group, our goal should be to mount pressure on the French-supported government so that it should embrace the Canadian-supported Swiss initiative that is popular with many Western countries,” he stressed.

Once the government buckles under the pressure and decides to embrace the Swiss initiative, then each faction can use the opportunity to present its case. Fighting and killing other fighters only weakens the struggle and the government is watching gleefully as we shoot ourselves in the foot,” the official said.

“We cannot keep on slinging mud at each other. We are splitting our ranks and this is diminishing our capacity to achieve anything meaningful,” he pointed out.

“Mistakes will be made along the way, but instead of focusing on those mistakes, we should be focusing on the solutions and methods that can enable all the factions to work together,” he stressed.

“From every indication, the government is desperate. The crisis has robbed the government of vital revenue streams and this is hurting so badly. The current burning of homes is designed to force the fighters to down their weapons, but from every indication, things will not work the way the government has planned,” he said.

He added that “the burning of homes in villages is not playing in the government’s favor. The Diaspora should use this reckless approach by the government to close ranks. A strong diplomatic initiative should be launched by all the factions and a huge delegation sent to the UN and other organizations to ensure that the Southern Cameroons crisis is not pushed to the back burner,” he stressed.

“Suppress your egos and let unity prevail. As Anglophones, we can achieve a lot if we close ranks, rob ourselves of our egos and consider that the real enemy is the Yaoundé government that is killing our people just for complaining,” he underscored.

“The government is hurting. It is running out of cash. Its coffers are drying up. Those of us within are aware of the state of the country’s finances. If this crisis continues for two more years, the government will shut down many operations. Things are not looking up for this government that thought it could restore order in one week, but it has failed woefully” he said.

He urged Anglophones to contribute money to any faction of their choice, adding that the ultimate goal should the improvement our fate. We have gone through a lot as a minority and if the Diaspora does not bail us out, then we are stuck with a government whose secret agenda is to assimilate us at all cost.

He concluded that he could have loved to express his views openly, but said it would be like committing suicide.

“This government is devilish. It never hesitates to kill those who challenge it. If Wirba had stayed in Cameroon, he would have been history today. He was smart to have left,” he pointed out.

The burning of homes cannot be part of the special status the fake major national dialogue came up with, he said.

“This government cannot be trusted. We must fight to attain our goals. There is no turning back. This government says one thing and does the opposite. Does special status mean burning homes and killing innocent people?” he questioned.

Since the conflict started in 2016, some 5,000 civilians have lost their lives, while sources close to the ministry of defense say some 2,018 soldiers have died and this figure does not include police officers and prison guards who have also been attacked by Southern Cameroonian fighters.

By Kingsley Betek in Yaounde and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in the United kingdom

20, January 2020

As Brexit nears, UK’s Johnson pushes for deeper trade ties with Africa ⁰

The United Kingdom is positioning itself to be the ‘investment partner of choice’ for Africa, holding a summit with leaders of 21 African countries on Monday, days before it leaves the European Union (EU).

Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, who secured the country’s January 31st departure from the EU trading bloc is determined to enter into new agreements with other countries.

British companies run several projects on the African continent including smart street lighting in Nigeria and environmentally friendly breweries in Kenya. They have reportedly signed deals worth more than $7.8 billion ahead of Monday’s summit.

The UK government says it has signed 11 trade agreements with African countries, and is expected to unveil a new strategy for development in Africa, focusing on infrastructure and trade.

The Department for International Development says it is now focusing on digital technologies, green energy and women entrepreneurs.

Source: Africa News

20, January 2020

US Diplomat’s Remarks Stir Controversy in Cameroon ⁰

There have been mixed reactions in Cameroon to the meeting between the top U.S. diplomat to Africa, Tibor Nagy, and opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who says he was the rightful winner of the Cameroon’s October 2018 presidential election.

Nagy also gave an interview in which he said Cameroonian officials are not doing enough to solve the separatist crisis that has killed more than 3,000 people in the country’s English-speaking regions. While some see Nagy as someone proposing solutions, others say he does not know the true situation and should hold back his opinions.

Before beginning a five-nation tour of Africa last Wednesday, Nagy, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, spoke to Radio France Internationale. In the interview, he said his mind bleeds because the separatist crisis in Cameroon has persisted and there seems to be no solution in sight. Nagy said Cameroonians in the volatile north- and southwest regions love their country, but are not happy with the system of government.

“What the people in the southwest and the northwest want more than anything else is decentralization. They would like to have control over their own lives, their own historical heritage,” Nagy said.

Armed groups in the two English-speaking regions want to separate from the rest of Cameroon, alleging discrimination from the country’s French-speaking majority.

Map of Northwest and Southwest regions, Cameroon

Ernest Ateba, spokesperson of the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, said Nagy does not have the mandate to speak to Cameroon.

He said America should respect Cameroon’s sovereignty and understand that Cameroon organized a successful national dialogue that unanimously created a special status for the English-speaking regions, which is gradually being put in place with the expected local council and parliamentary elections and an eventual election of representatives to regional assemblies and assemblies of chiefs.

Separatists have also criticized Nagy on social media for saying that Cameroonians are unified. They say they are fighting for an independent state they call Ambazonia.

Before leaving for Africa, Nagy met in Washington with Cameroon’s opposition leader Maurice Kamto. Kamto maintains that he won the October 2018 presidential election and his victory was stolen by Cameroon’s longtime leader, Paul Biya.

Roger Justin Noah, a spokesman for Kamto’s Cameroon Renaissance Movement party, says Nagy and Kamto discussed the political situation in Cameroon and the crisis in the English-speaking regions.

He said Tibor Nagy, just like their leader Maurice Kamto, shares the view that Biya never respects his promises and that the solution to the crisis in the English-speaking regions is the convening of a true national dialogue in the presence of all English-speaking leaders, including those who were arrested and sent to prison, and their colleagues in the diaspora who have been declared wanted by Cameroon. He said during the dialogue, people should be allowed to speak freely and should not be arrested for having contrary views to those of Biya.

Minister of Communication Rene Emmanuel Sadi said calls by Kamto for another dialogue are to distract people.

“We do not foresee a more inclusive dialogue than the historical one from the 30th of September to the 4th of October 2019. The absence of an extremist minority which did not want to take part although invited, could not put asunder the great success of this historic gathering of worthy sons and daughters of the Cameroonian nation,” Sadi said.

Cameroon is not on Nagy’s itinerary, which includes stops in the Central African Republic, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Source: VOA

20, January 2020

Anglophone Commander of Cameroon’s Peacekeeping Force in Central Africa fired unjustly ⁰

Colonel Tabot Samuel Orock was fired unjustly as commander of the Cameroon UN peacekeeping force by the Cameroon Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Asomo because he has no ‘Godfather’ and also because he is an Anglophone, Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from a well-placed source in Yaoundé.

The peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic has huge infusions of cash from the UN, so the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime has replaced Colonel Tabot Orock with Captain Awono Louis Thaddée, a blood relation to Defense Minister Beti Asomo who is corrupt in order to channel most of that cash to ‘high places’ in Yaoundé.

We understand Yaounde fired Colonel Tabot Orock upon the UN’s request without carrying out any investigations, which is not the right procedure.

Colonel Samuel Orock Tabot, is a graduate of the prestigious West Point U.S. Military Academy as well as the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His assignment to lead this deployment was a testament to the seriousness with which Cameroon viewed its role in regional peace and security.

By Oke Akombi Ayukepi Akap in UK with files from Rita Akana

20, January 2020

Nigeria: Four die in oil pipeline fire ⁰

Four people have been killed and several shops and vehicles burnt after thieves breached a fuel pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, causing an explosion.

(Source: AFP)