19, July 2019

Southern Cameroons War: U.S. Inaction Is No Longer an Option ⁰

The United States has particularly important stakes in Cameroon. With investment comes the responsibility and leverage to ease the extent of human suffering.

The central African nation of Cameroon does not often make international headlines. Governments within Africa and beyond have recognized Cameroon’s military efforts against Boko Haram, and the country has also been known for welcoming refugees from neighboring countries and for the peaceful coexistence among its hundreds of linguistic groups. But over the last few years, violence has engulfed the country’s Anglophone regions. The United States has particularly important stakes in Cameroon. Following a decade of military cooperation with Cameroonian forces, Washington is obligated to ensure that assistance is not tantamount to complicity. With investment comes the responsibility and leverage to ease the extent of human suffering. Tensions between Anglophone and Francophone populations in the Cameroon’s northwest and southwest regions (NWSW) have been simmering since the 1970s.

In late 2016, however, the government imposed Francophone teachers and lawyers in Anglophone schools and courts, prompting peaceful protests that were met with military action. This fueled existing separatist sentiment among the Anglophone population and led to the formation of several non-state armed groups. Clashes between these armed groups and Cameroonian forces, as well as attacks on civilians, have forced more than half a million people into the NWSW’s dense forests, without proper shelter and little access to food and basic services. Separatist groups have enforced school boycotts since 2017, leaving a generation of children without education for three years. Warring parties have tortured and killed civilians and burnt down hundreds of villages. Basic services have almost completely collapsed, and, coupled with insecurity, left 1.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in the NW/SW alone—numbers the government of Cameroon staunchly denies.

Despite the dire need, the governments of the world have been practically silent on the humanitarian situation, leading the Norwegian Refugee Council to dub the conflict in the NWSW the world’s most neglected displacement crisis. Most efforts by interested political powers and typical humanitarian donors, such as Canada, Switzerland and the United States, are focused on finding a political solution to the conflict. But amidst these efforts, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate and remains largely ignored. The United States’ interests in Cameroon are not trivial. Over the past five years, Cameroon has received more than $216 million in U.S. counter terrorism training and support. And even with some U.S. cuts due to credible reports of human rights abuses, such assistance continues.

In contrast, U.S. humanitarian aid for those Cameroonian civilians impacted by disaster resulting from the violence in NWSW is minuscule. Out of $18.4 million in U.S. humanitarian aid countrywide, only $300,000 has been earmarked for the response in the NWSW. Such meager support signals that the United States is not concerned with civilian suffering in the NWSW. In addition, the United States has done little to encourage international donors to respond to the Anglophone crisis. So far, the emergency has only received nine percent of funds requested in a United Nations international appeal, rendering most humanitarian organizations incapable of effectively addressing the mounting needs. Congress has only just begun to weigh in.

In late April, Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced a resolution calling on armed groups and the government of Cameroon to seek a political solution to the conflict. Unfortunately, all parties to the conflict have categorically refused calls for dialogue while people continue to suffer. For this reason, Congress should press the State Department and USAID to adequately fund the response, mobilize other donors, and pressure the government of Cameroon to give aid workers access to civilian populations in need. At a time when none of the warring parties seem willing to talk, focusing efforts solely on dialogue is not only ineffective but irresponsible.

The people of the NWSW require more than that. They require sustained engagement by the United States and other international powers to boost humanitarian aid until all parties are prepared to end the conflict, with the ultimate goal of facilitating the safe, voluntary, and dignified return to their homes. Washington has the resources to quickly and effectively respond to such pressing needs. It is past time for Congress and State Department to step up and play a larger role in addressing the humanitarian consequences of the conflict. The alternative—silence and inaction—means more innocent Cameroonian lives will be lost.

Culled from National Interest.Org

18, July 2019

Ambazonia Vice President Condemns Women and Child Abuse ⁰

I come to you with revolutionary greetings from our President Sisiku AyukTabe and the Collective Leadership in illegal detention by the colonial LRC in Yaoundé.

Yesterday, Wednesday the 17th of July 2019, there was an inexcusable video showing armed thugs publicly whipping two women and a child and recording their despicable act. Our sources in Ground Zero have now confirmed that the scene of the atrocity was Bali, in the Northern Zone.

Words can’t describe the revulsion and indignity I felt upon watching the video. The Interim Government condemns in the strongest terms any acts of senseless violence especially against women and children in Ambazonia. It’s unacceptable and inexcusable. As a government, we condemn all human rights abuses in our country. I have ordered an immediate investigation into this deplorable incident. Under no circumstance should anyone living within our territory be subjected to such barbarism.

Our fight for self-determination must see us respect international law at all times. Self-defence forces have been constantly reminded of their responsibilities under the Geneva Convention of 1949. Any self-defence group operating within Ambazonia is expected to adhere to very high standards when dealing with civilian population and enemy captives.

Over the last three months, our intelligence and security experts have confirmed that rogue elements and gangs funded by Atanga Nji have been operating militias in Ambazonia. Their intention is to perpetrate abuses so they can blackmail our restoration forces. As a responsible government, we have repeatedly called on an International Fact Finding Mission to Ambazonia. We are confident that such a visit will make public the culprits of such abuses.

Everyone living in Ambazonia has the fundamental right to feel safe. The freedom we seek is for all not the few. Our quest for freedom is legitimate and our success is assured but we must approach this quest with integrity and poise.

Short Live the Struggle Long Live The Federal Republic of Ambazonia God Bless you All

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

– Federal Republic of Ambazonia

18, July 2019

Fako Heart Centre Issues Heart Disease and Stroke Warning ⁰

Dr Fred Perry KEMAH, Consultant Cardiologist at Fako Heart Centre, GRA, BUEA is inviting the wider public to take oral hygiene very SERIOUSLY.

The top Dr of Fako Heart Centre has diagnosed six patients with INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS since the launching of Fako HEART CENTRE in June this year. That equates to almost one patient a week.

ENDOCARDITIS is infection of Heart Valves. A life threatening condition. Poor oral hygiene is to blame. The Public should stop using CHEWING STICKS as a method of cleaning the teeth. We should use fluoride tooth paste and tooth brush only.

Endocarditis is a serious condition and could lead to STROKE as well as premature death if left untreated.

Therefore, individuals presenting with persistent fever, easy fatigue , and abnormal heart sounds, should seek advice. Fako Heart Centre has a dedicated team to provide advice and support.

Courtesy

Fako Heart Centre
GRA, BUEA

18, July 2019

Key steps needed for Cameroon peace talks ⁰

Switzerland has agreed to mediate talks between the government of Cameroon and separatist leaders aimed at faciliating a peaceful resolution to a three-year conflict. This is welcome news, says Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla.

Police on patrol in the South West province of Buea (Getty Images/AFP/M. Longari)

The conflict in Cameroon has engulfed the country’s English-speaking northwest and southwest regions since late 2016. It is one of the world’s most neglected crises, despite a magnitude of violence, inflicted by both military and armed separatist groups, causing unimaginable suffering. The military has committed crimes against humanity against civilians in the English-speaking regions, as documented in a report co-authored by the Cameroon-based Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) in Canada.

Soldiers routinely torch entire villages to the ground — this has become an established and systematic military tactic. They indiscriminately shoot at civilians, at times leaving bodies piled in the streets. Astonishingly, more than 200 villages have been set ablaze, with a continuously increasing pace of attacks. As a result, many people are burned alive in their homes, such as a 70-year-old man who did not hear his neighbors’ warnings due to a hearing disability.

Civilians, including journalists covering the crisis, have been rounded up, arbitrarily detained and tortured, without charge or access to lawyers. Sexual and gender-based violence has also become rampant, often targeting girls below the age of 18. Cameroon now has the sixth-largest forcibly displaced population in the world, with approximately half a million people — one tenth of the region’s population — living in the bush without sufficient food, water or protection from exploitation. There are more than 1.3 million Cameroonians in urgent need of humanitarian aid in the English-speaking regions alone.

Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla While the crisis is rooted in a complex colonial history that birthed the current bijural and bilingual country, it is important to consider how the crisis spiralled from its peaceful origins into the catastrophe it is today.

How the crisis began In late 2016, Anglophone lawyers and educators peacefully demonstrated for basic civil and political rights after years of marginalization in the majority French-speaking country. In particular, Anglophone lawyers and educators were protesting the imposition of French-speaking judges and teachers in English-speaking courts and schools. What started as a simple request for the recognition of rights based on legitimate grievances morphed into a conflict enveloping nearly the entire English-speaking region.

Moderate voices were swiftly drowned out by radicalized forces calling for the creation of a separate country. Hate speech surfaced in both media and government discourse in a disturbing trend that, as history warns, can quickly translate into mass atrocity and even genocide. It is, therefore, encouraging that Switzerland has agreed to mediate a dialogue in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation.

However, the conflict’s underlying causes will only be addressed and redressed by an all-inclusive dialogue that represents the various shades of opinion in Anglophone Cameroon. The Swiss mediators should ensure that they invite a variety of Anglophone voices, certainly not just those who have taken up arms. Switzerland should also invite other bodies to participate as mediators, particularly the African Union which recently mediated a power-sharing agreement between military and civilian leaders in Sudan. Canada is also an ideal candidate to lead the process, given its bijural, bilingual character and long-standing bilateral relations with Cameroon.

Role for the UN and AU The dire situation on the ground, however, demands coordinated international attention and action, even if a political solution to the underlying conflict is not imminent. First, the UN Security Council should add Cameroon to its agenda as a regular stand-alone item, as nine different human rights organizations have recommended in an open letter. Second, the African Union should establish a panel of independent international experts to investigate evidence of crimes against humanity in Cameroon, as the Organization of American States did regarding atrocities in Venezuela. Third, states should increase funding for the UN’s Cameroon Humanitarian Response Plan. As it stands, the Response Plan is severely underfunded. Key frontline humanitarian organizations will be forced to withdraw if additional funding does not reach them soon, according to the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Finally, individuals and collectives must continue to shine a protective spotlight on the victims of the Cameroon crisis, whose pain and plight can no longer go unheard, unnoticed or unaddressed. The children of Cameroon at the mercy of this raging violence, including the more than 600,000 currently prevented from going to school, deserve no less.

Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla is the founder and director of CHRDA. Culled from DeutcheWelle

18, July 2019

Kaput: End of a ‘secret’ German military mission in Cameroon ⁰

The announcement that Germany has ended its military mission in Cameroon came as a surprise to many who were unaware of the presence of German soldiers in the conflict-torn African country. Besides Cameroon, Niger and Tunisia are two other African countries where Germany has military and police training missions not mandated by its parliament. Germany’s defense ministry confirmed to DW that, according to the law, the government does not have to ask the Bundestag for approval to send military instructors to peaceful countries as long as the German military is not involved in any direct confrontation on the ground.

Berlin also has no obligation to inform deputies about the particulars of these missions. Christoph Hoffmann, head of the parliamentary group for Central Africa and spokesperson for development issues for the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), has no problem per se with the procedure, even if it bypasses the elected deputies. After all, no one complains about German soldiers taking part in Canadian training operations. Also, helping other countries militarily makes good sense.

“The mission in Cameroon started four years ago, at a time when there were great problems with Boko Haram in the north of Cameroon. And I think it is a humanitarian act to help Cameroon defend themselves against terrorists and terrorism,” he told DW. But in the meantime the situation changed dramatically: “The German military mission [in Cameroon] should have ended two years ago, after the conflict between the Anglophone and the Francophone communities in the southwest turned violent,” Hoffmann said.

Pressure from the Bundestag If it hadn’t been for another deputy, Stefan Liebich from the opposition Left party, the news that Berlin had ended the mission in Cameroon would most likely not have reached the public.

Member of the German Bundestag Christoph Hoffmann (Fuchs)

Hoffmann says the mission in Cameroon should have been stopped two years ago

Missions like these are treated almost like state secrets, with only as many people in the know as is strictly necessary. Liebich asked the Defense Ministry directly and was informed that the mission had ended “as scheduled,” information he shared with the media. “The wording ‘on schedule’ was a little bit disingenuous,” Liebich told DW. Only a couple of weeks ago, the government had said that it would decide on whether to prolong the mission by midyear. “That was actually why I asked now, and was then told about the termination. I believe that if it hadn’t been for the public debate and the discussion in parliament, the mission would probably be ongoing,” he said.

Cameroonian soldiers securing the streets of Bamenda (Getty Images/AFP)

Tensions between the Anglophone and Francophone regions in Cameroon have escalated into a full-blown conflict The debate was launched several months ago by Hans-Peter Bartels, parliamentary spokesperson for matters concerning the Bundeswehr and a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), a partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition. Bartels’ public criticism of the government for bypassing the Bundestag first called the parliamentarians’ attention to the existence of the ‘secret’ missions, according to Liebich. ‘A good role for Germany‘ Ibrahim Mouiche is not so much interested in Berlin’s secrecy as in Germany’s capacity to help his country. The political scientist from the University Yaounde II in the Cameroonian capital, who is currently a guest lecturer at the Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institute in Germany, points out that there were at any one time at most ten German instructors in Cameroon, who took part in an international mission there. Mouiche believes that such help can be useful. “We have the Anglophone crisis, but also Boko Haram and, in the east, rebels from the Central African Republic who often infiltrate our territory. I think there is an argument for training the security forces,” Mouiche told DW.

German parliamentarian Stefan Liebich (picture-alliance/M. Kappeler)

Stefan Liebich’s Left party does not want parliament to be bypassed anymore

Mouiche acknowledged that the Cameroonian army does not seem very motivated to end the conflict “from which they obviously benefit.” But he felt that it was too easy to blame only the government’s side for the abuse and violence. “Some Anglophone separatists have turned to banditry and are causing suffering to the Anglophones themselves.” Germany, Mouiche says, has a bigger role to play in Cameroon: “Yaounde does not have a firm political will to negotiate. Germany and the European Union can help put pressure on the Paul Biya government,” he said. Christoph Hoffmann agrees. On a recent trip to Cameroon he talked to colleagues in the Yaounde parliament. “All of them asked for Chancellor Merkel to come to Cameroon and initiate a mediation process.” German parties have signed a joint letter to the chancellor to this effect. “It would be a good role for Germany,” Hoffmann said.

Culled from DeutcheWelle

18, July 2019

Cameroon 2021: CAF Announces Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Pots ⁰

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the pots for the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The 2021 AFCON will be organized in Cameroon. Cameroon was set to host the ongoing 2019 tournament but was stripped of hosting rights. The West African country was not prepared for the tournament in terms of the standard of the stadium and other issues.

The CAF listed the teams in 5 pots according to their FIFA rankings. The first two pots include 12 national teams, while the remaining three have only eight. Morocco was listed in the first pot alongside Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tunisia. CAF Announces 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Pots. The draw of the 2021 AFCON will be made on Thursday, July 18 in Cairo, Egypt.

Source: Morocco News

18, July 2019

IMF Executive Board Completes Fourth ECF Review for Cameroon and Approves US$76.2 Million Disbursement ⁰

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the fourth review of the arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Cameroon on July 17, 2019. The completion of the review enables the disbursement of SDR 55.2 million (about US$76.2 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 372.6 million (about US$514.5 million).

The Executive Board also approved the authorities’ request for a waiver for the non-observance of the performance criteria pertaining to the external arrears’ accumulation and the ceiling on net BEAC financing, based on the corrective actions taken by the authorities.

Cameroon’s three-year arrangement was approved on June 26, 2017 for SDR 483 million (about US$666.9million, or 175 percent of Cameroon’s quota—see Press Release No.17/248.) The arrangement aims at supporting the country’s efforts to restore external and fiscal sustainability and to lay the foundations for a more sustainable, inclusive and private sector-led growth.

Following the Executive Board discussion, Mr. Mitsuhiro Furusawa, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, made the following statement:

“Cameroon’s performance under the ECF-supported program has improved from a year ago. Most end-December 2018 targets including on the fiscal deficit have been met, and structural reforms are advancing.

Cameroon continues to play a leadership role in the rebuilding of CEMAC’s fiscal and external buffers. Going forward, the Cameroonian authorities’ continued support of the implementation of the BEAC’s foreign exchange regulation will be essential to ensure full repatriation of foreign exchange receipts.

Enhanced fiscal discipline is key to reaching the end-2019 program targets and mitigating risks from external shocks and security challenges. Reducing recourse to exceptional spending procedures and completing the Treasury Single Account reform will support the steadfast implementation of the 2019 budget while improving cash management and the transparency of budget execution.

Refraining from new non-concessional borrowing and strictly adhering to the disbursement plan for contracted-but-undisbursed loans are essential to preserving debt sustainability. Further project prioritization and enhanced investment efficiency will help address developmental needs while supporting prudent debt management. Improving the financial viability of key public enterprises through performance contracts and targeted reforms of administered prices will reduce reliance on subsidies and mitigate risks from contingent liabilities.

Enhancing financial inclusion, the business climate, and governance remains central to promoting private sector development and boosting competitiveness. In particular, further strengthening EITI compliance and the AML/CFT framework are essential to promoting private sector-led growth and attracting foreign investment.

Cameroon’s program continues to be supported by the implementation of supportive policies and reforms by the regional institutions in the areas of foreign exchange regulations and monetary policy framework and to support an increase in regional net foreign assets, which are critical to the program’s success.”

IMF Communications Department

18, July 2019

Cameroon fires Seedorf after early exit at African Cup ⁰

Cameroon has fired coach Clarence Seedorf and assistant coach Patrick Kluivert after the defending champion’s early exit at the African Cup of Nations.

They had been in their jobs for less than a year but were removed Tuesday, just over a week after Cameroon lost 3-2 to Nigeria in the round of 16 at the African Cup in Egypt.

The failed African state is due to host the next African Cup in 2021.

Seedorf was an outstanding player who won Champions League titles with Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

He’s found coaching much more difficult.

The 43-year-old former Netherlands international also had unsuccessful spells in charge at Milan, Shenzhen in China and Deportivo La Coruna. He lasted less than six months in each of those club jobs.

Source: AFP with additional editing from Camcordnews

17, July 2019

Nigeria: 13 dead in building collapse, rescue underway ⁰

Rescue team search for survivors in Jos, Central Nigeria following a three-storey residential facility collapse that killed 13 people on Tuesday.

An official of the Red Cross said 7 survivors are receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Taiye Segun Folorunsho is resident in Jos. He was injured in the incident. This thing that happened to our neighbours and our loved ones is heartbreaking.

“I was in the shop working with my dad, suddenly we just saw the building collapse. I stood up and tried to run and I fell down and I could not move my legs”, Folorunsho recounts.

“This thing that happened to our neighbours and our loved ones is heartbreaking. The house that they were living in collapsed leaving some of the occupants injured and some dead’‘, said Jos resident, Ali Baba Mairam.

Nigeria frequently witnesses building collapse in a country where millions of people live in dilapidated buildings and building legislation is regularly flouted.

In March, 20 people died when a building housing kindergarten and primary school pupils collapsed in Lagos.

AFP

17, July 2019

Amba leadership Crisis: The Tassang Wilfred Letter reveal a man unable to resolve the many conflicting aspects ⁰

Deacon Tassang Wilfred one of Southern Cameroons detained leaders has again released a letter from the Kondengui High Security prison. The former head of SCACUF observed in “As Though We Were Dead” that Southern Cameroonians should consider the NERA 10 as nonexistent.

Deacon Tassang Wilfred is a very brilliant Southern Cameroons trade unionist. He helped shape the character of the Ambazonian revolution and started seeing himself as the leader when he was elected to head SCACUF. He even at one point contradicted Tapang Ivo and Mark Barata during their days at the top and like the Prince of Peace; he observed that “Southern Cameroonians should forgive Tapang Ivo and Mark”. All these constituted a bargain at a discounted price that was surprisingly available for the renowned Deacon Tassang Wilfred, one of Southern Cameroons revolutionary bells.

Tassang’s style is sometimes colourful sometimes chatty, and in many occasions consistently inconsistent. It is as if the election of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to head the Interim Government did not go well with him. He writings including his most recent “As Though We Were Dead” indicates that the much respected Ambazonian like some of the fake leaders in the Diaspora is more interested in creating a political space for himself.

His writings have always carried a mixture of analysis blowing hot and cold of failures in the Southern Cameroons quest for independence and accompanied by some uncomfortable moralizing. Tassang’s approach has always been thematic and not chronological. You need a pretty good knowledge of the Southern Cameroons leadership crisis to make sense of it sometimes and the teacher has a capacity for self-diversion.

But as his most recent letter “As Though We Were Dead” immodestly reveals, Deacon Tassang Wilfred no longer has the remarkable influence on the Southern Cameroons war of independence and politics both domestically and internationally.

Where Tassang can now be challenged is the assertion that Southern Cameroonians should “Consider the Nera10 as dead. Negotiate as though you were seeking retribution for the more than 30,000 wasted Amba souls. Go for La Republique’s balls (excuse my French). We all (Nera10) put together, are not any more deserving of Ambazonia than angel Martha, most brutally butchered in babyhood by the evil from Yaounde.” The Tassang approach begs the question of who is actually the face of the Ambazonia revolution and who will be on the Southern Cameroons negotiating table?

Tassang seems to argue against a rules-based system of international relations which provides for any revolution or struggle to have a symbolic personality at the head. To be sure, Tassang’s letter writing policy will be both his legacy and epitaph in his relations with the Ambazonian people and the NERA 10.

So much has been written about the relationship between the Ambazonia leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and Deacon Tassang Wilfred. Both men have respectively displayed their particular talents – President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has his natural guile and persuasiveness and Tassang his intellectual firepower. If the relationship is one of marriage then no court in Southern Cameroons will deny Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and Deacon Tassang Wilfred divorce or dissolution.

Tassang cannot be blowing hot and cold at same time. Saying the Ambazonia leadership should not rule from prison but gives directives and funny instructions now and then from the same prison paints a picture of a man who is either committing the same errors or falling into spectacular new ones.

Now Tassangs says the NERA 10 should be assumed dead or nonexistent by the so-called free leadership …so where does he belong? When he was Chief Executive of SCACUF there was no issue but as soon as Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe took over his attitude has been anything but collaborative!!

The battlelines between his supporters and the Southern Cameroons Interim Government currently under the stewardship of Vice President Dabney Yerima are firmly drawn. But he was and remains a consistently inconsistent phenomenon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai