The West African nation of Cameroon has once again celebrated its National Unity Day on 20 May 2019 amidst violence and bloodshed in some areas of the country. A conflict of language, culture, and resources, especially in the English speaking regions, is tearing the country apart.

The celebrations organized for the 47^th time in the country’s history took place without a hitch in the nation’s capital, Yaoundé, under the careful watch of the presidential couple, Paul and Chantal Biya. However, violence and bloodshed significantly marred the celebrations in other parts of the country.

The two frontline opposition parties, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement and the Social Democratic Front, boycotted the events in solidarity with the lives lost in the English speaking regions. These two parties argued that there cannot be any celebration of “unity” while the country is being torn apart, and the government is not showing sufficient good faith in pacifically managing the conflict.

In the two English-speaking regions of the country, the only towns that were able to stage a semblance of march pass, which was void of the usual fanfare and jubilation, were Bamenda, Buea, Kumba, and Limbe. This resulted from calls to boycott the event by Anglophone separatists under the banner of Ambazonia interim government. In most places in the Anglophone Northwest and South regions, march pass, which used to last for over three hours was reduced to less than 30 minutes mostly staged by the military.

In the Northwest chief town of Bamenda, the day started with gun battles between Ambazonia fighters and government soldiers resulting in casualties on both sides. In the locality of Muyuka, soldiers shot and killed a four-month-old baby after breaking into a house. Most areas of the two restive regions experienced a similar scenario. Meanwhile, 20 May celebrations were going on in the eight French speaking regions of the country.

Cameroon has been facing a separatist movement in its English-speaking regions since 2016. The English-speaking population occupies two regions out of 10, and accounts for about 20 percent of the total population. The movement, which was originally largely peaceful, turned violent after soldiers opened fire in September and October 2017 on peaceful protesters demanding more rights for the minority English-speaking population. Since 2017, civilians have taken up arms to confront regular government soldiers. These armed groups say they are fighting for the creation of a separate state comprising the two English speaking regions, under the banner of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

So far, the international community has urged the Biya regime to open negotiations with the leaders of Ambazonia, most of whom have been jailed in Yaoundé, while others are in exile. However, the Biya regime seems to believe in the use of force, which at the moment is causing more harm than good. In its latest report, Human Rights Watch reported that more than 1850 persons have been killed, more than half a million internally displaced, and tens of thousands seeking refuge in neighbouring Nigeria.

It should be recalled that French and English Cameroon came together under a federal system in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. This system gave more autonomy to the regions. However, on May 20, 1972, the pro-French government under President Ahidjo decided to abolish the federal system in favour of a centralized unitary system, which meant that Anglophones lost their autonomy. Since then, Anglophones have been complaining of marginalization and second-class status from successive French governments.

Culled from Organisation For World Peace

Now in France there is a lawsuit against French conglomerate Bollore over violating supposed commitments it made to residents and workers at its palm oil plantation in Cameroon.  The suit accused Bollore of reneging on a 2013 settlement in which it promised to improve the working and living conditions of workers and residents around the plantation. “Our civil lawsuit aims to ask the French judge to force the Bollore group to comply with the commitments it made in 2013 to the local communities and plantation workers of Socapalm, a Cameroonian palm oil company directly linked to the group,” said the plaintiffs’ statement.  “We are now asking the French judge to order the forced execution of the action plan; it must be considered as a contract that has not yet been executed.” But if Paul Biya doesn’t live up to any promise, and Guterres roughs up and censors the Press, what will the courts do with Bollore?

In real destruction news, in the village of Ikata in SW Cameroon on April 26 Paul Biya’s soldiers shot unarmed civilians including a woman named as Glory, and burned houses down. While Guterres’ UN does nothing about the outrage of Nigeria sending back to military custody refugees and asylum seekers, Julius Ayuk Tabe and nine others are expected in court on Monday April 29 where their hearing continues but they have now released a statement through their defense team saying they will not be appearing.  Their lawyers say given the fact that they have taken the matter to Appeal court all proceedings at a lower jurisdiction (military tribunal) must be halted as per the law on criminal proceedings.  The lawyers have since appealed a decision by the Military tribunal to judge the detained leaders in Cameroon despite the fact that they are refugees and asylum seekers. One would have thought that former UNHCR chief Guterres would not collude in this, but that was before the golden statue and UN Budget Committee deals with Biya’s ambassador Tommo Monthe.

Guterres is killing what’s left of the UN’s credibility with his corruption and no due process censorship. Of course, Guterres and Dujarric won’t answer questions from Inner City Press not only about Cameroon but even about how 27 new Resident Coordinators are being recruited. Their UN is increasingly corrupt. Guterres’ envoy Mohammed Ibn Chambas is ghoulishly lavishing praise on Cameroon and Amina J. Mohammed’s Nigeria, which illegally refouled 47 to Cameroon.

Source: Inner City Press

People of Bali,

Fellow Ambazonians,

I come to you again following another dark day in the history of our nation. On Saturday, May 25th, 2019, at about midday Amba time, the people of Bali, were subjected to another drench of barbarism from the occupation forces of La République du Cameroun.

In an unprovoked-now-routine-attack, several of our fellow citizens were gunned down. Seven members of the Bali community going about their daily activities were executed in cold blood. Five members of the victims are of the Baya family. Soldiers shot Vincent Baya when they stormed the Sang neighbourhood, and when his grandmother, Na Sanyonga Feh Grace and three other relatives––Gabriel Baya, Peter Naya and Foncham––tried to rush him to the hospital on a ladder makeshift stretcher, all four were also shot dead by soldiers of the regime.

May their souls rest in peace. They will never be forgotten.

Unfortunately, these savage and unprovoked attacks led by the forces of BIR in collaboration with other extermination paramilitary wings put together and sent out by the Cameroun Army on our innocent and defenceless civilian population has become endemic. Two days prior to this recent attacks, specifically on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019, our communities in various neighbourhoods across Ambazonia were subjected to yet another unprovoked genocidal onslaughts as follows:

• Bakala, a popular bike rider in Kumba, was shot dead by Cameroon soldiers at Meboka junction. Eye witnesses say the murder was totally unprovoked.
• Nine of our fellow citizens were shot dead in Esu, Menchum. Amongst the victims was Kenah Francis, known in the community to be struggling with mental health issues.  Seemingly the killings were not enough, so as they vacated the area, the soldiers sprayed the Esu Health Center with bullets that were destructive to medical equipments.  They were determined to make sure that their attack impacted maximum damage on the health centre so as to handicap the entire community that depended solely on it.

-In Bamenda, soldiers attacked and killed another civilian whose name is still pending.  This took place at mile 90 in what is now known as a “celebratory ritual” in which they (regime soldiers) embark on spraying bullets randomly in civilian communities and public spaces as they invade our towns and villages or as they return from a successful killing spree of unarmed persons.

-Then there is the heart-wrenching targeted-close-range-shooting and killing of four-months-old baby, Neba Martha Mbuh as seen in a disturbing video that has now gone viral on social media. This most barbaric crime against humanity took place in Muyuka, as she lay peacefully asleep at home in her mother’s comfortable settee, relatable to many to be a safe place for a baby away from her mother’s loving arms.  We cannot forget the emotionally charged wailing of her mother, Agbor Emilia as she looked at the ravaged blood soaked lifeless body of her baby, haven transferred the mortal remains from the settee to her bed.

We have irrefutable evidence that these crimes against humanity are premeditated and directed by leaders of the regime in Yaoundé.  Make no mistakes, these are not random attacks, these are military operational war tactics, designed specifically to terrorise and traumatise the civilian population in order to deter prospective enlistment of self defence restoration forces and or evoke retaliation from existing fighters who have been forced by the brutality of regime soldiers to pick up weapons and defend their vulnerable communities from similar attacks.

As we have advised previously on SCBC, no matter how tempting and legitimate the call for revenge seems to be under such circumstances, our people must exercise restraint.  We cannot afford to fall into this provocative incentive designed to reduce our restoration struggle into inter-communal violence just as it happened in Ivory Coast masterminded by neocolonial France.  Such reactions pitch against the legitimacy of our struggle and we spot the dangers and stay focused.

Over the last two days, I have had several meetings with other colleagues in The Interim Government to discuss these latest atrocities. We strongly condemn these horrifyingly wicked genocidal crimes against unarmed civilians, against women, against boys, girls, old people, the disabled, against patients with various health problems and against humanity.

We shall be using all the resources at our disposal to ensure adequate global response to these genocidal crimes committed against our people. The perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable and the point to note here is not if, it is when. We call on all Ambazonians to remain resolved and vigilant. We also urge those with verifiable evidence of these latest crimes and any other crime to discreetly forward the details to us via SCBC message platform on Facebook or through a trusted family member and or connected comrade of the revolution.  Say nothing whatsoever to people you don’t know and trust.

The Interim Government shares your pain during this very difficult and challenging time. We have established contact with our humanitarian team in the affected counties, and will be offering further support as we put all the logistical details together.

As we continue to pursue our struggle for justice and the restoration of our statehood, I’m asking you to remain hopeful amidst these acts of gross violations of humanity. Rest assured that we shall overcome. We are confident that truth and justice will prevail and we continue to call on those who remain an integral part of the peace process to emphasise on a Fact Finding Mission (FFM) to investigate and establish all calls of human rights violations in Ambazonia.  It is only through the findings of FFM that the road map to a peaceful resolution and justice would finally take off.

God Bless you,

Short Live the Struggle

Long Live the Federal Republic of Ambazonia

The parents of a baby allegedly murdered by Cameroonian soldiers last Monday have gone into hiding, afraid speaking out will make them a target for the authorities.

Pictures of the dead four-month-old Martha Neba were circulated online, along with a graphic video showing her body on a sofa with bullet casings nearby and her aunt crying as an unknown man filming the video accused Cameroon’s military of killing her.

“Let them come and kill me too,” screamed Martha’s aunt, Gladys Lum, in anguish.

It appeared to be the latest attack in a bloody conflict between government forces and separatist rebels from the central African country’s anglophone regions, one in which civilians have been repeatedly caught in the crossfire.

The conflict was ignited in 2016 with a peaceful demand by teachers and lawyers in the country’s anglophone regions to use English in courtrooms and schools, but degenerated into war after the authorities shot and killed protesters in October 2017. Anglophone rebels are now fighting for a separate state. Under the country’s octogenarian president, Paul Biya, in power since 1982, the numerous deaths and detentions have created an atmosphere of intense fear.

The family was visiting Muyuka in the South-West region so that four-month-old Martha could be presented to her grandfather. She was asleep on the sofa in his house, her mother was cooking behind it and her father relaxing out front when they heard gunshots.

“I quickly told my wife to run,” said Martha’s father, Funi Neba. “She went and hid around our neighbour’s house, I went right into the forest. On my way back I met a man who told me about the incident. I rushed home and saw my daughter on the chair. They damaged my daughter. I was seeing a bullet inside her head. You know how soft a baby’s head can be.”

According to a neighbour, the men were arguing as they left the house, with one asking another why he had shot such a young child.

When she saw her daughter, Martha’s mother, Emilia Agbor, collapsed. Martha was buried the next day, then the video of her appeared on social media. When soldiers came to the house asking for her parents, they went on the run, scared of reprisals for speaking out.

“The military shot my child,” Agbor said. “They are the ones who shot my child. Right now we are in the bush, we are running from government. I am afraid.”

The government denied what it said were false accusations, with René Sadi, the communications minister, giving his version of events in a statement. He said Neba was a former secessionist rebel, now rehabilitated, and that he and most of his family had fled when his ex-comrades, armed with knives and hunting guns, attacked his home. The baby had been killed with a knife, not a gun, he said, and the subsequent video had been staged in order to “demonise” the country’s armed forces.

He did not explain how he knew this, and did not announce an investigation into the baby’s death.

Neba, in hiding, said he was not a rebel but a banana plantation worker who had worked for months without pay.

“If the government can come out and say I am a separatist, I don’t have what to say to them, other than that God who created us all knows that I am innocent,” he said.

“My father stayed back, he said they should come and kill him since they have already done their worst. He questioned why they killed the innocent child, (when) they could have rather killed him.”

Amid killing, sexual violence, kidnapping, the burning of villages and hospital attacks, 530,000 people have fled their homes in the anglophone South-West and North-West regions. Many are living in extremely precarious situations, without sufficient food, clean water or medical care. Many are living in areas unreachable by humanitarian organisations. Suspected separatists are routinely tortured, according to human rights groups.

Cameroonian soldiers were accused of burning down 70 houses in an attack on Mankon, in the North-West region, on Wednesday 15 May, dragging a man from his house and killing him in the street, according to human rights organisations. The defence ministry announced an investigation.

Houses and villages are commonly burned down by the military: the locality of Kikaikelaki has suffered particularly in recent weeks, caught in the crossfire between the military and separatists, and reportedly being looted by the military. One resident who built water catchments that provided hundreds of people with clean water during the crisis had his house and possessions razed.

Source: The Guardian.Com