Cameroon: African Bar Association letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson – The Injustice in Southern Cameroun (10.01.2020)

 

Cameroon: Biya’s New Years Message is a Stern Warning to the Anglophone Region

“For those who persist in going down the wrong road and continue to use violence, we will have no other choice than to combat them in order to protect all our fellow citizens. Our Defence and Security Forces will, once again, perform their duty with restraint, but without weakness. I wish to reassure them of my full support and high esteem” (Paul Biya, 31.12.2019).

You can imagine, the ghost villages, the gigantic amounts of Internally Displaced Persons and people who has lost loved ones. Listening on their radios, hearing the broadcast of their President of the Republic. From the man who has for 37 years been their President and their ruler. Most them known of nobody else, hell, most of them was not even born before that time.

President Paul Biya of Cameroon has some nerve, the man who struggles to walk. The man who stumbles to talk. The jet-setter, the Switzerland bound, Ghost President and globetrotter. That person are sending a warning to the Anglophone regions, the North-West and South-West Regions.

“Today, I wish to thank all those who kindly participated in the dialogue, and congratulate its organizers, in particular the Prime Minister, Head of Government” (Paul Biya, 31.12.2019).

He praises the self-imposed Grand National Dialogue, which was a charade and farce. Where he made no astute changes, neither changed the narrative on the ground. As his armies and his soldiers are still beating people to pulp, still sending the young citizens to their graves, while the President and his wife is living life of ancient kings.

“Neither the social media nor news outlets can change the outcome of an election, talk less of illegal protests, violence and personal or hate-filled attacks. Remember, I once said “Let’s talk, let’s not fight”. Such is the behaviour of the citizens of a democratic country” (Paul Biya, 31.12.2019).

Certainly, a man of that fashion. Whose used to get away with this behaviour will talk this way. Will says something about the ones going into the wrong path. Like the leadership of Ambazonia, whose behind bars. Or even put Maurice Kamto in his place too and blame Social Media too. That is minor infliction of things, but shows his sentiment.

Not that I blame the old man, well, when he can order the destruction and the steady killings, while having his ministers lying to the international about the state of affairs. Than, you know the man can do anything. He knows this, Paul knows this and abide by it. Biya knows that International Community, the African Union, ECOWAS and everyone else. Will not touch him. His Teflon and nobody, nobody will dare. If they do, it is his own citizens and by decrees, by orders, they will linger in jail on trumped-up charges.

So, Biya with his New Years Message of 2019, sends a stern message for 2020. Not likely he guns will be silent, not likely that the torment nor the vicious attacks on his own citizens will end. No, he will continue, as the only right road is his. That is what he thinks and obliged to think that, but that doesn’t necessary mean its true.

Biya is self-inflicting harm to his own Republic. Blaming others and burning his own regions for his own fanfare. Who knows why, while he wants the glory for stopping the fire. He knows this, but that is what he does. It isn’t wise, neither is smart, but its just malicious. It is evil actions with intent.

At one point, he will loose control of the hornets nest his poking at, sooner or later he might get stung by one. Than, he might get what happen all these years, as his own might caused all this pain. A warning shot now, only shows his heart or lack of it. Peace.

Cameroon: Nji rather lie, than tell the truth about the extent of anglophone crisis!

Slim Charles: “Don’t matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war and now there ain’t no goin’ back. I mean, shit, it’s what war is, you know? Once you in it, you in it. If it’s a lie, then we fight on that lie. But we gotta fight” (The Wire, Season 3 Episode 12 – “Misson Accomplished”, 09.12.2004).

He is not the first, nor the last, who wants to save the face of his government and show blind loyalty to his Head of State. Still, Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji is willing lie to save face. The Minister is willingly and without any effort claiming that the efforts made in Anglophone regions are not as bad as it seems. Not as dire and crisis as the reports have been told.

However, the Minister doesn’t come with facts, just mere numbers, which is contrary to all United Nations reports on the matter and also Multi-National NGOs. By all means, the I will drop it here and then come with reports. Showing, that it must have been made up from him. As there are things not adding up. Unless, he wants to show old numbers and not the freshest. In that regard make the picture more rosary, than what it really is.

“ According to the Minister, Cameroon currently has around 152,000 internally displaced persons in the North West and South West regions, and about 6,000 to 9,000 internally displaced persons in other regions of the country. To these needy people fleeing various abuses, the government allocated an envelope of 12.7 billion FCFA. “Faced with this dangerous traffic from certain partners or those working on behalf of separatist groups, the government now demands more transparency and more responsibility in their operations in the North-West and South-West regions,” he emphasized while being in charge of the Territorial Administration” (DevDiscource – ‘Cameroon has no humanitarian crisis, says Paul Atanga Nji’ 30.12.2019).

While he states this inferior number, which by all means is a lot of people. Towns upon towns with IDPs, whose has to flee their home. The ghost towns, the people fleeing armed forces and the army violating the regions right to exist. Therefore, it is insulting, that he tries to mask over the situation, instead of giving the real deal.

Like the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reported a total of 668,000 IDPs by 31^st December 2018 and new displacements during that year (2018) was alone 459,000. These numbers are much more significantly higher, than what the Minister said and shows the discrepancy here.

Also, OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) own North-West Flash Update from 20^th December 2019 states this: “Between 9 and 15 December 2019, an estimated 5,475 people (782 households) were forced to flee their villages following a series of military operations and community clashes throughout the North West region. Military operations in the Momo, Mezam, Boyo, Ngo Ketunjia, Donga Mantung and Bui Divisions have led to the displacement of 2,775 people, while community clashes in the Boyo division has led 2,700 people to flee their homes. There are consistent reports of military burning houses and other civilian infrastructure in supposed retaliation for communities harbouring NSAGs” (OCHA, 20.12.2019).

However, those numbers are only the limited time frame of 9^th to 15^th December. Not even the hole year. Yes it is closer to the numbers of the Minister, but still not grasping the whole situation. As this is only one week of the whole year and not counting the time from when army and others violently entered the Anglophone region.

USAID states this December: “Since 2016, worsening insecurity in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions had internally displaced nearly 680,000 people, as of November” (Cameroon: Food Assistance Fact Sheet – Updated December 17, 2019).

So, again the numbers of the Minister doesn’t add up and is closer to the numbers of IDMC, which is one year older. Therefore, the various numbers just shows what intent and whose losing the bargain. Surely, the citizens and the ones harmed are in the dire need of help. The whole region doesn’t need the state warfare, neither the fake special status. Neither, does it need the fraudulent dialogue, which is only a smoke-screen, while the state violates people rights, land and livelihood on a daily basis.

Than, we have the World Food Programme with their Emergency Dashboard of November 2019, which states that the Anglophone regions have 536,107 IDPs. Another big number, which the Minister clearly doesn’t verify. It is hard to know exact the numbers, as each of those numbers would represent a person, an individual who deserves a peaceful life and opportunities to live, without fear, without war and without conflict in general.

However, the reality is that Minister doesn’t care. His just trying to mask over a crisis, a self-inflicted crisis, by the army and by the government. Instead of fixing it and listening, they are trying to burn the two regions, the North-West and South-West to the ground and hoping no one cares.

Supposed Honourable Nji is lying. Lying out of his teeth. A disgraceful act, an despicable one, as he tries to deflect the damage his government does on a daily basis. That is the reality in the scheme of things. It is just a reminder, of what extent people do to live on a lie. Going to war on a lie and sticking to it. Peace.

Cameroon: Union des Populations du Cameroun – Communique de Presse (23.12.2019)

Cameroon: Social Democratic Front (SDF) – National Executive Committee – Suspension from Political Activities (17.12.2019)

Cameroon: Tanjoh Frederick Tetuh – Letter of Resignation from February 2020 Council List (16.12.2019)

Cameroon: National Assembly – Bureau Order No. 40/04 – 2019 (11.12.2019)

Cameroon: Communique of the Fako Lawyers Association in Relation to the Draft Bill on the Promotion of Official Languages in Cameroon (06.12.2019)

Cameroon: MRC – Communique au Sujet du Projet d’Atteinte a l’Integrite du President elu, Maurice Kamto, Par des Extremistes du Regime Camerounais lors de son Sejour Announce en Europe (07.12.2019)

Cameroon: UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon Condemns Killing of Abducted Aid Worker in North West (01.12.2019)