Cameroon: Southern Cameroons Congress of the People – SCOOP’s Concerns on the Actions of Yaounde Vis-A-Vis the Swiss-Led Peace Initiative (15.09.2019)

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Cameroon: Services du Premier Ministre – Secretariat General – Communique Radio/Presse (16.09.2019)

Cameroon Bar Association: Communique (15.09.2019)

Cameroon: Rassemblement Democratique du Peuple’s Camerounais (RDPC) – Communique de Presse (11.09.2019)

Cameroon: Now! Movement – Major National Dialogue (12.09.2019)

Opinion: I don’t believe in Biya’s dialogue!

It is just one of those days, the day after a sudden Presidential Speech, when your read through the transcripts of the speech and wonder. What sort of foul play is going on? What sort of narrative is the man trying to shift? Why do I ask those questions, well, President Paul Biya, the almighty and Swiss fugitive, part-time President of the United Cameroon. The one who reside more in Switzerland and rules by decree. Suddenly held a speech yesterday on the 10^th September 2019.

This is from a man living a lavish life-style, a man whose spending fortunes abroad and nearly participate in the direct governing of his Republic. As well, as letting his associates and his cronies do most of his bidding. They are even so begging, that they are going to meet him in Switzerland and even dying there to meet him.

That is the man who held a speech yesterday. To console the battle-scorn Republic. Where the separatists are lingering behind bars, where school-children are afraid to go to school, where towns in the English speaking region are afraid to go out in-and around curfew. Where the army is killing people and leaving them by the road-side. Where ghost-towns and ghost-villages are a persistent as a result of the violence sanctioned by the state.

There earlier this year talks of negotiations and dialogue between the parties, but that is successfully not happening. As the Ambazonian government are behind bars. The other units of them is hunted down by an iron fist and trigger happy army. Where the governors and the government officials are restricting movement and what sort of movement that can be done. Therefore, the talks of dialogue at this point is mute.

Because, unless the government is silencing their guns, giving amnesty to the ones scorn and left in prison. There will be no needed talks, except if the state will continue its genocidal ways and finish off the population remaining. Since, plenty has fled to Nigeria and elsewhere seeking refuge from the war-torn region they previously was residing in.

Clearly, Biya wanted to sound like the Big-Shot, the Big-Man who solves it all. But if he was sincere, he would apologize, actually care for all the lives taken. All the lives hurt and the innocent civilians fleeing the region. Instead of acting like he will resolve it by suddenly holding dialogue, which was supposed to be Swiss inspired earlier this year.

He speaks of the men, of the people incarcerated like they are terrorists, when his inflicted harm and fatalities daily. His army is the trigger happy Honcho’s playing Wild-West in the NW and SW regions. There is no denying that. He just want to white wash the crisis and come on top, even after he has aimed all the bullets at the population there.

That is because his the President and they just happens to be his people. Still, that doesn’t justice the ends of his means. The President should answer for the all pain and death he has ordered. Surely, it must be grand living like a millionaire in Europe, while the Anglophone regions are burning on your orders. That must be the best. Be a man of wealth, a man of stealth and a man whose the real merchant of death. Peace.

Cameroon: South-West Region – Meme Division – Radio Announcement (05.09.2019)

Cameroon: Rassemblement Democratique du Peuple Camerounais (RDPC) – Communique de Presse (02.09.2019)

Cameroon: Ordre des Avocats au Barreau du Cameroun – Consell de l’Ordre – Resolution (01.09.2019)

Cameroon: CHRDA Statement on the Occassion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearence, 30 August 2019 (30.08.2019)

The international day of the victims of enforced Disappearances, 30^th August is a day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives. Enforced disappearance is used as a strategy to spread terror within society. It occurs when people are being arrested, detained or abducted against their will and when governments refuse to disclose the whereabouts of these people.

Relatives have a right, as victims themselves, to know the truth about the circumstances of any enforced disappearance, the whereabouts of their loved ones, the progress and results of investigation, and ultimately the fate of the disappeared person.

Enforced disappearance remains a heinous crime under international law, as it is strongly condemned by the Rome statute labelling it a crime against humanity as well as the UN Convention and the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons Against Enforced Disappearance.

The state of Cameroon is party to this convention since 2007, and it is under obligation to search for persons who have disappeared. Unfortunately, since the outbreak of violence in the North West and South West regions and the militarisation of towns and villages, several persons have disappeared as the government battles against armed separatist groups. In the localities of Belo and Wum in the North West Region, Relatives have been able to retrieve corpses of identified victims of enforced disappearances (family members) in Rivers and streams, said to have been arrested by the state militia. Mass graves have also been identified in the localities of Batibo and Bali since 2018, and several other individuals have disappeared since the 22^nd of September when thousands of southern Cameroonians match with peace plants across the two regions, and the 1^st of October when others hoisted flags in public places, announcing the birth of a new country called ‘Ambazonia’.

Most recently, the riots in the prisons of Kondengui and Buea on the 23^rd and 24^th July respectively lead to the destruction of the prisons by wild fires, prompting the government forces to respond with live bullets to keep calm in the prisons. Several inmates were moved to other detention centres and there are allegations that a couple of inmates died. Lawyers and family members have raised allegation that the whereabouts of their clients and relatives previously detained at the Buea central prison cannot be ascertained.

On this occasion of the international day of the victims of enforced disappearances, 30 August 2019, CHRDA calls on the state of Cameroon to take measures to immediately search for any individual alleged to have disappeared in compliance with its obligation under international law.

Independent commissions should be put in place with sufficient financial and human resources to conduct the search for the disappeared persons. They should properly coordinate the search and should have unrestricted access to all information relevant to locate the disappeared person. Such authorities should also allow for the full participation of the relatives or representatives of the disappeared and should be regularly informed about the progress and protected from any security risk. In the words of António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, he said “I call on States to do more to prevent enforced disappearances and bring to justice those responsible. To this end, I call on countries to cooperate fully with UN mechanisms. I also urge all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify or accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.”