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The case pitting the state of Cameroon against Barrister Agbor Balla, Dr. Fontem Neba, Mancho Bibixy and 24 other Anglophones incarcerated in the Yaounde Central Prison Kondegui has been adjourned to the 24^th of May 2017.

Critics have termed this delay in justice as punishment in itself. Some say justice delayed is justice denied.

“This is indirect imprisonment. It has been months since these people were taken to Yaounde and up till now they haven’t been judged. I call this indirect imprisonment. They are punishing the detainees in an indirect way” says an angry critic in Bamenda.

Another critic says “These people were first of all arrested illegally and charged for not carrying ID cards, propagating false information, terrorism, vandalism and threatening people who are against the Anglophone crisis. Now they are being denied justice; because justice delayed is justice denied”

The defending council has demanded they be released on bail but their demands are still to yield positive results.

Details: Tawe Gije Nkfunji; 28.Apr.2017; Hits: 2153

A lecturer at the University of Yaoundé I has surprised his students with a question in English.

According to a certain student of Mathematics from the Faculty of Sciences, they were taken unaware on Thursday by one of their lecturers who set one of his questions in English for the first time. It was during a test for 20 marks when the students surprisingly found the last question for 4.5 marks in a different language, not French.

Even though our source claimed that it was due to the simplicity of the question, there is every indication that the lecturer was influenced by the recent wave of reforms sparked by the unrest in Southern Cameroons.

Since the creation of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, there has been a complete change of attitude by Francophones who try on a daily basis to coin broken sentences in English.Thursday’s action came on a day when the members of the commission were officially taking office.

Our source however said some lecturers do set their questions in English.

Details: Tasha Seidou; 28.Apr.2017; Hits: 2542

Four Members of a civilian vigilant group were killed in the locality of Achigachia-Far North region of Cameroon, in clashes with Boko Haram last night.

The local self-defense groups who help the Cameroonian military with information, have often been targeted by the terrorist group.

Several dozen group members have been killed in recent months, as the Islamists have been targeting civilians believed to be cooperating with the authorities to root them out.

Authorities believe the vigilantes have been able to minimize the flow and infiltration of Boko Haram fighters in the northern part of the country.

Adama Simila wears a knife tied to his belt by a piece of rope, his only protection against Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist insurgents who have repeatedly targeted his home town in remote northern Cameroon.

While the threat once came from heavily armed, battle-hardened jihadists crossing from neighbouring Nigeria, today Simila knows he is more likely to die at the hands of a teenage girl strapped with explosives.

"We're here to look out for suicide bombers," said the 31-year-old, a member of a local civilian defence force in the town of Kerawa.

After watching its influence spread during a seven-year campaign that has killed around 15,000 people according to the U.S. military, Nigeria has now united with its neighbours to stamp out Boko Haram.

Outside Nigeria, Cameroon has been hardest hit by Boko Haram, which now operates out of bases in the Mandara Mountains, Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad -- areas straddling the borders between Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger.

Girls abused as sex slaves by the group are psychologically damaged and therefore more vulnerable, the army says. Boko Haram also uses girls because they are thought less likely to arouse suspicion, although that may be changing now.

Details: Rita Akana; 27.Apr.2017; Hits: 3282

The anti-ghost town marches organized by pro-government forces in Bamenda and Kumba suffered major backlash as the turnouts were not only timid, but the populations responded with more severe ghost towns grounding social and economic activities.

The Bamenda march that took place on Monday, April 24 amidst the ongoing university games registered a very low turnout void of any major political figures of the region. One of the marchers, we learnt, was hurt.

On Tuesday April 12th, 2017 the Government Delegate to the Kumba City Council Victor Ngoh Nkele organized a march for peace aimed at saying no to ghost town in Kumba, no to violence and burning of schools, with a call on parents to send back their children to school, and above all with a clarion call on government to free the Anglophones who are being detained in Yaounde and the need for the restoration of internet in the two English speaking Regions of Cameroon.

The march, however, witnessed a major backlash when the outlawed Consortium also called for a ghost town on Monday, April 17, which coincidentally was supposed to mark the resumption of schools for the last term of the 2016/2017 academic year. On Monday April 17th, 2017 the population of Kumba woke up to the most effective ghost town ever as parents failed to send their children to schools despite the assured security. All the streets of Kumba could be compared only to a desert, shops and, banks, remained closed. The Kumba main market was wide open but no trader could be seen around. The Common wealth avenue where most commercial activities take place was equally deserted. People could be seen trekking to their various offices and duty post as Commercial bikes and taxis sparsely showed up.

It should be noted that the peace march organized by the Government Delegate also saw the presence of the Mayors of Kumba Urban constituency, Council workers, leaders of markets and transport syndicate, quarter heads and some politicians in the likes of Meme IA CPDM Section president Tabot Lawson, the CDC Board Chairman Chief Justice Benjamin Itoe Mutanga. They marched from the premises of the Kumba City Council through the CPDM party secretariat to Kumba Up Station to the Meme SDO’s office. The government delegate then handed their memo to the Meme boss Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlin.

Addressing the SDO, the government delegate said: “This peace march is organized by my humble self in collaboration with other stakeholders in Kumba, we say no to ghost towns, no to violence and burning of schools, we want our children to go back to school, no to anything that will breach the peace that reign in Kumba, we are pleading once again for parents to send their children to school”. The SDO sounded elated and maintained that he will transmit the news to the powers that be. He hinted that he will continue to collaborate with stakeholders so that the current impasse rocking the city will be an issue of the past.

However this March for Peace has raised doubts in the minds of most city dwellers who wondered if this will be effective in Kumba. Some denizens who opted for anonymity asked this reporter if the so-called strike action and ghost towns was declared in Kumba that the Delegate wants a stop to it?

Others said that the turn out did not represent the population of Kumba. They added that even the distance covered from the Kumba City Council to the SDO’s Office did not create any awareness in the minds of city dwellers.

However, some shop owners The SUN spoke to said they are willing to open their stores on Mondays but are scared of losing their goods. They noted that their fellow traders in other markets whose stores were burnt have not received any assistance from the government for shunning calls for ghost town.

Most parents who still refused to send their children to school revealed that the last term which is just a month is not enough for their children to study the entire syllabus meant for academic year.

The Sun Newspaper

Details: Rita Akana; 27.Apr.2017; Hits: 3499

The UN has called on the Cameroon Government to ensure that minority populations like Anglophones are considered in the sharing of posts in the public service. The call, amongst others was made last April 20, 2017 by the Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, Ahowanou Agbessi during the validation workshop of the 22nd and 23rd Reports by Cameroon on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination organized in the conference room of the Ministry of Justice in Yaoundé. The UN official used the occasion to reiterate the support of their centre for all actions geared towards the implementation of human rights in Cameroon. Cameroon was also urged to deposit its report on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination on time on the table of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Chairing the workshop on behalf of Minister of State for Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Laurent Esso, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice, George Gwanmesia pledged Cameroon’s commitment to make sure its human rights reports are deposited on time as soon as they are ready. Cameroon is obliged to deposit this periodic report on the UN Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination latest July 2017.

After listening to three exposes, participants drawn from the Ministry of Justice, other administrations, independent institutions, the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, Civil Society Organizations and the UN Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa adopted the following recommendations; that government should take measures to limit rural exodus of pigmies often displaced by 3rd persons for exploitative reasons, a national observatory be created specifically to handle discrimination problems, that civil society and international organizations evaluate the pilot education project in Baka language of the East region supervised by Plan International to see if it meets the cultural and local development preoccupations of the pigmies, that minorities in the country like Anglophones be considered in the sharing of posts in the public service, the promotion of bilingual education etc.
It should be recalled that the Mbororos and Pigmies are the two minority indigenous populations in Cameroon reported to be facing a lot of challenges.

The Sun Newspaper

Details: Rita Akana; 27.Apr.2017; Hits: 5555

To an innocent observer, the recent wave of reforms in Cameroon signals the arrival of a messiah and his gospel. Many ministerial decrees; several commissions; uncountable appointments and what have you.

The National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism is certainly one of the major stories making news in Cameroon as its members are to be officially commissioned by Prime Minister Yang today, Thursday 27.04-20167.

Some people see this move as a historic decision from the powers that be. But what they do not seem to is the staleness of the whole show. This is a drama acted by the same actors who have been on stage for several decades, singing the same song with the same dance but a different style.

How can we swallow this change when indeed it is not change as such? The majority of the members of the commission are ‘popular’ figures of the regime. May be they are the best! But if they were that 'outstanding' they should not have come after the president and gone before him. Peter Mafany Musonge should still be prime minister if he were that ‘good’. Likewise for Ama Tutu Muna. If these persons have worked with the regime, and yet things remain the way they are, what can we expect from them when they take over the commission? By the way, under whose control is the commission? The president of course.

Cameroon became 'bilingual' more than sixty years ago, and these people have been there, though not from the probably, and English has been trampled upon without them making the difference.

In fact, if anything could come out of this commission, it must first and foremost gain independence. it should not lean on anybody, for he who pays the piper calls the tune. Barrister Nico Halle ought to lead the commission as an independent and outspoken person.

We are saying this in relation to what we see on the stage on a daily basis. Last year a commission was created and put under the ‘prime minister’ to investigate the causes of and propose solutions to one of the most deadly train derailment in the country’s history. The report was to be submitted in thirty days. But after the deadline there was no trace of the findings, unless it did not reach some people.

Details: Mbi James; 27.Apr.2017; Hits: 1593

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# Paul Biya and his regime

Explore the political landscape of Cameroon under the rule of Paul Biya, the longest-serving president in Africa who has been in power since 1982. Our Paul Biya and his regime section examines the policies, actions, and controversies of his government, as well as the opposition movements, civil society groups, and international actors that challenge or support his leadership. You'll also find profiles, interviews, and opinions on the key figures and events that shape the political dynamics of Cameroon.

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Learn more about the history, culture, and politics of Ambazonia, the Anglophone regions of Cameroon that have been seeking self-determination and independence from the Francophone-dominated central government. Our Southern Cameroons section covers the ongoing conflict, the humanitarian crisis, the human rights violations, and the peace efforts in the region. You'll also find stories that highlight the rich and diverse heritage, traditions, and aspirations of the Southern Cameroonian people.

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