Politics

To
The Clergy, Consecrated Men and Women and Christ's Lay Faithful,
Archdiocese of Bamenda

Rev. Monsignors, Rev. Fathers, Rev. Brothers and Rev. Sisters,

Dear brothers and sisters,  
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

 It is with emotions of the certainty of the presence of the Risen Lord, but also of great concern that we write to you this Easter Morning.

First, we want to wish all of you the peace and joy of the Risen Lord. May our faith in the Risen Lord and the firm conviction of his presence in our midst be our consolation and our strength during this difficult period of the socio-political crisis in the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province. Let us continue to trust in him and in the maternal protection of his Blessed Mother, 'Tor never was it known that anyone who fled to her protection, implored her help or sought her intercession was left unaided..

Secondly, we want to share with you a correspondence which we received on Wednesday of Holy Week, 12°' April 2017 because it is a cause of great concern for . all of us. It is a "Direct Summons" which has been served to us by a group of persons described as the "Consortium of Parents, whose children are in the various Mission Academic institutions". This so-called "Consortium" is acting through a certain Colonel TAMAMBANG and Lt. Colonel Terence SAMA, both of whom are unknown to us. We, your Bishops, together with the Principals of Sacred Heart College, Mankon, St. Bede's College, Ashing-Korn, Our Lady of Lourdes, College, Mankon, and Bishop George Nkuo of Kumbo Diocese and President of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference fBAPEC, are summoned to appear before the Court of First instance, Barnenda on 21. April 2017 at 9.00 a.m. to answer charges on seven counts which we hereby summarize:

1. We, the Bishops, have failed to ask parents to send their children back to school or to cause the deposit of school fees paid into an escrow account despite the notice served on 01/03/2017.

 2. We signed a joint communique on 09/02/2017 in concertation with others to the effect that the non-resumption of schools is as a result of an unsolved political problem.

 3. We have caused the non-payment of the salaries of teachers in Mission schools for some months now, thus depriving the state of the necessary tax deductions.

 4. We have, for some months now, after collecting school fees, refused to teach, feed and accommodate students in schools.

 5. We have refused to either teach their children or refund the school fees pursuant to the notice served on 01/03/2017.

 6. We, the Bishops, signed a communique on 09/02/2017 which propagates false information liable to injure public authorities and national unity.

7. we, the Bishops, in the said communique of 09/02/2017 expressed our satisfaction on what we claim to be grievances or apprehensions as being evident, thus attempting to justify such grievances and apprehensions which are carried out against the security of the State.
The Consortium claims the amount of 150.000.000.000 (one hundred and fifty billion) francs CFA as special and general damages and pray the Court to convict and sentence us accordingly.

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Rita Akana

16.Apr.2017

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It is said that a suicidal pessimist is a person who, of two evils, chooses both. Biya was slammed by the UN this week for violating the human rights of Anglophones. Jeune Afrique reported that the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, called Biya to have a chat on the Anglophone problem after a visit to Cameroon by the UN representative for the Central Africa region, Mr. Fall. Biya refused to take the call of the UN Secretary General. Unprecedented uncivilized behavior.


The events of this past week demonstrate that Paul Biya goes beyond the suicidal pessimist. When the Anglophone uprising began, Biya had two choices: take decisive steps to bring about change or ignore the cries of the people. Like the proverbial ostrich, he buried his head in the sand, declared that there was no Anglophone problem, and unleashed a reign of terror on Southern Cameroonians who were airing their grievances. On his orders, the Cameroonian military and police killed, raped, maimed, and arrested men, women and children. Biya detained the leaders of the Consortium. Biya cut off the Internet in Southern Cameroon, and headed off to relax and receive medical treatment in his first country, Switzerland.

While Biya's head was buried in the sand, the wind exposed his political nakedness. The Anglophone's have decisively won the war of communication against Biya and Issa Tchiroma. The Anglophone problem has gone global. Biya and his regime are roundly condemned around the world. The latest blow came from the United Nations, which slammed his dictatorial ways, and essentially ordered him to solve the problem whose existence he denies.

When violence and oppression did not shake the resolve of Anglophones, Biya chose the second evil: He decided to play the tortoise. He has curled up in his little French post-colonial shell, cowering in fear. He sent first his Minister of "Justice," Laurent Esso, and then the president (batonnier) of the Cameroon Bar Association, Ngnie Kamga, to play dirty tricks with some blatantly deceptive "reform decisions." The aim was to hoodwink the public, hoping that the Anglophone problem would go away, while the leaders of the Consortium languish in jail. Those deceptive efforts failed miserably.

The end result of Biya playing games with Cameroon is that the situation has become worse, and worsens by the day. As the mismanaged entity called "Cameroon" lurches toward a break-up, the ailing 84 year-old Biya is still tucked in his tortoise shell, doing nothing. Stubborn dictators never get it until it is too late. I fear we will soon reach a point of no return in this crisis. That is when La Republique du Cameroun returns to its borders of 1960.

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Mola EKO

15.Apr.2017

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Rita Akana

15.Apr.2017

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Police and gendarmes, on April 6, forced open the gate of the St. Joseph Cathedral Big Mankon, Bamenda, for the FENASSCO ‘B’ Games football final to hold, against the advice of the owners of the playground; the Bishop and the Church.

Prior to the finals, the administration of the Northwest, made frantic efforts to get the church to allow access to the playground and the request was turned down. The FENASSCO officials were thus informed that they could not use the Catholic School playground because tracks had been circulated by unidentified persons threatening to burn the school if the FENASSCO finals took place there.

Reverend Father Humphrey Tata Mbuy, who spoke to the press, described the incident as regrettable. The person in charge of the playground, according to Tata Mbuy, had turned down the application.

Instead of taking the finals to the many other playgrounds in Bamenda, the forces of law and order forced open the gate into the holy premises and heavily deployed well armed troops and the children played the finals without spectators.

Addressing athletes and officials who converged at Bamenda Commercial Avenue grandstand for the official closing of the 2017 FENASSCO “B”, the Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim, congratulated the participants for excellent performances and called on winners not to lie on their laurels while consoling those who performed poorly to work hard next year in the East Region.

West Region came first with 12 gold medals out of the 24 medals won; Littoral came 2nd with nine gold medals in 25 medals (highest); Northwest 3rd – seven gold medals in 13 medal; Centre Region – six gold medals; Adamawa 5 – gold medals; Far North – four gold medals; North – three; East – one; Southwest – one; the South Region occupied the last position with seven silver and six bronze making 13 medals.

The Governor the Northwest Region, Lele L’Afrique and the Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council, represented by the Secretary General of the Council, Jude Waindim, handed over the medals.

Cameroonpostline

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Rita Akana

14.Apr.2017

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Communication Minister and Government Spokesperson, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, says the ongoing crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon is not in any way related to the slow implementation of the decentralisation process in the country.

“The ongoing problem in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon is not in any related to the slow implementation of the decentralisation process,” Tchiroma stated.

Speaking on April 12 in a press conference, the Communication Minister alongside experts from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation reiterated that much has been achieved as far as the implantation of the decentralisation process is concerned.

Going by him, implementing decentralisation is a complicated situation that needs time since Government cannot fulfil the demands of the process overnight.

“The process of decentralisation is a complicated process, but what is certain is that Government is bent on implementing the system. The process will continue and will go to an end even though some major challenges are faced.”

Recalling that the mode of organisation and administration of the State originated from the deep history of Cameroon, the Communication boss said, the Constitution of June 2, 1972 actually offered only limited prospects for the strengthening of decentralisation.

Tchiroma further averred that the Constitution of January 18, 1996, came in to give a new impetus and a more ambitious content to decentralisation.

“This fundamental change therefore paved the way for a genuine strengthening of the decentralisation process.”

Concerning the transfer of competences and resources, 60 of the 63 competences devolved to 20 Ministerial Departments were effectively transferred by the State to local and city councils as of December 31, 2015.

With regard to the financial resources legally allocated to the Regional and Local Authorities by the transfer of taxation, by allocation or by both, the amount allocated for the period 2010-2015 amounted to FCFA 251 billion.

The Minister, however, noted that the State has already transferred the commonly called “windscreen license” royalties to Regional and Local Authorities , the local development tax, a proportionate share of the supplementary municipal tax and a proportionate share of the annual forestry royalty.

Within five years, the State has repaid nearly FCFA 600 billion to Regional and Local Authorities within the framework of transfer of powers.

On why Government has not put in place Regional Councils as stated by the Constitution, experts from Territory Administration said the process is a gradual process and that with the putting in place of the Senate, there is hope that there is no turning back.

Despite challenges in effectively implementing the decentralisation process, the Minister and experts from the Ministry of Territorial Administration said, the decentralisation process is an obligation for the Government.

Cameroonpostline

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Rita Akana

14.Apr.2017

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A Southern Cameroonian inmate in Kondengui abducted as a result of the current Southern Cameroons crisis has been attacked. His right eye was attacked with a fork and was almost plucked off. Information says this came as a result of provocation and mockery his francophone brother did unto him as a flag burner (for burning La Republique flag).

This information was made public earlier by the Secretary General of SCACUF Mr. Tassang Wilfred ON his official facebook page.

BaretaNews correspondent in Yaounde has confirmed this incident and Mr. Vernso Stephen is currently undergoing treatment. Let us continue to pray for him.

BaretaNews was made to understand that since the announcement of the UN SG representative that all Anglophones arrested should be released, some francophones inmates have become violent and crazy on Anglophone colleagues. They are bent on harming some before they ever leave. Our people are now afraid. Kondengui is not safe anymore. We are told as a result Dr. Fontem has been urgently transferred today to meet Barrister Balla and Mancho at Principale section of the prison.

We of BaretaNews continue to call for restrain. Prison authorities must make sure Anglophone inmates are offered maximum security. We also call on Southern Cameroonians to receive this new information with good faith and not to retaliate on any francophone. It's a struggle for restoration and not a francophone vs Anglophone issue.

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Rita Akana

14.Apr.2017

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