Politics

The recent appointment of former Prime Minister and Grand Chancellor of National Orders, 74 years old Peter Mafany Musonge as President of the newly created National Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism has raised more questions than answers as to how this body is going to help in the resolution of the current Anglophone problem in Cameroon. Some critics have described this appointment as putting old wine into new wineskin.

It is exactly one and a half months that the South Elites Forum was held in Buea to discuss the current Anglophone crisis. It was in this Buea Mountain Hotel meeting that Peter Mafany Musonge, Nalova Lyonga of Buea University et al pointed accusing fingers to the North Westerners as main perpetrators of the crisis and called on South Westerners to take their destiny into their own hands.

Onlookers think that nothing good will come out of the commission with Peter Mafany Musonge at the helm.

They say he has been a long time Biya’s ally who has benefited greatly from the regime through flagrant manipulation and dishonesty.

Critics are also questioning the competence of the former prime minister to lead a national commission made up of Anglophones of the north and south west given the xenophobic comments that came out from his mouth in the February 02, 2017 meeting. Others say “out of the abundance of the heart, the mind speaks”.

Other members of the committe include:

Vice Chairman: Oumarou Djika Saïdou
Ama Tutu Muna
Anguoin née Ndanga Françoise
Djenabou Bakary
Mbappè née Tiki Ngonde Ndjo’o Agnès
Abbé Jean-Marie Bodo
Abouem à Tchoyi David
Ahmadou Mohamadou Baba
Efoua Mbozo’o Samuel
Halle Nicodemus Ndessi
Itoe Mutanga Benjamin

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Tawe Gije Nkfunji

15.Mar.2017

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The Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, Rev Babila Fochang says that the Church as a body is not playing games with future of children nor can tell lies in the face of crisis rocking the two English speaking regions.

The Reverend Gentleman in one of his daily meditation says the only means to be free is to worship and believe in God

Rev Fochang wrote:

The Anglophone churches in Cameroon have been under serious attack with some Anglophone members of government daring to say that the churches are playing Pontus Pilate! Some church leaders are under surveillance with threats of arrests while pastors are threatened to say that all is well.

Now that media houses have been threatened that they will be shut down if they mention anything concerning what is going on, the prophetic voices remains the only outlet of truth.

Today we are reminded of the threat on Jeremiah’s life because he prophesied the word of the Lord just as the Lord asked him to.

The message was that if the people fail to listen to God’s prophets and do what God wants, he was going to rain disaster upon the city. As it is, instead of heeding the prophet and turn to the Lord, it was the regular priests and prophets who led the people to sieze Jeremiah, saying, “You must die!…”

The officials of state then positioned themselves at the entrance of God’s house and it was prophets and priests who said, “This man must be sentenced to death because he had prophesied against this city…” Enemies in the house!

Jeremiah told them he had only spoken what he was asked to by the Lord. Like Jeremiah the true prophetic voice can only say, “…Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God… As for me, I am in your hands, do with me whatever you think is good and right.

Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city, and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing…” (26: 1-16). My people, history is proof that killing of prophets and human rights activists have never been the solution to suppress truth! Let us face issues and deal with them upfront! Arrests, torture, high handedness and threats to life won’t solve our problems!

Our solution is to turn to the Lord especially during this season of Lent! Don’t treat fellow humans as animals! You can’t expect university students to go to school and function smoothly without internet! Not in this generation! God forbid this inhuman treatment and violation of human rights! Fear God and allow good citizens to enjoy their just rights; and by so doing we would all escape the wrath of God!

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Rita Akana

15.Mar.2017

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Cameroon says it has killed at least 60 Boko Haram fighters and destroyed a stronghold for the militant group, as well as a huge stock of seized weapons, in fighting along its northern border.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon minister of communication and a government spokesperson, said, since January 26, thousands of Cameroon soldiers, supported by Nigerian troops, have launched raids on Boko Haram strongholds in the Mandara mountains, freeing more than 5,000 people, including women and children, from captivity. 

Issa Tchiroma said at least 60 terrorists have been killed since the offensive began in late January.

More than 20 suspects have been arrested and are helping the Cameroon and Nigerian militaries in their investigations, he added. He also said troops have destroyed a refuge center for the insurgents in the Mandara highlands, a petroleum depot and an explosives factory, as well as the residence of a Boko Haram leader, which also served as a hideout for the terrorists, and a huge consignment of weapons, vehicles and motorcycles.

Issa Tchiroma said at least 5,000 people were freed, including the elderly. They were transported to a camp for displaced people in the Nigerian town of Banki and are receiving treatment from both Cameroon and Nigerian military health workers, he said.

No soldiers were killed in the offensive, Issa Tchiroma said.

In December last year, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced troops had chased Boko Haram militants out of their key remaining base in the Sambisa forest, another former stronghold that straddles Cameroon’s border with Nigeria.

Cameroon and Nigeria that same month reopened the border between the two countries for the first time in three years.

Cameroon has since called for vigilance and collaboration between its military and the population, stating that the insurgents had resorted to large-scale suicide bombings as their firepower had been greatly reduced.

Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed more than 25,000 people and displaced nearly 2.3 million, according to rights groups and the United Nations.

VOA

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Rita Akana

15.Mar.2017

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The body of a Cameroonian soldier who was killed in Nigeria on March 13 while fighting Boko Haram has arrived Cameroon, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

L’Oeil du Sahel newspaper said the body of Ganava André who was killed around the locality of Kumshe in Nigeria arrived Maroua, the regional capital of Cameroon’s far north, on Tuesday. 

Boko Haram has killed about 150 Cameroonian soldiers and policemen since 2014 and about 2000 people about the same period in over 500 gun and bomb attacks, including more than 50 suicide bombings.

Not long ago, as attacks escalated in Nigeria, the governor of Borno, the birth place of Boko Haram, said he needed help now “more than ever before”.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and his government have repeatedly claimed that Boko Haram had been decimated but recent incidents show that the “godless, mindless” militants are far from being defeated. 

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Simon Ateba

15.Mar.2017

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Dr Richard Tanto, a renowned International Peace Consultant and Director of Ecumenical Service for Peace in Yaounde, meticulously describes what he calls the solution to the Anglophone problem that has been rocking Cameroon for the past 4 months. In an exclusive interview, he condemns present competitive measures and calls for collaboration of both government and activists.

“When you are competing your interests are more important to you than your relationship, you want to get your interests at all cost. This is what is happening right now. The Anglophones are struggling to get their interests at all cost through organizing ghost towns, boycotting school and so on. Government too wants to get its interest by blocking internet, imprisoning activists, and banning the consortium. These are competitive attitudes and approaches and they are not going to solve this problem” says Dr Richard.
He explains his understanding of the crisis and raises concerns about the issue of interests of both government and protesting Anglophones. 

The International Peace Consultant says “Collaboration means that we as a people identify our interests and bring them to the table for discussion. From my understanding of this entire crisis, it seems to me that the interest of the Anglophones is to have legal guarantees for their rights, so that they can constantly remind government that this is what we deserve because without this they may not be able to exercise or claim their rights. On the other side, government is afraid that this people might secede. Now both parties need guarantee. Government needs to be sure that Anglophones are not seceding and Anglophones need to be sure that government will give their rightful share of the national cake”.

“Unfortunately the situation has moved from a simple protest to civil disobedience; and civil disobedience arises when people have completely lost faith in their leadership. So at this point we need trust building measures in order to restore some confidence which will permit both parties to discuss their interests” he adds. 

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Ndi Derek Giyoh

15.Mar.2017

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Honourable Enow Tanjong, the eldest Member of Parliament and President of the Provisional Bureau of the National Assembly says dialogue and effective decentralization is the way forward to the current Anglophone crisis.

He was speaking yesterday March 13 2017 in Yaounde during the opening of the 2017 legislative year at the national house of assembly.

Joseph Mbah-Ndam of the SDF thinks there are more important things concerning the crisis that the eldest Member of Parliament in the house could have pinpointed. He thinks the Dean could have dwelled more on lives lost and activists unlawfully detained rather than talking about decentralization and condemning burning of houses.

“20 years ago before I came to this parliament, they were talking about decentralization, we voted laws on decentralization. It’s not working” says Joseph Joseph Mbah-Ndam.

Hon Joseph Mbah-Ndam says federalism is the best form of government for this nation.

“We have awoken them on the virtues of federalism as a proper form of government for this nation, where we will be able to have the different regions manage their own affairs and stop this corrupt central governance which is dilapidating the wealth of this nation. We are opening a session with the backdrop of leaders of the civil societies of the northwest and southwest regions in prison, charged for offences that are unrelated with the issues involved.

My Dean did not make a notion to the fact that this is not what happened in the northwest and southwest of which he is a member of that community. He went ahead to condemn the burning of houses and so forth.


This to me is not more important than the human lives lost ” Hon. Joseph Mbah-Ndam says.

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Tawe Gije nkfunji

14.Mar.2017

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