S.Cameroons

Breaking

After Tchiroma’s Speech, World Media Turns to Cameroon

Write comment (0 Comments)
Kabila Death Sentence Sparks Political Firestorm

Write comment (0 Comments)
SA Ambassador to France Found Dead in Paris

Write comment (0 Comments)
Interpol nets 260 in Africa cybercrime raids

Write comment (0 Comments)
France: Sarkozy Sentenced to Five Years in Jail Over Gaddafi Campaign Funds

Write comment (0 Comments)

Breaking

Details: Southern Cameroons

After reading through this post elsewhere by Ndi Ngam i thought it worthy of sharing here, have a read.

Teachers, whom a few months ago in Cameroon were dismissed as an inconsequential bunch at the fringes of society, have made a name in the historical annals of our country by proving to the world that “small no be sick”. The battle these gentlemen and ladies, alongside the Common Law lawyers of West Cameroon, waged against an insensitive government has been sanctioned with an unprecedented victory.
However, sight should not be lost to the fact that this success was, to a large extent, due to the massive and unflinching support they got from the quasi totality of West Cameroonians because of the soundness and legitimacy of their claims. In fact, the teachers’ and lawyers’ cause tore open the cosmetic scar that veiled the festering wound of discontent born of the marginalization of Anglophones.
Now that the teachers have scored this major victory it will be suicidal for West Cameroonians to abandon them to themselves at this critical moment when the cause has to be pursued to its logical conclusion. We have to stand by them especially at a moment they are grappling with a hot, very hot potato in their hands – what it takes to call off their strike action.
Nature abhors a vacuum and at a time when the only credible advocate, the Consortium, has been outlawed in Cameroon, it is high time an organ speedily set up to champion the cause. Since it is claimed that the Consortium was acting out of the ambit of the law, who else can constitute such an organ other than… the LAW MAKERS??!!
Yes, I think that this is the ideal moment for the peoples’ representatives to stand up like one man, irrespective of party affiliation, discipline, lines or whatever, and speak for the peoples of West Cameroon! (After all, they displayed such solidarity a couple of years ago when they disregarded party leanings to fight for and defend their rights and PECUNIARY advantages in Parliament!) Yes, this is a golden opportunity for all West Cameroon Senators and Parliamentarians to spearhead the fight through a (Wirba-led?) umbrella organization which will, among other concerns:
1. defend and follow-up the gains made by the teachers (for a brighter future of West Cameroon’s youth through a sound system of education) by ensuring that ALL the items examined and approved by the Ghogomu Committee are fully implemented and within the agreed time frame;
2. press for the release of the young people arrested during the strike action or failing this, seek their transfer from the Yaoundé prison cells to the jurisdictional area of their origins;
3. make a strong statement in defense of the constitutional provisions that give West Cameroonians full rights as citizens of this country and not a people reduced to playing second fiddle to their Francophone counterparts;
4. engage government in a continuous process of frank, open and sincere dialogue on the other burning issues of West Cameroon like the equitable distribution of the national cake with West Cameroon having its fair share;
5. persuade the government to live up to its several failed promises and commitments of infrastructural development in West Cameroon;
6. spearhead the fight for the establishment of the TRUE history of Cameroon based on facts like the Bishop’s memorandum, the Abouèm à Tchoyi write-up and the several informed write-ups on the issue;
7. impress on the government, through every intellectual and legal argument available, that a federal form of government for Cameroon will not only make the country strong and united in its diversity but will accelerate development and speedup the attainment of the much talked-about Vision 2035.
If the parliamentarians fail to act accordingly, they should bear in mind that elections are around the corner and ONLY those with our cause in heart will represent us come 2018!
I think it is high time for the government to realize that it is bad politics to always sweep the dirt under the carpet or play the ostrich. It should be brave enough to incise the abscess now instead of waiting to amputate the limb when things get out of control. It should be bold enough to call the people together and present a mea culpa so as to right the wrongs of the past. FACTS are STUBBORN! Its arm-twisting tactics are ill-timed and uncalled for: banning the Consortium and the SCNC now is just giving the two organizations even more exposure and popularity…
God save the Cameroons!

Details: 18.Jan.2017; Hits: 3394

Write comment (0 Comments)

Details: Southern Cameroons

Following the recent tragic arrest of the legitimate anglophone consortium leaders, Dr. Barrister Agbor Balla and Dr. Fontem Neba by security forces of president Paul Biya, Mark Bara and Tapang Ivo both anglophone activist residing out of Cameroon, where assigned by the consortium to coordinate the actions for the winning West Cameroon struggle.

In this regard, we are tasked with the following:

1. To ensure the most effective month-long ghost town from Jan 23rd to Feb 23rd, 2017, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the entire West Cameroon.

2. To ensure the strict respect of peace in all our actions as we fight to promote democratic accountability, the rule of law, and good governance among the peaceful people of West Cameroon under colonial pressure from the brutal and barbaric regime of President Paul Biya.

3. To propose, coordinate, endorse, and implement any other strategy meant to attain the goals of the legitimate consortium.

We call on the public to give us the leadership trust and remain strong for the big win. We must remain united. We succeeded to UNITE West Cameroon this week.

Creation of the Consortium

When lawyers and teachers finally went on strike in October and November 2016 respectively, after several months of government inaction, government ministers of the Departments of Higher Education, Justice, Communication and Secondary Education, in keeping with the policy of disregard and disdain for Southern Cameroons flooded the public media with invectives and disparaging comments.

Perhaps, the most incendiary incident was the repeated outings of Mr. Atanga Nji (Minister without Portfolio) who demonized his fellow Southern Cameroonians, threatening them with fire and brimstone. They denied the existence of ‘An Anglophone Problem’ and their remarks inflamed public passions.

In the midst of the furore and the multiplicity of groups which emerged from the embroglio caused by the Government ministers, it became necessary to create an umbrella organization which will canalize, constructively, the desires, the demands and the aspirations of the people which have found legitimate expression in the on-going strike actions.

In this regard, on 5 December 2016, Civil Society organizations, trade unions and professional groups came together and created a platform which would henceforth articulate their interests, advocate, advise, speak for and on behalf of the marginalized people of Southern Cameroons by identifying and making known these problems and providing policy alternatives that can better the lives of our indigenous people.

The Consortium shall work to rebuild our unity which had been fractured by half a century of divide and rule, political greed and selfishness.

Details: Rita Akana; 18.Jan.2017; Hits: 2951

Write comment (0 Comments)

Details: Southern Cameroons

It was Lenin who advocated, in language worthy of Machiavelli, that one must embrace one’s enemy so as to easily suffocate him. The government’s pig-headed decision to arrest leaders of the Consortium after failing to reach a compromise with them at the negotiating table is an act of desperation, or worse still, a product of bad advice that serves no purpose, other than deliver the most embarrassing verdict on the government’s credibility and poor democratic credentials.

The gov’t should stop chasing shadows because you cannot conquer or defeat the quest for freedom with intimidation and brute force. The Consortium is a resilient spirit that is deeply embedded in the resolve by Anglophones to free themselves from the yoke of 55 years of Francophone bondage. Arresting Anglophone leaders is a meaningless show of crude power and a tragedy that raises fundamental questions about the President’s judgment and character. It is unacceptable and even less than honorable for the regime to resort to such executive lawlessness, which will do nothing, but close the door on dialogue and harden Anglophone resolve for independence.

The message must therefore be conveyed to Paul Biya in whatever language he understands, that Cameroon is a disaster waiting to happen and time is running out for the regime to figure out why the load on the head of a man with crooked legs remains permanently unbalanced. Mr. President, read my lips!

Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

Details: Rita Akana; 18.Jan.2017; Hits: 2800

Write comment (0 Comments)

Details: Southern Cameroons

As the ghost town declared by the Anglophone Cameroon Civil Society Consortium enters day two today, rubrics of yesterday’s operation is still pretty fresh in the minds of denizens of the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon who are ready to give up just anything for a brighter future for their children.

While at the time of this report, the ghost town operation is recording a resounding success in the North West and South West and taking place with a lot of calm and serenity, that of yesterday did produce a lot of fireworks in some major towns of the Anglophone region. Not only did it go violent but dozens were arrested and the angry youths took to the streets.

Revisiting Ghost Town Operation Day one

In the North West Region regional capital of Bamenda which has been championing this fight from day one, business activities where all grounded as the ghost town recorded a resounding success. All the markets, banks, fueling stations, commercial centers, travel agencies among others remained closed while the streets completely deserted with very few people and private cars rushing to their various destinations.
In Ndop, angry youths who were aggrieved by the fact that some business premises were opened, decided to match shutting down business premises and government offices but they were later disperse by arm to the teeth riot police officers whose brutality cannot be over emphasized.

The Divisional Officer for Fundong, this reporter gathered was blocked by irate youths from going to work. They questioned if he was not current with the political atmosphere in the country to know that there was a ghost town.

Cruising West of the Mungo to the South West Regions, which until yesterday exercise relatively calm was the epitome of unrest as the ghost town took a different dimension in the sea-side city of Limbe formerly called Victoria.

Even though the consortium had earlier called for no violence during the ghost town, Limbe, which harbors the lone oil refinery in Cameroon took everyone by surprise. Not only were roads within the town barricaded by angry youths, but equally any commercial bike rider or taxi driver caught working had to face the angry youths.

Matters reach climax when hundreds of angry Limbe youths stormed French schools in Limbe which had classes going on unperturbed. Hundreds of Francophone students and pupils were forced out of their various school premises by angry youths as police fired tear gas and gun shots in an attempt to disperse the ramping crowd.

While it is reported that over twenty were arrested ,a resident of Limbe who spoke to Cameroon Concord narrated that they had to go out to ensure that the ghost town was respected by all especially those French schools who have since the strike remained indifferent.

Today’s Ghost Town Operation

Today January 17, 2017 is the second and last day of the tow day ghost town operation as declared by the consortium headed by barrister Agbor Felix Balla, who spent a greater part of his career working as a legal adviser to the United Nation.

At the time of this report, day two of the ghost town is relatively effective and no violent has been reported as at now. From Buea, Limbe, Mutengene and Kumba in the South West Region to Bamenda, Nkwen, Nitop, Commercial Avenue, Small Mankon et al in the North West, one can conclude that the ghost town operation is 100% effective. Now the question this reporter could not answer is what happens after the ghost town?

While we all wait on the Consortium leaders on what next, time is fast running out as this academic year risk being declared as null by UNESCO. Affair a suvire…

Details: 17.Jan.2017; Hits: 3974

Write comment (0 Comments)

Details: Southern Cameroons

Washington, 14 January 2017 – The charismatic Member of Parliament (MP) for Bui-South, Hon. Joseph Wirba, crossed yet another line in the sand Saturday when he royally ignored a ban by the colonial administrators of Bui Division to preside a heavily-attended rally at Squares, Kumbo.

His convoy, preceded by over-excited, self-assigned Okada escorts, arrived Squares to chants of “Papa ehleee! Yaya-Yooo!” and “Dem Go Kill We Tire”.

“This is what I can do,” Hon. Wirba said from the podium, referring to the huge turnout at the rally. His statement mocks Cameroon’s Higher Education Minister, Prof. Jacques Fame Ndongo, who had tried to let the MP know that there is nothing Southern Cameroonians can do about their domination by Yaounde. After flagging discontent to the Minister, the MP says Fame Ndongo mockingly replied: “Vous allez faire quoi?” (What will you do?)

From Squares on Saturday, the MP spoke of verbal threats on his life, including reportedly from official quarters. This descendant from a long line of Nso warriors challenged his to-be assassins to proceed if such is their desire, pledging that more Wirbas will be born through his killing.

“A strong person does not threaten,” Hon. Wirba told the crowd, letting it be known that he considers the Biya regime to be just talking, instead of acting when confronted with game.

His use of the analogy of a hunter got rally attendees dizzy with laughter. “No hunter sees an antelope and, instead of shooting, starts threatening ‘I will kill you’”.

Spotting jeans and a brown velvet traveling jacket over a blood red T-shirt bearing the inscriptions “I Am ‘Wirba’. The 55 Years the Sugar Has Refused to Melt”, the MP reminded the regime that the uprising in Southern Cameroons is the fault of the colonial government refusing to pay heed to the alarm bells she rang while in Yaounde.

He reiterated an earlier statement that the army of the annexationist government of La Republique is already so overwhelmed they would be better served right now calling up the French army in backup role.

“Call wuna (your) big papa for Europe, because your army will not stop us,” said the MP, adding that even grandmothers across Southern Cameroons have now signed up to the cause.

Hon. Wirba’s speech was the main course at the rally and it closed with an announcement urging the towns of Kumbo and Kumba, Buea and Bamenda to assume the role of Soweto in South Africa during the liberation of blacks in that country. He pledged to hold rallies in the three other towns over the coming days/weeks.

The appetizer for the rally had been served in the form of speeches from, among others, the Right Rev. Dora and the initiator of the Coffin Revolution, Mancho Bibixy. Calling himself air, and tnerefore impossible to be stopped by the Biya security forces that tried but failed to prevent him from attending the rally, Mancho worked the crowd up with roars of “No” in response to several questions about whether they want to remain a part of colonial Cameroun.

REFERENDUM CALLS GROW; SO, TOO, THE MOCKERY

Speakers made reference to recent calls for a return to federalism - but it, almost inevitably, turned out to dismiss federalism as a joke, along with the call for the organization of a referendum in Southern Cameroons to determine the form of government.

“No slave who organizes an uprising returns to beg from the castle of the slave master,” said one rally attendee on WhatsApp.

Once dearly loved, federalism is in bad taste on social media platforms. On Saturday, the Chicago-based journalist, blogger and member of MoRISC, Innocent Chia, splashed rotten eggs all over it by naming it the “F Option”. He went after Common Law Lawyers to explain “the inherent discrepancy and conflict” between two points in a communique in which the lawyers called for a referendum, but - putting the cart before the horse – also set up a federal constitutional drafting committee, as if the outcome of the referendum was a given.

“If Anglophones succumb to federalism, they will live with the murders, tortures, rapes, lootings, wanton arrests and molestations, arsons, exclusion and name it, from generation to generation. Who knows when the French will allow Francophones to become something different from French slaves?” questioned Prof. Tatah Mentan.

Social media was full of praise Saturday for former Bar Council Chair, Barrister Bernard Muna, after excerpts of an interview he granted a local television station were aired in a news report.

“Ni Ben has done the ‘Muna Political Brand’ an immense good,” said one WhatsApp post.

The excerpts showed Barrister Muna urging Southern Cameroonian youths to fight for the freedoms they deserve; admitting that the older generation may be too old to get the job done before they go to their graves; and encouraging students to consent the sacrifice imposed by even a full year or two of missed studies in order to obtain a better education in the future.

END