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Southern Cameroons War: New Attacks on Civilians By Francophone Troops

28/03/2019

Government forces in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have killed scores of civilians, used indiscriminate force, and torched hundreds of homes over the past six months, Human Rights Watch said today. Armed separatists have assaulted and kidnapped dozens of people during the same period, executing at least two men, amid intensifying violence and growing calls for secession of the North-West and South-West regions.

Violence has intensified since October 2018 as government forces have conducted large-scale security operations and separatists have carried out attacks. Cameroon’s government should investigate allegations of human rights violations and ensure that civilians are protected during security operations. Separatist leaders should immediately direct their fighters and followers to halt all human rights abuses and to stop interfering with children’s education.

“Cameroon’s authorities have an obligation to respond lawfully and to protect people’s rights during periods of violence,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The government’s heavy-handed response targeting civilians is counterproductive and risks igniting more violence.”

Since October, at least 170 civilians have been killed in over 220 incidents in the North-West and South-West regions, according to media reports and Human Rights Watch research. Given the ongoing clashes and the difficulty of collecting information from remote areas, the number of civilian deaths is most likely higher.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 140 victims, family members, and witnesses between December and March, including 80 in person in the North-West and South-West regions in January.

In the fall of 2017, Cameroonian security forces suppressed large-scale protests organized to celebrate the symbolic independence of Anglophone regions from the country’s French-speaking areas, killing more than 20 protesters. Since then, the emergence of armed separatist groups has been accompanied by attacks and a growing militarization of the Anglophone regions. The unrest has displaced more than a half-million people since late 2016.

Human Rights Watch research shows that since October, security forces, including soldiers, members of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), and gendarmes, killed civilians, used force indiscriminately, and destroyed and looted private and public property.

In one case, witnesses said, Cameroonian security forces attacked the village of Abuh, North-West region, in November and burned an entire neighborhood to the ground. Satellite images and photographic evidence obtained by Human Rights Watch show the destruction of up to 60 structures.

A woman in her 40s said she spent three days hiding in the surrounding countryside with her five children after the attack: “When I came back to the village, my house was gone, with everything inside. I am left with nothing but my clothes.”

The government’s near-total lack of prosecutions for crimes by security forces in the Anglophone regions has protected those responsible and fueled abuses.

At least 31 members of the security forces were killed in operations between October and February, in both the North-West and South-West regions, according to credible media reports and information collected by Human Rights Watch.

Witnesses said that separatists assaulted government workers, teachers, and students, preventing them from going to work or to school.

Kidnappings by separatists have also surged, including more than 300 students under age 18 kidnapped in at least 12 incidents. All were released, most after a ransom was paid.

In one case, a man in his 50s said separatists kidnapped and held him for ransom days after the October presidential election – an exercise the separatists opposed – as he drove between Kumba and Buea in the South-West region. He was taken to a remote base operated by the Ambazonia Restoration Forces – one of the armed separatist groups operating in the Anglophone regions and affiliated with the Ambazonia Interim Government – where he said he saw fighters execute two young men. “They were accused of voting,” he said. “They were beaten to death.”

Cameroon’s partners, France in particular, should increase pressure on the government to hold those responsible for abuse to account, and ensure that any support to Cameroonian security forces does not contribute to or facilitate human rights violations. The UN Human Rights Council should ask the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or relevant UN experts to conduct a fact-finding mission into allegations of human rights abuses in Cameroon. Members of the UN Security Council should formally add Cameroon to the Council’s agenda, request a briefing on the situation from the UN Secretary General, and make clear that individuals responsible for serious human rights violations could face sanctions.

“It is absolutely essential for the Cameroon government to restore the rule of law in the Anglophone regions and to hold those who target civilians to account,” Mudge said. “Leaders of the separatist groups should stop abusing civilians and show they are willing to resolve this crisis.”

On February 12, Human Rights Watch sent a letter with its findings to Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, secretary general at the presidency requesting a response to specific questions. The government’s March 22 response denies state security forces carried out abuse documented in this report. The government added that its security forces all undergo human rights training prior to deployment and that about 30 cases are pending before the Military Courts in Bamenda and Buea for crimes including torture, destruction of property, violation of orders, and theft.

Violations by Security Forces

To protect witnesses and family members, Human Rights Watch has withheld the identities of some victims and interviewees.

Attacks on Villages

Rom and Nsah (North-West region of Cameroon), October 21

Four Rom residents told Human Rights Watch that soldiers and gendarmes attacked their village and the neighboring Nsah locality on the evening of October 21, forcing residents to flee into the bush. Security forces killed at least four civilians, including a young man with a physical disability who used a wheelchair. A resident of Nsah said:

While all the villagers ran away, he couldn’t flee. As the soldiers approached his compound, his two grandmothers locked him in the house. The military came and asked the women where his father was. They then pulled him out of the house and killed him. He fell from his wheelchair after he was shot.

Security forces also burned up to 20 buildings in both Rom and Nsah, including family houses, stores, and a Baptist Church. Community members said that, fearing more attacks, an estimated one third of the town’s population are living in the bush or nearby localities.

Abuh, Muteff, and Ngwah (North-West region), November 19-21

Five witnesses said that soldiers, Rapid Intervention Battallion (BIR) members, and gendarmes began a three-day security operation in the villages of Abuh, Muteff, and Ngwah on November 19. Armed separatists had operated in the area since at least July. Witnesses said that soldiers burned up to 60 homes in Abuh. They said they believed that the security forces retaliated against civilians suspected of harboring separatists. Human Rights Watch has confirmed the burning through satellite imagery. Security forces also set ablaze three homes in Muteff and partially destroyed the Abuh City Hall, looting and burning solar panels donated by a charity.

Over 60 buildings likely destroyed by fire between November 16-21,2018 in Abuh Village, North West region, Cameroon
© 2019 Planet Labs Inc

A 51-year-old man, who ran to the neighboring hills when security forces approached Abuh, recalled what he saw from his hiding place: “The burning lasted for three days. We saw how the military destroyed our homes.” The man’s compound was burned on the second day, which is when he said most of the destruction occurred: “I had a big house. Everything is gone. I didn’t assess the damage yet. Every time I try do it, it makes me ill.”

All five witnesses confirmed that there was no confrontation between the security forces and the separatists. Another resident of Abuh said that the separatists, who had based themselves in the targeted neighborhood, fled when security forces arrived: “There was no clash during the three days. There was just burning by the military of our houses. It was like a revenge.”

Before entering Abuh, the security forces stopped in the village of Ngwah, killed two elderly men in their homes, and shot an elderly woman, who later died in a hospital, two residents said.

In its March 22 letter to Human Rights Watch, the government of Cameroon wrote that operations conducted by the national army in Abuh, Muteff, and Ngwah between November 19 and 21 had two objectives: to protect ethnic-Fulani suffering separatist abuses and to secure the area by “neutralizing the perpetrators of these abuses against the civilian population” if necessary.

Bali (North-West region), November 22

Residents of Boh-Nanden, a neighborhood in Bali village, said they fled into the bush as they heard an attack on the nearby camp of the Ambazonia Restoration Forces. Seven witnesses and five others said that a civilian’s body was booby-trapped with explosives after the attack. They believed it was the body of a 21-year-old man who returned home soon after the shootings subsided. People who returned later found his body in the street. As they lifted the body, an explosive device apparently connected to him went off, killing 2 more civilians and injuring at least 11, said witnesses and five people injured in the incident.

One of the survivors, whose leg was amputated, said the booby-trapped victim was a neighbor’s son:

He had been shot in the head. I volunteered with [five] men to lift his body and carry it to be taken for burial. As we picked up the body, we heard a loud explosion. I didn’t understand anything. I was covered in blood and my left leg was hurting. I had to wait until 5 p.m. before being taken to hospital. No one wanted to move when soldiers were around.

Accounts from three other victims and witnesses, supported by photos and videos Human Rights Watch collected, indicate that gendarmes later burned at least 13 houses in various areas of Bali, including Boh-Nanden, Press Craft Street, and Tih. A businessman said that the gendarmes targeted his home because he had a shop in the vicinity of the separatist camp in Boh-Nanden and was accused of serving the separatists drinks: “I saw the gendarmes coming with three armored cars. They first started firing against my house and then eight [gendarmes] came down, poured fuel and burned everything.”

Kumbo, Meluf, Kikaikom, and Nyaro (North-West region)

Since mid-2018, the Bui division has been wracked by violence with its main city, Kumbo, almost completely cut off. Residents said repeated clashes between the separatists and security forces in the area have severely restricted movement.

Witnesses said that in late July, soldiers, BIR, and gendarmes stormed Kumbo’s Njavnyuy neighborhood in search of separatists. They broke into homes, destroyed or looted property, arrested at least five men, and a 14-year-old boy, and beat them outside their homes.

The troops later took the men and the boy to the Gendarmerie headquarters in Kumbo, where the detainees said they found gendarmes beating at least 25 other detainees. “They kept beating us with everything they had,” one said. “I saw three men who had been shot in the legs and were losing a lot of blood.”

One of the five men died there, allegedly from the beatings. Another detainee said: “[The victim] was in bad shape, was lying helpless. When the military were beating us in front of our house, he was hit in the neck with a big wooden stick that the BIR found outside. I think that’s what killed him.”

Three survivors said that gendarmes then drove the man’s body away along with another man, still alive, who was among the six people arrested in Njavnyuy. The following day, both men’s bodies were found dumped in a street in Jakiri village. The other men and the boy were released.

Since the October presidential election, clashes between armed separatists and security forces have increased, leading to more abuses by both sides. For example, soldiers went on a rampage in Kumbo and neighboring localities between December 3 and 6, following clashes with armed separatists, burning dozens of homes and killing civilians. Photographs, videos, and satellite analysis indicate soldiers burned over 55 houses in areas of Kumbo known as SAC Junction and Romajay, as well as in Meluf, Kikaikom, and Nyaro.

A teacher from SAC Junction said that soldiers torched his house, and more than 20 others and a vocational training center nearby after clashes with armed separatists on December 3. When the shooting began, around 5:30 a.m., he hid inside his house, watching soldiers set fire to his neighbor’s home. Around 10 a.m., soldiers turned to his house:

I was on the floor. I peeped out through a hole and saw eight soldiers standing in front of my house. One shouted in French “On brûle!”[Let’s burn] I then got the scent of a chemical being sprayed, and in a short while fire and very dark smoke engulfed the whole place […] I hid in the waste pit behind the house for five hours, as I watched my entire house and the car destroyed.

On December 5, the army killed seven people in Meluf, including a 70-year-old man with a hearing impairment who was burned inside his neighbor’s home. A relative of the victim said he was inside the house when the military broke into the neighborhood that morning: “[They] started shooting and burning, everyone ran away. He didn’t hear anything. He was alone. The house was burned and he was inside.”

In its March 22 letter to Human Rights Watch, the government of Cameroon wrote that the military operation in Meluf was conducted to avoid a massive jail break “planned by terrorist groups in order to boost their ranks.”

This violence continued into 2019. On January 23, a mix of soldiers, BIR, and gendarmes raided Rohkimbo, a neighborhood in Kumbo, searching for separatists. Witnesses said that security forces started shooting indiscriminately. Frightened by the gunfire, some residents sought refuge around a house. Security forces targeted the house and several bullets penetrated the walls, killing a 1-year-old girl, and injuring her mother and brother.

In its March 22 letter to Human Rights Watch, the government of Cameroon wrote that between 21 and 22 January, following clashes between the security forces and the separatists, a house where the separatists had hidden burnt because of the presence of illegal petrol products. It added that despite no civilian casualty was reported in the burning incident, an investigation by the gendarmerie is underway.

Between February 16 and 19, in what appears to be retaliation against residents perceived to be sympathetic to separatists, security forces torched about 60 homes and shops across Kumbo. Satellite imagery obtained by Human Rights Watch shows that buildings were destroyed in three main areas in Kumbo and nearby villages. The actual number of buildings destroyed is most likely higher because of limitations in the resolution of the satellite imagery.

Over 115 houses likely destroyed by fire since December 1, 2018 in areas of Kumbo, North West region, Cameroon

© 2019 Planet Labs Inc

Bole Bakundu (South-West region)

On February 6, BIR soldiers stormed the Bole Bakundu market, killing up to 10 men, said six witnesses and four residents who live nearby and who spoke to witnesses and people who were injured. Community members said they believed that security forces were retaliating against civilians accused of collaborating with the separatists. Witnesses said that soldiers arrived at the market around 8:30 a.m. and started shooting indiscriminately. A 34-year-old woman who was at the market with her children that day said: “Many people were in the market. I saw the BIR shooting men like dogs, randomly. Some were even asked by the BIR to lift up their hands up as they shot at them.”

Residents confirmed that separatists operate near the village and had built a roadblock in “Mile 15” in Bole Bakundu on February 3.

Attacks on Health Personnel, Facilities

Local and international media and human rights organizations have reported that both security forces and armed separatists have killed health professionals and targeted health facilities since the crisis began in the Anglophone areas. Human Rights Watch documented that security forces have killed at least two health professionals since August, including a pregnant nurse; gravely injured a nurse; and attacked three health facilities.

On January 18, soldiers shot dead Fomonyuy Ornella Nyuymingka, a 28-year-old nurse who was seven months pregnant, while she was on her way to work in Kumbo (North-West region). A witness who rushed her to the hospital said that soldiers shot her from about 80 meters, despite her visible medical attire. Her killing caused an outcry in Kumbo, as hundreds gathered to mourn her, brandishing signs asking belligerents to stop targeting medical staff. A medical source said the nurse had been shot in the chest, making it impossible for doctors to save her or the baby.

In its March 22 letter to Human Rights Watch, the government of Cameroon wrote that the security forces conducted a joint operation at “a place of assembly of armed terrorists” in Mveh, Kumbo on January 18, following which there was exchange of gunfire between the security forces and the separatists. A report of the operation “revealed no civilian casualties.” The government asserts that the nurse was not in the direct fire area of the army. Nonetheless, an investigation by the gendarmerie into this case is underway.

In November, the military destroyed and looted property belonging to medical personnel of the Banso Baptist Hospital in Kumbo, North-West region, including computers and motorbikes. The military shot a female nurse from the same institution wearing her medical uniform at close range as she was on her way home in Kumbo in December. In early March, soldiers broke into the same hospital again, looking for a wounded separatist whom they suspected was being treated there. On February 17, soldiers looking for wounded separatists broke into the Shisong hospital (Kumbo, North-West region) and fired several shots in the air.

Sexual Violence

Human Rights Watch documented three cases of sexual violence by security force members. Two women and one girl from a locality (name withheld) in the North-West each said that BIR soldiers raped them in January. Aid workers in the North-West and South-West regions expressed concerns that similar cases go unreported.

“Sarah,” a 22-year-old mother, said that two BIR soldiers raped her at home in early January: “I was in the kitchen with my baby and a neighbor, [when] two military with BIR uniforms entered my home.” When she couldn’t provide information on the whereabouts of the separatists, one soldier threatened to kill her: “He put me on the ground while the other was holding my hands. He raped me. Then, the other raped me too. After that, one asked me whether he should be giving me money, around 5,000 or 10,000 CFA (US$8 or 16). The other said: ‘We should just go, go fast.’ So, they left.”

Sarah went to a medical facility for post-rape treatment the same day. However, she said that she did not report the sexual assault to the authorities out of fear and shame of stigma. She said she has experienced anxiety and insomnia since the rape and has sought support from a religious organization.

In another case, also from January, three BIR soldiers raped a 23-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl in the same home. The victims, who were neighbors, said that the soldiers arrived around 8:30 p.m. and accused them of hiding separatists. The soldiers then raped them in front of two children. The soldiers also attempted to rape another woman in the same home. She said:

The soldiers were dressed in the BIR uniform. One took me outside and asked me to undress. I begged him to let me go. He said he will kill me if I don’t take off my clothes. He put his gun between my legs and tried to force his way into me. I resisted. My baby was crying loud. I asked the BIR to let me check on the baby. He accepted. That’s how I was spared. The baby saved me, but when I entered, I saw my sister and my neighbor on the floor. They had been raped by the other two soldiers. When [the soldiers] left, we cried.

The victims went to a health center where a nurse gave them post-rape treatment.

Human Rights Abuses by Armed Separatist

Kidnappings

Human Rights Watch interviewed nine people who said that separatists kidnapped them between November and January and documented three cases since October in which groups of students and teachers were kidnapped together in the North-West and South-West regions. Armed separatists have also targeted national and international aid workers, curbing humanitarian work in the crisis-affected areas. Media reports indicate that at least 350 people have been kidnapped for ransom since October 2018, including 300 students. Human Rights Watch has been able to confirm several of these cases.

Nearly all were released after relatives or school authorities paid ransom. Kidnappers have demanded between 100,000 CFA and 1,500,000 CFA ($170 and 2,500) per person and often followed a similar pattern of blindfolding, beating. and threatening them. The kidnappers then ordered the victims to call their relatives, friends, or employers to beg them to pay for their release.

A 33-year-old man described being kidnapped by members of the armed separatist group Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF) and taken to their camp near Teke (South-West region) in early December. He saw the separatists wearing ADF t-shirts, and recognized “General Ivo,” a widely known separatist commander killed later that month. He said he spent five days in the ADF camp, then was released without any ransom payment: “I had to use the toilet and I asked to be taken out of the room where I was kept. They accepted, but said that I had to pay. I discovered that the payment was beatings. They beat me up on my back with cables.”

In all the cases documented, relatives of the hostages did not inform authorities about the kidnapping, either because they believed they would get no assistance or because they feared that any rescue operation would endanger their loved-ones.

Abductions of Students, Teachers

Since early 2017, separatists have consistently targeted school buildings and threatened education officials and students with violence if they did not comply with separatist demands to boycott schools. They have also used schools as bases, deploying fighters and weapons in and near them, including in Koppin village (Mezam division), Tenkha village (Ngoketunjia division), and Mbuluf (Bui division).

Separatists abducted 20 children and a teacher from the Lord’s Bilingual Academy in Kumba, South-West region, at about 9 a.m. on November 20. They were forced to walk into the bush for over four hours until they neared Difang. Three children were taken home the same day following a rescue operation by gendarmes. The others escaped during the rescue operation and found their way home with the help of a local resident.

Separatists kidnaped six children and a teacher on December 14 near Nkwen, North-West region. They all appeared in a video filmed by their kidnappers while singing the Ambazonia anthem. Human Rights Watch spoke with two relatives who confirmed that their children were kidnapped on their way home from school, around 4 p.m. They said the children in the video attended at least three schools in the area. All were released six days later following a ransom payment. The father of one of the children said that two separatists on a motorbike kidnapped his son and a female classmate:

The kidnappers stopped them on the road and ordered them to climb on the bike. When they resisted, one of the kidnappers showed them a shotgun…They were blindfolded and taken to the [separatist] camp. There, they were beaten on the soles of their feet. They were told that they were taken because they were attending school and that schools had to be closed.

Fuler Ayamba, the Secretary General of the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), said in a March 14 letter to Human Rights Watch that the ADF “impresses strict discipline on the fighters” under its control. With regard to allegations of large-scale kidnappings by the armed separatists, Ayamba said that these were carried out by the government to tarnish the image of ADF and other armed separatist groups or by opportunists seeking to exploit the crisis for their own gain. The ADF denies it was involved in any kidnappings around Teke. Human Rights Watch cannot confirm that ADF has command control over all fighters in their zones.

Sako Samuel Ikome, acting president of the Ambazonia Interim Government, a separatist group, said in a March 19 email that some members of the Ambazonia Restoration Forces have committed abuse and have been sanctioned by the Interim Government. Ikome denied that the group was involved in any kidnapping of students in Nkwen. He blamed violence in the regions on bandits and government-sponsored groups.

Source: Human Rights Watch

Could Nigeria’s court ruling ease the conflict in southern Cameroon?

28/03/2019

On 1 March, in the case between 12 Cameroonian separatist leaders and the Federal Government of Nigeria, Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the forced deportation of the 12 leaders and 39 other Anglophones from Taraba State was illegal and unconstitutional.

The judge said that irrespective of whether they posed a threat to the Nigerian state or not, the Federal Government did not follow due process and thus violated both the Nigerian constitution and articles 32 and 33 of the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Stating that their human rights were violated, Justice Chikere ordered their return to Nigeria. He also decided the government should pay compensation of ₦5-million each to the 12 and ₦200 000 each to the 39 other deportees. The 12 are leaders of the self-proclaimed independent territory of Ambazonia, an outlawed territory in Cameroon’s mostly Anglophone regions, where some English-speaking residents seek to restore what was formerly British Southern Cameroons.

While seeking refuge in Nigeria, the individuals, including their leader Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, were seized in January 2018 at the Nera Hotel in Abuja and extradited to Cameroon. The UN, particularly the UN High Commission for Refugees, which had records of the 12 as refugees and asylees, strongly condemned the act and called for their return. After being held incommunicado for over 10 months in Cameroon, they are now on trial before a Yaoundé military tribunal for terrorism-related crimes.

The ruling has given new impetus to the hotly contested issue. Legally, justice seems to have been served but politically, the implications are unclear. There is a need to closely examine the legality of the court’s ruling, to ascertain what it means in practice. Can the court compel the Nigerian government to enforce the ruling? Will the Cameroon government heed the court’s decision by releasing the leaders?

As it stands, there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. This is contrary to Cameroon’s communication minister Issa Tchiroma’s argument that the arrest and transfer of the 12 from Nigeria to Cameroon conformed with the law. He cited three security accords signed by Cameroon and Nigeria in 1963 and 1972 which, although not extradition treaties, define rules of cooperation in matters of security between the two countries.

Inasmuch as the ruling censures the Federal Government of Nigeria, it does present options to resolve the deepening armed conflict in the two English-speaking North West and South West regions. Anglophone militias in these areas are battling pro-regime soldiers in their quest to separate and establish a new country. These Anglophone separatists want emancipation from the French-dominated Cameroon.

The separatists will no doubt expect some reaction from the government of Cameroon to the court’s ruling. If the Paul Biya administration were to ignore an overture from the Nigerian government to return the deportees, and find the deportees guilty of terrorism – which could include the death penalty – this could escalate tensions. It would mark a turning point for the conflict and a missed opportunity for restoring peace in the country.

Although capital punishment is a far-fetched outcome, a guilty verdict is not an unlikely scenario. This is a country where state authority remains heavily centralised in the executive branch, and legislative decision making is often opaque and without consultation. This is evident in the government’s unilaterally designed conflict mitigation strategies, such as the creation of a Bilingualism Committee in response to the perceived linguistic marginalisation of the English-speaking regions.

Similarly, government created the ill-fitted National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. The committee has been unable to make inroads in disarming militants, many of whom have shown no signs of surrendering their arms without dialogue.

These government initiatives don’t reflect a real analysis of the root causes of the current crisis. Linguistic marginalisation is a simplistic explanation that belies the decades-long exploitation of citizens by the ruling elite, who depend solely on patronage. Even more troubling have been government actions to vilify Anglophone communities in the wake of the crisis, and the failure to hold security services accountable for attacks on civilians.

Cameroon’s government could instead use the Nigerian court’s ruling as an opportunity to start a process of national reconciliation. Having suffered setbacks in its legitimacy, government could restore trust and social cohesion with citizens by prioritising peace building rather than state-building.

By heeding the Abuja High Court ruling and repatriating the 12 leaders who are seen by their followers as the legitimate brokers of peace in any dialogue process, chances are the Cameroonian leadership can set a new course towards stability.

It could capitalise on the faction of Anglophone ‘federalists’ who hope for a return to the former federal system of government without the structural exploitation and under-development of the two Anglophone regions by the Francophone political centre of power. This has been at the heart of the ‘Anglophone problem’.

The process of finding a durable solution would ideally be facilitated by the international community through the UN. Central to such a dialogue and reconciliation process will be a commitment to holding both separatists and security forces responsible for crimes committed against innocent civilians. It must also provide justice for the thousands who have been killed, and redress for those rendered homeless due to the burning of their villages, resulting in the massive exodus into Nigeria in the first place.

Source: Polity.org

Tension Over Purported U.S. Sanction Of Cameroonian Officials

28/03/2019

There are reports out of Cameroon that say the U.S. has sanctioned President Paul Biya’s government and accused Yaounde of committing atrocities in the ongoing anglophone crisis. The sanctions are also said to be in place for the arrest and detention of opposition leader, Maurice Kamto.

The sanctions are said to affect more than twenty military personnel, civilians and ministers who have been banned from entering the U.S. The names of the affected officials have not been released, but we reported that top civil administrators and ministers are included.

The visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, has not improved relations between Cameroon and the Donald Trump administration.

The U.S. has also announced the withdrawal of many other aid and security programs promised by Washington. An earlier offer to train the Cameroonian military has also been jettisoned.

Source: Annafrica

United States sanctions on the Paul Biya regime: A good move though coming late

28/03/2019

Paul Biya remains one of the few “sit tight” leaders in Africa. He has been in power for close to 37 years. And at 86 years, he has not thought it wise to quit the political stage and make way for the younger generation. Who knows if he intends to die in office like the late Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo or he is waiting for the military to topple his government as it was done to Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Whatever his intention may be, power does not last forever. If he does not leave power, power will definitely leave him.

Because of the atrocities committed in the ongoing war in Southern Cameroon, the United States government has sanctioned Paul Biya’s regime. What these sanctions mean is that, 20 military personnel, civilians, and ministers cannot travel to the U.S. – they have been banned. Added to this, the US will also withdraw all promised aid and security programmes, including an offer to provide training to the Cameroonian military. Importantly, the US gives a total of 17 million dollars annually to the Cameroonian government as aid. All of this will be forfeited due to the sanctions.

Even though the United States government sanctions are coming late, it is a welcome development. Since the conflict started in 2016, Washington is the first foreign government to condemn Paul Biya’s regime with sanctions. And without any iota of doubt, these sanctions will affect the US-Cameroon relations but it may force Paul Biya’s regime to minimize the use of force in the Anglophone region.

Again, Yaoundé may want to be desperate to regain the favour of the white house, hence, it may release the detained opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, whose arrest and detention also contributed to the sanctions.

Now that the United States has sanctioned Paul Biya’s regime, it will be wise for the European Union (EU) including France to do the same in order to intensify the pressure and force Yaoundé to negotiate with the Ambazonia leaders. It will not make any sense if the EU especially France takes steps that will thwart the US sanctions or embolden Paul Biya’s regime to continue to perpetrate atrocities in Southern Cameroon.

As a matter of fact, no fewer than 2,000 people have died with another 170,000 displaced since the conflict began. Despite this, it is very shameful that no African country has suspended its relationship with Cameroon. Even Nigeria, the big brother of Africa, reportedly arrested and deported Julius Ayuk Tabe the self-declared president of Ambazonia in 2018.

And to worsen the matter, the African Union (AU) has not taken drastic steps to at least restrain Paul Biya from killing Southern Cameroonians and burning down villages even though it does not have the power to interfere in Cameroon’s domestic affairs. And I hope none of the African countries will give Cameroon a hand by the time the sanctions begin to bite her hard.

Everyone not the United States government must take a stand against Paul Biya’s regime until he negotiates with the separatist leaders.

Source: Qwenu.com

Biya is genocidal, aged, sick, senile and potentially in the evening of his life

28/03/2019

The CEMAC statement on the genocide in the Southern Cameroons in its just concluded summit in Ndjamena, Chad is worthy of note. French Cameroun’s President Paul Biya was elected President of the sub-regional organisation in his absence. He was therefore not present to officially take over the mantle of leadership of that sub-regional organisation. His absence made it impossible for him to personally contribute to the decisions and resolutions on matters of importance impacting on the life of the organisation. No publicly stated reasons were provided explaining his absence.

It was obvious that sub-regional and international economic and security matters would be discussed at the summit. It was also obvious that the incoming President would be given the mandate to execute the decisions that were going to be taken at the summit. Some CEMAC countries fall within the international security and economic powder keg in the Sahel, the Congo basin and the Gulf of Guinea. Cameroon Concord News Group is concerned that conferring the Presidency of CEMAC to Paul Biya who is a sub-regional Angel of death and General Overseer of a Crime Syndicate is potentially risky. He is genocidal, aged, sick, senile and potentially in the evening of his life.

The security and economic challenges confronting CEMAC required a vibrant, visionary and strong leader. Paul is not. He is a demented neo-colonial stooge. Some of challenges confronting France-Afrique of which CEMAC is the heart-beat, include the growing debate on colonial security, economic and cultural pacts, the CFA Franc, the Multinational war against Boko Haram, Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea, the instability in CAR and the DRC Congo etc. A sick despot with a failing memory cannot withstand these challenges. Cameroon Concord News Group can therefore only conclude that CEMAC has given Paul Biya a crown of thorns. This crown of thorns adds to the several attributes on Paul Biya’s despotic page in France-Afrique’s neo-colonial book of incredulity.

This crown of thorns came with an important statement from Paul Biya’s CEMAC peers which must have shaken the Angel of Death to the marrows of his evil bones. Fearing probably that he may abuse his mandate and the crown of thorns to legitimize the genocide in the Southern Cameroons, CEMAC leaders in a resolution warned about the consequences of continuing the war Paul Biya declared against the Southern Cameroons in the Gulf of Guinea. The CEMAC leaders resolved and urged him to find a negotiated solution as soon as possible. Coming from a sub-regional organisation whose presidency he was assuming, the resolution on the Southern Cameroons must have come through as a poisonous pill to criminal instincts of this notorious genocide mastermind. The clear message is that if he persists on his genocidal misadventure against the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, then he will be doing that at his risk. CEMAC took a clear stand before handing over the presidency of the organisation to him. It behoves him as the president of French Cameroun and as the President of CEMAC to embrace the path of international legality and not criminality and genocide.

What if he does not stop the genocide and engage in negotiations? Will there be consequences from CEMAC? Cameroon Concord News Group does not believe CEMAC will sanction him for non-compliance of its resolution on the Southern Cameroons. However, the CEMAC resolution deprives him of an instrument or toll with which he intended to legitimize impunity, geocide and other crimes against the Southern Cameroons. CEMAC were careful to point out to him that countries in the Gulf of Guinea would be negatively impacted by the war against the Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia. The CEMAC resolution on the Southern Cameroons clears the way for Intervention by the International Community to protect and prevent genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Without this clear statement from CEMAC, intervention by the AU, UN, and the International Community at large would have been diplomatically hampered or slowed down. International Organisations, the United Sates of America, the European Union and International Human Rights Organisations have found strong evidence that Cameroun civilian and military commanders planned and are executing despicable crimes against Southern Cameroons civilians within the territory of the Southern Cameroons and the neighbouring country of Nigeria. There must be consequences for these acts of impunity.

The CEMAC resolution implicitly serves notice to the Buhari government in Nigeria and other countries that may be aiding the genocide. CEMAC whose presidency the genocide mastermind Paul Biya has assumed, has taken a stand in favour of negotiation and peace. The Federal Government of Nigeria which is a party to the multinational force arrangement fighting against Boko Haram with some CEMAC countries is on notice to readjust its position and weigh its diplomatic options in the light of this reality.

Cameroon Concord News Group calls on the International Community to urgently deploy a peace keeping force to the Southern Cameroons- Ambazonia to protect and prevent against the ongoing genocide. The international Community should facilitate negotiations that must lead the way to the free exercise of the right of self-determination by the people of the Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia under the UN Charter, UN Resolutions and International Law.

Cameroon Concord News Group calls on all Ambazonians and freedom loving people world wide to redouble all efforts to contribute towards ground zero operations, the protection and sustenance of Ambazonia civilians and refugees, the legal defence fund of Ambazonians and Ambazonian leaders in captivity, Ambazonia IG institutional governance and diplomatic actions which must intensify now when the world is paying attention.

Cameroon Concord News Group calls on the IG and Ambazonians capable of carrying out diplomatic initiatives to know that international diplomacy warrants knowledge of diplomatic practice. Effective diplomatic engagement is never conducted on social media. Giving notice of attacks on supposed targets in the territory of French Cameroun at a time when International diplomatic actions are being triggered may constitute an act of sabotage to the Ambazonia self-defence efforts. The Federal Republic of Ambazonia are not the aggressors in this war. Ambazonia took up arms in response to this war of genocide in which French Cameroun is the identified aggressor.

Publicly announcing so-called diplomatic engagement with the Basque country in the heart of Europe by Cho Ayaba shortly after announcing that he will carryout attacks in the territory of French Cameroon is not in the interest of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. The Basque country is in Spain with its own specific historical peculiarity within Spain and the contagious areas of France. It is in the heart of Europe. The announced social media diplomatic engagement at a time the EU has commence to trigger its sanction regime against French Cameroun for the crimes, including genocide committed in the Southern Cameroons may not be in the interest of the Southern Cameroons. The Southern Cameroons problem has discrete international character which must not be complicated. Cameroon Concord News Group has consistently warned that social media activism, grandstanding and ignorance by some who want to personalise the struggle for their selfish interests, may compromise genuine diplomatic efforts which the IG and concerned Ambazonians have been making and which may already be yielding fruits.

The complexity of international diplomacy within which many Ambazonia professionals are operating as key actors may be too sophisticated for social media activists who are in search of relevance. Cameroon Concord News Group strongly encourages the Interim Government and Ambazonians of good faith to redouble the ongoing efforts with diplomatic discretion in other to achieve positive outcomes. Diplomatic procedural pitfalls must be avoided as much as possible. Sound diplomatic engagement must be discreet and must not be conducted in the social media. Cameroon Concord News Group calls on Ambazonians to strongly discourage or denounce the ongoing social media diplomatic circus.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-in-Chief

Boeing 737 MAX makes emergency landing in US after engine trouble

27/03/2019

A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by Southwest Airlines made an emergency landing Tuesday after experiencing an engine problem as it was being ferried from Florida to California, the US Federal Aviation Agency said.

“The aircraft returned and landed safely in Orlando,” the FAA said in a statement, adding that no passengers were on board the aircraft, which was being transferred to Victorville, California for storage.

“The FAA is investigating,” added the agency, which grounded the Boeing 737 MAX on March 13 following two deadly accidents involving Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air but continues to allow the planes to be ferried from airport to airport.

Southwest said the plane experienced an engine problem “shortly after takeoff.” “The crew followed protocol and safely landed back at the airport” around 3:00 pm (1900 GMT), spokesman Chris Mainz said.

“The Boeing 737 MAX 8 will be moved to our Orlando maintenance facility for a review.”

It was the latest setback for Boeing’s flagship narrow-body plane following October’s Lion Air crash and the Ethiopian Airlines accident earlier this month, which together killed 346 people.

The accidents, which shared similarities, led authorities across the world to ground the aircraft.

Boeing has since conducted test flights of its 737 MAX to evaluate a fix for the MCAS stall prevention system targeted as a potential cause for the deadly crashes, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The system has been criticized since it can malfunction and make it difficult for pilots to control the aircraft. Both of the recent crashes occurred moments after takeoff.

A Senate Commerce Committee panel will hold a hearing Wednesday to question FAA Acting Administration Daniel Elwell and Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel

The officials are expected to face questions from lawmakers on the FAA’s certification of the 737 MAX and whether regulators have become too cozy with the company, and fast-tracked some approvals.

The session is expected to be followed by a second hearing at a later date with Boeing, airline pilots and other stakeholders, the committee said.

(AFP)

Cameroon refuse to chase Joel Matip, Nicolas Nkoulou for Afcon

27/03/2019

Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf has told Goal that he’s leaving the door open for Joel Matip and Nicolas Nkoulou to return to the national team

Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf has told Goal that he’s leaving the door open for Joel Matip and Nicolas Nkoulou to return to the Indomitable Lions camp, but has refused to chase the stay-away duo.The reigning African champions qualified for the 2019 event to defend their title in Egypt after defeating the Comoros 3-0 in Yaounde on Saturday.

Attention has now turned to selection issues ahead of the summer, with Seedorf revealing that both defenders have rejected Cameroon’s overtures since he was appointed head coach in August 2018.

“For the first three months after [assistant coach] Patrick [Kluivert] and I signed [with Cameroon], we have dedicated a lot of time to meeting and speaking with [Matip and Nkoulou],” he told Goal.

“If players want to join us, they know where to find us.”

Nicolas Nkoulou - Torino

Nkoulou hasn’t featured for the national side since coming off the bench to score in the 2017 Afcon final victory over Egypt, while Matip has been unwilling to represent the national side for even longer.

The Liverpool defender, who is playing an increasingly prominent role for Jurgen Klopp’s side as they compete in both the Champions League and the Premier League, hasn’t donned the Cameroon colours since a victory over The Gambia in 2015, during the 2017 Afcon qualifying programme.

“All Cameroonian players in the world, local or playing wherever—if we think they can add value to us we will call them,” Seedorf continued.

“The door is not closed for anybody,” he added. “We are calling the players we think are best for the team, if we don’t call them then they are not best for the team at the moment.”

The coach has already jettisoned former captain Benjamin Moukandjo during the 30-year-old’s time in China, suggesting that “good young players don’t compete in China or in Asia.”

Benjamin Moukandjo of Cameroon

Moukandjo, who is currently a free agent, subsequently retired from international football in disgust, while Seedorf performed a u-turn and recalled Henan Jianye forward Christian Bassogog.

Another burning issue for Seedorf is the captaincy, with the armband being rotated among several candidates during his tenure to date.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting wore the armband against the Comoros, but Seedorf remains coy on his ultimate decision.

“Before the Afcon in Egypt we will get a list and get the first-choice captain, then second and third,” he concluded. “We just need to be patient.”

Cameroon’s Afcon appearance will be their 19th at the continental high table, and the Lions will be keen to repeat their feat of 2000-2002, when they successfully defended their African crown.

Source: Goal.Com

US troops pull out of Cameroon

27/03/2019

More than 100 soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division returned to Fort Campbell from their deployment to Cameroon on Sunday afternoon.

These “First Strike” soldiers made up the majority of Task Force Talon, which deployed to northern Cameroon from October 2018 through March 2019, according to a Fort Campbell news release.

U.S. Army/Contributed

During their deployment, the task force conducted security and infrastructure missions at Contingency Location Garoua, Cameroon, in order to provide force protection and enhance United States government strategic relationships, access and influence in the area, the release said.

The task force also worked with the U.S. State Department, the Cameroonian Armed Forces, non-government organizations and host nation partners to expand positive relationships and enable security in the region. In addition, they worked closely with U.S. Army Civil Affairs teams to provide outreach to local communities, the release said.

Source: Leaf Chronicle

Algeria: Army chief calls for President Bouteflika to be ‘ousted’

27/03/2019

Algeria army chief says the presidency should be declared vacant the latest move in efforts to get ailing president Abdul Aziz Bouteflika to leave office.

Chief of Staff Gaid Salah’s call is thus seeking the application of article 102 of the constitution which stipulates that a president can be removed from office if he is unable to execute his duties.

His address was carried by the El-Bilad TV network as he addressed top military officers. Political watchers hold that it could be the main reason that Bouteflika could be forced to resign.

“The solution that must be adopted to end the crisis and answer the legitimate demands of the Algerian people is the solution that guarantees the sovereignty of the constitution and the continuity of the state,” Gaid Salah stressed.

The North African country has for months now been roiled by anti-government protests demanding the immediate resignation of Bouteflika at a time he was preparing to contest in April polls.

Under mounting pressure, the president announced earlier this month that he was not going to contest in the polls but that he was going to remain in charge till his successor was chosen.

Source: Africa News

Lessons for Cameroon’s docile army: Algerian military urges removal of President Bouteflika

27/03/2019

The army chief of staff, Lt Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah demanded that President Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule and removed in line with Article 102 of the Algerian constitution. There are remarkable lessons from the Algerian experience. No person is indispensable. In consonance with the Shakespearean advice, men must learn to ‘quit the stage when the ovation is loudest.’

The 82-year-old Bouteflika got bitten by the African leaders’ bug after 20 years in power and wanted to continue even when it was clear that he was physically incapacitated. It is redeeming that not all past and current African leaders have swallowed the deceit of power forever.

Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Dr. Leopold Sedar Senghor and Abdou Diouf of Senegal stood out to be counted when it became necessary that they moved on. Currently, three African presidents- Paul Biya of Cameroun, Al Bashir of Sudan, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda continue to desecrate the altar of true leadership by extended and unconstitutional stay in office.

The national constitutions have been amended to feed their penchant for clinging to power even when all the indications point in the direction of retirement.

Bouteflika would have belonged in the pantheon of worthy statesmen if he had relinquished power when he suffered a stroke in 2013. But like in Cameroon, the cabal that benefits from his stay in power has not allowed this to happen. This is a disservice to the people of Algeria and to Africa in general.

The tragedy is that these leaders who perpetuate themselves in office do so for very primordial and selfish reasons. That the army is now calling for his removal from office; is the ultimate triumph of people power in Africa.

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