Anglophone Crisis

13/04/2023

Armed groups and government forces committed human rights abuses, including mass killings, across Cameroon’s Anglophone regions and in the Far North region.

As the crisis in the Anglophone regions continued unabated for the fifth year, over 712,000 people were internally displaced in the Anglophone regions and in the Francophone Littoral, West, and Centre regions as of August 2021, and at least 2.2 million people were in need of humanitarian aid.

Separatists, who have violently enforced a boycott on education since 2017, continued to attack students and education professionals.

The Islamist armed group Boko Haram increased its attacks in the Far North region from January to April, killing at least 80 civilians, with over 340,000 internally displaced as of August 2021. In responding to the armed conflict, government forces have also been responsible for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests.

The government continued to restrict freedom of expression and association, while the state-sanctioned persecution of le***an, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people intensified. Government forces subjected Cameroonian asylum seekers deported from the United States to serious human rights violations following their return, including physical assault and abuse, arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion, and confiscation of identity documents, thus impeding freedom of movement, ability to work, and access to public services. The government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic lacked transparency and was marred by allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds.

17/03/2023

🚨 BREAKING: The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin & Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.

The ICC has made Putin a wanted man and taken its 1st step to end the impunity that has emboldened perpetrators in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Cc Human Right Watch

It is a developing story. I also want the Cameroon president to be arrested for human slaughter of the English
Cameroon

28/02/2023

23/02/2023

Inside wuwu tori for that side for Gungong neighborhood inside Bali Nyonga, Northwest Region , Na some 18yrs old nga sleep so wehh boyses harvest yi head sika say them say this nga be di function with kamambru 🤦🏾🤦🏾🤦🏾.

congosa di turn turn Na say , this nga be invite this padi man wehh Na soja make the soja boy pull up for Gungong make them ya morr small , soja boy commot follow the program ontop bike yi and yi two combi them like say e nover ever hear story for Samson 👌👌👌

As soja boy and yi combi them pull up for venue them no be know say that nga di work with kamambru, so kamambru be done already di wait Na wait , as the boy them show , kamambru open fire one time but soja boy enter susungo with plenty cut for skin, yi 2 combi them kwara on the spot .

Soja boy yi anti man Cary yi go with yi for lopi for that side for Akum but ndolo no go leave soja boy make e keep secret , soja boy take phone call that nga again talk position for lopi wehh e done pam di take treatment but one time the nga just pass the info for kamambru, kamambru go the hospital go move soja boy jam jam yi suté e kwara . Them jam jam that yi anti man too then take the anti man vanish, suté reach now no man no no side wehh anti man de 👌👌👌👌

Na from hear boyses catch that nga torture yi suté the nga gree say e know the functioning and them plenty inside the function.

Cafiage want wake up for Tuesday just see Na the nga yi die body wehh head no de . Chapter close.

Moral lesson : if you no di hold gun no mix ya self inside thing wehh e concern gun 👌👌

Abeg follow Cameroon congosa coner

13/02/2023

Cameroon: Paul Biya, Corrupt Dictator in Power for Over 38 Years

On 13 February 2023, Paul Biya turns 90 : he is one of the oldest presidents in the world. Since he has been in power for over 38 years, it’s more accurate to say that he is one of the oldest dictators in the world.

On 6 November 1982, following the resignation of President Ahidjo, Paul Biya rose to the highest office. In his first months as President, thanks to his promises of democracy and clemency for political prisoners, his popularity was huge, especially amongst youths. Then in 1984, the presidential guard attempted a coup. From that moment on, Biya began to become more authoritarian and ruthless. Repression was merciless: hundreds of people were killed, especially in the north of Cameroon. Former President Ahidjo, considered an accomplice to the putschists, was sentenced to death in absentia.

Since 1960, the year of independence, all the power in Cameroon has been in the hands of the President who is also leader of the only party, the Rassemblement du Peuple Camerounais (RDPC). In addition to being an extreme centralizer, Paul Biya is also a “deadbeat king”: he doesn’t work much but he travels a lot abroad accompanied by a “court” of ministers and assistants, especially to Switzerland, where he stays at one of the most luxurious hotels in Geneva at the expense of the Cameroonian people. The Council of Ministers meets only 3-4 times a year and so decisions are made very slowly. This way of governing has led the country to ruin: in 1980 Cameroon was the fourth largest producer of cocoa, had a very high growth rate (13% in 1981) and was considered a middle-income country. Since 1986 it has become a country with many poor people, terrible infrastructures and a very high rate of corruption. In 1988, Transparency International rated Cameroon as the most corrupt country in the world. The streets are in terrible conditions: few of the main roadways have been asphalted and most of the streets are just dirt roads. On 27 January 2021, 54 people were killed and many others were injured in a serious road accident in western Cameroon.

At the beginning of the 1990s, poverty and authoritarianism drove the population to rebel. They began to strike and cause civil disobedience, the so-called opération villes mortes. As a result of popular pressure, in 1992 Biya pretended to open up to a multi-party system and called for presidential elections. The official results saw the outgoing president victorious with 40% of the vote against the 36% of the main candidate of the opposition. Election fraud was evident and the opposition protested in vain. In 1997, the opposition boycotted the elections and Biya got 92.6% of the votes. The Cameroonian dictator was elected again in 2004 with 70.9% of the vote.
Opening up to a multi-party system was only for appearances sake. In reality, Biya created hundreds of small parties, that he secretly controlled, with the aim of weakening the opposition. Freedom of press is practically inexistent: public television is controlled with an iron fist by the president’s men and the few existing newspapers are often censored if they dare attack the government. The judiciary is not an independent body because judges are nominated directly by the president, and political opposers are persecuted or arrested.

In 2007, Biya announced his plan to revise the constitution where the biggest change was eliminating the limit of two presidential mandates. In February 2008, a popular revolt erupted against this plan: repression was brutal. Hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands were arrested. In 2008, the constitutional revision was voted on by the National Assembly and in 2011, Biya was reelected with 78% of the vote. The American Ambassador to Cameroon, Robert Jackson, reported many irregularities but the Supreme Court rejected the claims lodged by the opposition and confirmed the dictator’s victory. By then it was clear that Paul Biya would be “President for life”.

In July 2018, despite his 85 years, Biya announced his intention to run for the October 7 election. The opposition chose Maurice Kamto, born in 1954 in Bafoussam, to run against him. In October, Biya was proclaimed the winner with 71.28% of the vote but Kamto contested the results and proved, thanks to his team of lawyers, that the elections had been rigged. In response, on 26 January 2019, the leader of the opposition was arrested along with about 200 activists from his party. He was detained for several months until 5 October 2019. In September 2020, Maurice Kamto was put in house arrest. His home is under surveillance by uniformed men armed to the hilt and no one can exit or enter.

In 2020 the conflict between the separatists of Ambazonia, an Anglophone region that self-declared independance in 2017, and the Cameroonian government led to civil war. Over 3,000 people were killed and 70,000 people fled their land. According to Abongwa Hariscine Keng, Vice President of Ambazonia who lives in exile in Italy, a veritable genocide took place with the deaths of almost 15,000 people. One of the most serious events occured on 14 October 2020 in an elementary school. In the city of Kumbà, eight children were killed by armed men in civilian clothes. The situation was of such concern that Pope Francis sent Cardinal Parolin to Cameroon on a reconciliation mission. The Vatican Secretary of State was in Cameroon for six days, from January 29 to February 3 2021.

In conclusion, it is unacceptable that a president stay in power for 38 years. Without political alternatives, there is no democracy or respect for human rights. France has a great political and moral responsibility because for the past 38 years, all French presidents have unconditionally supported the dictator, Biya, one of the most corrupt men in the world.

27/01/2023

LRC, you have call us Dogs. you have beaten rap, killed our children, mothers and our fathers, burnt down our houses, you expect us to dialogue with you for one Cameroon, The only negotiation Ambazonia will accept is separation!!

27/01/2023

Ajax have sacked manager Alfred Schreuder just eight months after he replaced Erik ten Hag in the Dutch giants' dugout.

Schreuder's departure was confirmed by chief executive Edwin van der Sar following Thursday night's 1-1 draw at home to struggling Volendam. He leaves the Johan Cruyff Arena with Ajax without a win in their last seven league matches and in fifth place, seven points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord.

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Speaking after the draw with Volendam, Van der Sar explained: "It's never nice to let go of people who worked hard. But we couldn't keep going like this."

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag's Ajax replacement facing sack after players 'revolt' against him

Ajax confirmed the news in a statement which read: "Ajax has immediately suspended Alfred Schreuder. The trainer's contract was valid until June 30, 2024, but will now be terminated immediately.

"The many points lost and the team's lack of development are the main reasons for this decision. The club management no longer has confidence in further cooperation. The collaboration with assistant coach Matthias Kaltenbach will also be terminated."

16/01/2023

Today marks exactly 52 years after Ernest Ouandie, the Nationalist/Guerilla fighter was executed by the government of Cameroon on 15 January 1971.

Ouandié was a member of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (Union des Populations du Cameroun – UPC), a left-wing pro-independence political party. He later became its leader after Ruben Um Nyobé, Félix-Roland Moumié, Abel Kingué and other UPC leaders were exiled and/or killed.

President Ahidjo declared Ouandié "public enemy number one" given that he and the UPC considered Ahidjo to be a puppet of France.

Ouandié still enjoys considerable support across sections of Cameroonians, who believe he was a 'hero' who fought against colonial and neocolonial rule by advocating for the true independence of Cameroon.

04/01/2023

United we stand deivided we fall long live Ambazonia

04/01/2023

English-speaking Cameroon Marks 7 Years Since Declaring Independence, Anglophone Crisis Intensifies
Schadrak
January 4/ 2023

4 January 2023 marked seven years since separatists in the North-western and South-western regions of Cameroon declared the Independent Republic of Ambazonia. As the conflict over the territory’s status intensifies, this day is not one of celebration.

In late 2016, protests led by lawyers and teachers in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon were heavily suppressed by government forces, igniting an ever-intensifying conflict between separatists and the national government. Since 2016, the pro-independence militia has increased in what has been called the “anglophone crisis.” The government’s response to these militia has reportedly been “brutal”, initially suspending internet access, and later imposing curfews and deploying the military.

More recently, attempts have been made to negotiate, for example, a Major National Dialogue was organised in 2019, and new decentralisation policies gave Northwest and Southwest regions “special status.” The government has also created a national commission for bilingualism and multiculturalism. However, some commentators deem these actions insufficient and superficial. According to a Cameroonian researcher based in Yaounde, it is the first reaction of the government which counts the most. “I think the government has failed to use the right approach… they minimised the crisis when it started,” she said.

Separatist groups have also taken a combative stance. Several groups boycotted the Major National Dialogue and separatist media reported the self-declared President of Ambazonia promised to “bleed the enemy” in the ongoing conflict.

For residents of anglophone regions, the crisis has been devastating. An estimated 12000 to 21000 have died during the seven years of conflict and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Civilians, particularly public service personnel and traditional leaders, are often targeted by both sides. The biggest impact has been on education, a key issue in the 2016 protests that sparked the crisis. Separatists demand that schools remain closed until the political demands of the movement are met, and teachers and students have been attacked in order to enforce this.

As evident from the English vs. French linguistic divide which has come to define this conflict, the cleavage in Cameroon harks back to the colonial era. After World War One, German Kamerun territory was divided between the French and British Empires. When British Cameroon gained independence later than its French counterpart, the population of British Cameroon voted to form a federal nation with French Cameroon. However, this Federal government was dissolved soon after the union, and many claim that the smaller, English-speaking region has been marginalised ever since.

While the political disputes surrounding the Anglophone crisis are complex and difficult to resolve, many believe that violence, particularly against civilians, has caused grievances to increase and the conflict to deepen and intensify. While some efforts at negotiation are being made, the Cameroonian government and separatist militia continue to maintain a highly combative approach. It is not enough to adopt negotiation as an add-on to military combat. If the suffering of the people in the Ambazonia region is to end, the leaders on both sides must commit to choosing dialogue instead of, not in addition to, violence.