Politics

Race for Aso Rock: Almost all Nigerians say they don’t need another Biya in Africa

23/06/2022

Reaction among voters in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the news that former Vice President Abubakar Atiku has been nominated as presidential candidate to run under the banner of the Nigeria People’s Democratic Party has been mixed with a majority saying they don’t think we need another President Biya in Africa.

Many voters in the Federal Republic of Nigeria have so far been more adamant, including those who are expressing support for the so-called policy of zoning.

The Atiku campaign is not saying much for now and its communication department prefers to stick to the current talking points deep within the APC the ruling party.

Many voters are bashing the former Vice President over his continued stay in Dubai and coincidentally or not, Atiku has a long standing relationship with President Biya who runs Cameroon from the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Nigeria will always be the loser, why should anyone for God’s sake be supporting a man like Atiku who lives permanently in Dubai? It is time for a neutral third option and I think that option is Governor Peter Obi,” Stephen Ademola, a Nigerian opinion leader in Ireland said.

“Obviously Atiku has a very good base of donors deep within the PDP party for his long record and also for being a Vice President under OBJ, but this will not provide him with any real advantage,” Lucky Okusun, another Nigerian contacted by Cameroon Concord News said.

Asked about the prospect of Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu the 70-year-old Nigerian politician and poster boy of the All Progressives Congress running the country, and whether Nigeria similarly didn’t need another Buhari, Stephen Ademola was more emphatic. “It will be another empty eight years” Stephen Ademola said.

“I think it would be wonderful if Nigeria elects somebody like Governor Peter Obi who actually knows what to do and has lots of experience dealing the private sector,” added Ademola.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Arrest Warrant for Hon. Joshua Osih: Understanding why the SDF man is now Ambazonia’s most wanted

21/06/2022

A warrant has been issued in the Southern Cameroons for the arrest of Hon. Joshua Nambangi Osih, the vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) party. The warrant comes after Mr Osih insisted in an interview that “the US must implement the international arrest warrants issued by the State of Cameroon to put the financiers of Ambazonian Terrorism out of harm’s way.”

Mr Osih, who has consistently fulfilled his credentials as a halfwit with extremely vile inclinations, committed the offence during a live interview on Canal 2 International last Sunday, 19 June 2022. He is now wanted in Ambazonia to answer charges.

Reacting to this latest premeditated criminal incitement from Joshua Osih, a senior Southern Cameroons academic, said, “this man is not only dull. He is a simpleton and a stark illiterate to think for one moment that his despotic and terrorist French Cameroun state can simply send a so-called arrest warrant to America or any other state requiring the Cameroun regime’s political opponents to be handed over to that regime for assassination. He is the prototype of a big fool.”

Thoughtlessness has always been Joshua Osih’s Achilles heel. Last year, he accused the US of harbouring Southern Cameroonians, whom he blames for his domestic political troubles. He wrote, “Does America provide safe harbour and anchor for the financiers, propagandists, and sponsors of the war? Resounding YES!….we urge members of the United States Congress to engage more vigorously to ensure compliance with the international conventions against transnational crime and criminality to which the United States is a signatory and to ensure that their country is not a safe haven for perpetrators and funders of acts of extreme violence and terrorism on the people of Cameroon”.

Before yesterday’s warrant was issued, Cameroon Concord News had gathered that, over the last 18 months, Mr Osih had been wanted in Ambazonia for racketeering, malicious communication, and the possession of inappropriate material on a handheld mobile communication device. Mr Osih, who last year founded CAMPORT Plc in Douala, a private security company, is rumoured to be profiteering from the war in Ambazonia by sponsoring criminal militias operating in the Southern Cameroons. His day to face Amba justice is now near.

For those who know him, the worry is that his mouth seems to always set off before his mind, and he is prone to causing damage whenever he speaks. This flaw in his character means he keeps committing the same blunders year after year. But the worry for him now is that Ambazonia Intelligence Services are hot on his heels.

Mr Osih lacks intellectual gravity and personal honesty. He is a practiced liar, and his career path is paved with deception and corruption. As an SDF politician, he has been able to practice dishonesty unchecked. And his comments about Ambazonia leaders in the US show how out of touch he is.

Hon. Osih is yet to offer tangible solutions to tackle the war in Southern Cameroons. His SDF party is now a chaotic outfit, unequal to the severe challenges the two Cameroons face. The SDF’s attempts to abdicate responsibility for the war in Ambazonia revealed their duplicity. The SDF is a CPDM ally and asset. The top leadership of the SDF is emotionally bankrupt and socially and culturally detached from the pain and suffering of the people of Southern Cameroons.

The conflict in Southern Cameroons remains neglected within the international community. The Norwegian Refugee Council highlighted the conflict as the “most neglected” in the world last year after over 30,000 deaths, more than 1.5 million internally displaced, with over 100,000 refugees in camps in Nigeria. The United States has a critical role in stopping the war in Ambazonia through an internationally supervised negotiation. Southern Cameroons leaders particularly the Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government Dabney Yerima have always expressed their readiness to engage in genuine and inclusive dialogue with the Francophone regime in Yaoundé. But, Osih and Fru Ndi have always made matter intractable and a peaceful outcome impossible.

Genuine SDF members must know that their party has lost its way in the two Cameroons. To regain authority and credibility, the SDF needs new leadership and direction. And characters like Joshua Osih must not be near the top, for he is a huge liability, and his arrest will do both Cameroons enormous good.

By Isong Asu

Senior Political Researcher,

Cameroon Concord News Group, London

Francia Marquez: Colombia’s first Black vice-president

20/06/2022

When Colombians on Sunday elected their first leftist president ever, they also voted for their country’s first Black vice-president. Francia Marquez, a Black single mother who worked as a maid before challenging international mining interests as a fiery environmentalist, now becomes Colombia’s first Black female vice-president. Her victory marks a turning point in a country plagued by social inequalities and historically governed by conservative elites.

On the campaign trail, she was exuberant and unabashedly dazzling. In brightly coloured Afro-Colombian garments teamed with big jewellery, Francia Marquez embraced her identity, challenged the status quo and proposed a brighter future.

“It’s time to move from resistance to power,” the 40-year-old candidate would chant, raising her fist – with a smile.

On Sunday, Colombians elected their first ever leftist president when Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla, defeated a real estate millionaire in a runoff victory that marked a seismic shift in the South American country long governed by conservatives or moderates.

With Marquez as his running mate, Petro has signalled not just a political break, but also a social one in a country that has historically denied the existence of racism.

What’s more, Marquez – with her brightly printed fabrics and the assertion of her Afro-Colombian roots – has also thrust the Europeanised elitism of Colombia under the spotlight, opening a discussion on racism in a country that overwhelmingly identifies as racially mixed, or Mestizo, sweeping racism under the table.

Marquez’s journey, from young, Black single mother to the country’s vice-presidency is an extraordinary story of grit against the odds.

An activist for Afro-Colombian rights

There is nothing in Marquez’s past to suggest that she would embark on a political career. Born in 1981 in a small village in the southwestern Cauca region of Colombia, she grew up alone with her mother. Pregnant at 16 with her first child, she was first forced to work in a gold mine a few kilometres from home to support her family and then hired as a maid.

Her environmental activism started early, in 1996, when she was just 15. Marquez learned that a multinational company wanted to launch a project to extend a dam on the region’s main river, the Ovejas, which would have a major impact on her community.

Living on the banks of the river since the 17th century, the Afro-Colombian community has been practising agriculture and artisanal mining, its main sources of income, for generations.

A 500-kilometre walk for the environment

The Ovejas River campaign marked the beginning of Marquez’s long struggle to defend the rights of Afro-Colombian communities and preserve their land. For the past 20 years, she has been fighting relentlessly against the multinational companies that exploit the area around the Ovejas river and sometimes force people to leave it.

Marquez didn’t become widely known until 2014. At that time, she was targeting the illegal miners who had set up operations along the river, digging for gold and, above all, abundantly using mercury – an element that separates gold from water but also contaminates water and destroys biodiversity. In protest, Marquez organised a “turban march”, which saw a protest march of 80 women walking from Cauca to Bogota, a 10-day, 500-kilometre journey. The group demonstrated in front of the interior ministry for almost 20 days. In the end, the activists won, as the government pledged to destroy all the illegal farms around the Ovejas.

Marquez has since earned a law degree and has held numerous forums, lectured in universities and delivered speeches before political figures and NGOs. She was awarded the Goldman Prize, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for the environment, in 2018 for her efforts. The following year, she appeared on the BBC’s list of the 100 most influential women in the world.

“I am someone who raises my voice to stop the destruction of rivers, forests and moors. I am someone who dreams that one day human beings will change the economic model of death, to make way for building a model that guarantees life,” she declared on her website.

‘Our governments have turned their backs on the people’

Marquez finally decided to enter politics in 2020 and made no effort to hide her ambition: “I want to be a candidate for this country. I want the population to be free and dignified. I want our territories to be places of life,” she tweeted. That same year, she launched her movement “Soy porque somos” (“I am because we are”). In March 2022, she ran in the presidential primaries of the left-wing “Historic Pact” coalition. Marquez surprised everyone by coming in third, prompting Petro to choose her as his running mate.

She made the fight to preserve Afro-Colombian lands a central part of her political campaign, constantly harking back to her roots. “I am an Afro-Colombian woman, a single mother of two who gave birth to her first child at the age of 16 and worked in households to pay the bills. But I am also an award-winning environmental activist. And above all, a lawyer who could become Colombia’s first Black vice president,” she declared at numerous campaign rallies.

“Our governments have turned their backs on the people, on justice and on peace,” she added. “If they had done their job properly, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Within the population, there has been a lot of popular anger in recent months directed towards the political class, particularly linked to the Covid-19 pandemic,” explained Olga Lucia Gonzalez, an associate researcher and specialist on Colombia at the University of Paris-Diderot. “Francia Marquez comes from civil society and not from the traditional political elite. This is an argument that she plays on, and that goes greatly in her favour.”

Marquez’s biggest contribution, according to Gonzalez, has been her ability to address overlooked issues. “But above all, she is a woman, Black, Afro-Colombian, and she brings with her issues that until now have been totally forgotten, like the relationship to colonialism, sexism, racism,” she noted.

Marquez was not the only Afro-Colombian candidate in this presidential election – Caterine Ibarguen and Zenaida Martinez also stood for office in the 2022 race. Together, they said they wanted to fight against the double discrimination faced by women who are Black. This discrimination is reflected in Colombia’s political life: There was only one Black woman in the outgoing government and only two in parliament.

This in a country that has the second-largest population of African descent in Latin America. Official census data indicate that Afro-Colombians represent over 6.2 percent of Colombia’s population, a figure demographers say is grossly underestimated. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities continue to face disproportionate levels of poverty, violence and land expropriation. According to government findings, about 31 percent of the Afro-Colombian population lives in poverty, compared to 20 percent of the national population.

Petro’s victory in the 2022 presidential election has catapulted Marquez from a symbolic vice-presidential hopeful to the top echelons of actual political power. Her biggest challenges are likely still to come.

Source: France 24

France: Macron stripped of majority after crushing blow in parliamentary elections

20/06/2022

Allies of French President Emmanuel Macron started working Monday to cobble together a working parliamentary majority to salvage his second term, after his alliance crumbled in the election against surges from the left and far-right.

Macron’s Ensemble (Together) coalition emerged as the largest party in parliamentary elections but was dozens of seats short of keeping the parliamentary majority it had enjoyed for the last five years.

It will now begin work to try and find a majority by forming deals with other parties on the right, stirring up turmoil unprecedented in French politics in recent years.

Macron, 44, now also risks being distracted by domestic problems as he seeks to play a prominent role in putting an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as a key statesman in the EU.

The election saw a new left-wing alliance make gains to become the main opposition, while the far-right under Marine Le Pen posted its best legislative performance in its history.

“This situation constitutes a risk for our country, given the challenges that we have to confront,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a televised statement Sunday, vowing: “We will work from tomorrow to build a working majority.”

The outcome severely tarnished Macron’s April presidential election victory when he defeated the far-right to be the first French president to win a second term in over two decades.

“It’s a turning point for his image of invincibility,” said Bruno Cautres, a researcher at the Centre for Political Research of Sciences Po.

The options available to Macron, who has yet to publicly comment on the result, range from seeking to form a new coalition alliance, passing legislation based on ad hoc agreements to even calling new elections.

Le Monde daily headlined on its website “Macron faces the risk of political paralysis”, while the right-wing Le Figaro daily said the results raised the spectre of a “stillborn new mandate”.

Left-leaning Liberation’s Monday edition said the results represented the “fall” of Macron’s way of governing.

‘Failure for Macron’

The new left-wing coalition NUPES under 70-year-old hard-left figurehead Jean-Luc Melenchon won 135 seats, according to an AFP count based on the results published by the ministry.

The coalition, formed in May after the left splintered for April’s presidential elections, brings together Socialists, the hard left, Communists and greens.

Melenchon called Sunday’s results “above all an electoral failure” for Macron.

“The rout of the presidential party is total and there will be no majority” in parliament, he told cheering supporters in Paris.

A prominent MP from Melenchon’s party, Alexis Corbiere, said the result meant Macron’s plan to raise the French retirement age to 65 had been “sunk”.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party made huge gains and will send 89 MPs to the new parliament, making it the biggest rightwing force in parliament ahead of the traditional right The Republicans (LR).

Le Pen hailed the historic result for her party, saying it would send “by far” its highest number of MPs to the next National Assembly.

Macron had hoped to stamp his second term with an ambitious programme of tax cuts, welfare reform and raising the retirement age. All that is now in question.

“This will complicate the reforms… It will be much more difficult to govern,” said Dominique Rousseau, professor of law at Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

‘Imagination needed’

There could now potentially be weeks of political deadlock as the president seeks to reach out to new parties.

The most likely option would be an alliance with the Republicans, the traditional party of the French right, which has 61 MPs.

LR president Christian Jacob however made clear there would be no easy partnership, saying his party intended to “stay in opposition”.

But other voices from the right appeared more open — former right-wing minister Jean-Francois Cope said a “government pact is vital between Macron and LR to fight against the rise of extremes”.

Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire denied that France would be ungovernable but admitted “a lot of imagination would be needed” from the ruling party in an “unprecedented situation”.

Three ministers felled

In another blow to Macron, key ministers standing for election are set to lose their jobs under a convention that they should resign if they fail to win seats.

Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon, Maritime Minister Justine Benin and Environment Minister Amelie de Montchalin — a pillar of Macron’s administration over the last years — all lost and will now exit the government.

Two other close Macron allies, parliament speaker Richard Ferrand and former interior minister Christophe Castaner, both acknowledged defeat in the fight for their seats.

In a rare spot of good news for the president, Europe Minister Clement Beaune and Public Service Minister Stanislas Guerini — both young pillars of his party — won tight battles for their seats.

On the left, Rachel Keke, a former cleaning lady who campaigned for better working conditions at her hotel, was also elected, defeating Macron’s former sports minister Roxana Maracineanu.

Turnout was low, with the abstention rate recorded at 53.77 percent, according to the interior ministry, higher than the first round but not beating the record worst turnout of 2017.

Source: AFP

Senegal opposition leader gives ‘ultimatum’ to president after deadly clashes

19/06/2022

Senegal’s main opposition leader has issued what he called an “ultimatum” to President Macky Sall, urging him to release those arrested during a day of clashes that reportedly left three people dead.

Violence broke out between youths and police in the capital Dakar on Friday, as officers blocked off access to the home of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Three opposition figures were also arrested and the city’s mayor was prevented from leaving his home, Sonko’s PASTEF party spokesman said.

Media and the opposition have now reported a third, collateral death from the clashes — a taxi driver shot in Ziguinchor, Casamance.

In a Facebook post late on Friday, Sonko said: “Mr Macky Sall, we give you an ultimatum (to) release all political hostages in your hands; beyond that, we will come and get these political hostages, whatever the cost.”

Sonko accused Sall of being “a murderous president”. Referring to riots that shook Senegal last year, he said: “After having murdered 14 people during the events of February-March 2021, here he is adding three more victims to his list in June 2022”.

The clashes come as the country is in the grip of pre-election tension.

Sonko had called for protests against a decision to bar a list of candidates for Senegal’s legislative elections on July 31.

The move also bans him and other opposition figures from contesting the ballot.

Source: AFP

European Commission recommends EU ‘candidate status’ for Ukraine

17/06/2022

The European Commission proposes to give Ukraine the status of a candidate for European Union membership, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday, adding that this was on understanding that Ukraine carry out number of reforms.

“Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the country’s aspiration and the country’s determination to live up to European values and standards,” she told reporters in Brussels.

For her statement, von der Leyen wore Ukraine’s colours, a yellow blazer over a blue shirt.

UN rights chief Bachelet won’t seek second term

13/06/2022

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Monday she will not seek a second term, ending months of speculation amid growing criticism of her lax stance on rights abuses in China.

“As my term as High Commissioner draws to a close, this Council’s milestone 50th session will be the last which I brief,” Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council as it opened a four-week sitting.

She provided no explanation for her decision.

The 70-year-old former Chilean president, who will wrap up her four-year mandate at the end of August, had until now remained mum about whether she would seek to stay on for a second term.

Speculation has been rife for months, with a wide range of diplomats in Geneva telling AFP in recent weeks that she had yet to provide clues to her plans.

The post of High Commissioner for Human Rights typically faces heavy political pressure from countries around the world, and while it can be held for a maximum of two terms, nearly all of Bachelet’s predecessors have avoided staying on for more than one term.

Discrete diplomacy

Bachelet has faced mounting criticism from countries and NGOs for not speaking out more forcefully against allegations of widespread rights abuses in some countries, most notably in China.

When she was appointed in 2018 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, it was clear she was meant to mark a break with the repeated declarations of outrage by her very outspoken predecessor Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan.

Bachelet, who went from torture victim under Augusto Pinochet to become the first woman to serve as president of Chile, has instead emphasised the importance of dialogue and discrete diplomacy in forwarding rights in various countries.

This approach has not sat well with some and she has faced significant pushback over her restraint, especially when it comes to China.

She did take a long-awaited trip to the country last month — the first in 17 years by a UN rights chief.

The trip took her to the far-western Xinjiang region, where China is alleged to have detained over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, as well as carried out forced sterilisation of women and coerced labour.

The United States has labelled China’s actions in Xinjiang a “genocide” and “crimes against humanity”, allegations vehemently denied by Beijing which says its security crackdown in the region was a necessary response to extremism.

‘Seek dialogue’

While there, Bachelet did raise concerns about the situation, but NGOs said had not gone far enough and had “legitimised Beijing’s attempt to cover up its crimes”.

In her statement to the Rights Council Monday, Bachelet stressed that she had “raised concerns regarding the human rights situation of the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including broad arbitrary detention and patterns of abuse.”

Bachelet, who has faced harsh criticism for so far failing to release a report on the rights situation in Xinjiang, said the report was now “being updated”.

“It will be shared with the government for factual comments before publication,” she said.

At the same time, she hailed the opening of dialogue with China, saying there was now an agreement to “hold an annual senior meeting on human rights and to continue exchanges on “specific human rights issues of concern”.

“We are now elaborating concrete steps to put the agreements into action.”

Presenting an overview of a long line of rights situations of concern around the world, Bachelet appealed Monday to the rights council to “continue to seek dialogue”.

“Be willing to hear the other, to understand respective points of view and to actively work towards identifying common ground,” she said.

Source: AFP

GOLDEN JUBILEE OF THE UNITARY STATE IN CAMEROON: (1972 – 2022) CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

08/06/2022

Cameroon is often described as “Africa in miniature”for it’s geographical and human diversity. Cameroon’s diversity, which should be an asset has become the source of one of the most neglected crisis in the world.Cameroon is composed of two English speaking and eight French speaking regions.This double linguistic feature is a legacy of history until the end of the first world war the country was aGerman protectorate and subsequently administered underthe United Nations trusteeship by France and Great Britain.Understanding the country’s history is essential to better comprehend the situation and challenges currently being faced as she celebrates her golden jubilee of the unitary state. Cameroon history and politics are closely linked to France, which has had a significant impact on the imposition of a single party rule in the country,while Cameroon look to new partners, France continues to maintain a strong influence over the political elite of the regime, to such anextent that it can be seen as interventionism.President Ahmadou Ahidjo led the country from the independence of its French administered part in January 1960 and stayed in power until 1982,when he handed power over to Paul Biya his constitution heir who had been serving as Prime Minister.In addition to being head of state,Paul Biya also took thereign of the national union which he relabelled as Cameroon People’sDemocratic Movement (CPDM)in 1985.Since 1960 Cameroonians have been subject to two leaders and were never given the right to choose theirPresident. The imposition of a leader as well as an inadequate and fallacious electoral system led to a complete political lockdown.

The Challenges to the Unitary State

The challenges of the unitary state are enormous.The reunification of the two Cameroons (British Southern Cameroon and French Cameroon) ushered in a new constitution that paved the way for the creation of a Federal Republic of Cameroon on October 1961. It should be noted that five years later in 1966,Ahidjo transformed the party, Cameroon union (CU) into the Cameroon national union (CNU), the entity which evolved into the Cameroon People democratic movement (CPDM).Initially,the statutes and regulations establish made the (CU) as a party of the masses that intended to develop a national conscience when in reality it gradually suppressed free political expression.Subsequently the (CNU) claimed to be a unified party respecting the diversity of the country.However, in 1972 a referendum put an end to federalism and led to the creation of United Republic of Cameroon.

In April 1975President Ahmadou Ahidjo began a new four-year presidential term.In June of the same year, a constitutional referendum approved the creation of the Prime Minister’s position which was entrusted to Paul Biya.In April 1980 Ahmadou Ahidjo offered himself a fifth term which ended prematurely due to health reasons. President Ahidjo resigned and Paul Biya succeeded him on 6 November 1982, a date that represent the start of a 39-year reign-seven terms at the helm of the country

The Anglophone Conundrum

An Anglophone is a person speaking English especially where English is not the only spoken language. This definition include a Cameroonian whose first official language is French.As far as Cameroon is concerned,the territory and it’s indigenes have experience three colonial masters and ipso-facto,three distinct foreign languages.The grievances of the Anglophones may be classified under the political, economic and social domain, politically according tothe Buea declaration the problem of the Anglophone stems from the intolerant and hypocritical attitude of the francophones. The Anglophone accused the francophone of breaching a trust and “Lack of openness in matters of public interest” In the words of all Anglophones Conference (ACC) standing committee.Through maneuvers and manipulations.We Anglophone have been reduced from partners of equal status in the union (Cameroon Federation) to the status of subjugated people the AAC went on to Say; it was clear the majority in one state would not be allowed to impose it’s will onthe other state. In 1972, all this was disregarded… The 1972 the referendum was illegal so far as it was not in conformity with the procedure which the construction itself had laid down…the unconstitutionality of the referendum of 20 may 1972 attaches to and affects all enactments following there from.

Another deep rooted grievance of the Anglophone was in1984,when the Biya government changed the official designations of the country from the United Republic of Cameroon to the Republic of Cameroon.This was done amidst strong protest from the Anglophone because the appellation “Republic of Cameroon”was what French Cameroon adopted at in 1960.

Furthermore, the increasing monopolisation of strategic and politically sensitive posts by Francophone did notgo unnoticed by Anglophones. As at 1991 according to Joseph Takougang 37 of the 47 Senior Divisional Officers were Beti (Francophones),as were three quarters of the directors and general managers of parastatals and 22 of the 38 high ranking bureaucrats who had been appointed in the newly created offices of the Prime minister

Between April and June1991 the opposition called for anti-government protests that resulted in riots in several regions of the country.Civil disobedience operation called “dead cities” took place across the country.The strikes extended to August 1991,and dealt a severe blow to the country’s economy. The opposition was mobilized and gained support through demonstrations that left dozens of people dead.In the face of these events, president Biya held a national Tripartite Conference with the participation of delegations from the regime, the opposition, and civil society to negotiate a democratic transition. He supported a multiparty system by suppressing the “counter subversive” legislation put in place in by his predecessor, thereby reinstating the freedom of association and the freedom of press.This conference had a positive impact on president Biya’s popularity.Once the opposition compromised and the strike ended. President Biya failed to implement the conclusions of the tripartite conference.The democratization process was non-existent in practice, electoral fraud remained pervasive and the government has instrumentalized the judiciary and the police against the opposition.

The ongoing socio-political quagmire in the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon since November 21,2016 after lawyers and teachers embarked on indefinite strike to protest against marginalization, the court and schools were grounded as the crisis took a different twist that plunged the Anglophone into upheavals.In this regard,uptil date, it is estimated that about (80%) eighty percent of schools in Anglophone Cameroon are not functioning due to the crisis

Another impediment to national unity in the country is the Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North and refugees crisis emanating from central African Republic and Nigeria and of late, the ethnic clashes in the town of Kousseri,Logone and Chari Division between the herders and farmers over water resources that has become scarce as a result of the climate change. The violence has displaced more than 100000 people both inside Cameroon and across the borders into Chad according to United Nations high commission for refugees in Cameroon (UNHCR).

The amendment of the constitution in 2008 caused political tension in the country.The government initiated a bill number 819/PJL/AN in 2008 which extended the powers of the president and enable him to bere-elected without any restrictions.On 10 April 2008, the National Assembly largely dominated by the presidential majority voted, overwhelming in favour of the 1996 constitution paving the way for a new seven-year term for President. The previous constitution stated that the president shall be eligible for re-election once. whereas the new constitution states Article 6(2)(new) the president of the Republic shall be elected for a term of office of 7(seven) years.He shall be eligible for re-elections fifteen. Parliamentarians of the S.D.F left the hemicycle shortly before the vote in protest against what they called a “constitutional coup”.

The way forward to harness national unity and social cohesion

To move the country forward in it’s development strives, our leaders and political elites should moralised politics. morality is unique in a number of ways. it is morality that can help government to make policies capable of bringing development to the society.It is also on moral grounds that we can criticize bad government and policies.It’s morality that can prevent government from enacting arbitrary and socially iniquitous or inhumane laws that can deprive citizens of their fundamental rights.Morality promotes love, truth, harmony and social peace, stability in our beloved nation. A glaring example of political moralization is the case of Kenya where the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party has opted to support his longtime arch rival and former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga of the opposition Orange Democratic Party for his bid in the upcoming presidential elections in August 2022. This is what political scientists described as politics of vision to move the country forward. This is an example to emulate from an Anglo-Saxon country enshrined with the virtues of the Westminster parliamentary democracy from her former colonial master Britain.

To solve the socio-political conundrum in the two Anglophone regions, inclusive talks should have as ultimate objectives to write the wrongs of the 1961, that led to the annexation and colonial occupation of the British Southern Cameroon by “la Republic du Cameroun”.A key tool for peace building is open dialogue at the local and national levels on fundamental issues are either at the root of the conflicts or are the effects of the war.Key issues that needs to be at the heart of national dialogue include ethnicity, human rights, political representation and the rights of minorities (Anglophone in Cameroon) some of these issues have remained a taboo and therefore no systematic efforts have been under taken to understand their contours and resolve them unless those issues cited above are subjected to open honest and constructivedialogue, they will not be resolved.At the moment there are many independent adhoc organizations at the local level that drive initiatives to build peace by addressing specific issues like the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in Bamenda andBuea (DDR) of the ex-combatants, capacity building and peace education etc. While these efforts are commendable their effectiveness is limited.A national peace building and development frame work is needed to leverage these local initiative to support the post conflict construction agenda.In this regard, the Republic of Cameroon can learn from successful experience in other countries in the continent, such as south Africa with the truth and reconciliation commission and Burundi, with the national debate on ethnic division organized in the late 1980s ,early 1990s that cemented peace.

Institutions and state building

It should be important to state here that two problems of state building need to be addressed, an economic problem regarding the management of fiscal decentralization and a political problem namely overcoming the legacy of exclusionary politics.The fiscal decentralization agenda must be designed and implemented in such a way that:

It ensures gradual devolution of fiscal power to the local communities along with decentralization of responsibilities in the provision of public goods
It minimizes imbalances across regions through redistribution of resources by the central state
Build technical capacity at the local level in public finance management
Establish and enforce mechanisms for transparency in public sector management.

On the other hand addressing the political problem of state building requires

Institutional mechanisms that ensure adequate representation of demographic minorities in all branches of government and in the society system.
Ensuring constitutional rules on elections and democratic representation of all segments of population.

Regional Integration as a “Development Bond”

The peace building and post conflicts reconstruction agenda must leverage regional integration as a “development bond” to improve and consolidate the relations between Cameroon and its neighbours in the CEMAC region.

The focus should be on:

Building and expanding the regional infrastructure network especially in power generation and transportation.
Promoting regional trade integration through implementation of regional protocols on movement of goods, capital and people.
Integrating projects with high potential for horizontal and vertical linkages.

Finally, the security sector reform strategy involves the reform of the judiciary system to equip it with the necessary technical and material capacity to systematically investigate and prosecute all violations of human rights and other forms of aggression against the public by members of the police and military forces. The justice system must send a clear message to the security forces and reassure the public that abuses against people’s right will not be tolerated and that no one is above the law. It is also critical to ensure political independence of the judiciary system, which requires amongst other things fair and equitable access to the profession by members of all regions and ethnic groups.

Conclusion

There is no gain saying that political and economic stability can enhance positive development in Cameroon.However, if necessary, ideals or processes are not put in place to fight corruption, development cannot be achieved.To this end, the mindset factor which can be described as a set of ideas that shape one’s behavior and outlook and place the interest of the society far above that of the self is crucial.It include the shunning of corruption as well as acts of patriotism and support of the national identity.

Dr. TARH Humphrey NTANTANG

Department of Economic and Social History

University of Yaoundé I

Email: humphreytarhhum@mail.com

Belgian king Philippe decorates last Congolese WW2 veteran

08/06/2022

Belgium’s King Philippe on Wednesday decorated the last surviving Congolese World War II veteran, an AFP correspondent said, during a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Belgian sovereign landed in DRC’s capital Kinshasa on Tuesday afternoon for a six-day visit billed as an opportunity for reconciliation between the vast central African country and its former colonial master.

On Wednesday morning, Philippe visited a memorial for combat veterans in Kinshasa and laid a wreath.

He also decorated 100-year-old Corporal Albert Kunyuku, who enlisted in Belgium’s colonial Force Publique in 1940 and saw service in Burma — the former name of Myanmar.

Kunyuku, the last surviving Congolese veteran of World War II, shook hands with the king for a long time.

Belgium’s colonisation of the Congo was one of the harshest imposed by the European powers that ruled most of Africa in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

King Leopold II, the brother of Philippe’s great great grandfather, oversaw the conquest of what is now DRC, governing the territory as his personal property between 1885 and 1908 before it became a Belgian colony.

Historians say that millions of people were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they were forced to collect rubber under his rule. The land was also pillaged for its mineral wealth, timber and ivory.

In 2020, Philippe wrote a letter to Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to express his “deepest regrets” for the “wounds of the past.”

Near the combat veterans’ memorial on Wednesday, some bystanders suggested that decorating Kunyuku was a cosmetic gesture.

“We should also compensate the families of these veterans who lost their lives in a war that did not concern them,” said Madeleine Yowa, a 43-year-old nurse.

Marie-Therese Bakuku, a street vendor, also urged financial reparations and called the ceremony hypocritical.

“There were thousands of them,” she said, referring to Congolese WWII veterans.

“Now there’s one left and they’re trying to save the day.”

Source: AFP

Ukraine War: Russian Foreign Minister visits Turkey in bid to unblock Black Sea for grain exports

08/06/2022

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a two-day visit to Turkey on Tuesday for talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine, which have been stalled by Moscow’s offensive amid a UN warning of worldwide food crisis due to the war. This comes as fighting intensifies in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he hoped issues relating to grain shipments from ports in Ukraine could be resolved, provided Kyiv de-mines the waters around them. Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Lavrov said Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine was going according to plan and that peace talks would need to resume before there was any chance of presidential talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Turkey’s foreign minister said a UN plan to open a corridor to restart Ukrainian grain exports was reasonable and requires more talks with all sides to ensure ships would be safe.

Speaking alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu said their meeting in Ankara was fruitful, including a will to return to negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv for a possible ceasefire.

Source: France 24

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