Cameroon Politics / Politiques Camerounaises
Le leader du Mouvement pour la libération du peuple camerounais
(MLPC), Liman Oumaté Malloum Boukjar, qui menaçait ces derniers temps
de renverser le régime du président Paul Biya, aurait été drogué avant
d’être arrêté il y a une semaine à Maiduguri, au Nigeria, et d’être
exfiltré au Cameroun, provoquant une vive polémique dans le pays.Pour
sa capture, des éléments des services de renseignement camerounais
dépêchés dans ce pays voisin auraient donné une forte somme d’argent à
leurs collègues du State Security Service (SSS) pour faciliter
l’opération.Le stratagème de ces Nigérians fortement corrompus aurait
été, au Marazaine Hotel de Maiduguri, d’attirer l’attention de leur
proie vers une valise contenant des liasses de billets de banque, avant
de verser une drogue soporifique dans son verre d’eau.Endormi, il ne
restait qu’à le conduire discrètement à la frontière sise non loin de
là, avant de l’acheminer à Mora (Extrême-Nord du Cameroun), et depuis
jeudi dernier dans la capitale Yaoundé, par vol militaire.
A la Direction générale de la recherche extérieure (DGRE), où il est
actuellement incarcéré, Liman Oumaté Malloum Boukjar, que certains
qualifient d’«esprit tourmenté», aurait, selon nos sources, déclaré
qu’il sera «le président du Cameroun en 2011».
«Il a affirmé que si cela n’était pas le cas, ce sera l’un de ses éléments qui va l’être parce que tous ont été préparés et ils vont devoir agir», a déclaré à APA une source proche de l’enquête mais ayant requis l’anonymat.
Réagissant à cette arrestation, l’homme politique Célestin Bedzigui, exilé aux Etats-Unis, parle de «grave violation des droits politiques et de l’homme auxquels tout citoyen a droit, et qui sont de ce fait une violation intolérable des droits de l’homme».
Cet événement, analyse-t-il, étale au grand jour la violation par le régime de Yaoundé des conventions internationales qui interdisent à un gouvernement de se livrer à des arrestations hors de ses frontières nationales.
«L’extradition vers son pays d’origine d’un individu, en séjour dans un pays étranger, est rigoureusement réglementée par lesdites conventions, et cette violation constitue un double crime d’Etat au regard de la légalité internationale», insiste M. Bedzigui.
29 Apr, 2009
Anong Adibime and His Stubborn Lot
Last Friday, the indefatigable Minister of State Property and Land Tenure, Pascal Anong Adibime was up again with an umpteenth initiative to expel people illegally occupying government houses. This time it was right in the Yaounde city centre precincts, just a stone's throw from the Ministry of Territorial Administration. The location is significant in the fact that houses around here are all government-owned and one least expects any disorder here. Not to talk of what the Minister discovered, a lady who had recently occupied government quarters in the area, ostensibly at the behest of a government minister. "I am the only government minister who attributes government houses to State employees," Mr Anong Adibine, at the head of a squad of investigators from his Ministry politely told the lady who, initially, stayed locked indoors only opening the doors of the house after a member of the minister's party had started forcefully trying to gain access into the house. To the Minister's utter bewilderment, it was observed that a good part of the compound had been partitioned into make-shift restaurants of sorts from which the lady occupant charged a monthly rent of FCFA 3,000 per month from petty market people. One of the "tenants" reported that at some peak periods, they were as many as 100 such tenants in the compound!
What is worrying in this situation is not this "discovery" at all. It is more about the tenacity and headiness of concerned citizens to heed the minister's appeal to illegal occupants to quit. A few months ago, Mr. Anong Adibime went out even more forcefully in the same Yaounde neighbourhood in an expulsion exercise which many Cameroonians still remember for its noisome nature. Only a few rare cases were spared of the Minister's anger, but had specific deadlines within which to quit these residences. Not only did many of them fail to respect these deadlines, the old practices seemed to have rather taken firm root, leading many to suggest that the campaign to cleanse the government housing sector of its characteristic disorder will definitely take more than noisy ministerial outings.
For one thing, the intensity and complexity of the Ministry's worksite is deeper than the eye can see. As if the illegal occupation of government houses was not enough, the use of government vehicles is absolutely a cause for concern. Previously organized and run from the Prime Minister's Office, the authorization over the use of government vehicles has since the presidential decree N° 2004/320 of December 8, 2004, organizing the government, devolved on the Ministry of State Property and Land Tenure. The decision was obviously taken in the hope of improving follow-up and efficacy. But almost five years after, things do not seem to have changed much. At least in the public eye. Numerous initiatives taken to put order in the use of government vehicles have hardly ever yielded the desired results. The fact that many government vehicles, are still too often used for dropping children at school premises or helping out madam with shopping or household chores, is quite anecdoctical of the difficulty of conforming with the law.
The impression, in the face of the gravity of the situation, is that Mr Anong Adibime has bitten a chunk too big that he cannot conveniently chew.
But given the very nature of this Ministry, the cooperation of other ministerial departments is essential in finding a lasting solution. Had seminars or workshops not glaringly shown their ineffectiveness as very well captured by President Paul Biya in his 2007 end-of-year speech, one could have recommended an inter-ministerial seminar at which the ministers involved directly or indirectly in the management of houses, land or vehicles will speak with one voice, as it were.
The Minister's projected creation of an interministerial control brigade, among other dissuasive measures, is already a step in the right direction.
27 Apr, 2009
Chantal, présidente d'honneur de US Doctors for Africa
La First Lady du Cameroun a été élue à l'issue du sommet international des premières dames d'Afrique tenu à Los Angeles la semaine dernière. De nouveaux lauriers pour la première dame, Chantal Biya, présidente fondatrice de l'ONG panafricaine Synergies africaines contre le sida et les souffrances. Quelques mois après sa nomination comme ambassadrice de bonne volonté de l'Unesco, la voici élue présidente d'honneur de l'association US Doctors for Africa (USDFA). Cette organisation œuvre, depuis 12 ans, dans le sens de la mobilisation des ressources et du personnel médical compétent au bénéfice des personnes nécessiteuses sur le continent africain. Il s'agit-là de l'épilogue du tout premier sommet des premières dames d'Afrique qui a réuni, du 20 au 21 avril dernier une quinzaine d'épouses de chefs d'Etat du continent noir. L'annonce de cette élection a été faite lors de la soirée de gala de clôture de ce sommet, le 22 avril à Los Angeles, en Californie. Selon un communiqué de Synergies africaines, cette rencontre, conjointement organisée par US Doctors for Africa et Synergies africaines contre le sida et les souffrances, a donné l'occasion à une quinzaine de premières dames et aux nombreux participants de présenter leurs activités et de poser les bases d'une collaboration croisée avec de nombreux partenaires soucieux de contribuer à l'allègement des souffrances des populations vulnérables d'Afrique.Open Letter to U.N. Border Tracing Team Currently in Southern Cameroons
The people of Southern Cameroons, a Trust Territory of the United Nations are excited to learn that a United Nations team is currently in the territory of the Southern Cameroons. We have visited the Resort 84 Hotel where the UN team is based, and questioned their mission on Southern Cameroons territory.
We were expecting to meet the UN team, first, as a team of human rights journalists trained by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, and secondly as nationalists fighting for the restoration of the statehood of the Southern Cameroons. But, as was expected, we were blocked by the forces of repression, representing the colonial regime of La Republique du Cameroun …a nation that attained her independence on January 1, 1960 when the Southern Cameroons was still a Trust Territory of the United Nations. That act by the forces of La Republique du Cameroun speaks volumes.
From an announcement made by the proconsul of La Republique du Cameroun to Bamenda Region of the Southern Cameroons, Mr. Abakat Ahamat on Monday, April 20, 2009, we were made to understand that the U.N. team is here to see to the implementation of the Green Tree Accord, thus calling on the population of their carved provinces of South West and North West ( Southern Cameroons) to cooperate with the UN team. The population had begun conjecturing and guessing wildly as to the mission of the UN Team here, as every day, we see a white helicopter, with the inscriptions of the UN on it. Our peoples had thought at first that it was La Republique du Cameroun in one of its numerous assault missions to some of our villages.
Now that La Republique's proconsul has called on us to give the UN team the needed assistance, we, nationalists of the Southern Cameroons, have the following information to give to them as our form of assistance to the UN in this border imbroglio.
Ben Muna willing to Join the Government
After months of political arithmetics the National Chairman of the Alliance of Progressive Forces, ba Ben Muna has dramatically suggested a possible marriage of convenience with the ruling CPDM government.
Muna marketed the view that certain policies of both parties a very much similar and that a better cross pollination of ideas could break the unsensual canopy of organise frustration. However with the multiplicity of human thoughts realistics goals are never well manage.
Many right minded Cameroonians have question the motives of the APF Chairman and have quickly accepted it as a betrayal as the news comes at a time when the opposition are looking for an umbrella stand against the much imposed electorial body, Elecam.
Political analyst have also branded him an opportunist who is desperate to escalate the chambers of power. Muna caused another political scare by ironically castigating and crucifying the Head of State for not relinguishing power since they can not practice what they preach.
The turn around of the APF Chairman diminishes any hope that there is unity amongst the country's rainbow political system. It thus kill the idea that any realistic effort to challenge the ruling party is now an impossible dream.