Francis Wache: Nkor Mayor & Publisher of The Post Newspaper is dead.

Wache Francis: the fine writer/journalist is no more

By Christopher Ambe

Francis Wache (aka Kongnyuy Francis), Publisher/Executive Editor of   Cameroonian English bi-weekly, The Post Newspaper   would have clocked exactly  64 on December 31,this year, but unfortunateldy,he breathed his last on Friday, December 20.

The soft-spoken Wache,who was also Mayor of Nkor Noni In Bui Division, succumbed ,suddenly, to death    at the Buea Regional Hospital as he was about to be  surgically operated upon for a serious stomach ailment.

He breathed his last outside the theatre as preparations for the operation were underway.

That morning before his demise, the Mayor of Nkor( since 2013)  had looked quite healthy and nobody  least suspected the unexpected would later same day befall  him.

Before becoming Mayor of Nkor, Wache was a senior trainer (ranked as sub director at the level of Cameroon Central Administration) at Local Government Training Centre, (CEFAM), Buea.He worked at CEFAM from 1978 until 2015. 

Even though a government worker at CEFAM, the love for journalism and literary writing, kept Wache busy with editorial work here and there for many years.

From1997 when The Post Newspaper started till his death,Wache remained the Executive Editor/Publisher of the paper; 1996 – 1997 he was Editor-in-Chief, Cameroon Post, Newspaper; 1992 – 1994,Wache served as Editor-in-Chief, Cameroon Today, Newspaper;1991 – 1994 he was Editor-in-Chief, Cameroon Life, Magazine;1990 - 1991 he was Senior Writer, Cameroon Life Magazine.

Wache also helped to organize the journalism profession in Anglophone Cameroon and from 2006 -2009, he served as National President of the Cameroon Association of English-speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ).

Wache   attended Bishop Rogan College, Soppo, Buea(1968-1971),passing the   G.C.E. ‘O’ Level and proceeded to Cameroon College of Arts Science and Technology (CCAST) Bambili (1971-73) where he got his G.C.E. ‘A’ Level.

He furthered his studies at the then University of Yaounde, Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences, University of Yaounde, earning         BA. (Hons) in Literature; he earned   Language Proficiency Diploma from Universite d’Avignon, France  (1975 – 1976).     

In 2008, Wache bagged   a diploma from Pan African Institute for Development (PAID-WA),Buea.   

 The deceased has left behind, among others, a wife, four children, seven grandchildren, colleagues, friends to mourn and remember him.

Nigerian Consul-General Designated Goodwill Ambassador of CHRDA as Empowerment Center is Inaugurated

Nigerian Consul-General, Ibrahim M. Bashir (standing with mic) accepts to serve as CHRDA Goodwill Ambassador

By Christopher Ambe

The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) , headquartered in Buea(Cameroon), which recently  launched a report that alleges that crimes against humanity have been committed during the three-year   Angloplone crisis  ,has inaugurated  its  empowerment center for internally displaced people(IDPs).

At the crowd-pulling launching of the center, last December 18, in Buea, His Excellency, the Consul-General of Nigeria for the Northwest and Southwest regions, Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir, was named the Center’s goodwill ambassador.

More than half a million people are internally displaced and over 30 thousand people are seeking asylum in neighboring Nigeria because of the Anglophone crisis. Over 2000 deaths have also been reported and property destroyed is estimated in billions of Fcfa.

For now, the empower center has over 30 sewing machines and will soon admit the pioneer batch of IDPs for training on tailoring. The center too is planning to extend training to other skills such as computer designing, handicraft and farming.

The CEO of CHRDA,Barrister  Felix Agbor Nkongho  in  publicly presenting  His Excellency Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir as the Center’s Goodwill Ambassador, said” [this seasoned Nigerian diplomat] has what it takes to be the light of the center.”

Humbly accepting the position, amid deafening applause from the audience, Ambassador Bashir replied: “I must assure you that the responsibility bestowed on me,I would live up to it and even beyond.”

For her part, Mrs. Beryl Panje, Southwest Regional Delegate for Women’s Empowerment and the Family hailed CHRDA for the brilliant initiative, adding that her ministry  would  support  the center when need be. “The doors of the Delegation of Women’s Empowerment and the Family are open to CHRDA… we would be your partner, to empower the underprivileged, to fight poverty and hunger”

She advised prospective trainees to make maximum use of the opportunity that would be accorded them.

“IDP is not a status. One day peace will return and you will regain you original localities”, she cautioned.

Family photo after inauguration of CHRDA Empowerment Centre.

The CEO of CHRDA led invitees to   see for themselves the facilities of the empower center and to know learn more about CHRDA, which is based in Boduma-Buea. 

CHRDA goals includes: enhancing the promotion and respect for Human rights and the rule of law; promoting democracy and good governance; working with stakeholders to improve human rights situation, and  providing legal assistance to victims of human rights violations at national and international forums.

CHRDA has nine departments viz:1) Human Rights 2) Gender 3) Legal 4)Access to Justice and rule of Law 5)Governance 6)Conflict Prevention and Resolution 7) Humanitarian 8)Vocational Training and 9) Communication

Buea:Late Mayor Ekema knighted for Patriotism

By Christopher Ambe

Ekema Patrick Esunge, 46, the controversial Mayor of Buea who suddenly died on October 27 in Douala, was, Saturday December 14 during his official funeral in Buea, knighted posthumously by the state as “Commander of the National Order of Valour”.

Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration and personal representative of President Paul Biya, who performed the posthumous recognition rite, described the deceased mayor as a brave and patriotic Cameroonian, who has gone out of sight but not out of the minds of Cameroonians.

Taking advantage of the Anglophone crisis, late Mayor Ekema had nationally shot in prominence for his anti-ghost town/separatist onslaughts and outspokenness on need for national unity.

The late mayor, on ghost town days and guarded by armed security forces, would force open Buea business premises and or seal some for respecting separatist leaders’ calls for civil disobedience. 

His anti-ghost town actions reportedly earned him far more enemies than friends, but he received the support of the Cameroon government, which was losing billions of Fcfa because of the crippling effects of the ghost towns.

The funeral, which took place at the Buea Grand Stand,Bongo Square,was attended among other senior government officials by Peter Mafany Musonge,Grand Chancellor of National Orders; Paul Elung Che,Deputy Secretary-General at the Presidency;Prof.Nalova Lyonga,Minister of Secondary Education, as well as  Bernard Okalia Bilai,Southwest Governor.

Unfortunately, seats in a section of the grand stand reserved for Fako CPDM party, to which the late Mayor belonged were unoccupied, suggesting that the local party officials might not have mobilized militants to attend the funeral. 

The deceased, locally likened to a warrior, was said to have been at loggerheads with local CPDM authorities. It emerged that he also did not agree with a majority of Fako elite, as he accused them of blocking his political successes. 

Prior to the official funeral,Prof Victor Julius Ngoh,in a CRTV Buea tribute to the deceased claimed that late Ekema would have been more successful as mayor but for the “fact” that Buea elite made it difficult for him to operate smoothly. As Mayor,he spent much time and resources fighting his political enemies, and  did not have  enough time to execute his development blue print for council, according to critics.

On the same CRTV Buea tribute slot, Interim Mayor Lyonga John Efande described the deceased mayor’s fight against ghost towns as a good fight

Eulogies at the funeral, which was graced by an ecumenical church service, came from Buea Paramount Chief-elect,Dr. Robert E.Endeley;Dr.Lyonga John Efande,Interim Mayor of Buea;Hans Esunge,elder brother of the deceased; Bony Dashaco,business magnate;Buea elite,Prof Nalova Lyonga and Minister Paul Atanga Nji.

The eulogies summarily presented the fallen mayor as generous, courageous, patriotic, loyal and development-conscious man.

A message of condolence from President Paul Biya addressed to the wife of the deceased, Catherine Ekema who was unavoidably absent, was read by Fako SDO. 

Dr.Robert E Endeley,Buea Paramount Chief-elect, in his tribute, said:

“[Mayor Patrick Ekema], you defended your city so passionately that we can confidently say today, here lived a man who defended his city like no one else…

“You didn't live a long life, but you lived a meaningful life. Your life was distressingly small in quantity, but glowingly large in quality.”

In his tribute, Minister Paul Atanga Nji, who had earlier laid the wreath of President Biya and wife by the deceased’s coffin, admitted that the late mayor had a fighting spirit and was loyal to state institutions and the head of state.

The Minister stressed that there was no perfect person and warned against over judging people.

“When we are too hard judging people, God will be hard too judging you”,he noted, advising that people should focus more on the strengths of people and not their weaknesses.

Before becoming Mayor of Buea in 2013, the deceased was a faculty officer in the University of Buea, where he had obtained a Master’s degree in history. 

Late Mayor Ekema has left behind his mother, his wife and children, colleagues, friends etc  to mourn and remember him.

NB:This article also appears in The Horizon Newspaper,Cameroon,of December 18,2019

Cameroon:UB graduates implored to transform challenges into opportunities!

By Christopher Ambe, and Bako Fowzie Abiba (UB Journalism student)

 The University of Buea (UB) last Friday December 13,at its 23rd convocation, graduated  3225  students -ranging from First degrees to PhD , at a time when getting employment is  a herculean task, a situation further compounded by the three-year old Anglophone crisis, which is having a toll on the national economy.

But the thousands of graduates were variously advised by university officials to be poised for success and as such see any challenge on their way to success as an opportunity to capitalize on.

Presiding at the convocation, Pro-chancellor of University of Buea.Prof.Edward Ako Oben, who sat in for the Minister of Higher Education Jacques Fame Ndongo, told the graduates to remain positive as they face the job market. 

Prof Ako Oben told the graduates that the class of degree obtained    by any graduates would not be the only determinant for their success but that, hard work would be highly required. He urged them to be ambitious and apply the knowledge acquired in school into practice, so to effect meaningful changes and positive changes in society.

For his part, the convocation guest speaker, Prof.Kale Samuel Ewusi, presented a paper on the theme “Building Peace for African youth: Stakes and Challenges”. 

He cautioned the graduates :" Those of you graduating today will leave this  campus with qualifications ranging from Bachelor to doctoral degrees .The world out of this campus is a different world;  it may even be different from what you study ; it’s a tough life , it’s real life , it is a battle -and with the knowledge you have acquired, and if you are vigilant  you will see opportunities  , sometimes clearly,other times not so clearly . If you are not vigilant you will only see challenges and in some cases life will beat the hell out of you”

But the guest speaker assured the graduating students that challenges are not bad, for they   create opportunities.

Acknowledging the pivotal role peace plays in development and urging students to be peace advocates, Prof Kale reiterated the urgent need to improve the electoral system , improve the the justice system , human rights promotion and protection mechanism ,which he said, are building blocks for peace.

Harping on the importance of jobs for economic empowerment and in defusing social tension, he called upon the Government of Cameroon to speed up efforts in improving the business sector.

He said challenges faced by Cameroon can better by handled by Cameroonians themselves, urging that Cameroonians should be nation- builders rather than destroying the available infrastructures.

"Peace will return to Cameroon when we the citizens of Cameroon understand that we don't have to be the Government to make a difference or contribute to the development of a community",Prof.Kale remarked.

Earlier, in his welcome speech, Prof. Ngomo Horace Manga, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea, said the institution was committed to providing quality education through teaching and research, professionalism and knowledge management

Of the total of 3225 students graduated, 2891 earned Bachelor’s degrees, 122 got Master’s degrees and 31 were PhD earners.

 NB: This article also appears in The Horizon Newspaper,Cameroon,of December 18,2019

Human Rights Day: CHRDA report on Cameroon Anglophone Crisis alleges crimes against humanity committed !

CHRDA  celebrated this year's HR day with the launch of a report on the  Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon

By Christopher Ambe

A report, which alleges  crimes against humanity have been committed in Cameroon since the eruption of the Anglophone crisis in 2016 ,has been made public and copies shared to lawyers,CSO’s ,diplomats,journalists among others who turned up , Tuesday  December 10,at the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa(CHRDA) Buea,to witness celebrations marking  this year’s International  Human Rights Day.

The report, titled “ Cameroon’s Unfolding Catastrophe :Evidence of Human Rights Violations and Crimes against humanity” was launched by Barrister Felix Agbor Nkongho,CEO of CHRDA,in the presence of prominent Cameroonian  Human rights lawyers such as Ndoki Michelle and Enow Benjamin, president of Fako Lawyers(FAKLA),who is also representative of the Bar Council in the Southwest region.

Over 2000 people have reportedly died since the Anglophone crisis started three years ago, with property destroyed amounting to billions of Fcfa;over half a million are internally displaced and over 30 thousand people are seeking asylum in neighbouring Nigeria.

The report,co-authored by CHRDA and Raoul Wallenberng  Centre for Human rights(RWHRC)  focuses on events from October 2016 to May 2019.

The report was first launched in Montreo,Canada on June 4,2019 and is available at www.chrda.org.

The reprinting of the report for local launching was done with funds from Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

The CEO of CHRDA told reporters at the launch that,from the legal perspective and based on investigation “everybody agrees that crimes against humanity have been committed during the Anglophone crisis;we identified these crimes against humanity. We looked at torture, murder,extra-judicial killings, terrorizing civilian population, the burning down of  206 villages as at May 2019;we analyzed the law and the conclusion was that crimes against humanity have been committed !”

He said the report focuses more on crimes committed by state actors and less on crimes committed by non-state actors, noting that the state has a duty to protect human rights of citizens and prevent crimes. He said CHRDA felt that great need to document the atrocities for posterity.

“The whole issue of accountability and impunity thrives in an environment where people fail to document”, Barrister Nkongho said, noting that “we cannot be at the center of the crisis and fail to document it”. 

The rights campaigner strongly urged local CSO’s to consider documenting important events, and not only rely on foreign NGOs reporting on the crisis situation in Cameroon. 

Barrister Nkongho equally implored international rights watchdog groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Crisis Group to consider supporting, variously, local CSO’s for them to better be at the service of society.

The launch of the report was preceded by a panel discussion on human rights issues, moderated by the CEO of CHRDA himself, with Barristers Enow Benjamin and Ndoki Michelle, as well Edith Nguedia and Tonga Benjamin, both human rights defenders as panelists.

The panelists discussed on themes such as: “Human Rights of Women in conflict with the law” ( Barrister Ndoki Michelle); “Youths Standing up for Human Rights” ( Tonga Benjamin); “The role of the courts in the promotion of the rights of the vulnerable groups in conflict with the law”( Barrister Enow Benjamin) .Edith Nguedia talked on “The challenges in promoting Human Rights” 

While speaking on the role of the courts in the dispensation of justice, Barrister Enow Benjamin said it was mandatory for the courts to ensure that due process is always followed.

But the President of Fako lawyers  regretted that “ our judiciary is really not independent”, noting that the manner of recruitment of judges rather makes it  almost impossible for some judges   to apply the law guided by their conscience, as publicly expected. “It is unfortunate that some judges [seem] to take instructions from hierarchy on how to pass their judgments, he alleged.

Barrister Enow said lawyers would continue   advocating for the total application of the law (as it is) and the respect of Human Rights of all citizens.

Barrister Ndoki Michelle narrated how she was illegally arrested and detained in Douala and later Yaoundé, noting that the major challenge lawyers face in Cameroon is the non-application of the law by some judges and prosecutors. “Cameroon needs people who can rightly and timely apply the law”, she emphasized.

The event was also an opportunity for many to know more about CHRDA, which is based in Boduma-Buea.

CHRDA goals includes: enhancing the promotion and respect for Human rights and the rule of law; promoting democracy and good governance; working with stakeholders to improve human rights situation, and  providing legal assistance to victims of human rights violations at national and international forums.

CAMEROON: IMPACT OF THE ANGLOPHONE CRISIS ON CHILDREN (By Taku Catherine Arrey-Ngang )

CAMEROON: IMPACT OF THE ANGLOPHONE CRISIS ON CHILDREN" is a paper that was presented  by  a Cameroonian, TAKU CATHERINE ARREY-NGANG,    at the  34th  ORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD (ACERWC) ,which held in Cairo, Egypt from  25th November – 05 December 2019.Taku  Catherine Arrey-Ngang  was at the conference  both as a participant ,invited by OSIWA and a resource person   representing  Cameroon Women Peace Movement (CAWOPEM). Discussions ,among other issues, focused on African countries such as Cameroon, Uganda and South Sudan  where conflict is affecting children negatively.

Taku Catherine Arrey-Ngang (standing behind  table) presenting the impact of the Anglophone Crisis on children

Below  is her mind-blowing presentation:

CAMEROON: IMPACT OF THE ANGLOPHONE CRISIS ON CHILDREN

(By Taku Catherine Arrey-Ngang )

"The Republic of Cameroon has been facing a growing number of security challenges in the past years: Boko Haram exigencies in the Far North Region, violence in Adamawa, and the Anglophone crisis in the North West and South West Regions.

The various conflicts in Cameroon are problematic to manage, but the Anglophone crisis is considered the most challenging because of the number of casualties experienced, high number of displaced persons, and the fact that children‟s welfare are a direct consequence of the crisis. This paper will therefore concentrate on the plight of children in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon as a result of the Anglophone crisis.

Let me first of all situate Cameroon:

Cameroon is made up of two entirely different cultures that came together. The North West and South West Regions are English-speaking while the rest of the other eight (8) Regions are French-speaking. The conflict, which escalated on the 22nd of September 2016, began with a strike by Anglophone lawyers and teachers in protest to the apparent government-backed endeavours to marginalise traditional practices within Anglophone courts and schools. This has gradually led to fighting between the minority Anglophone populations and the government military forces, and has thus been termed the „Anglophone Crisis‟. In response to the discontent by the peaceful and armless lawyers and teachers, the military decided to use coercion and force, which led to an escalation of tensions and demands. Since the 2016 protests, the conflict has become increasingly violent, and crimes have been committed by multiple parties.

In the Anglophone Regions of the South West and North West, government security forces (henceforth military forces) have carried out arbitrary arrests of civilians, committed extrajudicial executions, tortured detainees and burnt down entire villages, leaving children with no access to schools or health facilities. The separatist fighters have on their part killed hundreds of military forces, beheaded men and women alike for being traitors to their cause, kidnapped school child, beat and maimed several teachers and placed an embargo on the functioning of schools. All these impediments and restrictions fall directly on children and youths who can neither gain any further education nor move freely in their communities.

In a report submitted to the UK Parliament by an independent research team based at the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford on the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis, a comprehensive analysis of alleged human rights abuses committed to date and recommends actions are explained. The Report, which cogitates evidence of human rights abuses that have been committed by the Cameroonian State forces and by separatist groups in the Anglophone Regions, suspects that human rights violations include extra-judicial killings, torture, destruction of property, fair trial violations, and inhumane and degrading conditions of detention. These violations breach both Cameroonian national laws and international human rights laws that bind Cameroon.

Below is a summary of the impact of the Anglophone crisis on child

ren and youths living in the two affected Regions in the domain of education, health, sexuality and morals.

TYPES OF ABUSES 

ABUSE N0.1) No school, No education

Cameroon separatists have warned, since 2016, against schools functioning in the NW and SW Regions. This has led to more than 855.000 children to drop out of school, and 6.000 others have moved to other Regions where some live in deployable conditions.
To this effect, several schools have remained closed for the past three years.
The SW Region alone had a total of 415 secondary schools in record.

 But as of September 2019, only 91 of these schools were fully functional, while an alarming 306 schools have been shut down because of insecurity. The rest are either destroyed or occupied by the fighting parties. And up to 744 public schools are non-operational.
This is a gross violation of a child‟s right to education as spelled out in Article 28 of the GA resolution 44/25 of Nov 1989.

 ABUSE N0.2 - Internally displaced children

According to UNICEF‟s most recent report, up to 150.000 children have been displaced in the last 3 years. This number is quite alarming considering the effects of displacement on youths.

 ABUSE N0.3- Killing of children
A report of 21 March 2019 shows how two children were killed; One child appears to be aged 6, male, the other 2 years or under, female.
This is just an example of dozens of children who have been killed in this crisis for unexplained reasons.
Children are also buried alive e.g the case of the 18year old high school student buried alive in Kumba, South West Region.
Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child states that “every child has the inherent right to life”.

ABUSE N0.4- Several cases of Sexual Violence

The most prominent being the rape of a 17 year old lactating girl by a security officer in Bamenda. She goes out in pain and narrates her ordeal to Bamenda residents. This video is said to have caught the attention of Human Rights Organisations.
Violation of Article 19 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
P/S: The officer has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for gross violation of human rights. (image included)

ABUSE N0.5 - Abduction of school children and teachers

Several school children have been taken hostage or abducted in the Anglophone Regions for attempting to go to school. The most appalling was the abduction of 79 students from a boarding school in the NW in November 2018. These students were molested and told to return to their homes else face more death. It is still unclear if this kidnap was done by the separatists or government forces. (image included)

ABUSE N0.6-Children soldiers
This crisis has caused many youths to drop out of school; and for lack of what to do, some have decided to take up arms and join the separatists. Many of such children, often between the ages of 8 and 17, are seen on videos carrying arms or simply in the company of older fighters being used as errand boys or informants. Image included)

ABUSE N0.7-Unwanted pregnancies
Countless number of girls have become pregnant in the past three years as a consequence of the Anglophone crisis. This is because an idle person searches for other areas to keep busy. These girls end up as school drop outs, with no one to take care of their illegitimate children.

ABUSE N0.8 -Child prostitution
Child prostitution has been on the rise since 2017 when many young girls were forced to be displaced to Yaounde and Douala in search of a refuge. Many of these girls could not be taken care by their relatives, and had to turn to prostitution as a survival strategy.

ABUSE N0.9 -Violence and intimidation
In June 2019, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) put the number of schools destroyed at 74. It also said students, teachers and school officials have been exposed to violence and intimidation since 2018. More than 300 students and teachers were abducted and subjected to trauma by non-state armed groups.

ABUSE N0.10- Child Trafficking on the rise.

There has been a very high increase in child trafficking since this crisis started. Its true that many children need assistance considering that their parents cannot afford. Unfortunately many people use this as an excuse to use children for unorthodox purposes.
11.
ABUSE N0.11-Loss of life/ Untimely death

Children are now being buried alive.
The most case being that of the 18 year student of Kumba who was buried alive for having an affair with a military man and thus considered a sell-out.
Every child has the inherent right to life.

The Human Rights Watch, which defends the rights of people in 90 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, reports that the armed separatists in Anglophone Cameroon forced the majority of schools to close during the 2016-2017 academic year, and as of May 2018 an estimated 42,500 children were still out of school. According to UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), most schools did not re-open in 2018. The 2019 Mid-year Report of the Regional Delegation of Secondary Education in the South West reveals that out of the 79,504 hours programmed to be taught, only 11,080 was effectively taught. This shows that even those who go to school do not receive adequate learning as a result of the unrest, frequent ghost towns and shut down days.

The report equally states that on April 30, Father William Neba, principal of St. Bede‟s College, in Ashing near Belo, North West Region, was reported abducted while celebrating mass with students. He was released two days later. The school suspended classes on the day of the abduction. In September, unidentified gunmen attacked a girl‟s school in Bafut, North West region, kidnapping five pupils and severely wounding the principal.

In September, the government endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political agreement to protect education during armed conflict.

CONCLUSION
The Anglophone crisis has drastically affected children in the two Regions of North West and South West. From being deprived of education to food scarcity, lack of healthcare and increased in teenage pregnancy to some lives being completely destroyed. 

Since 2016 children have seen their parents or loved one being brutally murdered; others as young as three (3) years have been forced to be separated with their parents in search of education in other Regions. 

Thousands have been living in the jungles as a way of escaping from violence in the townships, and children are living in continuous fear as run into hiding under beds or behind trees whenever they hear any sound. Such psychological trauma and emotional and mental suffering experienced by children is very distressing. 

It is our hope that more action will be taken to curb such anguish and restore peace in the South West and North West Regions of Cameroon so that the rights of children can be restores, viz the right to education, health, safe life, and the right to be cared for by their own parents as outlined in the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child.

These children affected by the Anglophone crisis need food, accommodation, education, health care, and above all emotional stability in order to live a fulfilled life like other children. Our Organisation,the Cameroon Women Peace Movement, CAWOPEM has added its voice to decry these violation of
children‟s rights in particular, and human rights in general in these two affected Regions.

RECOMMENDATIONS
 There is the need for urgent action to be taken by the ACERWC Committee, the Commission
on Human Rights, and the Peace and Security Council to end the Anglophone crisis so that
children can regain their lives.
 If nothing is done, Cameroon runs the risk of losing an entire generation of young people.
While children in other countries and even in the East of the Mongo of Cameroon are studying,
Anglophone children are wasting in the bushes. It is our hope that action is taken now.
 It is our plea that Anglophone Cameroon is remembered in all discussions of peace, terrorism
and conflict areas of Africa.

_________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES:
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/of 5th November 2019
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Resolution 44/25 of 20th November 1989.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/world/cameroon-anglophone-crisis/ (Accessed November 20th 2019).

Amnesty International „A turn for the worse: Violence and Human rights abuses in Cameroon.‟ (2017)

https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/AFR1784812018ENGLISH.PDF. 23-27.

Human Rights Watch „Cameroon: New Attacks on Civilians by Troops, Separatists: At Least 170
Killed; Hundreds of Homes Burned.‟ (March 28th 2019)
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/28/cameroon-new-attackscivilians-troopsseparatists

(Accessed November 20th 2019).

Ruth Maclean „Cameroonian soldiers accused of killing baby as family flees: Army denies
involvement in death of four-month old in violence-plagued anglophone region.‟ (The
Guardian, May 27th 2019).

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/27/cameroonian-soldiers-accused-ofkilling-baby-as-familyflees. Accessed 21st Nov. 2019.

2019 Mid-Year Report of the Regional Delegation of Secondary Education for the South West Region,
Cameroon.

Buea CPDM uses Biya’s anniversary to appeal to separatists for peace

Hon Emilia Lifaka, CPDM  Leader for Fako, speaking at  37^th power anniversary of President  Biya.

By Christopher Ambe 

Fako III(Buea)CPDM senior apologists ,on November 6,2019,which marked the 37^th anniversary of President Paul Biya’s ascension to the pinnacle of power in Cameroon, used the occasion to strongly appeal to separatists  to give up the fight for the independence of their putative state ,dubbed Ambazonia.

The separatists, claiming to be fighting for the restoration of the independence of Southern Cameroons, a former British-UN mandated territory, insist that Buea is the capital of their putative country.

Over 2000 people have reportedly died in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon in clashes between separatist fighters and government forces, since the eruption of what is today known as the Anglophone Crisis.

The  37^th anniversary celebration in Buea was  chaired by Hon.Emilia Lifaka,Vice-President of the  National Assembly and leader of the  CPDM Central Committee to Fako Division.It was attended  among other dignitaries by Southwest Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai ,the  Minister of Secondary Education,Prof. Nalova Lyonga;Senator Mbella Moki ;Dr. Amos Namanga Ngongi,former UN Under Secretary-General,and Hon.Meoto Paul Njie,former Director of Cabinet at the PM’s office.

Speaking at the event at Buea Youth Centre,Hon. Emilia Lifaka, Vice-President of Cameroon’s National Assembly and  CPDM Central Committee Leader for Fako Division, pleaded with the separatists fighters still in bushes:

“My children in the bushes, I am speaking to you like your own mother…

“The government has heard and noted your worries; please leave the bushes and return to the comfort of your homes, because there is no other better place like home.

 “Please don’t terrorize your own mothers.Today mothers are even scared to go to their farms, markets or to do anything. Our children are now school drop-outs. You cannot build a community without educated people.”

She appealed to parents whose children are separatist fighters to look for a way and persuade them to drop their arms and become God-fearing. “The Bible says love your neighbor as yourself,” Hon. Lifaka remarked, begging “  our fighting children, to come back so that together we can build this beautiful nation; this land of glory and promise”

The Fako CPDM leader was very thankful to President Biya for what she said were many projects realized in Fako, adding that “we still need more” because “President Paul Biya supports us, likes our division and region.”

But Hon. Lifaka stressed that only a peaceful environment would serve as a condition to ask for more projects  from the Head of State, who is also National Chairman of the ruling CPDM and has ruled Cameroon since 1982.

Speaking earlier, were Buea YCPDM president Njie Frankline Njie; Dr.Mrs.Mbua Hannah Etonde,Buea WCPDM President and Buea CPDM section President, Barrister Mafany Namanga David.

In his address, Njie Frankline claimed that President Biya’s Achievements in his 37 years in power were superfluous.

“For his 37 years in power, we can say with all certainty that [President Paul Biya] has delivered beyond expectations. There is, therefore, no doubt that the remaining years of his current mandate will be marked with greater accomplishments that will spring the country to more economic prosperity”

But the Buea YCPDM president  called for a  speedy implementation of National Dialogue recommendations and the  admission of more Anglophones into national schools such as ENAM,EMIA and IRIC.

 He urged Government to revive the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), the second employer after the state, which has been brought down on its knees by the Anglophone crisis.

 Njie Frankline implored Government to “support our youths through the granting of loans from PIASSI and other state agencies charged with youth development”

For her part, Dr. Mrs. Mbua Etonde Hannah, described as a dynamic lady and who has been President of Buea WCPDM for 13 years, commended the Biya administration for what she termed “special love for Fako”, citing improved social facilities such as hospitals and educational institutions.

She described Buea as hospitable and peace-loving subdivision and advocated for more peace, as a prerequisite for more investments.

The Buea WCPDM president stressed need for voter registration in Fako.

In his address,David Namanga Mafany,Buea CPDM President, lauded the development drive of President Biya and  reiterated the urgency of bringing to fruition  the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue, which, many think ,will defuse the socio-political tension caused by the Anglophone crisis.

He stressed that “we should collectively and individually work for social justice in Cameroon” and hoped that separatist fighters would all drop their arms.

The cutting of the 37^th anniversary cake, the reading of a motion of support for the head of state and cultural dances, enlivened the ceremony.