New US Ambassador Visits Buea to Acquaint Self with Local Realities

US Ambassador C. J. Lamora with University of Buea officials during his Buea visit

By Billa Solomon B*

The new  US Ambassador to Cameroon, Christopher J. Lamora, last  July 20,  paid  his maiden  visit to the Soutthwest Regional capital , Buea, fondly called the Town  of Legendary Hospitality to  acquaint himself with local realities by  meeting  some authorities.

He was well received  in Buea by the personalities he met and they discussed pertinent matters of public interest

In Buea, Ambassador  Lamora paid courtesy calls on Southwest Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai, the   Moderator of the PCC, the Imam of Buea , the Lord Mayor of Buea , the  Vice –Chancellor of  the University of Buea,among others.

According to the 53 year-old American  diplomat ,who  had first worked in Cameroon between April 1992 and July 1993 as a young diplomat just after leaving  the university, he didn’t dream that he would  return to the country  30 years later  as an ambassador.

“My purpose of  coming here was to have eyes on the ground…and this is my opportunity to come into the SW region in the light of what has been going on in the Northwest  and Southwest regions  in the last five and a half years, get a sense of how people on the ground are feeling,” Ambassador  Lamora  told the press  at Buea Council.

Answering  a question on his approach in dealing with the  Cameroon government  with respect to human rights abuses and violations,  the diplomat quipped :

“ What I have told everyone I have met with in Cameroon including senior government officials is that my approach is to be open, honest, respectful. There will be times when we will have difficult conversations; my preference is to do that in a way that is productive and to frame things positively because I think that there is a lot that Cameroon and the United States have partnered on well and there are a lot of areas in which we can continue to partner well and grow the relationship”.

Concerning  military support to Cameroon, Ambassador Lamora acknowledged that the US  Government reduced significantly its  military aid  to Cameroon out of concerns about human rights violations.

He noted   that so far the US has not reinstated the military assistance to Cameroon. but promised more collaboration on his part to help redress  the issues that led to the restriction of  military ,assistance to Cameroon.

Ambassador Lamora  said the  United States’ position is  very clear in not supporting anyone who is tormenting or causing violence in Cameroon,  citing a June 2021 framework outline by US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken ,which imposes visa sanctions on anyone disrupting peace AND  progress, particularly in NW and SW.

At the University of Buea(UB) on  July 21, the US ambassador was received by the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ngomo Horace Manga and the Principal Officers of the  varsity.

There ,the US Ambassador  discussed the prospects of  enhancing collaboration between  the university and the US through  academic exchange programs , to help UB  grow.

 The American Corner at UB; a study center containing books, movies and  programming facilities to help people improve on  capacities, hosted Ambassador Lamora and provided him the opportunity to meet former UB students who have benefited from US scholarships and assess their achievements in giving back to their local communities.

*Billa Solomon B is a University  of Buea Journalism student on  internship