By Francis Tim Mbom & Walter Wilson Nana
On the instructions of the Prime Minister, PM, Chief Ephraim Inoni, Cabinet Ministers and other top government brass, have been marching the separatist Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, propaganda for propaganda and action for action. 
Yang Philemon (centre): SCNC actions could lead to civil strife
Unlike before, when the government tended to ignore SCNC activists and their activities in and out of the country, the former has now embarked on a sensitisation mission, whereby, the citizens are being briefed on the Re-unification story, as well as why "Cameroon is a one and indivisible nation".
The campaign was launched in Buea yesterday, with the ultimate aim of laying to rest what the government considers as SCNC's tendency of historically misleading Cameroonians, and ultimately laying the foundation for civil war. It should be recalled that since its inception in the late '90's, the SCNC has been clamouring for secession from the rest of the Republic of Cameroon.
"The course of action that the SCNC is advocating could eventually lead to civil strife. The consequences will ultimately be people with maimed bodies, child soldiers, refugees…"
This was the declaration of the Assistant Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic. Accompanying Yang was a high powered delegation of some top 15 government officials, including Cabinet Ministers Joseph Dion Ngute, Hillman Achuo Egbe and Emmanuel Ngafeeson.
There were some Advisers in the PM's office as well as Bernard Forju, Member of Parliament, MP, who was at one time, Special Adviser in the PM's office.Yang, who was received by the Southwest Governor, Louis Eyeya Zanga, said they had come for an extremely important mission to tell the people of the Southwest and beyond, government's position, vis-à-vis the SCNC and to "insist that the unity of the country must be maintained."
In explaining why the course of action being taken by the SCNC was unhealthy for the unity and progress of the country, Yang said that the government was not losing sight because history holds that such actions as have been taken by other movements in other countries like Liberia, have always led to war, with its obvious consequences.
Going back to the colonial epoch of Cameroon, Yang said the Republic of Cameroon as of today, set off as one country, Kamerun, under the Germans. When the Germans were dislodged after the First World War in 1919, Kamerun was par
Gov't Now In Open Battle ...
titioned into the English and French speaking sections.Upon independence, in 1961, the Southern Cameroonians "freely voted overwhelmingly" to join their French-speaking brothers, Yang said.
According to Yang, the vote for reunification was natural and "divined" by God, for Cameroon to live as one.At this point, after 45 years, Yang said, " we refuse to go backward; we are determined to go forward."
The Assistant Secretary General among other things said the SCNC was an illegal entity that must not be allowed to thrive. He said their existence till date, without any hard government action against them has been by virtue of the Head of State's tolerance and drive to let freedom of opinion thrive.
This freedom, he said, has even given rise to a proliferation of newspapers, radio and television stations."Some newspapers have even written and insulted the Head of State, but with his tolerance, he hasn't taken any action to molest them," he stated.
Indivisible Cameroon
Taking the cue from Yang, the Minister of Forest and Wildlife, Hillman Achuo Egbe, reiterated the fact that Cameroon was "one and indivisible nation."His intervention dwelled more on the oneness of Cameroon as a single state and not as two entities.
He said at the United Nations, UN, Cameroon is registered as one and not two countries.
"Why should a group of individuals arrogate to themselves the power to put asunder what the law and God, have put together," he questioned. "The creation of the law can only be destroyed by the law," he added.
Shame
Mr. Egbe further noted that the activities of the SCNC have but brought shame to Cameroon. He said there is many a Cameroonian who has, in the course of seeking for asylum abroad, sullied the country's image by painting the country in dirty colours.
"These people should not be allowed to come back, because they have disgraced us," Egbe thundered.
SCNC Not Recognised
The Minister Delegate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs In Charge of the Commonwealth, Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, on his part, stated that the SCNC is neither recognised nationally nor internationally.
His reactions were based on SCNC claims that they had been admitted into the UN Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC. "This is a lie", he stated.He proceeded to dismiss as false, the widely circulated information that the SCNC has a case against the government of Cameroon in the African Commission on Human and People's Rights Court in Banjul, The Gambia.
"The SCNC has never been a Plaintiff in that Commission." "There is no such recognition of the SCNC by the Commission," Ngute noted.He said the Commission was meant for member states of the African Union, to settle matters of individuals on human rights when they cannot find redress in their own countries.
He insisted that the SCNC has no recognition at the UN. He quoted other organisations around the world like the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, PLO, and the Polisario Front, which the UN's recognises. He said the SCNC has no such status.
"The SCNC is illegal, both at the domestic and international fronts. Tell your children that this thing they are playing with, is fire."SWELA Scribe, Mr. Andrew Tazi corroborated: " SWELA has been violent in its approach towards the SCNC since 1991. We are physically and intellectually strong to fight them."
Government's Position Doubted
On behalf of Southwest MPs, Hon Norbert Mbile, MP for Ndian, began by telling Yang and his delegation that he has "ever doubted" government's stand, vis-à-vis the SCNC and its clamour for the independence of Southern Cameroons. However, he said he, as well as other Southwest MP's had now fully understood government's position, vis-à-vis its defined approach to the SCNC as made clear by Yang and his delegation.
The Section President, CPDM Fako III, Arthur Lysinge, in reaction, stated the resolve of the ruling party to "fight the SCNC activists, man-to-man," anywhere in the Southwest Province. According to him, the CPDM was so accommodating that no one has ever been expelled nor sanction in any manner, whatsoever, for expressing their views.
According to him, the party has purpose and drive, and was coherent enough not to allow a handful of frustrate dissidents in the name of SCNC, to wreak havoc in the nation.
The Mayor of Buea, Charles Mbella Moki in an earlier word of welcome, expressed the need to have the peace that reigns, to be "jealously preserved for now and for posterity." He 'voted' for a one, strong and indivisible nation under the leadership of President Paul Biya.
In his concluding remarks, Yang noted, "we have collectively spent our time here, this afternoon, celebrating the unity of Cameroon. We are all agreed, from every utterance so far, on our resolve to preserve the unity of our dear Fatherland. SCNC is so minor that they don't count.
It is not because you disagree with an individual, that you go out and destroy the image of your nation."He stated that they were taking off for Bamenda in continuation of their campaign.
Take a good look at them. Drinking bottled water while a majority of Southern Cameroonians don't have clean portable water to drink (even their Camerounese counterparts).
Who do they think they can deceive. Do they think they can re-write history? Definitely not.
They are just wasting their time. They have now recognised publicly that SCNC exists and that there is a struggle for the liberation of Southern Cameroons. Very soon they will be packing the bags out of our land. These Southern Cameroonian Black legs (Ephraim Inoni, Joseph Dion Ngute, Hillman Achuo Egbe and Emmanuel Ngafeeson). should also be prepared to leave when that time comes.
THERE IS NO REPENTANCE IN THE GRAVE
Posted by: JB Samba | Tuesday, 20 September 2005 at 12:25 AM
What else could they,they are all eating from thesame dish.They live in La Republique with flaschy cars and modern villas while the masses of Southern Cameroons are languishing in abject poverty without any basic social fascillities.Dion Ngute should`t get confused with his acedemic knowledge,he is quite blank about the Banjul declaration. i recommennd him to visit the web page.www.scylforfreedom.org.
We are planning the final stage of this battle,ARM STRUGGLE and that shall soon see the light.
Posted by: abongwa | Tuesday, 20 September 2005 at 09:47 AM
Finally, ex-Ministers like Yang Philemon who have dined and are still dining on crumbs from Etoudi Palace are emerging to issue threats, quite naively in a post-cold war world.
This generation of fattened Anglophone civil servants has no idea what the ordinary villager in places like Boa Bakundu village (Meme) or Bafut (Mezam) are going through. 44 years of independence and not an iota of inward investment. Just dirt roads, check-points and gendarmes to collect bribes.
Talking about the "Indivisible Cameroon" one would imagine that Yang and Hillman Achuo Egbe would remember Kamerun's history before 1918. Parts of Kamerun were ceded to the Central African Republic, Congo and Gabon. Furthermore, there are precedents at the UN about disparate nation states peacefully divorcing.
Recent examples include, Czechoslovakia into the Czech and Slovakia republics, Ethiopia into Eritrea and Ethiopia. The case of Southern Cameroons has many parallels with East Timor that a neighbouring State (like La Republique du Cameroun) has ben trying to annex.
Southern Cameroons parting from La Republique du Cameroun shakes no ground except in Yaounde where lazy bureaucrats would lose the means to import French Champagne or purchase a new presidential jetliner.
Where was Yang Philemon and Hillman Egbe when the SCNC sued La Republique du Cameroun at the Court of Human Rights in Banjul? Yaoundé argued that Banjul did not have the remit, the African judges denied the wish, and then Yaoundé sent a delegation as defendant-respondent to Banjul effectively acknowledging the SCNC, SCAPO and others as Plaintiff-Appelants. The SCNC case is solid and based on irrefutable facts. Now Mr Paul Biya is really scared of being unmasked.
Right now, Yaoundé is on a black campaign of intimidation which ironically bolsters the SCNC's case against Yaoundé as a black colonial power with unbridled dictatorial tactics.
In the seminal language of Justice Elias [President of the International Court of Justice (as he then was), in ‘The Role of the ICJ in Africa’, 1 RADIC, 1989, p.8)],
“We are thus faced with a situation in which Third World States, themselves the pre-beneficiaries of resolution 1514 (XV) guaranteeing the principle of self-determination of all peoples, become modern colonizers of less fortunate peoples within their area.” That is Yaounde's ambition over Southern Cameroons.
Mr. Yang and Mr. Hillman Egbe should tell Paul Biya to sit down with the SCNC and negotiate a peaceful solution. Dictatorial methods and the abuse of security forces to commit human rights violations are a spent "communist practice" that is primitive and commensurate with a decadent political philosophy. It hardens the resolve of both sides, can lead to violent conflict before resolving the original dispute.
To suggest Paul Biya is lenient is an abuse of human intelligence. Cameroonians are lenient towards him and his legacy of failure on all fronts, be it foreign or domestic. Who was OAU Chairman when a genocide was committed in Rwanda? Answer: Paul Biya, lest we forget! What did he do before, during and after the tragedy? We know France was implicated as evidenced in the BBC Documentary titled "The Bloody Tricolours" - a euphemism for the French flag. History catches up with failure and hypocrisy very quickly. The only hiding place is one’s grave.
Dr Odine
Posted by: Dr Grace Odine | Tuesday, 20 September 2005 at 10:21 AM
Longlive the Southern Cameroons National Council, Longlive the Southern Cameroons African People Organization and other movements seeking to restore the Statehood of Southern Cameroons following the secession of La Reublique du Cameroun from the United Republic of Cameroon in February 1984.
Who in the eighties attempted to abolish the GCE and extend French exams to Southern Cameroons? Answer: Paul Biya.
Who stopped him? Answer: The SCNC.
Where was Hillman Egbe and Philemon Yang ? Answer: dining in Yaounde and seeking ministerial positions.
Dr Grace Odine
Posted by: Dr Grace Odine | Tuesday, 20 September 2005 at 10:37 AM
Abongwa
I bet that Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute is consciously playing a card from the past - DENIAL. The last major regimes to play that card were Communists - they are all history now.
These people protested against multiparty democracy in the early nineties. Now, some of them want the Consitution of LRC changed to give Paul BIYA another term beyond the current.
However if the LRC leader gets into trouble, these same people, like Judas Iscariot, will deny knowing Paul BIYA, three times before the cock crows!
Martin
Posted by: Martin | Tuesday, 20 September 2005 at 06:46 PM
Four Questions to Mssrs Yang Philemon, Joseph Dion Ngute, Hillman Achuo Egbe and Emmanuel Ngafeeson. These questions were raised in a group forum in the United States earlier today:
(1) If the legacy of the Cameroons being one country transcended from the German Colonial days to the fifties, why did West Cameroon and East Cameroon need a plebiscite to become the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
2) How come the country is now being called Republic of Cameroun/La Republique du Cameroun. What constitutional steps did the Federal Republic of Cameroon take to metamorphosize, or transition itself into becoming the Republic of Cameroon/La Republique du Cameroon?
3)What is the difference between La Republique Du Cameroun, United Republic of Cameroon, and The Federal Republic of Cameroon?
4) If the Southern Cameroonians "Freely Voted Overwhelmingly" to join their French-speaking brothers", what were the terms of the UNION, and have the terms of the UNION been respected in a manner that is consistent with International Treaties?
Dear Honorable Ministers, do not underestimate the intelligence of your auience or they will cut you into pieces. Step out of the bubble in which the President lives in and think hard. The younger generation lives by facts. They see seem to smell a rat!
James Wenong
Posted by: James Wenong | Wednesday, 21 September 2005 at 03:42 PM
I want to thank these Southern Cameroonian servants of the colonial occupiers for the opportunity to debate this issue, which they will surely lose. They have lost the debate already, if anyone reads the facts. I could not summarize it any better than James Wenong. The SCNC and allied organizations have done a fabulous job of laying down the facts. I ask readers who want to acquaint themselves with the truth to consult the following site, which tends to have quality documents which these colonial attack dogs can not refute:
www.southerncameroonsig.org
I would like to counsel Mr Yang, who is a lawyer, to steer clear of nonsensical emotional statements such as : Cameroon was made one and indivisible by God. That is CNU crap politics of the kind ST Muna used to play. That stuff is embarrassing. Even if you are working for the enemy, do not shame us! This is a matter of law. Your masters in Yaaounde and Paris broke the law and annexed the Southern Cameroons. That is what the issue is here. Yang, you should have stayed in Canada instead of coming home to betray your people. Shame on you.
If there is going to be a violent solution to this problem, it is because of the pigheaded stubborness of your masters, who ignored the SCNC for over a decade, inspite of incessant letters and appeals for dialogue. It is your masters who have been cracking skulls and locking people in dungeons. Three chairpersons of the SCNC have been locked in your dungeons, including Ebong, Ayamba and Luma. These are people who never raised a hand against you. They were non violent activists. Elders like Luma were beaten. His widow and children are still being harrassed by occupation forces even after he died.
By the way, who voted you all to represent us, Southern Cameroonians?
People like Albert Mukong and Martin Ngeka Luma, Victor Mukwelle Ngoh who died fighting for this cause are great and exemplary Southern Cameroonians. They were our heroes. Yes, we too have heroes. They are not cowardly jackals like you all sitting at that table. Their spirits will continue to guide us until victory.
In your heart of hearts, you fellows know that you are WRONG WRONG WRONG. There is no future in this annexation by la Republique du Cameroun and you people know it.
SHAME ON YOU YANG
SHAME ON YOU EGBE
SHAME ON YOU NGUTE
SHAME ON YOU INONI
LET THE FROGS DO THEIR OWN DIRTY WORK.
Posted by: Ma Mary | Wednesday, 21 September 2005 at 05:04 PM
Chief Dion Ngute PhD is a notable case in this gallery. The Orocko land on which most of the wealth that la republique squanders to oppress us remains one of the most deprived places. Just like Ogoni in Nigeria. Yet he stands up to oppose the Southern Cameroons. He was even sent to fight against the group that is fighting for Bakweri land rights.
Shame, you ninga. You no get kanass for lass like man pikin.
Posted by: Ma Mary | Wednesday, 21 September 2005 at 06:13 PM