BY Lesline Ngwe
The groundswell in activism that has been shaking the very foundation of Cameroon for the past six years has now reached unprecedented levels with virtually every Cameroonian being either infected or affected. What originally seemed like a passing wind has virtually been transformed into a mighty tornado.
From a seemingly isolated Common Law lawyers protest against the overbearing use of French language in Common Law courts in 2016 to the shutting down of schools in the English-speaking regions thanks to a strike action called by the all Anglophone Teachers Trade Unions protesting Cameroon Government’s blatant disregard for the English sub-system of education, accompanied by a generalised mass civil society unrest that went beyond professional demands to political demands, touching on the very form of the state, disobedience, it was clear that the ground was shifting under the feet of the Yaounde regime.
The Anglophone crisis has now turned bloody with reprisals from the military against innocent civilians, who are caught in the web, especially in the restive regions of the North West and South West. Extrajudicial killings, burning of houses and villages, arbitrary arrest, molestation and torture, detention and incarceration of youths tagged as separatist fighters in inhumane condition are becoming a new normal as the crisis rages on. Youths, teachers, medical personnel, and other professionals, allegedly considered as” terrorists” by the Yaounde because of their secessionist tendencies, have resorted to leaving the country for safe haven in distant countries.
Meanwhile, the Government has launched a manhunt for these youths, whose whereabouts remain cloudy. Separatist fighters, on the other hand, are accusing them of colluding with government, reasons they keep on kidnapping and torturing them for ransom, thus causing them to be victims of circumstances and with going underground being the only option.
THE SUN has it on record that both the military and separatist fighters have been making impromptu checks on the residence of these suspected Anglophone activists. Government has listed most Anglophones who are abroad as principal sponsors of separatist fighters for arrest anytime they are seen within the national territory.
In the midst of all these, several alleged activists, both home and abroad, have been reportedly earmarked for arrest, with regional and national warrants issued against them. Photos of most of the alleged activists declared “wanted” are said to have been handed to security operatives with names including, but not limited, to Fomuki Iris Keng, Tinjong Kendry Selvene, Menyele Charles Musima and Acha Munde Joseph.
These youngsters have been placed under security searchlight, making Cameroon unsafe for them. Cognizant of this, these youngsters have resorted to seeking a safe haven in distant countries where the respect for human rights is supreme.
The situation of Acha Munde Joseph is amongst the most pathetic. Due to his political opinion, he is now a victim of circumstances. This adviser of YCPDM, the youth wing of the ruling Cameroon People Democratic Movement, CPDM, Batibo Section of Momo II CPDM in the North West Region and residing in Kwa Kwa, one of the restive villages in Meme Division of the South West Region, amidst the armed conflict is now an enemy in his fatherland.
Family sources say though out of the country for a conference since Thursday March 10, 2022, his life back home is seriously at risk. Both the Cameroon authorities and separatist fighters have place a searchlight on him, resulting to the displacement of his family in Kwa Kwa and the razing of his residence to the ground on Wednesday March 16, 2022 by the military.
THE SUN gathered that, while already in the United Kingdom for a one-week conference, both separatist fighters and government authorities have blacklisted Acha among others. While the government is accusing him of financing separatist fighters thus a secessionist, separatist fighters, on their part, say as a member of the ruling CPDM party, Acha Munde Joseph is collaborating with the government since he has once been in their captivity and must have been the one who furnished information to the government, resulting to the raiding of their hideout/ camp by the military on Saturday March 12, 2022.
Acha Munde Joseph is reported to have been in separatist’s captivity from Friday February 18 to Friday February 25, 2022. Their vehicle on board three passengers, enroute to Limbe from Kumba, was kidnapped around Ekona, Muyuka Subdivision, South West Region. News went viral that Munde negotiated his freedom from Amba captivity by paying a ransom of FCFA 3,300,000 to the Mountain Lions, a dreaded separatist group.
The government immediately went ahead to tag Acha Munde as a separatist financial sponsor.
As we went to Press, the family of Acha Munde, especially his wife and children who are homeless following the razing of their residence by the military, are currently restless about his faith if he is spotted. Reports say both the military and the separatist fighters are constantly making impromptu patrol around their neighbourhood in search of Acha Munde Joseph.
Another victim of circumstance amidst the ongoing armed conflict in the restive North West and South West Regions of Cameroon is Ebasoh Boris Tazi. The whereabouts of this son of Tazi Ndung Charles, a dedicated member of the Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, a movement clamouring for the restoration of the independence of Former British Southern Cameroons, who died in detention in Kumba prison following military brutality in 2015, remains very cloudy.
THE SUN gathered that Ebasoh defied Ambazonia two-week imposed lockdown call on May 20, 2021 and went to look for foodstuffs and other items in his Kumba neighbourhood. On his way back, he was was abdcted by separatist fighters who molested him and seized all the items for disrespecting their lockdown call. Ebasoh was later caught in the web between the Ambazonia fighters and the military. The military, reports say, whisked him off in their military truck, as one of the Ambazonia fighters suffering from military bullets but fortunately for Ebasoh the crossfire between the military and separatist fighters intensified on their way and Ebasoh escaped from the military truck into the bush.
Family sources hinted that he was rescued by a palm wine tapper who connected him with his family. Ebasoh Boris’ elder sister, Calista Tazi, reports say, later visited him in the forest and disclosed to him how the military came looking for him at home, got her well tortured and burnt down their lone Kumba residence.
For fear of the unknown and more especially how their father was eliminated in prison custody, the palm wine tapper assisted Ebasoh to escape from the country to an unknown destination.
As we went to Press Ebasoh Boris Tazi had been declared wanted by the military.
It should be recalled that this is not the first time Ebasoh was found in such a difficult situation with security operatives. In November 29, 2018 he was arrested alongside his elder sister, Calista Tazi, at the Mabonji checkpoint while on their way to Buea for a family meeting from Kumba.
In their passenger vehicle, the security at the checkpoint uncovered SCNC gadgets and immediately accused them of being SCNC activists and owners of the gadgets. But fortunately for them the driver discovered the owner of the gadgets and they were freed.
It should be noted that human rights groups and Non- Governmental Organisations, NGOs, have, in one voice, condemned the extrajudicial killings by both military and armed groups on innocent civilians, including pregnant women and burning of houses.
International organisations and western powers have called on the government to address the root cause of the crisis through meaning and sincere dialogue especially as the outcome of Major National Dialogue, which took place in Yaounde from September 30 to October 5, 2019 is still to produce a positive multiplier effect.