By Ikome Christie-Noella Eposi in Buea
Cameroon’s Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo has said there will be zero tolerance on uniform men who do not respect the rule of law. He told the military to make a difference between separatist acts and banditry, which many are using to make quick gains by exploiting the local population.
The Minister made the call on Monday, March 18 in Buea, while commissioning some newly appointed security personnel into their functions. The senior military officers installed were appointed by the President of the Republic on March 5, 2019.
Colonel Eyenga Severin, was commissioned as the commander of the 21st Motorized Infantry Brigade, Major Eyengue Amougou Allain as Commander of the 21st Motorized Infantry Battalion and Colonel Ateba Leonard Josue as Head of Division for Veterans and War Victims for the South West Region.
Speaking to the press shortly after being commissioned, Colonel Eyenga who has spent some 32 years in the military says action is better than words. “There is no comment. Just wait and see”.
They commissioned officers were challenged to work with the population and to neutralize all separatist threats and guarantee a safe environment for the country’s sensitive state corporations, such as the CDC, SONARA and PAMOL to regain full activity. These corporations have in the past months been severely affected as workers have been attacked by armed men. Several workers have gone without pay for months and the few who braved the odds have been attacked. At least ten of CDC’s estates are almost completely down with over 5000 jobs at risk.
He called on the separatist who he termed “our compatriots” to lay down their arms and reintegrate themselves into the society so as to drive the nation to emergence.
The event came at a time when the town was observing “ghost town”-a situation where businesses across the town were shut down, transportation on a standstill and the population staying at home. Many observers have noted that choosing Monday to commission these officers to their functions shows that the government is still in control despite separatist propaganda.
Buea-a town which separatists consider capital of their self-declared Republic of Ambazonia has been trapped in an armed conflict that has ruined social peace, cohesion and the rule of law and order. Many civilians have been killed due to the crisis in the South West and North West regions of the country.