Maurice Kamto’s late night tweet on May 23 left tongues wagging, folks wondering what his sources at the Presidency of the Republic might have hinted him this time. He has not explained but speculation remains rife.
This is what has been made public: a colonel/medical doctor, Marius Etoundi, said to be the personal physician of President Paul Biya, died last week and was laid to rest the next day, almost in a hurry. He is said to have died of COVID-19. Next day, it was said and suggested that his driver had followed suit, also of COVID-19. In similar quick succession, a photo of an individual posted on social media was said to be that of the First Lady’s driver. The hint was that COVID-19 is manoeuvring dangerously around the presidential couple.
Within hours of these, Kamto may have woken or been woken up to tweet, first in French at past 10pm and later in English at past 11:22pm. He said, “We will not accept the mutual agreement succession in our country, nor new popular elections without consensual reform of the electoral system. Only the Cameroonian people will have to choose their legitimate leaders, in freedom and democratic transparency.”
One of the reactions to the Kamto tweet came from Cameroon News Agency. In a Facebook post with Kamto’s tweet attached, CNA said, “Is something cooking in Cameroon? Maurice Kamto tweets at 11pm and the tweet is not friendly. Could it be that the CRM leader has been hinted that the Etoudi occupant will want to peacefully hand over power to someone?”
While that is all in speculation, other “leaks” from the presidential palace are fuelling and swelling the doubts and speculations. At the weekend, other social media stories suggested the Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic had evacuated his entire family abroad for treatment. The story claimed that Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh accompanied his wife and children, accompanied by an undescribed Israeli, right to the foot of chartered plane at the Nsimalen airport, from where they reportedly flew to Cairo before connecting to Israel.
What could the entire Ngoh Ngoh family be sick of? Or is the Presidency chief of staff simply moving his family to safe place in readiness for looming socio-political turbulence he is privy to? Those familiar with conflict can tell that those in frontline positions in conflict are wont to move their vulnerable loved ones far from harm’s way, just in case they have to sneak away from the heat. Their family should not be a burden.
Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, “with sociological affinities to the First Lady” (they are both from the Upper Sanaga Division of the Centre Region and said to have family ties) is often presented as someone scheming or being prepared to move into the shoes of President Biya. In 2019, the Head of State delegated enormous powers to him to sign certain decrees on his behalf. Observers found the move unusual and suspicious, suggesting some members of the president’s entourage are taking advantage of his advanced age (87) to manipulate him or trick him into taking certain decisions in their favour. But Biya-loyalists insist the president is still of sound mind and fully in control.
The speculations are having their field day, nevertheless.
Coronavirus will kill presidents, overthrow govts
(First published in this column in The Sun No. 0592 of March 30, 2020)
With Prince Charles, Boris Johnson, many other top political personalities and someone here (not me) reporting or concealing coronavirus infections, you bet corona (hear how its name resembles “crown” when translated into French, “coron”) has not only touched the crown, it behaves like it plans to kill someone there. It surely will. But God forbid!
The new pandemic looks like an equalizer. It is no respecter of persons. In fact, it looked like a deliberate disrespecter of the high and mighty of the rich, developed world until it really began to filter into Africa and other poor countries.
Kill a big man is not the worst coronavirus will do; it will topple regimes, neutralise warlords, upset the course of political institutions and bring radical unprecedented, unimagined change on the world change. If coronavirus kills Vladimir Putin, singular Russian leader with ways his own and strategies and tactics that keep western governments on the defensive, you bet the West will heave a sigh of relief. If coronavirus takes Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Vice President-cum rebel leader, Riek Machar will have his way to grab power (the reverse has come true, though. Riek Machar and his wife, the country’s Minister of Defence, have tested positive with COVID-19). If Kim Jong Un of North Korea contracts it, most of the top political class of the secret regime will be affected and the US will be rubbing its fingers for an end to a nightmare. If it ravages any of the warring parties in the Cameroon-Ambazonia armed conflict, the other will clink glasses.
Coronabomb
The ravages of coronavirus have been qualified as the Third World War (WW3). Aside those who like US president, Donald Trump believe the virus is a biological war strategy by China to cripple its rivals or those elsewhere who believe it is a western laboratory scheme gone wrong, which all amount to the suggestion that coronavirus is some kind of biological warfare, on the specifics, coronavirus could be used maliciously as a bomb. Enemies may send carriers to contaminate enemies/opponents for specific purposes.
In that light, enemy armed groups – including Government armies – may infiltrate enemy groups with coronoavirus victims to spread the virus and kill enemy forces where bullets and standard combat tactics have not been successful.
Which is why political detainees or prisoners linked to a political motive and prisoners of war (POWs) could become coronavirus targets. Where eliminating them otherwise could raise eye-brows, they may now be eliminated through coronavirus attacks and left to die slowly. These are perilous times.