– Stop the ‘bloodbath and genocide’, Anglophone Bishops tell Biya
– We denounce all forms of injustice, torture, violence and killing – CBC
By Elah Geoffrey Mbongale
The Cameroon Baptist Convention on Friday, October 6, 2017 joined the
Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference [BAPEC] to condemn violence perpetrated by government forces on the population of the North West and South West regions of Cameroon on September 22 and October 1, 2017.
This comes on the heels of numerous international bodies and states including the United Kingdom, the USA, the UN, the Commonwealth, the Francophonie and UNCHR condemning same violence after government failed to heed to calls for restraint during the two massive demonstrations on September 22 and October 1 in the two English speaking regions of the country.
In a statement released on Friday, The Cameroon Baptist Convention said: “We strongly denounce all forms of injustice, torture, violence and killing, irrespective of who the perpetrators are. Based on our belief in the sanctity of life, no one has the right to take the life of another except God…”
This follows an earlier statement from the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference on Wednesday, October 4 where the prelates gave a vivid synopsis of the recent happenings and said:
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible the barbarism and the irresponsible use of firearms against unarmed civilians by the Forces of Law and Order, even if they are provoked. The divine injunction: “Thou shalt not kill!” remains valid even in such circumstances. We call on the Head of State of the Republic of Cameroon, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, to stop the bloodbath and genocide that has skilfully been initiated in the North West and South West Regions.”
The communiqué also indicted the Minister of Communication, government’s spokesperson for blatantly telling lies to the nation either because he was not adequately briefed or because he deliberately wanted to manipulate public and international opinion.
“We also note, with embarrassment and shame, that the Minister of Communication has praised the professionalism of the Armed Forces, in total disregard of the fact that some of the heinous acts of brutality and barbarism meted out to the populations were by some members of the same Armed Forces. Either the Minister of Communication was not adequately informed or he was misleading the national and international communities.
“The enthronement of lies, no matter from which side in our country, does not help in nation building. It rather destroys the efforts of honest and God-fearing Cameroonians who truly seek to be free and responsible, not only for themselves but also for others and for their environment. Today, at least in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, there is a huge gap of credibility between the population, those calling for restoration and the administration.”, the statement reads in parts.
UK, joins US, UN Francophonie, CommonWealth etc
Earlier, The United Kingdom on Thursday joined the United States of America to condemn violence perpetrated by government forces on the population of the North West and South West regions of Cameroon on October 1st.
The United Kingdom called on both the government and Anglophone population to dialogue and address the root causes of the problem.
According to the US State department, Cameroonian government’s use of force to restrict free expression and peaceful assembly, and violence by protestors, are unacceptable.
The State department has also condemned internet cut in the regions and urged the government to respect human right and freedom of expression.
Since last month, the US embassy in Yaoundé has issued a series of security messages warning citizens of unrest in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions.
On October 04, 2017, The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressed deep concerns by the deteriorating security situation in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon.
The Chairperson expressed condolences to all affected persons and families and calls on all stakeholders to exercise restraint in their pronouncements and to refrain from further acts of violence.
The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the African Union’s commitment to support the efforts of the government and people of Cameroon towards a peaceful settlement of the crisis through inclusive and meaningful dialogue and national reconciliation.
The Chairperson of the Commission reaffirms the commitment of the African Union to promote peace and stability in Cameroon, in line with its relevant instruments that consecrates the principle of the intangibility of African Borders as they existed at Independence and other relevant AU instruments.
In a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General on Cameroon, Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the situation in Cameroon and strongly condemns the acts of violence reported in the South-West and North-West regions of the country on 1 October, including reported loss of life. He calls on the Cameroonian authorities to investigate these incidents and urges political leaders on both sides to appeal to their followers to refrain from any further acts of violence, and to unequivocally condemn all actions that undermine the peace, stability and unity of the country.
The Secretary-General takes note of the calls by the authorities for dialogue and encourages representatives of the Anglophone community to seize the opportunity in their quest for solutions to the community’s grievances, within the framework of the Cameroonian constitution.
The Secretary-General reiterates the support of the United Nations for such efforts, through the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA).
Other individuals have also raised their voices against the killings and voilcence witnessed recently in the Anglophone part of the country.
Citizens speak up
Media business mogul, Bony Dashaco released a statement earlier saying “I write to firmly condemn all forms of violence our brothers and sisters in the North West and South West regions have been subject to, in the past nine months. The casualty, the loss of lives, material damages is unacceptable in this day and age…”
Human rights lawyer and President of the outlawed Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla in a statement released on Saturday, October 7 captioned ‘We Decry Anglophone Intimidation, Abuses and Looting by Forces’ said “We condemn with all energy, these acts of barbarism, irresponsible and unprofessional acts by the military. It is the duty of every soldier to protect, respect and defend every citizen.
Other Cameroonians including the former Bar Council President, Barrister Akere Muna and CPP National President, Edith Kah Wallah have equally condemned the violence in the two English speaking regions of the country and called for inclusive dialogue to address the root cause of the Anglophone crisis.
It should be recalled that the North West and South West regions have been plagued by socio political crisis for almost a year now, characterised by schools boycott and ghost towns.
This was after Anglophone lawyers and teachers went on strike to decry the perceived marginalisation of Anglophones and the infiltration of francophones into their respective cores.
The professional strikes were later hijacked by a cross section of the Anglophone population for what they termed a systematic marginalisation by the Yaounde government.
Things turned sour after the lawyers and teachers who were in negotiation with government were later arrested and charged with terrorism related crimes, others fled the country and are still in exile.
On September 22, 2017 Friday, 22nd September 2017, Following weeks of propaganda and a call by different groups and persons, most of whom have taken refuge outside the country and who are advocating for the restoration of the independence of West Cameroon, a huge population of men, women, youths, old and young, and even children turned out on the streets of many towns and villages of the North West and South West Regions to demonstrate peacefully and express their right to self-determination. A few deaths and arrests were recorded.
Things came to a head on October 1, 2017 when, in an attempt to prevent the programme of the restoration of independence on 1st October 2017 by the leaders of these groups, the Government declared a curfew in the North West and South West Regions from midnight on Friday, 29th September to midnight on Monday, 2nd October 2017.