PART 1 OF 4
PART 2 OF 4
MISSION
Southern Cameroons Fact Sheet
CONTACT
FORUM
Subscribe to:
FDR Southern Cameroons Peoples Forum
NEWS AND ANALYSES
SOUTHERN CAMEROONS CONSTITUTION
Colonization of the Southern Cameroons
The African Commission’s Ruling in Gumne et al v. Cameroun : Digest and Comment
February 25, 2010
By Professor C Anyangwe
Nota: Some minds are probably not clear on what the African Commission decided in Communication 266, in part because of the length and wordiness of the ruling. Predictably, Republique du Cameroun itself, for dishonest self-serving political reasons deliberately misrepresents the ruling to its people, many of who seem indifferent to it or appear not to understand its import. What follows is an abridged version of the ruling. This synopsis and the comment appended at the end of it are intended to facilitate and further understanding of the matters in issue in the case and the decision that was arrived at. The text of the ruling, though abridged, is entirely in the words of the Commission itself. The headings in the text and the comment at the end are of course mine.
The Commission’s Decision on Admissibility
The admissibility of communications brought pursuant to Article 55 of the African Charter is governed by the conditions stipulated in Article 56 of the African Charter. This Article lays down seven (7) conditions, which must be fulfilled by a Complainant for a communication to be declared admissible. Of the seven conditions, the Respondent State claims that the Complainants have not fulfilled four, namely: Article 56(1), (2), (3) and (4). From the submissions of the Respondent State, there is an inference that Article 56(7) has not been fulfilled by the Complainant.
As to the condition that the Complaint must state the name(s) of its author(s):
The Respondent State submits that contrary to Article 56(1) of the African Charter, the victims of the alleged violations, indicated in the communication have not been identified. ... [T]he African Commission notes that the authors of the communication have been identified at page 1 of the communication and they are 14 in number. Their ages and professions have also been given as well as their addresses of service. Furthermore, the communication reveals that the authors of the communication are members of the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) and the Southern Cameroons Peoples' Organization (SCAPO), organisations that were established principally to protect and advance the human and peoples' rights of Southern Cameroonians, including their right to self-determination. Article 56 (1) of the African Charter requires a communication to indicate its authors and not the victims of the violations. Thus the present communication cannot be declared inadmissible on the basis of Article 56(1). ...
Download SYNOPSIS OF RULING IN COMMUNICATION 266 IN THE COMMISSION'S OWN WORDSx
SCAPO Statement on Purported Registration as a Political Party in Republique du Cameroun
February 12, 2010
It has been drawn onto the attention of the Southern Cameroons Peoples'
Organisation (SCAPO) of a Press Release by a certain Mr/Ms ABAKAR AHAMAT, who
claims to be a Senior Administrative Officer in the Bamenda Region, Southern
Cameroons; and who states that SCAPO has registered as a political party in La
Republique du Cameroun on 23 October 2009. SCAPO can say without reservation
that this is totally false; and that we do not know this person [ABAKAR AHAMAT].
SCAPO declared, in 2006, that we are a political party in Southern Cameroons;
and not a party in La Republique du Cameroun. SCAPO has nothing to do with La
Republique du Cameroun inthis critical moment in our history. We must remind the
people of Southern Cameroons, and those of La Republique du Cameroun, as well as
the international community that SCAPO is fully and unchangeably committed to
the sovereignty of Southern Cameroons. This guiding principle and course will
never be altered. Consequently, we are not in line with any individual who wish
to deviate from this course.
The freedom of association is a universal one. As a result, people are free to
associate with any organisation they deem match their political philosophy.
SCAPO is not a political party in La Republique du Cameroun; and we have never
registered as a political party in La Republique du Cameroun. Any purported
registration of SCAPO with La Republique du Cameroun authorities is a gigantic
fraud; and therefore null and void.
We are fully aware that there are genuine Southern Cameroonians who have
political parties in the Republic of Cameroon. We urge them, in good faithe, to
join the struggle for the self-determination and Independence of Southern
Cameroons.
SCAPO believes that a peacefully negotiated settlement for the sovereignty and
independence of Southern Cameroons is the most amicable solution to this
question; and we call on La Republique du Cameroun and President Paul Biya of
that state to use his good offices to comply with Recommendations by the African
Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights requiring that La Republique du Cameroun
engages in Constructive Dialogue with SCAPO, the SCNC and the Southern Cameroons
people.
We will never surrender our sovereignty; as this is a God-given right. We,
therefore, have to be vigilant against false alarms and malicious rumours
conjured up with a deliberate intent and viciously diabolical agenda aimed at
derailing the freedom of a people who have been subjugated for half a century by
La Republique du Cameroun.God Bless you all.Dr. Louis Egbe Mbua
SCAPO Delegate, UK and Northern Ireland.
The Way Forward Network (WFN) Calls for Ghost Towns During Biya's Trip to Bamenda
The Way Forward Network (WFN)
for the emancipation of the
Communications Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- January 30, 2010
CALL FOR GHOST TOWNS DURING BIYA'S TRIP TO BAMENDA
The Networking Committee of the Way Forwards Network (WFN) is calling for ghost towns across the
"We declare the day of Biya's trip a day to mourn and reflect on the lives of all Southern Cameroonians who have been murdered or maimed by Mr. Biya's forces, and we call on Southern Cameroonians to boycott all events related to Mr. Biya's trip to Bamenda. There will be simultaneous ghost towns in Mundemba, Mamfe,
This cold-shoulder for Biya is part of our wider strategy that includes ongoing efforts to get the US Senate to cut Cameroon's access to multilateral funding Institutions like the African Development Bank, the IMF and the World Bank—until Cameroon complies with the judgement of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) requiring Cameroon to pay compensation to the families of the victims of it's armed forces.
When the Biya regime announced plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his armed forces in Bamenda, the town most brutalised by these forces since 1990, the irony was not lost on
Going forward, will shall challenge every effort by Biya's regime to browbeat our people into accepting the occupation as a fait accompli.
---------------------------------------------------
The Way Forwards Network (WFN) was created in 2007 by organisations involved in the struggle for the emancipation of the former Ambas-bay Colony aka the United Nations Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration.
For more information, email us at wfn@riseup.net
Visit our website at http://www.wfn. memberlodge. org
Carlson Anyangwe-The Champion Newspaper Interview, January 10, 2010.
January 11, 2010
QUESTIONS FROM THE CHAMPION NEWSPAPER
RESPONDENT: Carlson Anyangwe
1. Recently, gendarmes from
What you call an act of provocation is the stock-in-trade of that country and part of its policy. It is a policy that might well not be too far removed from state sponsored terrorism. The goal of terrorization is to procure submission to colonial occupation. République du Cameroun knows very well that its presence in the
Regarding the other aspect of your question, I fear there might be a perception in certain quarters that Nigeria could just be playing to the gallery and deceiving the Nigerians settled in the Bakassi Peninsula. There are two credible, peaceful and meaningful actions Nigeria could take to put an end to République du Cameroun’s continuing armed provocations: set up a committee in parliament to ascertain and report back whether there is any instrument of international law that fixes the boundary of République du Cameroun at the Bakassi Peninsula, and, secondly, execute the Abuja High Court Ruling on the Southern Cameroons. If your paper were to challenge the Federal Government to these specific actions, you may be surprised at the endless excuses it will give.
The only way the government can show seriousness is to address the Bakassi issue from its root cause, which is that République du Cameroun has no boundary with
Southern Cameroons Youth League (SCYL) 2010 Address
January 04, 2010
EXCERPTS
My fellow compatriots
In the past 5 years, we have been thinking of making this address. It has been a thought locked in the inter-phase of contemplation in which several factors had to be carefully considered. We have weighed the options and decided it was time to speak directly and frankly to our people about the difficulties ahead and the opportunities our resilience can bear for a long time coming.
This message is not impregnated with pleasantries or gloom. It is one from a generation most affected by fifty years of occupation. Fifty years of occupation that has created antipathy, morally bankrupted a huge section of our populace, breadth naivety but has also produce a generation of men and women who have refused to settle for anything less than total victory against the dark forces of occupation.
... As for dialogue or negotiations with
... We congratulate SCNC and SCAPO for this victory. It couldn’t have been possible without the brilliance of Prof Carlson Anyangwe. Those who made their widows mite donations were also part of this victory. The SCYL has maintained from the moment we received the verdict that SCAPO and the SCNC alone will decide what to do with the victory. It can learn from the lessons of the Bamenda High Court victory by Ambazonia, the
... As far as the SCYL is concerned, we are bent on victory. Yaoundé must release unconditionally all
Fellow compatriots,
The SCYL has declared that Paul Biya should be charged for Crimes against humanity for ordering, condoning, abetteing and aiding the commission of systemic torture in our land and in advancing its policy of territorial aggrandisement.
Press Release and Christmas Message from SCAPO to the People of the Southern Cameroons
December 4, 2009
My dear brothers and sisters,
On behalf of the Southern Cameroons Peoples Organization (SCAPO), it is my pleasure to send you the seasonal greetings of Christmas 2009 and to wish you a Happy New Year in 2010. This year 2009 has been a very eventful year for the people of the former UN Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons because I can finally report to you that our struggle for the self-determination of the Southern Cameroons has achieved a very significant milestone at the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights.
You will all recall that in 2002, SCAPO and a group of other Southern Cameroonians filed a lawsuit at the Abuja Federal High Court against the Attorney General and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In this lawsuit we prayed the court to compel the Attorney General and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to honor its treaty obligations under African Charter for Human and Peoples Rights by taking the case of the self-determination of the Southern Cameroons to the United Nations, to the International Court of Justice and to the African Union and to ensure diligent prosecution of the case until a final determination is made by all these international bodies. This lawsuit was based on Article 20(3) of the African Charter for Human and Peoples Rights which states that “All peoples shall have the right to the assistance of the States parties to the present Charter in their liberation struggle against foreign domination, be it political, economic or cultural.”
Southern Cameroons Grassroots Action Day, November 28, 2009
November 9, 2009
THE KUMBA DECLARATION
“Southern Cameroons’ Grassroots Action Day”
Whereas, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), in its rather controversial ‘verdict’ on Communication 266/2003, acknowledges the historical, legitimate and legal fact that “Southern Cameroonians are a People”.
Whereas, the African Charter states in Article 19 that “All peoples shall enjoy the same respect and shall have the same rights. Nothing shall justify the domination of a people by another; Whereas Article 20 of the same African Charter states:
“[1] All peoples shall have the right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination. They shall freely determine their political status…
[2] Colonized or oppressed people shall have the right to free themselves from the bonds of domination by resorting to any means recognized by the international community…”
Considering the request by the ACHPR for Southern Cameroonians and the Respondent State in that Communication to report its position to the Commission within 180 days;
Mindful of the indisputable fact that the ‘People’ are sovereign and have the last says in any decision concerning them; And finally, in view of the fact that Southern Cameroonians, and NOT the leaders of the liberation movements, SCNC, SCAPO, Ambazonia, SCARM, SCYL etc., have the final say on their plight as a people: The people of British Southern Cameroons, on whose behalf the plaintiffs filed Communication 266/2003, meeting in Bamenda on October 24, 2009, and in Kumba this day, November 8, 2009 resolve as follows:
Continue reading "Southern Cameroons Grassroots Action Day, November 28, 2009" »
SCAPO Official Statement
November 3, 2009
This statement is about the knee-jerk reaction of the Minister of Communication in la République du Cameroun [aka the Republic of Cameroon] on the recommendations of the African Commission of Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul on the Southern Cameroons case instituted by Kevin Ngwang Gumne and others against the Republic of Cameroon, and the rumours that the Southern Cameroons’ Peoples Organisation (SCAPO) is a political party in la République du Cameroun (LRC).
The ACHPR recommendations included the reform of the Higher Judicial Council with purely Law Persons of the Judiciary. Has the government allowed the reform which will give meaning to independence of the Judiciary duly won for Cameroon by SCAPO and their team? The minister paraded the image of Gumne on CRTV and invited SCAPO and the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) to transform into political parties in LRC.
Recent Posts
- VIDEO | Mola Njoh Litumbe on the Southern Cameroons (1)
- VIDEO | Mola Njoh Litumbe on the Southern Cameroons (2)
- The African Commission’s Ruling in Gumne et al v. Cameroun : Digest and Comment
- SCAPO Statement on Purported Registration as a Political Party in Republique du Cameroun
- The Way Forward Network (WFN) Calls for Ghost Towns During Biya's Trip to Bamenda
- Carlson Anyangwe-The Champion Newspaper Interview, January 10, 2010.
- Southern Cameroons Youth League (SCYL) 2010 Address
- Press Release and Christmas Message from SCAPO to the People of the Southern Cameroons
- Southern Cameroons Grassroots Action Day, November 28, 2009
- SCAPO Official Statement
