Friday, August 28, 2009

Cameroon Revisted, French De-Colonization Or..Something Else?



Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 3:37 AM
INTERESTED IN WORKING IN CLOSE

COLLABORATION WITH YOU



KONGNYUY EMMANUEL JUMBAM has sent
you a message on Peace and Collaborative
Development Network

"Its nice reading from you again, so far, I have covered all of what is going on in the north west region of Cameroon in terms of human rights abuses and conflicts at stake which are are leading CAMEROON in a short to a secession on the part of southern Cameroonians who are asking for their total independence from the FRENCH BROTHERS who have turned to colonize them, subjugate, and not respecting the clauses of their unity in 1961 as a federal state to a unity state and now the republic of Cameroon . THIS CHANGES TOOK PLACE WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF SOUTHERN CAMEROONIANS, and they are really suffering. Also, there is a fear of an occurrence of a civil war in Cameroon.This is because of the corrupt nature of the government officials in all sectors of public service,french domination of the economy of our country, and political issues.
Do well to let me know how things are moving with my cause for combating these ills."

OK so where do we begin to start with this recent email I have posted from my friend over in Cameroon? Maybe we should back up a bit and take a look at political history in Cameroon? Lets begin with some "official" info from the CIA fact book readily available to us online for a quick overview..
.
conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
conventional short form: Cameroon
local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon
local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon
former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon,
Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
republic; multiparty presidential regime

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
name: Yaounde
geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E
time difference: UTC+1
(6 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre,
Est, Extreme-Nord,
Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
1 January 1960
(from French-administered
UN trusteeship)

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Republic Day (National Day),
20 May (1972)

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
approved by referendum
20 May 1972;
adopted 2 June 1972;
revised January 1996

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
based on French civil law system,
with common law influence;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
20 years of age; universal

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
chief of state: President Paul BIYA
(since 6 November 1982)
head of government:
Prime Minister Philemon YANG
(since 30 June 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
president from proposals submitted
by the prime minister
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(eligible for a second term);
election last held 11 October 2004
(next to be held by October 2011);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Paul BIYA
reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9%,
John FRU NDI 17.4%,
Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%,
Garga Haman ADJI 3.7%

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
unicameral National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale
(180 seats; members are elected
by direct popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
; note - the president can either
lengthen or
shorten the term of the
legislature
elections: last held 22 July 2007
(next to be held in 2012)
election results:
percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party -
CPDM 140,
SDF 14,
UDC 4,
UNDP 4,
MP 1,
vacant 17
note: the constitution calls for an upper
chamber for the legislature, to be called
a Senate, but it has yet to be established

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Supreme Court
(judges are appointed by the president);
High Court of Justice
(consists of nine judges
and six substitute judges;
elected by the National Assembly)

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Cameroonian Democratic Union
or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA];
Cameroon People's Democratic
Movement
or CPDM [Paul BIYA];
Movement for the Defense of the
Republic or MDR
[Dakole DAISSALA];
Movement for the Liberation and
Development of Cameroon or MLDC
[Marcel YONDO];
National Union for Democracy and
Progress or UNDP
[Maigari BELLO BOUBA];
Progressive Movement or MP;
Social Democratic Front or SDF
[John FRU NDI];
Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC
[Augustin Frederic KODOCK]

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
Human Rights Defense Group
[Albert MUKONG, president];
Southern Cameroon National Council
[Ayamba Ette OTUN]

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C,
CEMAC,
FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),
ITSO,
ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF,
OPCW, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph FOE-ATANGANA
chancery:
2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 265-8790
FAX:
[1] (202) 387-3826

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
chief of mission:
Ambassador Janet E. GARVEY
embassy:
Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaounde
mailing address:
P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch:
American Embassy,
US Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-2520
telephone: [237] 2220 15 00;
Consular: [237] 2220 16 03
FAX: [237] 2220 16 00 Ext. 4531;
Consular FAX: [237] 2220 17 52
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/
the-world-factbook/geos/cm.html

OK, so we are linked to some excellent
"facts" from the CIA fact book published
online from the great and precise US
intelligence agency. But, things still
do not add up. This article links to another
site which talks about the true and precise
Independence day for Cameroon which is
celebrated in May 20th 1972. But, The CIA
fact-book indicates that they had UN
trusteeship in January 1960. What that
means is they were still not really
independent because they did not
have a ratified constitution until May
1972. OK, now that we have that much
straight.
Why are the Cameroons still unhappy
with the French?

OK, I think I dug up some more answers
from our friends at the US State
Department:

"In 1955, the outlawed Union of the

Peoples of Cameroon (UPC), based

largely among the Bamileke and

Bassa ethnic groups, began an

armed struggle for independence

in French Cameroon. This rebellion

continued, with diminishing intensity,

even after independence. Estimates of

death from this conflict vary from tens

of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

French Cameroon achieved independence

in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon.

The following year the largely Muslim

northern two-thirds of British Cameroon

voted to join Nigeria; the largely Christian

southern third voted to join with the

Republic of Cameroon to form the

Federal Republic of Cameroon.

The formerly French and British

regions each maintained substantial

autonomy. Ahmadou Ahidjo,

a French-educated Fulani, was

chosen President of the federation

in 1961. Ahidjo, relying on a

pervasive internal security

apparatus, outlawed all political

parties but his own in 1966. He

successfully suppressed the UPC

rebellion, capturing the last important

rebel leader in 1970. In 1972, a new

constitution replaced the federation

with a unitary state."

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26431.htm

Accessed 28 Aug 2009

So there has been tremendous underlying

tensions for a long long time that apparently

have never subsided in Cameroon.

The tribal and party conflict(s)

with the French and the "new"

government remain even with

this powerful republic government

" in place". Which the President was

elected by landslide. The real question

to me is; the "new Prime Minister" and

where he fits in to the equation. He was

appointed as recently as June 2009.

There are a lot of political undertones

that even a chess master would be using

crayons to do a coloring book trying to

figure out the "next move".

We will have to wait and see how the

situation develops further in the

"Republic of Cameroon".


William