Human Rights Watch Calls On Cameroonian Authorities To Immediately Lift Suspension Slammed On REDHAC

The organizations says the suspension “lacks lawful basis and violates the right to freedom of association”.

Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, finally expected to report at the office of Wouri SDO on December 19 for interrogation

Hierarchy forced Wouri SDO  to postponed the rendezvous he fixed on Monday, December 16, 2024 because of  the CEMAC Meeting in Yaounde

Human Rights Watch has called on Cameroonian authorities to immediately reverse the suspension that was slammed on what it terms “a prominent human rights group”, saying that the “arbitrary suspension lacks lawful basis and violates the rights to freedom of association under both the Cameroonian Law and international human rights law”. Human Rights Watch issued the statement in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, in reference to the Ministerial Order or Arête   that was signed by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, on December 6, 2024, suspending five non – governmental organizations, NGOs.

The focus of the Human Rights Watch’s statement however was just on one of the NGOs known as the Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, commonly known by the French acronym, REDHAC, which  the  reputed international human organization refers to as “a prominent human rights group.

 Human Rights Watch in the statement issued in both French and English as usual, on December 17, 2024, said : “On December 6, 2024, the minister of territorial administration, Paul Atanga Nji, issued a decree without prior notification, suspending the activities of the Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (Reseau des Defenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale, DEDHAC) for three months. He cited as reasons, among others, ‘illicit and exorbitant funding’, and lack of compliance with the legislation regulating the activities of non – profit organizations. On the same day, Nji suspended for three months at least four other civil society organizations”.

Human Right Watch explained that “Cameroon’s 1990 Law on Freedom of association says that the territorial administration minister can only suspend an association with prior authorization from the provincial authority and for public – order and security related reasons”.  The international whistle blower on human rights, opined that the decision that was taken by the Territorial Administration Minister “appears linked to the Cameroonian authorities’ pervasive crackdown on civil society, the media and the political opposition”.

“Cameroonian Authorities Have No Justification To Trample On Rights Protected By The Constitution”

The Senior Sahel Researcher at Human Rights Watch, Ilaria Allegrozzi, who usually leads the organization’s  investigations on  human rights issues in Cameroon, is quoted in the organization’s statement as insisting that: “Ensuring that associations operate transparently may be a legitimate aim, but the Cameroonians authorities have no justification to trample on the rights protected by  the Constitution and the Law , and to bypass the judiciary. They should immediately lift the suspension and use the proper procedures established by Law to go after any group against whom there is credible evidence of involvement in illicit funding”.

National Agency For Financial Investigation, ANIF.

Meanwhile Human Rights Watch in the statement also noted that REDHAC’s lawyers have launched an administrative appeal against the December 6 arête of the Minister of Territorial Administration, saying that the arête is an abuse of power, and is illegal. “They said it violates, among others, the 1990 Law on freedom of association, and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African’s April 2016 Regulation on the prevention and suspension of Money Laundering and Financing Terrorism and Proliferation in Central Africa. The regulation says that only the National Agency for Financial Investigation (Agence Nationale d”Investigation Financiere, ANIF), and financial and judicial authorities are entitled to initiate any proceedings against offenders”.

Human Rights Watch said in Cameroon, REDHAC’s suspension has led to a public outcry. “National human rights groups and prominent civil society figures, including lawyers and political opposition members, criticized the decision as yet another attempt to restrict the already thin space for civil society organizations to operate in Cameroon”.

Was ANIF Really The Source Of The Information?

Meanwhile The Mentor recalls that when the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, signed the arête of December 6, 2024, the information that was given to journalists by sources close to the ministry, was that the minister only acted on the report of findings or investigation that was carried out by National Agency for Financial Investigation commonly known by the French acronym, ANIF.  As even REDHAC’s lawyers admit, ANIF is a State institution with powers to carry out findings as what REDHAC and the other four NGOs are being accused of.

What is surprising to journalists, is that it is the Minister of Territorial Administration that has since been talking on this issue of the colossal sum of 16 billion FCFA, that five NGOs allegedly received in their accounts. Even when Minister Atanga Nji granted a press conference or whatever it was in Yaounde on Monday, December 10, 2024, he was the lone speaker, whereas he was supposed to invite the Director General of ANIF for them to jointly grant the press conference. ANIF so far has not made a statement on the issue or allegation of 16 billion FCFA. This has left observers to start wondering if it was true that it was ANIF, that carried out the investigation that ended with the  report of alleged 16 billion FCFA found in the accounts of the five NGOs.

 Wouri Administration postponed interrogation Of REDHAC Board Chair, Barrister Alice Nkom, To Thursday, December 19, 2024

Meanwhile in a post on social media, the Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, that was served a second summon to present herself at the Senior Divisional Office of Wouri at Bonanjo, Douala, on Monday, 16, 2024 at 11 am for a matter that concerned her, disclosed that the meeting had been postponed. She said that she received a call from a collaborator of the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Wouri  on Sunday, December 15, informing her that the date of  the meeting have been postponed to Thursday, December 19, 2024.  She quoted the SDO’s collaborator to have also informed her that she would be sent a written confirmation of the postponement on Monday, December 16.

The message of the 84 year old Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom,  in the social media post, was addressed to  those she termed, “My children and friends”,  and especially to those she said had organized to  accompany her on December 16.. She was definitely referring to the protest demonstration that was planned to hold on that October 16 in front of the SDO’s Office, in solidarity with her. Mobilization for the protest demonstration was apparently led by the civil society organization, Stand Up For Cameroon, which is headed by Edith Kah Walla. The planned peaceful protest demonstration was dubbed ‘Lundi en Noir’, that is,’ Monday in Black’, and all the demonstrators were asked to turnout in black which is a symbol of mourning.

Meanwhile the Board Chair of REDHAC, Alice Nkom, promised to informed her “daughters and friends” of the next date, when she receive the written confirmation by the Wouri SDO. “Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. Together, we are more, stronger”, Madam Alice Nkom ended her social media post.

SDO’s ‘State Of Emergency’

It should be noted that the Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, was summoned by the Wouri SDO, Mvogo Sylvac Marie, to come and explain why she on Monday, December 10, 2024, twice broke an administrative seal that was put on the main doors of the head office of REDHAC, at Bali, Douala 1, by the DO of Douala 1. The Wouri SDO, accused Madam Nkom of rebellion against State authority, while the lady on her part insisted that the decision to seal the office of REDHAC was illegal.

Wouri SDO, Mvogo Sylvac Marie, on Saturday, December 14, 2024, signed Administrative Order or Arête No. 287 / AP / C19 / SAAJP, banning all public gatherings, protest demonstration and public march in Douala on December 16, 2024, following the announced protest demonstration, ”Monday in Black”. The SDO in the December 14 arête also ordered that from Sunday, December 15 to Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the Forces of Law and Order should organize a systematic search of vehicles and motorcycles, as well as carryout an intensive control of persons, vehicles and motorcycles.

Extra Ordinary Summit Of CEMAC

Meanwhile, though the Wouri Administration has s not formally given any reason for the postponement of the December 16 rendezvous with the Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, which was expected to be tension – packed, sources say it had to do with the Extra Ordinary Summit of CEMAC Heads of State, which held in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, on Monday, December 16. Apparently the Wouri SDO, Mviogo Sylvac Marie, in signing the aforementioned arête on Saturday, December 14, 2024, did not take into consideration the very important Extra Ordinary Summit of CEMAC Heads of States that had to hold in Yaounde on that June 16.

Many eyes in the Central African Sub – region and beyond were on that day focused on Cameroon.  Then  imagine that there were clashes and arrests on that  same Monday, December 16 in Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, as the organizers of  the ‘Lundi en Noir’ sounded determined to go ahead with their planned protest demonstration, despite the SDO;s banning order. That would have been a very bad publicity for Cameroon, at a time that many eyes beyond the country’s borders, were on Cameroon because of Extraordinary Summit of CEMAC.

Meanwhile, after the Wouri SDO signed the arête on Saturday, December 14 and copied the Ministry of Territorial Administration. But he was said to have been instructed to postpone the meeting with the Board Chair of REDHAC that he scheduled for Monday, December 16, to another date.  So the SDO had to postpone the encounter with the Board Chair of REDHAC, to Thursday, December 19, 2024, at 10 am.  Barrister Alice Nkom who was formally served the new written summon for the Thursday, December 19 meeting on Tuesday, December 17, will be accompanied by  her lawyer, Barrister Fostine Fotso.

By Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)

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