Why Friendly Countries, Organisations, And Cameroon’s Private Sector Are Not Responding To Gov’t’s Appeal For Donations TO PPRD – NW / SW

Presidential Plan For The Reconstruction And Development of NW /SW Regions:

Why Friendly Countries, Organisations, And Cameroon’s Private Sector Are Not Responding To Gov’t’s Appeal For Donations TO PPRD – NW / SW

President Biya initially gave his green light for the Swiss Peace Initiative that pulled a huge international support, but unfortunately he later backtracked

The ‘Major National Dialogue’ that the regime organized was NON INCLUSIVE – No separatist group was present (People dialogue with enemies and not with friends)

The November 6, 2023 Egbekaw Massacre, the November 24, 2023 killings in Bamenyam, the December 12, 2023 attack at GTHS Esu ,and many more, are a grim reminder of the fact that the crisis in the Anglophone Regions is only degenerating further

The main difficulty that is facing the Biya Government with its Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the Northwest and Southwest Regions, PPRD – NW / SW, is the lack of funds. And this is due to mainly to the fact that friendly countries and international organizations, as well as Cameroon’s private sector, that the Biya Government has been counting on, have so far not responded positively to Government’s plea to contribute to the funding of the PPRD – NW/SW.
This raises the question as to why the several friendly countries like Canada, China, France, United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Germany, Belgium among others, have so far not made contributions to the PPRD – NW / SW. So far only Japan has chipped in something. But talking even about Japanese support, is 2.5 billion FCFA (two billion, five hundred million francs CFA) in two phases, all what a friendly and rich country like Japan can contribute to the PPRD – NW / SW? Definitely not! So what is happening? At one point, the former Coordinator of the PPRD – NW / SW, Paul Njukang Tasong, who is also Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, seemingly out of frustration, said that Cameroon will know its real friends from their contributions to the PPRD – NW / SW. But friendly countries ignored the blackmail.
It is the same question about the silence of the private sector in Cameroon. As THE MENTOR pointed out in an earlier article, so far only two companies have chipped in something. Why have local companies and business magnates, that wasted no time to contribute heavily to support the Cameroon military in the fight against Boko Haram in the Far North Region, not also responded to Government’s plea that they contribute to the PPRD – NW / SW?

International Community’s Calls For Dialogue

Following the escalation of the Anglophone Crisis, or better still the armed conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters in late 2017, the rational and repeated calls of the international community has been for the holding of a GENUINE, CREDIBLE and INCLUSIVE DIALOGUE, and WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS, to find a lasting solution to the Anglophone Crisis, and thus end the ongoing armed conflict. Unfortunately, the Biya regime, or better still, President Biya, has not been receptive to the idea of genuine, inclusive dialogue, and without preconditions.
There are people who continue to say that President Biya is being misled by hardliners surrounding him. That in reality is not true. It is contradictory when we know that those around President BIya, including members of Government, are all his creations. These people who worship their creator in order to remain in the ‘chopping house’, sing the type of song they know are sweet to his ears, or better still say the type of things that he wants to hear.
If one looks closely at the way President Biya has handled crisis situations since he came to power, especially since the rebirth of multi –party politics, one will clearly see that the President is a hardliner. When President Biya takes a decision, he does not come back on it, no matter the national and international pressure. His creations are the people left with the odious task to try to implement or enforce by all means any controversial or negative decision the President takes. In so doing, they are ones seen as hardliners.
Swiss Peace Initiative
So far, the only international peace initiative that President Biya came close to accepting was the Swiss Peace Initiative, or better still the Swiss – Led Mediation, SLM, to which he initially gave the green light. It would be recalled that on June 28, 2019, the Swiss Government announced through Swiss Info.ch, a peace initiative with the objective of bringing an end to the arm conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters in the two Anglophone Regions of Cameroon. In fact the Swiss Peace Initiative or the Swiss –Led Mediation, was meant to bring the Cameroon Government and the separatist groups on the dialogue table, in a bid to end the armed conflict. The Swiss Government designated the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, HD, in Switzerland, to do the practical work. Retired Ambassador Gunther Bache was designated as the Chief Envoy on the Swiss Mediation.
On the part of the separatist movements in the Diaspora, a large majority of them welcomed the Swiss Initiative, and actually sent representatives to Switzerland for what Humanitarian Dialogue said was a workshop to technically prepare them for conflict resolution or so. Another interesting thing too was that all the separatist groups and activists that accepted the Swiss Initiative, were able to come together as a block under the canopy of the Ambazonian Coalition Team, ACT.
As regards the international community, the Swiss Peace Initiative so far remains the peace initiative on the Anglophone Crisis that pulled a huge international support. The European Union, the United States, Britain, Canada, the UN Secretary General, the Vatican and several others, supported the Swiss Initiative. Worthy of note, that France is a key member of the European Union. And so if the European Union was onboard the Swiss Peace Initiative or Swiss –Led Mediation, it of course meant that France was onboard. It should be recalled also that a delegation from the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue in Switzerland even paid a visit to Yaounde, Cameroon in connection to the Swiss Peace Initiative. The delegation was accompanied by the Swiss Ambassador to the Star Building, where they were received in audience by Prime Minister Dion Ngute.
Major National Dialogue – A Non –Inclusive Meeting
But unfortunately President Biya signaled his unwillingness to go along with the Swiss – Led Mediation on the Anglophone Crisis, when he instead convened what the Government termed “Major National Dialogue”, MND, purportedly meant to seek ways to end the Anglophone Crisis. Biya instructed Prime Minister Dion Ngute to chair the MND. But the fact of the matter was that the “Major National Dialogue” that held from September 30, to October 4, 2019, was everything except a genuine or inclusive dialogue aimed at ending the escalated Anglophone Crisis, or better still ending the arm conflict ranging between Government troops and separatist fighters in the two Anglophone Regions. President Biya even refused that there should be discussion on the form of State.
Even prior the holding of the ‘Major National Dialogue”, the Biya regime had frustrated the Cardinal Tumi – led initiative to organize the Anglophone General Conference, for Anglophones to draw up the list of their grievances to present to President Biya as well as for Anglophones to designate their real representatives of Anglophones at the dialogue that the Government said it wanted to organize.
Suffice to say that the so called Major National Dialogue was a meeting organised by the CPDM Government that brought together members of Government, the ruling CPDM Party, as well as some friendly parties and some members of the civil society. The “Major National Dialogue” WAS NOT AN INCLUSIVE DIALOGUE on the Anglophone Crisis. Not one separatist group was in attendance. The list of the different separatist groups that accepted the Swiss Peace Initiative, and sent their representatives to Switzerland in that 2019, was released. It included the names of the different representatives. The list of separatist groups that attended the peace initiative that crashed a couple of months ago in Canada was also released. Let the Cameroon Government, or better still the Prime Minister’s Office, give the name of just one separatist group in the Diaspora or in Cameroon that attended the MND. Instead the persons that were paraded at the podium at the MND like Kawa Yannick, were ex – separatist fighters.
THE MENTOR does not want to get into the issues of the loud – sounding- but- nothing stuff that the Government calls Special Status, which is being paraded as the product of the “Major National Dialogue”. Even those charged to force it down the throat of the Anglophone people, cannot even give a precise answer to a question on the content of what they call special status. Many critics hold that the so called Special Status is in reality an empty shell.

The Unrealistic Expectations

In the popular programme, Canal Presse over Canal 2 International (Tv) on Sunday, October 6, 2019, that was two days after the end of the CPDM Government’s “Major National Dialogue”, the Deputy Secretary General of the ruling CPDM, Gregoire Owona, who is also the Minister of Labour and Social Security, said with the holding of the MND, he expected all the Amba boys in the bush to immediately drop their guns. He went to the extent to strongly express the hope that there would no longer be any Ghost Town on Mondays in the Northwest and Southwest Regions as from the next day, which was to be Monday, October 7, 2019.
It was difficult to understand Gregoire Owona’s reasoning on the issue, especially when he has over the years been known to be one of the very few CPDM elite reputed to be open minded and for being a man of frank talk, as well as a well experience and grass root politician. How could the Deputy CPDM Scribe, sincerely expect separatist fighters who were not represented, or better still, who were deliberately excluded at the CPDM Government’s organised meeting, to implement the resolution or declarations of the meeting! Let’s be serious. Four years after the MND, the Amba boys are still in the bush, and the Ghost Town that they imposed on Mondays, is still on.
Meanwhile also presented on the panel discussion, Canal Presse over Canal 2 International on that Sunday, October 6, 2019 as one of the invitees was senior journalist, Dr George Ewane, who was the Spokesman of the Major National Dialogue. Ewane said unlike before he could already drive safely to his native Tombel and back. That was the initial stage of the controversial story of NORMALCY. That situation in the Anglophone Regions was returning to normal. But here we are more than four years later!

People Dialogue With Enemies And Not Friends

The fact of the matter is that in real life people dialogue with enemies or opponents in a conflict, and not with friends. People discuss with friends, chat with friends, but dialogue with enemies or opponents in conflict in a bid to resolve the problems between them. Somebody cannot for example have a problem with the wife, husband or child, and instead of sitting down with the person to dialogue to resolve the problem, he or she instead invites his or her friends to a meeting, and more so to the exclusion of the wife, husband or child, and at the end claims that the problem has been resolved. Resolved how?
People dialogue with their enemies or opponents to find solutions to the problems that have torn them apart. To end the very bloody armed conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters or Amba boys in the two Anglophone Regions, the Government can only dialogue with the separatist groups, even if the Governments calls terrorists.
From the rational point of view of the international community, there can be two phases or two parts of the dialogue to resolve the escalated Anglophone Crisis. There is first of all supposed to be the dialogue between the Government of Cameroon and the separatist groups, to end the armed conflict in the two Anglophone Regions. Then will follow the dialogue between the Government and credible or legitimate representatives of the Anglophone people, to resolve the Anglophone Problem, which in the first place was the root cause of the Anglophone Crisis that sparked off in late 2016. It would be recalled that the separatists only came to the scene the following year, exploiting the big blunder that the Biya Government committed by instead arresting and dumping into Kondengui Prison in Yaounde, the home based leaders of the Anglophone Consortium, who on behalf of the Anglophone people had put forward to the Government a LEGITIMATE DEMAND for a return to the two –State Federation.
Worth noting that the Swiss Peace Initiative that was launched in early 2019 was supposed to focus more on the first part of the dialogue, that is the dialogue to end the fighting between Government troops and separatist fighters. That is why only separatist groups were invited on the Anglophone side. That decision however sparked some strong criticisms back in Anglophone Cameroon, especially by some Anglophone opinion leaders known as Federalists, who are against secession and are for a return to the two State – Federation. But again, the objective of the Swiss Peace Initiative was more to end the ongoing armed conflict in Anglophone Cameroon.

False Claims That Things Are Returning To Normalcy

Meanwhile, the Cameroon Government has been making false claims that normalcy is returning to the two Anglophone Regions, whereas the escalated Anglophone Crisis continue to degenerate more and more, with more and more loss of human lives and destruction of property. The Government’s propaganda that things are returning to normal in the two Anglophone Regions, is being propagated the most by the Follow – Up Committee of the Major National Dialogue or whatever it is called, which is headed by Prime Minister Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute.
That was why the National President of PCRN, Cabral Libiii Ngue, who is also a member of Cameroon’s National Assembly, in a recent outing criticized Prime Minister Dion Ngute for some declarations he made during the last meeting of the Follow –Up Committee that held in Buea last August. The Prime Minister as usual, repeated the controversial declaration that normalcy was returning in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. Hon Cabral Libii who noted that Prime Minister Dion Ngute was an Anglophone as well as a traditional ruler, was scandalized that the Prime Minister was not presenting the real situation of things on the ground.

The Case Of The Cameroon Development Corporation

It would be recalled that at the August meeting in Buea, Prime Minister Dion Ngute as usual talked of how there has been an increase in the export of banana by the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, and so on. This was to give the impression that CDC was picking up. But picking up at what cost, even if at all it is picking up! In an interview granted Canal 2 International in March 2023, the General Manager of CDC, Franklin Ngoni Njie, cried out that the vicious February 10, 2023 attack on the corporation’s workers in a truck at Mondoni, registered the heaviest casualties that the corporation has suffered since the start of the crisis. He wept that as by the time of granting the interview, a total of 26 CDC workers had lost their lives due to the Anglophone Crisis, with several workers seriously wounded, with some even losing some parts of their bodies.
The General Manager also disclosed that due to the escalated Anglophone Crisis, that had seriously affected the CDC in all domains, the corporation was in debts to the total about 50 billion FCFA. The debts included the contributions that CDC was supposed to pay the National Social Insurance Fund. This means that CDC workers have no insurance cover for all the risks they are taken. Worst still, the CDC General Manager admitted that workers were been owed then 36 months of salaries, wages or whatever. Yet at the August meeting in Buea, the Prime Minister was only interesting in talking about increase in the export of banana by CDC.
At the Follow – Up Committee in Buea last August, the General Manager of PAMOL Plantations, Mbile Tapea Solomon also presented a report to suit the likings of his Masters that normalcy was returning to the company. Then a few weeks later, the same General Manager issued a press release informing the public that “in the evening of Sunday, September 17th, 2023 at about 10 pm, a gang of unknown armed men stormed Pamol’s Lobe Estate Camps I and VI, shot and killed four (4) persons”.

Atrocities Continue Unabated / The Egbekaw Massacre

It would be recalled that soon after the Buea meeting where Prime Minister Dion Ngute and others were chanting the false propaganda of normalcy, there was a report of an attack on some military personnel in Mundemba, the Divisional Headquarters of the Ndian Division. One military personnel was reportedly killed, while some sustained injuries. It should be noted that this was one of the first times, if not the first time, that suspected separatist fighters were reported to have entered Mundemba and carried out a deadly attack. Deadly attacks by suspected separatist fighters in Ndian Division had mostly been in Ekondo Titi Sub –division and the others in the Division.. The deadly attack in Mundemba showed that the situation on the ground was degenerating further, and not instead that normalcy was returning.
After the meeting that took place in Buea last August, there have been several atrocities including killings that have taken place in different parts of the Northwest and Southwest Regions in connection to the Anglophone Crisis. These included the first public execution of civilians (two civilians) that a notorious separatist group carried out in Guzang, Momo Division. The most gruesome case in recent months that shocked the world the most was of course the massacre of some 25 innocent civilians at Egbekaw, Mamfe Sub –division, Manyu Division, in the early hours of Monday, November 6, 2023. Horrible! A number of houses were also burnt. While the Government and several people in Mamfe heaped accusation for the heinous act on suspected separatist fighters, some separatist groups on their part accused “Government forces and associated militias”. The international community strongly condemned the Egbekaw Massacre, with world personalities like the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and Pope Francis, speaking out.

Killings In Bamenyam, Attack On GTHS Esu

But all those condemnations change noting on the ground. Barely some two weeks after the Egbekaw Massacre, there was an armed attack on civilians in Bamenyam Village in Galim Sub –division, Bamboutos Division in the West Region. Several innocent civilians were killed. It should be noted that Bamenyam Village is close to the boundary between West Region and restive Northwest Region, and the armed men that carried out the heinous act reportedly crossed into Bemenyam from Northwest Region. It was not the first time that suspected separatist fighters crossed into Galim Sub –Division and launched attacks.
Also, the Nigerian film actor, Madu, will never forget the bloody incident that his visit to Bamenda in late November 2023 caused. Again, on December 12, 2023, gunmen suspected to be separatist fighters, attacked GTHS Esu in Menchum Division, Northwest Region, leaving behind a tray of damage caused to the institution. Students got the biggest humiliation by being stripped naked during the attack on GTHS Esu. Before then in the same Menchum Division, attacks were carried out in Zhoa, in an attempt to foil school resumption. A written message was left behind, NO SCHOOL. Still on attacks on schools, Rev Father Elvis and five teachers of Catholic School, CS Kembong, were attacked on September 27, 2023 by suspected separatist fighters.
Also, there are often stories on the social media of alleged atrocities committed by the military in the restive Anglophone Regions. On the other hand, front pages of some local newspapers are often flooded with reports of how the military have succeeded to neutralized or kill some ‘Amba Generals’ and fighters.

Friendly Countries, Organisations, Private Sector Know The True Situation In NW / SW

Meanwhile President Biya had following the holding of his “Major National Dialogue” in late 2019 gone ahead in 2020 to create the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the Northwest and Southwest Regions, with the Government making an appeal to friendly countries, international organisations and the private sector in Cameroon, to contribute to the PPRD – NW / SW. The Government has been claiming that things are under control in the Northwest and Southwest Regions, or that normalcy is returning.
But the fact is that the friendly countries, all or most of which have diplomatic missions in Cameroon, know so well the situation on the ground in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. They know that what the Cameroon Government is saying is not true. They know that the armed conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters also known as Amba boys, is still ranging on, with many innocent civilians being killed, others displaced, and properties destroyed, International organisations like the Breton Woods Institutions also know the real situation in the two Anglophone Regions. They know that the armed conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters is still very much on, with all the effects or consequences.
Companies in the private sector in Cameroon, of course know so well the current situation in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. They know that the armed conflict between Government troops and Amba boys is still very much on. They know that the Anglophone Crisis has not been resolved and is thus is still on. Some of these companies operating in the Anglophone Regions have even been victims of the crisis. Some have seen their infrastructures, equipment, vehicles and products or goods burnt. The employees of some of the companies have even been kidnapped for huge ransoms. Some of the companies have even been forced to temporary shutdown their branches in Anglophone Cameroon, especially in the Northwest Region, because of the crisis.

No Real Reconstruction Can Not Take Place During A War

So as to the question on why friendly countries, international organizations, and the private sector in Cameroon have so far not responded positively to the appeal by the Cameroon Government for donations to the PPRD – NW / SW, the response is clear. These countries as well as the international organisations and the companies in Cameroon’s private sector, know so well that the crisis or armed conflict in the two Anglophone Regions is still very much on. They also know so well, THAT THERE CAN BE NO REAL RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THESE REGIONS, WHEN THE FIGHTING OR CRISIS IS STILL ON.
This is the reason why friendly countries, international organisations and the private sector in Cameroon, with a few exceptions, have so far not made contributions to the PPRD – NW / SW. Reason thus why they have so far not reacted positively to the appeal of the Cameroon Government, for them to contribute to the PPRD – NW / SW.
MORE SO, PRESIDENT BIYA OR THE CAMEROON GOVERNMENT HAS SO FAR NOT RESPECTED THE CALLS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR THE HOLDING OF A CREDIBLE AND INCLUSIVE DIALOGUE LIKE THE SWISS PEACE INITIATIVE , TO END THE ARMED CONFLICT IN THE ANGLOPHONE REGIONS. IRONICALLY, THE SAME GOVERNMENT EXPECTS THE SAME INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE FUNDS TO PPRD –NW /SW, WHEM THEY KNOW SO WELL THAT THE ARMED CONFLICT BETWEEN GOVERNMENT TROOPS AND SEPERATIST FIGHTERS IS STILL VERY MUCH ON.
So far, Japan is the only friendly country that has contributed to the PPRD – NW / SW. Japan has so far contributed a total of 2.5 billion FCFA. But the Japanese Government has been clear that the contribution is for the Recovery Phase of the PPRD – NW / SW, which in fact is also an important phase, while waiting for the appropriate time for the Reconstruction and Development Phases. The Japanese contributions, to the Recovery Phase of the PPRD – NW/SW are precisely going for the rehabilitation of health centres and water points in the Southwest Region. Japan has been very precise in the agreements it signs with the Cameroon Office of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, through which the funds pass. Health services and water points for the population are basic services that cannot wait for the end of the armed conflict in the Anglophone Regions to be rehabilitated or built. And so the Japanese contributions to the Recovery Phase are quite laudable.

The Security Situation In NW /SW

In his last end of year message to the nation which was in the evening of December 31, 2022, President Biya said: “I wish to dwell on the security situation. Overall, the situation has been brought under control countrywide, despite the resurgence of urban crime and lingering sporadic attacks by certain terrorist groups in some regions”. But in a sharp contrast to the claim that things are under control, including in the two Anglophone Regions, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, asserted in a statement on peace process in Cameroon, precisely in Anglophone Cameroon, on January 20, 2023, that: “Civilians are bearing the brunt, with more than 6,000 people having lost their lives since 2017. In addition, nearly 800,000 people have been displaced as a result of the crisis”. Canada is one of the friendly countries that will certainly contribute much to the reconstruction and development of the Northwest and Southwest Regions. But that will be at the appropriate time, that is, when the armed conflict or crisis ends in the two Anglophone Regions.
Observers will definitely agree that all what have so happened in the Northwest and Southwest Regions in 2023 as regard the security situation, clearly shows that the situation is NOT UNDER CONTROL. The escalated Anglophone Crisis, or better still the armed conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters, is still ranging, with innocent civilians losing their lives the most. Thousands of civilians have been killed. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced, and a lot of properties have been destroyed. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT THE BIYA REGIME IS WILLING REVIEW ITS CONTROVERSIAL POSITION, AND ACCEPTS TO PARTICPATE IN A CREDIBLE AND INCLUSIVE DIALOGUE ON THE ANGLOPHONE CRISIS.