Adeleke Gbenga
The homelands of the Ambazonia, the Anglophone Peoples of Southern Cameroons are currently an occupied territory, being buffeted right, left, front and back by the assault rifles of aggressors (the Republic of Cameroun) who are hell bent to tear the peoples from their moorings.
The peoples could not be less described than sorrow personified, reeling from one form of pain or agony to others. Their human rights are wantonly being violated with reckless abandon and impunity under the jackboots of Gendarmes, Police and Soldiers of La Republique Du Cameroun (The Republic of Cameroun).
With instructions from the President of the Country, Mr. Paul Biya to the armies of the occupied territory, the ruthless armies are ruthlessly pulverizing the homelands of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons, terrorizing them with brutality and suppressing their agitations for rights of self-determination.
They are an endangered species in their own homelands if the inhuman maltreatment they are currently receiving from the Military and the Police of La Republique Du Cameroun (The Republic of Cameroun)is anything to go by.
The genocidal war of La Republique Du Cameroun in the Southern Cameroons against the armed-less peoples which is a display of an inhumanity of man to man, could be explained as a mental aberration personified.
As an epicenter of egregious human rights violation in Cameroun, the peoples have borne their distress and misery with serene and dignified equanimity, strongly believing in the justice of international laws and conscience of the humanity.
La Republique Du Cameroun has declared war against them on their homelands, killing innocent civilians and uprooting them from their ancestral homes.
Many have fled their territory, having hundreds of thousands as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Cameroun whilst many more have fled to the neighbouring countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and other West African Countries, America and Europe, as refugees and asylum seekers.
What does the Charter of the United Nations say on human rights violation, the use of armed force to quell and suppress legitimate protests and demands, peace and security of the international community?
The Preamble of the United Nations’ Charter in appendix 2 says;
”We the Peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.
”We reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,
“And to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
“To practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security,
“And to ensure by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interests,
“And to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples”
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says thus on status of all human beings … ”born free with equality in dignity and rights”
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. What this implies is that no human beings should be enslaved or suppressed by another human being. That is article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On their inalienable rights to self-determination: The
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in its Constitutive Act also guarantees and assures the right to self determination for any group of peoples in the continent who seek self determination in autonomy or sovereignty and independence as the case may be.
These are legitimate aspirations of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons(Ambazonia)as peoples with distinct identity and cultural backgrounds and outlook different from the peoples of La Republique Du Cameroun (The Republic of Cameroun).
The former are of English Speaking Southern Cameroons a UNO trust territory under the United Kingdom or Great Britain administration while the latter are Francophone French Speaking Cameroun now the Republic of Cameroun, colonized by France.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria facilitated the illegal abduction and deportation of 10 foreigners under international protection as refugees and asylum seekers in Nigeria, from their hotel rooms at Nera Hotel, Abuja to Yaounde in the Republic of Cameroun where they are incarcerated as criminals.
The 10 of them are leaders of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons who were forcefully abducted from their hotel, Nera Hotel, Abuja on 5th January 2018 and illegally deported to the Republic of Cameroun on 25th January 2018.
The Peoples of Southern Cameroons are not only appealing to the United Nations, the African Union and World Conscience to urgently intervene to stop the ongoing genocide on their territory, spanning six years and counting, they are equally agitating for enforcement of their rights to self determination, fundamental human rights to freedom of association, freedom of expression and free speech, right to their dignity as ethnic group with distinct identity and culture, right to their humanity and person.
They are also agitating for an outright Sovereign Status as independent State if the 1961 Plebiscite Agreement would not be honoured by the Republic of Cameroun.
They are advocating for a return to the United Nations Trusteeship Agreement Systems which entrusted them to the United Kingdom as Administering Authority over their territory.
Now, the Peoples of Southern Cameroons are equally advocating for release of their leaders by the Republic of Cameroun.
Earlier in 2023, a petition was written through Professor PLO Lumumba to the Chairperson of Tana High Level Forum .
The petition was written on behalf of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons calling for the forum’s urgent attention to the plights of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons upon whom a genocidal war had been declared by La Republique Du Cameroun(The Republic of Cameroun)in their homelands
The petition sought for urgent intervention of the forum under the aegis of African Union to stop the genocide being inflicted on the territory of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons.
The petitioners reminded the forum of its official mandate of proffering African solutions to conflicts and security challenges ravaging in the Continent through frank dialogue.
The petitioners were the leaders of the Peoples of Southern Cameroons who fled Cameroons, having been declared wanted by the Government of the Republic of Cameroun.
The African Union Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Communication 266/2003 between Kevin Ngwang Ngumne and others Vs Republic of Cameroun also condemned and described their arbitrary arrest, deportation and detention as illegal.
The body said this through Communication 266/2003 on 27, May 2009, describing the Peoples of Southern Cameroons as a culturally distinct groups who were entitled to the right of self determination.
It advised the Government of the Republic of Cameroun to enter into constructive dialogue with them to resolve the conflict.
This AU’s decision was supported and adopted by the African Heads of States at their meeting in Tripoli, Libya in Sirthe, Libya in 2009. African Heads of States even offered to use the good offices of AU to facilitate the dialogue but the Government of the Republic of Cameroun declined the offer.
On 30th September 1961, the Government of the Republic of Cameroun invaded the territory of Southern Cameroons militarily and annexed it to its territory to become part of the Republic.
The scale of human rights abuses committed against the Peoples of Southern Cameroons by the Government of the Republic of Cameroun since then has been unimaginable.
Peoples of Southern Cameroons are entitled to their inalienable rights to self determination which they are presently claiming and willing to exercise.
Their territory was an autonomous part of the Republic of Cameroun as at October 1st 1960.
They could define themselves culturally as a separate entity with distinct identity, tradition, language and history of which they are very proud.
These markedly distinguished them from the peoples of La Republique Du Cameroun.
Unfortunately, the Government of the Republic of Cameroun under former President Ahmadu Ahidjo in an act that could be condemned as ”unprovoked aggression” invaded their territory on 30th September 1961 and annexed it and made it part of their country.
It should be noted that la République du Cameroun got its independence from France on 1st January 1960 on which date their boundaries were frozen and she was admitted into membership of the UNO in September 1960 with clearly defined territory and population that never included the Southern Cameron’s (Ambazonia)! How then can they lay claim to Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) territory without showing proof of a duly executed Union treaty recorded in the annals of the UNO as required by Article 102 of the UNO Charter? On what grounds did they send troops into the territory of Southern Cameroons on the night of 30th September 1961?
It should also be noted that there was a conspiracy of la République du Cameroun, France and UK to frustrate the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 1608(XV) of April 21, 1961 and facilitate the annexation of the Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) by la République du Cameroun.
