Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den

President Biya Appoints 30 Senators: The Complete List

President Biya today appointed the 30 Senators who will complete Cameroon's 100-person Senate, 70 of whom were elected by indirect suffrage on April 14, 2013. As a reminder, According to Chapter 1, Section 3 of Law No 2006/005 of 14 July 2006 to lay down conditions governing the election of Senators:

"(1) Each region shall be represented in the Senate by 10 (ten) senators 7 (seven) of whom shall be elected by indirect universal suffrage on a regional basis and 3 (three) appointed by decree of the President of the Republic."

Apart from a few exceptions such as Dakolle Daissala, a longtime ally of the President and leader of the MDR party, or Pierre Flambeau Ngayap of the UNDP, which is traditionally part of the “presidential majority,” practically all  the Senators are from the ruling CPDM party.

Ambassador Jackson: Grassroots Mobilization Key to Respect of Human Rights in Cameroon

Excerpt of a speech by US ambassador to Cameroon, Robert P. Jackson, to a gathering of Cameroonian civil society leaders.

"Perhaps it’s a somewhat banal notion, but in the end human rights is not much more than a fancy term for the kind of relationships we’d like to have with our neighbors:  When we do wrong, we must make amends and treat each other fairly; when we disagree, we each speak our mind; when we’re different, we must live and let live."

[...]
In the end, however, my role, and the role of the U.S. Embassy, in the promotion and maintenance of human rights is limited.  For there is no amount of advocacy or support the United States can offer that is more potent or more fundamental for the respect of human rights than grassroots mobilization.  We can talk until we’re blue in the face (trust me, we can, we’re diplomats), but we cannot make changes in this society from the top down.  We can suggest and we can cajole, but only you are capable of truly persuading those around you to be the change they want to see.  Contrary to what conspiracy theorists might tell you, change doesn’t start in my Embassy, it starts in your neighborhoods, your villages, your towns, and your regions.

Memory Lane (March 16, 1962): President Ahidjo Receives Honorary Doctorate in New York

At 4 P.M. President Ahidjo was the guest of Long Island University [New York] which conferred upon him the degree Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa.

Citation:
Mr. President: I have the privilege of presenting to you His Excellency Ahmadou Ahidjo, President of the Federal Republic of Cameroun.

Born to the respected Fulani of northern Cameroun, he came south to study in the capital Yaounde, and here he was soon drawn into the swift political eddies of a people aspiring to independence. In 1947, when his country was yet a United Nations trust territory administered by the French, he won his first elected office, a seat in the Representative Assembly. He was then 23 years old. Sagacious beyond his years, quick-witted and persuasive in debate, he rose to become Prime Minister in 1958 and from this high office, guided his country to independence on the first day of January 1960.

[Video] Update on the Bamenda-Mamfe-Ekok-Abakaliki-Enugu Highway

The benefits of the nearly completed Enugu-Bamenda Multinational Highway are already being felt by populations on both sides of the Cameroon-Nigeria border.

The 443 km long Bamenda–Enugu corridor comprises the Cameroonian Bamenda-Mamfe-Ekok road sections (203 km), the Nigerian road sections (240 km), the bridge over the Munaya River in Cameroon (100 m) and the border bridge over the Cross River (280 m).

Click here for additional details about the project.

Cameroon’s New Senate: An (Anti)Democratic Anachronism

By Dibussi Tande

"The new Senate has no power to impeach the president, to approve or reject presidential appointees to the executive and judicial branch... and no power to conduct investigations of malfeasance in the executive branch. In short... the Cameroonian Senate has no power of restraint over the executive branch."

On February 27, 2013, some 17 years after the 1996 constitution established  the Senate as the upper house of parliament, President Biya finally signed decree N° 2013/056 scheduling the first ever Senate elections in Cameroon for April 14, 2013. As with past elections, this date was chosen on a whim, or more precisely, at the discretion of the president who ignored persistent calls that municipal elections be organized prior to the senatorial elections since the mandate of municipal councilors expired in June 2012. As they say in Cameroon, the president alone understands the “intricacies and imperatives” of the country’s political and electoral calendar...

[Just Published] "Virtual Activism on Cameroon: The CamNet Files" by Isaac Endeley

Isaac N. Endeley. 2013. Virtual Activism on Cameroon: The CamNet Files. Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon, 198 pages. Available on Amazon.com ($26.95) and African Books Collective (£18.95).

During the 1990s, as the Internet in general and e-mail in particular grew in popularity as a means of communication, a number of Cameroonians residing in various parts of the world established a vibrant and lively electronic forum for the discussion of various issues related to their native land. The forum, known as Camnet, demonstrated that Cameroonians living abroad could actively participate in the political, economic and social processes taking place at home. This ability to remain actively engaged in the development of one’s nation through the Internet is what Endeley calls “virtual activism.” Camnet thus distinguished itself as the first and most influential breeding ground for Cameroonian “virtual activism.”

Justice for Sale or Legal Realpolitik? The Special Criminal Court Sets Legal Precedent in the Yves-Michel Fotso Embezzlement Case

By Dibussi Tande

On January 14, 2013, Cameroon’s Special Criminal Court created legal precedent when it dropped all charges case against Yves-Michel Fotso, the former Camair Director, who was on trial for embezzling 230 million Francs CFA from the Cameroon Airport Management Authority (ADC).

The charges were dropped midway into the trial after Fotso refunded the 230 million Francs CFA he was accused of embezzling. His co-accused, Roger Ntongo Onguene, the former Director General of ADC, who was charged with embezzling an additional 316 million Francs CFA from the authority, is now left to face the music alone.

[Obituary] Remembering "Dokta" - The Guardian's Tribute to Theophile Abega

As Cameroon prepares to say goodbye tomorrow to"Doctor" Theophile Abega, the football maestro who died on November 15, 2012, we remember "Dokta" through this poignant tribute  by Jonathan Wilson and originally published in The Guardian newspaper (England).

His touch and vision were those of a master and African football has lost one of its most skilful midfielders.

Some time towards the end of January, Théophile Abega stopped replying to my calls. I was in Equatorial Guinea, heading on to Cameroon, and was keen to meet him, partly to talk about the rivalry between Thomas N'kono and Joseph-Antoine Bell for my book on goalkeeping but mainly because, well, because he was Théophile Abega, one of the most skilful African midfielders of all time, the man who led Cameroon in 1984 to their first Cup of Nations triumph, scoring a brilliant goal in the final.

1982 World Cup Finals, Vigo, Spain, 23rd June 1982, Italy 1 v Cameroon 1, Italy's Antonio Cabrini is left grounded by Cameroon's Theophile Abega during their Group A match (Photo by Bob Thomas-Getty Images)

Rising from the Depths of Despair - A Review of Enoh Meyomesse’s Prison Poetry

Reviewed by Dibussi Tande

Enoh Meyomesse. (November 2012). Poème Carcérale… Poésie du pénitencier de Kondengui. Yaounde : Les editions du Kamerun. 56 pages. [e-book version]

"Prison is a place, but it is also an idea, an idea that has engaged writers and thinkers ... because it offers a way of expressing the helplessness we all feel at some point in our lives... The idea of prison gives us a setting in which to imagine our relationship to the world when we are feeling frustrated, limited, hedged in, stymied. We can then go on to identify the forces that have landed us in this situation... and those that can release us." The Kingis Quair and Other Prison Poems 

Nearly one year after he was imprisoned in the Kondengui prison in Yaounde on charges of “aggravated theft”, Cameroonian writer and political activist Enoh Meyomesse has just published a poetry collection detailing his arrest and life behind bars. In this moving collection, Meyomesse bares it all, vividly describing his moments of hope and despair, his anger and anguish at the fate that has befallen him.

US Presidential Elections: Obama Wins Second Term

President Obama wins second term after holding almost all key swing states. The tale of the tape:

Against All Odds, the Biya Regime Clocks 30...

Dibussi Tande

I was going through some old boxes a few days ago when I stumbled across a bunch of pictures I had taken back in 1991 of an anti-Biya rally organized by university of Yaounde students in Limbe following the May 6, 1991 events at the university.

May 24, 1991: University of Yaounde students march through the streets of Limbe with a mock coffin of President Biya and "Biya Must Go" placards.

The placards that the students carried were replete with "Biya Must Go" type messages at a time when the President was on the ropes, and being pommeled by a buoyant pro-democracy movement.

[Video] Land Grab: The Herakles Debacle in Cameroon

A documentary by Franck Bieleu whose feature length documentary, Big Banana, was nominated for the jury's prize at the 2012 Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival.

"Environment groups are accusing a New York-based agricultural company, Herakles Farms, of going forward with plans for a 73,000-hectare palm-oil plantation and refinery in southwest Cameroon... in the face of significant community opposition." Inter Press Service.

 

"Given the terms of a 99-year agreement under which Herakles Farms is allowed to establish a plantation of about 70,000 hectares [in Ndian division], it’s not difficult to see why Cameroonian NGOs fear the worst for local people. The agreement does not clarify to what extent – if at all – Cameroonian labour laws will apply, it exempts Herakles Farms from paying any taxes for the first 10 years, and it enables Herakles to rent the land from as little as US $0.5 per hectare, increasing by 2 % per year, contributing almost nothing to the state budget...

Under the agreement, Herakles is even given the right to organize its own protection of the zone using a private police force with the power to “search, apprehend, detain, exclude and evict unauthorized persons”. Click here to read the rest of this article by Greenpeace.

Cameroon (In)justice: The Case of Michel Thierry Atangana

Update: Earlier today Thierry Atangana and Dr. Titus Edzoa, were each sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison for virtually the same crimes that they had already  served 15 years.

French businessman Michel Thierry Atangana has spent the past 15 years behind bars in Cameroon. In 1997 he was accused of embezzling public funds, put on trial without a lawyer and sentenced to 15 years in jail.

 

A court in the capital Yaoundé will soon decide if he can walk out of prison a free man or remain in his cell for another 15 years. For Mr Atangana’s family, lawyer and many observers of Cameroonian politics, both his trials were purely political.

Source: France 24

Chinua Achebe Publishes Eagerly Anticipated Biafra Memoir

Achebe, Chinua. 2012. There was a country: a personal history of Biafra. New York: Penguin Press.

Chinua Achebe's eagerly anticipated memoirs of the Biafran war went on sale in the UK on September 26, 2012. The US edition goes on sale on October 11, 2012.


Synopsis
Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, is a writer whose moral courage and storytelling gifts have left an enduring stamp on world literature. There Was a Country is his long-awaited account of coming of age during the defining experience of his life: the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War of 1967-1970. It became infamous around the world for its impact on the Biafrans, who were starved to death by the Nigerian government in one of the twentieth century's greatest humanitarian disasters.

BBJ-2 Affair: Marafa Yaya and Yves Michel Fosto Sentenced to 25 Years in Jail

After a marathon session which began yesterday at 2 pm, the Mfoundi High court finally gave its verdict early this morning in the case of The Government of Cameroon vs. Marafa Hamidou Yaya, Fotso Michel Yves, Kounda Julienne, Sandjon Geneviève, Chapuis Jean-Louis, Assene Nkou.

All the accused received heavy sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years:

• Marafa Hamidou Yaya, Yves Michel Fotso and  Jean-Marie Assene Nkou - 25 years.
• Jean-Marie Chapuis, former CEO of the Fotso-owned Commercial Bank Cameroon (CBC), and his collaborator Genevieve Sandjon - 15 years.
• Julienne Kounda, former Assistant CEO of CBC - 10 years.

They must jointly pay 21 billion Francs CFA ($42 million) in damages and interest to the state plus more than 1 billion Francs CFA ($2 million) in costs.

Click here for an overview of this particular aspect of the presidential planes affair commonly known as the BBJ-2 affair.

The Presidential Plane(s) Affair for Dummies – A Cheat Sheet on the Key Players and the Main Issues

By Dibussi Tande

With the verdict in the Marafa/Fotso case scheduled for tomorrow, here's a quick look at the key issues and players in the presidential aircraft cases...

A decade after it all began, very few people can confidently and/or correctly explain what the “Albatross Affair” or the “presidential plane affair” is all about.

Scenes reminiscent of the 1971 Ndongmo-Ouandie trial - Marafa Yaya arrives in court under heavy military escort. (c) Patrice Nganang

With the passage of time, the story has merged with fiction to become a complex, convoluted and confusing urban legend. However, at the heart of it all is a fairly straightforward story, albeit with numerous sub-plots, of how an attempt to buy an aircraft for the President of Cameroon via unorthodox channels resulted in a very tangled web of poor financial judgment, appalling managerial incompetence, a complete lack of oversight, financial impropriety, political intrigue, and to crown it all, a series teleguided judicial proceedings.

In His Own Words: Enoh Meyomesse on Life at Kondengui Central Prison

"My days follow one after the other in a deathly monotony, like the hours on a clock." [Enoh Meyomesse about life behind bars]

The trial of Cameroonian writer Enoh Meyomesse begins at the Yaounde military Court today, August 31, 2012.

Enoh Meyomesse (in blue shirt) with his alleged accomplices

Meyomesse, a founding member of the Cameroon Writers Association, is charged with aggravated theft and the illegal sale of gold. In an article which appeared in the Hufftington Post (Gold, Guns and Books: the Meyomesse Affair), Deji Olukotun sheds light on the origins of what he describes as a “bizarre case”:

New Twist in Presidential Plane Case: Yves Michel Fotso Sues President Biya in the United States

By Dibussi Tande

In yet another twist to the already convoluted Presidential aircraft saga, Yves Michel Fotso, the former Director General of Camair, who is currently in jail for his role in the alleged swindling of $31 million meant for the purchase of presidential aircraft, has filed a lawsuit against the Republic of Cameroon and President Biya in the United States District Court in Eugene, Oregon.

In the case of YVES MICHAEL FOTSO vs. Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya, Pascal Magnaguemabe, Justice Soh, Jean Baptiste Bokam, Colonel Amadou, and Innocent Mbouem, the plaintiff documents instances of degrading treatment and torture, first during his detention in the Kondengui Maximum security prison  in Yaounde between December 1, 2010 and May 25, 2012, and later, in the Gendarmerie lock-up at the Secretaire d’Etat a la Defense (“SED”) where he was, among other things, "beaten, kicked, shocked with electricity, and otherwise subjected to physical and emotional torture by hooded soldiers."

 Fotso is seeking punitive damages in the amount of $10,000,000 for torture by a public official, false imprisonment, and breach of contract.

Click here to read, print or download an actual copy of the lawsuit filed in the District Court in Eugene, Oregon (pdf)

UPDATE:

Click here to read, print or download the summons issued to President Paul Biya and co-defendants

Just Published: New Media, Old Regimes by Lyombe Eko

Eko, Lyombe. 2012. New media, old regimes: Case studies in comparative communication law and policy. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books. [Available on Amazon.com]

New Media, Old Regimes: Case Studies in Comparative Communication Law and Policy, by Lyombe S. Eko, is a collection of novel theoretical perspectives and case studies which illustrate how different communication law regimes conceptualize and apply universal ideals of human rights and freedom of expression to media controversies in real space and cyberspace. Eko’s investigation includes such controversial communication policy topics as North African regimes’ failed use of telecommunications to suppress the social change of the Arab Spring, the Mohammad cartoon controversy in Denmark and France, French and American policy of development and diffusion of the Minitel and the Internet, American and Russian regulation of internet surveillance, the problem of managing pedopornography in cyberspace and real space, and other current communication policy cases.

Memory Lane Video (March 13, 1962): President Ahidjo Visits the United States

Motion picture covering the official state visit of President Ahmadou Ahidjo of Cameroon to the United States, including welcoming ceremonies with President John F. Kennedy and a visit to the White House, other stops in Washington, D.C., and a visit to New York City and the United Nations (UN) headquarters.

Source: United States Information Agency (USIA), received from Paul Fisher, White House, 9/18/64. Presented by: United States Information Service (USIS). Produced by: Thomas Craven Film Corporation Productions.

Was the Albatross an Airworthy Aircraft or a "Flying Coffin"? Part II

By Dibussi Tande

In Part I of this two-part article, we focused on the narrative of the Investigating Judge in charge of the Albatross case, along with the sworn testimony of the Albatross flight crew and members of the President’s personal military staff to disprove repeated claims that the Albatross had a catastrophic technical breakdown during its maiden flight to Paris, and that this may have been the handiwork of individuals intent on harming the President and his family.

Homeward bound! The "Albatros" taxis from the Delta facility in Atlanta on her delivery flight to Cameroon (April 22, 2004). (c) R.W. Whitlock.

In this second and last part, we will look at the actual condition of the Albatross at the time of its delivery to Cameroonian officials. Was this “second hand” aircraft safe and airworthy, or was it really an “old bucket,” a “flying coffin” leased by corrupt or negligent government officials who wanted to get rich off the deal? To answer this question, we will refer to the reports of the team of Cameroonian experts, including members of the President’s personal military staff, who performed the technical inspection of the Albatross in the US before it left for Cameroon. We will also get Boeing's official position about the airworthiness of the aircraft.

Was the Albatross a "Flying Coffin" that Put President Biya’s Life in Danger? (Part 1)

By Dibussi Tande

Beyond legitimate questions about the guilt or innocence of all the individuals arrested in the Albatross affair, or concerns about the “instrumentalization” of the justice system for purposes of “political cleansing”, there is one element in  this complex and convoluted story that everyone seems to agree on, albeit in varying degrees, i.e., that in a bid to swindle money, government officials colluded to purchase an ageing and defective presidential aircraft which put President Biya’s life in danger during the aircraft’s maiden flight from Yaounde to Paris.

The Nose of the "Albatros" (c) Steve Hill

For example, The Post newspaper recently described the Albatross as "an old bucket that rattled Biya", while François Mattei, author of Le Code Biya, a praise book commissioned by the Biya regime, was more scathing, labeling the aircraft as a "Flying Coffin" – a view shared by newspapers such as l’Independent, which claims that « l'Albatros était tout simplement un cercueil volant destiné à tuer le chef de l'Etat et toute sa famille. » (The Albatross was simply a flying coffin meant to kill the Head of State and his entire family). Although it did not go this far, even Le Messager once described the Albatross’ maiden flight as “pénible et émouvant” (painful and emotional)… 

He Stood Up Against Injustice: Remembering Football Great Joe Ewunkem

Joseph Ewunkem, former Captain of the legendary Prisons Social Club of Buea in the 1960s and 1970s, member of various West Cameroon football selections, and part of the Cameroon national squad that took part in the 1975 Military World Cup in Germany, died in Buea on July 10, 012. 

The young Ewunkem being introduced to President Ahidjo before the 1968 Cup Finals.Mbappe Leppe is seen watching over the President’s left shoulder.

An iconic figure of West Cameroon football, Ewunkem is probably best remembered for his dramatic act of defiance during the 1968 Cameroon National Cup finals when, in the presence of President Ahidjo, he broke protocol to protest, in a most dramatic manner, against injustice to his team - an act which many believe was instrumental in the dissolution of the West Cameroon Football league.

In this commemorative article, Ashuntantang Tanjong tells the story of Prisons Social Club of Buea and the 1968 Cameroon Cup finals.

Beyond Boko Haram: The Rise of Fundamentalist Islam in Nigeria [Conference Presentation]

Find below a downloadable version of the presentation that served as the basis of my talk at the conference on threats to Nigeria's security which took place today at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC.

Beyond Boko Haram: The Rise of Fundamentalist Islam in Nigeria

View more PowerPoint from Dibussi Tande

  Panelists at the conference included Jacob Zenn, Analyst for West African Affairs at The Jamestown Foundation;  Dr. Andrew McGregor, Editor in Chief, Global Terrorism Analysis; Mark McNamee, Analyst at The Jamestown Foundation; Lauren Ploch Blanchard from the Congressional Research Service; Carl LeVan, Assistant Professor of African Politics at American University; Colonel Gene McConville, Senior Military Advisor at the Africa Center For Strategic Studies; Ambassador Eunice Reddick, former US ambassador to  Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe, and currently Director of the Office of West African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

 

[Conference] Threats to Nigeria's Security: Boko Haram and Beyond

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washingon, D.C.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
9 A.M. - 12 P.M. EST
Organized by The Jamestown Foundation

I will be presenting a paper at the conference titled Beyond Boko Haram: The Rise of Fundamentalist Islam in Nigeria.

Watch the Live Webcast of the conference below.

Streaming by Ustream 

Albatross Affair: Prof. Ndiva Kofele-Kale to Lead Marafa Yaya's Defense Team

In a press briefing organized in Buea on May 25, 2012, Ndiva Kofele-Kale, a Professor of Public International Law at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, announced that he would be leading the defense of Hamidou Marafa Yaya, Cameroon's former Minister of Interior, who is accused of having embezzled funds meant to purchase a presidential aircraft for Cameroon's Head of State, Paul Biya.

Professor Kofele-Kale who is a leading scholar on the impact of corruption in developing countries and has been at the forefront of the growing movement to make corruption a human rights violation punishable under international law, has issued a statement explaining why he has taken up  Marafa's case. Here is the statement in its entirety:

Internet at Liberty 2012 Conference - Plenary I

Internet at Liberty is an international conference of Internet academics, activists, and public and private sector officials, featuring debates on the future of Internet governance.

Plenary I - Should laws and regulations that affect the Internet favor individuals over the nation?

Internet at Liberty 2012: Promoting Progress and Freedom

Internet at Liberty 2012: Promoting Progress and Freedom

Following the highly successful Internet at Liberty 2010, activists and experts from around the world will converge at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on May 23-24 to explore the most pressing dilemmas and exciting opportunities around free expression in the digital age.

The Internet as a global, free, and open resource, is constantly developing. Over the past year we have seen how the Internet can shift power, broaden scope, and accelerate political and economic change. Simultaneously, governments and multinational companies shape what is possible online. Today, more than any time in history, technological and political forces are colliding to draw lines about how the Internet functions.

An Overview of Cameroon Prison Literature From Albert Mukong to Titus Edzoa

By Dibussi Tande

In the last six months, three former high-ranking government officials currently in jail for a variety of financial crimes have published books about their prison experience. These books also explain their own version of events that landed them in jail, while casting a critical glance at the political system in which they once played pivotal roles.

The courtyard of Kondengui Prison in Yaounde

Prominent among these unlikely authors are two former Secretary-Generals at the Presidency of the Republic, Atangana Mebara and Titus Edzoa, and Nguini Effa, the former Director General of Cameroon Petroleum Depot (SCDP).

Albatross Affair: Mebara Found Not Guilty on Three of Five Charges

By Dibussi Tande

The Mfoundi High Court this evening, May 3, 2012, found Mr. Atangana Mebara, former Secretary-General at the Presidency, not guilty of three of the five charges against him in the "Albatross Affair", the botched attempt to purchase a presidential aircraft for president Biya.

Frontpage of tomorrow's Le Jour newspaper

 The High Court found Mr. Mebara not guilty of the attempt to jointly embezzle $31 million with Kevin Walls, CEO of the London-based Airport Portfolio Management (APM), and Essomba Otele, head of APM’s Cameroon subsidiary, Asset Portfolio Management (APM).

Former Minister of State Atangana Mebara in His Own Words: How I Ended Up in Kondengui

Culled from Atangana Mebara, Jean-Marie. 2011. Lettres d'ailleurs: dévoilements préliminaires d'une prise de l'Epervier du Cameroun. Paris: Harmattan.

On August 1, 2008, Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara, former the Minister of Higher Education, former Secretary-General at the Presidency, and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, was remanded into custody for his role in the "Albatross Affair", the botched attempt to purchase an aircraft for President Biya. In December 2011, the Paris-based l’Harmattan published Mebara's book « Lettres d’ailleurs, Dévoilements préliminaires d’une prise de l’épervier du Cameroun ». (Letters from elsewhere: Preliminary revelations of a catch of the Cameroonian Sparrow hawk). Prefaced by Cardinal Tumi, the book consists of a series of letters to his family, friends, and public personalities. In one of the letters to his daughter, he goes at length into the circumstances of his arrest, including his first days behind bars at the Kondengui maximum security prison.  Here is an excerpt:

Charles Nfongang Wins the 2012 Bibi Ngota Award for Journalism Against Impunity in Africa

“As a collective, [Nfongang’s articles] paint a compelling story of life in Cameroon's prison system.” Bibi Ngota Award jury.

Cameroonian journalist Charles Nfongang has won the first edition of the Bibi Ngota Award for Journalism against Impunity in Africa which comes with a $1000 cash prize. He was rewarded for a series of articles that he wrote on ‘Human rights in penitentiaries’, which were published in the Cameroonian newspaper, Ouest Fraternité. According to a statement from the jury, these articles stood out “because as a collective, they paint a compelling story of life in Cameroon's prison system.”

Peeking Beneath the Veil of the Albatross: Why Inoni and Marafa are in Jail

By Dibussi Tande

Even though it was not completely unexpected, the arrest of  Chief Inoni Ephraim, former Prime Minister and Head of Government, and Hamidou Marafa Yaya, former Minister of State in Charge of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, is a bombshell that is still reverberating across the Cameroonian political landscape.

According to reports by the State-owned CRTV, both men had showed up at the offices of investigative judge Pascal Magnaguemabe for what was expected to be a routine encounter, but were instead bundled off to the Kondengui Maximum security prison in the latest chapter of the decade-long probe into the Albatross Affair, or the botched attempt to purchase a brand new aircraft for President Biya – a dizzying fall from grace of two “golden boys” of the Biya regime who were once considered (particularly in the case of Marafa) potential heirs to the octogenarian Paul Biya.

Albatross Affair: A Profile of Ephraim Inoni and Hamidou Marafa

In a Febraury 2007 cable from the US embassy in Yaounde which profiled  "possible successors to President Biya" the then Prime Minister of the Republic, Ephraim Inoni, and the then Minister of State for Territorial Administration, Hamidou Marafa, were classfied under the category of "clean, competent and well-positioned" individuals with a shot at succeeding President Biya. Today, both men are behind bars, accused of embezzlement of state funds in the Albatross saga.

With the benefit of hindsight, let's read what US ambassador Niels Marquardt thought of both men.

What if Mohamed Bouazizi had been Cameroonian? Thoughts on the Bibi Ngota Journalism Award Controversy

By Dibussi Tande

“What this award commemorates is not Bibi Ngota the person, with numerous professional and personal flaws, but the Bibi Ngota, who became, in spite of himself and at the cost of his life, the symbol of the arbitrary detention, harassment and physical abuse of journalists in Cameroon.”

On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor in the town of Sidi Bouzid set himself on fire to protest harassment by the police who had confiscated his vegetable cart. He died a few weeks later on January 4, 2011. Mohamed Bouazizi was neither a politician nor an activist; his was a personal protest against harassment with made it difficult for him to take care of his family. Bouazizi never set out to save Tunisia. In fact, all he dreamed of, according to a Time magazine profile, was to save enough money to be able to rent or buy a pickup truck.  As Larbi Sadiki writes:

Why Cameroon Does Not Have a Two-round Presidential Election System

Or how the parliamentary opposition shot itself in the foot in 1992...

By Dibussi Tande

The Republic of Senegal has a new president following run-off elections which resulted in the defeat of outgoing President Abdoulaye Wade by Macky Sall, his one-time protégé and former Prime Minister. One of the main reasons for Macky's victory is Senegal’s two-round electoral system, which calls for a second round of voting if no candidate obtains more that 50% of votes cast. This is unlike countries such as Cameroon which have a one-round/first-past-the-post electoral system.

In 1992, Cameroon's National Assembly failed to vote on a motion instituting the 2-round system.

In the first round of voting, President Wade obtained 34.81% of votes cast while Sall obtained 26.58%. If this had been the first-past-the-post system practiced in Cameroon, Wade would still be President of Senegal...

[Video] Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Speaks at 2012 Commonwealth Lecture

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks on Connecting Cultures at 2012 Commonwealth Lecture

 

"I knew the basic facts of Nigerian history when I first read Chinua Achebe’s novels “Things Fall Apart” and “Arrow of God,” but it was those novels that made me realize that while I may very well know the facts, I did not really know the truths. Bloodless words like ‘pacification’ and ‘amalgamation’ and ‘indirect rule’ were the facts, but the truths were in the human stories. A respected man being flogged publicly by agents of the colonial government. A priest, once resplendent in his pride and stubbornness, now reduced to sitting on a cold prison floor because he had dared to reject an offer from a British district officer. And in images such as these, I learned a great truth which the history books said nothing about: the loss of dignity."

(Full text of lecture available for download here)

[Video] Kah Walla's "Fiery Call to Arms" at the Women in the World Summit

Kah Walla, president of Cameroon's People's Party, talks about her call to action – women have to help elect other women to government.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 Click here for more on Kah Walla's declaration at the Women in the World Summit.

Boko Haram and the Fear of Islamic Extremism in Cameroon: Part 3 – Beyond the Hysteria...

By Dibussi Tande


January 2012 was a particularly hectic and nerve-wracking month for Cameroonian security and intelligence services, along with political, administrative and religious authorities in the “Grand Nord” as they frantically tried to put measures in place to hold back what they viewed as a potential, if not imminent, Boko Haram tidal wave across Northern Cameroon.

Boko Haram and the Fear of Islamic Extremism in Cameroon: Part 2 – The Changing Face of Islam in Cameroon

By Dibussi Tande

The evolution of Islam in Cameroon can be split into three major phases or generations; a the period of complete dominance by traditional Islam, followed by the era of the emergence of the “Arabized Intellectuals,” and finally, the period marked by the appearance of Islamic fundamentalism in the public sphere. Of course, this is not a linear trajectory since there is a certain amount of overlapping between these different periods.

The face of moderate traditional Islam in Cameroon:. Sultan Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya, Muslim ruler of the Bamoun, at the ordination of a Catholic Priest, Father Mbouapegnigni, in Foumban.

Boko Haram and the Fear of Islamic Extremism in Cameroon: Part 1 – Boko Haram’s Cameroon Connection

By Dibussi Tande

“Biya was concerned about the threat of Islamic extremism.… He was beginning to worry about Islamic extremists infiltrating Cameroon from Nigeria and making inroads through Cameroonian mosques.” Wikileaks

The wave of Christmas Day bombings in Nigeria carried out by Boko Haram, the extremist Islamist sect which has its base in northeastern Nigeria, has once again raised the specter of religious extremism gaining a foothold in Cameroon.

The Bibi Ngota Award for Journalism Against Impunity in Africa Launched

A new $1000 USD annual African journalism award, named after the late Cameroonian journalist Bibi Ngota, has been launched. Read the award’s rationale along with submission guidelines and deadlines below.

Cameroonian Journalists Protesting the death of Bibi Ngota (c) AFP)

The Problem of Political Impunity in Africa
‘A deep, very serious problem is undermining Africa: political impunity’, writes Philippe Orou Sica. As a result, ‘Political life is sometimes asphyxiated and criminalized. As soon as a Head of State accedes to power, he feels that he is above all law. His political and ethnic groups are protected as a result. On the one hand, issues are suppressed, and on the other, one can kill, assassinate political opponents in total impunity, and wage war against the whole or a part of the population with a cynicism and peace of mind that is most peculiar. Nothing seems to dissuade this murderous form of ‘politics’.’

What is the Future of the FCFA Zone in West and Central Africa? Part III: Why UEMOA and CEMAC should be merged.

By Nfor Nwayuke Susungi

"Is the CFAZONE ready to stand on its own by severing the umbilical cord with the Operations Account? Can a country such as Cameroon go it alone? My answer to both questions is a definite NO."

How should the CFAZONE be reformed?

Against the background of crisis in the Eurozone and the possible (but unlikely) collapse of the Euro and the stable economic and monetary situation which currently exists in the CFAZONE,  with extremely low inflation, the question is in what direction should the CFAZONE chart its future?  Is the CFAZONE ready to stand on its own by severing the umbilical cord with the Operations Account?  Can a country such as Cameroon go it alone? My answer to both questions is a definite NO.

What is the Future of the FCFA Zone in West and Central Africa? Part II: The Maastricht Treaty and the CFA ZONE

By Nfor Nwayuke Susungi

The Maastricht Treaty of Economic and Monetary Union did not specifically address the relationship between France and the Franc Zone.  It merely recognized the national budget of each member state of the EC as a sovereign domain, subject to deficits being limited to less than 5% of GNP, which is one of the convergence criteria that must be met in order to qualify for EMU. However, since the convertibility of the FCFA was guaranteed through the budget of the French Treasury, which manages the Operations Account, the maintenance of the Franc Zone in its present form was not deemed to be in direct conflict with the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty.

What is the Future of the FCFA Zone in West and Central Africa? Part I: The Origins of the "Franc"

In a recent discussion on Facebook, spurred by recent rumors of a possible devaluation of the Franc CFA, the currency used by 14 Francophone African countries, I asked Dr. Nfor Susungi, a former senior official at the African Development Bank, the following question: "What do you make of the argument that governments in Francophone Africa are stubbornly clinging to the Franc CFA because of the (false) prestige factor (i.e., having a convertible currency), outright laziness, and risk aversion - too scared to go-it alone?" Here is the Part 1 of his three-part response.