One Minute to Midnight: the Cameroon Crisis

WHITE PAPER | APRIL 2021 one minute to midnight T H E C A M E R O O N C R I S I S Contents FOREWORD � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3 I� EXECUTIVE SUMMARY � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� 5 II� THE CAMEROONIAN POLITICAL CRACKDOWN �� 9 a. The French interventionism in Cameroonian politics �� 9 b. CPDM and Single Party-Rule (1982-1992)� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11 c. The Illusion of a Multi-Party System� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 13 d. The rise of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (“CRM”) � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15 III� DESCENT INTO AUTOCRACY AND INSECURITY � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21 a. Amendment to the constitution in 2008 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21 b. The abusive “anti-terror” law and the Anglophone crisis� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 22 c. Permanent repression against the opposition, journalists and citizens � � � � � � � � � � � 25 IV� 2019-2020: THE WRONGFUL JAILING OF PROFESSOR MAURICE KAMTO � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 29 a. Circumstances of his Arrest� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 29 b. Professor Kamto’s release� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 32 c. The long-expected protests of 22 September 2020� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 37 V� CONCLUSION � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 47 ANNEX 1 �� 51 FOREWORD his whitepaper will place in histor- voices and fight for their rights in a time Tical perspective today’s crisis in when it seems like all hope could be lost� governance in Cameroon brought about As a result of his outspoken and direct by the kleptocrat Paul Biya as well as disapproval against Biya and his regime, France and other nations that have Maurice Kamto and the CRM have served as handmaidens of tyranny. As the been the targets of numerous oppres- second longest standing dictator in Africa, sive attempts to diminish any form of Paul Biya and the Cameroon People’s democracy from re-emerging within the Democratic Movement (“CPDM”) party country� have created a regime that will stop at nothing to ensure that his position in As we enter the thirty-ninth year of Paul power remains untouched� This comes Biya’s presidency, Cameroonians cannot at the expense of millions of Cameroo- falter or give in, and the international nian citizens who are continuously being community has no excuse but to take subjected to brutal and oppressive laws action� and are being killed and punished for exerting their basic human rights� It is time for this unelected junta to come to an end� Further, the African Union Despite the regime’s concerted efforts must assert leadership by establishing to silence and demean its population, appropriate mechanisms to sanction Professor Maurice Kamto and the dictators like Biya from causing further Cameroon Renaissance Movement harm to their own peoples� Cameroon’s (“CRM”) have emerged as the strongest suffering is far from alone at this tragic opposition party and are consistently moment of African history� using their platform and mission to re-empower Cameroonians to use their -Robert Amsterdam White Paper — Cameroon 3 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ameroon is often described as “Africa its French administered part in 1960 Cin Miniature” for its geograph- and stayed in power until 1982, when ical and human diversity� Cameroon’s he handed power over to Paul Biya, his diversity, which should be an asset, has constitutional heir who had been serving become the source of one of the most as Prime Minister� In addition to being neglected crises in the world� Cameroon Head of State, Paul Biya also took the is composed of two English-speaking reign of the country’s state party, the and eight French-speaking regions� This Cameroon National Union which he rela- double linguistic feature is a legacy of belled as Cameroon People’s Democratic history: until the end of the First World Movement (CPDM) in 1985� Since 1960, War, the country was a German protec- Cameroonians have been subject to two torate and subsequently administered leaders and were never given the right under the United Nations Trusteeship by to choose their president� The imposi- France and Great Britain� Understanding tion of a leader as well as an inadequate the country’s history is essential to better and a fallacious electoral system led to a comprehend the situation and challenges complete political lockdown� currently being faced in Cameroon� Cameroon remained under de-facto Cameroon’s history and politics are single-party rule until 1990 and then tran- closely linked to France, which has had sitioned to a multi-party system following a significant impact on the imposition of a deep political and economic crisis� single-party rule in the country� While However, the multi-party system has just Cameroon looks to new partners, France been an orchestrated illusion and the continues to maintain a strong influence president’s political manoeuvres reveal over the political elite of the regime, a well-defined strategy: appear to fulfil to such an extent that it can be seen as the conditions of international donors interventionism� Ahmadou Ahidjo led and satisfy the international community, the country from the independence of and thereby show a desire for democracy White Paper — Cameroon 5 In power since 1982, President Paul Biya is the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, the longest-ruling non-royal leader in the world, and the oldest head-of-state in Africa� and stability while diverting attention absence of a representative government from the reality� Ultimately, Biya’s regime and the urge to centralize power resulted has further repressed the opposition in the exacerbation of differences and tightened his grip on power, leading between the Anglophone and Franco- to the hyper centralization of political phone regions and led to strong resent- power. This pattern has firmly estab- ment from the Anglophone community lished itself over successive mandates towards the political establishment� The of the president while the Anglophone return to a federal system is crucial to crisis and the separatist movements solve the crisis� amplified in parallel, resulting in serious human rights violations against the polit- The situation took a new turn in 2019 ical opposition, human rights activists with the imprisonment of Professor and journalists, atrocities committed Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition against innocent Cameroonian citizens and Chair of the Cameroon Renaissance and other crimes against humanity� The Movement (CRM)� The circumstances conflict has left more than 3,000 people of his arrest and imprisonment demon- dead and 700,000 internally displaced� strate the unprecedented repression The Anglophone crisis has exposed flaws against political opposition� The dete- in Cameroon’s political institutions: the riorating human rights situation in the 6 One Minute to Midnight: The Cameroon Crisis country, the worsening of the Anglo- among others�2 These atrocities took phone crisis and shift of the regime place before the eyes of the international towards an assumed totalitarianism community, which continues to be silent� led Maurice Kamto to call for peaceful protests to demand a consensual reform Silence is becoming consent and this of the electoral system and a peaceful white paper aims to show how consent resolution of the conflict. However, it is no longer acceptable� This is a call to is no surprise that these protests were firmly suppressed by Biya’s regime and ended once again in violence and disre- SINCE 1960, CamerooNiaNS spect of the rule of law and the most Have BEEN SUBJect to two basic human rights� Over 500 peaceful LEADERS AND WERE NEVER GIVEN protesters had been illegally arrested and THE RIGHT to CHOOSE THeir to this day 124 of them remain arbitrarily PresideNT detained�1 Their release is of utmost . priority and the repeated wrongdoings of the government deserve targeted action, decrying the lack of governance sanctions imposed on all security forces structures in Africa that are responding and government officials involved. The to this urgent need and a call to support recent US State Department Cameroon victims in Cameroon and throughout Human Rights Report highlights that a the continent� The African Union and number of human rights issues remain the Commonwealth appear incapable under Biya’s “strong presidency” such as of assisting or providing a voice to the torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or people of Africa, while France remains degrading treatment or punishment by complicit in its control over Francophone the government, harsh and life-threat- African countries� Learning from the ening prison conditions, arbitrary arrests, Rwandan genocide, we urge the interna- political prisoners or detainees, politi- tional community to scale up its engage- cally motivated reprisal against individ- ment vis-à-vis the deepening slide of uals, serious problems with the indepen- Cameroon into the abyss in order to find dence

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