Abdulkarim breaks silence from detention, says he was denied food and restricted from praying

The Muslim scholar who was arrested on August 11, 2022, in Bamenda has said that four days into his arrest, he was denied food nor allowed to pray to Allah.

A Muslim faithful prays five times a day.

“The conditions of my abduction are illegal and unjustified. The conditions of detention are unspeakably deplorable. My lawyers have an idea and can indulge you. My focus in this statement is to commune with you.”

Abdulkarim Ali

In a letter seen by CNA newsroom, Mr. Ali said he stands on the truth and will not deviate from his activism to see that the ongoing armed conflict is resolved through dialogue, “That purpose is found in his will. His will is to seek truth and justice. Justice in this time and space in Southern Cameroons lies in bringing all parties and stakeholders together, on a dialogue table without pre-conditions, where the root cause of the raging crisis can be identified and sustainable solutions sought for culminating in the peaceful evolution, actualization, and realization of the suffering people of Southern Cameroons.”

The Activist said he has been undergoing physical and psychological torture since his arrested but insisted that his position shall not be compromised, “This is my life’s mission and purpose. The advocacy of the inalienable right of every Southern Cameroonian to self-realization. This life mission is divinely ordained. I accept and assume it with all humility. I will live with it. I will live for it. I will suffer for it. I will be in prison for it. I am in jail for it. I will undergo torture for it. I will die for it if need be and if it came to it.”

He called on the UN and international community to double efforts in Cameroon to see justice serve the people of Southern Cameroons,

To my well-wishers and the international community, I exhort you to bear with us. Please redouble your efforts in holding up the mirror to our friends and relevant stakeholders – a mirror in which the errors of history beginning with colonial greed, through UN Charter miscarriages, to unfulfilled promises and flagrant breaches of constitutional and other international legal instruments, culminating into the acknowledged, albeit failed, attempts to assimilate a people who have lost almost all sense of national and individual worth but who have now risen and now sworn never to be enslaved again in a status quo that denies them their fundamental humanity and dignity. Hold up this mirror so that there is individual national accountability to foster a sense of collective responsibility for the plight of Southern Cameroons whose claim to a UN forgotten prodigal son status cannot be denied, underestimated or ignored any longer.

Abdulkarim is being detained at the Gendarmerie Brigade at Up Station, Bamenda, North West region.