Too Much Pressure On Paul Biya This Weekend

By NFOR Hanson NCHANJI

Etoudi, where the Presidential Palace is located, is feeling the diplomatic and legal heat with spears coming from all directions. The visits of Kamto’s Lawyer from France, American Diplomat, US Department of State’s damning human rights report. The regime which has been on defensive throughout, brought in General Agha Robinson to lie on National media that Soldiers are being punished for rights violations.

Firstly, the announced visit of Tibor Peter Nagy Jr, United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and former American foreign service officer who served as the American ambassador to Guinea and to Ethiopia, got the regime panicking. Mr Nagy, before his arrival on Saturday March 16, 2019, made sweeping statements about Cameroon’s rights records. He expressed deep concerns on the wellbeing of the people of the North Wets and South West regions, calling for an international intervention. His statements were not well diluted by the Biya regime, which stands as the accused. What will he say when he finally arrives Cameroon? This is the only question going through the minds of authorities. And what lie will they use to show that Cameroon is respecting rights of those in the restive regions?

Their question seems to have had an answer; use any of the army generals to soften the tone on the wake of the diplomats visit, since Ministers had failed to convince public opinion. General Agha Robinson, commander of troops in the North West region, tells Cameroon Calling crew on State Media, that cases of rights abuses have been dealt with accordingly.

The man who once told VOA that his soldiers were not responsible for burning of eight villages, causing hundreds of residents to flee from their villages, suddenly became a Christian preaching peace, love and justice. A political observer, Kughoi Elvis, has however said, his outing was a coverup, coming on the heels of the American Diplomat’s visit.

The visit of HE Nagy Tibor, comes at the time when the regime is yet to digest the damning rights report published by the US Department of State. The report confirms that Civil society organizations and rights groups have documented, rights violation on the part of the military including; arbitrary arrest, torture, killing, rape, unlawful detention, repatriation among others.

Kugho Elvis says that, “It is difficult to fool 2019 Anglophones.”  He opines that the only solution to the Anglophone armed conflict is to have a “Formal apology to the Anglophones from the government, release all arrested in connection to the crisis, demilitarize the two anglophone regions to the bare minimum, open a three phase negotiation with a third party as a referee, lastly, stop saying we do not know who to dialogue with.”

“How did you know where and how to arrest Sisiku and Co? How did you know some are in US and Europe as you say on media platforms and not the least, stop ignoring the history of the two peoples who made up the 1961 Cameroon?” He wondered.

The pressure this weekend has not only come from the visit of the US Diplomat, also the visit of a Lawyer, Barrister Dupont-Moretti, who is part of Professor Maurice Kamto’s legal team. The French born landed in Yaoundé On Friday morning, ready to confront Cameroon’s judicial system over the arrest and imprisonment of his client.  

In a press briefing on Saturday March 16, 2019, the legal mind whose arrival was highly awaited by Cameroonians, said Kamto was ready to discuss with President Paul Biya over the electoral hold up and their subsequent arrest.

He said, he is not coming to engage in a tug of war with the government because a peaceful solution was still available.

But Barrister Dupont -Moretti added that if things are not done in the peaceful way as envisaged, they are ready for the legal battle.

He told journalists that his team met with the Judge at the Yaoundé Military court and told him that he was incompetent to arrest and try Kamto and Co in a military court.

The Judge turned down the request for their release, saying that since he is incompetent to try them, they shouldn’t ask him to release them.

The Defense team of Kamto said, if he, the judge could ask for their arrest, he could also ask for their release.

The pressure is mounting not only for the release of Maurice Kamto and team, also for Ambazonia leaders and several others arrested. The Biya regime may soon be walking alone as her international allies are gradually turning their backs on the regime.

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