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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UN GATE, Oct 10 – Cameroon's decades-long dictator Paul Biya in an a junket to Lyon in France, like the wasteful junkets his UN sponsor Antonio Guterres takes to Lisbon. But this one in Lyon is for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

 President Emmanuel Macron, complicit in Biya's crimes contrary to the image he projects (like on press freedom while his Mission did nothing as Guterres banned Inner City Press, 465 days now), is being called on to say at least something to Biya about all his killing, and continued detention of opponents like Ayuk Tabe. We'll see if he does.

   On September 29 Inner City Press was sent another tweet about Biya's platform for national dialogue, an account featuring a photos of the grip and grin between Guterres and Biya's foreign minister. This is the result of Guterres' sold out diplomacy - a Potemkin Village of fake dialogue accompanied by violence and censorship. Guterres is no better than Biya. At least Biya is officially senile. What is Guterres' excuse?

  Guterres m.o. is spreading. Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and now Melissa Fleming have refused to answer Inner City Press' written questions about Cameroon. Dujarric amid Biya's killings tweeted this: "  UN Spokesperson  @UN_Spokesperson   Secretary-General  @antonioguterres  encouraged by   @PR_Paul_BIYA 's decision to release Maurice Kamto and hundreds of others, reiterates  @UN 's support for #Cameroon's National Dialogue." The irony? Biya on Twitter blocks many critics including Inner City Press, which is ALSO blocked by Dujarric. Birds of a corrupt feather.

Meanwhile this from MimiMefo: "There is commotion in Bali Town, Mezam Division North West Region.  Soldiers invaded the village in their number during and after October 1st commemoration, the day Southern Cameroons independent state of Ambazonia was declared, by separatist leaders and fighters.  In Sang, a Bali neighbourhood, several persons, notably civilians are feared dead. “The people had escaped to the bush to seek refuge but returned yesterday, not knowing soldiers were still there,” a source told Mimi Mefo Info.  “The population of Bali nyonga since yesterday are under gradual extermination. Sang Will soon finish. The military doing what they know best,” said another source.  “Many of those killed in Sang, are from the Mbalang compound,” the source added." And from corrupt Guterres? Nothing. Censorship and ban of Press.

  On September 26 in a nearly empty UN General Assembly Hall Biya's foreign minister Lejeune Mbella Mbelle gave a speech nearly entirely in French, blaming all problems in the SW and NW on separatists. Inner City Press, banned from the UN by Biya's colluder Guterres, puts some of it immediately on Twitter, here. Now here is the whole speech, on YouTube.  It is shameful - and Guterres is shameless. We'll have more on this.

Here's from Kamto's letter, retyping from PDF and prepared to ask Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming about it in writing:

"Dear Mr. Secretary General, We are very skeptical about your role as an honest broker and neutral facilitator in the resolution of Cameroon's multiform crisis, as would be expected from the UN Secretary General. Our appreciation is based on the following observations: Soon after the presidential election, we wrote to you to warn of the chaotic situation in which Cameroon has been locked up for 37 years, due to a biased and unreliable electoral system....

We notably pointed out the rigging of this election and other resulting crises our country is confronting, epitomized by the Anglophone Norht-West and South-West (NOSO) regions' conflict and related humanitarian drama...

No concrete actions from the UN Secretariat were noticed afterwards. To the same extent, whereas, the recent visit to Cameroon of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Michelle Bachelet, was very disappointed by its poor achievement: an audience with Mr. BIYA, her decoration and a short meeting with some political activists. No field visit to the NOSO afflicted regions and no meeting with the political prisoners. 

Mr BIYA unwillingly undertook the Geneva dialogue initiative. Following its announcement, we were surprised by your prompt endorsement of a process that was bound to fail, as this unilateral approach underlined by a divisive rationale is far from the required broad-based, consensual process and undercuts its credibility... your prompt rush to applaud this initiative without ensuring of the fulfillment of the key conditions for its success. 

In consequence, the credibility of the UN Secretary General is questioned. Truly yours, Mauice Kamto Christian Penda Ekoka Political prisoners, Yaounde, Cameroon, 24 September 2019."  We'll have more on this.

Inner City Press as of September 25 is being banned by Guterres and Melissa Fleming from covering the UN General Assembly, presided over by Nigeria's ambassador Tijjani Muhammed-Bande. We'll have more on this.

Inner City Press live tweeted the shameful May UNSC session and uploaded Guterres' envoy Francois Fall's failing statement here.

  More here.

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