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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 24 –After Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years on January 28 had his opponent Maurice Kamto arrested, Inner City Press again asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his spokesmen for their comment and action, if any. This came after Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on 3 July 2018 after it interviewed Biya's Ambassador about the two men's Budget Committee deals and banned from the UN since - Guterres even tried to get Inner City Press banned from the Park East Synagogue, here, which was denied / dodged by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, now on leave with no answers who is paying for Big Tony's travel. (Dujarric before leaving gave a troubling interview that has tried to be disappeared from the internet, but see here.) Meanwhile Guterres' deputy disarmament chief is propping up Biya by, when visiting Yaounde, talking not about Biya's army killing civilians but about the resulting fight back with informal and old weapons: "The United Nations Assistant Director in charge of disarmament, Ivor Richard Fung was received in audience on March 21 by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute with exchanges focusing on the respect by Cameroon of the Yaounde Declaration on the control of the circulation of light weapons in Africa. The desire to control the movement of these illicit weapons that cause violence, instability and socio political destabilization, let to the first conference of the Kinshasa convention in 2017, where Cameroon was designated to lead other African member States.  Cameroon since then, has been called upon to manage, lead and organize any conference that could have a link with illicit weapons.  As such, Dr Ivor Richard Fung and his host discussed on ways Cameroon could effectively carry out her mission of controlling the movement of small and light weapons in the sub-region." Imagine if the UN said this in Syria, or Venezuela.  Guterres' envoy Mohammed Ibn Chambas is ghoulishly lavishing praise on Cameroon and Amina J. Mohammed's Nigeria, which illegally refouled 47 to Cameroon, and on himself for what he called “remarkable progress” in demarcating the disputed Cameroon-Nigeria maritime border over the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula.  Obeying international law on non-refoulement? Not so much. But Big Tony doesn't care about that, quite the contrary. Chambas gushed, “The UN is doing everything it can to continue to make progress,” in Yaounde, after briefing Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.  “We have not allowed anything to stand in its way. In spite of the rough terrain and security challenges, the work continues,” Chambas added.  Chambas, also chairman of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC), continued: “The work that is left is something that can be managed as long as the good faith between the two sides remains." Like illegally sending back Ayuk Tabe and 46 others, while Amina J. Mohammed and Antonio "Golden Statue" Guterres say nothing. Inner City Press on the morning of March 15 asked  Guterres and Dujarric this: "On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that 26 people who were arrested in Cameroon in January during protests called by opposition leader Maurice Kamto have been given one-year jail terms for “illegal gathering and demonstration” or just planning to take part in a non-political demonstration? What does the UN say about the reported murder of civilians by Biya's forces yesterday in Sop and Melim?" This comes as, even for a press freedom even in the UN Inner City Press was invited to and had a ticket for, Guterres' guards physically pushed Inner City Press out of the UN on March 14 and refuses to show the "barred" list they promised to show. Birds of a feather, flock together: Guterres and Biya. On March 8, when the UN was bragging about International Women's Day while refusing for example to answer Press questions about the rapes by Cameroonian "peacekeepers" in CAR, Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Amina J. Mohammed, Alison Smale and Stephane Dujarric: "March 8-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the holding over of barrister Michele Ndoki, whom the government previously shot, on charges like Maurice Kamto of 'rebellion'?" More than a day, no answer at all. The impact of the golden statue and UN Budget Committee favors continues - #DumpGuterres. On March 1 after the Nigerian federal high court sitting in Abuja declared illegal and unconstitutional the deportation of Ayuk Tabe and 46 others from Nigeria to Cameroon in January 2018, Dujarric who refuses questions from Inner City Press he has banned took a fake question from one of his favorites, who said "Anglophones did some shooting" - and said NOTHING about the new ruling. The refoulement took place with Guterres' Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed there, and joining in censorship since. We'll have more on this, and this:  Azanwuli Chikere, a member of the panel which heard the case, said the Nigeria federal government lacks the power to deport refugees and asylum seekers from Nigeria. Ruling on an application filed by Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, the court awarded N5 million damages to each of the applicant and also ordered the government to ensure the Cameroonians are brought back to Nigeria.  Among those deported were Julius Tabe, Nfor Nfor, Fidelis Che, Henry Kimeng, Awasum, Cornelius Kwanga, Tassang Wilfred, Eyambe Elias, Ojong Okongho and Nalowa Bih. Amid Guterres' shameful silence, in Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto on February 27 argued he cannot be tried in a military court - the UN seems fine with this - while supporters were held over in Kondengui prison until at least March 19. Meanwhile Guterres' UN system and affiliates, in a system that like a fish rots from the head, lavish praise and money on Paul Biya as he burns villages and takes untold money to his hotel in Geneva. It has gone beyond the money the Secretariat is raising for Biya - now the World Bank is shoveling in money for a dubious dam project: "The Cameroonian President authorized last February 22 the economy minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, to sign a loan agreement with World Bank’s subsidiary, the International Development Association (IDA), for an amount of €24.5 million, or XAF16.3 billion." How much will go for Biya's hotel bills in Geneva, paid in cash? The UN World Health Program's Matshidiso Moeti praised Biya on, if it can be believed, health while Biya is in fact killing people. Shesaid she "was touched when the Minister of State 'told me that when we train health personnel we need to tell them not only to be efficient and knowledgeable but also to treat members of the public with kindness and compassion.'" Paul Biya and compassion? That's like Antonio Guterres false claim to care about and comply with freedom of the press. Doctor, heal thyself.

  More here.

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