| While Cameroon Police Beat
Protester to Death, UN Tells ICP, Wait For
Lonseny Fall Visit, Fail
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive Series
UNITED NATIONS,
May 1 – The spin of the
Francophone Cameroon
government of Paul Biya has
now reached the UN Security
Council, or at least its media
stakeout area. As Inner City
Press asked questions at the
stakeout on April 28, and
telling Morocco's hatchet-man
Ambassador that on
decolonization Inner City
Press errs on the side of the
underdogs, video
here, Cameroon's
Ambassador Tommo Monthe
approached. He handed two
documents to Inner City Press:
a chart of "actions taken by
the Government following
concerns raised by Cameroon
Anglophone teaches and
lawyers," and a press release
mis-spelled "Realease." Inner
City Press has put both online
on Patreon, here.
Then on May 1, Inner City
Press asked the UN's holdover
spokesman Stephane Dujarric,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: I wanted to
ask you a Cameroon
question. Over the most
recent weekend, there was a
guy, Awah Romeo, beaten to
death by the police. And
there’s footage of it.
And I’m just sort of
wondering, what’s the
follow-up of that mission by
François Louncény Fall, he
said he’s coming back at some
other date but…
Spokesman: Right.
He said I think he was coming
back… [inaudible] I think he
was coming back in May, which
is this month, and I have no
doubt his office is following
the situation.
Inner City Press:
Because the Cameroonian
Mission here is now using his
statement as sort of to say
everything is great. I
was handed just now…
Spokesman: That’s… I
mean, I think everybody’s free
to interpret… I think Mr.
Louncény Fall’s statement was
fairly clear in what he felt
the situation was and what he
felt needed to be done.
Tellingly,
behind the "Realease" which
tries to justify the cutting
off the Internet for more than
90 days is the UN's own press
release praising Paul Biya for
belatedly "instructing that
internet service be fully
restored" and urging "avoiding
the use of the Internet to
incite hatred or violence" -
precisely Biya's pretext. To
this has the UN sunk. The day
after Biya government
belatedly restored the
Internet he cut in the two
Anglophone regions of the
country, on April 21 Inner
City Press asked long time
Cameroonian Ambassador to the
UN Tommo Monthe about it.
Monthe, set to chair the UN's
Fifth (Budget) Committee next
year, told Inner City Press
"the scissors are in our
hands... we will cut it" if it
is used not only for so-called
hate speech but for secession
talk of any kind. For
exclusive audio click
here. Now Inner City
Press has published
the 2-page letter demanding
the censorship of TV channel
Afrique Media for saying “it's
a corrupt government” and
“France is controlling many
African countries." Where is
the UN on this? To try to find
out, Inner City Press on April
27 asked UN Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, and about Felix
Agbor-Balla, UN transcript here: Inner
City Press: I wanted to ask
you, in Cameroon, again, the…
the former UN legal adviser in
Afghanistan and MONUC and also
a former employee of the
Special Court in Sierra Leone,
Felix Agbor Balla, is facing
death penalty by military
trial. And I wanted to
know… there are also many of
the other people that were…
were… have faced trial today,
and I wanted to know, is there
any follow-up by the UN system
on the issue?
Spokesman: I will take…
I didn’t see those reports.
Inner City Press: There’s also
a TV station, Afrique Media,
that’s being taken off the
cable networks there for
having had two statements in
English, one that the
Government is corrupt, the
other one that France controls
many countries in
Africa.
[inaudible] Is that a…
does the UN think that that’s
a reason…
Spokesman: I will… I
don’t… I can’t comment on
something I don’t know about.
Like
nearly everything about
Cameroon. They won't say who
is their acting Resident
Coordinator since Antonio
Guterres promoted Najat Rochdi
to Central African Republic;
whoever it is is not speaking
about blatant censorship. Then
again, today's UN itself is
continuing censorship. We'll
have more on this. Monthe said
people should be jailed for
burning the Cameroon flag, and
that it was fine to destroy
the businesses of
entrepreneurs in Southern
Cameroons even if they were
not involved in secession
talk. Cameroon from the top is
against freedom of speech and
press. On April 25, Inner City
Press asked UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres'
holdover spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: in
Cameroon, a journalist, Ahmed
Abba, was yesterday sentenced
to 10 years in jail for
reporting on the Boko Haram
conflict. And many press
freedom groups have expressed
concern. I'm wondering,
does the UN have any
concern? And I wanted… I
guess I'm just asking you
again, who is the Resident
Coordinator in the country?
Spokesman: As soon as
the Resident Coordinator has
been named, that person will…
we'll announce it, and there
will obviously be a press
release. As I've said
before, the UNICEF
representative is the acting
Resident Coordinator.
Inner City Press: Right.
And are you aware of this case
of the person being sentenced
to 10 years?
Spokesman: I've heard
the case. I think any
sentencing of journalists, I
think, is something that is of
concern to us, and we have to
make sure that it is not done
for… in reprisals for anything
that that person may have said
or written.
Which is exactly
what has happened. Last week
Dujarric repeatedly refused to
tell Inner City Press the name
of the acting Resident
Coordinator in Cameroon after
failed Najat Rochdi was
promoted and said to ask
UNICEF, Inner City Press did.
Inner City Press submitted
these questions to two UNICEF
spokespeople on April 20:
"Please state who are UNICEF
is the acting Resident
Coordinator in Cameroon and
what if anything they have
said and done about the 92 day
Internet cut off in two
regions, including to schools,
and on the current doctors
strikes. What is UNICEF's
position on the 92 Internet
cut off in Cameroon, as
impacts children and
otherwise?" UNICEF's Najwa
Mekki, Officer in Charge of
the Media Section, replied
"received, we'll get back to
you as soon as we can." Five
days later, nothing - not even
the name of who's the head of
UNICEF in Cameroon, despite a
second question to Dujarric
(who has declared Press
criticism of the UN's
performance to be harassment,
and threw Inner City Press out
of the Press Briefing Room and
has it still restricted after
14 months). We'll have more on
this. On April 24, Inner City
Press asked UN Dujarric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: what the
head of UNOCA [United Nations
Office in Central Africa], Mr.
[Francois] Loncény Fall, said
about the turning on of the
internet in Cameroon.
Some people found it strange
that it ends with this urging
to avoid using the internet to
incite hatred or violence,
which is exactly the reason
that the Government gave for
turning it off for 94
days. And the Government
seems to have even included…
according to the Permanent
Representative here, to
include any call for
secession, even nonviolent
referendum for secession to be
a call for violence and--
Spokesman: I think we’re
taking things one step at a
time. I think we’re
encouraged that the internet
was restored.
The
UN is a failure. Troublingly,
UN official Francois Lonseny
Fall has not only
overly-praised the Biya
government, but also admonished
that the Internet not be used
to "incite hatred or violence"
- precisely the pretext Biya
used to cut it off. Today's UN
is disgusting - we'll have
more on this.
Meanwhile when Inner City
Press asked UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
about Monthe's comments, the
UN had no response, wouldn't
even after weeks tell Inner
City Press who is in charge of
the UN in Cameroon, following
Guterres' promotion of Najat
Rochdi who said nothing about
the Internet and blocke on
Twitter Inner City Press which
is pursuing the issue. This is
today's UN - and today's
Cameroon. Watch this platform.
Earlier at the April 21 noon
briefing, Inner City Press
asked the UN's holdover
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
about it. UN
transcript here. Inner
City Press: On Cameroon the…
after 94 days, the internet
was turned on in the regions
but the Government has said if
there is any further use of
the Internet for they say is
hate speech, other people say
it’s in opposition to the
Government, so I wanted to
know what is the UN’s comment
on how, going forward, the
right to Internet in those
areas? You also asked me
to ask UNICEF who the resident
acting, resident coordinator
is and I have and they
confirmed receipt but have not
stated it. So I’m
wondering shouldn’t there be
an online site saying who is
in charge of the UN system?
Spokesman: I’m sure they
will get back to you.
You can check with UNDP
(United Nations Development
Program) as well, but I just
don’t have the name in front
of me.
Inner City Press: My
other question, there are many
people who were arrested
during these 94 days who are
still in jail in Yaoundé, and
I’m wondering who in the UN
system is going to follow-up
on ensuring that…
Spokesman: I would refer
you back to Mr. [François]
Louncény Fall and he said he
would be back in Cameroon
This
is UNacceptable and shows why
the UN's shameful silence,
from Resident Coordinator
Najat Rochdi to the UN 38th
floor which promoted her and
won't answer simple questions
from Inner City Press but
prefers to keep it restricted
to minders, may portend badly,
and empower or embolden Biya
to do it again. So too with
the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights:
Prince Zeid and his spokesman
Rupert Colville never answered
the Press on the topic,
choosing late in the process
to send Ahowanou Agbessi and
his deputy, quietly - so as
not to upset Paul Biya? We'll
have more on this.
The UN's shameful
role in Cameroon and
censorship should not be
forgotten. UN Resident
Coordinator to Cameroon Najat
Rochdi never raised the
issues, and on Twitter blocked
Inner City Press which did
raise it. Then UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' spokesman Stephane
Dujarric called Inner City
Press' criticism of the UN's
performance "harassment,"
and banned
Inner City Press from
asking Guterres about the
issue at a rare Guterres
question and answer stakeout
on April 19. Still the
question was asked and asked
again. Now more questions must
be asked. On April 19 when UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres had a rare Q&A
session, with the African
Union's Moussa Faki Mahamat,
Inner City Press went early,
with a UN minder, to stand in
the front and ask about
Cameroon. But Guterres'
holdover spokesman Stephane
Dujarric had pre-arranged
questions, several not on
Africa at all. Inner City
Press waited and then three
times audibly asked, "Cameroon
Internet cut?" Video
here. Guterres looked,
twice, but did not answer. His
Deputy has been asked in
writing about it. She has
headed, for what it's worth,
to the IMF and World Bank
meetings in Washington, with
Guterres to follow on April
20. Meanwhile on April 19 at
the UN noon briefing, their
holdover spokesman Dujarric
dissembled. From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: My next
question has to do with
Cameroon. In Cameroon,
there’s a doctors’ strike,
which has left many, many
people without any health-care
at all. So I wanted to
know if the UN has any
response and also, again, back
to this question, where does
it stand in choosing a new
Resident Coordinator, who
might address these type of
issues?
Spokesman: Replacement
for Resident Coordinators is
an ongoing process. When
one is… has been chosen and
agreed to by the Government,
we’ll announce it, as we do
with every country. In
the meantime, the country team
is headed by, I believe, the
UNICEF representative.
Inner City Press: I
know, and I’ve never… I’ve
gone to their website, and it
doesn’t list who the person
is. So you say reach
them, but it’s not as easy as
you seem to say. I
wanted to know whether you
think that between the
internet still being turned
off and this doctor strike and
the President having been in
power for 35 years and being
out of the country, does the
UN see this as as these issues
as somewhat related, as sort
of a prevention of conflict
issue given…
Spokesman: I think the…
the… as Mr. [François]
Louncény Fall said, he would
encourage both the Government
and the other communities to
engage in a constructive
manner.
The Ban
Ki-moon era of the UN,
culminating in two separate
corruption indictments in the
US District Court for the
South District of NY, seems to
be continuing, along with the
restrictions imposed on Inner
City Press for covering the
corruption cases and their
links to the UN Department of
Public Information and
Dujarric's office and friends.
Most recently, on Cameroon,
the UN's Dujarric
characterized Press criticism
of its officials' cover ups to
be "harassment"
after the Department of Public
Information evicted
and continues
to restrict Inner
City Press, petition
here,
update here.
On April 18 when the US
Mission convened a rare UN
Security Council meeting about
human rights, Inner City Press
asked UK Ambassador Matthew
Rycroft if the UK views the
cut off of the Internet to
millions of people in Cameroon
as a human rights issues. Video here. Rycroft
said he had nothing to add to
what he'd previously told
Inner City Press: that the
situation in the Anglophone
areas is not a threat to peace
and security (although the UN
keeps it under review). So
what would be required, to
make the UK and UNSC take note
of it? And what about France,
whose Francois Delattre also
spoke in front of the Council,
but didn't mention Cameroon?
We'll have more on this- watch
this platform.
On April 17,
Inner City Press asked UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric about threats against
clergy in Cameroon, the
Internet cut and of any
attempt by Guterres to reach
Paul Biya, who has been
president of Cameroon for
decades. UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: on Cameroon
and Louncény Fall, I found his
full quote where he said that
he trusts that the internet
will be gradually or
progressively introduced to
the rest of the country.
I guess I, many people that
were left wondering, is it
acceptable to only have it be
in institutions? What’s
the expectation of the UN in
terms of the timing? And also,
since then, the Catholic
clergy have received these,
these threats of massive
fines. They’ve
distributed on Easter to their
congregants, basically for
taking part in a nonviolent
protest of the treatment of
Anglophones, they face
closure.
Spokesman: I would refer
you to what Mr Louncény Fall
said. I echoed what he
said. Obviously, we
would like to see a return of
the internet as soon as
possible, and that’s the
discussions he’s been having
with the Government.
Inner City Press: Did he
attempt to talk to Paul
Biya? This is a… because
as you… as you may know, Jeune
Afrique and other publications
have said that António
Guterres sought to Paul, to
speak to Paul Biya and was
unable to, and I’m just
wondering [inaudible]…
Spokesman: I’m not
aware, I’m not aware of the
level of, whether or not Mr.
Louncény Fall attempted to
speak to Paul Biya. He
spoke to the highest
authorities he was able to
speak to. You’re free to
contact his office for more
details.
Inner City Press: I’m
asking you about the 38th
floor. Did anyone on the
38th floor, whether
Secretary-General or Deputy
Secretary-General… [inaudible]
Spokesman: I’m not going
to get into details of people
attempting to call one person
or another.
In
early April the Office of the
Spokesperson run by Dujarric
told Inner City Press, we've
heard you questions, if we
have anything to add we'll let
you know. Video
here. Even that was a
lie: UN envoy Lonseny Fall
went again to the country,
with this
purporting to be his
statement, and read-out here.
But what has it come to?
Consider this court
prosecution of clergy,
to try to put an end to
legitimate protest. The UN so
far has issued a weak, late
statement then tried to move
on, calling any criticism
harassment and continuing to
hinder coverage of the UN's
deeds and misdeeds. We'll have
more on this.
On April
13, Inner City Press asked UN
Spokesman Dujarric, video
here, UN transcript here: Inner
City Press: can you confirm
that the Secretary-General
sought to speak with Paul Biya
while he was on an extended
stay in Geneva, as has been
reported?
Spokesman: No, I have no
confirmation of a call having
taken place.
Inner
City
Press:
I mean, I'm not asking
[inaudible]…
Spokesman: I have no
information.
Inner
City
Press:
Okay. And I wanted to
know, people there saying,
even in the wake of the visit
of Louncény Fall, that, for
example, a Supreme Court
Justice, Paul Ayah remains,
was only today, you know,
remanded to remain in
prison. So they're not
seeing much changes. And
I'm wondering, is this
something that… that Mr.
Louncény Fall looked into
while he was there, the
continued detention of
barristers and those who have
advocated for fair treatment
of [inaudible]?
Spokesman: What I just
said is, in fact, that, in his
contacts with the Government,
Mr Louncény Fall advocated for
the release of a number of
Anglophone leaders and
others. So I think
that's clear that's one of the
things he was advocating for.
Inner
City
Press:
And, finally, I wanted to ask
you about the Resident
Coordinator position.
Given that the previous
Resident Coordinator didn't
raise any of the issues that
you've just mentioned while
she was there, is there any
progress on naming a new one…
Spokesman: I don't know
that, and I don't know if you
know that, but okay.
Anyway, next… what's your
question?
Inner
City
Press:
The people that are there say
it, and she also blocked the
press…
Spokesman: I think she
blocks you, but…
Question: Yeah, she
does.
Spokesman: …that's her
right.
Inner
City
Press:
In what capacity does she
block it?
Spokesman: Well, I think
anyone who has seen your
tweets, I think, sometimes
they do cross the line, I
think, into harassment, and
people block you from time to
time.
Inner City Press:
Interesting.
Spokesman: Indeed.
How
trustworthy is today's UN if
they stonewall then withhold
information, while continuing
to block - a la Najat Rochdi -
and restrict the Press which
asks about Cameroon and denial
of the right to information?
On April 12 when there was a
press conference at the UN
about the death penalty, Inner
City Press asked the panelist
from Amnesty International
about the Paul Biya
government's threat of the
death penalty against
Anglophone advocates,
including the UN's own former
legal adviser Felix
Agbar-Balla. The AI speaker
said Inner City Press knew
more about Cameroon, but that
AI is concerned. We hope so -
about the outrageous ongoing
Internet cut as well. Watch
this site.
On April 5, Inner
City Press asked the UN
Spokesperson's Office,
Associate Spokesperson Eri
Kaneko, what if anything the
UN has done about the Internet
cut. Video
here. From the UN's transcript:
Inner City Press:
there are issues in
Cameroon. There are a
number of issues of the
Anglophone areas, but there's
one in particular, which is
now an 80-day cut-off of the
internet to two regions of the
country. So, in the
answers that have been
provided about what [Francois]
Loncény Fall has done, there's
no reference to this pretty
open-and-shut issue. Is
there some way you can either
ask DPA [Department of
Political Affairs] or his
office, like, what's being
done on this? Does the
UN… has the UN in any way
conveyed to the Government of
Cameroon that whatever the
other issues are that turning
off the internet to whole
regions of the country is not
a good idea?
Associate Spokesperson:
We heard your question, and if
we have anything to add
further, we'll let you
know.
Further?
Nothing has been done.
The day
before on April 4, Agnes
Marcaillou, Director of the
United Nations Mine Action
Service, mentioned work in
Cameroon so Inner City Press
asked about it and the
Internet cut. Video
here. She replied that
"we all read Inner City Press"
and for that reason know about
the Internet cut, but her
answer was about Boko Haram.
We'll have more on this.
On March 31,
Inner City Press put a
question about the outrage of
Cameroon saying it will accede
to the UN "electronic
communications" treaty while
denying such communications to
millions of people to UN
Spokesman Farhan Haq, video
here, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press:
Given that the internet has
been turned off to millions of
people for 76 days, I noticed
that the Government says that
it’s going to be depositing a
ratification of something
called a UN convention on the
use of electronic
communications in
international contracts.
And I wanted to know, will the
Secretariat… do they have any
role in… in… in reviewing the
sort of legitimacy of
ratifications or… or… what
would you say about a country
that’s turned off the internet
to its own population
depositing a ratification to
an electronic communications
convention at that time?
Deputy Spokesman: Those
are separate issues.
Regarding treaties, all
treaties are looked at to see
whether the instruments…
whether the treaties are
properly filed as they’re
being deposited.
How could
this one be "properly filed"?
But the UN's strategy has been
to use Cristina "The Evicter"
Gallach to restrict Inner City
Press' access to cover the UN
on such issues, even now that
she has ostensibly
left. We'll have more on
this. Inner City Press also
asked who represents the UN in
Cameroon:
Inner City Press:
I’d sent you a number of
questions about
Cameroon. Now I have
those and something
else. First of all, I
wanted to know, what’s the…
what is the status of having a
resident coordinator in the
country, given that the
internet has been turned off
to two regions in the country
for 76 days?
Deputy Spokesman: Right
now, there is an
officer-in-charge.
There’s no new full-time
resident coordinator, but
there’s an officer-in-charge
there.
Question: Can you say
who that is or which agency it
is?
Deputy Spokesman: I
believe it’s the officer for
UNICEF (United Nations
Children’s Fund) right now.
But when
Inner City Press later on
March 31 visited UNICEF's
Cameroon website to follow up,
the most recent report was
from 2012, and the top two
press releases were about
Nigeria, here.
We'll have more on this, and
on the UN's failing "Resident
Coordinator system." On the
afternoon of Friday, March 31
the UN sent Inner City Press
this, stating that its UNOCA
envoy Francois Lonseny Fall
intends to visit Cameroon in
early April, and other
responses which we immediately
publish in full: "Your
questions on Cameroon: The
United Nations Secretariat
continues to follow closely
the situation in the Republic
of Cameroon through the United
Nations Regional Office for
Central Africa (UNOCA). The
Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR) has been
monitoring the court
proceedings and allegations of
human rights violations. We
are concerned about the trial
of civilians by a military
court. The High Commissioner
for Human Rights has raised
these concerns with the
Government of Cameroon in a
letter dated 24 February
2017. In our various
contacts, we have called on
the authorities to address the
situation in a measured and
peaceful manner, while abiding
by their international human
rights commitments. SRSG Fall
has visited Cameroon several
times to address these issues
and plans to visit Cameroon in
early April, subject to
confirmation of meetings, to
engage with the Government and
reiterate the availability of
the United Nations to support
national efforts to promote an
inclusive dialogue in order to
address the root causes of the
crisis, while respecting the
territorial integrity and
unity of the Republic of
Cameroon. With regard to
the two specific cases cited,
we have confirmed that Robert
Fon was indeed released on
bail on 27 March. We
understand that Mr. Felix
Agbor Nkongho, as his two
co-accused (Fontem Afoteka
Neba and Mancho Bibixy), is
facing trial for various
alleged offences in connection
with the situation in the
Anglophone regions. Their
lawyers requested they be
freed on bail. The court is
reportedly set to examine the
request when the case is taken
up again on 7 April.
Concerning reports of the
closure by the Government of a
TV station in Western region
of Cameroon, we are continuing
our efforts to verify the
allegation."
As
reported on March 30 by Inner
City Press, Cameroon says it
is poised to ratify the UN's
Convention on the Use of
Electronic Communications in
International Contracts,
adopted on November 23, 2005
in New York. How could the UN
accept and deposit such a
ratification? Cameroonian
Minister of Trade, Lucile
Magloire Mbarga Atangana cited
the United Nations Commission
on International Trade Law or
UNCITRAL, one of the entities
routinely meeting in UN
conference rooms with little
notice by the UN-facilitated
media. This must change. When
Cameroon forced refugees back
into Nigeria, the UN rightly
complained. Why not, then, of
Cameroon's now more than
70-day Internet cut-off in its
Anglophone areas, leading to
the creation of an "Internet
refugee camp" in Bonako?
Meanwhile French firms
continue pursuing money under
Paul Biya, including Sofema
selling a patrol boat to
Biya's navy, and Tessi
ironically moving in the
"digitization" market in
Francophone Cameroon. The UN
on March 28 answered others of
Inner City Press' questions,
but not the one about former
UN legal adviser Felix Agbor
Balla. The UN is being asked
today again about Agbor Balla,
and about the arrested lawyer
Robert
Fon, former
President of Northwest Common
Law Lawyers’ Association,
arrested and transferred to
Yaounde. On March 29 Inner
City Press asked the UN:
"Because UNanswered, asking
again: In Cameroon, former UN
legal adviser (in UNAMA and
elsewhere) Felix Agbor Balla
now, according to a UK-based
barristers' organization,
faces a military trial with
the death penalty on the table
for speaking out about
conditions in the country's
Anglophone areas, where the
Internet has been cut for 71
days and counting.
Particularly given
Agbor-Balla's former position
as a UN legal expert, what is
not only the UN's comment, but
what is the UN doing to
attempt to ensure he receives
due process? Also, what about
the arrest of human rights
lawyer Robert Fon and his
transfer to Yaounde?" But
while the UN responded to
other questions from Inner
City Press, nothing on this
one. Nothing.
With former UN
legal adviser Felix
Agbor-Balla in Cameroon facing
a military trial with the
death penalty on the table, a
UK-based legal group has
written to Cameroonian
president Paul Biya (here)
while his former employer the
UN has done... nothing.
Inner City Press will be
asking the UN yet
again, while also
seeking action and responses
from others. With the UN's
response to weeks of questions
about repression and Internet
cut off in Cameroon from Inner
City Press being two ambiguous
statements about the work of
its Francois Lonseny Fall, on
the morning of March 27 Inner
City Press asked the UN's
three top spokespeople: "In
Cameroon, on which you've said
the UN's Lonseny Fall is
working, now the government
has acted against TV station
CRTV reporting on unrest in
Western Cameroon. What is your
comment, and what is Lonseny
Fall or anyone else in the UN
system doing about it? As
asked before, what is the
status of naming the next
Resident Coordinator, and
confirm if Najat Rochdi has
begun at Deputy SRSG post in
CAR." At the day's UN
noon briefing, sans
UN-restricted Inner City
Press, spokesperson Farhan Haq
faced only two questions.
Afterward his Office sent
Inner City Press this, which
we publish in full: "Regarding
the question you asked about
Cameroon, the United Nations
Regional Office for Central
Africa (UNOCA), and the UN
Country Team in Cameroon
continue to follow events in
the country. Concerning
reports of the closure by the
Government of a TV station in
Western region of Cameroon,
our colleagues are looking
into the allegations. We
remain concerned about reports
of pressure being placed on
press organs in Cameroon that
are working on the situation
in the Anglophone Regions,
including reports of arrests
and even alleged disappearance
of journalists."
Cameroon
Anglophone human rights
defenders set for show trials
on March 23 ran into a new
trick: the government trying
to join the cases of 25 more
defendants with theirs. From
collective punishment to
collective trials. The ruling
on that will now be on April
7. Tellingly, Voice of
America's story
didn't even mention the
Internet cut-off for more than
60 days in Anglophone
Cameroon, not that defendant
Felix Agbor Balla was a UN
legal adviser, for whom
today's UN does nothing. VOA
and the UN: birds
of a feather.
While the UN first stonewalled
then issued misleading
statements about Cameroon,
where the Internet has been
cut off by the government in
the Northwest and Southwest
(Anglophone) regions for more
than 60 days and counting,
Inner City Press March 21,
Inner City Press asked the
UN's deputy spokesman Farhan
Haq about the summons against
Akere Muna, the lawyer for a
former UN legal adviser,
Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla.
UN's March 21 Transcript
here and below. On March
22, Inner City Press asked the
UN about the underlying
detention of Agbor-Balla. Video
here; UN
transcript here:
Inner City
Press: I wanted to ask
you a Cameroon question.
I'd asked you yesterday about
this lawyer that's been
summoned in, and there's
growing outrage about
that. But, actually,
he's the lawyer for a person
that used to be a UN legal
adviser in UNAMA [United
Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan] named Felix Agbor
Balla. He's a lawyer
that worked for the UN and now
has been detained for
months. Several US
Congresspeople have, in fact,
raised the issue. And
I'm just wondering, one,
particularly in the case of a
former UN staff locked up
seemingly without any type of
due process, locked up only
for advocacy, is there any UN
role in these cases in
actually looking into this
individual case of a… of a
former UN legal adviser now
under detention in Yaoundé?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
we would certainly expect that
due process is followed.
We want to make sure that…
especially that human rights
defenders are not being
prosecuted unfairly and those
would be key concerns.
Agbor-Balla's continued
detention has triggered
protest from, as it happens,
the US state of Indiana, where
Congress members of both
parties have spoken out:
Democrat André Carson and
Republican Jackie Walorski.
But the UN, after two weeks of
Press questions, offered only
a statement by its Francois
Lonseny Fall, largely covering
up for the government of Paul
Biya, in power for 32 years.
What good is the UN? The
question is becoming louder:
watch this site.
Back
on March 17, lead UN Spokesman
Stephane Dujarric had returned
with an answer: "in response
to the situation in the
Anglophone regions of
Cameroon, the UN Special
Representative of the
Secretary-General and Head of
the UN Regional Office for
Central Africa (UNOCA), Mr.
François Louncény Fall,
carried out a number of visits
to the country to discuss with
the concerned parties the
situation on the ground.
His office has also carried
out a number of working-level
visits. Mr. Fall will
continue efforts to engage
with all relevant parties and
to monitor the situation in
close cooperation with the
Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR).We firmly
believe that the grievances
expressed by the Anglophone
regions can only be addressed
through an inclusive
dialogue. In that
regard, we note that, on 15
March, the President of
Cameroon appointed the
president and 13
representatives to the
National Commission for the
promotion of Bilingualism and
Multiculturalism, the body
tasked to engage in dialogue
with the Anglophone community
of Cameroon."
But "all
relevant parties" does not
appear to include France,
whose UN Ambassador Francois
Delattre told Inner City Press
earlier on March 17 he was
unaware of the issue.
In front
of the UN Security Council on
March 17 Inner City Press
asked France's Ambassador to
the UN Francois Delattre about
his counterpart in Yaounde,
Gilles Thibault, earlier this
month congratulating
32-year President Paul Biya
for how he's dealing with the
areas. Delattre replied that
he was unaware but would look
into it. Video
here.
Back on
March 14 Inner City Press
asked the US State Department:
"Back on November 28, 2016,
the Department issued a
statement of 'concern[] over
recent Cameroonian government
actions to restrict free
expression.' Since then, the
government has cut off the
Internet in the two regions,
also known as the Anglophone
areas, has arrested
journalists and most schools
remain closed. Is the US State
Department concerned about
these developments and if so,
what if anything has it done
about them?"
On March
15, a US State Department
official answered Inner City
Press: "We have discussed this
issue with the Government of
Cameroon both before and after
our statement of
concern. We don’t go
into the details of our
diplomatic conversations, but
we engage regularly with the
government on this and other
issues as part of our normal
bilateral relations." We hope
to have more on this.
On March
9, Inner City Press asked both
the International Monetary
Fund and the UN Security
Council's president about the
crisis in Cameroon's
Anglophone areas and heard
that while the IMF
acknowledges the financial
risk, the Security Council
does not see it as a threat to
international peace and
security. But the UN's
Resident Coordinator Najat
Rochdi has said nothing about
the crisis, and blocks
on Twitter the Press
which asks about it. Is the UN
system failing, in its new
Secretary General's promise of
increased preventative
diplomacy?
When the
IMF's spokesperson Gerry Rice
took questions on March 9,
Inner City Press asked about
Cameroon, specifically the
crackdown in the northwest and
southwest of the country.
Inner City Press asked, "On
Cameroon, after the mission
led by Corinne Delechat, what
is the status of talks for a
program, and since the IMF
cited “civil unrest in the
neighboring Central African
Republic,” please state the
IMF's awareness of civil
unrest and arrests in
Northwest and Southwest
Cameroon, also known as the
Anglophone areas, and their
impact." Rice read out the
question and then said, among
other things, that the risk
factors for 2017 include a
continuation of the "social
and political events" in the
"so-called Anglophone" areas
of Cameroon. Interim
video here. On IMF
site, here,
from 34:56. IMF
transcript below.
But a few
hours later when Inner City
Press asked the month's UN
Security Council president
Matthew Rycroft of the UK, who
had just been in Cameroon,
about the crisis, he said it
is not a threat to
international peace and
security. From the UK
transcript:
Inner City Press:
In Cameroon there’s an issue
that has been existing since
November in Anglophone areas
which have no internet for 52
days, there’s been teachers
arrested, no schools. So I’m
wondering as one Council
member said, it did somehow
come up in meetings, but was
the issue raised at all, and
what response was given by the
government to this ongoing cut
off of internet and abuse in
this area?
Amb Rycroft: It came up
informally in our contacts
with members of the Government
of Cameron but as far as I
recall it did not come up in
any formal meeting, and I
think that makes sense because
we were going there to look at
the threat to international
peace and security, and Boko
Haram, and related issues, but
in private, informal
discussions with ministers in
the Government of Cameroon it
came up and they gave us the
benefit of their perspective
on the issue.
Inner City Press: Is there any
Security Council role that can
be played in trying to
preventively deal with this
issue?
Amb Rycroft: I don’t think
it’s an issue on our agenda
per se, we keep our eye on our
radar across the world, but we
have to make a judgement about
whether something is a threat
to international peace and
security, and at the moment, I
think our judgement would be
that issue is an issue that is
confined within Cameroon
without international aspects.
But the UN
Resident Coordinator does
nothing about it, says
nothing, blocks the Press.
We
raise
the question:
how are UN
Resident
Coordinators
selected?
Inner City
Press reported
on Ban
Ki-moon's son
in law
Siddharth
Chatterjee
getting
multiple
promotion
under Ban,
including
being named UN
Resident
Coordinator in
Kenya by Ban
himself.
(Inner City
Press was evicted
by Ban's UN,
and remains
restricted
under Ban's
successor).
But shouldn't
Anglophone
Cameroonians
have some
input into the
UN's next
Resident
Coordinator in
their country?
This is a
project for
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
@FUNCA_info.
Watch these
sites and
feeds.
From the IMF's
March 9 transcript:
"There is a
question of Cameroon, from
Matthew Lee, "After the
Mission what is the status of
talks for a program; and since
the IMF cited civil unrest in
the neighboring Central
African Republic, please state
the IMF's awareness of civil
unrest and arrests in
Northwest and Southwest
Cameroon? And also known as
the Anglophone areas, and
their impact?"
So, the background here is, I
think important the context.
So, the Fund's engagement here
in the CEMAC Region, CEMAC is
the six Central African
Economic nations that comprise
the Central African Economic
and monetary community. They
met in Yaoundé on December
23rd. The Managing Director
was there. And in that
meeting, heads of state
discussed the economic
situation, the severe shocks
that have hit that CEMAC
region in recent years,
including the sharp decline in
oil prices, and decided to act
collectively and in a
concerted manner. And the
heads of state requested the
assistance of the IMF to
design economic reforms needed
to reestablish macroeconomic
stability in each country and
in the region as a whole.
So, again, context: I can tell
you that the funders already
sent missions to Gabon,
Republic of Congo. And a
reminder to you, that we
already have programs with
Central African Republic and
Chad. Okay?
Now, we also have sent a
mission to Cameroon, which is
the question. And we did issue
a press statement, which the
question referred to, just on
Tuesday. That was the Corrine
Delechat reference.
So, the specific question, to
turn to that. We are indeed
aware of the events in the
so-called Anglophone regions
of Cameroon. The macroeconomic
impact of any event that could
affect production and/or
consumption, is typically felt
with a certain lag. So, these
events started in November
last year, and thus are likely
to have not had a significant
impact on production in 2016.
For 2017, the risks to our
growth outlook include a
combination of external and
domestic factors, including
continuation of the
sociopolitical events in the
northwest and southwest
regions of Cameroon. And as
our press release the other
day indicated, our view is
that the medium-term outlook
for the Cameroonian economy
remains positive, subject to
the implementation of
appropriate policies."
We'll have more
on this. Watch this site.
***
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