In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UNITED NATIONS GATE, July 23 –After Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 37 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 French spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who put up then took down a podcast in which he brags about his "mutually assured destruction" relationship with journalists, here.

  On July 22 Inner City Press was provided from Yaounde with video a protest in prison by people illegally detained. Inner City Press asked Guterres, his deputy Amina J. Mohammed, his vacationing (in France) spokesman Stephane Dujarric and his deputy Farhan Haq: "July 22-3: On Cameroon, after the SG took Biya's golden statue and UN Budget Committee favors, what are the comments and actions if any from him and separately DSG Amina J. Mohammed on the protests today by those Ambazonians illegally detained in Kondengui Central Prison?"

  While Haq's dying noon briefing lasted only until 12:14 pm he did not answer this or any other written question from Inner City Press, which published the video here. 

 With the UN still not having responded on the morning of July 23, the current management's mis-use of the SDGs to hide their incompetence, corruption and collusion with dictators is exemplified by this piece of Biya propaganda, straight from the Guterres and Amina J. Mohammed (rosewood) playbook: "Minister Alamine presented the country's situation at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2019) in New York, July 18, 2019.  The Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey has presented the country's first Voluntary National Review (VNR) in the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Minister made the presentation on Thursday July 18, 2019, during a side event at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2019) in New York, United States of America.SDGs4, 8, 10, 13, 16, and 17 were under review at HLPF 2019. As concerns education (SDG 4), Minister Alamine said there was an increase in student enrolment and significant progress in access, expansion, and reduction of disparities. Minister Alamine explained that the completion rates of students at first cycle of the secondary level has improved from 53.2 per cent in 2015 to 80 per cent in 2018. The Economy Minister noted that as concerns decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Cameroon has registered a stable economic growth, over the period 2016-2018, with an average economic growth of 4 per cent per year. The Minister disclosed that the government is working to achieve the 7 per cent economic growth rate required to meet the SDGs. Reducing inequalities (SDG 10) remains a major challenge for Cameroon due to security instability, according to Minister Alamine. But the enhancement of the social safety nets project, to ameliorate the living conditions of the most poor and vulnerable populations, is in view. On climate action (SDG 13), peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16) and partnerships (SDG 17), the Minister noted that Cameroon is making great strides."

  Yeah - great strides in killing people and trying to censor any reporting or even questions about it.

  We published this, from the protesters' petition: "We call on USA to bypass the United Nations who have preferred to feed victims of the crisis rather than stop the war and restore normalcy."

 Yes, the call is to bypass the UN of Guterres, who has shown himself entirely corrupt, and a censor. #DumpGuterres.

  After Guterres on June 28 tried to erase his failure and failure of credibility on Cameroon by embracing an attempt to mediate by Switzerland, in Geneva Swiss police used tear gas against protesters of Biya's corruption, right in front of the UN. Given Guterres' track records, perhaps it was this that he was welcoming.

Then even the Swiss police arrested for roughing up a journalist six of Biya's guards - in the way the NYPD has yet to act on Guterres' abusive guards Ronald E. Robbins, who roughed up Inner City Press after it questioned Cameroon's ambassador here, and others who didn't give their names, here. 

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

  More here.

***

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Past (and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2019 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for