The struggle for the independence of Southern Cameroon is far from over.  Many battles have been lost but the war continues. La République du Cameroun has done its best to subdue the voices of Southern Cameroonians. Despite a strong case which southern Cameroon presents, La Republique has made it their mission to stop anyone who advocates for the independence of southern Cameroon. SCNC activists are either threatened, conveniently ruined, incarcerated or killed while the government of La Republique (the persecutors), profit from the natural resources located in Southern Cameroon.

Southern Cameroon is a very rich country in natural and mineral resources such as cocoa, coffee, tea, bananas, timber and crude oil in Limbe and Bakassi. This is well above the resources (both natural and mineral) found in La Republique du Cameroun which is almost “barren” due to its inadequate, insufficient or lack of a robust deposit of natural resources. These natural  resources from Southern Cameroon are being exploited by La Republique –  the revenue been generated from the natural resources ends in the private pockets of some government officials, e.g., the revenue from the sales of crude oil is not accounted for in the state budget. These facts show how deep La Republique has dug its claws into Southern Cameroon, trying their best to suck it dry. I ask myself how easy Southern Cameroon’s struggle for independence would have been had it not been but for the availability of large deposits of these resources. I am certain, beyond any reasonable doubt that, it wouldn’t have not been easier but smoother and quicker!

Another major issue with the whole La Republique saga is the constitution. The constitution of Cameroon clearly states French and English are the official languages. Both languages are constitutionally equal, yet laws are not translated from French to English, they are enacted in both languages but as known by most Cameroonians this doesn’t happen in practice. This gives rise to problems such as two different judicial systems and/or a mistranslated, misinterpreted and a weakened judicial system with a myriad of loopholes. The most shocking of which is the fact that the Penal Code expressly says in the event of any ambiguity between the French and English versions, the French one prevails, implying that the French judicial system prevails over the English. SCNC activists caught advocating for the struggle for Southern Cameroon are tried in the French judicial system for an English problem and sent to jail in the capital of La Republique. The new Penal Code states that members of the government will have automatic immunity from any crime. It goes on to say that if any court tries to prosecute them, the judge faces a period of 1 to 5 years in prison. This represents another win for La Republique over Southern Cameroon as government officials could get away with the embezzlement of public funds (http://www.cameroonpostline.com/should-jailed-corrupt-officials-be-given-vip-treatment/) and the murder of activists advocating for the struggle for independence of Southern Cameroon. This is a systematic way in which La Republique deals with its enemies, the greatest of which is Southern Cameroon.




La Republique has always cunningly brought to ruins any establishment that creates jobs, provide income and some sort of stability to Southern Cameroon. The closing of the Marketing Board, the Cameroon G.C.E Board and the University of Buea, and lately the annexation of the C.D.C headquarters (Cameroon Development Corporation) which was located in Limbe and is now almost facing relocation to La Republique (Yaoundé), does not only take away these jobs from Southern Cameroon but goes a long way to under-develop the region, especially as labour in this case is extremely immobile (http://www.cameroonjournal.com/national-news/cdc-head-office-leaving-southwest-for-yaounde-permanently/). This is just an apparent indication of the strategies been implemented by La Republique to cripple Southern Cameroon.

Guess the million dollar question now is this:  How can this big dream of independence for Southern Cameroonians become a reality? Naturally, Southern Cameroon has every advantage it will ever need. By the fact that various natural resources are found there, geographically this cannot be changed. The headquarters of the CDC can be moved but the plantation cannot, these plantations cannot do well in La Republique due to the absence of the rich volcanic soil and heavy rainfall that is found in Southern Cameroon. This is a major setback for La Republique simply because it has to maintain the annexation of Southern Cameroon in order to continue the exploitation of crude oil in Limbe and Bakassi in particular. What can we do to get rid of this virus and greed eating Southern Cameroon to death? All options are open. One option is to join with the people of the Biafran state to fight for the independence of both Southern Cameroonian and of the Biafra people. The Biafra’s our neighbours who are also struggling for independence on the other side of the border, have a lot in common with Southern Cameroon. We both were once colonised by the British with English language and broken English (pidgin English) widely spoken in these areas. Coming together brings new ideas and takes our struggle to the next level with new momentum been built which no government can ignore.

Nevertheless, peace is of the essence in such a time as these and I will always wish all of this can be done peacefully. We know that many lives have been lost and lives will still be lost but we can’t just give up. Coming together will send a strong message to the governments of La Republique, Nigeria and the world whilst highlighting to the lack of democracy in Africa. This will be a huge leap towards independence and might just be the breakthrough or freedom that the people most earnestly seek and crave for. Another very important tool that has not been fully exploited is the social media. I have been tweeting the President of La Republique, making my voice heard by writing to him on his Facebook page. This might seem very small but don’t underestimate Mr Biya’s  followers on Facebook and twitter who are other heads of states, heads of renowned international organisations and other prominent world figures. Just think for a moment what could be the reaction of Mr Biya if Mr Biya receives millions of tweets a day about Southern Cameroon that will be some serious pressure to bring about the long awaited change. As is the case with most if not all of the things concerning anyone who tries to lawfully question the government of La Republique, there are possibilities of huge consequences and jail time for anyone who would use social media in anyway to speak against the regime of Mr Biya (http://cameroon-concord.com/editorial/item/6377-cameroon-s-new-penal-code-could-drag-social-media-users-to-courts). However, this should not stop us nor make us to become complacent but join in such activities to rescue our beloved country from La Republique. As the saying goes, “resting on our laurels is a synonym for flirting with disaster”. Follow me on twitter to see my latest tweets to Mr Biya. Pride Mbi Agbor@pridoloko

 

By Pride Mbi Agbor.