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Cameroon «Operational Command» |
HUMAN RIGHTS
Reactions from all over the place are now being felt in Cameroon,
because
of the on-going extrajudicial executions and mysterious disappearances,
including those of nine young men from Bépanda.
So much so, that President
Paul Biya is now having to do something about it
On 20 February 2000, President Biya issued an Order in Council, setting up the «Operational Command» (OC) to cleanse the coastal city of Douala from serious crime. The President probably knew he was letting loose a hornets’ nest. «Operation Black Scorpion», the quasi-official name for the OC‘s activities, replaced the «Spider I» and «Spider II» operations both of which were previous attempts to stamp out Douala’s crimewave. The OC had as its terms of reference, to coordinate all security activities in the Coastal Province. General Mpay was placed in charge, but kept his job as commander of the second military district. To do the job, the General was provided with the necessary uniformed personnel, adequate material and a budget of three billion CFA francs.
First results were soon in evidence. Twelve gangsters were «removed from the scene» in a blaze of publicity. Weapons and ammunition were seized. But soon, the soldiers went overboard with their «security» activities, and summary «mistakes» and executions became the order of the day. One such incident took place on 6 April 2000 at Douala’s international airport. Ebanda Emmanuel was killed following a dispute with uniformed men, who later reported that he’d killed himself by hitting his head on the macadam. On 27 April 2000, Miss Cécile Ngono was shot while travelling in a taxi. According to the soldiers, the driver failed to stop at a checkpoint.
The mass grave in the Bois des Singes
What looked like a mass grave was discovered in the Bois des Singes cemetery, behind the Douala hospital. This caused an outcry. Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, Minister of Transport, denied remarks made by the BBC‘s local correspondent who used the words «mass grave». According to the minister, these bodies have nothing to do with the OC. «They’re bodies picked up off the streets, taken to the Laquintini Hospital and then buried».
All the while, people were becoming increasingly concerned about the way things were turning. On 16 June 2000, Cardinal Christian Tumi (a thorn in the side of the government for many years) set the tone. He wasn’t afraid to tackle the Coastal Province’s governor about the OC‘s carryings-ons. He wrote: «There have been many reports of torture, serious bodily injuries inflicted and murders. There’s been far too many innocent victims, or perhaps people who are guilty but who’ve been punished without any due process of law. Far too many families haven’t been able to find the bodies of their murdered sons. More than 500 people, men women, young boys and girls, have been executed».
Cardinal Tumi has been accused of supporting the mobsters. On 20 August 2000 he’d written another letter, but this time to the villains: «Just to tell them in what I support them and in what I do not support them. I’m certainly not saying that we should let thieves get off scott free if in fact they’re guilty. The Catholic Church has special reasons for not succouring thieves: in recent months, priests, Religious and missionaries have all fallen victim to their nefarious deeds. But they should be given their day in court and receive a fair trial».
The «Bépanda Nine»
The OC has been increasingly condemned since the case of the nine young men who have been missing since February came into the open. The nine are: Marc Etaha, Frederic Ngouffa, Chatry Rutty, Eric Chila, Jean Roger Chiwan, Kouatou Charles, Shit Effician, Kouatou Elysium, Kuaté Fabrice. On 23 February 2001, they were arrested on suspicion of stealing a gas canister. They were transferred to an OC detention centre in Bonanjo-Douala. On 26 and 27 February, they were visited by members of their families. They were then taken to an unknown destination. Every effort has been made to find out where they are, but in vain. Amnesty International has expressed concern over their fate. Then, Ivan Tossevski, chairman of the working group of the United Nations Human Rights Commission took the matter up with the Cameroon government. He wrote: «The working group wishes to draw the attention of the Cameroon government to the basic principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the international instruments concerning the right to life and security, especially for people in detention or in custody». The working group expressed hope that in-depth investigations would be undertaken to shed light on the situation of the missing young men as well as on the place where they are being held.
A human rights group, Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture (CAAT), says that the «Bépanda Nine» are only a fraction of those who have fallen victim to the OC‘s machinations between February 2000 and February 2001. CAAT regrets that all the international attention has been given to these nine young people, whereas CAAT has proof that the OC is responsible for the deaths of more than a thousand people in the last twelve months. CAAT can supply details concerning the methods and places of execution, and affirms that these executions are of the same arbitrary and extrajudicial kind. CAAT calls on the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Commission, and other international human rights organizations to urgently send an international team of inquiry to Cameroon, in order to give a progress report on the facts, and to induce the Cameroon government to render justice to the victims.
The Social Democratic Front (SDF) is the main political opposition group in Parliament. The SDF‘s party chairman, Mbah Ndam Joseph Njang, has tabled a resolution to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the disappearances in Douala. He says: «It’s a serious moment. We must do everything possible to put an end to these death squads which terrorise our cities».
President Paul Biya has now been forced to take positive action. By an Order in Council, he’s set up a Commission of Inquiry into the case of the nine Cameroonians kidnapped in Bépanda by the army. Other reactions come from people such as the SDF‘s leader, Mbah Ndam. He says: «The fact that the Head of State has set up an in-depth Commission of Inquiry, is proof that the killings really took place. We are calling for a protest march against the OC to take place in Douala in April 2001».
Albert Dzongang is a former Member of Parliament for the Democratic Rally of the Cameroonian People (the present government). He suggests: «CAAT had started to draw up a comprehensive list of the OC‘s victims — let’s complete CAAT‘s work by establishing an independent commission which will take this in hand». Many people are hoping that the in-depth Commission of Inquiry’s findings will be made public —in sharp contrast to other investigations whose conclusions have always been kept hidden from the people of Cameroon.
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