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Cameroon |
HUMAN RIGHTS
The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH)
accuses the
Cameroon government of violating human rights
The FIDH published a report entitled: «Cameroon: sick with fear and legs like lead», which sets out the atrocities carried out by the Operational Command (CO), a special unit of the armed forces established to fight against organised crime in Douala. It sets out the human rights position in Cameroon in all its various aspects, deplores the silence of the Yaoundé authorities, sounds off about the lack of proper reaction from the international community to the instances of torture and summary execution going on in Cameroon, appeals to human rights organisations to force the Cameroon authorities to end the violence by the forces of law and order, and agrees to the setting up of an independent commission of inquiry to shed light on all the atrocities committed by the Operational Command.
The FIDH report was the result of almost a year of investigations, culminating in an inquiry carried out in Douala in Cameroon from 9-13 June 2001 by Jean Pierre Getti, a magistrate from the Paris judiciary. With cooperation from the local branch of Christian Action for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), the FIDH described the inhuman detention conditions existing in the CO detention centres, and states that it has compiled a register of 154 victims and 12 common graves in which the mortal remains of people who have been summarily executed were buried.
Applying sanctions
In the absence of sanctions by the international community to deal with this worrying situation, the FIDH considers that the human rights situation in Cameroon can only deteriorate. It therefore suggests setting up, along with other international human rights organisations, an independent commission of inquiry that can visit Cameroon and carry out a thorough investigation, so that concrete, tangible measures can be implemented to end torture in Cameroon. The FIDH also asks international or regional institutions to study the Cameroon situation with the greatest care, and in particular it asks the UN to continue its investigations into the human rights situation.
The FIDH also asks for special investigators to go to Cameroon to probe the atrocities committed by the CO and other bodies set up to fight against organised crime. It asks the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to consider the worrying human rights situation in Cameroon, before continuing to give aid which would benefit the country’s leaders. The purpose of the strategy would be to force Cameroon to give concrete indications of its will to set up a properly constituted state, and to endeavour to apply sanctions before benefiting from the support of the international community. The FIDH makes the same request of bilateral fund providers, France in particular.
Informed observers of the Cameroon scene, however, are sceptical of the success of such an initiative. When considering the complaisance of the international community towards African leaders, and the vested personal interest involved, there is reason to fear that the FIDH‘s action may only be wasted effort. As an example, in May 1999, a special investigator from the United Nations carried out an inquiry in Cameroon on human rights and the repression of organised crime. None of the 12 recommendations proposed was implemented.
Widespread insecurity
The Operational Command, responsible for the general outcry from the international community against Cameroon, was formed on 20 February 2000 by President Paul Biya as a response to criminals terrorising the town of Douala. The statistics given by the police chief, Pierre Minlo Medjo, show that in Douala and Yaoundé, a hold-up took place every 80 minutes. The criminals involved attacked anyone and everyone, ordinary people, diplomats, government officials and the military. In the face of such widespread insecurity, the President formed this special unit of the armed forces to restore order in Douala. In a few months, the army succeeded in cleansing the financial capital of its criminals, to the great satisfaction of the inhabitants.
Very quickly however, stray groups from the CO deviated from the original purpose, to become the scourge of the people they were set up to protect: Arbitrary arrests, torture, summary execution, kidnapping, ransom, abuses of authority, or the arrest and detention of citizens, all under the cover of the fight against organised crime. The last straw was the case of 9 young men arrested in Bepanda, a working-class district of Douala, and summarily executed. This case which made public the flagrant breaches of human rights in Cameroon, proved to one and all, the scandalous level of the abuses of authority, of which those in charge are guilty, and for which they appear to go unpunished.
The Cameroon government is now paying for its laxity and carelessness, decried by national civil society leaders for a long time. The ACAT which has worked with the FIDH on the report, carried out its own investigations and believes that more than 1,000 people have been summarily executed, arrested, tortured or disappeared under the CO. This is the doubtful distinction that now makes Cameroon the target of human rights organisations.
The Catholic Church steps into the breach
Faced with this situation, the Catholic Church in Cameroon has not been idle. It has spoken out to the authorities, declaring its utter disapproval of CO crimes. In a letter sent to the Governor of the Littoral Province on the 16 June 2000, the Archbishop of Douala, Cardinal Christian Tumi, warned: «Extra-judicial executions are a violation of fundamental human rights and an outrage against the universal conscience. These illegal homicides, perpetrated on government orders, have been and will always be condemned by the United Nations».
Following Cardinal Tumi, the National Bishop’s Conference of Cameroon stepped into the breach on 26 June 2001 with these words: «The creation of the Operational Command was joyfully welcomed by people who had been terrorised by unscrupulous criminals. It more than satisfied the people’s expectations, since the Operational Command truly restored security in our country. But here and there, and especially in Douala, there have been serious mistakes and deviations. Although we are happy with the contribution they have made to the well-being of our people, we deplore and condemn these mistakes and deviations. Voices have already been raised in our country. We are saddened to note, however, with our fellow citizens, that the atrocities condemned by Cardinal Christian Tumi, by the permanent council of the bishops, and by many human rights organisations, have unfortunately continued throughout the country and especially in the far north. The tragic disappearance of 9 young men from Bépanda is a sign of this, sadly one among many».
A parody of the legal process
The accusations made by the FIDH and the Catholic Church were not enough to provoke any reaction from the government. No official declaration was made on the subject. The authorities made no reply to criticisms put to them on human rights violations. Asked to give their own point of view on this matter, some individuals close to the centre of power, see the FIDH report as merely a «tissue of lies produced by a conspiracy with the enemies of the State, whose purpose is to undermine Cameroon’s status on the world scene».
In order to distract the attention of the international community, the Cameroon government put on quite a show. The President, Paul Biya, ordered a thorough inquiry into the atrocities committed by the CO, but the identity of the members of this Commission was never made public. Senior officials and other highly-placed personalities were arrested and detained in the Yaoundé Military Prison. General Philippe Mpay, commander of the CO, was suddenly posted to Bamenda in the north-west of the country. The Governor of the coastal province, Emmanuel Eban Otong, was stripped of his functions. Up to now however, the procedure has become bogged down. The fact that it is being managed in secret, shows that the Cameroon Government wants to distract public opinion, and that Yaoundé is relying on the effects of time to wipe away this human rights record.
The Cameroon government is in the horns of a dilemma: whether or not to punish the officials whom it has ordered to become killers. It is clear in the current situation, that the government will not make this kind of concession. It has to protect those it commissioned to sow death and terror in order to guarantee its own survival.
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PeaceLink 2001 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement