SCNC at Belgians Ministry of Foreign affairs,

STOP CONSTRUCTION WORK ON THE MUNGO BRIDGE  !!!

By Awungia Sylvester

A  delegation of  the  Southern Cameroons National Council  led  by Mr Morfaw Rene chairman of the Southern Cameroons National Council  Belgium was on Thursday 29^th June 2006 received in an audience by officials of  the Belgian ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels.

The delegation which comprised of Mbaku Mathais, Che A John, Awungia Sylvester, Korondo Daniel,Ndago  Joachim Tibi,Ngabe Kenneth, Mbe Elvis and Ndonfac Leopaul was received on behalf of the Minister foreign affairs  and Belgian government by Mr Eddy Weyens; Counsellor in charge of Sub-Sahara Africa, Mme Isabelle Maduda-Lukebamoko; Attaché in charge of Africa South of the Sahara, and Mme Caroline Vliegen. 

  In an opening statement, Mr Morfaw thanked the Belgian officials for the audience saying, “such audience in an extend  shows the fairness of the Belgian  government in the Southern Cameroons fight to statehood”. Morfaw recounted a visit by an SCNC delegation to the  Prime Ministry where they  met with Mr Johan Verkammen diplomatic adviser to the Prime Minister, who advised that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be briefed on the Southern Cameroons problems.

The meeting that lasted over 2 hours, had the SCNC delegation through photograph and maps exhibit the Southern Cameroons fight to Statehood. Morfaw produced a map of the Cameroons as a German colony which had both the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroon as one country.

 Then  in a second map, which showed the defeat of Germany in the World war and the partition of Cameroons between the French and the British Government, the officials could clearly see the territorial boundaries of La Republique du Cameroun. “This territory had her independence on the 1^st of January 1960, with her own  flag, currency, government and most importantly boundaries, She also became a member of the United nations without the Southern Cameroons. I should also say that Bakassi was not part of La Republique du Cameroun within this period” Morfaw reiterated.

 In a third Map, Morfaw showed  an independent and completely different state of Southern Cameroons, with her own territorial boundaries, political system,  language, culture, system of education all  different from that of La Republique du Cameroun.

He then made mention of the fact that our stride for independence and statehood  started way back during this period. He  explained  the issues of plebiscite ,failed federation and UN resolution  1608 which was never adopted, and how the name was unilaterally changed from Federal Republic to United Republic in 1972, and from United Republic to La Republique du Cameroun; the name by which French Cameroun gain her independence .

Morfaw stressed the fact that ever  since the abandonment of the Federal structure of government, the Southern Cameroons was annex and the entire populace capture. Southern Cameroonians are worst than slaves. Stressing on the economic potential of the Southern Cameroons,  Morfaw said “if the structure that exist as La Republique du Cameroun is a house, then southern Cameroon is the kitchen. Southern Cameroons is the breadwinner of that ill-fated  marriage”

Talking of the reconstruction works at the Mungo Bridge, for which a Belgina firm was reconstructing with finance by the  Belgian.Mr  Korondo Daniel asked that the construction work should stop until the Government La repulique should release all Southern Cameroonians Languishing in detention. Mr Korondo said, “ this Bridge is the umbilical cord through which  not just the raw materials of the Southern Cameroons are transported for exportation at our detriment, but it is through this bridge that the leaders of the SCNC, SCYL  AMBAZONIA and other movements fighting for the liberation of the Southern Cameroons are transported to prison cells in Yaoundé and Douala. Belgian government must help us mount pressure on Mr Biya to release our brothers.

Concerning the underdevelopment of the Southern Cameroons, Mr Ngako Joachim told the officials how the Southern Cameroons has been neglected and

let to rotten . “ Though the Southern Cameroons  was contributing more than 60 percent of the GDP of Cameroon our state of development does not reflect our import. Petrol though produced in the Southern Cameroons was sold cheaper in areas of La Republique du Cameroun than the Southern Cameroons. The government of La Republique du Cameroun has systematically undeveloped all our systems so that we shall be permanently depended on them. They want to enslave us so that they can ride over us like masters”

The diplomats were keen  to know  if there are no dialogue between southern Cameroon and La Republique . Answering, Pa Mbaku Mathias   explained how the Mr Biya regime has nothing like dialogue in their agenda and stating that way back in the year 2001,the secretary general of the UN was in Cameroon and advised Biya to create a forum for dialogue with the SCNC but that has never seen the light of the day. Asked if there are groups that are using violence to fight our ambitions, Morfaw  said  the modus oprandi of the SCNC is peace through  FORCE OF ARGUMENT AND NOT THE AGUMENT OF FORCE but that because the International community is so slow to response to the Southern Cameroons case, so many people are turning their backs on the Force of Argument.

Che A John told the diplomats how the youths in the Southern Cameroons have been frustrated by the continous torment  and marginalization of La Republique so that they have started turning their backs on the peaceful strategy of the SCNC. Hear Him “ already over 39 youths have been arrested for filling recruitment forms  into the Southern Cameroons army .This is what the government of La Republique wants to hear. They want us to start fighting so that they can use their heavy machine guns on us. We in southern Cameroons also abhor war. Indeed the SCNC motto is [The Force of Argument and not the argument of Force]. However we have a de facto state of war imposed on us by the illegal and unacceptable annexation and occupation of our fatherland. What other service can a man render to his people, many dead others alive and millions unborn than to defend his birth right against external aggression?

Talking Bakassi Chairman  Morfaw said, “Bakassi was never part of La republique du Cameroun and will never be. Bakassi does not belong either to Nigeria, Bakassi is Southern Cameroons” La République du Cameroun achieved its independence on January 1 1960 within a clearly defined frontier which does not include the Southern Cameroons; that frontier being to the East of the River Mungo which marks the international boundary, as per the 1931 Anglo-French border Treaty, between la République du Cameroun and Southern Cameroons. All the  maps that were  presented in the Bakassi case between la République du Cameroun and Nigeria show the disputed Bakassi peninsular to be located indisputably within the territory of the Southern Cameroons. The question is this: By what Treaty, international legal instrument or UN Resolution, has the boundary of la République du Cameroun been purportedly recognized, within the United Nations system, as having moved from what it was at the attainment of its independence on January 1 1960, to Bakassi? Neither the United Nations, the ICJ, Nigeria, la République du Cameroun, or anyone else, can produce any international legally binding instrument, complying with the United Nations Charter and Declarations, by which the internationally recognized boundary of la République du Cameroun has been shifted from East of the Mungo to Bakassi. In view of this incontrovertible fact, the whole basis of the Bakassi dispute and ruling proves to be a gross illegality and miscarriage of justice! The only people who have a boundary with Nigeria on the Bakassi Peninsular are the people of Southern Cameroons, who have lived in colonization for close to fifty years through the illegal occupation of the territory of Southern Cameroons by la République du Cameroun.