“LA REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN HAS VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW AND TREATIES GOVERNING COLONIAL INHERITED BOUNDARIES”

Dr Nfor Ngala Nfor breaks the silence. Speaks on a lot of issues concerning the Southern Cameroons question. In an exclusive interview on the launching of the SCNC website, Dr Nfor spoke to Morfaw Rene and Charles Forcha.

1.Thank you Dr.Nfor for accepting to grant us a few words on the occasion of the launching of the new SCNC website.

A.Thanks Sirs. It is an honour for me to be granted this privilege to address Southern Cameroonian patriots and friends through this medium.

2.Coincidentally, this is the first interview you are granting after your arrest on January 20th and after your recent trip to Geneva. First things first, what transpired before you found yourself once more in captivity?

A.At an organized Press Conference for me to report to SCNC leaders and faithful activists my three months diplomatic offensives and participation at two UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva and the UNPO VIII General Assembly in Taipei, Taiwan, I was arbitrarily arrested with other
 compatriots by occupation forces armed to the teeth.  What you must understand is that in annexed and colonially occupied Southern Cameroons, subjugated Southern Cameroonians have no right of freedom of speech, opinion, thought and assembly.  Things are worse of in Southern Cameroons in this third millennium, ascendancy of human rights and freedoms, not withstanding, than it was under British rule.

3.We are told that there was some resistance from activists which could have turned into a bloody confrontation with the forces of Law and Order?

A. No; not resistance in the sense of blocking arrest.  Enough time was taken to educate the occupation forces.  Remember the so-called New Criminal Procedure Code that came into force on January 1, 2007 was being brutally violated by the gendarmes, police and the francophone  Proconsul, Mr Sombe Simon by our arrest on a Saturday in private premises on the strength of an order written by the Prefet. 
Secondly every Southern Cameroonian patriot, at the Press Conference numbering more than three hundred was ready to go to prison. But the occupation forces had their eyes on Nfor Ngala Nfor.  But the population was not ready to surrender Nfor to them.

4.From the pictures shot at the scene, the Gendarmes were armed to the teeth. Do you think they had smelt some form of resistance?

A.To instill the reign of terror they are always armed.  Remember, "gendarme" simply means, "man in arms".  That is why they easily kill as happened last November 2006 in University of Buea and at Ndu
 Estate.

5.You were released after two months in detention, not until the International community had brought pressure to bear on the regime. Have you been formally charged?

A.Sadly, we are still under Preliminary investigation.  We are being investigated on alleged crime of "secessionist activities".  But the gendarmes and proconsul who are the prosecution witnesses are not ready to come to Court and prove the charge against us. Consequently the matter is repeatedly adjourned.

6.You were in court yesterday and the case suffer another adjournment !!!
A.Yes.

7.In all how many cases has the government of La Republique brought against you and the SCNC and what for you do you think will be the outcome?

A.Not counting those that had been thrown out, they are currently nine cases, of which one in Mamfe has been on since 2002.  It has suffered 25 adjournments.Below is a list depicting the number of adjournments.

NB: No.1, secession charge was dropped.
Nos. 8, 9, and 10 charged for secession.

Though the number may seem high and number of adjournments bewildering it must be noted that many other SCNC activists are arbitrarily arrested, tortured and detained for days or weeks and with international intervention and efforts of our lawyers are released with stain warnings and threats of grave consequences if they again participate in SCNC activities.

Whether the charge be violating prefectoral Order, illegal assembly or secession, the truth is that the prosecution witnesses have no case against the SCNC that is pacifically fighting for the restoration of the Statehood and Sovereign independence of Southern Cameroons. The incontrovertible fact is not only that self-determination is a matter of international law but above all that in conformity with the Mandate Agreement after WWI, the Trusteeship Agreement which the UK Government signed with the UN in 1946 and the Anglo-French boundary treaties, the Southern Cameroons is as distinct from la Republique du Cameroun as Republic of Niger is from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

8.From the look of things, does this promise well for the Southern Cameroons struggle?

A.It is said that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.  But la Republique du Cameroun is coming with bloody stained hands.  That is why they are running away from justice.  The SCNC, indeed Southern Cameroons is guilty of no crime.  La Republique du Cameroun has violated international law and treaties governing colonial inherited boundary separating Southern Cameroons from la Republique du  Cameroun which are immutable and inviolable and having annexed and occupied Southern Cameroons has imposed obsolete Napoleonic constitutionalism on a people nurtured in parliamentary democracy.   As truth has never been defeated by falsehood, Southern Cameroons will triumph.

9.We know of the denigrating and inhumane conditions in Cameroonian cells and prisons. Can you narrate your ordeal while in detention?

A.To go into this will cover pages, which, we cannot afford.  Briefly put, prisons in Southern Cameroons under occupation are for the dehumanization of the dehumanized Southern Cameroonian.  Physically, they are dilapidated.  As you move around you see the good old days of Southern Cameroons with relics of destroyed infrastructure meant for
 reform, training and rehabilitation of prison inmates to make useful citizens of the society.

10.The fact that the regime allowed photographs of you in detention to be taken, does this spell an improvement of the general conditions of inmates?

A) No, far from it.  Both pictures and anything written from prison were smuggled out.

  11.Is it not a ploy by La République to paint a white picture of the gruesome conditions in cells and prisons?
A) As said above whatever thing we did in prison successful was on the strength of struggling to survive.  This is an insensitive regime, which does not care about its citizens.  Let alone imprisoned Southern Cameroonians.

12.Immediately you were  released, you flew for Geneva. What was your mission?

A)I went to Geneva to attend the UN Human Rights Council.  Though two weeks late, it still yielded some fruit.

13.Can we therefore say without any reservations, that the International community is fully aware and sensitive to the plight of Southern Cameroonians?

A).Yes the international community is gradually becoming more and more aware of the annexation and occupation of former British Southern Cameroons by la Republique du Cameroun in gross violation of the fundamental rights of Southern Cameroonians, international law and international treaties governing boundaries inherited at independence.

14.Before your arrest, your advise to Southern Cameroonians was, “Act the act and let the act take the tack”. What exactly did you mean?

A) As a point of correction, it is "Act the act. And the Act will talk the talk". This is a firm clarion call to internet generals and warriors to put an end to internet wars and firing of internet bullets for well planned, properly coordinated, well focused and targeted political action which will effectively draw world attention to our plight.  Remember the problem is in Southern Cameroons and the solution can only be found in Southern Cameroons.  The womb that gives birth to a problem, no matter how complex, in like manner has the ingredients for the solution.  He, who fails to plan, plans to fail. So much energy and resources have been dissipated without positive results to write home about.  The liberation and restoration of Southern Cameroons must not be  personalized.  It is a historic collective enterprise.  Let us learn from South Africa and most recently, Ukraine.

15.About 6 weeks after your arrest and detention, Morgan Tsvangirai,leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change was physically assaulted. Britain and the EU rained torrents of criticism on the Mugabe regime. Aren’t you surprised that your detention didn't produce the same reaction from Her Majesty's government?

A)Yes and No.  As said above much still has to be done.  Resolute political action is required.  We need to properly marshal our resources, move the masses into action for their freedom and transform the struggle from an elite Internet affair into a peoples' religion for their freedom, dignity and prosperity.  Until the people know and believe, they cannot become the embodiment and agents of Southern
 Cameroons national renaissance.

16.What do you have to say to the many Southern Cameroonian youths who are increasingly running out of patience with the annexation status of the Southern Cameroons?

A)Sitting down or in the Diaspora talking of running out of patience is not the solution.  The solution lies in collective action.  Scientific innovation aside, any woman who fears labour pains, will not proudly smile at her own baby.

17.Lets talk a bit about the SDF. You resigned or  left the SDF, can you tell us why?

A)This is a very long story for which we cannot create time here.  Firstly it was the state in which Southern Cameroonians found themselves that gave birth to the SDF by Southern Cameroonians. Making it a national party was a means to  an end, namely, freedom, dignity and justice for Southern Cameroonians. Know that Southern Cameroonians are worse of now than they were in 1970.  Things are taking a nosedive for the worse.  The SDF lost its original spirit.  It no longer articulates the legitimate aspirations of Southern Cameroonians.

18.What is the relationship between the SDF and SCNC? We hear Ni John Fru Ndi is an adviser of the SCNC?
A)The SDF and SCNC are more or less on parallel lines.  When it pleases him, Fru Ndi, he claims to be an SCNC adviser.  We read that on paper.

19.Do you think the SDF represents the aspiration of Southern Cameroonians

A) If "aspirations" means legitimate aspirations for a permanent solution to their plight, so that they become masters of
 their destiny, the answer is capital NO!

20. Since December 2004 Southern Cameroons has been a Member of the Unrepresented Nations and peoples organisation(UNPO).How has the struggle been accelerated by this membership?

A)Southern Cameroons membership of UNPO has been a tremendous blessing to the struggle for freedom and justice through sovereign independence.  Since the problem has its roots in imperfect decolonisation, the solution lies on the floor of the UN and positive involvement and resolute action of the international community as took place in Eritrea, Namibia, East Timor and is currently taking place in Kosovo.  Our membership of UNPO has given us the platform to participate at UN Human Rights Council and on the floor in Geneva in March 2005 we addressed the august body.

  21.What message do you have for UNPO and Members worldwide that have shown Solidarity and support to and other SCNC members since your arbitary arrest, torture anddetention at Bamenda central prison for close to two months early this 2007

A) We are exceptionally grateful to them.  Special gratitude goes to the UNPO General Secretary, staff of the General Secretariat and UNPO Presidency for that support and international campaign for justice for Southern Cameroons.  We also pay tribute to Abkhazia for their full support fro Southern Cameroons independence.  Our appeal to the UNPO and its members is to intensify international lobbying within the European Parliament and special appeal to former UNPO members now sovereign nations and members of European Union and UN to support Southern Cameroons inalienable right to self determination, perfect
 decolonisation and admission into family of sovereign nations at the UN.

22.Do you think a website of this nature will be an added impetus to the Southern Cameroons struggle?

A) Firstly, let me, on behalf of the SCNC leadership, all Southern Cameroonians and their many friends all over the world congratulate Mr Morfaw,Mr Forcha, and the team in SCNC Belgium for this good job.  Certainly a website of this nature is a necessary and useful mirror of the SCNC and Southern Cameroons. It is a reference point were minds meet and share together.  It should constantly be updated to educate and inform the world as a means of generating and attracting universal support for our legitimate aspirations.

23.What are your expectations from this website?

A)I pray it should be of very high standards and serve as a library to be consulted by statesmen, diplomats, investors, the academia and students.  What is worth doing is worth doing well.

24.Cognisance of the Abuja Federal High Court ruling of 5th March favouring Southern Cameroons,does the Green tree Accord between Nigeria and La Republique du Cameroun not render the Abuja Ruling null and void?

A)Not at all.  The Abuja Federal High Court ruling affirms the principle of international juris prudence of uti possedetis juris and the critical date.  It recognizes the Anglo-French boundary treaty that makes Southern Cameroons distinct from la Republique du Cameroun, and the Anglo-German treaty that separates Southern Cameroons from Nigeria.  Finally the ruling is based on the spirit of  the Charter of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) which upholds the finality, immutability and inviolability of boundaries all African nations inherited at independence. 
Green tree Accord is a bilateral act of Southern Cameroons neighbours, which cannot replace a treaty, which is an international law.

25.Any message for Mr Umarou Musa Yar'Adua, Nigeria's new president elect?

A) President Umaru Musa Yar' Adua in his inaugural speech declared himself as a believer and promised to uphold the rule of law.  We expect him to respect the Abuja Federal High Court ruling.

26.It is regrettable that PM Tony Blair left  office on the 27th of June 2007 without ever properly addressing the Southern Cameroons issue. Do you have any words for his successor, Mr Gordon Brown as far as the SCNC struggle is concerned

A) Individuals given opportunities to serve at the helm of state affairs come and go but the state and the nation remains.  The history of Southern Cameroons cannot be complete without a chapter on its relations with Britain.  The Anglo Saxon culture lives on in Southern Cameroonians and it is passed on from generation to generation.  Remember that culture is the soul of the nation.  The problem of imperfect decolonisation is attributed to HM Government of UK and the UN and not to PM Tony Blair.  His failure to address the issue is however deeply regretted by all Southern  Cameroonians.  We hope in his handing over note to his successor Gordon Brown, he did not forget.  We also hope that in his new role of Special Peace Envoy he will include the Southern Cameroons plight on his agenda. 
As to PM Gordon Brown who has pledged to bring about fundamental changes we pray him to act fast to avoid the soaking of HM Crown in the blood of innocent Southern Cameroonians before his government applies fire - brigade solutions.  A stitch in time saves nine.  Southern Cameroonians will not surrender to servitude of la Republique du Cameroun

.

27.Your last word.

A) I call on all Southern Cameroonians at home and abroad, to be better mobilized and organized and become more proactive.  To  regain our freedom and restore our state calls for great sacrifices.  It is not a game of chance.  It does not come by dreaming and wishing.  It is the result of strategic planning and collective positive action.As to the government of la Republique du Cameroun and the citizens we appeal to their good consciences to read the handwriting on the wall. Falsehood and the rule of the stick and gun will not save them.  This did not work in South Africa to perpetrate apartheid either. History calls on them to learn a good lesson from former Czechoslovakia, where after some seventy years they peacefully separated and the sovereign nations of The Czech Republic and Slovak Republic were restored. Southern Cameroonians will neither retreat nor will they surrender to obsolete imperialism and colonialism of la Republique du Cameroun. President Paul Biya and his regime should  take judicious note of Isa Tchiroma's statement over CRTV in which he said that Southern Cameroonians have gone and no force will bring them back.

Thank you.