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Southern Cameroons: Victims Of Foreign Occupation Need Each Other
Friday, 09 July 2010
Press Conference Statement by Nfor Ngala Nfor, National Vice Chairman, SCNC, June 30, 2010 Nicosia, Republic of Cyprus
Below is an article published by The SCNC:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,
Representatives of Human Rights Organisations,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am exceptionally filled with joy to be here and to enjoy the lavished hospitality that abounds in this island nation of sun shine and beauty, Republic of Cyprus. The honour I have to address and share with you on our legitimate hopes of a better future, belongs to the Southern Cameroonian people whom I serve and here represent.
The Southern Cameroons, a former UN Trust territory under United Kingdom Administration, has a population of more than five million and an area of 43,000sq kms. It is bounded to the west and north by Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the east by la Republique du Cameroun and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a West African nation situated on the Gulf of Guinea. It is richly endowed with natural resources, minerals, and a large variety of cash and food crops. Today it accounts for 70 percent of the GDP of the two Cameroons, thanks to its petroleum, yet remains the most under developed.
British Southern Cameroons has many similarities with Republic of Cyprus. The similarities range from physical and natural, plenty sun shine, beautiful beaches, happy and hospitable people, to their colonial past: the two were once dependencies of the United Kingdom. But their common similarity which pre- occupies us is their sad histories of foreign occupation, a challenge to the international system.
As a consequence of the 1974 Turkish invasion, the Republic of Cyprus which gained sovereign independence in 1960, to this day controls only 59 percent of its territory with its capital, Nicosia, like old Berlin divided, part of which falls under Turkish control.
Similarly, British Southern Cameroons which gained self government in 1954 inheriting Westminster parliamentary democracy, becoming a shining example of a genuine democracy in colonial Africa has been annexed and subjected to colonial rule by neighbouring la Republique du Cameroun due to international colonial conspiracy against the sovereign will of the people.
British Southern Cameroons and Cyprus are victims of double standards and power politics of the international system in which universal principles are not respected and defended for the common good of global democracy, peace and human development.
As the great people of Cyprus have not given up their legitimate and historic struggle to reunite their island nation and people as existed before and at independence in 1960, so have the Southern Cameroonian people, under the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) vowed to restore their statehood as it existed in 1960. The Southern Cameroonian people are entitled to sovereign independence as prescribed by the UN Charter, UNGA Resolution 1514 of 1960 and other international conventions.
The Southern Cameroonian people under the SCNC are engaged in a Nonviolent struggle for their rightful place in the world as a free and sovereign people. La Republique du Cameroun’s exercise of sovereign power over Southern Cameroons is illegitimate, illegal and a gross violation of all international instruments. Indeed this grossly violates UN Charter, the principle of international jurisprudence of uti possedetis juris and the critical date, and the AU Constitutive Act, Art. 4(b) which irrevocably and uncompromisingly upholds the respect of colonial boundaries inherited at independence.
British Southern Cameroons was a creation of the international system and its international boundaries, like those of la Republique du Cameroun, and Republic of Cyprus, are all well known. With a blooming democratic culture, respect for the rule of law, a rich culture of peace and respect for human dignity and sanctity of human life, the struggle for independence was peaceful respecting international norms. From 1954 to 1960 its two Prime Ministers effectively represented the people and territory before the British Crown, at the UN and other international conferences. Southern Cameroons developed and attained all the characteristics of a nation state. J. O. Field, the last British Commissioner, during the Centenary celebration of the founding of the sea port town of Victoria in 1958, described British Southern Cameroons as an emerging independent member nation of the Commonwealth.
But this never came to be. As a victim of annexation and colonial occupation its government and all state institutions were abolished by Presidential decrees of a foreign power. Reduced to two provinces of la Republique du Cameroun, as Baghdad did to Kuwait, it is ruled by francophone proconsuls backed by an army of occupation. Southern Cameroons is ruled under emergency laws. Southern Cameroons is subjected to neo-apartheid as the people are deprived of all their political, economic and cultural rights as a people under international law. In spite of its abundant human and natural resources which are plundered by the occupier, its people under a reign of terror, live in abject poverty and misery.
Faithful to international system, the SCNC and SCAPO sued la Republique du Cameroun in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, (ACHPR) for annexation, colonial occupation and gross violation of the human and peoples’ rights of the Southern Cameroonian people. Cognizant of the fact that the AU in its Constitutive Act, Art. 4(b) has declared boundaries inherited at independence by each modern African nation immutable and inviolable, we believe the ACHPR in respect of the Constitutive Act, its own Charter and international obligations; will oblige la Republique du Cameroun to withdraw to its boundaries inherited on attainment of independence on January 1, 1960. La Republique du Cameroun is the successor state of UN Trust territory of French Cameroun.
Cognisant of Art. 102 of the UN Charter and the AU Constitutive Act Art. 4(b), what instrument of international law, therefore grants la Republique du Cameroun absolute sovereignty over the territory, its resources, and the people, (their lives and destiny) of Southern Cameroons? This is the one billion Euro question the international community should call la Republique to answer.
There is no union between Southern Cameroons and la Republique du Cameroun. As it is well known, no people and no nation go into any kind of union with another by voting for its extinction. The irrevocable right of any people and nation is the inherent right to self exist. Consequently, la Republique du Cameroun’s territorial claims over Southern Cameroons are rooted in the imperial myth of might is right, foreign aggression, territorial expansionism and annexation. Such de facto rule, like that in northern Cyprus, remains illegal until justice takes its rightful course.
In the Southern Cameroons case against la Republique du Cameroun, the African Commission in its ruling, among others, declared Southern Cameroonians “a people” distinct from the people of la Republique in consideration of their territory, history, culture and belief of the people. As a distinct people, the ruling concludes, they are entitled to the enjoyment and exercise of all the rights due a people under international law. For peaceful resolution of the conflict, the Commission recommended Constructive Dialogue between the two peoples and offered its good offices to mediate.
Anxious to end the long standing political dispute, Southern Cameroonians faithful to their culture of respect for peace, rule of law and love for humanity and democracy, declared their readiness for the dialogue. The African Commission has not yet begun its mediation rule as approved by the AU Summit in Libya last year. The problem is with la Republique du Cameroun, whose hands are gleaming with the blood of innocent Southern Cameroonians and, as it is characteristic of any imperial power, is not ready to respect international obligations of which it is signatory, let alone cooperate in the interest of peace and democracy. But for the fact that the right to self determination is unstoppable, President Paul Biya’s imperial rule over Southern Cameroons will end, like all other imperial rules before it.
Southern Cameroonians are legitimately seeking external self determination in keeping with international instruments, namely, the Anglo-French boundary treaty of 1931, the Trusteeship Agreements of 1945 and the UN Charter and international law which makes the right to self determination of peoples subjected to foreign domination and alien rule inalienable and unquestionable.
Cognisant of the social and revolutionary role the press plays in bringing about necessary change for enduring peace and human development, on behalf of the widows, orphans, and the Southern Cameroonian people in general, I appeal to you the journalists, all lovers and defenders of human freedom and the rule of law, human rights organisations, democratic institutions and governments, the world over, to mount pressure on la Republique du Cameroun to respect the AU Charter and international obligations and submit to the Constructive Dialogue. The AU Summit, itself as a regional body, should be called upon to assume its responsibilities towards building democracy and maintaining regional peace and ensure that this dialogue which it approved at its Summit in Libya is held in the interest of peace in the region, failing which it should place the Southern Cameroons Question on the agenda of the UN which has the final jurisdiction and competence in matters of decolonisation.
We, the people of former British Southern Cameroons in declaring our solidarity with the Government and people of Cyprus in their legitimate strive under international law to restore the territorial integrity of Republic of Cyprus, make this solemn and fraternal appeal that the Cyprus Government should, as a matter of urgency under international obligations of the search for global peace and democracy, use its good offices and place the Southern Cameroons Question on the agenda of the UN for this world body to complete the decolonisation process it started and left mid way.
Such historic action coming under Art. 35 of the UN Charter will be in direct application of preventive diplomacy and the building of world democracy and peace, the genuine foundation of justice and sustainable development for all mankind.
As member of the Commonwealth of Nations and EU, we pray Cyprus to critically call for meaningful action against la Republique du Cameroun. With pressure from these two influential organisations de-annexation and perfect decolonisation of this former UN trust will be attained.
One of the grave consequences of annexation and colonial occupation of our land is the mass exodus of our youths and the intelligentsias. Under grim servitude, constant and systematic arbitrary arrests, torture, rape, extra-judicial executions, as happened recently in Bamenda, many have been forced to seek greener pasture abroad.
Appreciative of the hospitality Cyprus and many EU nations have given, I plead that these victims of persecution in their Fatherland should be protected under international law. Southern Cameroonians are a stateless people for their homeland is under occupation. As escapees from Saddam Hussein’s repression, when Kuwait was annexed, could not be repatriated to Iraqi occupation forces, we pray Southern Cameroonians in your land should be protected under international law while, with your help and purposeful support, the de-annexation of their country is being resolved within the UN system.
From the abundant evidence before us, it is incontrovertibly conclusive that British Southern Cameroons and Cyprus are victims of foreign aggression and occupation. While the latter suffers it partly and maintains its international personality within the comity of sovereign nations, the former suffers this annexation, foreign domination and alien rule in its entirety thus lacks representation within the council of sovereign nations.
Legitimately, therefore, Southern Cameroons pleads with the Government of Cyprus to stretch its hand and lift its brother Southern Cameroons out of the pit of annexation by being its mouth piece and ear within the international system. No nation under annexation and foreign domination ever gets free without external messiahs.
Thank you for your kind attention.
http://www.unpo.org/content/view/11316/145/
