BREAKING NEWS: Documented Human Rights Abuse in Cameroon

Yesterday, Amnesty International released a report (Cameroon: Impunity Underpins Persistent Abuse) asserting that Cameroon has used violent means to suppress anti-government protesters and cited large-scale protests against the constitutional amendment extending the presidents term of office as an example of wide spread human rights abuse.

Please note that my blog title is extremely sarcastic in the sense that Cameroonians have suffered from human rights abuse as long as President Paul Biya has been in power. Besides the fact that he is a dictator and has used corruption to eliminate any possibility for democracy, police officers shameless harass citizens on a daily basis and government abuse and corruption has become second nature and expected by most citizens. Biya has even shut down tv and radio stations that criticize him and expose his abuse of civilians.

I am happy, however, that Amnesty International has finally brought attention to what has been happening in Cameroon for decades and incidents that took place in February 2008 when President Biya amended the constitution, extending his presidential term limit. I remember when this happened my mother had planned to visit Cameroon that month, but she had to postpone her trip because major cities across the country were extremely chaotic. For days there were protests and rioting. Cars and business were looted and burned and the police killed over 100 civilians.



All of this went virtually ignored by the international press and President Biya has not been aggressively criticized by international leaders for his blatant abuse of power.

Biya will be 76 in two weeks and this is his 27th year in power. He has successfully stolen multiple elections. His amendment of the consitution to remove term limits will allow him to run again in 2011 for another 7 year term.


I won't go into the hypocrisy that the international community has shown throughout President Biya's regime, but I am happy that finally the violence that took place last February is being acknowledged by a group large enough to bring attention to and possibly discourage such rampant human rights abuse in Cameroon. What is even more despicable, as you should read in Amnesty's report is that they have been trying to legally research the incidents that have been reported to them in Cameroon, but the authorities will not give them consent! One can only hope that this report will shame the regime and authorities and they will put an end to this protracted abuses, especially with elections being held in the near future.

YES WE CAN!!!

On November 4, 2008 Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States.

It was a very emotionally charged accomplishment with celebrations taking place all over the world- most notably in Obama's father's hometown of Kogelo, Kenya.

However, beyond the historical implications of this feat the world has so much to learn. For centuries Africans have been underestimated as a people and we have admittedly underestimated ourselves. Obama has not only shown young Black people in America and the Western world what they can some day be, but he has proven to the whole diaspora what we can strive to one day become as leaders of ourselves and the free world.

An editorial in Kampala, Uganda's New Vision newspaper summed up my sentiments exactly. Africa should use this excitement as an impetus for democratic reform and realize not what Obama can do for Africa, but what Africa can do for itself in cooperation with the US due to an Obama administration (a sentiment encouragingly echoed by President Kagame).

Yes we can!

EDITORIAL
5 November 2008
Posted to the web 6 November 2008

Kampala

History was yesterday made when Senator Barack Obama swept the polls to become the first African American president since the birth of the USA more than two centuries ago.

Obama's victory sealed his catch phrase: "Yes, we can," and demonstrates how determination and high level of organisation can deliver effective results against all odds. The Developing World and Africa in particular, has a lot to learn from this.

First, they should stop blaming their woes on others, put their act together and come up with strategies to pull the continent from backwardness. Yes, we can.

Secondly, the economic and political systems in the Developing World should be geared towards empowering the masses to recognise and promote talents and ability rather than mere party loyalty.

Thirdly, John McCain's acceptance of defeat and promise to work with Obama demonstrates that race and intrigue has no place in the modern world and that losing an election should not result into sworn enmity.

Obama has become president of the most powerful country in the world at the time the US is experiencing the worst economic crisis in a century.

However, the big problems he has at home should not obscure his view of the rest of the world. In particular, positive policies towards the Developing World like the African Growth and Opportunities Act, the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief and the Millennium Challenge Corporation - whether put in place by the Republicans or not should continue.

As the world celebrates, the Developing World should not expect immediate windfalls from the Obama administration. Because the US is facing the worst economic down turn, it is very easy to forget the rest of the world, especially Africa.

The Developing World should therefore, continue pressing for fair trade policies. As President Yoweri Museveni has always said, it is trade and not aid that will pull Africa out of poverty. Yes, we can.

Will Mbeki's Forced Resignation Delegitimize Zimbabwe's Power Sharing Deal?

This weekend, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa was forced to resign amid charges that he interfered in rival, Jacob Zuma's corruption case. Besides the implications of this change in administration for South Africa, I can't help but wonder how this event will affect the Power Sharing Deal recently signed in Zimbabwe and brokered by Mbeki, an avid supporter of President Mugabe. The ANC has stated that Mbeki will be given the chance to continue operating as a mediator in Zimbabwe, but I can't help but wonder how Zimbabweans especially members of the opposition party will welcome his participation.


For the most part, criticism surrounding the deal has been largely pessimistic. And just days after the agreement was signed, there were reports that both parties were unsatisfied with the terms of the agreement and desired more substantial power. The MDC spokesperson even referred to the deal as a "false marriage". This is a clear indication of the need for more talks and resolutions, however with Mbeki facing his own slew of domestic issues, is he in the position to continue to mediate negotiations? And if so, will he have an even greater personal interest in the outcome of the negotiations on the brink of his demotion?

One cannot help but wonder how long this vision will last....

Africans for Obama

I knew that with all the excitement in Africa surrounding Senator Barack Obama's presidential nomination, it was only a matter of time before profiteers would rear their ugly heads.

As I have said a million times and will continue to say, I am a staunch supporter of Barack Obama, however, many Africans abroad seem to care more about Obama's political campaign than they do the politics of their own nation! Perhaps it is their way of coping with the pervasive lack of democracy consuming the continent or perhaps they celebrate his achievement in hopes that other Black leaders will follow his example.

But what I don't understand and most definitely cannot accept is the exploitation of Obama's campaign abroad.

The BBC recently exposed a group calling itself Africans for Obama that was holding fundraisers under the premise of Barack Obama's campaign. The group was charging $21,000 a table for events in support of Obama's bid for presidency. However, US political parties cannot accept funds from groups outside of the US. When the BBC confronted the leader of the group with this minor, but critical detail, she stated that the purpose of the event was raise funds to spend on advertising to convince their relatives in the US to vote for Obama in the upcoming election.

Putting aside the ridiculousness of this justification for fraud, why couldnt such an event be launched to reach out to rural voters within their own country and educate them about their political process, or to raise funds to ensure that all children receive insecticide treated bed nets to reduce the level of fatalities due to malaria, or to ensure that all households had access to safe and clean water, or donated to a million other issues that have hampered development in Africa?!?!?

Tonight, Barack Obama will become the first Black man to accept a major party nomination for President of the United States. Let us come together as Africans in support of his accomplishment and draft US foreign policy objectives that will build on Obama's legacy and benefit Africans across the globe!

Enough of ENOUGH

I usually don't like to criticize other NGOs for the work the do because I try to believe that everyone approaches their work with good intentions. And if we all shared the same vision then there would not be a needed for hundreds of different organizations. However, recently NGOs have been casually throwing around political terms that are extremely destructive and disrupting the humanitarian communities capability to reach our goals and truly generate positive change in the world.
Currently, I am thoroughly annoyed with ENOUGH. Besides the fact that I immediately recognized them as one of many bandwagon jumpers claiming to work towards the end of genocide in Darfur (ie. Save Darfur, 24 Hours for Darfur, Genocide Intervention Network, Stop Genocide Now, Our Pledge, and more that I could ever find the time to name), their latest "campaign" has really got me pissed off.
ENOUGH claims to be a "project to end genocide and crimes against humanity". However, their latest report is focused on Robert Mugabe and his dictatorship in Zimbabwe. Now, anyone who has been following this blog knows that I am not a fan of Mugabe and his most recent stunt thoroughly pissed me off. However, you also know that I am not a fan of any dictator and have compared him to other current leaders, who have been welcomed and befriended by the same leaders and countries that criticize Mugabe. I'm all about calling a spade a spade, but I can't stand double standards or public figures who exploit their power and influence for the sake of personal interests.
ENOUGH, however, seems to be unaware of leaders throughout the world who mirror Mugabe's style of leadership and took the time to write a 28 paged report suggesting that he should be held accountable and prosecuted for international CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. I'm not even sure if they know what that means. They then go on to say that the African Union should support the effort, though they will be reluctant to do this. Ummm...yeah...considering most of the members are his cronies!
Though I never held them in a high regard to begin with, I've completely lost respect for ENOUGH because in an effort to yet again jump on another humanitarian/political bandwagon, they have simplified the meaning of international statues and are abusing external actors role in protecting citizens. America and the Western world in general need to recognize that they are not world police. It has led them to act like the backward law enforcers citizens despise, who accept payoffs from billionaire drug lords and arrest 14year old corner boys.
Why hasn't ENOUGH written a report demanding that George W. Bush be indicted for international war crimes - considering he has illegally invaded and occupied a country for five years, destroying their infrastructure and invalidating the established method of governance, resulting in millions of refugees and displaced people. All to the political and financial benefit of he and his cohorts. But I won't get into that...
Ultimately, I've had ENOUGH with ENOUGH and they need to seriously reassess their mission and purpose.

Hypocrisy at Its Peak

I have tried to avoid posting news about the sham elections in Zimbabwe because I prefer to highlight more novel events related to Africa. And by now, if you aren't aware of how Mugabe stole the Zimbabwean presidential election, then you don't care.

Bush recently, Bush has become very vocal about the whole situation and even attempting to convince other world leaders to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe.

I definitely think that international pressure is needed in order to mediate the situation (though I feel it should come from the SADC and not the West.) However, President Bush's vocalness on this matter is completely hypocritical. In 2003, on the eve of the Iraq invasion, President Bush invited President Baul Biya to the White House in order to court his support. This is a man who has also been in power since 1984 and has maintained it through the repression of the opposition party and gross human rights violations and has even amended the constitution to inevitably make him President for Life. Sound familiar? But today, after Mugabe publicly embarassed President Bush and all of his Western cronies, President Bush "cares about the people of Zimbabwe"? Right.... Let's end the hypocrisy. All of Bush's actions and statements have been influenced by personal gain and interest. Seeing as though this is a blog about Africa, I won't even get into the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but his hypocrisy shines bright and quite frankly hurts my eyes...

A Sad Day for Democracy

This Friday Zimbabwe will hold its run-off election for the presidency. However, due to the overwhelming amount of violence, corruption, and repression that has marked the presidential run-off campaign, the results will be a complete sham. Yesterday, Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition party's leader and winner of the initial election, pulled out of the election, asserting that contesting Mugabe's rule was not worth the number of lives that had been and would continue to be lost as a result of challenge of his rule. Here are his comments, as well as responses to the decision he made.



Mugabe definitely wins the bully of the year award. Unfortunately, he has always been a bully. Upon taking power in the 80s, he stripped White Zimbabweans of their land and redistributed it to his supporters. Only, at that time, it was considered cool and payback for the centuries of oppression Blacks had suffered under Whites. Mugabe grew a large support base because of his radical and uncompromising stand. However, today, 28 years later he continues to use force and radical and uncompromisable approaches to control the country and his people.



It is time the international community stop ignoring grave acts of human rights abuse in Africa. For the sake of human lives, please put our selfish interests to the side and call and spade a spade. We all laughed when Mugabe chastised Bush for calling the kettle black:



But he has taken his authoritarianism too far and needs to be stopped!

I respect Tsvangirai for fighting until now and wish he could continue, considering at this point, if Mugabe is going to assassinate him, he will regardless of whether he wins or not. But it is definitely time for someone to put at end to dictatorships and complete disregards for democracy that are plaguing us.

I Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

Let me preface this entry by saying "I support Barack Obama 100%" I voted for him during my primary election and will vote for him in November.
That being said, it really annoys me that everytime I speak to a friend or family member in Africa, conversation is CONSUMED with questions about Obama. I fully respect an individual's desire to follow news and politics abroad, because I clearly do the same. What I don't understand is this obsession with the elections in the US (as ground breaking as it is) when all is not at right at home!
I'll stop here and include an excerpt from Dorene Namanya's piece in The Monitor

"Obama- Let's Not Get Carried Away"
The morning after he won the democratic nomination, he was all everyone was talking about. From local TV and FM stations, the taxi driver chatting enthusiastically to his conductor, the leading dailies, to even talk among women who are normally far removed from the political surroundings (although to be fair they were discussing his looks). The Obama drug was taking effect. It was as if the prices of fuel, food and the northern war peace treaty (or lack thereof) no longer seemed to matter. Ugandans had embraced Obama.

This is worrying on so many fronts. One that we almost seem more enthusiastic about than our neighbours in Kenya and he is after all their cousin. Kind of like that woman who howls, wails and threatens to kill herself at the death of her stepchild when the child's mother is weeping quietly in a corner.

Two, that Obama's election will not change the situation here. Honest, those potholes will remain. Three, that Zimbabwe is still being led by a tyrant, Ugandans are being harassed in South Africa, there is a crisis in Darfur and yet we channel our energies in the Obama campaign. Four that he is still only just a candidate.

This is probably the one topic where people are taking advantage to show off their knowledge of international politics, but all that enthusiasm is not going to pay off in the end. I hate to disappoint all of you enthusiasts, but your opinion as Ugandans matters only so much.

Reminds me of the last US presidential elections, how a certain tabloid here ran an editorial on Election Day that read, "Here at (insert tabloid name) we support John Kerry." I bet John Kerry wrote them a letter later thanking them for their support. I bet he didn't.

Yes, Mugabe, You've Officially Lost Your Mind!

CARE provides assistance to 500,000 of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable people, including orphans, the sick and the elderly. This month, it would have fed more than 110,000 people in schools, orphanages, old age homes and through other programs.

And last week, President Mugabe suspended CARE from operating in Zimbabwe. He asserts that CARE has been financially supporting opposition parties in Zimbabwe and encouraging people to vote against the ZANU-PF, the current ruling party, which has been in power for almost 30 years.
CARE, like most humanitarian aid organizations are nonpartisan and deny the accusations levied against them. Of course, I do not know whether or not CARE staff was speaking against the government in the name of CARE, but what I do know is that President Mugabe and the ZANU-PF have been institutionally silencing all citizens and organizations that have criticized their regime. I have spoken out about this in previous posts, especially when their abuse extended to US Ambassadors and diplomats, but if I thought they crossed the line before, now they've completely erased it.
To suspend the operations of a leading and reputable humanitarian organization is blasphemous, especially on the brink of a mass repatriation of tens of thousands of citizens who have been run out of South Africa and seek support at all levels.
When will our leaders embrace a true democracy that involves a critique of our leaders and support of opposition groups?!?!? Why is it a crime to have a differing of opinions? For centuries we've sought to be viewed as a diverse people and not one monolithic group, yet we persecute those who challenge our perspective. But to continually risk the livelihoods and development of your people is sick. And all I am left to believe is: Yes, Mugabe, You've Officially Lost Your Mind!

Rulers for Life- Mugabe

Weeks after the presidential elections in Zimbabwe, Mugabe refuses to turn over power or reveal the percentage of votes he received. Tsvangirai has fled to Botswana for fear of his life.
The desire of African leaders to be rulers for life has convinced them to completely reject democracy and the will of the people. Even opposition parties, who develop the courage to speak against them are eventually silenced and fear for their lives and those of their supporters because they realize that these dictators care more about their personal power than the future of the nation.

A refugee who fled Zimbabwe with his family said his fellow countrymen had finally spoken, but warned that dark days lay ahead.
"If Tsvangirai becomes president Mugabe will mobilise war vets, the army, police, secret service and the militia to take revenge on the people who just want bread and freedom.
"On the other hand, if Mugabe rigs the elections in the next 21 days and imposes himself as president, people will fight back and lives will be lost," he said.