Poverty Kills

Yesterday, over 100 people and counting were killed and another 200 plus severely injured when a gas tanker overturned and civilians rushed to siphon gas from the truck. To their dismay, the truck cut on fire, causing a fatal catastrophe.



It's difficult to understand why anyone in their right mind would run towards an overturned gas truck, but hundreds of people could only think of the benefits of free fuel and put their lives on the line. Sadly, the outcome was a great loss of life.

This morning I almost came to tears looking at images of people sprawled out on the floors of Kenyan hospitals, which could not absorb the number of people with life threatening burns and injuries.



I remember when the same thing happened in Cameroon and in Nigeria. Though high, the casualties were less than in this instance and you have to wonder at which point will people learn that fuel to last a few weeks is not worth the rest of your lives! But poverty kills in so many ways....

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.