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.

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...