Mouvement Réformateur

The fresh outbreak of the horrendous events of the last few days wreaks havoc throughout the country. The most inhuman horror and barbarism have become almost ordinary happenings in Cameroon.

The upsurge in incursions attributed to the terrorist sect Boko Haram continues to mourn the poverty stricken communities in the Far North region. The populations of the Mayo-Tsanaga, Mayo-Sava and Logone et Chari divisions, have lived to the rhythm of assaults, looting, fires, kidnappings, assassinations … and the bloody insurrection of Nguetchewe, with no less than 19 people dead, on the night of Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 August 2020, causes us to relive the pain and sorrow of the left stranded inhabitants of Gouzoudou, Krewa-Mata, Kordo, Bargaram, Touski.

In the North-West and South-West regions, the torment of an unnecessary war that should never have started is pouring out in the face of all mankind the most heinous atrocities. The horror scenes have become a daily bread, so to speak, in Muyuka, Mankon, Batibo, Ndop, Mbengwi, Ngarbuh … The populations caught in the grip of a fratricidal war between the national army and armed groups, have known the horror to the rhythm of slaughters, burrs and heinous assassination, as stated by the government’s spokesperson

The poor quality of the roads and the car fleet associated with the indelicacies of the road users, all this adds up to the horrors of the war, increases the death toll almost every week. Since the beginning of this year, the Nation has experienced several deaths on the roads, including but not limited to, for illustrative purposes, nearly twenty on Sunday August 9, 2020 on the Bafoussam-Foumban highway, precisely in Banefo in the West region of Cameroon. The deadly sequence of accidents occurred with utter disregard of the government.

In light of this needless loss of human lives amidst the apathy and the general indifference, proving the insensitivity of the governing regime which gives rise to the dehumanization of collective consciousness,

The Reform Movement expresses its most saddened condolences to the hard-hit families, expresses its sympathy to the Cameroonian people in fear of these horrors.

It strongly condemns the impotence and inaction of the Government of the Republic as pertaining to the multiple tragedies that the Cameroonian populations have been going through on a daily basis;

As to the civil war in the North-West and South-West regions specifically, it notes that:

• faced with the horrors of war, the Government’s only solution is to intensify military operations as indicated in the government communiqué on the horrors of Muyuka and Mankon, dated August 13, 2020;

• while the Nation almost unanimously welcomed the opening of negotiations with the jailed English-speaking leaders, the manipulations of some warmongers, quite clearly readable in the government communication of July 6, 2020 and related thereto, seems to have hindered this worthwhile initiative;

• the resurgence of acts of war has undoubtedly led to the government measure of August 18, 2020 restricting the sale and use of edged weapons in the North-West and South-West regions, a nonsensical measure that criminalizes all the populations of these two regions and attests to the fact that there is an acute shortage of serenity and responsibility in the government’s response to this crisis;

The Reform Movement, therefore, calls on the Government to take account and accountability of the failure of the Great National Dialogue by getting seriously involved with a wholehearted commitment for the sake of a more efficient direct dialogue alongside with all the parties involved in this serious crisis threatening and affecting the unity of the country;

By reaffirming its attachment to the national unity and its vision of a stronger integration within the Central African sub-region, it recalls that it is ultimately up to the populations of former Southern Cameroon in this case, to speak freely and calmly about their future in a democratic framework, therefore calls on all those involved in the crisis to favor the peaceful path for the resolution of this war;

It particularly urges President Paul Biya, Head of State, “beggar for peace” as he defines himself, to do his utmost to stop the violence in the North-West and South-West regions.

And last but not least, The Reform Movement draws the attention of the Nation as a whole on the risk of a kind of unraveling of Cameroon perceptible through the unprecedented resurgence of an exacerbated tribalistic speech as a means of expression of low level politicians who take profit of the miseries and frustrations of the populations, fostering tribal hatred and the crystallization of community centered attitude towards achieving covert purposes, ulterior and selfish goals.

It calls on each and every citizen and all the vital forces of the Nation to feel concerned by the resolution of the crisis which hampers the national construction project, endangers the country and it invites them in all circumstances to work for the preservation of life and well-being of populations.

                                                                                          Samuel BILLONG

                                                                                          Président National