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By Matthew Russell Lee, Cam CJR PFT NYP

UNITED NATIONS GATE, April 25 –After Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years on January 28 had his opponent Maurice Kamto arrested, Inner City Press again asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his spokesmen for their comment and action, if any. This came after Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on 3 July 2018 after it interviewed Biya's Ambassador about the two men's Budget Committee deals and banned from the UN since - Guterres even tried to get Inner City Press banned from the Park East Synagogue, here, which was denied / dodged by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who put up then took down a podcast in which he brags about his "muatally assured destruction" relationship with journalists, here. They reaffirmed the ban April 17, here.

By contrast on Cameroon, from the NRC on April 25, this: "The Norwegian Refugee Council is alarmed by soaring humanitarian needs in English-speaking regions of Cameroon.   “When brutal fighting displaces hundreds of thousands of civilians, it usually sets international alarm bells ringing. But this does not seem to apply to Cameroon. There is no mediation, no large relief programme, no media interest and little pressure on the parties to stop attacking civilians,” said Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland, who visited the South-West region of Cameroon this week.   The crisis in the English-speaking parts of Cameroon started with peaceful protests in late 2016, but has escalated to a violent conflict between the government military and non-state armed groups. More than half a million people have fled their homes, according to figures from the UN.  “Hundreds of villages have been burnt, close to a million children are out of school, and tens of thousands are hiding in the bushes without any support. The international silence surrounding atrocities is as shocking as the untold stories are heart-breaking,” said Egeland.    “A group of displaced and disillusioned women told me that they felt abandoned by the UN and international organizations. They asked me, what is Europe doing? Given that the country was first colonized by the Germans, then divided by Britain and France, they expect their former colonial masters to take some responsibility for the conflicts that the imported language and political barriers had caused.”  Large rural communities have fled their fertile lands and now depend on urban relatives or humanitarian relief. But there is so far only a handful of aid organisations undertaking sizable relief programmes.     “We need to scale up the humanitarian response, and there is a need for independent reporting from the international media. But most of all, we urgently need stronger international diplomatic engagement to help solve the conflict. This could start with the parties sitting down to agree on how schools can reopen, so that a generation of children will no longer be deprived of education,” Egeland said.   NRC is reaching out to conflict parties to better protect civilians and allow humanitarian organisations full and safe access to people in need.   Facts:  The crisis in North-West and South-West region has displaced more than 530,000 people inside Cameroon, according to the UN.   Some 32,000 people have sought refuge in neighboring Nigeria.  In total, 4 million people are affected by the crisis in the North-West and South-West. Some 1.3 million of these people need humanitarian support."

  Meanwhile Guterres' UNFPA is propping up Biya by, after visiting Yaounde, issuing this: "The United Nations Population Fund Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mabingue Ngom, visited Cameroon during which he held working sessions with Cameroonian authorities. He was received in audience by Cameroon’s Prime Minister and head of government, H.E. Joseph Dion Ngute. They discussed strategic issues between Cameroon and UNFPA, particularly in related to the humanitarian and development situation in the country.  Besides the Prime Minister, the Regional Director also met with other members of government, including the Minister of State, Secretary General of the Presidency, HE Mr. Ferdinand NGOH NGOH and the Minister of External Relations, HE Mr. Lejeune MBELLA MBELLA.  During his visit to humanitarian activities in the Far-North Region, the Regional Director was accompanied by the Ministers of Public Health and Youth and Civic Education; the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon; UN Country Representatives for Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad. Some technical and financial partners also joined in the visit.  A highlight of the humanitarian visit was in Zamai. Received by the Governor of the Far-North Region, as well as the traditional authority, “the Lamido” of Zamaï, the humanitarian field delegation visited the Zamaï Multipurpose Youth Empowerment Center and communities hosting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The delegation went to Maroua to hold talks with project beneficiaries and partners on issues such as people and community resilience to violent extremism as well as youth and women empowerment in the context of violent crisis." Like Guterres' golden statue visit, no trip to the Anglophone zones - not even any mention. Guterres is killing what's left of the UN's credibility with his corruption and no due process censorship. Of course, Guterres and Dujarric won't answer questions from Inner City Press not only about Cameroon but even about how 27 new Resident Coordinators are being recruited. Their UN is increasingly corrupt.

 Inner City Press on the morning of March 15 asked  Guterres and Dujarric this: "On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that 26 people who were arrested in Cameroon in January during protests called by opposition leader Maurice Kamto have been given one-year jail terms for “illegal gathering and demonstration” or just planning to take part in a non-political demonstration? What does the UN say about the reported murder of civilians by Biya's forces yesterday in Sop and Melim?" This comes as, even for a press freedom even in the UN Inner City Press was invited to and had a ticket for, Guterres' guards physically pushed Inner City Press out of the UN on March 14 and refuses to show the "barred" list they promised to show. Birds of a feather, flock together: Guterres and Biya. On March 8, when the UN was bragging about International Women's Day while refusing for example to answer Press questions about the rapes by Cameroonian "peacekeepers" in CAR, Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Amina J. Mohammed, Alison Smale and Stephane Dujarric: "March 8-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the holding over of barrister Michele Ndoki, whom the government previously shot, on charges like Maurice Kamto of 'rebellion'?" More than a day, no answer at all. The impact of the golden statue and UN Budget Committee favors continues - #DumpGuterres. On March 1 after the Nigerian federal high court sitting in Abuja declared illegal and unconstitutional the deportation of Ayuk Tabe and 46 others from Nigeria to Cameroon in January 2018, Dujarric who refuses questions from Inner City Press he has banned took a fake question from one of his favorites, who said "Anglophones did some shooting" - and said NOTHING about the new ruling. The refoulement took place with Guterres' Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed there, and joining in censorship since. We'll have more on this, and this:  Azanwuli Chikere, a member of the panel which heard the case, said the Nigeria federal government lacks the power to deport refugees and asylum seekers from Nigeria. Ruling on an application filed by Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, the court awarded N5 million damages to each of the applicant and also ordered the government to ensure the Cameroonians are brought back to Nigeria.  Among those deported were Julius Tabe, Nfor Nfor, Fidelis Che, Henry Kimeng, Awasum, Cornelius Kwanga, Tassang Wilfred, Eyambe Elias, Ojong Okongho and Nalowa Bih. Amid Guterres' shameful silence, in Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto on February 27 argued he cannot be tried in a military court - the UN seems fine with this - while supporters were held over in Kondengui prison until at least March 19. Meanwhile Guterres' UN system and affiliates, in a system that like a fish rots from the head, lavish praise and money on Paul Biya as he burns villages and takes untold money to his hotel in Geneva. It has gone beyond the money the Secretariat is raising for Biya - now the World Bank is shoveling in money for a dubious dam project: "The Cameroonian President authorized last February 22 the economy minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, to sign a loan agreement with World Bank’s subsidiary, the International Development Association (IDA), for an amount of €24.5 million, or XAF16.3 billion." How much will go for Biya's hotel bills in Geneva, paid in cash? The UN World Health Program's Matshidiso Moeti praised Biya on, if it can be believed, health while Biya is in fact killing people. She said she "was touched when the Minister of State 'told me that when we train health personnel we need to tell them not only to be efficient and knowledgeable but also to treat members of the public with kindness and compassion.'" Paul Biya and compassion? That's like Antonio Guterres false claim to care about and comply with freedom of the press. Doctor, heal thyself.

  More here.

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