Interview

World leaders must change their mentality in order to avoid humanitarian crises

- Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle

Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle

Renowned Peace Crusader, Legal luminary of repute  and President of the General Assembly of the Cameroon Bar Association, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, has in the following interview granted The Median, posited that until governments of Africa adopt governance policies that enhance democratic precepts, stimulate and favour economic growth, their citizens would always continue to be an the move, migrating to other parts of the world to seek solace from conflict and financial hardship. While expressing pessimism that he does not foresee a time when the continent would be void of a refugee crisis, the International Legal Consultant and revered Elections Observer, nonetheless suggests that there could be a way out of the conundrum should World Leaders realize the need to turn back to God. He also bares his mind on the current political tension being experienced in neighbouring Gabon following the August 27 presidential election in the oil-rich country that turned violent, leading to loss of life and destruction of government and private property. He was interview by Ojong Steven. Excerpts!

Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, thank you for accepting to grant us this interview.

It is both humbling and compelling contacting me to address contemporary issues. Immense thanks for the opportunity.

Africa has taken so many problems to the ongoing 71st UN General Assembly, amongst them the teething problem brought about by refugees fleeing conflict and hardship in their respective countries. What’s your take on the growing refugee phenomenon in Africa and the world?

Simply appalling! You know the refugee crisis we have experienced in the past two years is the highest since after the Second World War. According to the UNHCR, an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world had been forced from home in 2015 alone. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Not too long ago, there were situations of internally displaced persons resulting from acts of God such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, etc. but recently, religious extremism, brutal slaying by governments of its own people, dictatorship, corruption, wars, unrest, and generalized conflicts, electoral fraud and the quest for arms sales have exacerbated humanitarian crisis worldwide. You see every day on the news, Northern Nigerians and Cameroonians fleeing southwards, Syrians fleeing to Europe and neighbouring countries like Lebanon, people from Central African Republic, Mali and South Sudan fleeing for their lives and safety to different countries. These situations are horrendous and despicable.

Would leaders at the on-going UN General Assembly have just adopted a declaration to check the refugee and migrant crisis? How far do you think this declaration can help contain the situation?

Adoption of the declaration by world leaders to curb this refugee and migrant crisis is a laudable initiative but it is not enough. First of all, it is important to note that a UN declaration is not binding on member states of the UN. It is a soft law whose implementation totally depends on the good will and spirit of the states that sign it. So adopting this declaration is one thing but implementing it is another. Already, there is a 1951 Refugee Convention and multiple international human rights treaties such as the twin international Covenants on Civil and Political  Rights; and Economic, social and cultural Rights, which if fully implemented according to the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, will considerably curb migrant crisis and help solve this refugee calamity. But the politics involved in this policy issues only has the result of slowing things down and making innocent citizens suffer the effects. Not to condemn this declaration, it should only be applauded when it is fully implemented.

Do you foresee a time when Africa may be void of refugee crises?

Whether I foresee a time when Africa will be void of refugee crisis is a no. or if at least there will ever come a day like this, it will mean that world leaders need to change their mentality. We need to go closer to God and change our ways. We have to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. This is the very basic to create a world free of humanitarian crisis that lead to refugees. But we still stand to face one problem; and that will be people displaced as a result of natural disasters and acts of God. That can never be stopped, so summarily we can never put an end to these issues.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the European Union has said it will invest up to 50 billion US dollars in Africa to help fight illegal migration to Europe. Can this be a way out?

The investment of 50 billion dollars by the European Union is an initiative that comes at a most needed time. But the q2uestion that it begs is whether the amount is enough to curb these crisis and whether there are effective mechanisms to control the said investment. Finance and investment are some of the solutions to these problems, but are not the utmost. Good faith, good will, justice and equity are. Investing 50 billion dollars in a continent which has been swallowed up by corruption is simply enriching the same old corrupt guys and keeping the people who are in much need of this aid in the same position. Consequently, effective menhanisms on how these 50 billion dollars will be pumped into Africa should be put in place with very vivid and stringent checks and balances to see that these amounts are used for the right purposes. On another note, 50 billion dollars is not even enough taking into consideration the level of indebtedness of African nations to Bretton Woods Institutions and international banks. Cameroon alone has a foreign debt of over four thousand billion francs CFA.

There is also the problem of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, but it seems not to be given global attention as much as the refugee and migrant issue. Do you share that view?

The problem of internally displaced persons as you have rightly said has been given less attention both by the media and humanitarian organization s even though it is equally important. They are some sort of refugees even though they do not fall into the ambit of the legal definition of refugees. You know the media is a business and covers or brings to the attention of its viewers events that are meant to get them (the media) ratings. Internally displaced persons may have just proven to be a bad business for the media but they are equally important and balanced reporting by the media should expose these issues to the world. Politicians and the elite class should take special responsibility to deal with these issues effectively and expeditiously.

President Paul Biya addresses the Assembly Thursday today September 22. What are some of the issues you think he will address to his global peers given that he has personally not attended the Assembly in the last four or five occasion?

The issues which I think President Paul Biya will address in the UN General Assembly will be some of the trending topics in the world right now such as climate change (especially with his pressure on Parliament to ratify the COP 21); refugee crisis in Cameroon, Africa and the world at large; terrorism resulting from religious extremism which has caused mass humanitarian crisis in many African countries and Middle Eastern countries; graft, poverty and unemployment; moral decadence in all its forms; democracy and the need to organize free, fair, transparent, credible and acceptable elections; governance; corruption and embezzlement; etc.

Let’s turn to something else. Since the declaration of results of the August 27 polls in neighbouring Gabon, there has been political unrest as some Gabonese think the elections were doctored in favour of incumbent Ali Bongo. What is your view on the current political situation in Gabon as a former Elections Observer and Peace Crusader?

I have been following the recent evens and unrest in Gabon with a lot of concern and pray for peace and rest to come back to this blessed country. I am uncertain about the doctoring of elections in this country and cannot really comment on same. But I insist that the lives of the Gabonese people are priceless. As a Peace Crusader, I urge Bongo and Jean Ping to go to the table and negotiate these issues. Killing of their fellow citizens is not a solution to this matter. It only creates a wider rift and may get to a point of no return.

On another note, I am not in favour of foreign intervention in any electoral process. However, if such intervention must take place, it must be honest, equitable, just, and impartial and should be geared towards achieving the very essence of justice, democracy and the interest of the people.

Thank you very much.