Sisikou Ayuk, Tassang & Akere Muna hatched the plot
– Issa Tchiroma
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since the incidents in the North-west and South-west regions on
last October 1, voices have been raised here and there to advance misleading
and ungrounded allegations, with an imaginary report of victims intended to
involve the Government and the Defense and Security forces in the violence that
took place on that occasion.
I have therefore
invited you to this press conference to present to you Government’s
clarification on these allegations.
I thank you for
responding so quickly to my invitation, and would like, before going further,
to reiterate the satisfaction of the Government for the unequivocal
condemnation of acts of terrorism, vandalism, intimidation, harassment and
blackmail committed by secessionists, by the entire political class, the civil
society, the international community, the national media which has proposed
itself as a watchdog and guardian over the intangibility of our borders.
The events
suffered by our fellow compatriots in certain North-west and South-west
communities on October 1st are the result of violent extremists, some of whom
had already predicted and planned a bloodshed, and worse still, I quote “an
Anglophone genocide”, end of quote.
In fact, the
strategy put in place by these dangerous troublemakers consisted of letters to
the Secretary General of the United Nations by Julius SISIKU AYUK TABE,
Wilfried TASSANG and AKERE MUNA, to prepare minds for the occurrence of I
quote, «a genocide planned by the Cameroonian Government against compatriots of
English-speaking origin”.
For this purpose,
hundreds of mercenaries were recruited and trained abroad, shipments of
offensive weapons, such as over 500 well-sharpened machetes, large quantities
of firearms and explosive devices were supplied and safely kept by the
secessionists.
This arsenal was
to be used for mass killings perpetrated by these mercenaries recruited for the
cause by the secessionists.
On this occasion,
armed attacks were to be launched against the Defense and Security Forces,
public services, public and private buildings and property. At the same time,
groups of armed, fanatic, drug addicts, who had been armed and clothed in
amulets to convince the populations of their invulnerability, were to be thrown
at the Law Enforcement Forces to provoke a vigorous reaction of the Security
Forces, to cause bloodshed and to provoke an imaginary international
intervention.
Fortunately, the
information gathered by our Defense and Security Forces allowed for a timely
prevention, of the accomplishment of this diabolic plan and to frustrate the
consequences of this ploy.
On the field, the
Law Enforcement Units showcased a remarkable sense of duty and restraint in the
operations acting only in legitimate self-defense.
It was this
moderation in the retaliation of the Law Enforcement Forces that helped to
limit the loss of lives even though the Regular troops were constantly harassed
by armed assailants.
Let it be crystal
clear, once and for all, that no protest on this occasion was repressed through
the use of live bullets by the Law Enforcement Units.
As earlier stated on October 2nd, five people - inmates - died as
a result of an attempt to escape from the Kumbo Prison.
Two of these
persons suffered from a stampede while trying to escape and three others were
neutralized by prison guards in accordance with the protocol of the regulations
in force governing such situations.
Apart from the
five persons who died during their attempted escape, the others were struck as
a result of retaliatory fire, while the Defense and Security Forces were the
target of snipers who opened fire on them from the ambush, using weapons of all
calibres.
As you are
already aware, when a police officer, a gendarme or a soldier is faced with an
armed attack, the retaliation is done on the grounds of legitimate
self-defence.
However, the
death toll report stands at, over ten victims on the part of the assailants.
During these
clashes, a dozen members of the Defense and Security Forces were seriously
wounded. As of date, they are still admitted in intensive care at the military
health services.
To these brave
soldiers of the Republic, the Head of State wishes a speedy recovery and brings
all his comfort to their bereaved families.
The Head of State expresses the most heartfelt condolences
to the affected families. These innocent victims were sacrificed on the altar
of the diabolical aims of a handful of power-hungry extremists driven by
violence and terror.
Manipulated,
drugged and placed under unscrupulous propaganda, these compatriots who have
lost their lives by the stupidity of others, deserve the compassion and
solidarity of the entire Nation.
For the only
enemies who are worth fighting in this crisis are those who, stranded abroad,
expose innocent lives to the danger of a confrontation whose victims are
unaware of the cause.
That
notwithstanding, the death toll of these unfortunate events is far, I say very
far from the whimsical and false reports advanced with fantasy and
irresponsibility by some organizations, such as REDHAC, which does not hesitate
to report the massacre of civilian populations in the regions concerned.
The Government
strongly refutes and condemns such unfounded allegations, which in reality is a
concrete translation of the desire of the secessionists and their relays to
carry out their evil intention to destabilize Cameroon.
In all
likelihood, far from digesting the failure of their project, to impose an
amputation of the country by violence and terror, the separatists who had
already planned their statement after October 1, have continued in the same way
to implement their strategy through relays such as REDHAC and some news media.
To speak of this
famous REDHAC report, allow me
to indicate the deception and the lightness of the report announcing a hundred
dead in its headlines, and to further reveal that it mainly concerns those who
are reported missing.
With regard to
the statement made by the Bishops of the Bamenda ecclesiastical province and in
which they seem to endorse the dangerous and wild imaginations of the secessionists,
it is surprising, and unconceivable that the moral authorities who are supposed
to be above the quarrel, find themselves in the arena championing those who
deliberately chose to breach the Constitution and the laws of the Republic to
incite people to question their citizenship and their sacred duty of respect
for the law and the authority of the State.
It is
unconceivable, when it is evident that one is a Muslim or a Christian,
Anglophone or Francophone, from the North or from the South, from the East or
from the West, wherever they are, they are Cameroonians; whereas Francophone
Cameroonians live and invest heavily in the English-speaking part and
Anglophones live and invest heavily in the French-speaking part. Today these
moral authorities of the Church claim that Anglophones are persecuted in the
French-speaking part.
Is this not a
manifest contradiction intended to create tension and antagonism between
Francophones and Anglophones, two communities which, by the grace of God, live
together in harmony?
What would have
become of these two regions in the face of separatism and secessionist violence
if our Defense and Security Forces had not invested to protect the populations
and their property, institutions and those who embody them, including the
territorial integrity of our nation?
Through their
messages of imaginations and untruths, one wonders whether, without their
knowledge, these men of the Church have not become objective allies of these
secessionists.
If not, how can
we talk of mitigating circumstances for those who burn churches, the
dormitories of young girls who were saved from fire thanks to providence
because they were not there at the time of the events?
How can we talk
of mitigating circumstances for people who place bombs in hydrocarbon tanks,
with the objective to decimate an entire city and its people?
How can we
condemn with incomprehensible frivolity these men and women who, at the risk of
their lives, protect and safeguard the territorial integrity of our nation,
although confronted with groups armed with firearms and weapons to divide our
nation.
These soldiers
know fully well that if caught in flagrante delicto of violation, brutality
towards the populations, they would be disarmed and brought before the military
court and they are as such forbidden to use firearms except in case of
legitimate self-defense.
In any case,
invested with the sovereignty of the people and conscious of its supreme
mission, the Head of our nation will spare no effort to ensure that our
country, with its cultural diversity and its ethnic plurality, continues to be
this haven of peace where it is worth living and where the ideology of
"one for all and all for one" would be the driven force of each and
every one.
As for those of
our compatriots driven by the bulimia and the unquenchable thirst for power,
they would have to realize that by their excessive madness, they are inflicting
suffering, loss of lives, incalculable material damage, knowing fully well that
secession will never be on the agenda in Cameroon.
From the very
interior of the highest ruling body of the Catholic Church in Cameroon, the
President of the National Episcopal Conference did not bit about the bush to
call for the preservation of the best interests of unity, dialogue and peace.
Speaking of the
secessionist issue, the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon says no to
the secession, which, according to it and the opinion of many Cameroonians, is
not the solution to the problems that our country is facing.
In any case, the
responsibility of the Government, which it will continue to assume with determination
and firmness, is to maintain order, peace and public tranquility for all
Cameroonians, wherever they are and whoever they are, able to go along with
their normal occupations in all tranquility.
The Government,
which is the guarantor, reiterates its appreciation of the remarkable work
carried out by the Defense and Security Forces, for conducting their actions in
strict compliance with the rules and regulations required in this regard.
Such ethics is
based on the observance of international humanitarian standards to which
Cameroon has duly subscribed.
In this regard,
the Security Forces will continue to maintain order and peace, protect public
services, people and property in the North-west and South-west Regions and
throughout the national territory, whose sense of duty is acknowledged.
The arsonists,
bombers and all those who took up arms against the Republic, and their
accomplices, will be hunted down and brought to justice for their actions.
I avail myself to
warn all those who, without any evidence, disseminate and relay allegations of
the massacre of civilian populations against the devastating effects of such an
undertaking.
Let me remind
them that they could be held accountable for spreading false news and inciting
revolt if they persist in such a path.
In a nutshell, allow me to reiterate, on behalf of the
Government, the unity and indivisibility of the Cameroon Nation, as reaffirmed
on many occasions by the Head of State, His Excellency Paul BIYA, guarantor of
the Constitution and the application of laws of the Republic.
The Government
thereby urges the entire Nation to continue to lend its support to the people
of the North-west and South-West Regions, who are the first victims of
terrorist acts, violence, and intimidation perpetrated by a minority of
irredentist extremists.
In this regard,
the Government of the Republic will continue to make every effort to
consolidate peace and harmony in the Regions concerned, as well as throughout
the national territory.
Thank you for
your kind attention.
Pic
Issa Tchiroma Bakary
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