Biya slammed for admitting US army without consultation

The Minister of Information and Media in the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) Shadow Cabinet, Jean Robert Wafo has said that President Biya violated Cameroon’s Constitution by admitting the deployment of a 300-man American army detachment in the country.

Citing Article 14 (4) of the Constitution, Wafo said the Defence and Security Commission of the National Assembly and Senate, the two Houses of Cameroon’s Parliament ought to have scrutinized the government bill that authorized Paul Biya to admit the American army into the country.

He said the decision, in total disrespect of the Constitution did not pass through Parliament nor a formal address to the nation by Biya justifying the decision.

Wafo, however, lauded US President, Barack Obama for respecting the American Constitution as informed Congress the decision to deployment the detachment of his country’s army to help Cameroon fight Boko Haram.

He observed how in Chad, President Idriss Deby had to address the two Houses of the Chadian Parliament before sending his country’s soldiers to Cameroon to fight Boko Haram. Paul Biya, he said, sought neither the approval of Parliament nor addressed the nation before the deployment of the US soldiers.

The reaction of the Social Democratic Front came after the Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh in a release last Thursday, October 15, announced that, “as part of the global mobilization against international terrorism and in particular, the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, the US and Cameroon governments have agreed to deploy a detachment of American army personnel in our country to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.”

The press release further stated that, “This detachment which is being deployed, will be based in Garoua. It will provide precious assistance to our defence and security forces in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group.”