Cameroonian journalist stages one-man protest in South Africa

A Cameroonian journalist is on strike at the Cameroon High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, to force authorities to assist Cameroonians left homeless by recent xenophobic attacks.

Amabo Solomon, who worked at Equinoxe TV in Douala before relocating to South Africa earlier this year, entered the high commission in the early hours of Thursday April 23, and was yet to meet authorities by 11am Cameroon time.

Scores of Cameroonians are among hundreds of Africans targeted by machete and club-wielding South African’s protesting their stay in the country. Many have been rendered homeless and others have escaped to neighboring Zimbabwe.

Amabo is himself a victim of the attacks. He escaped by hair’s breadth after breaking through his own window, when armed men smashed into his Johannesburg apartment last week.

At least one Cameroonian has died in the midst of the attacks after falling from the top floor apartment in Durban. It is still unclear if the incident was a homicide, accident or suicide.

Many African countries have been taking out their citizens and providing temporary shelter and protection to those left behind. Amabo claimed Cameroon officials have been absent from the field.

The listed phone number of the high commission has been unavailable and officials there had not replied to our e-mail sent since Monday. The High Commissioner Adrien Kwambo dropped his call when we mentioned the allegations.

Amabo posted updates of his strike on his Facebook page and other social media outlets include a number of grievances related to Cameroon’s response to the crisis:

- What the government is doing or planning to do to repatriate home, those who want to flee violence.

- What is our embassy to do to help repatriate the corpse of the compatriot who died within the context of xenophobia.

- What therapy, advice and assistance can the embassy give to Cameroonian victims of xenophobic attacks?

- Why are our embassy officials absent from the field when other diplomatic missions are busy visiting their compatriots?

“I will not leave until I get answers,” he said. “We the Cameroonian people have been abandoned. We have been victims of attacks and we have nowhere to go.”