The crucial help Cameroon needs is to get rid of Biya

On Wednesday October 14, U.S President Barack Obama promised sending 300 American soldiers to Cameroon to help the region combat and obliterate Boko Haram terrorists. He said 90 were already on the ground in Cameroon and the rest would join eventually.

We at the Cameroon Journal applaud on behalf of all Cameroonians, such timely patronage from President Obama. Boko Haram is a venomous terrorist entity that has wreaked mayhem and murder not just in Cameroon, but equally in Nigeria and Chad. Unless Boko Haram is totally obliterated with its ammunition and funding sources exposed and dealt with, they did continue to be a huge menace with dire consequences to the peace, security and economic progress of the entire region.

Already, the refugee impact resulting from their destabilizing violence has reached alarming proportions in Nigeria. Hundreds of thousands have lost their lives and billions have vanished in business and property. We wish all African colonialists would join President Obama in this benevolent undertaking.

That said, we at the Cameroon Journal vehemently hold the judgement that Cameroon’s most demanding problem isn’t really Boko Haram in spite of the nuisance they pose. Paul Biya, the President and the dictatorial regime he leads are Cameroon’s major problem. This is no overstatement – President Biya poses a greater threat to Cameroonians than Boko Haram and Cameroonians wish they get rid of him with same urgency they want to get rid of Boko Haram.

For the record, under President Biya, the number of Cameroonian victims who have died from state supervised torture, locked up in jail, or escaped with their lives into forced exile are more than the number of victims that Boko Haram has afflicted. Boko Haram conducted their mayhem as a group, that is, an organization. But Biya conducted his as an individual emperor, having ruled for over 34years – that’s the difference.

President Biya has been in power since 1982 – which means a higher percentage of the country’s population of today has known no other leader apart from him. He has changed the constitution several times to continue to perpetuate himself in power. He has more political opponents in jails across the country than the number of Boko Haram victims in hospitals in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria combined. Under President Biya, Cameroon has been top on the chart several times as the most corrupt country on earth. Under President Biya, more Cameroonians live in exile than in the dark days of Ahidjo.

President Biya rules by decree – his ministers are appointed by decree. Senators (who should be elected) are appointed by decree, governors appointed by decree, directors appointed by decree and you can name the rest.

President Biya is presently working towards holding early elections in 2017. The constitution basically allows him a life Presidency. But his age is quickly catching up on him. There have been speculations that like in Congo DRC and Gabon, should he not stand re-election, he may just as well choose to transfer power to his son or wife.

The Cameroon Journal reminds President Obama that as recently as July this year, speaking before African Heads of States at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he took issues with sit tide African leaders, questioning their wisdom in clinging to power and enslaving their people. He went as far as singling out Burundian President by name. He didn’t mention Paul Biya, but Biya is on record as one of the world’s longest serving Presidents – in fact, he is the fifth longest serving presidents on earth.

“Nobody should be president for life,” Obama said. “And your country is better off if you have new blood and new ideas.” He continued, “I don’t understand why people want to stay so long, especially when they have got a lot of money,” Obama told the AU.

Calling on the AU to ensure leaders respect their constitutions and step down when their term ends, Obama said, “Sometimes you will hear leaders say ‘I’m the only person who can hold this nation together.’ If that’s true, then that leader has failed to truly build their nation.”

Obama’s statements are a clear depiction of what obtains in Cameroon and constitute the urgent yoke that Cameroonians desperately need help for.

The International crisis group, ICG, is warning that the level of political uncertainty that looms over Cameroon if not addressed in a timely manner will burst into uncontrollable state of chaos, capable of creating a huge humanitarian and refugee crisis in the West and Central Africa sub regions.

Still, in another report on Cameroon published August 2015, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs warned: “–the current political constellation (in Cameroon) increases the potential for crisis. It is absolutely unclear who will succeed President Biya (age eighty-four), who has ruled the country since 1982, and will leave the political stage sooner or later. Although the constitution theoretically offers a route for succession, it is far from certain if this institutional mechanism will be respected. With Biya showing no signs of resigning and public discussion of the question a political taboo, the air of uncertainty can trigger conflicts at any time – whether between rival wings within the regime fighting over Biya’s succession or from the opposition and civil society, which regard the president’s departure as an opportunity for change.”

Yes, Boko Haram poses a threat. But imagine the greater threat that lies ahead with a potential to produce refugees in the event of a civil war over political succession. Help crushing Boko Haram isn’t the most urgent thing Cameroonians need now. What they urgently need is the kind of help that gets rid of Paul Biya.

Wants to test Biya’s popularity against that of Boko Haram’s? Put President Biya and Boko Haram on the table and ask Cameroonians to choose, they did choose Boko Haram over Biya, because they know that a good and accountable gov’t – a gov’t of the people, with such help from Cameroon partners will most definitely in no time beat Boko Haram to retreating.

We’re in no way suggesting a violent overthrow of President Biya. But we’re suggesting of such help for an arrangement that gives him free passage to leave power without threats of persecution and prosecution. Sending a hundred thousand troops to Cameroon will not give Cameroonians jobs. It will not stop Cameroonians running away from their own gov’t. It will not stop the Biya’s gov’t from sending its own citizens to jail. It will not pave a single highway or road in the country. But there did be certain hope for Cameroonians in a Cameroon without Paul Biya and of course, Boko Haram.