By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, en francais, 1st Person
UNITED NATIONS, February 5 – The UN system's deference to Cameroon's 35-year president Paul Biya, and to the government of neighboring Nigeria, continues. The UN refugee agency UNHCR in Abuja early on January 30 told Inner City Press that it has as yet no comment on the blatant forced repatriation or refoulement to Cameroon of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and 46 others while it seeks "explanations through official channels."
On January 31, Inner City Press against asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here and below. After the UN again no-commented Inner City Press' Cameroon question on February 5 (video here,second half), at 5 pm the US State Department issued this, via spokesperson Heather Nauert: "The United States condemns the ongoing violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, including the murder of two Cameroonian gendarmes in the North West Region village of Mbingo, a Cameroonian soldier outside of Bamenda on February 1, an electoral official of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) in Bangem, and the reported deaths of four civilians in Bemenda and Belo on February 2 and 3. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to the people of Cameroon. We also call on the Government of Cameroon to respect the human rights, including due process, of the 47 Cameroonians forcibly returned from Nigerian custody to the Cameroonian authorities on January 26, and many of whom had reportedly submitted asylum claims in Nigeria. We urge the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria to adhere to their obligations under international law to refrain from forcible returns to asylum-seekers back to their countries of origin. The 47 Cameroonians are now held in detention in Cameroon allegedly in connection with tension and violence in North West and South West Regions. We expect the government of Cameroon to afford these and other individuals previously detained all the rights and protections enshrined in Cameroon’s constitution, consistent with the nation’s international obligations and commitments." Meanwhile the French government, which claims at the UN and elsewhere that human rights is in its DNA, has ignored the refoulement, limited its condemnation instead, via Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Von der Muhll, on "new killings of law enforcement officials that took place on 1 February in Cameroon." In Yaounde, France's Ambassador Gilles Thibault is focusing, like Reuters' ostensibly charitable arm, on the cultivation of pepper, see here. This is colonialism. On February 1, the UN refugee agency UNHCR finally answered Inner City Press' repeated questions, below. But at the UN noon briefing, even when Inner City Press specifically cited Guterres shameless golden statue moment and Amina J. Mohammed's Nigeria links, the UN passed the buck. From the UN transcript: Inner City Press: you had said two days ago, on the issue of these… this refoulement from Nigeria to Cameroon, to wait for UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] to speak. And they have spoken, and they've said that the law has been broken by Nigeria, sending back, they say, 47; some people involved say it's 51. But, what I wanted… so, I wanted to know, at the Secretariat level, given its involvement and its call for dialogue in Cameroon, and number two, specifically, given that the Deputy Secretary-General was in Abuja when the abductions took place, according to you, has spoken to the Government about it, has been quoted in a speech she gave in South Africa as calling Mr. [Muhammadu] Buhari her President, what is her statement on Nigeria's refoulement of at least 47 and maybe 51? Spokesman: I think we'll refer you to UNHCR. UNHCR is in the lead on the issue of refugees and asylum-seekers and refoulement. They have spoken. We fully back what UNHCR has said. Inner City Press: But, how does it impact this… I mean, obviously…? Spokesman: We continue to engage with the Cameroonian authorities, and our offers of helping them work out some of the issues in the Anglophone areas continues to stand. I will come back to you." When? Today's UN is corrupt. Here was UNHCR: "Hi dear Matthew, Following up on my email, below is our statement on the issue: UNHCR condemns forced returns of Cameroon asylum-seekers from Nigeria: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has learned with great concern of the forced return by Nigeria of 47 Cameroonians, who were handed over to the Cameroonian authorities on 26 January 2018. Most of the individuals in question had submitted asylum claims. Their forcible return is in violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which constitutes the cornerstone of international refugee law. The returns were carried out despite UNHCR’s efforts and engagement with the authorities. UNHCR reminds Nigeria of its obligations under international and Nigerian law, and urges the Nigerian Government to refrain from forcible returns of Cameroonian asylum-seekers back to their country of origin. We also urge the Government of Cameroon to ensure that the group is treated in accordance with human rights law and standards." Is this why UN Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed has refused and avoided all questions from Inner City Press on this, including by using restrictions on the Press in "her UN, in support of "her" President and country? We'll have more on this. From the UN's January 31 transcript: Inner City Press: On Cameroon and Nigeria, you'd said to wait for the press release. There is none. Spokesman: I don't have anything. We can check with UNHCR." But UNHCR's Babar Baloch, Inner City Press asked him again, replied: "Hi dear Mathew, Apologies for missing your yesterday’s email. We are indeed gathering all details on this incident. Will share with you once have the info. With best regards, Babar." The tone is nice, but what a failure for the UN system. After UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres accepted a golden statue from Cameroon's 35-year president Paul Biya in Biya's palace in Yaounde, Guterres again shook hands with Biya in Paris at the One Planet event, photo here; UN told Inner City Press no meeting was scheduled. After Guterres' envoy Francois Lounceny Fall equated secessionists with extremists, Inner City Press was informed that ten officials of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia declared on October 1 including Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe have been grabbed and disappeared -- while in Nigeria. On January 29, Inner City Press again asked Guterres spokesman about the detainees, and this time deputy spokesman Farhan Haq replied that the UN and Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed, a former Nigerian environment minister in Abuja at the time of the detentions, had made inquiries. Less than an hour later, Inner City Press was sent Cameroon's announcement that Ayuk Tabe and more than forty others have been transferred to Yaounde. A day after Inner City Press asked the UN in writing, Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric still had no answer at noon on January 30, except to wait for a UNHCR press release. Earlier on January 30, Inner City Press put the question to Amina J. Mohammed how did not answer, video here. Inner City Press on January 29 wrote to UNHCR's most senior spokespeople in Geneva, and those in Nigeria, "this is a Press request for comment and information regarding the reported refoulement / "repatriation" to Cameroon of Ayuk Tabe and more than 40 others to Yaounde, from Nigeria.UNHCR has said, in "Nigeria: Update on the Cameroon Arrivals, Issue #5 (24 January 2018)" that "For others still in detention, including the leadership of the pro-independence group, the government has agreed to grant UNHCR access for the determination of their status. The government has further reassured UNHCR that those detained would not be returned to Cameroon." Now Cameroon Minister Bakary says they are back in Yaounde (attached). On deadline, as a matter of urgency given the context, this is a request for comment and explanation and action. Please confirm receipt." On January 30 from Abuja, UNHCR's Senior External Relations Officer Elizabeth Mpimbaza replied, "Dear Mr. Lee, Thank you for your email. UNHCR has seen the statement. The government gave UNHCR access to some of asylum seekers last week and we are seeking explanations through official channels." This interim response was followed, from Geneva, by an assignment of Inner City Press' question to the same UNHCR spokesperson who partially responded when a UNHCR staffer called for "harder repression" by Biya in Cameroon, still never fully explained by UNHCR. We will have more on this as soon as possible. Watch this site. Much earlier, still without substantive answer nine hours later, Inner City Press wrote to Guterres' spokesmen and deputy: "Today at the noon briefing, along with the confirmation that the Secretary General met with Omar al Bashir, Inner City Press' weeks-old question about what the UN has done about those detained in Abuja was belatedly responded to, with the statement that the UN including the Deputy Secretary General had made inquiries. Soon after the noon briefing I became aware of a document in which the Cameroon Minister of Information says that Ayuk Tabe and more than 40 others have been transferred - or refouled -- to Cameroon, see [here]. This is a formal request for comment on the legality of this transfer, separately on the political advisability of this transfer given UN envoy Fall's call for inclusive dialogue, and for all specifics of what the UN actually did about these detentions. On deadline, please confirm receipt." Receipt has been confirmed, and Inner City Press has presented to the UN what UNHCR said, about no sending back to Cameroon. Watch this site. On January 25 Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here Inner City Press: statistics of people that have fled Cameroon and Nigeria because of-- Spokesman [cutting in]: Yeah, UNHCR has. Question: …because of the crackdown. Now local groups… aid groups in Nigeria said that, in fact, the number is three times what the UN's reported. It's 43,000, not what the UN reported. And they're saying that the UN is incorrectly only counting those who come through, like, on roads or on buses… Spokesman: I mean, I… we'll check with our UNHCR colleagues. They can obviously only count where they are, and I think they try to be as many places as possible, but we'll go back to UNHCR… Inner City Press: What is the UN actually doing to try to… I'm wondering, like, Mr. {Francois Lounceny} Fall, has he gone… has he spoken to Paul Biya? Has anyone done anything on the underlying conflict? Spokesman: Our contacts are continuing, and our efforts are continuing. Thank you." No thanks. On January 22, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: Since the Deputy Secretary-General was there, this controversy has been ongoing of leaders of southern Cameroons or Ambazonia being held in Nigeria. And it's said today they were brought to court charged with running camps. When she was there, did she learn anything about this? Did she have any communications? Because it's creating quite a…Spokesman: "I understand. As soon as I have something, I will share it with you." Then nothing, including when Inner City Press though still restricted put the question to Amina J. Mohammed, Vine video here. On January 19, Inner City Press asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I heard the Secretary-General when he said today that of course, he's worried about any situation where people could die, so I wanted to ask you again about the situation in the Anglophone areas of Cameroon. There are now reports that military gunship helicopters have fired at farmers, saying that they are fighters, and there's a whole town that was burned down. 6,000 people have fled across the border into Nigeria, so what exactly is the UN doing in that situation? Spokesman: Well, you know, we're following the situation, and our colleagues at UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] have said today that the number of people fleeing the English-speaking areas of Cameroon into Nigeria is growing, and they're increasingly concerned about the plight of women and children among them. We obviously share that concern. Women and children are about 80 per cent of the 10,000 refugees so far registered in the eastern part of Nigeria, and this situation we're continuing to follow. Inner City Press: And one other thing. WFP [World Food Programme] has found in an audit that… that they're not correctly protecting the personal data of the people whose data they take in order to provide aid to, that basically, it's all in a centralized database and it doesn't follow basic kind of safeguards. I wanted to know: Is there a UN systemwide as… as these… I know that there's biometrics. There's all kinds of data being collected. Spokesman: I'll check on this WFP report." Then, nothing. On January 16, Inner City Press asked Guterres directly, video here, UN transcript here: Q: Matthew Lee, Inner City Press, on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, hoping for more question and answer in 2018... On Cameroon, you visited, I know, in late October. Since then, some Anglophone leaders have been arrested… or abducted in Nigeria, where I know your deputy was. I wanted to know what the UN system is doing about this now cross-border problem. SG Guterres: "Well, as a matter of fact, in relation to that, we have done several initiatives, and some of them even led to the release of people, and we will go on engaging with all the states involved." So on January 18, two days later, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I wanted to ask you again, because there have been… I don't know if it's true or not. There have been some reports that, in her time in Nigeria, she did inquire in some way into the case of these ten Anglophones, Cameroonian leaders, abducted in Nigeria 12 days ago. Is… and I know that the Secretary-General made some… made sort… he said generally that there are… Spokesman: As I said, if I had an update, I would give one to you. Inner City Press: What about the Global Compact? You'd said that you would check with the Global Contact about China Energy Fund Committee -- Spokesman: I would need to check on that." Hours later, nothing on either issue. Today's UN is corrupt. Inner City Press on January 15 asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I want to… to ask you again about the… this now 10-day disappearance of southern Cameroonian leaders in Nigeria. You know, each time you’ve said you’re unaware of it. It’s getting more and more coverage. It seems to be a regional issue. And I noticed that… that the Deputy Secretary-General… now it says she’s on leave. She was there for a week in Nigeria. And I’m just wondering to ask you again, in that week, did she find the time to ask the Nigerian Government…Spokesman: As I said, if I have anything on this, I willshare it with you. Inner City Press: Is Mr. [François Louncény] Fall doing anything? I mean… Spokesman: As I said, if I have something to share with you, I will." And then: nothing.
