By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, 1st Person, this
UNITED NATIONS, March 29 -- The deference of the UN system's and many of its member states to Cameroon's corrupt 36-year president Paul Biya, and their complicity in his recent crackdown, continues. On March 29 Inner City Press asked the UN's Political Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman (now being succeeded by another American Rosemary DiCarlo) about the UN's failure in Cameroon, where UN envoy Francois Fall equated secessionists to extremists. Periscope video here. Feltman replied that the UN can't go in and tell people what to do.
But note, Secretary General Antonio Guterres did "just go in" and take Paul Biya's golden statue. And his Deputy Amina J. Mohammed "just went in" to Nigeria, twice, the second time to issue an absurd joint statement with her President Buhari covering over his role in refoulement. And note that Feltman never even got a closed door "Any Other Business" briefing about Cameroon in the UN Security Council. Feltman said the issues in Cameroon's Anglophone areas could get worse; he did not answer Inner City Press' question about the influence of former or current colonil powers in the UN and his Department. We'll have more on this. As noted, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed was in Abuja as 47 people were illegally refouled to Cameroon; she has been silent on that, as on continuing restrictions on the Press in her UN. She was back in Abuja. But when Inner City Press asked once again at the March 26 noon briefing, there was nothing on the refoulement. Here's what was said: Inner City Press: went to… to Abuja for the two days before she went to the Czech Republic, did the issue… I saw that she actually tweeted how she's concerned about UN staff being detained and that's… without reason. The 47 individuals that were refouled from Nigeria to Cameroon and haven't been seen since, was this issue raised? Did she have any headway on it?
Deputy Spokesman: She did raise the issue of the situation of the… in Anglophone Cameroon more generally with her interlocutors. So she has raised that while she was in Nigeria." Later Haq's office issued a Note to Correspondents, which Inner City Press published in full here. On March 27, Inner City Press asked Haq to explain it and he said to ask Nigeria. From the UN's transcript: Inner City Press: yesterday, I'd asked you whether the Deputy Secretary-General had raised these refouled or sent-back Cameroonians. And you'd said that she raised it generally. Then I saw the Note to Correspondents that came out afterwards, and I have to ask you something about it. When she met with President Buhari, the line says: "They also called for respect of the guarantees of fair and humane treatment of those recently arrested and deported to Cameroon." And I guess it's strange to some, because even UNHCR has said that this refoulement was illegal. So, does the "they"… it means that President Buhari sent them back, including UNHCR refugees, but is now calling for them to be treated fairly where he sent them back?
Spokesman: To… to read the entire passage, the basic point is, as we said about the situation in Cameroon and the status of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Deputy Secretary-General agreed on the need to respect international obligations on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. They also called for the respect of the rights of those recently arrested and deported to Cameroon.
Inner City Press: So, I guess I… I just… I'm sorry, because it's… it's… it's… many people don't understand this. If you're saying that they agreed on international obligations, the international obligation is not to have sent them back, but that's exactly what he did. So, is he saying… is the President of Nigeria saying that this was wrong, and going forward, he won't do it? What's he saying?
Spokesman: I don't speak for the President of Nigeria…
Inner City Press: I know, but you said "they". It's kind of a joint statement.
Spokesman: I did point out that they agreed on the need, like I said, to respect international obligations on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
Inner City Press: But, you say you don't speak for him, but the statement… the UN statement says "they called for the respect of the guarantee of fair and humane treatment", with the "they" referring to President Buhari. Is he calling for Cameroon to treat fairly those he sent back in violation of international law?
Spokesman: Beyond this note that was agreed upon, I would not have anything to say about the President of Nigeria's statements or his actions. You'd have to ask the Government of Nigeria." But the UN put the statement out. As Cameroon purported to hold Senatorial elections amid the crackdown in the North-West and South-West Regions, it state media regulator, through the state TV, instructs all media on “The need for media reports to favor social cohesion, peace, national unity integration... The need for media content to reflect the present administrative and political disposition.” So, censorship. Meanwhile, Inner City Press hs appealed the UK Foreign Office's denial in full of Inner City Press' Freedom of Information request about Cameroon, as well as Yemen. We'll have more on this. On March 22, Inner City Press asked Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the UN Tijjani Muhammad Bande about the 47 people. Video here. He replied that he cannot answer, he doesn't know all the facts. "I would need information" about it, he said, "I am looking for verification."
Deputy Spokesman: She did raise the issue of the situation of the… in Anglophone Cameroon more generally with her interlocutors. So she has raised that while she was in Nigeria." Later Haq's office issued a Note to Correspondents, which Inner City Press published in full here. On March 27, Inner City Press asked Haq to explain it and he said to ask Nigeria. From the UN's transcript: Inner City Press: yesterday, I'd asked you whether the Deputy Secretary-General had raised these refouled or sent-back Cameroonians. And you'd said that she raised it generally. Then I saw the Note to Correspondents that came out afterwards, and I have to ask you something about it. When she met with President Buhari, the line says: "They also called for respect of the guarantees of fair and humane treatment of those recently arrested and deported to Cameroon." And I guess it's strange to some, because even UNHCR has said that this refoulement was illegal. So, does the "they"… it means that President Buhari sent them back, including UNHCR refugees, but is now calling for them to be treated fairly where he sent them back?
Spokesman: To… to read the entire passage, the basic point is, as we said about the situation in Cameroon and the status of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Deputy Secretary-General agreed on the need to respect international obligations on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. They also called for the respect of the rights of those recently arrested and deported to Cameroon.
Inner City Press: So, I guess I… I just… I'm sorry, because it's… it's… it's… many people don't understand this. If you're saying that they agreed on international obligations, the international obligation is not to have sent them back, but that's exactly what he did. So, is he saying… is the President of Nigeria saying that this was wrong, and going forward, he won't do it? What's he saying?
Spokesman: I don't speak for the President of Nigeria…
Inner City Press: I know, but you said "they". It's kind of a joint statement.
Spokesman: I did point out that they agreed on the need, like I said, to respect international obligations on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
Inner City Press: But, you say you don't speak for him, but the statement… the UN statement says "they called for the respect of the guarantee of fair and humane treatment", with the "they" referring to President Buhari. Is he calling for Cameroon to treat fairly those he sent back in violation of international law?
Spokesman: Beyond this note that was agreed upon, I would not have anything to say about the President of Nigeria's statements or his actions. You'd have to ask the Government of Nigeria." But the UN put the statement out. As Cameroon purported to hold Senatorial elections amid the crackdown in the North-West and South-West Regions, it state media regulator, through the state TV, instructs all media on “The need for media reports to favor social cohesion, peace, national unity integration... The need for media content to reflect the present administrative and political disposition.” So, censorship. Meanwhile, Inner City Press hs appealed the UK Foreign Office's denial in full of Inner City Press' Freedom of Information request about Cameroon, as well as Yemen. We'll have more on this. On March 22, Inner City Press asked Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the UN Tijjani Muhammad Bande about the 47 people. Video here. He replied that he cannot answer, he doesn't know all the facts. "I would need information" about it, he said, "I am looking for verification."
Really? Isn't it his government, even more than (still) the government of Amija J. Mohammed. Still Tijjani Muhammad Bande UNlike Amina . Mohammed at least took the question, along with Niger's affable Ambassador Abdallah Wafy and offered some response. Amina J. Mohammed hasn't responded on that, on the CITES issues, or on this. On March 23 Inner City Press asked the Spokesman for Antonio "Golden Statue" Guterres and Amina J. "Rosewood" Mohammed, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: at the stakeout yesterday, the ambassador… the Permanent Representative of Nigeria, Tijjani Muhammad Bande, I asked him about these 47 people that were sent back to Cameroon, that… that UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] has said were sent back, and criticized. He said he doesn't have any information on it. I'm wondering, given that the Deputy Secretary-General is going to be in Abuja, is this one of the issues that she's going to try to get an answer to?
Spokesman: She had raised it with various officials in the past.
Spokesman: She had raised it with various officials in the past.
Inner City Press: But now, the Government is taking they don't know?
Spokesman: I'm not aware that she plans to raise it. If anything changes, I will let you know." What, to SABC? On March 19, while constrained with a minder and a roped in cage, Inner City Press asked UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid if he had any updated death count, since he stopped at 10. Video here. He replied he needs to look at the statistics, I can't recall, the important issue is to have access. Inner City Press pointed to the visit or access of UN envoy Francois Lounseny Fall (who equated secessionists with extremists, justifying the crackdown). Zeid replied "like in West Papua, I am asking for access." But not asking as loudly as elsewhere. On March 19 Inner City Press asked Antonio Guterres' spokesman Staphane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: since you're going to look into the Deputy Secretary-General's trip to Nigeria, I'd wanted to know, previously, when she was there, the issue of the 47 Cameroonian — many of them UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], you know, accredited or whatever — designated refugees being refouled to Cameroon, [will she ask, [oes the UN know any more about where those 47 people are… Spokesman: Nothing more than what we've said at the time." Can you head the golden statue Guterres accepted from Biya in October, and Amina J. Mohammed calling Buhari "my president"? The UN has enabled Biya in equating Boko Haram with the restorationist forces, as he did in his cabinet meeting on March 15 with this line: "Thanks to the firm action of our defense and security forces, we have been able to drastically curb the atrocities perpetrated by criminal groups in the Far North, North-West and South-West Regions." The violence in the Far North is entirely different from that in North-West and South-West Regions. But it was the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' envoy Francois Lounceny Fall who equated separatists with extremists; it was Guterres who stopped by Yaounde and took Biya's golden statue back in October. On March 16, Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: since it's so rare, I got asked today. The President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, held his a Cabinet meeting for the first time since 2015, second one in the last six years, and one of the quotes coming out of it is to congratulate his defence and security forces for their… to drastically curb the atrocities perpetrated by criminal groups in the far north, north-west, and south-west regions. And "the far north" seems to be a reference to Boko Haram, but "north-west" and "south-west" are the Anglophone regions, where there's a dispute about whether that part of the country is… actually is part of Cameroon. So I wanted to know, given what's been said by François Fall and others about dialogue, if they took note of the speech, if they have any thought on it. And I had also… and also on the issue that you had been talking about, about investigating leaks, I wanted to ask a very specific question. If an internal UN memo concerning Cameroon, not submitted by the Government of Cameroon, but simply the UN's own analysis on why it might make sense to not speak out or to speak out, were to be leaked, is that the type of leak that would be investigated, since you said that it's done at the behest of or in order to protect Member States' ability to give information to the UN, if I understood you correctly?
Deputy Spokesman: And part of what I said is that those are decisions to be taken ultimately by the managers who deal with the various files. I wouldn't answer on any particular hypothetical circumstance.
Spokesman: I'm not aware that she plans to raise it. If anything changes, I will let you know." What, to SABC? On March 19, while constrained with a minder and a roped in cage, Inner City Press asked UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid if he had any updated death count, since he stopped at 10. Video here. He replied he needs to look at the statistics, I can't recall, the important issue is to have access. Inner City Press pointed to the visit or access of UN envoy Francois Lounseny Fall (who equated secessionists with extremists, justifying the crackdown). Zeid replied "like in West Papua, I am asking for access." But not asking as loudly as elsewhere. On March 19 Inner City Press asked Antonio Guterres' spokesman Staphane Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: since you're going to look into the Deputy Secretary-General's trip to Nigeria, I'd wanted to know, previously, when she was there, the issue of the 47 Cameroonian — many of them UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], you know, accredited or whatever — designated refugees being refouled to Cameroon, [will she ask, [oes the UN know any more about where those 47 people are… Spokesman: Nothing more than what we've said at the time." Can you head the golden statue Guterres accepted from Biya in October, and Amina J. Mohammed calling Buhari "my president"? The UN has enabled Biya in equating Boko Haram with the restorationist forces, as he did in his cabinet meeting on March 15 with this line: "Thanks to the firm action of our defense and security forces, we have been able to drastically curb the atrocities perpetrated by criminal groups in the Far North, North-West and South-West Regions." The violence in the Far North is entirely different from that in North-West and South-West Regions. But it was the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' envoy Francois Lounceny Fall who equated separatists with extremists; it was Guterres who stopped by Yaounde and took Biya's golden statue back in October. On March 16, Inner City Press asked Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: since it's so rare, I got asked today. The President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, held his a Cabinet meeting for the first time since 2015, second one in the last six years, and one of the quotes coming out of it is to congratulate his defence and security forces for their… to drastically curb the atrocities perpetrated by criminal groups in the far north, north-west, and south-west regions. And "the far north" seems to be a reference to Boko Haram, but "north-west" and "south-west" are the Anglophone regions, where there's a dispute about whether that part of the country is… actually is part of Cameroon. So I wanted to know, given what's been said by François Fall and others about dialogue, if they took note of the speech, if they have any thought on it. And I had also… and also on the issue that you had been talking about, about investigating leaks, I wanted to ask a very specific question. If an internal UN memo concerning Cameroon, not submitted by the Government of Cameroon, but simply the UN's own analysis on why it might make sense to not speak out or to speak out, were to be leaked, is that the type of leak that would be investigated, since you said that it's done at the behest of or in order to protect Member States' ability to give information to the UN, if I understood you correctly?
Deputy Spokesman: And part of what I said is that those are decisions to be taken ultimately by the managers who deal with the various files. I wouldn't answer on any particular hypothetical circumstance.
Inner City Press: But is there any guidance… I know… Is there any guidance from the top of… are there cases where, from the top, the UN would say this is not an appropriate thing to investigate because it chills whistle-blowers?
Deputy Spokesman: Obviously, you're aware of what the whistle-blower protections are, and all managers are aware of those. Regarding your question on Cameroon and the behaviour of the security forces, we've also made clear our concerns about any excessive use of force, and we want to make sure both that security forces, wherever they're deployed, avoid excessive use of force, abide by international human rights norms, and in this particular case, of course, we want to make sure that nothing is done to forestall any efforts at dialogue. Have a good weekend, everyone." Guterres is in Lisbon, again, for the weekend. Cameroon's UN ambassador Tommo Monthe is back - he said he was in Kingston for "the Seabed" - ready to chair the UN budget committee which plays host to Guterres' "reform" proposals. The Biya government is destroying historic places like Boa Bakundu, alongside the illegal refoulement to Yaounde from Nigeria, and other ongoing crackdowns. The UN's Central Africa representative Francois Lounceny Fall, who on UN Radio equated secessionists and extremists then ran from Press questions in UN Headquarters, deigned to visit Buea, along with the UN's resident coordinator Allegra Maria Del Pilar Baiocchi, more focused on promoting the UN than trying to prevent conflict and the killing of civilians. She has tweeted photos about the visit, nothing on the burned motor bikes and people, much less the illegal refoulement.
Deputy Spokesman: Obviously, you're aware of what the whistle-blower protections are, and all managers are aware of those. Regarding your question on Cameroon and the behaviour of the security forces, we've also made clear our concerns about any excessive use of force, and we want to make sure both that security forces, wherever they're deployed, avoid excessive use of force, abide by international human rights norms, and in this particular case, of course, we want to make sure that nothing is done to forestall any efforts at dialogue. Have a good weekend, everyone." Guterres is in Lisbon, again, for the weekend. Cameroon's UN ambassador Tommo Monthe is back - he said he was in Kingston for "the Seabed" - ready to chair the UN budget committee which plays host to Guterres' "reform" proposals. The Biya government is destroying historic places like Boa Bakundu, alongside the illegal refoulement to Yaounde from Nigeria, and other ongoing crackdowns. The UN's Central Africa representative Francois Lounceny Fall, who on UN Radio equated secessionists and extremists then ran from Press questions in UN Headquarters, deigned to visit Buea, along with the UN's resident coordinator Allegra Maria Del Pilar Baiocchi, more focused on promoting the UN than trying to prevent conflict and the killing of civilians. She has tweeted photos about the visit, nothing on the burned motor bikes and people, much less the illegal refoulement.
