• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
  • WORLD DEMOCRACY
  • POLITICAL ART
  • more
    • election technology
    • money politics
    • political dissidents
    • THIRD PARTY
      • third party central
      • green party
      • justice party
      • libertarian party
    • voting methods
  • DC INFO
    • author central
    • about
    • advertise with DC
    • contact
    • privacy policy

Democracy Chronicles

Life sentence for Ambazonian separatist leader Ayuk Tabe may be a threat to world peace

by DC Editors - August 21, 2019

FacebookTweet1LinkedInPinShare1

 

Ayuk Tabe life sentence threat to world peace

 

Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, leader of the Anglophone separatist movement in Cameroon and 9 others (Co) have been found guilty of all charges against them by a Yaoundé military court and given life sentences. The Ambazonian leaders sang revolutionary songs as the life sentence was handed down.

Ayuk Tabe, who is an ex-employee of the defunct State electricity corporation known by its french acronym, SONEL, is the first self-proclaimed president of “Ambazonia”, a separate, purportedly self-declared, Anglophone State with territorial confines encapsulating the predominately English speaking Northwest and the Southwest regions of Cameroon, contiguous and conterminous with the erstwhile British Southern Cameroons.

He was arrested in Nigeria’s capital Abuja in January 2018 and thereafter transferred to Cameroon with 9 others. All through their trials, they called themselves Ambazonians, denying the Cameroonian citizenship.

An ill-received verdict

The court session which lasted until 5:36am Tuesday morning created tensions in the country as many observers and activists described it as being a “shameful trial”. Many Cameroonians have expressed their disappointment over the the life sentence dished out to Ayuk Tabe and the others as a result of the hearing and fear that it may prolong the bloody conflict in the Anglophone regions such that a ceasefire may become hard to come by

Ayuk Tabe and Co were convicted of charges including terrorism, hostility against the state of Cameroon, and secession and were given a fine of 250 billion together with the life sentence.

 “It’s terrible Mimi we just left the court now after our clients were all sentenced to life imprisonment each and all jointly to pay a civil award of 250 billion FCFA to the state and civil claimants. Again the will pay cost of more than 12 billion FCFA jointly if they fail to pay the fine. We went to court at 9 am yesterday and left at 6:30 this morning”.

Barrister Tifuh, a member of the Defense counsel said.

The court’s decision reinforces stalemate in the Anglophone conflict

The severity of the sentence has raised fears that the bloody conflict playing out in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions between separatist rebels and military forces will be prolonged, and that no ceasefire will be possible.

The ongoing Anglophone crisis started with teachers and lawyers corporate demands in 2016. Human Rights Watch statistic shows that close to 2,000 people have lost their lives during this crisis. The regular clash between the separatist fighters and military has displaced more than 530,000 people in the two Anglophone regions.

Agbor Balla Nkongho, a lawyer and chairman of the Center of Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa (CHRDA), still has hopes the government may change the ruling.

“I am hoping it will lead to an appeal within the next ten days as the law provides,” he told DW. “It might also be an opportunity for [President Paul Biya] to grant clemency because [in Cameroon] everything is done to make the president look good.”

In another way, the sentence may adversely affect the peace negotiation between the government and the separatist been facilitated by Switzerland as Agbor Balla said,

“We are now back to a stalemate so we don’t know whether we are moving forward or we are going backward or we are in the same position.”

The Swiss Ambassador to Cameroon, Pietro Lazzeri, in July during an interview with the state media made it clear that Switzerland was a refereeing the conflict and needed “the willingness of the parties in order to build the dialogue.” Many now say that the court’s decision is a clear statement from Yaounde that it is not interested in the discussions, at least if they are not going to be on its terms

A verdict that sounded like a challenge to the U.S.A

The political crisis has been in the country for a very long time and everyday Cameroonians pray for interventions  with hopes that it will one day become a thing of the past. However, the Ayuk Tabe life sentence has left the people wondering what will become of the country going forward.

The United States of America (U.S.A) has been at the forefront of calls for an end to the violence and the reconstitution of the federal system of government that prevailed from 1961 to 1972. The Cameroonian regime has been in an open diplomatic tussle with the U.S.A over the crisis, clearly defying the superpower’s positions for ceasefire, dialogue without pre-conditions, release of all arrested including Ayuk Tabe and all others arrested in Nigeria, and the possibility of a return to the federal system of government.

The US Congress passed resolutions to that effect the latest being the U.S. Senate’s resolution 292 following which the Yaounde life sentence verdict came, in a way giving Cameroon’s response to the U.S. Through the judgment, the Cameroon government in the capital Yaounde has loudly and clearly told the U.S.A that its positions on how the conflict can be resolved, which positions, many argue, are adequate seen that they address the root causes of the problem to a great extent, notably the question of releasing all those arrested in connection with the crisis in order to ease tensions, are good for the garbage bin. Yaoundé seems to have made it clear to Washington that it will never release Ayuk Tabe and will not enter into any dialogue without pre-conditions.

This response by the Yaoundé regime is more than less an invitation, somewhat a dare, for the U.S.A to make other proposals or take other actions. Considering that China and Russia are on the side of the Yaounde regime, this tussle between the U.S. and Yaounde is making the Anglophone crisis/conflict to take on international proportions, a threat to world peace. There is an urgent need for an international response to this problem through a forum to discuss the crisis and find an immediate solution to put it to an end and resolve the conflict sustainably.

FacebookTweet1LinkedInPinShare1

Filed Under: International Democracy Originals Tagged With: Africa, Cameroon, Democracy Protests, Dictatorships, Europe, Switzerland

About DC Editors

We are your source for news on the all important effort to establish and strengthen democracy across the globe. Our international team with dozens of independent authors are your gateway into the raging struggle for free and fair elections on every continent with a focus on election reform in the United States. See our Facebook Page and also follow us on Twitter @demchron.

Some highlighted Democracy Chronicles topics

Africa American Corruption American Local Elections American State Elections Asia Capitalism and Big Business Celebrity Politics China Democracy Charity Democracy Protests Democrats Dictatorships Education Election History Election Methods Election Security Election Transparency Europe Internet and Democracy Journalism and Free Speech Middle East Minority Voting Rights Money Politics New York City and State Elections Political Artwork Political Dissidents Political Lobbying Redistricting Republicans Russia Socialism and Labor Social Media and Democracy South America Spying and Privacy Supreme Court Third Party Voter Access Voter ID Voter Registration Voter Suppression Voter Turnout Voting Technology Women Voting Rights Worldwide Worldwide Corruption

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home | International Democracy Originals | Life sentence for Ambazonian separatist leader Ayuk Tabe may be a threat to world peace

Primary Sidebar

Advertise button

Podcast: Public Schools, Not Government Schools

By Jenna Spinelle April 13, 2021

Our guest this week argues that, much like democracy itself, public education is an ideal that we’ve never quite lived up to.

American Democracy: Three Reasons For Resilience

By Ngah Gabriel April 12, 2021

America’s constitution, the separation of powers and federalism are why American democracy is one of the most resilient in the world.

democracy chronicles newsletter

DC AUTHORS

What Does Ranked Voting Tell Us?

By Ted Getschman April 11, 2021

Ranked voting election results reveal little about voter desires. Consider a ranked voting result in a race between four candidates.

Will The Gaetz Controversy Engulf Florida’s Governor?

By Steve Schneider April 8, 2021

All allegations involving “pay to play” corruption in the administration have been denied. So have all sex trafficking allegations naming Gaetz.

Podcast: Reforming Criminal Justice From The Inside Out

By Jenna Spinelle April 6, 2021

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner discusses the promise and peril of institutional reform and how he built a coalition of voters.

Don’t Let GOP Destroy Democracy And Crush Hard-Won Rights

By Carroll G. Robinson April 5, 2021

For the past decades, Republicans across our nation have been engaged in a systematic, and modern era attempt at Interposition and Nullification.

What Is Fascism And What Drives It?

By Jack Jones April 2, 2021

What is fascism and what drives it? Since it is in plain sight we are unable to pin it and its drivers down. But quite simply it is greed.

Podcast: Laboratories Of Restricting Democracy

By Jenna Spinelle March 29, 2021

How Republican legislators are pushing shortened mail-in voting windows, expanded voter ID requirements, and other cumbersome administrative changes.

Time to get MO!

By Ted Getschman March 29, 2021

The MO is what you most desire, what you most want. Not “you” personally, but “you” collectively.  It is what the group, the team, the nation most desires.

MORE FROM OUR AUTHORS

VISIT OUR POLITICAL ART SECTION:

dc political art

DEMOCRACY CULTURE

Hollywood Stars Sign Open Letter Opposing Voting Restrictions

Hollywood Stars Sign Open Letter Opposing Voting Restrictions

April 16, 2021

A virtual who’s who of Hollywood are also condemning voter restrictions following the signing of Georgia’s controversial election law.

Will Smith Film Departs Georgia Over Voting Restrictions

Will Smith Film Departs Georgia Over Voting Restrictions

April 13, 2021

Due to new voter restrictions, Will Smith and director Antoine Fuqua have canceled the production of their film in Georgia.

Pakistan’s Iconic Human Rights Defender I.A. Rehman Dies

Pakistan’s Iconic Human Rights Defender I.A. Rehman Dies

April 13, 2021

I.A. Rehman, an iconic Pakistani human rights activist, died Monday in the eastern city of Lahore after a brief illness, according to family.

6 Major Ai Weiwei Artworks On Social Issues in China

6 Major Ai Weiwei Artworks On Social Issues in China

April 12, 2021

Ai Weiwei is without a doubt the most well-known living Chinese artist today, but he isn’t given the credit he deserves in China.

Online Art Project Highlights Hong Kong Democracy Protests

Online Art Project Highlights Hong Kong Democracy Protests

April 11, 2021

Two Hong Kong-born artists in Canada are leading a pro-democracy online art project: “be water: collected memories of our hong kong.”

MORE CULTURE

VISIT OUR US DEMOCRACY SECTION:

American Democracy