Voice Of The Oppressed

African Rulers-The Dregs of African Leadership

By Neba-Fuh

Egypt's resort town of Sharm El Sheikh is host to the world's most dreaded dictators meeting under the banner of the African Union Summit. Amongst them is Zimbabwe's junta leader Robert Mugabe, who recently hijacked people's power by performing a one-man -show , after constantly intimidating his challenger-Morgan Tsvangirai and his supporters resulting to deaths, in a run-off  'election' that was  a clear  slaughter of democracy. A once respected African liberation hero, Mugabe is now defecating on the platform that projected him to the apex of the list of African liberation fighters.  An octogenarian  like Robert  Mugabe  should be enjoying a well-deserved rest just like his contemporary-living legend and ace freedom fighter- Madiba Nelson Mandela is doing.

Mugabe is exhibiting a severe case of senility, that is not only disgracing his family, the Zimbabwean people, but Africa as a whole.

Who Really Owns Bakassi? Part 2

The Bakassi Story -Part 2

By Nowa Omoigui**

In the first installment titled "The Bakassi Story", we reviewed a very brief summary of the history of the dispute starting from the Treaty between England and Old Calabar in 1884 all the way through to the ICJ judgement of October 10, 2002.  Those who want more information about the fall of Calabar should consult “Politics and Society in South Eastern Nigeria” by KK Nair or “Old Calabar 1600-1891” by AJH Latham. A nice summary is available in “The Fall of Nigeria – The British Conquest” by Obaro Ikime (Heinemann, 1977).  In Part 2, we shall focus more specifically on the twenty-five-year period from 1950 to 1975.

Who Really Owns Bakassi?

Neba-Fuh

The disputed oil rich peninsula of Bakassi has its history and it's only through this history that clear judgement can be made on the ownership of this strip according to international law. The International Court of Justice(ICJ)'s  judgement on the dispute was holistic, Bakassi was handed to Cameroun and Nigeria grudgingly succumbed to the ICJ's decison. This grudge has been constantly evident by the numerous casualties that have occurred even after the 2002 ICJ ruling. Will the Bakassi Palaver ever be over? How do we situate British Southern Cameroons in this whole issue?

Today, We present a two part  chronicle concerning Bakassi since colonial time, as reported by a Nigerian. It is a must read!!!

An Eye On Bakassi

By Neba-Fuh

Bakassi peninsula is a border strip  extension into the Atlantic Ocean ,between Southern Cameroons and Nigeria. The discovery of  huge deposits of the crude oil brought this formerly neglected  stretch of the land into the limelight.

Normally, if Southern Cameroons was self- governed , the peninsula would have had all the amenities and facilities necessary for any integral part of the territory to function. Roads, schools, hospitals and other government services will not be a matter of negotiability but an unconditional right of the people of Bakassi. As is expected, any border area has a tendency to trade with its neighbours, in this case Nigeria, but to ignore the administrative, social and economic lives of the people is a glaring example of  how the Yaounde oligarchy has constantly neglected the welfare of the people of Southern Cameroons. The Bakassi dispute brewed up in 1981, when 'United' Republic of Cameroon almost went to war with Federal Republic of Nigeria. Clashes reignited again in the nineties and the case was later to be settled at The Hague by the International Court of Justice(ICJ) in 2002

D.O and Soldiers Abducted in Bakassi

Last year, 21 soldiers of Cameroun were killed by  'unidentified gunmen' in the disputed oil-rich peninsula of Bakassi situated in Southern Cameroons.
Seven months after  that  attack, these forces have once more come under another attack. Recently nine people - A Divisional Officer, a Senior Army officer and seven other soldiers were attacked by 'unidentified gunmen' as their boat try to dock at the peninsula. Three of the soldiers managed to escape by diving into the water and swimming to safety, while the other six were abducted including the Divisional Officer.

It is important to note that the oil rich peninsula of Bakassi has been a disputed border area between Southern Cameroons and Nigeria, but La Republique du  Cameroun  usurped the  former's right to sovereignty by taking up the case . In 2002, the International Court of Justice ruling deny the right of ownership of Bakassi by Nigeria. The soldiers of La Republique du Cameroun have been stationed there since the ruling following a seemingly piecemeal 'handover' process.

Unfortunately, these military forces of Cameroun have not showed the might, they always claim, when they are clamping down on unarmed citizens protesting, or crushing Southern Cameroonian activists advocating self-determination through non-violent methods.
Where they should be happy to trigger, they don't!!

Obamism and The Dream Syndrome

By Neba-Fuh

Barack Hussien Obama has just obtained the Democratic nomination to run for the post of President of the United States of America. He has a probability of one half to make history as the first man of African descent to become President of the USA.

The news of his nomination hit the world's airwaves like a firestorm. The euphoria was record breaking, the excitement was unstoppable all around the world. Some people even forgot that this was just a nomination and he has to face off with the old war veteran, John McCain of the Republican party.

Africa joined in the euphoria and excitement on the anticipation of seeing one of theirs in the White House. From Nairobi- Kenya to Yaounde- Cameroon, from Harare-Zimbabwe to Khartoum-Sudan, the news was palatable. The news must have first broken out to the upper classes in these countries. Those who could afford cable TV. Among these classes are Africa's dreaded dictators. They too joined in the celebration and anticipation.  How can we not be excited to see a son of direct African paternal parentage vie for the topmost post in the world? Why should African rulers not be excited about it?

    

Obama Triumphs!

US Elections: Barack Obama wins Democratic nomination for President

(culled from www.guardian.co.uk)

Barack Obama has made history by beating Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and becoming the first African-American with a viable chance of winning the White House.

Obama's victory effectively brought to an end Clinton's bid to become the first US female president.

It also confirms Obama's reputation as a political giant-slayer, who after less than four years in the US Senate brought down the couple credited with creating the Democrats' most powerful political machine.

Obama will now face the Republican John McCain for the prize of the presidency in the November 4 general election.

A 'Virgin' Tribe Discovered

By Neba-Fuh

'You can move a child out of a village but you can not move  the village out of the child' goes the popular adage! News of  the world's  recently discovered  un-contacted indigenous tribe came like a bombshell as anthropologists, sociologists as well as indigenous rights activists continually ponder on the possibility of more undiscovered virgin group of people, who may be seeing us as 'aliens'.

Recently, occupants of a hovering aircraft noticed a group of people in the heartland of the Amazon dense forest, just around the borders demarcating Brazil from Peru.
Later on, the people ran for their safety while their 'army' of  warriors- fewer in number and made up of hefty looking men emerged, all painted in red and aiming their traditionally  made bows and arrows at the aircraft, ready to defend their homeland. (see photograph ).