Barrister Agbor Balla’s First Public Statement After Kondengue and the Unanswered Questions
In a display of good leadership and benevolent characteristics, the President of the outlawed Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC), Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla hasn’t had enough time to rest and spent with family after having been released from La Republique’s concentration death camp last Friday; but has immediately gone to work to see how he can secure the release of the rest still being detained.
Since their released, many Southern Cameroonians have waited in vain for an official statement from the president and his SG, Dr. Fontem Neba, relating to their ordeal in prison and their post detention position on Schools resumption in Southern Cameroons and the present state of the Struggle which has metamorphosed from the quest for a two-state Federation to the outright Restoration of the independence of Southern Cameroons.
However, from the activities of the learned Barrister and Human Rights Activist, it would appear his priority now is to see his fellow citizens, with whom he spent 8 months in prison also Free.
This is explained by his recent morale boosting visit to the leader of the Coffin Revolution, Mancho Bibixy, and the other remaining Struggle-related detainees at the Kondengue Central prison, after haven left that environment just a week ago with his Secretary General and a couple of others. He also paid a solidarity visit to the released retired Supreme Court Judge Ayah Paul Abine, who was also illegally arrested and detained at SED for 8 months without any charge.
The statement made public by the President of the Consortium after these visits is his first public statement since his released. The plain and specific nature of the statement (as it fails to go beyond his visits) makes us to believe the unconfirmed reports that he and his SG are under Administrative Surveillance. This further confirms our argument that the government of LRC, by their selective release, only acted under popular pressure and their desire to see schools reopen, and not in good faith to get any dialogue started with them and those taking refuge in the diaspora as requested by relevant international agencies and the diplomatic community. This doesn’t show a government ready for any form of dialogue with Southern Cameroonians
Further more, the Barrister in his statement mentioned the number of our detained brothers still in Kondengue and it amounted to just about 37 of them; meanwhile, our list of those arrested and ferried to Yaounde but not yet released is more that number. The question is, where are the others?
In his attempt to get our the rest of our brothers released, the President will therefore need to dig further and asked questions about those known be have been arrested but are missing. LRC will need to account for any Southern Cameroonian known to have been arrested but not found in her dungeons, because another reason for this piecemeal release is to see how they can coverup missing cases.
Knowing fully well the vindictive nature of Mr. Biya’s regime, and considering their conditions of release from the prison, we at BaretaNews can only caution our released leaders to be cautious of their movements and interactions with members of this regime. The President and his SG’s grave silence on the issues at stake since leaving prison and their inability to make a statement in favour of the regime is interpretively assumed that they haven’t reversed or have even advanced their position for the course in which they fought and were arrested.
By Agbor James
BaretaNews Political News Analyst
You can read the President’s first public statement below.
Yesterday I visited the Kondengui Central Prison, Yaounde and met with all Anglophone detainees including Mancho Bibixy. Thereafter, I stopped at the Yaounde Central Hospital and visited my colleague Barrister Abadem Walters has been under detention but hospitalised due to his poor health.
Today I was humbled to pay a courtesy visit to Ayah Paul Abine, a noble man who spent 8 months detained, returning home with health problems, I pledged my solidarity with him and his family during this period.
After obtaining a visiting permit today, I went to Kondengui Principale Prison and met with all 10 Anglophone detainees after which I paid another visit to Kondengui Central Prison and met with all 27 Anglophone detainees including Mancho Bibixy. I assured them during my meeting that I will not rest until they are all released.
Most importantly, I met with the Defence Counsel and thanked them for the extraordinary job they have been doing as they continue to assist all Anglophone detainees, defending them while demanding for their release.
Visiting these detainees and returning to the same location I spent 8 months, made me go through all kinds of emotions, they all deserve FREEDOM! — Agbor Nkongho, September 6th, 2017
10 comments
Balla: come clean, or shut up!
You are not communicating to fools here.
We past this type of CPDM/LRC politics stage long time ago.
Also, we now have an interim president who calls all the shots and his name is H.E. Sisiku Ayuk Tabe.
Mr atem this place is for educated people. You are informing someone who has loSt à year of life in prison that he no more hold the position he use to hold and you expect him to cope? Hé is out now and know the truth and one of these is that his colleagues betrayed and abandonned him in thé mercy of the ennemy
Agbor Balla is smart enough to play with the regime. Give him some time to adopt the new situation. GOD BLESS AMBAZONIA
In the noble Mungaka Language, it is said and I translate “when fawo commut for kenjah, yi eye di first dark, so yi di chuck corn na witi care for no missam go chuck ground broke yi teeth”. Whilst I will like Barrister Dr. Agbor Balla to clear the suspense, I respect his right to stay silent. No one is bigger than this struggle. I follow the struggle and not people. I will continue to give him the benefit of the doubt till I have a reason to not.
Very smart comment. Thanks Bali. The struggle continues.
Like I mentioned about a week ago, I repeat that stance now. That we respect all southern Cameroonians just released from prison. However, our just released leaders must understand that their release has been made possible due to a new leadership put in place while they were in prison. This leadership has received the blessings of Southern Cameroonians and the leadership is doing a wonderful job. The best thing for Dr Agbor Balla and Dr. Fontem and others from prison should do is follow this new leadership. If they choose to open their mouths or act for the revolution on the ground, they must do so in agreement with SCACUF and the Governing Council.
If they try to go their own way, they should know that We the people shall treat them like traitors colluding with the enemy (La Republique du Cameroun)
Something is terribly wrong with some of us. Maybe some of us need to be subjected to the barbaric experience that DR. Agbor Balla, Dr. Fontem, Justice Ayah Paul and others have been subjected to in that dungeon of LRC so that we may have a different perspective of life. To be talking about leadership, SCACUF at this juncture is totally unacceptable. It is an insult to the integrity of these honest men who have sacrifice so much for our people. Moreover,since I watched Dr. Agbor Balla on Equinox television before his incarceration, there is nothing someone can say or do that will change the narrative about his humanity.
We can only imagine what he went through in that dungeon of lrc. I am not sure I can and will ever do something close to what Dr. Agbor Bala has done for his people. We are born with different gifts and I have so much respect for his endowments. He charmed me the first day I listened to him speak. If after incarceration he has tanked, I also respect that.
Does it mean that the struggle should have stagnated because Dr. Balla was in jail. Does it mean that the struggle should stagnate as our heroes have remained lip-sealed since being release. No one owns this struggle. This is a gliding train and our heroes can jump aboard if he want.
What is unacceptable about SCACUF leadership at this juncture
Agbor Balla and Fontem Neba ought to hit the road running rather than staying silent. They must move in the same direction with the majority of Southern Cameroon Ambazonians who are for restoration/independence, nothing short. They must immediately make their positions clear to us. We cannot just sit and be waiting indefinately for their input, else the crooked heartless waiting hyenas in the name of Fru Ndi, Mussonge, Munzu and the rest of the bottom feeders will take advantage of the situation to fill in the opening and fulfill their wish of leading us in the wrong direction. We have already lost a lot of time. We the Southern Cameroon Ambazonians cannot afford to continue to loose time.
Remember, Mandela got out of jail after a much long sentence and immediately (the same day) hit the road. It did not take Mandela weeks, not even days to do so.