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