Mola Njoh Litumbe, one of the most credible voices of the Southern Cameroons movement and a host of Anglophone Cameroonians will be storming the Buea Court on Tuesday, 26th July 2016 to listen to the charges brought on 16 Southern Cameroonians whose only crime was that they sat to discuss.
Information reaching BaretaNews suggests a sea of Journalists will flow into the court premises to give the information the widest publicity it deserves. This is so because on Monday 18th July, Cameroun forces illegally cracked down on 16 Southern Cameroon’s leaders . They have been arrested and detained at the Central Police Station Buea. They include Mbua Richard, Matthias Besong, ABANG Njousi, Nke Valentine and others (see pic attached) Statements have been extracted from them . No charges have been brought against them yet. We of this platform condemn such an arrest of peaceful loving Southern Cameroonians whose only crime is to question the legality of this unholy union.
We are told most Anglophones will be storming the court for the hearing. Freedom of expression should not and is not a crime. If it’s a crime then Boris Johnson of UK, should be arrested. The Scottish First Minister should be arrested for calling for the independence of Scotland. Then umberto bossi of Italy too should have been in prison for calling for the independence of Padania (northern part of Italy). Cameroun government must respect the rights of Anglophones who are peacefully gathering to discuss issues that matter them. It is their fundamental Human right. It beats our imagination how Anglophones could be arrested when they peacefully gather to dialogue amongst them. The Banjul ruling had earlier called on the Cameroun government to dialogue with the SCNC and till date, the Government has made no such moves.
Anglophone Cameroonians need not be afraid. We must together face the regime collectively. It is our fundamental right. Though Cameroun penal code in section 111 made secession a crime and punishable by law, secession by itself does not hold any grounds in the Cameroons.
No charges have been brought against those arrested as we speak. It is speculated that the Buea Court might charge them with secession . The Government has previously been cracking down on the arrest of Southern Cameroons leaders and activists. A host of them is under detention. BaretaNews still holds the view that Secession does not hold in the Cameroons context because the union between both Cameroons is not legally binding. Cameroun cannot charge citizens of former British Southern Cameroons for secession and in no court of law when the facts are presented could Cameroun win.
BaretaNews, therefore, calls on Anglophones of goodwill to storm the Buea court and support Mola Njoh Litumbe. We need to support those arrested. We must not allow the regime to trample on their human rights.