New World Order taking shape: Africa on Back Burner

The Arab world is roiled in an unprecedented crises. Autocratic despots who have used the natural resources of their countries as bargaining chips to cling on to power are now facing the awakening of the masses they effectively controlled in the dark ages when information was the privy of the privileged few.

Recent weeks have seen various regimes in the arab world suddenly having to deal with popular uprisings. These came as a surprise to many, including scholars and other luminaries of think tanks like the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, or the Trilateral Commission.

Western governments had to react rapidly , and soon, information and total control of unfolding events was in the hands of the masses. That was good news. The Internet played a pivotal role, with tools like Facebook and Twitter used to organize peaceful protests against dictators.

However, not all popular uprisings are created equal. In countries that have populations that yearn the newly acquired freedom of the Tunisians for example, lack of coordination by peaceful protestors because of poor telecommunications infrastructure can often lead to violent repression of the people by the ruling class. This is evident in Yemen, Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon.

But if you go further South, in Cote d'Ivoire for example, incumbent Laurent Gbagbo who lost presidential elections to economist Alassane Quattara, is still sitting tight, irrespective of calls by the United Nations, International Observers and an uprising by his people. The reason may be, the wind of change that is blowing in the Maghreb, attracting all the focus of global security analysts, diplomats and the media.

Since the beginning of March 2011, there has been talk of a very tense atmosphere in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other countries in the Middle East that have had the same ruling elite for many decades. While the world's leading economic and military powers try to make sense of the unfolding situation in the Arab countries, other despots in sub saharan Africa like Laurent Gbagbo in Cote d'Ivoire, and paul Biya in Cameroon lie low and take advantage of the situation to consolidate their power.

It is essential that while the New World Order falls into place, Africans stand up and take their rightful place in the global community of nations. This can only come as a result of countries having leaders who have a popular mandate, and who understand that they serve at the pleasure of the citizens of their country. Those who hold on tight to power like Muammar al Qaddafi in Libya and Laurent Gbagbo in Cote d'Ivoire or Paul Biya in Cameroon also seem to be those with the least enviable achievements, given the resources at their disposal. The oppressed masses will be heard, time is on their side.

Cameroon 2011: Is Biya legitimate?

Winning elections used to be a stroll in the park for entrenched dictators like Paul Biya. Cameroonians mounted a weak protest in 2008 in the face of yet another amendment of the constitution of the oil rich African nation which allowed the aging leader, 78 year old Paul Biya to stand yet for another mandate as President of the Republic after 36 years in power.

Those who attempted to mount opposition to this move quickly found themselves in jail. The electoral process in Cameroon is not credible, and Paul Biya now finds himself in the midst of popular rejection by Cameroonians. In a democracy, it is abnormal for an individual, and his tribesmen to dominate the rest of the country, stifling any diverging voice or point of view and throwing political opponents in jail. Professor Titus Edzoa, whose only crime was to have dared to stand as a candidate for the 1997 presidential elections is still in jail, with the keys in Paul Biya's pocket.

The official website of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon ( www.prc.cm ) so far shows only two congratulatory messages, one from the figurehead German Federation President Christian Wulff (real power lies with the Chancellor, Angela Merkel), and the second, from the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI (Arab Spring knocking on his door after Libya - solidarity anyone?). No other head of state or leader has addressed a congratulatory message to Paul Biya, eight days after he was declared winner of the presidential elections.

The silence is telling. Even other African Presidents have not broken ranks to congratulate Biya. Total silence from Ndjamena to Libreville, Abuja to Malabo. Even the highly visible rapprochement he has had with the Communist People's Republic of China has not earned him a friendly message from President Hu Jintao. Slowly, beautiful Cameroon is becoming a pariah State under the stewardship of Paul Biya. When a man takes all the resources of his country and places them in the hands of his tribesmen, who in turn brutalize the rest of the citizenry, he will one day meet his reckoning from those same tribesmen to whom he conferred power.

Once more, we have to say, Biya still has time...not much time, but just enough to leave power, retire peacefully to his beloved Lake Geneva beach residence and save face. Whether he gets indicted by the International Tribunal at the Hague or some other legal Jurisdiction for plundering the Cameroon's treasury and Human Rights abuses that occurred during his 36 year watch, is a question that will be left to the fresh and dynamic leaders who will rise up to reverse 36 years of despotic rule to decide.

The real score for Mr Biya during the 2011 presidential election is visible on his very own official website. He has been rejected firstly by the Cameroonian people, and now, by his peers!

Cameroon: Biya envoy attempts to appease Cameroonian Diaspora.

Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Cameroon's External Relations Minister is on a mission. He will be in Paris, France, this Sunday, October 30th 2011 to meet Cameroonians. His singular goal, stem the growing tide of domestic and International opposition to the Biya regime. For a brief recap, Paul Biya has been effectively ruling the oil rich African nation since 1975 when he became Prime Minister. Under his tenure, the country's infrastructure has collapsed while Mr Biya enjoys lengthy holidays on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. He is propped up by a deeply entrenched tribalistic cabal with close ties to the Communist People's Republic of China.

Presidential elections which were held on the 9th of October 2011 saw record low voter turnout - the result was known in advance - Paul Biya will be the winner.






Failing the endorsement by the International Community for a victory widely seen as a sham by Paul Biya, for the first time in his 36 years of rule, he seeks to dialogue with Cameroonians. He is too important to talk to ordinary Cameroonians and sends his External Relations Minister to Paris, no doubt with a suitcase full of cash to silence critics.

Meaningful criticism can only come from the diaspora. When pop star Lapiro de Mbanga expressed his views against yet another mandate by the seventy-eight year old president, Paul Biya promptly had the artist jailed. No one can openly criticize Mr Biya in Cameroon and sleep peacefully at night. Many have found out the hard way.

Mr Henri Eyebe Ayissi should give his colleague Gregoire Owona a lesson in diplomacy, so that  he refrains from insulting foreign dignitaries. It is in bad taste and not representative of Cameroonian values.


Cameroonians just wish Mr Paul Biya would retire and leave the nation to continue its progress in peace. Mr Henri Eyebe Ayissi seems to think otherwise. No doubt he is heading to France to make the case for Mr Biya. The people will prevail.

R2P in Cameroon: Fact finding on the ground.

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The recent United Nations mandated operation  in Libya that ended with the demise of long-time tyrant, Muammar Ghadafi was triggered by a key notion in International Affairs - the "Responsibility to Protect" known as R2P.


In the late-nineties, the United Nations Organization had become bloated and distracted from its initial goal which was to ensure peace and stability between nations by fostering the interaction of countries at regional and supra regional fora, thereby facilitating conflict mediation.


During this reform process, the African Union through the Ezulwini Consensus in 2005 presented a united front, with one of its top priorities being the "Responsibility to Protect"


What R2P means is that all states have a responsibility to protect their citizens from human rights abuses and torture. It furthermore grants states the authority to intervene in other sovereign states where such acts are being carried out.


Therefore, a state has the primary responsibility to protect its citizens, failing that, the International Community has the RIGHT to step in and stop all atrocities.


When Libyan Tyrant Muammar Ghadafi was murdering his people, no one could stop him. he embodied the state and everyone was answerable only to him. He had overstayed his welcome, 42 years of rule -  and still believed the world was just like back in the sixties and seventies when torture and murder of political enemies was the norm. He failed to democratize his country. 


When he turned his guns against unarmed civilians in Benghazi in February 2011, he was inviting the International Community to come into Libya and stop the atrocities. R2P was a success in Libya because the cause and main instigator of the atrocities was removed and no longer poses a threat to unarmed civilians in the country.


Observers of the socio-political scene in Cameroon have noted some parallels with Libya. Violent repression of peaceful protests by the 78 year old Paul Biya, who has single-handedly ruled the country for the past 36 years.

Jailing of political opponents without judgment. Spending from the public treasury like his personal piggy bank. And the worse, widespread corruption, tribalism and cronyism.

"Responsibility to Protect" does not always entail military action. It starts with the use of diplomacy, if that fails, more coercive action like sanctions are imposed on the offender and if proven ineffective, then military action is called for as a last resort such as was the case in Libya.




Whether the International Community decides to take action depends on Paul Biya's actions in the coming days. Whatever he does, he should by now know that he has overstayed his welcome, and will have the final opportunity to write the last few pages of the epilogue of 36 years of absolute autocratic, tribalism laced power in Cameroon. The ball is in his court.