Southern Cameroons’ independence struggle:

Litumbe returns from UN with little hope for Anglophones 
 

From Mua Patrick Mughe in Buea

Njoh Litumbe

The Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC vanguard, Mola Njoh Litumbe who recently led a delegation to the United Nations to press for the examination of SCNC petition against La Republique du Cameroun has returned with an empty bag.

Litumbe had granted a press briefing on October 7 at his Bokwoango residence in Buea where he merely ranted throughout the exchange with media men and women. Asked what the fruits of his trip to the UN were, the diehard SCNC activist mumbled with flimsy explanations that he merely went to ensure that the petition had reached the secretariat of the world organisation.

He consumed time retracing age-old recriminations by the SCNC against La Republique du Cameroun. Hear him: “The aim of my visit was to remind both the general assembly and the secretary general of the UN that La Republique du Cameroun has infringed a provision of the constitution or charter of the United Nations and to emphasize the point that when La Republique du Cameroun got her independence on January 1, 1960, we in British Cameroons were not part of their country otherwise we could have gotten independence the same day. They applied and were admitted as a member of the UN on September 20, 1960. We were not part of their territory. That is when their country with its international boundaries was registered at the secretariat of the UN as a member state. So the territory which was registered was only the former trust territory of French Cameroon.”

Asked if Southern Cameroonians should expect any positive reaction from the UN in the days ahead, Litumbe said issues concerning international bodies need much patience and that Southern Cameroonians should not expect any immediate reaction from the UN. 

In what looked like a damage control after giving to understanding that Anglophones should not immediately expect any results from his UN trip, the prolific SCNC activist in a faint attempt to garner more hope, reassured that the UN will open the case file in due time. Though not stating when exactly that would be done, Litumbe gave to assurance that what ever the duration, the SCNC petition to the UN which was deposited more than six years ago would some day be opened.

Also speaking on the sidelines of the briefing, Litumbe gave hope that the SCNC coordinator for Yaounde, Oben Maxwell who is currently under pre-trial detention at the Buea central prison may regain freedom on November 4, when the case comes up again for hearing. Oben was arrested on February 23 this year in Buea and was later charged with attempts to incite a civil war in the country. 

He argued that as a civilian, Oben’s case was supposed to be heard by a civil and not a military tribunal. He said with the assurances from Oben’s lawyer, the detained activist may be freed when the matter comes up again for hearing on November 4.

He stated that so far, efforts made to have the matter transferred to the South West court of appeal have been frustrated but added that he was comfortable by the submissions made by Oben’s lawyer.

Oben’s lawyer, he said, had told the court that the Yaounde SCNC coordinator is not a member of the armed forces and was not caught in possession of war weapons and so the military tribunal has no jurisdiction to try him and that he should have been arrested as a civilian and tried in a civil court.