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05.03.2015 Feature Article

Serious Human Rights Abuses And Violations In Mbengwi

Serious Human Rights Abuses And  Violations In Mbengwi
05.03.2015 LISTEN

Christopher Fon Achobang, Human Rights Activist, Land Rights Campaigner, Nyen Fon's Palace, The Cameroons.

05 March 2015
To His Excellency
President Paul Biya
President of the Republic of Cameroon
All competent Authorities and World leaders
Excellency,

SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND VIOLATIONS IN MBENGWI

Without prejudice, I wish to bring the human rights situation in Mbengwi subdivision to your attention. I have researched intensively and widely on the human rights situation in Mbengwi for 24 months on voluntary basis as in other cases (Herakles Farms, CATUC versus Mbororo of Banja).

1. Mbengwi is one of the subdivisions in Momo Division, North West Region of Cameroon. It has a dynamic population living solely on agriculture. Many grazers have moved into the subdivision without following grazing norms and the agro-pastoral laws. Overgrazing has become rampant, depleting natural resources, degrading the environment and provoking perennial social conflicts.

2. The local administration of Mbengwi readily takes the side of the grazers who often sell herds of cattle to tie the hands of some corrupt administrators. Judges, magistrates, civil administrators, gendarmes and police have all made themselves despicable because the grazers boast everywhere that they have pocketed the Mbengwi administration.

3. The year 2014 was the peak of abuses as whole farms were destroyed leading to food insecurity in most homes and across the subdivision. Food is more expensive in Mbengwi than Yaounde. Mbengwi is readily referred to by the administration of Mbengwi as a desert. This same administration fails to see the link between their alarming corruption and undermining of national institutions with the rampant insecurity and famine in the land.

4. Grazers send their cattle deliberately graze into farms with the intention of destroying crops. When the matter is reported to Mbengwi, they invite the grazers, collect money from them and tell the farmers to go build fences. When the farmers spend essential time to build fences, the grazers come and destroy the fences. When matter is reported to Mbengwi, the farmer is accused of encroaching on grazing land.

5. There is no grazing land in Mbengwi as the agro-pastoral commission has not yet carried out the demarcation of farming and grazing land in the whole of Momo Division. It is well known that Momo Division is made up of farmers. Grazers have only flocked into the division from the Adamawa Region of Cameroon after 1972. The laid down rules of the Agro-pastoral Commission is that a commission compromising the village chief and three notables should be those to determine land to be allocated for grazing. This basic rule is not respected in Mbengwi.

6. The present Divisional Officer of Mbengwi, Charles Aminkeng Formin has elevated himself to the position of a First Degree Chief in Mbengwi and landlord of all lands. He has refused to be the chairman of the Lands Consultative Board, preferring to present himself as the General Landlord. He has grabbed dozens of plots in Mbengwi and is known as D.O. Pillar as he will be seen personally carrying pillars and planting them even on Sundays. He goes sometimes alone without waiting for a board to be formed. He has grabbed hectares belonging to Fon Fominyen of Nyen and has insulted him in public over his lands.

7. D.O. Charles Aminkeng has transformed himself into a president and has attempted to create villages in Meta. Meta has 29 villages and 31 chiefs. Aminkeng attempted to create two more chiefs in 2013; one Ndegum Henry Mukam as Chief of Munam and one Mukiawa Tatamisang as chief of Sang. Munam and Sang are all farms belonging to a collection of Meta villages.

8. Presently, knowing that I have researched and collected enough data to send him to jail, D.O. Aminkeng Charles is conspiring with his friends of the Mbengwi Legal Department to issue an arrest warrant for me on trump up charges. He accuses me of leading a group of farmers who destroyed illegal buildings erected on a farm land in Ngundom. The grazers in Ngundom behave like Boko Haram elements, torturing, beating the local chief and destroying all food in the palace. The matter has been reported severally to Mbengwi, but like always, the administration worships only bribe money from the Mbororo.

9. In 2008, some 35 women were beaten on a farm they farmed regularly by a certain Ardo Hassan of Chup and his family friends and comrades. Five of the women died from injuries suffered during that occasion. No single arrest has been made. Nobody has been tried and sentenced.

10. Five years ago, Joseph Efah was assaulted and seriously wounded by a certain Doma Adamu and Manu Chindo accompanied by their families and workers. Joseph Efah has been paralyzed for the five years. There has been no arrest, no trial nor imprisonment of the assailants.

11. All 132 inhabitants of Nwung, a quarter in Nyen village are now living like refugees in other villages because their houses were destroyed by Mbororo grazers. The matter was reported to Mbengwi. No arrest was ever made and nobody has ever been prosecuted.

12. Notorious criminals among the Mbororo grazers are allowed to amass guns which they use in intimidating farmers and robbing them as well as rustling cattle with them. There is reasonable and verifiable information that a good cache of arms is buried under the prayer mats of the Mbororo Alhajis in Mbengwi Subdivision. If the administration was not corrupt all these weapons should have been found and confiscated. With Boko Haram presently wrecking havoc in Northern Cameroon, Mbengwi which is close to the Nigerian border and with an on-the-spot cache of weapons will be the next entry point of Boko Haram into Cameroon.

Sir, while I wait for your august offices to act on this actionable intelligence, I wish to remind you of my unflinching support in the fight against the Boko Haram.

My track record of service to Cameroon humanity speaks more about my pedigree and person than bias information from enemies of the Cameroonian nation who should be serving multiple terms of imprisonment for treason and crimes against humanity and the people of Cameroon.

I am the one who recently caused the Catholic archbishop of Bamenda to withdraw from the Mbororo land he was grabbing for the construction of the Catholic University of Cameroon. The Archbishop had destroyed the houses of 300 Mbororo ethnic minority people. I campaigned vigorously forcing the Archbishop to flee the land.

Herakles Farms or Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon was seeking a vast land concession of 73,086 hectares in Mundemba, Toko and Nguti. I reported from those jungles for 24 months and my reports caught your attention before your Excellency cut down the size of the concession to less than 20 thousand hectares.

It would seem some few powerful people you have appointed to serve Cameroonians do not like what I am doing. I have received many death threats and many arrest warrants have been issued against me. My PhD program has been blocked at the University of Buea. I was also driven out of the lecture hall where I was a teacher at the University of Buea because of my policy of Zero tolerance to corruption, abuse of power and unpatriotic acts.

Excellency, should I be forced into exile at the age of 50 because of unpatriotic white collar thieves who have hijacked the public services? Are you going to recognize the inestimable and relentless services I have offered to Cameroon and humanity or would you allow me to be crushed by worthless kleptomaniacs?

I wish to assure you that none of these enemies of Cameroon would hurt me because they did not contribute a single hair to my honorable head when God Almighty created me in his image. God has formed a shield around me and all weapons pointing at me shall never prosper.

For the Love of Cameroon, I wish to help you clean this land of these rats and vicious serpents.

God Bless Cameroon.
At the service of fellowman,
Christopher Fon Achobang
Fon Christopher Achobang
Social Commentator,
Human rights activist
Land Rights Campaigner
Mbengwi
The Cameroons
Tel, (237) 699 36 59 54
(237) 674 21 10 66

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