In a WikiLeaks cable released on September 1, 2011 Cameroon’s Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seal, Amadou Ali, makes startling revelations and declarations in a very confidential chat on February 27, 2009, with the former US Ambassador to Cameroon, Elizabeth Janet Garvey. After reading through the cable, these are the salient points I have taken for you. I have divided them under corruption, the military and politics.
CORRUPTION
Amadou Ali claims that John Fru Ndi (leader of the main opposition party, The Social Democratic Front- SDF) is very corrupt, arguing that he embezzled funds which were given in support of the party by the former President of Cote D’Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo.
Amadou Ali says the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya should have fired former Defence Minister Remy Ze Meka long ago. According to him Ze Meka was embezzling fund for the BIR.
He also reveals that Cameroon’s generals are excessively corrupt.
He says the government was to focus more on recovery stolen funds than continuing with arrest. That the government was to discuss with potential embezzlers who will be compel to return the funds or face prosecution OBS Cameroonians do not know how much has been recovered.
He admits that the operation Epervier of Sparraw Hawks as the series of arrest of senior government embezzlers was dubbed risk destabilising the country. OBS Cameroonians have always doubted the sincerity of the operation as they believe that it was too selective and meant to settle political scores.
MILITARY
Amadou Ali says Cameroon arm force is very fragmented and the risk of ever staging a coup d etat are very minimal. More so, various units are under the direct command of President Paul Biya.
Amadou Ali reveals that there is rivalry in the Cameroon arm force between (Rapid Intervention Battalion-BIR) and the regular army. According to Ali, the regular army is jealous of the success of BIR
In the cable it is revealed the former Israeli defence attached Abraham Avi Sivan who controlled BIR had both Cameroon and Israeli nationality with two valid passports. OBS. However, dual nationality in Cameroon is illegal and the case of this colonel Sivan, as well as those of footballers and other senior government officials just shows that many people are above the law in Cameroon.
POLITICS
Amadou Ali also says that Northerners will never vote anybody other than Paul Biya. Should Biya designate another Buli/Beti or Bamileke to succeed him, that person will not receive any support from the North. It must be Biya all the time.
Ali also notes that Fru Ndi (who is widely believed to have won the 1992 elections) is no longer a political force in Cameroon.
He says the real opposition in Cameroon are grasslanders (People from the Southwest and Northwest Regions-Anglophones and Bamileke people ie, people from the West Region-Bamileke people).
He says Bamileke people have taken over Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon and are sending the women to other parts of Cameroon to settle and give birth so as to eventually take over such areas.
It is stated in the cable that the Bamileke already wield a lot of economic power and it will be a big error to hand over political power to them.
True confessions?
Aloysius AGENDIA
For details on the cable click HERE