Right Of Southern Cameroons To Self Determination

UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION (UNO) 1990 – 1999 United Nations Decade of International Law. 1990 – 2000 First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. 2001 – 2010 Second UNO International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. 1995 – 2005 UNO Decade for Human Rights Education. 1997 – 2006 UNO Decade for the Eradication of Poverty. UNO General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of December 1960 on Declaration of the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. UNO General Assembly Resolution 45/131 of 14 December 1990 on Universal Realization of the Right of Self-Determination. UNO “Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations”, Adopted by the UNO General Assembly Resolution 50/6 on 24 October 1995. THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS - UNO TERRITORY (since 01/10/1961)

02 February 2005.

THE RIGHT OF THE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS TO SELF-DETERMINATION (Revisited) For item 5 of the Provisional Agenda of the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Commission, 14 March – 22 April 2005. The Quest for Self-Determination and Independence of the peoples of the Southern Cameroons and their territory (43,000 sq. km) is still a very burning issue today. The United Nations Organisation (UNO) should ensure that the Self-Determination and Independence of the Southern Cameroons’ Territory is Rectified and Regularised according to Article 76 b of the Charter of the UNO. This is also in application of the first Articles of the following UNO Resolutions, namely: Art. 1 of UNO General Assembly Res. 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 on Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, states: 1. “ The Subjugation of Peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and is an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation”. Art. 1 of UNO General Assembly Res. 45 / 131 of 14 December 1960 On Universal Realisation of the Right of Peoples to Self-Determination, states: 1. “Reaffirms that the Universal Realisation of the right of all peoples, including those under colonial, foreign and alien domination, to SelfDetermination is a fundamental condition for the effective guarantee and

observance of human rights and for the preservation and promotion of such rights”. Art. 1 of UNO General Assembly Res. 50 / 6 of 24 October 1995 on Declaration on the occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, states: 1. “---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Continue to reaffirm the right of Self-Determination of all peoples, taking into account the particular situation of peoples under colonial or other forms of alien domination or foreign occupation and recognise the right of peoples to take legitimate action in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations to realise their inalienable right of Self-Determination. This shall not be construed as authorising or encouraging any action that would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent states conducting themselves in compliance with the principle of equal rights and Self-Determination of peoples and thus possessed of a Government representing the whole people belonging to the territory without distinction of any kind”. Why? This is because of the Non-Execution of UNO Resolution 1608 (XV) paragraph 5 of 21 / 04 / 1961 on the Future of the Trust Territory of the Southern Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration: No Treaty of the Union between the then Government of the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun was worked out – This meant / means that La Republique du Cameroun (independence – 01 / 01 / 1960 UNO Res. 1349 of 13 / 03 / 1959 – i.e. Without the Southern Cameroons; admission to membership in UNO on 20 / 09 / 1960 i.e. Without the Southern Cameroons – UNO Res. 1476 (XV), according to international law, had and has no legal and legitimate right to administer the Southern Cameroons Territory. Its past and present administrations (Mr. Ahmadou Ahidjo’s and Mr. Paul Biya’s) on Southern Cameroons Territory since 01 / 10 / 1961 – was / has been illegal and illegitimate in international law. It has been a violation of paragraph 5 of the UNO Res. 1608 (XV) of 21 / 04 / 1961 for a Treaty of the Union to be worked out between the Southern Cameroons Territory and La Republique du Cameroun. It has been an invasion and also a violation of Southern Cameroons’ Right to SelfDetermination and independence ( See Professor Martin CHIA ATEH’s letter to the UNO Secretary-General, His Excellency, Kofi Atah Annan, dated 21 / 03 / 2003 on the matter attached); and violation of Art. 102 (2) of the UNO Charter which states: “ No party to any such treaty or international agreement which has not been registered in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article may invoke that treaty or agreement before any organ of the United Nations”;

and also a violation and non-respect of UNO Res. 50 / 33 of 06 December 1995 on Activities of Foreign economic and other interests which impede the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Territories under Colonial domination. Is La Republique du Cameroun aware of the aforementioned UNO Resolutions? If yes, what is it doing to respect them? And what is the UNO telling La Republique du Cameroun about them? The UNO Language of Human Rights, Democracy, Good Governance, Millennium Goals, NEPAD, etc. does not make sense in the Southern Cameroons’ Territory with La Republique du Cameroun’s illegal and illegitimate administration in it. So La Republique du Cameroun should withdraw its illegal and illegitimate administration from the Southern Cameroons territory immediately. It should also encourage the peoples of the Southern Cameroons to continue to work for their sovereign Self-Determination and independence through the UNO to ensure international peace and security. Exiled citizens of the Southern Cameroons should be called back home. All Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) prisoners should be released . And damages paid - especially to the families of those dead. This means that a UNO Transitional Administration should take over the Southern Cameroons Territory to ensure that the peoples of the Southern Cameroons prepare themselves for their independence and future Government and Administration of their territory. The presence of the UNO Administration on Southern Cameroons Territory will ensure international peace and security in the Southern Cameroons. Legality and legitimacy of Southern Cameroons independence will be endorsed. East Timor, Eritrea, etc. became independent recently. The Southern Cameroons representatives to this 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Commission is requesting that this Session brings to the attention of the Security Council and the UNO General Assembly: 1. The Non-Execution of UNO Res. 1608 (XV), paragraph 5, of 21 / 04 / 1961 on Southern Cameroons Future . 2. The urgent Rectification and Regularisation of the Self-Determination and Independence of the Southern Cameroons territory in application of Art. 4 of the Charter of the UNO.

2. The admission of the Southern Cameroons State after independence to the United Nations Organisation as a full member in application of Art. 4 of the Charter of the UNO. For, the implementation of the Right to Self-Determination of the Southern Cameroons will contribute very much (or immensely) to prevent the conflicts and Human Rights abuses of La Republique du Cameroun (i) in Southern Cameroons Territory For and on behalf of the annexed, oppressed and exploited peoples of the Southern Cameroons. Dr. Arnold Boh Yongbang, FWACS, FRCOG. For the Coalition of Liberation Movements of the Southern Cameroons. Te./Fax: (237) 3 47 60 91; Mobile: (237) 794 15 96. E-mail: [email protected]

Foot Note: (i) These Human Rights violations have been adequately documented in the following reports: -

the Report of the Special Rapporteur, Sir Nigel Rodley, pursuant to Commission on Human Rights Res. 1998 / 38 and the visit by the Special Rapporteur to Cameroon.

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1999 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US Department of State, February 25; 2000, on Cameroon.

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Amnesty International, “ Cameroon: Blatant Disregard for Human Rights”, 16 September 1997, p. 33.

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BBC Production on “Democracy in Cameroon”.