BY SA’AH SIONA IKEI and NADEGE LIMNYUY
In a defiant move, Abdul Karim Ali, a self-proclaimed "Prisoner of Conscience and War," has formally renounced his Cameroonian citizenship and refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the country's justice system. Incarcerated in Kondengui Central Prison, Ali has accused President Paul Biya's government of declaring war on the Anglophone regions in 2017 and failing to engage in meaningful dialogue to resolve the ongoing crisis.
PHOTO: Abdul Karim Ali
Through his lawyer, Barrister Joseph Fru Awah, Ali issued a press statement from his cell, outlining the historical and legal basis for his decision. "LRC [the Republic of Cameroun] has manifested overwhelming bad faith in its relationship with Southern Cameroons and as such has lost all trust and credibility in fulfilling its international obligations," he stated, referring to the country's actions following the 1961 plebiscite that led to the integration of the former Southern Cameroons region into the Republic of Cameroon.
PHOTO: Barrister Joseph Fru Awah Esq.
Ali, who considers himself a citizen of the self-proclaimed "Southern Cameroons" or "Ambazonia" region, accused the Cameroonian government of unilaterally promulgating a federal constitution that was never debated or ratified by the Southern Cameroons House of Assembly. He also claimed that the subsequent "arranged Plebiscite of February 1972" and the consolidation of the Republic of Cameroon in 1984 were part of a systematic effort to annihilate the Southern Cameroons identity.
"That is why the 1992 victory of John Fru Ndia, a Southern Cameroons citizen, has now come out to be despised, deprecated and discarded," Ali added, referring to the leader of the main opposition party in Cameroon.
Barrister Awah, representing Ali, stated that his client had filed an affidavit with the President of the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé, formally rejecting the jurisdiction of the Cameroonian judicial system. "As a result, I have filed with the President of the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé, through the Commissaire du Gouvernement, an Affidavit wherein I have outlined my stance going forward," Ali said in the press statement.
In the affidavit, Ali demanded the release of all other "Southern Cameroons citizens" who are incarcerated and called for a safe passage for them to return to their "native land." He also urged the international community, diplomatic corps, and human rights organizations to be informed of his decision.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim Ali insists in his memo to the military judge that he is of Southern Cameroons nationality and cites the universal declaration of human rights which states that: Whilst citing the universal declaration of human rights as affirmed by the Cameroonian constitution of June 1972. It states that which states that “Everyone has a right to a nationality” and that “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality or denied the right to change his nationality.”
As he out it tersely, “Any attempt to want to order me to any court trial shall be considered a covert attempt to disappear me.” He states further that “I cease from going to court or from attending any judicial hearing in LRC.”
The ongoing Anglophone crisis in Cameroon, has been marked by clashes between Anglophone separatists and government forces. The armed conflict has escalated in recent years, with both sides accusing each other of human rights abuses. The refusal of prisoners like Abdul Karim Ali to submit to the Cameroonian justice system is just one more complication in a long line of obstacles hindering genuine efforts to resolve the conflict and find a lasting solution.
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