24/10/2020 | Douala

The Social Democratic Front (SDF) is devastated by the carnage perpetuated on young children in their classrooms in Kumba today, in search of knowledge. Innocent students killed and mutilated during classes by armed groups who have as their lone agenda, terrorism.

The SDF condemns in the strongest possible terms this barbaric terrorist attack on innocent children and calls on the perpetrators to be punished accordingly. These terrorists are well known to many as well as all those enjoying the fall out of this dirty war are known as well.

After four blank academic years, a couple of completely lost generations and an educational gap burden that will certainly hunt Cameroonians for the next decades, schools showed encouraging signs of resumption in the North West and South West regions for this academic year. These marauders are trying in vain to mortgage the future of our country by perpetrating such inhumane acts. As a people, we must not yield. Following this e

Every political party that wants to be democratic has its own tendencies and internal movements. A political party cannot exclude internal debate but all this must lead to a movement whose aim is the reconstruction of the country which, in Cameroon, involves the removal of the murderous regime of Mr. Biya from power. BIYA MUST GO!

As far as our political family is concerned, let me be clear. Given the situation of our party since the last presidential election and more importantly the current situation of our country after 38 years of Mr Biya's disastrous reign, it is normal that there are internal tendencies of thought today. This debate is necessary.

I believe that it is about proving wrong those who believe that the SDF has given up. To prove wrong those who think that the SDF is no longer important. It is also about proving more than ever before the strength of the commitment of the SDF. And generally speaking, it is about proving wrong those who think that politics is no longer or will no longer generate enthusiasm, that our political family can no longer count on the massive mobilization of its militants and supporters in particular and the people in general. What we need to do now, after these last two difficult years, is to generate internally the desire to discuss, exchange ideas and reflect on the right direction to take. It is not simply a question of saying who is doing or will do what. It's about getting our political family out of a period of lethargy, laxity and division which is felt by those watching us from the outside and which has made us almost inaudible and has humiliated us a little.

The headlines are dominated lately by the outbursts of the governors of the Centre and Littoral Regions who have signed two decrees banning undeclared public meetings and public demonstrations and the intervention of the Minister of Territorial Administration, Mr. Atanga Nji who in a fax message addressed to the administrative authorities to "put in place [a] monitoring system for all activists and supporters [of the said] political party", reminding them that "it is understood that unauthorized demonstrations remain prohibited" and that they must proceed to the arrest, detention and administrative custody of offenders who exceed the said prohibitions.

While in the first case the prohibition by the governors of unauthorised meetings and demonstrations is highly questionable, in the second case the intention of the Minister of Territorial Administration to restrict the freedom of public meetings and demonstrations is evident when he speaks of unauthorised demonstrations even though they are placed under the regime of declarations.

Some people who defend the spirit and the letter of the Message-Fax of the Minister of Territorial Administration invoke the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states in Article 21 that "The right of peaceful assembly is guaranteed. The exercise of this right shall be subject only to such restrictions as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, or for the protection of public health or morals or of the freedoms of others". In an attempt to swallow the view that even conventions provide a framework for public meetings and demonstrations that are not free in absolute terms.

PRESS RELEASE

The governor of the Littoral region has just taken a decision to ban all undeclared public meetings and demonstrations in the Littoral region.

This freedom-destroying, anti-democratic and unconstitutional decision betrays in reality the extreme agitation that has irreversibly seized the Yaounde regime and its regional outgrowths on the eve of the Grand Soir.

Mr. Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua had better adopt the Preamble of the Constitution as well as the laws of December 1990 on public liberties which enshrine the right to demonstrate.