Bakassi Natives Send SOS to UN Security Council Posted by Admin 4 June, 2013 …Demand $200 billion from Nigeria and Cameroon …Southern Cameroon Declares State of Emergency in Bakassi …FG to Set Aside Special Funds for Development of Dayspring I &11 OBONG 3By Magnus Effiong Natives of the ceded Bakassi peninsular have send a Save-Our-Souls appeal to the Security Council of the United Nations seeking, amongst other things, the setting aside of the October 10, 2002 International Court of Justice judgment. They called for the taking over of the territory by the world body as UN Trusteeship Territory for gradual development of Bakassi towards self determination. They also demand from Nigeria and Cameroon $200 billion as “special and general damages for the gruesome illegalities of criminal marginalization, oppression, suppression, discrimination and ethnic cleansing” of the Bakassi people.” The natives, under the aegis of Save Bakassi Global Movement, said it derives its power to take case to the Security Council from Chapter 1V, Article 35 of the UN Charter which says “a state which is not a Member of the United Nations may bring to the attention of the Security Council or of the General Assembly any dispute to which it is a party if it accepts in advance, for the purposes of the dispute, the obligations of pacific settlement provided in the present Charter.” Our reporter gathered that the 26-page document, dated February 7, 2013 and which was addressed to the UNO Security Council through the Secretary- General, was signed by High Chief Eyo B. Eyo-Cobham on behalf of the body. Checks revealed that the document was delivered to the United Nations penultimate week. The following information confirms receipt: ‘Delivered item at delivery office on April 22, 2013 by 1.36 pm. Item received in good condition.’ This was signed by ‘FIGEUEROA,’ but it could not be ascertained whether the signature belongs to an individual or whether it is simply an acronym. The document chronicled the history of the Bakassi people, the various treaties both local and international involving Bakassi, Nigeria and Cameroon and vividly enumerated reasons it feels the ICJ erred substantially by using what it called the defunct 1913 Anglo-German treaty to determine the Bakassi case. It averred that the League of Nations of May 6, 1919 and the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919 had rendered the 1913 un-ratified Anglo-German treaty invalid. “The League of Nations was established with the ‘Big Four’ World Nation membership (Britain, France, Italy and USA) for world peace and stability. The global body authored and ratified the Treaty of Versailles which was signed by Germany at Versailles, in France on 28th June 1919 in which some of the notable features were the penal treatment of Germany, the provocator and initiator of the First World War. “Germany was forced to pay heavy reparation of $56 billion and to disclaim all its forcefully occupied lands/countries in Europe and to unconditionally renounce all its colonial territories in Africa and elsewhere. “A very notable feature of the said treaty was that all the renounced German oversea colonies, including Kamerum (Cameroon) in Africa were placed under the League of Nations Mandate of Trusteeship”, it stated. The Bakassi group sought the wisdom of the Security Council to determine “whether after the 1919 Treaty of Versailles in France by the League of Nations that had obliterated all German colonies globally, including all German nomenclatures and German names and insignia of those colonies, there have been any entities thereafter with the title of ‘German Cameroons’ from June, 1919 up to 1961 UNO plebiscite.” It therefore called on the Security Council to declare that “it was an act of deceit and illegality for the government of Nigeria and Cameroon to have invoked the invalid 1913 Anglo-German agreement, voided and nullified by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles in its act of the 1971 Yaounde II and 1975 Maroua Agreement. The Bakassi people also sought “a declaration that the Republic of Cameroon cannot lawfully benefit from acts of illegality arising from the fraudulent Nigeria-Cameroon Yaounde II and Maroua agreements. “A declaration that the Republic of Cameroon cannot gain sovereignty over Bakassi peninsular by the ICJ judgment that does not rest on the rule of existing and valid League of Nations and the UNO recognized and custodied laws of September, 1884 British Protection Treaty of (1)Kings and Chiefs of Old Calabar Kingdom and Idombi (Bakassi), (2) The 1919 Franco-British Administration of the divided Cameroon by the League of Nations/UNO Trusteeship Mandates and (3) the January 1931 Franco-British Joint demarcation of Nigeria and Cameroon boundary, approved by the League of Nations/UNO that did not include Bakassi in the Cameroons”. It argued that even if any Anglo-German agreement was to have been upheld, the one of 1913 which the ICJ used in determining the Bakassi case was not legally binding on the parties because it was not ratified by the British authorities as they vehemently opposed any agreement which could transfer Bakassi as contained in the draft Anglo-German agreement produced by British agent Sir Edward Grey and German’s Prince Lichnowsky. The group further postulated that shortly after the Anglo-German agreement was made public, “the Kings and Chiefs of Old Calabar dispatched a powerful protest delegation led by Prince Bassey Duke to her Britannic Majesty and her Privy Council.” Consequently, “the British Foreign Secretary addressed the British Parliament and he emphatically stated that Britain would not cede Bakassi Peninisular on the Basis of the Anglo-German agreement,” adding “Her Majesty Britannic government did not ratify the said 1913 agreement to make it a binding legal instrument as required by the maxim of international treaty or agreement.” The Bakassi natives argued that when Nigeria got independence in October 1, 1960, its South Eastern maritime border was Rio-Del Rey in Bakassi peninsular, but wondered that on October 7, 1960, “the sovereign Nigeria signed the San Francisco Charter of the United Nations and expunged the Bakassi (Idombi) from its cartographic and demographic details filed in the UNO on no substantive grounds but under flimsy excuse of the invalid Anglo-German agreement.” According to the Bakassi group, “the French Cameroon became independent on January 1, 1960 and signed the San Francisco Charter on September 20, 1960 with its southern maritime South West boundary at Debunsha in Buea Division of the Ambas Bay of the Atlantic Ocean.” Quoting several authorities on the 1961 UNO Plebiscite of the Cameroons, the Bakassi Elders submitted, “the Bakassi (Idombi) peninsular was neither involved nor affected by the UNO 1961 plebiscite”. It therefore submitted that from available facts, the ICJ erred in law and therefore demanded for restitution based on fact enumerated above, so as to assuage the injustice meted out to the Bakassi people. Meanwhile, the people of Southern Cameroon, who have already declared an independent state with the name Republic of Ambazonia have decried the high handedness of the Cameroonian military which reports say have embarked on policy of ethnic cleansing of the Bakassi people. Due to this, the Southern Cameroon leaders said they have declared a State of emergency in Bakassi “due to deadly attack by forces of Republic of Cameroon on Southern Cameroons citizens in the Bakassi Peninsula resulting in the deaths and wounding of dozens and internal displacement of thousands under the guise of a police action.” A press release to this effect signed by its president, Mr Akwanga Ebenezer said “the Government of Southern Cameroons (GoSC) condemns the deadly attack by forces of La Republique du Cameroun (LRC) on Southern Cameroons citizens in the Bakassi Peninsula resulting in the deaths and wounding of dozens and internal displacement of thousands under the guise of a ‘police action.’ “The GoSC continues to assess the unfolding human tragedy in this Local Government area of the Southern Cameroons. Dozens of our citizens have been killed while thousands have been internally displaced as tens of thousands more live under the threat of state sponsored terrorism. “The GoSC is also aware of widespread looting, rape, arrest and destruction of property of the civilian population in a campaign of ethnic terror against Anglophone residents by the French trained Camerounian “red hat” gendarmes. “The actions of the Cameroonian occupation forces have had consequences beyond the borders of Southern Cameroons and have created a humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Nigeria as displaced citizens flee for their lives. “The GoSC warns the occupying regime and reminds the international community that military occupation generates obligations towards the occupied territory and its people under the Geneva and Hague Conventions. La Republique du Cameroun must respect the rights and freedoms of those people its unlawful policies have imposed untold hardship upon. “The GoSC will raise the ongoing situation in Bakassi and the actions of the occupying regime with international and regional bodies including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Court of Justice, various UN organizations and the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights. “An immediate referral will be generated to the International Criminal Court seeking the indictment of Paul Biya for crimes against humanity. “The Government urges its citizens to continue to resist the occupation of Southern Cameroons, to defend their homes and families by all means possible, hinder the enemy and to reject any policy whose sole aim is to entrench the occupation. “The solidarity of the Southern Cameroonian peoples against the LRC aggressor is unshakeable and unitary. The GoSC calls for swift justice and retribution to be enacted upon the Butchers of Bakassi,” it stated. As situation in the ceded peninsular remains foggy, information has it that the Cameroon authorities are waiting with bated breath for August 14, 2013 to deal ruthlessly with any Nigerian who refuses to become Cameroonian by learning the French language, use the Cameroon currency-the CFA as well as learning to sing the Cameroon National anthem. The ruling from the International Court of Justice, states that from August 14, 2013, Cameroun will govern Bakassi like any other part of its territory. Estimates suggest that about 90 percent of the approximately 300,000 people who live in Bakassi are Nigerians. If these people decide to stay in Bakassi, after the August 14 deadline given by the ICJ, they will have to obtain residence permits and will be treated as foreign nationals living in Cameroun. Reports say that many of the Nigerians in Bakassi are still undecided about leaving or staying. Most prefer the Nigerian systems that they are used to but Cameroun is slowly making efforts to introduce their own systems into the region. Despite the efforts, Cameroun has been struggling to make the people adjust to living in Cameroun e.g. residents of Bakassi still use Naira, the Nigerian currency.. This may have prompted the Nigerian government to, last week, reassured Bakassi people of plans to set aside a special fund for the massive development of the Dayspring I&II as recommended by the presidential committee on the resettlement of Bakassi, headed by the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, EfiokCobham. Speaking last week during the presentation of the report of the committee at the State House Abuja, Vice President Mohammed Sambo commended the effort of the team, and assured that government would come up with a position to see how best to alleviate the suffering of the Bakassi people. As the clock tickles, Bakassi natives are hoping on providence for lasting peace and sucour. They believe the Almighty would miraculously use the latest move to cause world leaders to look at the direction of the oppressed people, after all, earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. -- The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ambasbay" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ambasbay+unsubscribe@googlegroups. For more options, visit https://groups.google/groups/opt_out.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 17:00:26 +0000
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