H.E Solomon Dersso, Chairperson of the African
Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
CC: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,
Chairman of the African Union
Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union
Commission
Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the
African Union Commission
Dear Chairperson Dersso,
We, a coalition of 65 organizations, write to you in
your capacity as the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and
People’s Rights (The Commission), to encourage you to urgently address the
deteriorating human rights situation in Cameroon.
The crisis in the North-West and South-West regions
began in late 2016, when teachers, lawyers, students, and activists, who had
long complained of their regions’ perceived marginalization by the central
government, took to the streets to demand more recognition of their political,
social, and cultural rights. The brutal response of the
government forces, who killed peaceful protesters, arrested leaders and
journalists, banned civil society groups and blocked the internet, escalated
the crisis. Since then, numerous separatist groups have emerged calling for the
independence of the Anglophone regions and embracing the armed struggle.
At its 62nd Ordinary Session, held from 25 April
to 9 May 2018, the Commission adopted Resolution 395 (LXII) 2018 condemning human rights
abuses committed in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions since October 2016 and
calling for impartial and independent investigations to be conducted in order
to bring perpetrators to justice.
On September 10, 2019, amid increasing violence and
following sustained international pressure, President Paul Biya called for
a national
dialogue to address the Anglophone crisis. The dialogue ended on October 4
with several proposals made, including the adoption of a special status for the
two Anglophone regions. In separate moves, President Biya also decided to drop all charges against hundreds of
people arrested in the unrest in the North-West and South-West as well as
political opponents, including Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) leader Maurice Kamto, a political prisoner.
We, the undersigned organisations, welcome the release
of hundreds of political actors and other detainees in Cameroon and urge that
jailed journalists and other activists are also freed. We also express
deep concern about the lack of discussions on serious human rights abuses
during the dialogue. The final report of the dialogue did not include any
language or recommendations on abuse and accountability for serious crimes
committed by government forces and armed separatists. None of the
commissions established in the framework of the national dialogue was
mandated to examine human rights issues, and there was no prior consultation
with the victims of the human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions before
the dialogue.
Cameroon, a member of the African Union since 1963, is
a party to important regional
instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which
sets out member states obligations’ to respect, protect and fulfill human
rights.
In accordance with article 58 of the African Charter
on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which foresees the Commission referring cases of
serious human rights violations to the Assembly of Heads of State and
Government, we call upon you and the Commission to:
- Refer
serious and systematic human rights violations in Cameroon to the next
Assembly of Heads of State and Governments scheduled to take place 30 and
31 January 2020;
- Provide
a briefing to the Peace and Security Council;
- Establish
and carry out a fact-finding mission into all allegations of human rights
abuses committed in the Anglophone regions since late 2016 and recommend
future steps to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice;
- Call
upon the African Union to create the position of a special envoy on
Cameroon who reports directly to the African Union Peace and Security
Council. Beyond acting as a liaison between the Cameroonian government and
the African Union, this envoy should inquire into and rapidly report on
civilian protection needs and challenges.
The Commission has recommended and conducted
fact-finding missions in similar situations and its decisions have built
important principles that could be applied to Cameroon.
As the search for a long-lasting solution to the
crisis in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon continues, the Commission should
make accountability for human rights violations a priority of its strategy and
intervention. This would be an important signal of the Commission’s commitment
to justice and accountability for violations of human rights norms.
Yours sincerely,
Action des Chrétiens pour l’abolition de la Torture
(ACAT France)
Action des Chrétiens pour l’abolition de la
Torture au Tchad (ACAT Tchad)
Action des Chrétiens pour l’abolition de la Torture
(ACAT Burundi)
Africa Heights Foundation
Africa International Criminal Justice Network
African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)
African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET)
Amnesty International
Association pour le Développement Intégré et la
Solidarité Interactive (ADISI-Cameroun)
Association pour l’enseignement coranique et la
protection des enfants mouhadjirine (AECPEM) Tchad
Cameroon Women’s Peace Movement (CAWOPEM)
Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Centre de Documentation et de Formation sur les Droits
de l’Homme (CDFDH-Togo)
Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) Malawi
Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa
(CHRDA)
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation Malawi
Cercle des Educateurs Solidaires Des Quartiers Réunis
de Maroua (CESOQUAR)
Changement Social Benin
Chapter Four Uganda
Cleen Foundation
Coalition Burkinabe des DDH
Coalition Ivoirienne
des DDH
Coalition
Malienne pour la CPI
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
Concerned Nigerians
Confédération des organisations de victimes de la
crise Ivoirienne
Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations
(CEHRO)
Defend Defenders
Foundation for Justice and Development Initiatives
(FJDI)
FORSC-Forum pour le Renforcement de la société civile
Burundi
Freedom of Expression Hub (FOE-HUB)
Girl Child Africa, Nigeria
Human Rights Agenda Network
Human Rights Defenders Network Sierra Leone
Human Rights Institute of South Africa
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa
(IHRDA)
Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI)
Justice Access Point Uganda
Justice and Peace Bamenda
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC)
Kenyan Coalition for HRDs
Lawyers Alert
Ligue Tunisienne des droits de l’homme
Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP)
Le Club des amis du droit du Congo (CAD)
Network for Solidarity, Empowerment and Transformation
for All (NewSETA)
North East Youth Initiative for Development (NEYIF)
Nigerian Coalition for the ICC
Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme - Cameroun (NDH Cameroun)
Pan African Human Rights Defenders Network
Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU)
POS Foundation
Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de
l'Homme (RADDHO) Senegal
Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique
Centrale (REDHAC)
Réseau Dynamique Citoyenne
Réseau Ouest Africain des DDH
Shalupe Foundation DRC
SOS Torture/Burundi
Southern Africa HRDs Network
Sudan Coalition for the ICC
The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of
Jurists (ICJ Kenya)
Un Monde Avenir
Victims’ Support
Initiative (VSI)
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