Cameroon: SDF to Withdraw Parliamentarians, Boycott Elections if Biya Fails to End Crisis

By Boris Esono Nwenfor [caption id="attachment_64041" align="alignnone" width="960"] SDF Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi says the party will boycott November session should Biya fail to end the crisis[/caption] The Social Democratic Front Party, SDF has announced that it will boycott the upcoming parliamentary election as well as not sending parliamentarians to the budgetary session in November if President Biya failed to solve the presence crisis in the English speaking part of the country. In a communiqué signed by the party's national chairman, John Fru Ndi, after a NEC meeting in Douala, on 10 August, the SDF notes that “President Biya declared the ongoing war in the NW and SW Regions and it is incumbent on the President, not only to bring the civil war to an end, but also provide a definitive solution that will create an enabling environment for children to return to school in September 2019, and for elections to take place; failure to which the SDF shall be obliged to withhold its parliamentarians from attending the November 2019 session.” On the upcoming parliamentary/municipal elections, Fru Ndi states that “If elections are convened and held under the present circumstances, the SDF will not participate and this will tantamount to breaking the country into two.” “The declaration of war sparked a spiral of violence which led to disastrous consequences: maiming, rape, torture, kidnapping, mass killings, looting, destruction and torching of schools, hospitals, houses and razing of entire villages” He added  while indicating that “this has caused thousands of casualties and displacement of persons, who today, are refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), paradoxically fulfilling the secret assimilation agenda of Anglophones especially the annihilation of the educational and Common Law systems.” The communiqué further stated: “The SDF calls on the CPDM Senators, CPDM Members of the National Assembly, CPDM Mayors and CPDM Councilors of the North West and South West Regions who have exhibited disturbing indifference and support to the oppressive government irrespective of the frustrations and atrocities inflicted on the Anglophone people whom they purport to legitimately represent, to stop using the Anglophone problem for political ends.” The SDF has called on the separatist fighters to exercise restraint. It equally reminded Francophones that the Anglophone problem is a national issue, which if not urgently addressed, will lead to irretrievable separation of the country. [caption id="attachment_64042" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SDF Party officials[/caption] Recalling the recent visit of the new PM, Dr Dion Ngute to Buea and Bamenda, the SDf release noted that the visit was a smokescreen intended to deceive the people of NW and SW because the security situation has not changed after the visit. In the resolutions of the NEC meeting, the SDF condemned what it termed “laborious attempts to muzzle the media by MINAT, Paul Atanga Nji.” The recent position from the leader of the SDF Party may be seen as a victory for the separatist fighters. Ni John has been constantly told to remove his parliamentarians from Yaounde. During his last abduction, the separatist fighters again called on him to remove his parliamentarians from Yaoundé. Ni John however said He will not do so as it is an avenue for him to communicate with the Head of State. This strategy from the SDF is meant to get the attention of the CPDM run government who have failed considerably to end the violence with has been going on for the past 3 years.