CAMEROON: BIYA'S SPEECH OUT OF TOUCH AND UNHELPFUL

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SUBJECT: CAMEROON: BIYA'S SPEECH OUT OF TOUCH AND UNHELPFUL

REF: (A) YAOUNDE 0191 (B) YAOUNDE 0190(C) YAOUNDE 0121 (D) YAOUNDE
0182


1. (SBU) President Paul Biya addressed the Cameroonian people
February 27 on the recent violence in Cameroon. He minced no words,
blaming opposition politicians (whom he labeled "demons") for
manipulating the country's youth to "obtain through violence what
they were unable to obtain through the ballot box." He warned he
would use "all legal means" to restore law and order.


2. (U) The text of Biya's speech follows:
Our country is witnessing a situation which brings back unpleasant
memories of a period we thought was long gone.
While it may be understandable that when negotiations fail, the
demands of a group are sometimes expressed through strikes, it is
unacceptable that such action should serve as a pretext for the
outpourings of violence against people and property. Besides, it is
now established that any industrial dispute can always be resolved
through negotiation.
In actual fact, that is not the problem. What is at issue is the
use, not to say exploitation of the transporters' strike for
political ends. For some people, who by the way, did not hide their
intentions, the objective is to obtain through violence what they
were unable to obtain through the ballot box, that is to say,
through the normal functioning of democracy.
They therefore did not hesitate to throw into the streets bands of
youths who were joined by delinquents lured by the possibility of
looting. The results are there: public buildings destroyed or burnt
down, shops and businesses looted or devastated.
Be it State property, I mean our common heritage, or private
premises; these are years of efforts thus reduced to nothing.
The demons, who manipulated these youths behind the scenes, were not
bothered about the risks by exposing them to confrontations with the
forces of law and order. As a result, several of them lost their
lives, which, of course, cannot but be deplored.
When the human and material toll of these dark days will be taken,
it will probably be very heavy. Those behind these manipulations
definitely did not have the good of our people in their mind. A
country cannot be built through destruction.
It should therefore be made absolutely clear that Cameroon is a
Constitutional State and intends to remain so.
It has democratic institutions which are functioning normally. It is
within this framework that the nation's problems are addressed. It
is not in the street that they are resolved.
The vast majority of our people long for peace and stability. The
last elections proved this. Cameroonians know that disorder can only
bring about calamity and misery. We cannot allow that to happen.
To those who are responsible for manipulating the youth to achieve
their aims, I want to tell them that their attempts are doomed to
failure. All legal means available to Government will be brought
into play to ensure the rule of law.
End of Text
Fear and Defiance
--------------


3. (SBU) The President's speech appears to have been designed to
intimidate the people from joining demonstrations, whether their
motivation is economic (cost of living) or political (extension of
his tenure in office),or both. The general population is fearful
of the repercussions of the speech. Biya stated that there would be
zero tolerance. The army has been deployed in five of the ten
provinces of Cameroon that are experiencing violence (Littoral,
West, Southwest, Northwest, and Center). This is the first time
that the army has been deployed to quell civil disturbances since
the turbulent 1990s. The army is a third category force of
maintaining law and order, meaning that only the President can call
them into action. Observers note that the current situation has
escalated much faster than in the 1990s.


Opposition Parties
--------------


4. (SBU) In addition to fear, the speech may have produced another
effect: defiance. Poloff spoke with John Fru Ndi, leader of the
opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF),who stated that the
President's speech was a "declaration of war." The President, Fru
Ndi added, called the people "vandals" and did not address the real
issues underlying the people's grievances. Instead of calming the
people, Fru Ndi said, the President's remarks inflamed them. Biya
was trying to appeal to rioters to stop looting, but Fru Ndi
reported that even he had been a victim as vandals attempted to

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break into the SDF building in Bamenda. He said he had heard that
the army is under orders to "shoot to kill." Fru Ndi said that he
did not expect the situation to improve anytime soon, and urged the
international community to pressure Biya to negotiate.


5. (SBU) Poloff spoke with Anicet Ekane, President of the African
Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) political
party based in Douala. He stated that the President's speech had
completely closed the door to negotiations. Ekane said that the
President has made it appear as if there were no problems and these
were isolated incidents that have no basis in political reality.
Furthermore, Ekane views the President as implying that the
political parties that lost the elections were the ones
orchestrating the violence. Ekane commented that people were
"shocked" that the President did not attempt to calm the people but
instead issued threats. He added that people had hoped that the
President would attempt to open the door to negotiations, but now,
has made the "door to shut threefold."


GARVEY