CAMEROON'S NORTHERN PROVINCES: EMBASSY TEAM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 YAOUNDE 000967

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CM EAGR ECON PGOV PHUM PREF PREL EINV KPAO
KISL, KIRC
SUBJECT: CAMEROON'S NORTHERN PROVINCES: EMBASSY TEAM
REACHES OUT


1. (U) Summary: During a September 21-27 trip to the
Extreme North, North and Adamaoua Provinces, the Ambassador
launched a Virtual Presence Post (VPP) for the region and did
extensive public outreach. The northern provinces are poor
and largely agricultural, suffering from the effects of a
declining cotton crop and weak infrastructure. Development
has been hampered by limited air connectivity to the region,
poor roads and no rail service north of Ngaoundere. Security
challenges include highway bandits, chieftaincy disputes and
Chadian refugees who have become violent in recent months.
End summary.


2. (U) On September 21-27 Ambassador led an Embassy team on
a tour of northern Cameroon, reportedly the most populous
part of the country, with the largest percentage of Muslims.
The week-long trip included a presentation of the Embassy
team to an audience of fifty contacts in Garoua, American
folk music performances by Embassy staff in each provincial
capital, presentations on upcoming U.S. elections, a Ramadan
Iftar for Muslim women, meetings with business chambers in
each province to discuss U.S. commercial opportunities,
visits to Self Help projects, meetings with Peace Corps
trainees and Amcit wardens, and a wide range of meetings with
officials, business, civil society and other contacts. The
Ambassador also toured the CIFAN (Centre d'Instruction Forces
Armee National) military training site in Ngaoundere. CIFAN
will be used to prepare an 800-person peacekeeping/peace
enforcement battalion, with training scheduled to begin in
December.

Economic Challenges
--------------


3. (U) The economic mainstay of the three northern
provinces is subsistence agriculture, supplemented by some
commercial production of cotton, sorghum, ground nuts, shea
nuts and other crops. Agricultural production has reportedly
been good this year, although poor soil conditions, small
parcels of land, and water shortages are chronic problems.
Officials at Sodocoton, Cameroon's largest (partially
state-owned) cotton producer painted a bleak picture for the
cotton sector, which employs over 300,000 people in the three
northern provinces. They attributed a 75% drop in cotton
production since 2005 to low world cotton prices and a
significant jump in global fertilizer prices; Sodocoton
officials hoped for Government of Cameroon (GRC) subsidies
and greater crop diversification (more septel).


4. (U) There is little industry in the northern provinces.
Our business outreach meetings drew mostly petty traders such
as people in the handicrafts sector. While the north has
tourism potential, few contacts saw this sector on the rise.
Governor of the Extreme North Ahamadou Tidjani told the
Ambassador that there was only limited potential for tourism,
given infrastructure challenges and the "abandoned"
conditions of the Waza and Benoue parks. For example, the
only access to Rumsiki, one of the region's main tourist
destinations, is a rutted dirt road requiring a four-wheel
drive vehicle. There were no flights to the north for four
months this year and while Elysian and Air Tumai (the Chadian
airline) now fly several days a week to Garoua and Maroua,
flights are expensive and not always reliable. Direct
flights used to come from Paris to Garoua (filled mostly with
American hunters) but these have not resumed over the past
year.


5. (U) Contacts complained about the rising cost of living
in the north. Chadians seeking safehaven from instability in
Chad have been buying property in the major cities of
northern Cameroon, driving up housing costs. Transport from
Douala and elsewhere in the country is expensive. Corruption
permeates every aspect of life, with authorities demanding
bribes at frequent check points. Many children reportedly
cannot afford school expenses and education levels are low.

Security Issues
--------------


6. (SBU) UNHCR Rep in Garoua Kantemanke told the Ambassador
that 4,000 Chadian refugees remain in Langui camp outside of
town. While he acknowledged that some refugees might be
genuine cases, he thought the majority were staying in hopes
of going the U.S. or Canada. Kantemanke hoped UNHCR would

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soon reach agreement with the governments of Cameroon and
Chad to facilitate the return of most refugees. He commented
on the aggressive nature of these refugees, who had destroyed
vehicles and other property in the camp during June riots
protesting the availability and quality of food, clothing and
other items. The GRC has since provided security at Langui
but Kantemanke was convinced there were still arms in the
camp and he was frustrated that the GRC had yet to name a
camp manager.


7. (SBU) The north has a persistent problem with "coupeurs
de route" (highway bandits) who attack vehicles as well as
villagers in rural areas, reportedly kidnapping children and
stealing cattle and property. While the Nigerian border area
is reportedly calm, local authorities expressed concerns
about heavily armed bandit incursions from Chad. There are
also recurring chieftaincy disputes. One Catholic priest in
the region described a pervasive culture of fear, saying that
"people fear everything - superstitions, the government,
everything."

Commercial Opportunities
--------------


8. (U) The Ambassador and Embassy staff hosted three
business seminars with about 50 participants each in Garoua,
Maroua and Ngaoundere. Participants highlighted the need for
more capacity building to take advantage of AGOA, especially
in the handicrafts sector. They were eager for information
about EXIM, OPIC and other USG commercial services and
several expressed interest in upcoming U.S. commercial trade
shows. Embassy staff also identified areas for greater
cooperation with the Peace Corps and local business chambers
in strengthening commercial ties to the north.

Muslim Outreach
--------------


9. (U) During the trip, the Embassy team hosted an Iftar
dinner in Garoua specifically targeting prominent Muslim
women, including mayors, members of parliament, heads of
religious associations, high-ranking officials and
journalists. During the dinner, participants noted the
challenges facing Muslims in general and women in particular,
including the role traditions play in impeding women from
taking part in political life and the problem of
underscholarization among young women due to agricultural
duties and early marriage. The delegation also accepted an
invitation to an Iftar dinner hosted by Bakary Bouba, the
influential Lamido of Maroua (a traditional and religious
Muslim leader),at his palace. He discussed the political,
cultural and religious situation within his community and
briefed the Ambassador on his recently-completed
International Visitors program on Religious Tolerance and
Interfaith Dialogue. The Lamido was extremely complimentary,
both of the IV program and his experience in the United
States, and described at length his positive exchanges with
Christians, Jews, and other Muslims during the visit. He
particularly enjoyed his interchanges with ordinary Americans
during his home visits and said he was struck by the
welcoming nature, piety, and timeliness of Americans.

VPP Launch
--------------


10. (U) The Ambassador announced the creation of VPP
Septentrion/Northern Cameroon ("Septentrion" is a Cameroonian
term referring to the three provinces of the north) during
the initial country team presentation, and the delegation
took the opportunity to inform contacts and press about its
launch throughout the trip. Despite the large population,
the Septentrion is often difficult to reach physically by
Embassy staff due to the lack of infrastructure and cost and
infrequency of flights. The VPP demonstrates the importance
the Embassy places on the Septentrion and will serve as a
conduit for informing the population of Embassy visits,
activities and opportunities within the region.

Comment
--------------


11. (SBU) The Extreme North and Northern provinces seem
largely stuck in time, with little new development and

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crumbling infrastructure. Northerners feel cut off from the
rest of the country and to some degree neglected for
political reasons (the north was the home of former President
Amadou Ahidjo and is a bastion for the opposition UNDP
party). This in part explains the very warm reception
Ambassador and Embassy team received everywhere we went. The
trip received extensive, positive media coverage. Our Muslim
contacts and business people at our commercial outreach
events were particularly eager for more interaction with the
Embassy. We plan to continue our more active engagement
through the newly-created VPP and with regular trips to the
region.
FOX