MINISTER MARAFA: PRESIDENT BIYA NEVER LIKED ELECAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L YAOUNDE 000073

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS AF/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2019
TAGS: CM PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: MINISTER MARAFA: PRESIDENT BIYA NEVER LIKED ELECAM

REF: YAOUNDE 24

Classified By: Ambassador Janet E. Garvey for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e)


1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador had dinner on January 10
with Minister of Territorial Administration and
Decentralization Marafa Hamidou Yaya, a longtime political
insider whose ministry used to oversee the Organization of
Elections Cameroon (ONEL),the predecessor to Elections
Cameroon (ELECAM). Marafa confirmed that President Biya
dislikes ELECAM and he thought Biya would run again in 2011.
The army was increasingly jealous of the Rapid Intervention
Battalion. Cameroon's relations with Equatorial Guinea were
deteriorating, according to Marafa. End summary.

ELECAM
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2. (C) President Biya never liked ELECAM but was forced to
accept it by the Commonwealth, according to Minister Marafa.
As a result, ELECAM never had a champion in the government
(Note: Marafa had told us repeatedly that he opposed ELECAM
because of its additional cost and because he thought ONEL
was better able to run elections. End note.) Marafa claimed
he had told Biya that the names he had in mind for ELECAM
would not be well received, "but he didn't listen" and was
ill served by his close advisors. Marafa was very concerned
that ELECAM as currently configured is set up to fail.

The Future
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3. (C) Marafa thought Biya would likely run for president
again in 2011 and opined that his wife Chantal and a circle
of ambitious advisors are negatively influencing the
President's plans. He was concerned about the possibility of
chaos in a post-Biya period, saying that the north (where he
is from) will not support Biya insiders after the President
is gone. He cautioned that the regular army is increasingly
jealous of the perks and funding of the elite Rapid
Intervention Battalion (BIR).

Equatorial Guinea
--------------


4. (SBU) Marafa has been involved in negotiating with the
government of Equatorial Guinea (EG) and confirmed that
Cameroon's relations with EG are worsening. The latest
strain is the detention of EG military in Cameroon and their
exchange for Cameroonian fishermen detained by the EG
government.

Comment
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5. (C) Marafa is one of the more candid and critical
ministers in the government, whose longtime personal loyalty
to Biya does not appear to extend to other elements of the
Biya regime. Marafa is clearly very frustrated by the slow
pace of decisionmaking in the country and gives the
impression he would like to get out of government, mentioning
repeatedly his desire to make money (presumably by leaving
government). His description of Biya's attitude toward
ELECAM is consistent with what we heard from the ruling party
Secretary General (reftel) and does not bode well for the
organization.






GARVEY