With Cameroon now engulfed in several Political and Financial scandals, 20 influential Cameroonian Women, led by Human Rights activist, Barrister Alice Nkom and CPP’s Edith Kah Walla have written two separate letters to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nation’s Security Council, relating to the missing Covid-19 funds and the appalling security situation in Cameroon respectively
In the letter addressed to the IMF, the women of Cameroon categorically explored Cameroon’s recent financial scandals from at least 2017 to today.
Addressing the new Director of the IMF, Kristalina Giorgieva, the letter notes that Cameroon experienced a spectacular hike in massive embezzlement of funds following the granting of US$666 Million to Cameroon by the Extended Credit Facility to keep the country afloat in 2017.
Part of the funds taken to fund for the AFCON tournament 2019, a tournament which was later on withdrawn from Cameroon and awarded to an alternative country due to the poor preparation and unready infrastructure.
As a result of this, the signatories to the letter have asked the IMF to not grant anymore loans to the Cameroonian Government untill some of the mismanaged funds are recouped and culprits convicted.
“Our request is simple. Until the above two conditions are met, no funds should be disbursed to the current government of Cameroon,” the women ordered.
The letter however acknowledged that Cameroon is in dire need of medical and financial aid to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, given that a host of Cameroonians have died from a lack of Facilities. However the clique of women equally mandate that it will be inappropriate for more loans to be handed over to reckless officials who at the end embezzle them at the period of tax payers.
In another letter, this time addressed to the UN Security Council the Cameroonian women implored the UN Security Council to put Cameroon on its agenda on its next sitting.
“Over 10,000 people have killed by the Boko Haram and the Anglophone crisis. Over 1 Million of our children have had our children’s school disrupted by conflicts, gross human rights violation and most ruthless violence is meted on our people daily,” it read.
According to tye statement by the women, the Anglophone crisis has been raging for almost 5 years now, but have never been formally discussed at the security council.
In a bid to aid resolve the conflict, the letter recommends that the Security Council force the Government to implement certain short term and long term measures to end the crisis. Some of the measures proposed are:
Decrease existing tensions and de-escalate violence especially towards civilians; improve on the humanitarian situation on the population; work towards the establishment of han rights; negotiate and ceasefire between conflicting parties; and render justice to affected population.
