Thursday, 11 August 2022

"Peace House Bamenda Urges Gov't to Review it's Policy of Disarming Citizens"


-Jude Nforngang

Mr.  Nforngang Jude Thaddeus, Director of Peace House CIG Bamenda has urged the Government of Cameroon to review it’s policy of disarming Citizens in Local communities. This he says has given armed robbers an upper hand.

He is a Legal Advisor and Mediator at the Peace House CIG Bamenda. He is an expert at law, professionally trained in Great Britain at the Institute of Legal Executives of England and Wales (CILEX Law School). He is equally a Community Development Expert and Philanthropist with over 23 years of work experience in Cameroon and other countries and has conducted several long-term researches relevant to solving problems on why majority of Africans remain poorer even with aid from the west. He co-founded the Peace House CIG Bamenda, the Elites Credit Union Cooperative, the Campus School Management System, the CashTelephone Project amongst others. He begins this interview by stating what  inspired them to create Peace House Bamenda.


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The Peace House Common Initiative Group  Bamenda was founded as a solution to provide urgent help and support to destitute people affected by conflicts, majority of whom are women and children.

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So what exactly are the objectives of Peace House Bamenda?

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The main objective of the Peace House CIG Bamenda is to provide Entrepreneur Training, Advocacy, Mediation, and Shelter to the Destitute.

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Let’s look at the modus operandi of Peace House Bamenda.

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The methodology used in achieving our objectives is simple.

Here at the Peace House CIG Bamenda, we have developed in-house methodologies originating from our long-term observations and research in local communities as a primary source as well as correlation from experiences consulting multinational issues on poverty alleviation, Human Rights Advocacy and Conflict Mediation processes.

We have developed the Social Media Community Centered Responsive Approach in its current Campaign on Human Rights Advocacy relevant to the Current raging Anglophone Violent Conflict.

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What are the grounds so far covered by Peace House Bamenda?

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The Peace House CIG Bamenda is currently well known and trusted as a Neutral stakeholder advocating for the Human Rights Protection of indigenous Anglophone people especially women and children. Our observations based on our social media responsive methodologies currently indicate that all stakeholders of the current Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon are looking up to the Peace House CIG Bamenda on the actual facts and data on the effects of the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon as we are the main neutral organization visible in the affected local communities able to give a credible report on the actual visible facts.

The peace House CIG also provides temporal Shelter and basic meals to IDPs who are mainly women and children escaping domestic violence and effects of the current violent armed conflict in their local communities. We provide psychosocial support and counseling to affected IDPs and destitute local community members seeking our help both from our Mile 5 Nkwen Bamenda Head Office as well as live online from our social media communication channels.

The Peace House CIG also currently provides Free Legal Advise as seen on topical issues expressed on social media as a tool to help ignorant communities to resolve conflicts and issues related to their Legal and Human Rights processes.

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Given the insecurity that presently reigns in the North West and South West Regions, what challenges have been encountered by your CIG in carrying out its duties?

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The Peace House CIG Bamenda is legally registered in Cameroon as a Common Initiative Group and as a standard not-for-profit charity organization. Our personnel and members are experts professionally trained in different areas relevant to our objectives. Members of the Peace House CIG Bamenda are neutral and do not support or stand for any particular political ideology. Some of our members have been victims of the current raging armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon.  The Peace House CIG   Bamenda's current observations show that the Cameroon Government and the Separatist Authorities are Negligent in the Protection of top economically strong elite necessary for the current and future development of the country. A case in point is the recent assassination of Madam Janna Fondo Anna in Bamenda. She was a Philanthropist and an Economics Teacher as well as Co-owner of Janna Enterprises and Super Market amongst other things. This highlights the alarming Security Vacuum in the crisis hit regions. This lady was one of our Key Advisors and Philanthropists. The lack of state protection is no doubt going to affect over 60% of our Philanthropic works in Bamenda.

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What is the outreach of the activities of Peace House Bamenda?

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It is legally registered with its head office in Bamenda. Its area of jurisdiction covers the entire national territory.

Our personnel are currently providing relief services to destitute communities at its head office in Bamenda, as well as directly to other affected communities in Cameroon. We also provide services on call as well as through social media channels.

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What is your take on the quality of Gorvenance in Cameroon?

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Our long-term observations show that Cameroon is a Centralized Democratic Unitary State with a very strong Presidency Unique from its State Government with the use of Elitist Political Governance. It would appear the governance institutions of Cameroon makes great er use of its retired administrators. This class of people are appointed as leaders of its newly created institutions relevant to current national economic and conflict issues.

Our expert opinion would be that, the Government and Presidency of Cameroon should seek credible neutral experts in their efforts of bringing social change, especially relevant to the current economic issues and conflicts raging in Cameroon.

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You certainly have national and international partners.

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We do not yet have international partners. Peace House CIG has relied on the Philanthropic support of its members and participatory inputs of its beneficiaries towards achieving its objectives.

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Any last message?

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The Peace House CIG Bamenda would urge the Government and Presidency of Cameroon to urgently review its policy on disarming the local ordinary citizens. We have observed over three  years and counting that since the disarming of local ordinary citizens in Cameroon  armed robbers are taking advantage of the  Security Vacuum created by the circumstances and causing grievous harm on local communities in Cameroon, especially in the Anglophone Regions occasioning loss of lives and property. This was never So when Citizens were perceived to be armed. Our observations also show that there was no significant misuse of fire arms by ordinary local community members in the Anglophone communities of Cameroon other than accidents occurring during funeral ceremonies (less than 0.3 %).

Interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante

 

Edev Newspaper

Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com

Contact: +237696001/ 678401408

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