Turning Point: Face to Face with Boots, Water Canons, Batons, Riot Police and Impunity
The fall of a strongman and the birth of a “new Egypt” where the rule of law prevails sends a loud message to oppressors and their cronies around the world that they would someday have their day in court.
Down Memory Lane
It’s been six years since two students of the University of Buea in Cameroon, West-Central Africa, were shot and killed by security forces during what started out as a peaceful demonstration by students in the beautiful university town of Buea, South West region of Cameroon, when in April 2005, students of the University of Buea took to the streets to demand better conditions on campus. The demonstrations were peaceful, with students carrying placards that read:
“We want toilets!”
“Better quality food!”
“Food is too expensive!”
“We want all subjects on re-sit!”
The students also called for the installation of taps on campus so they wouldn’t have to buy drinking water; they asked the authorities to upgrade the library with new books; recognize the student union and stop plans to increase school fees.
The above list is in-exhaustive, the demands obviously basic and, of course, justified.
A law student at the time — I vividly remember that human necessities like toilets and taps were non-existent on campus, food provided in the student restaurant was of very low quality. As a matter of fact, I only ate at the restaurant once in my three years at the University of Buea, first because I could not afford regular meals at the ”restau” and more importantly, the quality of the food was not worth the salt.
Among all the demands put forward by student protesters, the call for all courses to be offered for re-sit, (known as re-exam in other institutions of higher learning), was even more significant – students who failed to validate certain courses not offered for re-sit, were forced to wait until the next academic year for a second chance; this meant another full year enrollment complete with school fees … for just one course.
Their concerns were genuine and they wanted them heard.
An Encounter with Riot Police
On that fateful April morning, I was out of bed at about 10 AM, my usual morning routine was no different as I prepared myself for a long day at school. On my way to the campus, I quickly realized that things were different, there was something boiling in good-old Molyko. Students who slept late were to be awoken by loud noises on the streets.
Hundreds of students were out on the streets marching! The ”revolution” had began!
This was the beginning of what would be remembered as one of the most brutal crackdowns in recent memory on student demonstrators in Cameroon’s only English-speaking university, UNIBU.
Security forces responded to the peaceful demonstrations in typical fashion with tear gas, shields, water canons, batons and boots. Students, angered by the violent response fought back and the demonstration took a different turn. The protesters set up barricades, burned car tires on the main road, set police and university cars ablaze, and threw stones at the no-nonsense security forces.
Well known for responding to peaceful demonstrations with disproportionate brutality, the police meanwhile broke into and raided student-residential quarters, broke into students’ rooms, arrested, brutalized and tortured numerous students.
I was not at the forefront of the protest, but like many innocent students on the sidelines, I was also subjected to the wrath of the riot police. My room was among the student-rooms broken into by riot police; I was one of the many students dragged to the streets, asked to lie down facing the ground and brutalized with batons, sticks and boots.
Less fortunate students were arrested and taken to the Molyko police post.
All for One, One for All!
A crowd of undeterred students marched to the police station and demanded the release of detained comrades. I must add that the level of unity among protesting students was commendable and echoed in the main slogan of the struggle: ”All for one, one for all!”
Eventually, students who had been arrested emerged disfigured from the small police post – they had been beaten and wounded.
In retaliation, students reacted by setting the infamous police post on fire.
After 3 days of demonstrations, two students were shot and killed on Thursday April 28, 2005. Enbwam Aloysius, a third year Environmental Science student was shot in the head and Gilbert Nforlem, a masters student of Geology was shot in the chest.
Impunity
The Minister of Higher Education at the time announced that a ”judicial inquiry” had been launched to investigate the deaths.
But six long years later, I can tell you that those perpetrators of widespread violence against unsuspecting peaceful student demonstrators are yet to be brought to book.
Why I Chose Human Rights
Evidently, the two fallen students, God bless their souls, paid a very high price for the 2005 student demonstrations, but the violation of their right to life and the impunity that followed their death is testament to the continuing struggle against injustice and violation of basic rights and freedoms in Cameroon.
More importantly, the circumstances surrounding their deaths inspired conscientious students (me included) who experienced the crackdown to become advocates for a noble cause: promoting respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
Justice in Perspective Elsewhere
After 30 years at the helm of an authoritarian regime which ruled with an iron fist and crushed any form of dissent, including peaceful demonstrations by students, the former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and his cronies are now facing justice.
Ahmed Nazif, the former Prime Minster of Egypt under Mubarak was jailed on 11 April 2011.
Mubarak’s two sons – Gamal and Alaa were also imprisoned in April.
On 5 May 2011, former Interior Minister of Egypt, Habib el-Adly was sentenced to 12 years in prison following the fall of his boss.
Hosni Mubarak himself, once the most powerful man in Egypt, is presently under arrest awaiting his day in a court of law. He faces the possibility of execution if found guilty of the charges brought against him, including charges of corruption and ordering the killing of pro-democracy demonstrators in February 2011.
The fall of a strongman and the birth of a ”new Egypt” where the rule of law prevails sends a loud message to oppressors and their cronies around the world that they would someday have their day in court.
It has been said that no matter how long the night is, the day will surely come.
Zuzeeko is on Twitter: @Zuzeeko. Blog: www.zuzeeko.com.
(Courtesy Dunia Magazine PRINT issue 4 )
