Dr Fontem A. Neba (born Fontem Aforteka’a Neba, in 1970) is an

Anglophone Cameroonian Anglophone Cameroonians are the people of various cultural backgrounds, most of who hail from the English-speaking regions of Cameroon (Northwest and Southwest Regions). These regions were formerly known as the British Southern Cameroons, being p ...

university lecturer, author and a civil rights activist who emerged on the Cameroon political stage as the founding Secretary General of Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium before it was banned by the government of Cameroon on January 17, 2017. He was arrested on the same day alongside Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor and deported to Yaoundé overnight where they would both spend nine perilous months in the Kondengui Maximum security prison. Before becoming

Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the banned Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC), he was the Secretary General of teachers’ trade union of the University of Buea (SYNES) before his arrest on January 17, 2017, for staging a peaceful protest in the defence of Anglophone Cameroon common law system of education. He is the author of '' English Language Mastery and Academic Success'' which was launched on June 18, 2015.

Early life and career

Dr. Fontem Aforteka'a Neba was born on August 8, 1970. He holds a PhD from the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

in Nigeria. He is a

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, lecturer, author and an activist. He is the author of English Language Mastery and Academic Success. He was the Secretary General of teachers’ trade union of the University of Buea (SYNES) before his arrest on January 17, 2017 and the

of the banned Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC).

Arrest

On January 17, 2017, at about 6:15 pm, it was reported that Dr. Fontem Neba was arrested alongside Barrister Agbor Balla, Ayah Paul Abine in Buea by a combined squad of police, gendarmes, elements of the military intelligence unit and the dreaded secret service unit known by its French Acronym as DGR. The arrest immediately followed the banning of the Consortium which had waged a civil disobedience campaign to protest grave marginalization and systemic assimilation of the English speaking minority in Cameroon by the majority Francophones.

Court charges and trial of Dr. Fontem Neba

Dr.Fontem Neba and Co, were charged with 8 counts by the Cameroon Military tribunals in Yaounde for treason, terrorism, civil unrest, jeopardizing the peace and unity of the Republic of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and if found guilty would have faced the death penalty. On the March 23 the Neba Fondem trial at the Yaounde military court tribunal was adjourned for another hearing on April 27, May 24 and July 27 same year and on the August 31 through a presidential decree by president Paul Biya. Neba and friends were released and all charges against them were cancelled. While in prison, Fontem Neba spoke to the French daily

le Jour ''Le Jour'' (French for "The Day") was a Quebec independence newspaper. It was founded in Saint-Laurent, near Montreal, by Yves Michaud, Jacques Parizeau and René Lévesque. Michaud was editor-in-chief. The paper was published as a daily from ...

Newspaper during the visit of members of the

Social Democratic Front (Cameroon) The Social Democratic Front (french: Front Social Démocrate) is the main opposition party of Cameroon. It is led by Ni John Fru Ndi and receives significant support from the Anglophone regions of the western part of the country. History The S ...

(SDF) parliamentary group on April 7, 2017, he said

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neba, Fondem Cameroonian activists 1970s births Living people Cameroonian Protestants

Early life and career

Arrest

Court charges and trial of Dr. Fontem Neba

See also

References

External links