Israel Admonished To Cease BIR Operations In Cameroun

Renowned Israeli Human Rights Lawyer, Eitay Mack, is demanding annulment of all exports of Israeli products and services to the Camerounese elite force, the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR). In a strongly worded letter dated February 7 2018, and addressed to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, the rights advocate requests the freezing or cancellation of all exports to the BIR unit.

“… in view of the crimes in which the BIR unit is involved across Cameroon, especially in the past year in the British-speaking provinces (Southern Cameroons), and fearing that the grave political crisis in Cameroon may spiral out of control in a full civil war, I ask you to freeze or cancel all security export licences to the BIR unit, until one can be sure that it is possible to verify that its soldiers are no longer involved in sere violations of human rights, that the crimes which committed are investigated, ad hose responsible are brought to justice, and that the crisis in Cameroon is over,” Eitay Mack said.

According to the rights lawyer, La Republique du Cameroun (LRC) has been diverting the weapons and services exported from Israel, from its initial location to fight Boko Haram, to now killing and maiming vulnerable people of Southern Cameroons. Using pictorial illustrations, the rights lawyer says Israel would be promoting the BIR unit to kill innocent people in Cameroon.

“From footage of BIR unit published by the media, and delivered to us by human rights activists from Cameroon, one can conclude that its soldiers are using Israeli weapons like Galil Galil Ace, Tavor rifles, and Negev machine guns to rain terror on its people,” Eitay Mack added.

The lengthy letter also indicated the several condemnations heaped on the Cameroun government over its inability to handle the crisis by other internal rights organisations. According to the rights advocate, hundreds of people from Southern Cameroons have been killed and many others fleeing their homes, in the wake of the crisis.

“… The citizens of Israel, the of Israel or Knesset have never declared war on the residents of the English-speaking provinces of Cameroun (Southern Cameroons), and have never voted to support the eternal reign of an aging dictator,” Eitay Mack added.

The trumpet call of Eitay Mack (adv), adds to many other rights organisations, calling on the complete overhaul of the LRC’s continuous killings in Southern Cameroons. From RHEDAC, through Amnesty International, to now Eitay Mack, the calls have been for international community to probe into the whole crisis and use dialogue to end the crisis. That, according to them, will pre-empt a full blown civil war. Unfortunately, many have just been talking, with fewer than no one, walking the talk.