Cameroon and Biya

President Paul Biya, who arrived in France Tuesday, July 21, for an official visit, will have to wait until Friday, July 24, before being received at the Elysée Palace by his counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Biya is expected to hold talks with President Sarkozy on Friday. Before being received at the Elysée Palace, Biya has, in the interim, visited Bordeaux and held talks with Alain Juppé, the Mayor of that city and a former Prime Minister. The Cameroon Head of State is scheduled to have a working dinner with Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister. President Biya is expected to spend four days in France.
Meanwhile, scores of Cameroonians resident in France have demonstrated against the visit of President Paul Biya to that country. The demonstrators were protesting close to the French National Assembly against the 'red carpet' reception granted to Mr Biya who is visiting France at the invitation of his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy.
They brandished banners and placards reading: "Arrêtons le soutien aux dictateurs, soutenons les peuples africains, ensemble contre la Françafrique; Biya assassin, Sarko complice" (Let's stop supporting dictators, let's support African people, together against Francafrique; Biya assassin, Sarko accomplice). Since Bongo's death, Biya is generally viewed as the doyen of Francafrique, an outfit that brings together France and its Francophone erstwhile colonies.
Leaders of the demonstration argued that by welcoming Biya, the French authorities were endorsing a dictator and condoning impunity. They marched under the umbrella of Code, an amalgam of Cameroonian democratic and patriotic organizations of the Cameroon Diaspora.According to Guillaume Tene Sop, one of the leaders of Code, such French action symbolised the "insolent and arrogant support for a dictatorship which enriches itself on the backs of Cameroonians."
One of the former leaders of the French Socialist Party, Francois Hollande, was invited to join the demonstration. He is quoted as having said: "We should put some pressure so that President Sarkozy, while receiving Biya, should tell him that democracy is not reserved only for some countries but that it is universal." Apart from being the colonial master, France has vast business and commercial interests in Cameroon. It will be recalled that Francois Fillon, the French Prime Minister, was Biya's special guest during May 20 celebrations in Yaounde.
The demonstrators are requesting that Mr Sarkozy should get Mr Biya to create an international commission of enquiry to probe the February 2008 'hunger riots' during which many Cameroonians were massacred. The riots, it will be recalled, were sparked by hikes in the prices of basic commodities as well as moves to review the Constitution. Official sources put the death toll at 40 although independent organizations say as many as 139 people were killed.
Members of the Cameroon Diaspora are also calling on Sarkozy and his wife to pressurize Mr Biya to immediately release all political prisoners. Also, the demonstrators want Sarkozy to insist on Biya to set up an Independent Electoral Commission. They also want Biya to declare his assets and their origin. However, thousands of CPDM militants, including those who flew in from Cameroon and other European countries, trooped to the airport in their uniforms. There were dance groups and the militants carried banners calling on President Biya to continue "ruling Cameroon".