No information on the membership card, organizational structure and activities of the Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC) or the Southern Cameroon Youth League (SCYL) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The report of a mission carried out in Cameroon between 23 January and 3 February 2001 by the Danish Immigration Service provided the following information. The report quoted an information source that described the SCNC and "its youth wing, the SCYL," as separatist, illegal organizations and specified that it is therefore illegal to be a member (sect. 4.1.2). The report added that "[t]hose suspected of membership of the active parts of the SCNC and SCYL separatist movements were seen by most sources as being at risk of persecution by the authorities" (sect. 6). Sources cited in the same report indicate that the Cameroonian government has succeeded in infiltrating the SCNC and that in this organization there are three factions, one of which apparently maintains relations with the government (ibid.).

In sections 4.1.2 and 6.1, the report of the Danish mission provides more details on the two organizations, and in particular on the situation of their members.

Current information on the treatment of members of the SCNC and the SCYL could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, according to reports published in 2001, the police violently repressed demonstrations organized by the SCNC on 1 October 2001 in the localities of Kumbo Bamenda (Country Reports 2001 2002, sect. 1.d; AP 1 Oct. 2001; AFP 2 Oct. 2001; AI 4 Oct. 2001). The same sources indicate that the intervention of the police who fired into the crowd resulted in deaths and injuries and that some demonstrators were arrested (ibid.; Country Reports 2001 2002, sect. 1.d; AP 1 Oct. 2001; AFP 2 Oct. 2001).

Amnesty International (AI) reported that Nfor Ngala Nfor, Martin Luma, Frida Litongo, Chief Ayamba and James Sam Sabum were among the important SCNC and SCYL militants who were arrested during the demonstration in Bamenda and who were detained (4 Oct. 2001).

CMR37283.E, CMR35332.E and CMR3533.E of 13 August 2001, 2 October 2000 and 17 September 2000, respectively, provide information on the treatment of SCNC members by the authorities in previous years.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 October 2001. "Cameroon : Secessionists Leaders Arrested After Bloody Rally." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International (AI). 4 October 2001. "Cameroon: Security Forces Must Respect Human Rights in Reaction to Political Demonstrations." (AI Index: AFR 17/009/2001). London: Amnesty International.

Associated Press (AP). 1 October 2001. Emmanuel Tumanjong. "Clashes in Cameroon Between Police, Secessionists Leave Three Dead." (NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/af/8285.htm [Accessed 15 Oct. 2002]

Denmark. 2001. Danish Immigration Service. "Fact-Finding Mission to Cameroon 23/1-3/2 2001." http://www.udlst.dk/udlst_engelsk/sjle1/cameroon.eng.01/heledokumentet.html#_toc532616644 [Accessed 15 Oct. 2002]

Africa Confidential [London] 2001-August 2002.

Africa Research Bulletin [London] 2001-June 2002

IRB Databases.

Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent [Paris] January-September 2002.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge] 2001-2002.

LEXIS/NEXIS.

Resource Centre country file. Cameroon.

Internet sites including:

Africatime.

Allafrica.

Amnesty International.

Cameroon-Info.net.

Cameroon News.

Cameroon Tribune.

FIDH.

HRW.

International Student Associations.

Le Messager [Yaounde].

Le Patriote [Yaounde].

Search engines including:

Google.

Lokace.

Lycos.