Le candidat du Social Democratic Front (SDF) Joshua Osih, à la présidentielle camerounaise, Douala, 15 août 2018 AFP/Reinnier KAZE
Hon. Joshua Osih, 1st Vice National Chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, has called on the Head of State to restrict travels into Cameroon for citizens of the European Union.
The Member of Parliament for Wouri Centre put out a dispatch this Monday, June 29, 2020, in reaction to a decision that excludes Cameroon from the list of 54 countries whose citizens can travel to the EU when external borders reopen on July 1.
“The member countries of the Schengen area have just decided that nationals of certain countries are prohibited from entering their territory. They also mentioned that every 15 days, this list could be updated,” said Osih. “It is their absolute right to isolate themselves or to discriminate against nationals of countries which may be allowed to travel to their countries on the grounds that they believe they risk bringing a new wave of COVID19 contamination. Looking at this list, Cameroon, is one of these countries.”
The 2018 Presidential Candidate says this EU decision clearly means that no compatriot, even with a visa, can, until further notice, enter one of the countries of the Schengen area.
“By virtue of the sacrosanct principle of reciprocity, no national of the Schengen countries should also be allowed to enter Cameroon during this prohibition period, regardless of their diplomatic or health status,” the MP thundered.
He furthers that “We cannot be victims of a virus introduced to us from the Schengen area and pay the price of its consequences. Worse still, these countries act as if they have lessons to give when they should have humbly put themselves in synergy with our local actors to better manage the COVID19 crisis in order to save lives in the Schengen area and in Cameroon. This is unacceptable.
“As a Member of Parliament, I call on the President of the Republic to take his responsibilities and enforce or cause to be enforced the sacrosanct diplomatic principle of reciprocity vis-à-vis the countries of the Schengen area . The President of the Republic has a duty to take up his responsibilities and impose our sovereignty.”
As we went to press, Cameroon had registered 12,592 coronavirus cases with 10,100 recoveries and 313 deaths. The country is yet to reopen its external borders since they were closed on March 17.
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