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DE RUEHYD #1090/01 2471304
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FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8106
INFO RUEHAN/AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO PRIORITY 0021
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1646
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1910
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L YAOUNDE 001090 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/C 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS 
EUCOM FOR J5-A 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCOR CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON PRIME MINISTER SEEKS USG INPUT FOR 
CABINET CHANGES 
 
REF: A. YAOUNDE 752 (NOTAL) 
 
     ¶B. YAOUNDE 865 
     ¶C. YAOUNDE 1012 
     ¶D. YAOUNDE 1088 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Tad Brown for reasons 1.4 b and d. 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary.  Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni asked Charge 
on September 4 to share the list of personnel suggestions 
that then-Ambassador Marquardt provided during his July 6 
farewell call on President Biya (ref B).  Inoni said Biya 
wanted to consult the list before making final decisions for 
upcoming cabinet changes.  Inoni predicted Biya would decide 
"this week or next" to dismiss "a few" particularly 
problematic ministers, whom Inoni did not specify, and to 
divide the current Ministry of Economy and Finance into two 
separate ministries.  Turning to the disputed succession of 
the Lamido of Sabga, Inoni expressed satisfaction that his 
intervention had enabled the men from Sabga (ref D) to depart 
the Embassy and return to their homes with Government of 
Cameroon (GRC) protection.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
(C)  GRC Solicits USG Input for Pending Cabinet Reshuffle 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶2.  (C)  Inoni told Charge that President Biya had instructed 
him to obtain a summary of the personnel suggestions that 
then-Ambassador Marquardt made during his July 6 farewell 
call on President Biya (ref B).  Charge provided a printed, 
unlabeled summary of Ambassador Marquardt's brief to Inoni in 
the September 4 call.  Inoni said it was a sign of Biya's 
confidence in the USG that he would instruct Inoni to be sure 
to take the USG's views on board before finalizing the new 
government.  Inoni said he expected Biya would announce the 
new cabinet "this week, or next," but cautioned that one 
never really knows Biya's timetable.  Reviewing the list, 
Inoni commented that many of the names of those currently not 
in government were already under positive consideration, but 
refrained from revealing specific personnel changes.  (Note. 
In an August 31 phone call with Charge, however, Inoni 
implied Minister for Planning and Development Augustin Kodock 
would be among those dismissed saying: "you won't have to 
worry about him anymore." End note).  Inoni noted that the 
August 31 re-election of National Assembly President Cavaye 
Djibril made it more likely that he (Inoni) would retain the 
PM post. 
 
¶3. (C) According to Inoni, Biya is focused on improving the 
management of those portfolios tied to economic growth and 
investment, and that "social" ministries like education and 
youth would largely be left untouched.  Inoni said the 
upcoming reshuffle would include the firing of a few of the 
"worst" ministers.  In addition to their dismissal, Inoni 
said that "further action" would be taken and explained that 
he had instructed GRC security forces to prevent some 
ministers from departing the country.  Explaining that Biya 
wanted to wait until the GRC had completed its current IMF 
program, Inoni said Biya would wait until next year to 
undertake a wholesale shuffle and down-sizing of the cabinet. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
PM's Intervention on Behalf of Sabga Community 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4.  (C)  Inoni said he was satisfied that his intervention 
succeeded in convincing the representatives from Sabga to 
depart U.S. Embassy premises (ref D).  Inoni said the men 
received travel funds and a police escort from Yaounde to 
Sabga.  He said government officials serving as members of a 
commission of inquiry would arrive in Sabga September 4 to 
investigate the handling of the traditional leadership 
succession.  Inoni expressed distaste at the strong-arm 
tactics of Alhadji Baba Donpullo and argued that Donpullo is 
not as influential with senior levels of the Government of 
Cameroon, and especially Minister for Territorial 
Administration and Decentralization Hamidou Marafa, as the 
Mbororo believe.  The Mbororo have been let down and deceived 
by government officials in their region so many times that 
they no longer have faith in their government to protect 
them, lamented Inoni. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
(C)  Comment:  Shuffle Could Mean New Game in Cameroon 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
 
(##) 
that Biya 
intends to toss out a few of the more problematic ministers 
while focusing on the need for better management of the 
economy--is congruent with the predictions made by Secretary 
of State for Commerce Ama Tutu Muna (ref C) and the private 
promises made by President Biya himself (ref B), providing 
reason to hope that this shuffle will be more than a 
rearangement of the same tired suits.  Muna's timing was 
off, and Inoni's could be wrong too.  Less significant than 
the timing, however, is the thrust of the shuffle.  Muna said 
Biya would likely dismiss and arrest the Ministers for 
Economy and Finance (Polycarpe Abah Abah) and Health (Urbain 
Olanguena Awono), and possibly Foreign Minister Jean-Marie 
Atan(##)comment.(##) 
NELSON