In a statement with an offensive tone, Olivier Bile, president of the party Les Libérateurs, denounces the abuses of mining exploitation and calls for an economic awakening based on productive credit.
In a text entitled Manifesto of the Liberators, Olivier Bile accuses the current mining model of being “a system of organized banditry.” According to him, “for every 100 grams of gold extracted, only 2 to 5 grams are declared,” the rest feeding opaque circuits mixing foreign interests and local complicities. “This is not industry, it is predation,” he states.
The opponent also rejects the argument of job creation, describing working conditions in the mines as “enslavement.” “You do not develop a country by throwing its children into gaping chasms,” he insists, pointing out health risks and wage insecurity.
Faced with what he describes as a “moral and economic failure,” the political leader demands “the immediate and provisional halt of mining activities in the North-East” as well as an independent investigation into the networks of complicity.
Beyond denunciation, Olivier Bile outlines an alternative: “Our wealth lies in agriculture, livestock, and fishing,” he asserts, advocating for “the liberation of bank credit” to support small producers. “We will replace slavery with dignified work,” he promises, calling for financial sovereignty in the service of development.
A speech intended to mobilize, at a time when the issue of governance of natural resources remains sensitive in Cameroon.
Read more Cameroon: Opening of the 16th Commonwealth Regional Conference on Combating Corruption in Africa
