Cameroon: Whether the Social Democratic Front (SDF) provides letters of attestation to asylum seekers, including who is responsible for their issuance; verification procedures used by the SDF when issuing the letters and authenticating the political party's membership (2012-November 2013)
Information on letters of attestation issued by the Social Democratic Front (SDF) (including the verification procedures used when issuing the letters and confirming membership in the political party) was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a professor emeritus of liberal studies at Western Washington University, who has written a book on the SDF and who has served as an expert witness in asylum determination cases regarding Cameroon nationals in the United States, provided the following information (24 Nov. 2013).
The Professor stated that the SDF issues attestation letters for asylum seekers. The Professor also indicated that he had assisted in approximately 170 asylum cases since 1997 and has seen and used around two dozen such attestation letters.
According to the Professor, "in every case, the writer's and the applicant's name, party position and in varying detail the circumstances leading to the applicant's flight from Cameroon have been part of the text [of the letters]."
The Professor also noted that
just as for asylum materials, no one should expect SDF party stationery and logos to be uniform or standard according to some administrative fiat, although party membership cards are more alike; [the party's] emblematic scales of justice, letterings and color combinations have varied widely in appearance from its inception, depending on place of origin.
The Professor stated that the SDF has verification procedures in place to confirm membership and the veracity of statements made by those requesting attestation letters, but did not provide details on the procedures themselves.
However, he stated that "local ward level membership rolls are quite inclusive and accurate," although he added that he is "not sure how well that translates to the provincial and national levels." He explained that
The SDF is 'decentralized' and 'federal' as befits its political character. The party chairman and a substantial inner circle are in anglophone Bamenda, where monthly national executive meetings almost uniformly take place, but the office of the secretary-general is in the national capital, francophone Yaounde, 400 kilometres distant [...].
The Professor stated that due to the decentralized character of the party, as well as its "diverse" and "embattled" nature, the verification of party membership and issuance of attestation letters to asylum seekers do not follow centralized directives, but are dependent on local procedures. According to the Professor, attestation letters largely originate from the municipal ward and precinct levels of the SDF rather than its regional and national levels.
The Professor, based on conversations he has had "over the years" with SDF officials from the Chairman of the party "down through others in responsible positions," stated that "the SDF does its best to guard its activists in jeopardy who take flight from the threat that fraudulent applicants pose". He added that it is his impression that the party does "everything possible [...] to vet asylum cases and not to make legitimate claimants bear the consequences of fraudulent claims [...]".
Corroboration for the information provided by the Professor could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
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 for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Professor Emeritus of Liberal Studies, Western Washington University. 24 November 2013. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Attempts to contact a representative of the Social Democratic Front were unsuccessful.
Internet Sites, including: Afrique Index; AllAfrica; Amnesty International; BBC; Bonaberi; Cameroon-Info.Net. Cameroon News; Cameroon Tribune; Cameroon Web News; Cameroun Actualité; Cameroun-online.com; ecoi.net; Factiva; Human Rights Watch; Jeune Afrique; Journal du Cameroun; Pambazuka News; United Nations – IRIN, Refworld; United Kingdom – Home Office; United States – Department of State.