They did not recruit Soulaymane Mahamat because of the political capital that they were to gain from him. But the truth is that, Soulaymane was recruited more because of the symbol that he stood for or represented and held within the geostrategic plans of the SDF. This is evident in the national metamophoses that the SDF went through, immediately Souleymane openly made up his decision to join the largest intra and extra parliamentary opposition. The SDF escaped the position of a regionalist, secessionist or purely English-speaking Cameroonian party and became a broad base political formation. Regionalist and secessionist political formation is the name tag, that the government had placed on the SDF, in it frantic attempt to turn away many French-speaking Cameroonians from joining it. Like most Cameroonians, Souleymane never knew or expected that, 14 years later, the SDF will still be in the political Sinai desert of Cameroon, in search of an apparently elusive promise land. Life as an opposition leader in Cameroon is difficult and strewn with temptations and humiliations. Souleymane had his fair share of humiliations. Nonetheless he resisted and stood in the shadows of his charismatic boss, John Fru Ndi. While John was hugely charismatic, Souleymane was the opposite and a tad distant.
He survived only by the largesse of his boss and generous members of the SDF. His life in the opposition was different from what he used to enjoy when he was working at SONARA. He had no chauffeur driven car and had no advantages. To be simple and claear, life was too difficult for Souleymane. His children were no longer living with him. His childern were living with his younger brother, because Soulaymane Mahamat could no longer afford anything for them. Concerning Soulaymane’s wife, respect requires that, I don’t mentioned how she became. What I am about to mention is very important. For it may help to understand or show that the rapport between John Fru Ndi and his deputy was a sane one. John Fru Ndi observing with pity how Souleymane was suffering, but resisted to make people know about his travails, he (John Fru Ndi) suggested to the executive organ of his party otherwise known as the National Executive Council (NEC), that, his number two be given a monthly salary. But as a proud man, he refused the assistance. Souleymane rejected the proposition that he become a salaried member of the SDF.
In 1997, at the peak of his difficulties, Souleymane Mahamat, during a trip to Yaoundé, came across a fortune-teller of Malian nationality. The Malian fortune-teller told him that, he had a bright future. But what Souleymane did not know was that, the Malian was more of a speculator than the witchdoctor or fortune-teller that he pretended to be. In spite the fact that the Malian was a fake fortune-teller, he was nevertheless the guru of several members of government. Furthermore, what he always told politicians in Cameroon, were what he knew, they wanted to hear. The Malian fortune-teller knew that most Cameroonian politicians and elites were always in search for ministerial positions. The Malian became famous because he once speculated on one little known politician and he was eventually appointed minister. Since then, he has becomes the one witchdoctor in Yaoundé, that every burgeoning politician runs to. It explained why, when the arch-architect of the plot to divide and destroy the SDF, Dr Takoudjou approached Souleymane to join them as their leader in the 1997 plot, Souleymane saw it also a sign that, the prediction of the Malian witchdoctor, who lives in the cosy Bastos neighbourhood in Yaoundé was correct.
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