Monthly Archives: December 2016

19, December 2016

Bamenda: Tassang Wilfred and his men to meet Ghogomu Paul and his gang ⁰

While waiting for the effective work by the Inter-ministerial Ad hoc Committee to review and propose solutions to the concerns raised by Cameroon Anglophone Teachers Trade Unions, the North West Region has been strategizing to get their points through.

Ever since members of the committee were made public, the different stakeholders have been holding planning meetings to see into it that the committee comes up with lasting solutions. In Bamenda, the meetings have multiplied as members hold different reflections. The executive secretary of the of the Cameroon Teachers Trade union- CATTU, Tassang Wilfred said on Thursday 15 December that ever since the strike started, hardly does a day go by without them having to meet.

With the setting up of the committee by the Director of the Prime Minter’s Cabinet, Prof Ghogomu Paul Mingo he said they have intensified reflections. He added that; “the meetings are to ensure that we go through our papers so as to fine-tune our presentations. We want solutions to our problems. The committee is a good one and we hope that it will bring lasting solutions to the English sub system of education. We are ready to work and prepared to bring sensible proposals,” he explained.

On the sidelines, inhabitants in Bamenda are reacting positively towards the creation of the committee, they hold that including PTA presidents as well as denominational representatives is a clear indication that the government has listened to the peoples. From the look of things the people in Bamenda though moody have not forgotten the end of year feast as well as the feast of nativity. The various markets are full to capacity with queues in almost every shop in town. Bamenda is busy again but not without the presence of the forces of law and order ready to intervene whenever need arises.

Culled from Cameroon Tribune

19, December 2016

Philemon Yang visits Southern Cameroons, inaugurates Advanced Vocational Centre ⁰

Philemon Yang, who has now been reduced to a South West Prime Minister, has underscored CPDM government reforms aiming to make professional training a real driving force for economic growth. He was addressing attendees as he inaugurated the Advanced Vocational Training Centre based at Bonadikombo-Limbe last Saturday (17 December, 2016) before proceeding to cut the symbolic ribbon in the presence of the titular Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Zacharie Perevet. It was his first appearance in Southern Cameroons ever since the so-called head of government was chased out of Bamenda.

Also present was a high-level delegation of South Koreans led by their Ambassador to Cameroon, Lim Jae Hoon, and a host of Cameroonian Ministers from resource departments like Basic, Secondary, Youth and Civic Education. The PM echoed the Centre’s vocation to offer initial and continuing training as well as be a resource centre for companies and a centre for validation of acquired professional experience. In so doing the Limbe Vocational facility will train young Cameroonians in woodwork, plumbing, welding, electricity, mechanics, office automation; refrigeration and air condition; and hotel management and tourism.

Limbe was, however, the PM’s third lap of a commissioning expedition that had earlier taken him in successive days to Sagmelima and Douala where he commissioned similar structures constructed and equipped thanks to the hailed cooperation between Cameroon and South Korea. While calling for proper use and functioning of the Centre, Philemon Yang reiterated President Paul Biya’s commitment to foster the employment and vocational training sector. The PM singled out in praise the Republic of South Korea for remarkable cooperation in the sector to realise the Vocational Centres in Cameroon by constructing and equipping them, training trainers, as well as developing training programmes for trainees.

For his part, the South Korean Ambassador to Cameroon, Lim Jae Hoon, took the pulpit in Limbe to explain that vocational training was the core of industrialisation. He said the Centre was appropriately located in Limbe with the capacity to serve Countries of the Gulf of Guinea and especially the local giant companies and industries among which SONARA, CDC, Shipyard or (Chantier Naval) and the awaited Limbe Deep Sea Port. Ambassador Hoon expressed confidence that the Vocational Centres would boost technical training in Cameroon as trainees from there would envy no better from anywhere else.

Mrs. Ngu Fomede nee Nibameh Comfort, Technical Adviser Number One at the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, gave a technical presentation of the Limbe Centre describing it as an architectural jewel on a land space of 59.491 square metres allocated to the project.

The Centre has 12 buildings including one Administrative Block hosting a Library and an Infirmary, two air-conditioned computer rooms, five buildings for workshops, each workshop having 30 individual spaces for trainees, two separate dormitories of 49 beds each for men and women, two residential equipped houses of three rooms each, and one restaurant of 150 seats. Worthy of note is that the Limbe project was one in a trio jointly executed with those of Sangmelima and Douala at CFA 24 billion and meant to develop 14 vocational trades.

Culled from Cameroon Tribune with partial editing from CAMCORD news desk

19, December 2016

Israel’s Mossad spy chief secretly meets Donald Trump’s transition team ⁰

The director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, has secretly met with US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, according to reports. The meeting took place during Yossi’s clandestine visit to the US, where he was accompanied by a delegation of the Tel Aviv regime’s security officials, Israeli media reported Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly put together the delegation, which was headed by Yaakov Nagel, head of the Israeli National Security Council.

Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the US, was also present at the meetings, where the two sides discussed a range of issues including the Iran nuclear deal, the ongoing conflict in Syria, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Trump’s team was also briefed by the Israeli side on an upcoming regional conference in Egypt as well as a UN initiative put forth by Palestine and New Zealand.

Officials from the Israeli regime have also asked the Republican president-elect to oppose a Palestinian initiative submitted to the UN Security Council, which would be critical of Israel’s illegal settlement activity. Trump has already spoken in favor of the Israeli settlements since his election on November 8. It was revealed on Sunday that he has even donated $10,000 to one of the illegal projects in 2003.

Presstv

19, December 2016

Biya’s Laptop computers: Another broken promise by the CPDM government ⁰

Some few months ago students all over the national territory took to the streets thanking President Paul Biya for offering them made in China laptops. All attempts at getting the student community to wait until the CPDM laptops were delivered met with a stone wall. The presidency of the republic announced that the students were going to get the computers before Christmas.

With Christmas just seven days to go and with the presidency unable to pay salaries for its temporal workers, some student leaders used by the regime to stage the support rallies for President Biya have been heard murmuring privately that the President Biya laptop gift was just another CPDM hoax.

Nothing is being mentioned both in government circles and in the universities about the laptops. Cameroon Concord News understands any student caught talking about the laptops is now branded a secessionist. The so-called Minister of Higher Education, Fame Ndongo has shied away from questions concerning the project. It is expected that the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime will include the laptop scheme in the Emergence 2035 program.

By Sama Ernest

18, December 2016

Rwanda’s sole government-recognized opposition party leader to challenge President Kagame ⁰

The leader of Rwanda’s sole government-recognized opposition party has announced plans for standing as a candidate in next year’s presidential election. Frank Habineza, with the Democratic Green party, announced the decision on Saturday after a meeting with party leaders in the capital, Kigali. “I have accepted your request to represent you as the presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election, which will take place on 4th August 2017,” he said.

Habineza will challenge President Paul Kagame. The incumbent leader, who took power in 1994 at the head of a rebel army, had previously come forward as a candidate. Rwanda’s parliament passed amendments to the constitution this year to allow Kagame to stand for re-election for another seven-year term.

Over the past years, Kagame has faced criticism for the lack of political freedoms in Rwanda, although the country is regularly praised for its stability and economic performance. Kagame’s government has refused to recognize several opposition parties, barring them from contesting elections. The United Democratic Forces (FDU) is the most prominent of all those parties. Its leader, Victoire Ingabire, was arrested in 2010 while campaigning against Kagame.

Habineza vowed at the end of the Saturday party congress that his main goal would be to establish democracy in Rwanda. “Democracy does not come from the sky, it won’t come from America or Europe, we are the ones who have to fight for it,” Habineza said, adding, “We want to bring democracy to this country.”

Presstv

18, December 2016

Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF endorses President Robert Mugabe for 2018 ⁰

Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, has endorsed President Robert Mugabe as its candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Mugabe was endorsed at a party conference held on Saturday in Masvingo, located about 300 kilometers southeast of the capital Harare.

Deputy Secretary Eunice Sandi Moyo said the party’s congress had voiced “its support to the president and first secretary comrade Robert Mugabe as the sole candidate for the forthcoming 2018 elections.” The endorsement of the incumbent president was met with resounding applause from supporters attending the annual conference.

Thousands of cheering supporters chanted slogans in Shona language meaning, “Rule, Rule Father.” Mugabe, 92, has ruled the African country for more than 36 years and won the most recent election in 2013. He has been in power since the country’s independence from the British colonial rule in 1980. In April, thousands of supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, attended a demonstration in Harare, calling for the resignation of the president.

Zimbabwe has seen a surge in public discontent with an economic crisis that has left banks short of cash and the government struggling to pay its workers. Many have taken to the streets over the past weeks, protesting against the failure of the Mugabe administration in addressing economic woes. ZANU-PF is also in turmoil over a successor for the ailing president, which has triggered more concerns that the country, known for its rich resources, would slide deeper into chaos.

Presstv

18, December 2016

Bamenda: Calm returns to markets after “hectic” week ⁰

Life is gradually returning to normalcy in Bamenda, North West Region after last week’s violent strike action. Taxis are busy transporting passengers while bike riders who were at the center of the strike have resumed work. Shops have been reopened and markets are all noisy once again.

Areas worst hit by the strike such as City Chemist, Hospital Round About and Mobile Nkwen, are all booming with activities. Bus conductors could be heard scrambling for customers who ply different destinations such as Bali, Nkwen, Mbengwi among others. In most joints in Bamenda, Security forces are stationed to preempt any uprising again. Policemen from the mobile intervention unit are perceived putting on their war shield, armed right at the level of their teeth.

At the Food market, traders are present but buyers are few, most are still scared to go out of their homes, talk less of going to a gathering like the market. The traders hold that most people bought their food and stored in homes while others are still to recover from the shock and damages.

But as the town of Bamenda is back to life, Babila John, a roadside trader at City Chemist says it is just temporal, he suspects the strike might be more intensive by January. Traders had said the fact that they are back in markets does not mean they have called off the strike, according to Unionists, the strike shall continue after the festive period.

Culled from Cameroun info.net

17, December 2016

Cameroon named among world’s top nations exporting minor footballers ⁰

The International Center for Sport Studies (CIES) in its monthly report of December 2016 has revealed that 17% of Cameroonian footballers currently playing in 31 European championships migrated before they actually turned 18.

The report stated that Cameroon is the second African country after Nigeria and the 9th in the world where the migratory flow of young footballers under 18 is most intense. To be sure, the European continent remains the main destination for the export of minor footballers and many of them were transferred to their clubs before their 18th birthday.

Nigeria occupies the 7th position in the world and is the main exporter in Africa with a rate of 19% of international transfer before the players become mature. Brazil is the largest non-European country with 20%.

However, football’s world governing body (FIFA) prohibits the transfer of minors abroad. Nevertheless, there are three exceptions. “If the player’s parents move to the country of the new club for reasons other than football; Whether the transfer takes place within the European Union or within the European Economic Area for players aged 16 to 18; If the maximum border between the domicile of the player and the club does not exceed 100 km .”

By Chi Prudence Asong

17, December 2016

Bamenda: Youth leaders demand release of all detainees ⁰

Leaders of Cameroon Youth Association have called on the government to release hundreds of Youths arrested in Kumba, Bamenda and Kumbo during last week’s strike action. The youths gathered at the Presbyterian Church Centre Ntamulung in Bamenda, North West Region on Wednesday December 14, 2016 in conference on the recent happenings and to propose a way forward.

In his opening speech, the coordinator of the Cameroon Youth Association, Marcel Amabo Mutanga said like the biblical Job, we have waited, we have waited, hoping that our fathers and leaders will solve these issues but we have instead watched with consternation, the massacre of our brothers, self justification, and the use of national issues for selfish political interest.”

The Cameroon Youth leaders condemned all forms of violence in the expression of grievances and the maintenance of law and order. The Youths also condemned the massacre of Anglophones or Southern Cameroonians by forces recruited to protect them. Marcel Amabo declared, “We hereby demand the release of all those arrested in Bamenda, Kumbo and Kumba.” The Cameroon Youth Association has promised to investigate into the real number of youths arrested, missing, wounded and to descend to the streets to sensitize the youths on how to go about the strike in civility so as to stay away from soldiers killing them.

Culled from The Post

16, December 2016

Anglophone Uprising: African Bar Association calls on the French government to bring Yaounde to order ⁰

The African Bar Association, AFBA, has strongly condemned the use of force on striking Common Law Lawyers in the North West and South West regions and has called on France, the former colonial master of French Cameroon to use their leverage to bring the government of Cameroon to order.

In a release signed by its President Hannibal Uwaifo, the AFBA said, “The brutalization of lawyers in their legitimate demand for justice in their country and attempt to gag the press and curtail the right to freedom of expressions and peaceful assembly in Cameroon is an evil wind that will blow the Government of President Paul Biya no good, instead as history has taught us all, victory for the oppressed people of Anglophone Cameroon is certain.”

The African Bar Association described the regime of Paul Biya as recalcitrant and maintained that the bilingual and bi cultural nature of the country must be respected to the last letter.

Culled from Cameroun Info.Net