Monthly Archives: March 2017

4, March 2017

Biya to visit China ¹

The Chinese leader, XI Jinging has invited President Biya to Peking. Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered the invitation was transmitted to the 84 year-old dictator on Friday the 3^rd of March by the Chinese ambassador to Cameroon, Wei. Wien. It will be the sixth visit of the Cameroonian chief executive to China after those of March 1987, October 1993, September 2003, November 2006 and July 2011.

In an audience held at Unity Palace, the Chinese envoy said the visit will be held on a mutually convenient date. The Chinese ambassador said that “China intends to work with Cameroon to carry on the Sino-Cameroonian strategic cooperation at a higher level in order to contribute more to the well-being of our two peoples”.

It must be said that the Sino-Cameroonian relationship goes back more than 45 years. The various areas of cooperation include hydroelectric projects, improved drinking water supply, agriculture, culture and armaments. On the economic front, China is Cameroon’s largest trading partner and Cameroon is “the second largest African beneficiary of Chinese financing.

Cameroon Intelligence Report

4, March 2017

Prime Minister May says Scotland ‘obsessed’ with independence, should remain part of UK ⁰

British Prime Minister Theresa May has blasted Scotland’s “obsession” with independence from the UK, saying the country needs to stay united as it withdraws from the European Union. Speaking to the Scottish Tory conference in Glasgow on Friday, May said it was a “personal priority” for her to keep all devolved UK states united. “We are four nations, but at heart one people,” she said. “The Union I am determined to strengthen and sustain is one that works for working people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

The premier lashed out at the Scottish National Party (SNP)’s attempts to launch a new independence bid amid the Scottish Labour’s inaction. In a 2014 referendum, 55 percent of Scots voted against independence, but the discussions about the issue gained steam again following the Brexit vote.

“For too long a feeble and incompetent Scottish Labour opposition did nothing to scrutinize the SNP for their failures,” she said. “An SNP government interested only in stoking-up endless constitutional grievance and furthering their obsession with independence, at the expense of Scottish public services like the NHS and education, was given a free pass by Labour,” the PM added.

Earlier this week, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned May that she was pushing Scotland towards a new independence bid, noting that last year’s vote by 52 percent of Britons to end the UK’s membership in the European Union had changed the landscape.

Pro-Scottish Independence supporters with Scottish Saltire and EU flags among others rally in George Square in Glasgow, Scotland, July 30, 2016 to call for Scottish independence from the UK. (Photo by AFP)

This is while, Scottish voters overwhelmingly voted in last year’s EU referendum to remain a part of the 28-member bloc. Sturgeon has repeatedly asked for a “key role” for Scotland in the Brexit process, a request May has strongly turned down.

The problem grew bigger when May announced her plans for a “clean exit” from the EU, where the UK would lose its access to the EU single market against Scotland’s desire. British Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell said on February 22 that Scotland was leaving the EU whether or not it becomes an independent state.

May said in her speech that Scotland “makes a huge contribution to the UK’s global role” and should stay part of the country in today’s “changing world.”

Presstv

4, March 2017

Southern Cameroons GCE: CPDM Board moves for another deadline extension ²

The Council of the Cameroon General Certificate of Education (GCE) Board has “exceptionally authorized” the registrar to extend the deadline for the 2017 GCE registration for the Ordinary and Advanced Levels in all centers across the country to March 20, 2017. The decision that comes after two other postponements was taken at the end of an extra-ordinary council meeting of the Board in Buea on Friday March 3. The previous deadline expired on Tuesday February 28.

The Registrar of the GCE Board, Humphrey Ekema Monono, told state radio and television on Tuesday that slightly over 70.000 candidates had registered nationwide to sit for the 2017 session of examinations organized by the Board—a figure estimated to be about three times less than the number that sat for the exams in 2016. The extension is seen by critics as a government move to lure teachers and students to go back to school as allegations are rife that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) could declare a blank academic year in the country due to the numerous teaching hours lost in the two English speaking regions.

According to a release read on CRTV Radio, the session that was attended by representatives of teachers’ trade unions, teachers’ associations of the South West and North West regions, religious and private institutions, “also unanimously called on teachers, students and pupils to resume classes latest Tuesday March 7, 2017 at 7:30am.”

It is the third time the deadline is being extended. Registration was initially due to end December 30, 2016 but rocking Southern Cameroons which has paralyzed activities in schools and courts forced authorities to postpone. Schools in the English speaking North West and South West regions have remained closed since teachers in the regions began a sit-in strike in November last year.

Despite the repeated postponements, some observers still believe the holding of GCE this year is still implausible. They argue that schools are yet to resume and students have been out of activity for months though government says “measures have been taken” to avert such.

Cameroun Info.Net

3, March 2017

Biya regime makes vain attempt to rob the Consortium of legitimate teachers support ⁴

The government has announced several measures aimed at making up for the lost teaching hours caused by the teachers’ strike in the North West and South West Regions. Among the measures prescribed in a release by Secondary Education Minister, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe is two weeks of classes for students of examination classes and one week for others during Easter holidays that begins on Friday March 31 to Monday April 17, 2017.

The secondary education boss has also called for the continuation of catch up classes “that have been going on for some time now in the Francophone section,” the communiqué said. The Minister has appealed to “all members of the education community” to put all hands on deck in their different spheres of competence for the full implementation of the measures. The teachers’ strike that began in November 2016 has disrupted the 2016/2017 school year with several teaching hours lost.

Though the government claims schools have resumed in the two regions, reports on the ground show classes are still empty. There are fears the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) could declare a blank academic year in the country due to the numerous teaching hours lost in the two English speaking regions.

Cameroun Info.Net

3, March 2017

Yaounde and Abuja sign deal to repatriate Nigerian refugees in Cameroon ⁰

Yaounde, Abuja and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have signed a tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees settled in Cameroon. The agreement signed in Yaoundé concerns the 84,325 Nigerian refugees who have fled the exactions of the Islamist sect Boko Haram. These refugees are currently living in the Far-North region of Cameroon. Of these, 60,895 are settled in the camp located at Minawao, created on 2 July 2013. A recent profiling by the organization in charge of migration, registered some 20 416 other refugees, who live with foster families. The High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are thousands of other Nigerians who fled the Boko Haram violence but due to insecurity could not be registered.

Two UN surveys carried out between April and September 2016 among refugees at the Minawao camp on return intentions revealed that 70 per cent of the 9,300 sampled wanted to return to their areas of origin, as soon as the situation permits. Only 27% want to stay in Cameroon. The two sides agreed to provide clear and precise information on the situation of their return areas, particularly in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa (Northeastern Nigeria).

Cameroonian authorities say, it is not a forced repatriation, “the Government of Cameroon will continue to ensure the protection of Nigerian refugees on its territory and will spare no effort to help those who wish return to Nigeria in accordance with international agreements, “said René Emmanuel Sadi, the Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.

We gathered that Abuja was pleased with the agreement, “Nigeria is pleased to be part of this agreement by stressing the importance of working together to bring about a lasting solution to the situation of refugees, who are our fellow citizens . As a government, we will remain committed to ensuring a conducive atmosphere to facilitate the return of our fellow citizens in safety and dignity and in accordance with the principles of international protection, “said Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazu, the Nigerian Minister of the Interior.

For his part, the High Commissioner’s Special Representative, Kouassi Lazare Etien, said he was satisfied with the agreement. He further pointed out that the agreement reveals a real desire of Cameroon and Nigeria to find a durable solution for refugees who are willing to return safely and in dignity with the support of the UN.

Chi Prudence Asong

3, March 2017

Sudan’s Bashir appoints first premier since 1989 coup ⁰

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has appointed a prime minister for the first time since the post was abolished following a coup in 1989. Bakri Hassan Saleh, 68, took the oath of office at the presidential palace in Khartoum on Thursday, a day after he was named as prime minister by the executive bureau of the president’s National Congress Party (NCP).

A close confidante of Bashir, Saleh has served in several ministerial portfolios in the Sudanese government, including interior and defense. The army general, who is known as “Bashir’s shadow,” was head of Sudan’s all powerful National Security and Intelligence Service in the 1990s.

Saleh was an influential military officer in the 1989 coup which brought Bashir to power. He has been a key aide to Bashir and served as first vice-president, a post he will continue to occupy in the future.

The appointment is part of reforms proposed by a year-long national dialogue between the Sudanese government and some opposition groups.

Bashir, who has faced criticism over his way of dealing with dissent, concluded in October last year a national dialogue involving his government and several opposition groups. The main aim of the initiative is to resolve insurgency in Sudan’s border regions and heal the country’s crisis-wracked economy.

Bashir scrapped the post of prime minister after he launched the 1989 coup against then premier Sadiq al-Mahdi. Lawmakers approved constitutional amendments last year while Mahdi returned to Sudan from a two-year exile last month. The post of prime minister was created by constitutional amendments.

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir arrives with Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Saleh to take group photos with Ministers at Council of Ministers in Khartoum, Sudan, on March 2, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

Many say the appointment of a new prime minister would help Bashir revive his decades-old rule and give it a new look. Khaled Tigani, a senior journalist, said Sudan would hardly differ under Saleh’s premiership as it would be a continuation of Bashir’s rule.

“General Bakri’s appointment is broadly a continuation of Bashir’s rule rather than a new chapter in Sudan’s politics,” he told AFP, adding, “But at the end of the day it depends on the leadership that General Bakri manages to show.”

Saleh said in a brief statement after taking oath that his cabinet would represent various political forces. “Our country is at a historic moment as it harmonizes all political parties and powers who participated in the national dialogue,” Saleh said.

Presstv

3, March 2017

Committee to Protect Journalists flays Biya regime over arrest of Anglophone newsmen ⁰

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a U.S. based independent press freedom advocacy organization, has tasked the government to give clarifications regarding the reported imprisonment of at least eight journalists arrested in the wake of the crisis rocking the country’s English speaking regions.

In an open letter to the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, CPJ said the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF), had confirmed the detention of at least five journalists as of February 20.

“Since then we have heard reports of at least three other journalists jailed in Cameroon,” CPJ said. It reminded the communication minister that he claimed media practitioners in Cameroon “can speak their mind” and there was no journalist was in prison in country. “You requested that we forward you a list of detained journalists. We did this privately the same day and repeatedly but unsuccessfully attempted to follow up with you directly,” independent press freedom advocacy group reminded the minister citing a February 15 conversation.

CPJ said it is requesting the minister’s assistance in reconciling his contention that no journalists are jailed in Cameroon with the conclusions of NCHRF, “and request clarification on the location” of Atia Tilarious Azohnwi of The Sun newspaper, Amos Fofung of The Guardian Post, Thomas Awah Junior, of the monthly Aghem Messenger magazine, Mfor Ndong of Voice of the Voiceless, Hans Achumba, of Jakiri Community Radio and Tim Finnian, publisher of Life Time newspaper among others.

It urged the minister to clarify the reasons for their detention, where they are held, and their current legal status. The government spokesperson was yet to officially react to the letter which CPJ said was faxed to his office.

CPJ noted in the letter that it is aware the government has taken “increasingly drastic” steps to suppress the rights to transmit and receive information in Cameroon, particularly in predominantly Anglophone regions in recent months. Media outlets have also been suspended, and journalists have been banned from practicing their craft, according to the CPJ.

Cameroun Info.Net

3, March 2017

UN Security Council inspectors in Yaounde ⁰

UN Security Council inspectors are currently visiting countries in the Lake Chad Basin combating the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram since 2013. The delegation comprising 15 members arrived Cameroon on Thursday for a working visit. A statement signed by Minister Adoum Gargoum, in charge of relations with the Islamic world said that the UN mission to Cameroon has gotten the high approval of President Paul Biya. The delegation is conducting a field mission for the first time in the Lake Chad Basin.

Cameroon Concord News understands the mission will continue in all the countries of the Lake Chad Basin and ends on March 7th. The countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission including Benin set up the Joint Multinational Force to confront Boko Haram. With approximately 10,000 troops, the Joint Multinational Force has contributed greatly to militarily weakening Boko Haram, which paid allegiance to the Organization of the Islamic State and is now called, Province of the Islamic State in Africa.

By Sama Ernest

2, March 2017

Revealed: Consortium to lodge a complaint with the International Criminal Court ²

The former deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda responsible for the 1994 genocide has announced that crimes against humanity have been committed in Southern Cameroons. Speaking of the Anglophone crisis that began in November 2016 in Cameroon, renowned Barrister Bernard Acho Muna during a press conference on March 1 2017 revealed that a complaint will be lodged with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“According to the Geneva Convention of 1949, we speak of genocide when you want to change the way of life of a people with a culture of their own. Anglophones are a national group, wanting to enjoy their justice system as Francophones also enjoy their judicial system. In trying to force these people to adopt a culture that is not their own, it is genocide. When you break the doors of students in the university residential area, you roll them in mud, it is also genocide. When you shut down internet, this is an element of genocide.” The much respected Muna said.

On the subject of the complaint to be submitted to the ICC, Bernard Acho Muna said that, “I have been in contact with some lawyers in London to assist in the process and the legal proceedings have been mandated by the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium currently led by Barrister Agbor Felix Nkongho.”

By Sama Ernest

2, March 2017

3 deadly fire accidents recorded in East Cameroun ⁰

Three separate fire incidents in 24 hours have caused untold suffering to victims in East Cameroun. In Djeleng 5, a locality in Bafoussam, four persons were killed in fire outbreak which occurred Tuesday night around 11 PM. Security sources say a lady called Beatrice who works in a local financial institution and her three kids perished in the inferno leaving the entire population in total pandemonium. Neighbors recounted how they heard loud noises from the apartment of the victims but were helpless as the wild flames became unbearable to control even with the intervention of the Baffoussam fire fighters.

In a similar development, this time around in New Bell Douala 2 municipality, a family was rendered homeless following a fire outbreak that shattered the area on Tuesday afternoon at about 1pm. The fire reportedly ravaged a small house constructed with planks and according to the owner, the sum of 300 thousands FCFA was consumed by the flames. Other valuable items also vanished in the inferno. Locals suspect a short circuit may have cause the accident. Late on Wednesday March 1, 2017 another fire incident reduced to ground level a house in Bepanda entrée Lycee in Douala 5 municipality.

Cameroun Info.Net