Monthly Archives: March 2017

25, March 2017

Chantal Biya at the Vatican: Any message for our violated women? ¹

Without Paul Biya in her life, Chantal Biya like many ordinary women in the society would have been an adorable person in her own right. Her background is an attribute of resilience, admirable courage, and commendable ability to make the best out of an ordinary citizen’s daily lifestyle. That is the lifestyle which a majority of ordinary men and women live and survive with joy and satisfaction.

She knows the toil and tribulations of a hard life and the exceedingly harsh reality of the sacrifices endured by poor parents, some of them single mothers, in raising their children with hope and faith in God as their most valued treasure. She knows that the poor in our societies are held together by the value systems that place humans and humans alone at the center of society’s preoccupation. Indeed she is aware that among these values are the deep commitment of society, at large, in particular, the poor and down trodden to protect the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of human life.

She knows that the greatest miracle of human life in our poor societies is the ability of poor parents to toil and sacrifice their lives to provide their children with the education and better lives they did not have. She knows that this miracle includes the fact that many times poor people’s kids compete in their educational pursuits with the children of the rich and powerful and prevail.

Ordinarily, she will be doing grave injustice to herself, were she to forget this world from which she rose to become a Presidential wife. Has she, has she not? The answer may perforce not be discerned from the plethora of opportunistic sycophants and hypocritical stooges who have elevated praising her and her husband Paul Biya to a life sustaining credo. To this category of nitwits Chantal and Paul Biya are the very oxygen of their lives. But wait a minutes! Has a woman from very humble but admirable beginnings become the goddess she is often portrayed by these demented jesters?

From when she became the wife of President Paul Biya, Chantal Biya took upon herself another life; a life of opulence, avarice, power and political philanthropy. She transformed Jeanne Irene Biya Foundation to Chantal Biya Foundation and thus an Alibaba empire of graft and sesame to unbridled wealth was established by her and for her glory. It may not matter that she her last paying job was when she was a priceless ordinary hardworking young lady in search of a livelihood under stultifying circumstances. That was when hard earned income elevated the spirit and blessed the dignity of visionary hard working children of ordinary mortals like you and me. That was when human values, the sanctity and dignity of the human person kept her closer to spiritual values of collective pain and joy that hold our societies together and gives societal cohesion its relevance.

But since fate and destiny brought Chantal Biya to the centre of power, she seems to be comfortable not just with the trappings of power but with the web of criminality that sustains absolute power by hook or by crook. Until the genocide and crimes against humanity against the Southern Cameroons in which rape as a weapon of systemic criminality has been unleashed on Southern Cameroons girls and women were escalated by Paul Biya, it was hard to conclusively state the position Chantal holds within the crime syndicate overseeing these and other crimes.

It can now be conclusively stated without any fear of contradiction, that Chantal Biya not only condones these crimes, she encourages them. As a woman and mother she has not raised her voice to condemn the systemic widespread rapes of girls in the University of Buea and parts of the Southern Cameroons. It is unknown if in her youth she was ever a victim of rape, but she surely knows from her humble background, the pain, humiliation, shame and enduring violated spirit of rape victims. She knows for sure that the use of rape as a weapon of war, crimes against humanity and genocide which her husband is practicing against Southern Cameroons women is a violation of the very essence and substance of humanity. So therefore, how does she feel living with man who is perpetrating these crimes against not just the victims but all women worldwide?

On the supposed International Women’s day celebration, she sat in one of her many moments of glory surrounded by other spiritually and morally depraved women and sycophants. It never crossed her mind that on that occasion and on that very day, millions of women in the Southern Cameroons were at home protesting the systemic rapes and indignities that her husband had ordered. As she sat there with her own daughter basking in the glory of absolute power and prurient arrogance, it did not occur to her that the conditions she left to become the public face of a crime syndicate could well come back to confront her.

The visit of Paul Biya and Chantal Biya to the Vatican was a rare moment when she seemed to take her life into her own hands and presented an image of a frail human being; at least for one. Although expiation and the salvific predisposition of each person is individual and belongs to that person and his or her God, it was discernible that Chantal Biya’s conduct and actions on meeting the Pope gave an insightful view of some one suffering from spiritual imprisonment requiring deliverance. In this regard, she seemed a victim as much as a participant in crimes of the unfolding genocide and other crimes targeting Southern Cameroonians; in particular Southern Cameroonian girls.

Considering this observation to be true, it is unclear if she took advantage of her presence and prayerful moment during and after her visit in the Vatican to take a strong stand against the crimes perpetrated by her husband in the Southern Cameroons. It must be brought home to her that violating the humanity of a single woman is a violation of the very temple of human existence. She must condemn it and cause her husband Paul Biya to reverse the cause of criminality in the Southern Cameroons in which he is committed. Not doing so, will consign the theatrics of her Vatican visit to the pantheons of Nollywood movie industry where it should belong.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in Rome

24, March 2017

Pope Francis holds audience with Biya calls for respect of minority rights ⁰

Pope Francis received Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon, in a private audience at the Vatican on Thursday. A press release from the Holy See Press Office said their talks were “cordial.”

During the discussions, the good relations existing between the Holy See and Cameroon were mentioned, as well as the important contribution of the Church to the development of the country, particularly in the fields of education and care.

The peaceful co- existence and mutual respect among the different religious groups was also on the agenda and attention was paid to the importance of promoting national cohesion, strengthening the richness of the various historical and cultural traditions of the country, Human rights and minorities.

The Holy Father and the Cameroonian dictator also exchanged “views on certain topics of international interest, with particular reference to the current challenges affecting the region. President Biya later met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, who was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary of State in charge of Relations.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai

24, March 2017

Battle for Southern Cameroons: Francophone governor, CPDM Fons calls for approval of Vigilante Groups ⁹

Francophone government officials in Southern Cameroons have voiced plans of setting up community policing groups in the face of attacks in schools and business establishments. Policing in West Cameroon has failed and the already tense climate in the North West and South West regions has taken on a new dimension since the so-called Prime Minister and Head of Government, Philemon Yang’s tour.

Increasing insecurity, threats to parents defying the Consortium, burning of teachers’ vehicles, fire in colleges and the destruction of shops that opened their doors during ghost towns are some of the issues occupying the Francophone administrative personnel in Southern Cameroons. Several government academic institutions in both the South West and North West have been destroyed. These are actions carried out by a group of individuals whose identities remain unknown.

“We do not know what to expect or who they will attack next. These are new methods to intimidate those parents and students who go to class and who no longer wish to stay at home. We are afraid, because we do not know who is behind this other form of terror,” noted a Francophone parent resident in Bamenda.

To put an end to this situation, a meeting was held in the services of Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique, in the presence of traditional and religious authorities. A spokesperson for the Francophone governor revealed that “All have opted for vigilance committees to fight the specter that worries the Anglophone regions. During the meeting, the pro CPDM traditional leaders of Mezam as well as the mayors resolved to create non-state policing groups to secure property and public buildings.

By Sama Ernest

24, March 2017

Scottish parliament to resume independence debate on Tuesday ⁰

Scotland’s parliament has announced that it will resume its independence referendum debate next week, Tuesday. The session was suspended following Wednesday’s deadly attack in the British Parliament at Westminster in London, an incident which left four people, including a policeman and the assailant, dead and more than a dozen people injured.

Scotland’s first minister has urged lawmakers to support her plans to leave Britain. Nicola Sturgeon says remaining in the UK would jeopardize Edinburgh’s stance in Europe. Also the parliament announced that it would increase security measures with immediate effect following the attack.

“While there is no intelligence to suggest there is a specific threat to Scotland, Edinburgh or Holyrood (the devolved parliament), we have increased security with immediate effect at the Scottish Parliament as a precaution,” parliament’s chief executive office said in a statement. “We are aware of a developing situation at Westminster this afternoon and are monitoring matters very closely,” it added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May last week said she will not allow another independence vote before the Brexit negotiations as she has vowed to fight for what she has called the “precious union” of the United Kingdom. London’s permission for a new Scottish referendum is required since any legally binding vote on United Kingdom constitutional matters has to be authorized by the UK parliament. The call for a second referendum in Scotland came after Britons decided to exit the EU in last year’s vote.

Sturgeon, who argues that Scotland’s vote to keep its EU membership in last June’s referendum has been ignored in May’s Brexit arrangements so far, is seeking authority for a second referendum from the Scottish parliament, to be held in late 2018 or early 2019.

Presstv

24, March 2017

London attacker identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood ⁰

The British police have identified the attacker who struck in the heart of London on Wednesday as 52-year-old Khalid Masood. “Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Thursday. The police added that Masood was known by “a number of aliases” and had been living in the West Midlands. He was born in Kent in southeast England.

“Five people remain in a critical condition and two have life-threatening injuries,” London police said in a statement. Hours earlier, the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the British Parliament attack that left at least four people dead, including the attacker. A statement published by the Amaq News Agency, which is seen as the group’s official press service, said the assailant was a “soldier” of Daesh.

The statement said the man launched the attack because of Britain’s participation in the US-led bombing on territories in Syria and Iraq. The person “carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition,” Daesh said. The wording of the statement did not however clearly show that if the attack was directly orchestrated or facilitated by the terror group, but indicated that the assailant was inspired by Daesh ideology.

It comes after Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was British-born and known to the country’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, and had been investigated before. “What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism,” she told MPs on Thursday, a day after an attack outside the UK Parliament in London which also injured some 40 people.

“He was a peripheral figure,” she added. “The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture.” She added that “when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified.” In a defiant speech to the Parliament, May said, “We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism.” Lawmakers earlier held a minute’s silence in honor of the victims. The assailant plowed a car on Wednesday into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer, an incident that has been declared a terrorist incident.

Police have arrested eight people during the investigation into the incident. MI5 Director General Andrew Parker earlier said his agency had fully mobilized its operational response in support of the police. “We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our police colleagues, grieving at their loss while also applauding the professional excellence of their response,” he said in a statement. Meanwhile, the British Queen expressed her “deepest sympathy” with the people affected by the terror attack, calling it an act of “awful violence.” “My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday’s awful violence,” she said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Presstv

23, March 2017

Fight breaks out at funeral of former National Education Minister, Joseph Mboui ⁰

Fighting erupted during the funeral program of the former Minister of National Education, the late Prof. Joseph Mboui. The war of words and violent exchange of punches between the wife of the deceased and her daughter occurred during the removal of the remains which was scheduled at 10 am this Thursday, March 23, 2017 at the morgue of the General Hospital in Yaoundé but did not take place.

The bereaved family, friends and other acquaintances of the deceased Joseph Mboui who made the trip, rather lived a spectacularly incredible spectacle. The wife of the deceased who announced the funeral from today Thursday and to run through Saturday, March 25, 2017, met an opposition introduced by her own daughter.

Two camps emerged with one fully behind the girl who scheduled the funeral for next month, exactly on April 22, 2017 and the Mum’s own followers who decided that her husband shall be buried this weekend and not after. Because of this unfortunate setback, a tribute ceremony to the Honorable Joseph Mboui initially scheduled at 12:00 pm on Thursday in the National Assembly was postponed…

Joseph Mboui died in France on Monday, February 27, 2017, following an undisclosed illness at the age of 79. He will eventually be buried in Bamble, his native village about 25 kilometers from Edea in the Sanaga-Maritime Division in the Littoral Region.

By Fru James with files from Cameroun Info.Net

23, March 2017

Senior Canadian MP calls for gov’t intervention over escalating Anglophone Crisis ²

A senior Canadian member of parliament, Hélène Laverdiere has written a letter to the Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs on the Southern Cameroons crisis. Hon. Laverdiere who is also a prominent figure in the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Canadian National Assembly observed that the rise of violence between Francophone and Anglophone communities in Cameroon is very disturbing as the next presidential election is scheduled for 2018.

In the letter to Chrystia Freeland, her country’s Foreign Minister, Hélène Laverdiere, spokesperson for the New Democratic Party (NDP) demanded for an update on Canada’s position on the Anglophone crisis. She added that many Canadians have expressed concern about the violation of human rights in Cameroon.

The much respected MP revealed that in addition to the humanitarian crisis and refugees in the Lake Chad region, coupled with the fight against Boko Haram, Cameroon is struggling with a complex internal political crisis. In recent months, the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in power since 1982 has restricted the rights of Anglophone Cameroonians. Reports indicate that freedom of the press is reduced, civil society organizations have been dismantled, schools have been closed and electronic communications are interrupted in the English-speaking regions.

Hélène Laverdiere added to this picture, poverty and unemployment which is very widespread in Cameroon. She hinted that the stability of Cameroon is threatened. Hence the need for an intervention by Canada, which, like Cameroon, has English and French as its official languages. “As a country with two official languages, Canada is well positioned to play a positive and constructive role in encouraging respect for people, including those related to language, in Cameroon. Canada also has some expertise in conflict prevention and mediation that could be crucial to a political solution to this crisis, “she noted. She appealed to Chrystia Freeland to communicate with her Cameroon counterparts to offer Canada’s support to end the crisis.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from Cameroun Info.Net

23, March 2017

Camair-Co to acquire new generation planes ⁰

The Cameroon Airlines Company, Camair Co is expected to acquire new generation planes to boosts it’s haggard and grounded fleet. The company that currently has only five planes is presently under a seven year restructuring plan with America’s Boeing Company. The overall objective of the reforms is to revamp the company and get it back to business.

According to the Director General of Cameroon Airlines Corporation, Ernest Dikoum, the priority of the company presently is to give priority to local and sub continental flights. Ernest Dikoum says strict measures will be put in place to end the issuance of free tickets; accordingly, even government officials will have to pay flight tickets.

Camair-Co intends to fly 23 destinations including eight local flights to Bafoussam, Bamenda, Yaoundé, Douala, Bertoua, Ngaoundéré, Maroua, and Garoua. The company has also scheduled regular flights to four inter-continental airports including Bruxelles, Paris, Washington, and London. At the regional level, eleven destinations have been scheduled: Abidjan, Bamako, Bangui, Cotonou, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Libreville, Ndjamena and Lagos.

As the airliner seeks to regain its clientele and enhance customer satisfaction and efficiency in service delivery, it has sort the expertise of the aero plane manufacture Boeing in the elaboration and implementation of its seven year restricting plan. The Minister of Transport, Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, presented the details of the restructuring plan during a ceremony in Yaoundé attended by the Minister Delegate for Transport Méfiro Oumarou, chairman of the board of Administration of Camair-Co.

The new plan replaces that elaborated June last year. It lays emphasis on the acquisition of new air carriers and the diversification of destinations. According to the director of sales at Boeing, Michael Bangue-Tandet, in the next seven years the company will acquire twelve new passenger planes and a cargo plane and two turbo propulseurs 777 200 ER (Extended Range) as temporal measures while expecting the Boeing 787 in the course of the third and fourth year.

In line with the plan, Camairco will purchase a 737 cargo plane in the first year while the MA60, the 737 and the SF will be replaced in five years by new generation aeroplanes. In the course of the second and third year, turbo propulseurs Q400 manufactured by Bombardier will be added while the 737 800 will be acquired to boost regional flights. In the meantime, the 767, christened the Dja will be revised and used for support missions. The 787 will be returned to their owners after two or three years of exploitation.

In July 2020, the company will acquire two Boeing 787 “Dream liner”. Minister Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, noted that one of the two Dreamliners will be available by December 2018, Ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON 2019. The rehabilitation of Camair Co has been estimated at 60 billion CFA francs and so far, 30 billion CFA francs has already been raised by a consortium of banks lead by Ecobank.

The Minister added that the remaining 30 billion CFA francs will be provided by the government of Cameroon. The Transport boss commended the management team of Camair Co for raising the punctuality of flights by the national carrier to 76% and performing 72 domestic flights per week. He says this is proof of management’s ability to efficiently carryout the renovation of the company.

CRTV

23, March 2017

UN says Biya regime expelled 2,600 Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram ⁰

More than 2,600 Nigerians who fled into northern Cameroon to escape Boko Haram Takfiri militants have been forced to go home since the start of the year, the UN said Tuesday. Thousands of Nigerians have been displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has seen deadly attacks since 2009 in pursuit of a caliphate in northern Nigeria.

Some 85,000 have sought refuge in Cameroon but the UN refugee agency said many had been sent back, with officials citing security reasons. “So far this year, Cameroon has forcefully returned over 2,600 refugees to Nigerian border villages against their will,” UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva.

He said UNHCR staff in Nigeria had heard and documented accounts about Cameroon troops forcing refugees to return to Nigeria, “without allowing them time to collect their belongings.” Baloch pointed to a case where refugees were rounded up during a military offensive against Boko Haram insurgents in the Mandara Mountains on the Cameroonian side of the border. They were then taken in trucks to a camp for displaced people in Banki, in Nigeria’s Borno State.

“Those returned included a one-year-old child and a nine-month pregnant woman, who gave birth the day after her arrival in Banki,” he said. “During the chaos families were separated and some women were forced to leave their young children behind in Cameroon, including a child less than three years old,” he added.

The UNHCR said it was particularly alarmed to see that the forced returns were continuing unabated after its previous protests and even after the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon signed an agreement with the UN on March 2 to ensure voluntary returns when possible. “While recognising the legitimate national security concerns of the Cameroon government, UNHCR reminds authorities that refugees are themselves fleeing violence and attacks from Boko Haram and that their access to asylum and protection must be ensured,” the agency said.

Baloch stressed that the forced return of asylum seekers and refugees constitutes refoulement, which is a serious violation of international law. Though Boko Haram was born in Nigeria, the Daesh-affiliated group has carried out frequent attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, prompting the formation of a regional force to fight back. Some 200,000 Cameroonians from the Far North region near Nigeria have left their villages in fear of the violence.

Presstv

23, March 2017

Witnesses to lie under oath in case against Barrister Agbor Balla and Dr. Fontem ²

The trial of the Chairman and other leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium which will resume today in a military tribunal in Yaoundé remains a conspiracy by the Francophone apartheid police apparatus to stifle the Southern Cameroons revolution and to continue with the marginalization of the Anglophones in Cameroon. The Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime has assembled a sea of witnesses backed by Francophone security agents who know how to set Anglophones up and pressurized them into giving false statements and forced to lie under oath by police with hidden political agendas.

Some four months ago, the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium picked Barrister Agbor Nkongho to champion the case for federalism and the plight of the Anglophone communities in a country run by a consortium of criminal gangs. Barrister Agbor Balla also uncovered a plot to kill the Common Law and the Anglo Saxon educational system by a CPDM group of Francophone political elites based in Yaoundé. The Francophone regime has cracked down on Anglophone activists and the Chairman of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium including his top aides are now on trial in a Francophone military court for what the Yaoundé regime described as malicious acts of terrorism.

The Francophone regime has gone to extreme lengths and humiliated Southern Cameroonians. An Anglophone Supreme Court Judge, Lord Justice Paul Ayah Abine was arrested and detained like a common criminal. Hundreds of Southern Cameroonian youths have been abducted and are currently suffering in detention centers in French Cameroun. Universities female students have been raped and some infected with HIV. An Anglophone opposition MP, Hon. Joseph Wirba has been forced to flee for his life. Dozens of West Cameroonians have been killed in Buea, Kumba, Bamenda, Jakiri and Kumbo.

The leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium have nothing to hide‚ so if there were allegations by all means, a commission would have investigated the Anglophone crisis not a military tribunal. The Francophone judges handling the current Anglophone cases are similar to those who sent former Anglophone Prime Minister Chief Ephraim Inoni to jail for privately informing a French ambassador that he was capable of running the country. These Francophone judges cannot be trusted. Pressure is now being put on Barrister Akere Muna by the regime for his support for the rule of law in a so-called bilingual Cameroon.

As was the case with Chief Inoni and Forjindam, witnesses will be made to lie under oath. That is where the malice comes in and supports the case for an independent Southern Cameroons state. We of this publication understands that affidavits used in the Barrister Agbor Nkongho and Dr Fontem prosecution were “helped”‚ and that the decision to prosecute the Anglophone leaders did not come from the national directorate of public prosecutions‚ but that Francophone political elites played a serious role in the decision. Biya and his Francophone Beti Ewondo regime need a fight!! They will get one!!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai