Monthly Archives: August 2017

23, August 2017

Ambazonia TV threatening Biya’s control of Southern Cameroons ⁰

“Driving through Southern Cameroons towns and villages you will see satellite dishes, sprouting mushroom-like from roofs, gardens and balconies. Southern Cameroonians have roofs to repair, but they are buying satellite dishes instead. Wherever you go now in Southern Cameroons, it is the satellite dish that comes first.” This is an extract from an intelligence report sent to the presidency of La Republique du Cameroun stating that the Southern Cameroons Broadcasting Corporation or Ambazonia TV is threatening state control of West Cameroonians.

The report also noted that despite the arrest of several cable companies, the chain’s interest has increased tenfold. Several households have installed private satellite dishes to watch Ambazonia TV whose broadcast center remains unknown to the Francophone regime. The proliferation of these dishes in Southern Cameroons symbolizes the frustration that Southern Cameroonian citizens feel with the Francophone dominated state-owned Cameroon Radio and Television. But after years of hankering for a choice in what they can watch, Southern Cameroonians are fast becoming spoilt for one.

Ambazonia TV has been broadcasting for three months and is essentially engaged in helping Southern Cameroonians to understand the urgent need for secession. The Francophone regime in Yaoundé earlier announced that the chain had its technical facilities at Ngoketunjia in the Bamenda province. Yaounde ordered the arrest of some innocent Southern Cameroonians in the Ngoketunjia County and charged them for distributing the channel.

According to the Francophone regional delegate of communications for the defunct North-West region, Louis Marie Beignet, a cable company registered in Bamenda took responsibility for introducing into its package images that were animated by the Southern Cameroons Broadcasting Corporation. Francophone political elites have opined that Ambazonia TV is hostile to the regime in Yaoundé and has no place in their so-called one and indivisible Cameroon.

Southern Cameroonians have long been denied vibrant local media. Internet penetration in the territory is among the lowest on the African continent, and since the Biya Francophone government declared a state of war against Southern Cameroonians, following civil unrest orchestrated by the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, mobile internet services were stopped throughout all the Southern Cameroons counties.

The Biya Francophone regime also has a fearsome reputation for jailing Anglophone journalists. There are a handful of independent Southern Cameroons newspapers, which can on occasion be critical of the Francophone colonial government, but they are few in number. Ever since the Southern Cameroons revolution started, many English newspaper tabloids have announced they were suspending print operations, citing censorship.

Until three months ago, switching on the TV in Cameroon meant watching President Biya and wife on the state-owned channel or a chartered member of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate passing for a cabinet minister on a meet-the-people tour. There is a recognition inside the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM that squeezing Southern Cameroonians was a costly mistake. “Opening up should have happened earlier,” a baron of the regime admits. The lack of credible independent news source in West Cameroon has now been filled by the Ambazonia TV.

Producing alternative news will be difficult inside the territory since CRTV enjoys a near-monopoly on information and access to ministers and prominent political figures in La Republique du Cameroun. But the signs are positive for Southern Cameroonians in that so long as West Cameroonians stock up on satellite dishes and mobile internet facilities, controlling what they watch will be harder by the evil forces in Yaoundé.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Concord News Group

23, August 2017

Nigeria panics as Aboubakar fires warning shot ⁰

Cameroon star Vincent Aboubakar is firing on all cylinders ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifier between his national team and the Super Eagles at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

Super Eagles defenders will have to be at their best as the Porto striker who fired a hat-trick on Sunday against Moreirense is now the leading scorer in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. His hat-trick on Sunday took his league tally for the season to four goals.

According to sports daily O Jogo, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal scouts were among the 46,509 spectators at the Estádio Do Dragão.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Porto’s Algeria international Yacine Brahimi this summer, while Manchester United and City have monitored his progress in the past.

Juventus, two French and two Spanish clubs also sent their scouts to monitor the game between Porto and Moreirense.

Source: Vanguard

23, August 2017

Thousands protest outside Trump rally in Phoenix ⁰

Thousands of protesters have flooded the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, where US President Donald Trump was addressing a rally, in which he repeated his inflammatory remarks about the racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump said Tuesday that “the very dishonest media” mischaracterized his response to the violent protests in Charlottesville on August 12.

He said he “openly called for unity, healing and love” and denounced violence in the “strongest possible terms”, but the press did not report those comments and instead fabricated other stories with “no sources.”

“They don’t report the facts. Just like they don’t want to report that I spoke out forcefully against hatred, bigotry and violence and strongly condemned the Neo-Nazis, the white supremacists and the KKK,” he said.

Trump gestures to the crowd as he speaks to supporters at the Phoenix Convention Center during a rally on August 22, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by AFP)

“What happened in Charlottesville strikes at the core of America and tonight, this entire arena stands united in forceful condemnation of the thugs that perpetrated hatred and violence,” the president said. In the deadly protests last weekend, neo-Nazis and white supremacists took over the Virginia city’s streets and prompted thousands of others to demonstrate in a counter-rally, which led to violent clashes.

The president blamed the violence, which left one woman dead and several others injured, on both sides of the conflict. His reaction sparked a political firestorm and drew sharp rebukes from members of Congress, military leaders and major business executives. It also led to several protests in different cities across the country.

On Tuesday, hundreds of his supporters and opponents gathered in Phoenix, with protesters shouting, “Shame, shame, shame” and “No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA.”

A protester wears a costume likeness of Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a member of the KKK with a character picture of President Trump outside the Phoenix Convention Center at a rally by the president, on August 22, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by AFP)

“Trump saying people on both sides are to blame was the last straw,” Eva Spivey, 25, of Avondale, Arizona, told CNN. “Racism is a one-sided thing.” Trump tried to diminish the number of protesters outside the venue, by saying, “Just so you know from the Secret Service, there aren’t too many people outside protesting.”

His supporters chanted, “build the wall,” a reference to Trump’s promise to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, while some others were saying, “Make America great again.”

Some other people shouted “CNN sucks” “Shame on you” and “Tell the truth,” after Trump said the media were not honest. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat, had asked the president to postpone the rally.

Police separated protesters from a line of Trump rally-goers that stretched six city blocks before the campaign rally outside the Phoenix Convention Center. (Photo via Daily Mail)

In the wake of Charlottesville, four in ten Americans support Trump’s impeachment and removal from office, according to a new poll.

The poll released Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 40 percent of Americans back impeaching Trump, compared to 30 percent who said the same in February.

Source: Presstv

23, August 2017

Brother of legendary singer Petit Pays dies ⁰

The King of Makossa Love and Cameroonian music legend, Petit-Pays and his family have been mourning since Monday. Didier Moundi Mpoupe, one of the artist’s younger brothers died on Monday, August 21, 2017 in Paris apparently due to an illness. Cameroon Concord News gathered that the mega star got the news upon his return home from a tour that took him to the USA, Canada and in Essen in the NordRhein Westphalia province in Germany.

Information filtered at the time of filing this report that Petit Pays was back in France from where he will transport the remains of his little brother to Cameroon. Our attempts at getting to his US based manager, Eyong Eyong Ebot were futile.

The deceased had been a footballer. He joined Caiman of Douala in 2010 when Petit Pays was CEO of the Akwa Township club in Douala. He managed to score a goal from his first match in the first division championship as a substitute. The rest of his stay proved a little tumultuous. The coaches preferred to relegate him to the sidelines-a situation that placed Petit-Pays at daggers-drawn positions with the technical staff.

Didier Mpoupe was made famous by his renowned elder brother whose popular hits from the early 90s chanted his name in his songs. Music lovers will certainly remember Petit Pays always saying « Mpoupe Didier, la star d’Hollywood ».

By Rita Akana with files from Cameroon Info.Net

22, August 2017

Former Super Eagles coach says the Indomitable Lions will not go down easily in Uyo ⁰

Former Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen is certain Nigeria’s opponents in the September 1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Cameroon will not go down easily in Uyo, even as he believes the Eagles will soar over their guests. Eguavoen Eguavoen who spoke with Sports Vanguard at the Greensprings Schools, Ajah where he is heading a technical crew in charge of the 2017 Camp GTBank said, “I am sure the Eagles will win the match in Uyo. We have all played against Cameroon before. Results can swing and there is this element of luck. But I must warn, we must not drop points at home. If we win, we will be a pole position to qualify for the World Cup, which is enough motivation for our players. Our players will not want to toy with the opportunity to go to the World Cup.

“The World Cup is a stage where a player’s profile rises, his market value is enhanced and these boys (Eagles) have shown hunger and thirst for World Cup glory.” He reasoned that pressure is on the Cameroonians who are down the ladder (second behind Nigeria) with four points difference will fight to the end. “Their strength lies in the physical aspect of the game because they are physical in all departments. They are down and will want to come out and attack in order to get a respectable result. But they will respect us because if they show no respect for the Eagles they will pay dearly for that.

“Cameroon will come out to play because I know their coach, Hugo Broos back in my playing days in Belgium. He too knows most of us including late Keshi, Oliseh among others. He once handled Club Brugge, where Amokachi once played for. Hugo likes attacking football and we all saw it during the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA Confederations Cup,” Eguavoen said.

Culled from Sports Vanguard

22, August 2017

French Cameroun: MINPOSTEL launches new system to enhance healthy competition ⁰

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in French Cameroun has launched a communication campaign on telephone number portability. Telephone number portability is a system which enables telephone users to switch from one mobile operator to another while maintaining the same phone number.

The Francophone female minister noted that during a month long campaign, the public will be sensitized on how to take advantage of the new system which provides consumers the option to choose the service provider with the best options. This implies that if the consumer changes his service provider, the new service provider needs to incorporate the former number into the new sim card he offers.

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunication affirms that the service is free. It was also revealed that the operation is possible just twice a year and only within a space of at least two months after the first switch.

Apart from helping the consumer maintain the same number, number portability also enables the consumer benefit from advantageous tariffs offered by competing mobile operators. In a nutshell, number portability enhances healthy competition amongst the telephone service providers in Cameroon.

Source: CRTV

22, August 2017

South African civil rights group to challenge Grace Mugabe’s immunity ⁰

A group supporting victims of crime in South Africa says it will legally challenge a controversial Foreign Ministry decision to grant immunity to Grace Mugabe, a move which allowed the wife of Zimbabwe’s president to leave the country without standing trial for an alleged assault on a young model.

AfriForum’s chief Kallie Kriel said Monday that the civil rights organization was preparing a court injunction to set aside the decision to grant diplomatic immunity to Grace Mugabe after she reportedly assaulted Gabriella Engels, a 20-year-old model, with an electrical extension cord at a hotel in Johannesburg.

“We are going to ask the court to say that the decision to grant immunity is unlawful because our legislation says that diplomatic immunity cannot apply in serious crimes, and violence is part of that,” said Kriel.

The rights campaigner also said that Grace, the wife of Zimbabwe’s ailing leader Robert Mugabe, was in South Africa for medical assistance, adding that she could not enjoy diplomatic immunity during the stay.

“We believe that the diplomatic immunity should not have been granted,” Kriel said, adding, “She had been here for medical assistance with regards to her foot and therefore diplomatic immunity does not apply.”

Grace flew out of South Africa in the early hours of Sunday despite being sought by police for the assault on Engels, which left the young model with cuts on her forehead and on her head that required stitching. That had prompted the model to file an assault charge against Mugabe.

South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said later on Sunday in a statement that it had granted Grace Mugabe immunity, although it acknowledged that the decision “was not an easy one to make” and came after “careful consideration of all the relevant factors.”

This photo taken on June 2, 2017, shows Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe (L) with his wife Grace Mugabe raising their fists in a vehicle before meeting delegates during a Zimbabwe ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) youth rally at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera. (Photo by AFP)

AfriForum said, however, that seeking diplomatic immunity for Mugabe was an “afterthought” and that the Foreign Ministry’s decision was in line with a regional “culture of impunity.”

The group vowed to help Engels seek justice, adding that even if the court did not accept to overrule the immunity, the effort would still be positive as it could stop Grace Mugabe from visiting South Africa again.

“In the worst case scenario, if we get to a situation where she cannot come to the country any more, I think that will be a positive step,” said Kriel, adding, “But the first prize is to make sure she is being prosecuted.”

Source: Presstv

22, August 2017

Internal resistance: Southern Cameroons victory day is shaping up ⁰

Southern Cameroons victory day is shaping up like that of Kosovo and South Sudan in recent years following a massive ghost town operation that historically has been mostly peaceful. The Biya Francophone regime’s tough policies against the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium have greatly added fuel to the civil disobedience campaign that has now been extended to three days a week (Mondays to Wednesdays).

The Secretary General of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the interim leader of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council, who have both endorsed calls for a general strike until a Southern Cameroons state is born, said they expect a larger, more intense participation in light of Biya and La Republique’s “overzealous” efforts to roll back Southern Cameroons’s legitimate rights.

“It’s been a rough 11 months, but it’s almost here,” said an operations manager of the Consortium. It’s unclear whether Biya’s 2018 election will ratchet up the Southern Cameroons demonstrations. Unlike the last few months, no central gathering spot has been advertised. Instead, multiple meeting locations around the cities of the West, the USA, South Africa including Ghana and Nigeria have been listed on social media and online, creating confusion — possibly deliberate — for the vicious French Cameroun police force.

Last year, violence quickly erupted, with some in the Bamenda County rejecting the staging of a unitary march by Prime Minister Philemon Yang. French Cameroun security agents herded a mob of several hundred West Cameroon protesters out of Bamenda, using the most ruthless methods ever in the nation’s history. The Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR fired firearms into large crowds of people in Kumba, Bamenda, Buea, Limbe Kumbo and Jakiri.

The officials of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium are advising Southern Cameroonians both at home and in the Diaspora to stay alert, be aware of their surroundings and inform operation managers if they see any criminal activity from La Republique’s security forces.

Businesses and academic establishments operating in Southern Cameroons have been warned to close their doors and retrieve outdoor signs or other objects from sidewalks. The transportation industry has also been cautioned and traffic disruptions are expected between La Republique and Southern Cameroons.

Southern Cameroonians have also been called to participate in the peaceful civil disobedience that will shut down highways, airports, and other key infrastructure feeding fat on La Republique. The Southern Cameroons Governing Council will in the days ahead announce an economic boycott of French Cameroun.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Chi Prudence Asong in Buea

21, August 2017

Biya supports campaign to get children back to school in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The French Cameroun dictator, Paul Biya has announced a financial package to entice religious leaders and some proprietors of private schools in Southern Cameroons to open their doors for the 2017 academic year. The Minister of Secondary Education said the sum of 2 billion FCFA has been made available as subvention to private primary and secondary schools in the country.

The Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Ngalle Massena Bibehe specified that the secondary and basic education sectors will each receive CFA one billion. The envelope will be distributed to both religious establishments and lay private schools that will go through a CPDM audition.

It was also revealed that 658 schools will benefit from the subvention including 28 teachers’ training schools, 508 schools within the general education category, 123 technical schools and 35 school management boards. Education officials have also hinted that payments will depend on the size of the institution and that only schools that had previously applied have been shortlisted for the grant.

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has however rejected the move stating that it remains a vain attempt at stifling the Southern Cameroons revolution. A spokesperson for the Consortium told Cameroon Concord News that the regime is broke and Biya has been unable to provide simple computer laptops he promised students in higher institutions of learning in the country.

By Rita Akana with files from CRTV

21, August 2017

10 US Navy sailors missing after warship collision near Singapore ⁰

Ten US Navy sailors are missing after an American warship collided with a merchant ship east of Singapore. The USS John S. McCain collided with the oil tanker Alnic MC on Monday morning local time while the guided-missile destroyer was passing near the Malacca Strait to make a port visit in Singapore , the Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement. The collision marked the second accident involving US Navy destroyers in Asian waters in over two months.

“Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft,” the Navy said as a search-and-rescue mission was underway. “The ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.” “There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured… Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities,” the Navy statement said.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday night tweeted his “thoughts and prayers” to the sailors aboard the warship. “Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway”, Trump said in a post which contained a link to the US military’s announcement about the crash.

A general view shows the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain with a hole on its left port side after a collision with oil tanker, outside Changi naval base in Singapore on August 21, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

According to shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon, the Alnic MC is a Liberian-flagged 183 meter-long chemical tanker of more than 50,000 deadweight tons. The American destroyer was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore when the collision was reported at 6:24 am Japan Standard Time.

A Philippine container ship collided with a US warship that almost sank off the coast of Japan in June. After the accident, the Navy said it removed the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on the warship. Seven American sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer the USS Fitzgerald lost their lives due to the accident.

Sunday’s collision made US Republican Senator John McCain, a Vietnam War-era naval aviator, to make comments about the ship that has been named after him.

“Cindy & I are keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight – appreciate the work of search & rescue crews,” the Republican lawmaker said on Twitter.

Culled from Presstv