Monthly Archives: September 2017

German MP says the colour of a man’s skin and his country of origin are of no significance

21, September 2017

German MP says the colour of a man’s skin and his country of origin are of no significance 0

Arno Klare is a senior MP in the German parliament from the Social Democratic Party, SPD. He hails from the Mulheim/Essen-Borbeck constituency and was very instrumental in achieving the historic Paris Climate Agreement. He has been a long standing supporter of renewable source of energy and favours the complete integration of migrants into the German society.

Hon. Arno Klare’s constituency comprises the city of Mulheim an der Ruhr and the Essen city district IV with boroughs Borbeck, Dellwig, Frintrop, Schonebeck, Bedinggrade, Bochold, Gerschede and Bergeborbeck.

He has been on the campaign trail getting in contact with citizens, with associations and local interest groups and companies. Arno Klare has developed a reputation as a politician who can find out what voters are privately discussing during election periods. And he is well known for his sharp and skillful answers to journalists- a skill he showcased in his recent conversation with our editor-in-chief, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai.

CCN: Hon. Klare, Elections are on Sunday and voting has started. Members of many ethnic minority communities are interested in the Social Democratic Party, SPD and they want to know who Arno Klare is

Hon. Arno Klare: My name is Arno Klare and I am 65 years old. I was born in this region. My roots are here in this region. I studied German Language, Literature and Philosophy forty years ago. I am a Member of Parliament and currently serving in the following committees: Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Green Energy; moving from Coal and Oil to Wind and Solar and the European Union Affairs Committee.

CCN: Hon. Arno Klare, you are seeking another mandate. Many migrant communities in Mulheim and Essen Borbeck who are of course German citizens identify with your party, the SPD. What message are you carrying across to make them come out and vote?

Hon. Arno Klare: The Social Democratic Party is the oldest party in Europe and the philosophy of the party is freedom, solidarity and justice. Social Democrats are well implanted all over the world. Our genuine principles since a hundred and fifty-three years ago are currently being implemented today. Our greatest goal now is making sure everyone in this country has a good job and above all, a good pension when he or she retires. We are also working hard to stop pollution and encourage green mobility which is sustainable transportation that allows the basic access needs of individuals and societies to be met safely and in a manner consistent with human and eco-system health, and with equity within and between generations. We of the Social Democratic Party, SPD have placed all of this in accordance and fulfilment of the stipulations of the Paris Climate Agreement.

CCN: Hon. Klare, many potential voters largely within the minorities’ resident in your constituency are confused with the propaganda materials put out there by other political parties such as the Christian Democrats, CDU and the Green Party. What is SPD offering different from the other parties?

Hon. Arno Klare: We have one hundred different nationalities living here in Mulheim. Our opponents think that this is a problem. However, we of SPD feel that it offers a vast opportunity for the future. That is the main difference.

CCN: If SPD wins the general elections and Herr Martin Schulz becomes the new German Chancellor, do you intend to take up a cabinet position in government?

Hon. Arno Klare: (Laughs) No, No, I want to remain as a Member of Parliament not of the government.

CCN: When one goes around Mulheim and Essen-Borbeck, the members of the African-German community speak well of you. They say when they invite you for their events, you are always there to advise them and to direct them on how to integrate and be good and productive citizens! Why this so much interest in the African community?

Hon. Arno Klare: I think all men are equal irrespective of their colour. They are all citizens of this great country and they are welcome. That is why we meet face-to-face and discuss the way forwards for our constituency. People that want that the country should be an open country, a country of tolerance, a country where justice prevails and where the colour of a man’s skin and his country of origin are of no significance should go and vote for SPD.

CCN: Herr Arno Klare, Cameroon Concord News bedankt sich bei Ihnen.


French Cameroun Army Special Operations soldier reportedly injured in explosion in Bamenda

21, September 2017

French Cameroun Army Special Operations soldier reportedly injured in explosion in Bamenda 0

A French Cameroun officer serving with the Rapid Intervention Battalion has been seriously wounded by an explosive device he was carrying on him. Cameroon Concord News informant who confirmed the news said the incident happened at the Hospital Round About at about 10:30 am today.

Our source also added that the explosion took everyone by surprise. No one actually suspected that a uniform officer could have been carrying an explosive device in his trouser pocket. At the time of filing this report, CCN gathered that an Okada rider rushed the wounded soldier to the hospital. The Hospital Roundabout has been closed.

This unfortunate incident is not the first in the Bamenda County. Two weeks ago, another member of the Rapid Intervention Battallion, BIR mistakenly shot himself as he got up from sleep at the Mobile, Nkwen neighborhood. The bullets that came from his gun, cut- off some of his toes. A handful of his colleagues and passersby were arrested . The SDO for Mezam has signed an order banning any public manifestations in Bamenda until September 27.

By Samuel Bantar Tandap, CCN


South Africa: Cameroon duo on trial at Chiefs

21, September 2017

South Africa: Cameroon duo on trial at Chiefs 0

Chiefs, who have just a single victory so far in the 2017/18 campaign, are running their eye over Julien Ebah and Christ Mbondi. Ebah, who turns 27 next week, was the top scorer in the Cameroon league in 2015 before moving from New Star to Kapaz PFK in Azerbaijan.

The 25-year-old Mbondi moved from the Bamenda Academy to FC Sion in Switzerland, but played just three first team games before going playing in Thailand, Algerian and Paraguay over the last three years. Chiefs currently already have three foreigners on their books this season – Ernest Chirambadare, Teenage Hadebe and Gustavo Paez.

Meanwhile The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has announced a new date for the first Soweto derby of the season, which will now take place on Saturday, October 21. Chiefs were originally scheduled to lock horns with arch-rivals Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium on October 28, but the fixture has now been brought forward by a week.

Source: Sport 24


Congo-Kinshasa: 12 dead, 92 missing in floods

21, September 2017

Congo-Kinshasa: 12 dead, 92 missing in floods 0

At least 12 people died, 18 others injured and 92 were missing after heavy rains caused flooding in two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said Wednesday.

“The provisional toll after torrential rain hit the villages of Bihambwe and Matanda in Masisi Territory is 12 dead, 18 injured and 92 missing,” said Julien Paluku, governor of Nord Kivu province, where the villages are located.

The rain started on Tuesday, causing a river to flood, local residents told AFP.

“The rain began in the afternoon, forcing those coming back from the fields to take shelter in homes near the river. The flooding caught them by surprise,” said Joseph Ndabita, a resident of Bihambwe.

He told AFP he had counted “10 bodies and (seen) others being swept away by the strong current towards the river.”

“The water which came down from the mountains has caused damage,” said Safari Ayobangira, a local MP, who said searches were underway to find the missing.

Most of the victims were farmers whose fields bordered the Bihambwe river which passes the two villages that lie about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Goma, the regional capital.

In mid-August, at least 150 people died when a massive mudslide devastated Tara, a fishing village on the shores of Lake Albert near the country’s northeastern border with Uganda.

The vast country has experienced several natural disasters caused by torrential rain.

In May 2010, a wall of mud swept through the eastern village of Kibiriga, killing 19 people and leaving 27 missing. And in 2002, about 50 people died when a wave of mud and rocks struck the eastern town of Uvira, submerging about 150 homes.

(Source: AFP)

German Chancellor Merkel slams Trump’s threat to ‘destroy’ North Korea

21, September 2017

German Chancellor Merkel slams Trump’s threat to ‘destroy’ North Korea 0

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says US President Donald Trump’s threat to “totally destroy” North Korea is wrong, citing economic pressure and diplomacy as the only “appropriate” ways to resolve the conflict.

“I am against such threats,” Merkel told the Deutsche Welle channel. “We consider any form of military solution as totally inappropriate and we insist on a diplomatic solution.”

“From my point of view sanctions and their implementation are the right answer. But I consider everything else concerning North Korea as wrong,” she added. “And that is why we clearly disagree with the US president.”

The German chancellor made the remarks in reaction to Trump’s debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where he said Tuesday that the US was ready to destroy the North to resolve the ongoing standoff over the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program.

“The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” he said.

“It is time for North Korea to realize that its denuclearization is its only responsible future,” he added.

The Trump administration has been pushing for greater international pressure on North Korea through the UN and by pressuring China, Pyongyang’s main trade ally.

The pressure peaked in early September, when the North announced that it had successfully exploded a hydrogen bomb, its sixth overall thermonuclear test.

The UN Security Council adopted new sanctions against the North as a result, a move that Pyongyang warned would not go unanswered.

Germany’s role

Merkel said in her interview that Germany’s strong ties China, Japan, South Korea and the United States puts it among the few countries that could actually help resolve the North Korea crisis.

“Even if this conflict is far away from Germany, it is one that also affects us,” Merkel said. “That is why I am prepared, as is the foreign minister, [Sigmar Gabriel], to assume responsibility here.”

Gabriel told Monday’s edition of the Bild daily that the world had to wait for the sanctions against North Korea to work.

He also noted that military action was not going to succeed and “a security guarantee other than the nuclear bomb” was needed.

Source: Presstv


National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism: A failed institution

21, September 2017

National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism: A failed institution 0

The Commission that was created by President Biya to resolve the Southern Cameroons crisis and led by Senator Mafany Musonge has existed for eight months already. And so far, it has nothing to its credit. This September 23, 2017 will be nine months of its existence and the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism (CNPBM) is still on paper.

Apart from the installation ceremony of its members and the secretary general and the two sessions it held, the institution headed by Mr. Mafany Musonge is virtually non-existent. For the records, the commission was established to examined several subjects related to the anglophone crisis. A visit was was announced last June in the Northwest and South West Regions during the apex of the crisis, which began in November 2016. Musonge and his men were to visit Southern Cameroons as part of the “facilitation mission “. Cameroon Concord News can reveal that until now, the so-called National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism has not set foot in Southern Cameroons.

After the release of the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium on August 30, French Cameroun political elites were anticipating a reaction from the president of the Commission on the antennas of the Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV). No reaction regarding this measure was made public. Mafany Musonge and his gang have never commented on the violence, particularly the destruction of schools and other public buildings, which are constantly pacing life in Southern Cameroons. Similarly, the institution headed by former Prime Minister Mafany Musonge has also refrained from any statement on the non resumption of schools.

Peter Mafany Musonge (to use his three names) was approached by a French Cameroun newspaper and he observed that there is no need to worry. “The commission is working. You will hear from us soon,” he said. The Commission was created on the 23rd of January 2017 by a decree of the President of the Republic. Its creation took place after the Government decided to end the negotiations begun with the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Concord News


Liverpool FC: Jurgen Klopp told to build his defence around Joel Matip

20, September 2017

Liverpool FC: Jurgen Klopp told to build his defence around Joel Matip 0

Liverpool need to build their defence around Joel Matip, Garth Crooks has claimed. The Reds have made a mixed start to the Premier League season in Jurgen Klopp’s second full campaign in charge of the Merseyside outfit.

Liverpool missed out on the signing of Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk in the summer transfer window to leave Klopp with the same options at centre-half. Klopp has stuck with Matip for all of Liverpool’s Premier League games so far but has alternated between Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan to partner the Cameroon international.

And the Estonia international partnered the African centre-half for Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday to extend their winless run to three games. The Reds have already conceded 14 goals in eight games in all competitions to raise serious questions about Liverpool’s ability to defend.

Klopp has failed to address Liverpool’s defensive issues which continue to undermine their progress in other areas of the pitch under the former Borussia Dortmund coach. Former Spurs legend Crooks believes Liverpool should build their back four around Matip if Klopp wants to improve his team’s defensive performances.

“Joel Matip is a very willing defender and without the Cameroon centre-back’s exploits against Burnley, Liverpool would almost certainly have lost,” Crooks told BBC Sport. “His header off the line from a Ben Mee effort was priceless for the Reds and the Burnley defender nearly gave the Kop another heart attack when Simon Mignolet just about managed to stop the ball crossing the line after another free header at the far post.

“However, it was Matip, acting as his goalkeeper’s insurance policy, who saved the day. I’ve expressed my views about Liverpool’s defence on a number of occasions and they were desperately lucky to survive this fixture.”
Crooks added: “I will say this: Matip is an honest competitor capable of producing excellent performances on his day. But for goodness sake, he needs a defence around him.” Matip moved to Liverpool in a free transfer from Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04 in the 2016 summer transfer window.

Source: The Sports Review


Vodafone suspends internet connectivity in Cameroon

20, September 2017

Vodafone suspends internet connectivity in Cameroon 0

Following a directive issued by the Cameroon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, Vodafone Cameroon has confirmed it has suspended its internet services in the country until further notice. Vodafone Cameroon is operated by Afrimax under a non-equity partner market agreement with Vodafone Group. Authorities in Cameroon are making moves to compel Vodafone to apply for its own license.

Since it began operations in 2016, Vodafone had been using the license issued to Northwave SARL which was subsequently acquired by Afrimax Group to create Vodafone Cameroon. This arrangement, according to authorities, is illegal.

Minette Libom Li Likeng, Cameroon’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications said he directed the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) to withdraw the operating license issued to Northwave SARL, thus compelling Vodafone to apply for its own license – since the operator would not be allowed to operate until it secures a license from the government.

Likeng said the government has applied the law governing the establishment and operation of networks and supplies of electronic communication services authorisation system in Cameroon. Under the law, licenses are personal, non-transferable and do not confer any right of exclusivity. With this condition, Likeng said Northwave SARL’s operating license cannot be transferred to Vodafone Cameroon.

Likeng said, “I’ve had discussions with Vodafone Cameroon officials in recent months, and I’ve told them that they have to apply for a license in good form and will have to pay to provide 4G LTE to the population.”

Going forward, he confirmed that his ministry directed the company to suspend its plan to expand its operations to eight additional cities, adding that if allowed to continue to operate, Vodafone would not be competing fairly with other players who paid US$136 million (CFA75 billion) each for operating license.

Antoine Pamboro, CEO Vodafone Cameroon, in a statement apologised to customers and said the company is working hard to restore services as soon as possible.

“To date, Vodafone Cameroon has contributed 3 billion CFA to the State of Cameroon, including 2 billion CFA in taxes and duties and 1 billion CFA for regulatory fees. Vodafone Cameroon has 116 employees and indirectly created 1,055 jobs with more than half of the workforce composed of young graduates,” Pamboro stated.

Prior to the latest development, Vodafone was expanding its 4G LTE services across the country, starting with 8 regions following a partnership with CAMTEL. Richard Achu, Vodafone Cameroon’s Sales and Distribution Director, said the company will not renege on its vision to extend its operations across the country.

“Vodafone Cameroon will enable anyone with a 4G compatible equipment to benefit from the best 4G LTE network as it is already the case in Douala and Yaounde. We want to extend our 4G LTE ultra-fast network in the ten regions of the country before the end of the year. We will do our utmost best to achieve this,” Achu said.

Source: ITwebafrica


Biya Computer Gift: The CPDM government cannot stop telling lies

20, September 2017

Biya Computer Gift: The CPDM government cannot stop telling lies 0

The anti Anglophone Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo has told the Prime Minister and Head of Government that 80,000 of the 500,000 computers promised to Cameroonian students will be available as of November 2017. Fame Ndongo made the revelation during an extraordinary cabinet meeting that held on the 19th of September in the Prime Minister’s office in Yaoundé.

The controversial Francophone cabinet minister did inform Yang Philemon that he has put in place a transparent distribution mechanism that will take into account enrolment through the bio metric system in all the universities. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Higher Education, “The computers that students expect will be delivered to them from November on wards. The Ministry of Higher Education will simply have to dispatch the computers concerned to the students who will be enrolled beforehand by the bio metric system in order to avoid fraudulent or fraudulent distributions.”

Fame Ndongo and his higher education gang now say the computers should arrive faster than expected. Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo had made numerous declarations on the Biya Computer program but none has ever come out to be true. He promised the first wave by the end of December and then another delivery date was announced for the month of February 2017 and again deferred. Cameroon Concord News understands the devices are manufactured by a Chinese company that will also equip Cameroonian universities with digital technology centers.

By Sonne Peter, CCN


Huge fire tears through Sacred Heart College forcing students to flee classrooms

19, September 2017

Huge fire tears through Sacred Heart College forcing students to flee classrooms 0

Students were forced to evacuate Sacred Heart College as a fire tore through the buildings hosting classrooms. Firefighters were called to the College from Bamenda after the blaze started in the administrative block.

Although the flames seem to have been extinguished, smoke can still be seen coming from the classroom windows. A spokesman for the Francophone dominated police unit said officers were alerted to the fire by one of the discipline masters of the college.

A regiment from the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR were called to the scene to provide support to the fire crews in attendance. No injuries or casualties have been reported.

Sent to CCN by a SCACUF Representative


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