Monthly Archives: October 2017

23, October 2017

Cameroon: Dangote cement sold 938 kt, indicating an increase of 16.4 ⁰

Latest performance figures show that Dangote Cement continues to maintain its large share of Nigeria’s domestic cement market, accounting for 65 percent of the Nigerian market volume, while other African plants’ volumes went up by 7.5 percent to 7.0 mta.

These results are coming as the company’s board announced changes to the leadership of the company, with Onne Van der Weijde stepping down as Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2017, having completed three years in this position.

He would be returning to his home country, The Netherlands. Van der Weijde will be appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Dangote Cement PLC, with effect from 1st January 2018.

In the meantime, Engr. Joseph Makoju, Honorary Adviser to the Chairman and former MD of WAPCO/Lafarge, will be acting MD/CEO of Dangote Cement PLC. The Cement company which had in the past months expanded its operations across Africa, the latest being the coming on stream of the 1.5 mta integrated cement plant in Mfila, Republic of Congo, posted some growth figures.

According to the unaudited results for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Mfila plant which began operations last month has almost doubled the size of the cement sector in the country. The Congo plant brings to 10 the number of Dangote Cement plants across Africa.

Further analysis of the results indicated that the company recorded strong volumes in Senegal, Ethiopia and Cameroon. In the nine months under review, the 1.5 mta clinker grinding facility in Douala, Cameroon sold approximately 938 kt of cement, indicating an increase of 16.4 percent on the 806 kt sold during the same period in 2016.

Dangote Cement Ethiopia increased sales by 16.8 percent to nearly 1.7 mta in the first nine months of 2017 representing capacity utilization of approximately 88 percent. The cement plant in Pout, Senegal sold 1.0 mta of cement in the period under review, up by 21.7 percent on the comparable period of 2016. This represents almost 89 percent capacity utilization at the factory.

Van der Weijde, speaking on the results, said, “Our Pan-African operations are performing strongly with excellent sales growth in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Senegal. We are consolidating our success across Africa and have just commissioned our 1.5Mta factory in Congo, the tenth country in which we have established operations.”

“In our key operations in Nigeria we have significantly improved our fuel mix and this has helped increase margins across the Group. It is especially good for Nigeria because most of the coal we are using is mined in our own country”.

Source: Ripples Nigeria

22, October 2017

WHO removes Mugabe as UN goodwill envoy to Africa ⁰

The World Health Organization (WHO) has overturned it controversial decision, made quite recently, in appointing Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe as its “goodwill ambassador” to Africa following international outrage.

The director-general of the United Nations organization, Tedros Adhanom, made the announcement on Sunday, four days after he appointed the 93-year-old Zimbabwean president at a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Uruguay.

“Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment,” Tedros said in a statement published on the WHO official website.

On Wednesday, Tedros, an Ethiopian politician, academic, and public-health authority, who assumed power as the eighth head of the WHO in July, had praised Zimbabwe as a country which had managed to place “universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all.”

The unexpected decision, however, faced criticism from the beginning and sparked outrage among key WHO member states, the United States in particular, and other critics of Mugabe’s decades-long long rule. Tedros’ decision was described by critics as the result of “poor judgment” and “miscalculation.”

Critics say that Zimbabwe, under Mugabe, has seen a significant reduction in life expectancy, dropping from 61 in 1985 to 44 in 2003, largely due to the nation’s ailing economy and widespread poverty.

Mugabe is also under fire for the longevity of his role as the leader of the African country. He served as the prime minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987. In December 1987, the country’s parliament amended the constitution and declared Mugabe to be the executive president, a new position that lasted until now and gave him much more power.

However, Mugabe, who is suffering from several health scares, has pledged never to give up the presidency.

“I will be there until God says come, but as long as I am alive I will head the country, forward ever, backwards never,” he told the African Union last year.

As the goodwill ambassador, he was supposed to co-ordinate the WHO’s battle against heart disease, cancer and diabetes across Africa.

“I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised. I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization,” further said Tedros, whose election as the first African leader of the UN organization was billed as a pivotal moment for the continent, where much of the organization’s work is based.

UN agencies often name high-profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention and highlight their tasks in the eyes of the global community and to garner support for the cause. Tedros’ contentious decision, however, has raised doubts regarding his leadership just four months into his tenure.

Source: Presstv

22, October 2017

La Republique: Police halt opposition demo in solidarity with Southern Cameroonians ⁰

Cameroonian security forces have stopped a demonstration in the port city of Douala on Saturday organised by the main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) in solidarity with the embittered Anglophone regions.

The planned demonstration led by Littoral regional SDF Chairman and activist Jean-Michel Nintcheu was banned by the authorities on Thursday “to prevent violence and damage to public property”. The party ignored the ban and decided to go ahead with the protest which was joined by Kah Walla, the leader of another opposition party the Cameroon People’s Party (CPP).

Some leaders of the SDF were detained including Nintcheu, the regional president Emmanuel Ntonga and two journalists of Equinoxe TV who were released after a warning. Security forces were stationed at several positions in the city and the Omnisport Stadium of Bepanda where a rally was to be held followed by a march to the Ecole Publique de Deido roundabout.

Despite the heavy security deployment and rains, some protesters came out in small numbers carrying placards demanding the release of those arrested. Cameroon’s English-speaking North West and South West regions are facing repression from the government and security forces after protests since November 2016 in demand for fair distribution of wealth while others are calling for independence.

Several hundreds have been arrested while dozens killed during the protests which have been banned by the government. Human rights groups condemn the government’s violent response to the peaceful protesters. President Paul Biya, who is in Geneva is expected to return to the country on Saturday.

Source: Africa News

22, October 2017

Chaos at Ekok-Mfum border as Southern Cameroons demand autonomy ⁰

• As Discrimination Stirs Discontent
• Protest Against Political, Economic Discrimination Fuelling Clamp Down
• Country Heading Towards Pogrom

Few days before October 1, 2017, the atmosphere was charged on the two campuses of University of Bamenda and University of Buea. On the orders of President Paul Biya, troops were drafted from the Francophone region to Anglophone towns and cities to carry out a specific mission- stop, by all means, the symbolic proclamation, by students and university teachers, of the “Republic of Ambazonia,” a name for Anglophone Cameroon.

The political union of both Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon, two separate and sovereign legal entities, came into existence on October 1, 1960 via a referendum; whereby Anglophone Cameroun opted to join a united and indivisible Federal Republic of Cameroon.

According to Mesang Rosine Noutsa, a student of University of Bamenda, the soldiers moved into the hostels and residential quarters on the campus in the wee hours of October 1, and started brutalising students and families of lecturers.

“It was a scene of horror, and I have never witnessed such an ugly incident in my entire life,” she declared on her sick bed at the General Hospital, Bemenda, where many students and teachers were receiving treatment for wounds inflicted on them by the soldiers.

The repression by the soldiers was also carried out at the University of Buea. Unconfirmed reports indicate that some students and teachers were allegedly killed by the soldiers on these two campuses.

According to Amnesty International, and eyewitnesses, who spoke to Al-Jazeera, an international satellite television, at least 17 peaceful and unarmed protesters were killed by soldiers drafted to the campuses by Biya.

“In order to avoid further bloodshed, the security forces must cease unnecessary and excessive use of force, and protesters should be peaceful if they want to make their voices heard. The government should investigate these killings,” declared Illaria Allegrozzi, a researcher with Amnesty International in the Lake Chad basin.

Vice Chancellor of University of Buea, Professor Horace Ngomo Manga, and Vice Chancellor University of Bamenda, Professor Theresa Akenji Nkou, were both summoned for a meeting with the Higher Education Minister, Jacques Fame Ndongo. At the meeting, which took place in Yaounde, capital of Cameroun, the two vice chancellors were told, in very clear terms that their campuses would remain closed until “all secessionists were cleared from the campuses.” The meeting only lasted for 10 minutes.

According to diplomatic sources, in order to escape arrests, many ring leaders of the symbolic attempts to declare the Republic of Ambazonia, fled into Nigeria through bush paths, to where they reside a large community of Cameroonian students and teachers on Nigerian university campuses.

Discontentment of Anglophone Intelligentsia
IN an exclusive interview with University World News (UWN), Professor Samuel Wara, Head of Department of Electrical Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, who is a native of Bamenda, Anglophone Cameroun, provided useful insights into the past and present complex history of his country, with particular reference to the difficult relationship with Francophone Cameroun, and the role of the Anglophone intelligentsia in the possible resolution of the current problems in the land.

“Anglophone university community in Cameroun has always played a vital role in the misfortunes and fortunes of the English speaking region of our country. It was the intellectuals, who canvassed and supported a United Nations- sponsored referendum in 1961, in which our people massively accepted the idea that we create a federation with Francophone Cameroun,” he stated.

“It was Professor Bernard Nsokika Folon, Professor Carlson Anyangwe, and Fon Gorji Dinka, a renowned lawyer, who produced, in 1984, a manifesto called the New Social Order in which they stated clearly that by reverting to the name French Cameroon it had at independence, President Paul Biya, had “seceded” from the union and so the English speaking part of Cameroon has the right to revert to its “independence” before 1961. And the new state was named Ambazonia.”

And in 2005, Anglophone Cameroon was registered and recognised as Republic of Ambazonia, with Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), an international organisation affiliated to United Nations,” he informed.

Wara, while shedding light on the current political situation in Anglophone Cameroon, revealed that Bamenda and Buea universities’ communities are in the forefront of what he called, “the struggle for the emancipation of the people of Anglophone Cameroon.”

Instances of marginalisation and discrimination against the Anglophones, which the intelligentsia are fighting against include:
•The National Entrance Examination into schools that develop the human resources are set by the French Subsystem of Education. This makes it difficult for Anglophones and Francophones to compete on an equal playing field. The examination board members are all Francophones, a development, which places some bias against Anglophone candidates. Important examinations into professional schools are set in French only, sometimes sparingly in the English-speaking region.
•There are five ministries in charge of education. None of them is Anglophone.
•State institutions put documents and public notices in French with no English translations.
•Most heads of government offices only speak French, even in the English speaking region. Visitors and clients to government offices are also expected to speak French.
•Most senior administrators and members of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies in the Anglophone region are French-speaking, and there is lack of effort by them to demonstrate an understanding of Anglophone culture.
•According to the 1961 constitution, the vice president was the second most important person in state protocol. Today, the Prime Minster (appointed Anglophone) is the fourth most important person in state protocol, after the President of the Senate and the President of the National Assembly.
•Of the 36 ministers, who defended the budget for the ministries last month, only one was Anglophone.
•Most of the military tribunals in Anglophone Regions conduct their courts in French.
•Financial documents such as COBAC Code, CIMA Code and the OHADA Code are all in French. These documents are international treaties and conventions to which Cameroon is a signatory.
•Magistrates in Anglophone Cameroon are disproportionately Francophone. In addition, other government –appointed officers such as the senior divisional officers, commissioners, and commandants are disproportionately Francophone.
• There are Francophone principals in Anglophone schools, hospitals, banks and mobile telephone companies.

IN an exclusive chat with UWN, Professor Augustine Awasum, a veterinary surgeon, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who hails from Anglophone Cameroon, said that best solution to put an end to the current bloodbath in Anglophone region of his country is to create an enabling atmosphere for dialogue by all stakeholders.

He is of the view that all students, teachers held in prison by the government must be released unconditionally. And the universities of Buea and Bamenda must be reopened as soon as possible. “This inevitable dialogue should be supervised by the African Union, and the United Nations, with a view to ensuring that mutual agreements reached at the negotiation table are legally binding on all the parties. The minimum condition to guarantee peace, progress and meaningful development is to reinstate the October 1, 1961 constitution, which guarantees true federalism where Anglophone and Francophone regions are equal partners,” he concluded.

Source: The Guardian

22, October 2017

World Health Organisation ‘rethinking’ decision on President Mugabe ⁰

The World Health Organization (WHO) will be reconsidering a decision to name Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe “a goodwill ambassador” after facing criticism.

The director-general of the United Nations’ health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Twitter on Saturday that he understood the “concerns” and that he was “rethinking.”

“I’m listening. I hear your concerns. Rethinking the approach in light of WHO values. I will issue a statement as soon as possible,” Tedros said.

Tedros had this week asked Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old president to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, strokes, and asthma across Africa.

In announcing the appointment in Uruguay’s capital this week, Tedros had praised Zimbabwe as “a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide health care to all.”

The decision, however, sparked outrage among key WHO member states — the United States in particular — and other critics of Mugabe’s rule.

“This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity,” the US State Department said.

Britain, for its part, had said naming Mugabe had been “surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him.”

“We have registered our concerns with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,” a Foreign Office statement read.

Canada, too, objected, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying, “It is absolutely unacceptable and inconceivable this individual would have a role as a goodwill ambassador for any organization, much less the World Health Organization.”

The Canadian Foreign Ministry later called for the appointment to be “rescinded without delay.” Human rights activist and lawyer Doug Coltart also mocked the decision by saying on Twitter that a “man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe’s health sector is WHO’s goodwill ambassador,” referring to Mugabe.

Other critics have argued that Zimbabwe’s health care system had collapsed under Mugabe’s rule. UN agencies often name high-profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention and highlight their tasks in the eyes of the global community and to garner support for the cause.

Tedros, who is a former Ethiopian health minister, took charge of WHO in July this year. He is the first African to lead the UN agency.

Source: Presstv

21, October 2017

Biya goes home to bid farewell to friends and family ⁰

The Republic of Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, on October 21 landed at the country’s main international airport in Yaounde where he was welcomed by his entire government and many ruling party supporters. He received in audience the eighty-three-year-old senate president, Marcel Nyat Njifenji, who is a long-time friend of the ailing president and a stalwart of the ruling party. Mr. Biya also received the National Assembly Speaker, Cavaye Yegue Djibril, who struggles to carry himself around. Mr. Cavaye Yegue Djibril has been in the national assembly for more than half a century.

The government of Mr. Biya is full of octogenarians who have been in the corridors of power for more than sixty years and are prepared to ruin the country before leaving the world. Also on hand to receive the 85-year old dictator were a bunch of dancers and Anglophone students recruited to demonstrate that the country was one and indivisible. But the reality in the two Anglophone regions is unfortunately different. Following the declaration of independence on October 1, 2017, by the two Anglophone regions, many Anglophones were killed at the behest of the country’s president whose methods of governance of choice are intimidation and corruption. This has caused almost all Anglophones to see secession as the only option that can bring them peace.

However, behind the scenes and numerous cameras that were on hand to welcome the president, is the fear that anything might happen anytime soon as Mr. Biya’s collaborators are aware of his deteriorating health and are scared that hemight be back home just to bid farewell to them and his family, as his failing health will surely take a nosedive in the weeks ahead. The Anglophone problem is a nightmare that will not go away anytime soon and this will surely take a toll on the old president’s health. Even before heading to New York last month, Mr. Biya had to stop over in Geneva for him to get a medical boost from his doctors, but the long trip to New York was so demanding on him that he had to return to Switzerland for more medical support that is costing the country an arm and a leg. Our source in Geneva advised that Mr. Biya who addressed an empty hall at the United Nations last month had been in Switzerland for almost a month where he was receiving treatment for a malignant cancer that is robbing the dictator of his strength and happiness. According to our source, besides cancer, Mr. Biya is also dealing with high blood pressure and a failing heart that may give up anytime soon.

According to images beamed by the country’s national television, Mr. Biya had a hard time alighting from the chartered aircraft that brought him back to a country that is facing serious socio-political challenges. Mr. Biya whose real age is not known, has,over the last months, had a hard time sleeping, our source at the presidency said, adding that the “Monarch” has, over the last month, been chewing sedatives like candy, a situation that is concerning to his entourage, especially his wife who is gradually coming to terms with the fact that she will soon be a widow. It is rumored that the “Monarch” has headed home with an entire pharmacy, with sedatives accounting for about 60% of all the medicines that were on the chartered flight.

Other sources close to the government stress that Mr. Biya’shealth has been a problem for many years, but it took a turn for the worse when Anglophones decided to challenge his authority. He had declared in January 2017 that the form of the state was non-negotiable and since January, Anglophones at home and abroad have been working hard to make the Anglophone crisis a millstone around his neck. The government has since January tried to take a few cosmetic measures to appease Anglophones, but the English-speaking minority has been resolute and determined to walk away from a union whose foundation is, at best, shaky.

Around the world, many people and leaders blame the government for the escalation of the crisis. They argue that instead of opting for dialogue, Mr. Biya and his collaborators have always resorted to colonial-style methods which have plunged the country into a serious political crisis. The arrest and transfer of Anglophone leaders to Yaounde in January 2017, coupled with the disconnection of the Internet only made things worse, as the entire world condemned the violence that was unleashed on innocent Anglophones. The Anglophone crisis has been going on now for one year and instead of taking concrete measures or implementing reforms that can help keep the country together, Mr. Biya has been ignoring the English-speaking minority, believing that time will help address his problems for him. But his strategy of attrition is failing and failing woefully, as many Anglophones are prepared to stay the course. Currently, schools and courts are not in session in the Anglophone regions and the massive slaughter of Anglophones on October 1 has pushed many youths out of the country, with thousands currently training in Nigeria in order to launch a massive offensive when the time comes. Before October 1, a few bombs had gone off in Bamenda and Douala, but the discovery of another bomb on October 20 in a school in Bamenda has left many parents on edge.

Currently, the ruling CPDM has taken its show to the road,with the Prime Minister, Yang Philemon,heading to Bamenda to preach peace and unity to Anglophones who have decided to be deaf to whatever so-called Anglophone elites will be preaching to them. In the South West region, these CPDM militants are all over the place like a bad rash, but they are not posting any good results as the people are simply ignoring them. The timing of the visit is indeed ill-advised as Anglophones are still mourning their dead while others are still living in the jungle due to the fear struck into their minds by the rampaging and trigger-happy government troops.

The Anglophone crisis has put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and this has caused the United Nations, the Vatican, and other international organizations to call for inclusive dialogue that will result in the building of a country that will meet the needs of both Anglophones and Francophones. “Cameroon must urgently rethink a policy of ‘murderous repression’ in its restive English-speaking regions or risk the crisis spiraling into an armed uprising,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned Thursday, October 19. In a report on the political crisis in the Central African nation, the NGO said“the government’s crackdown on the anglophone minority had failed and had only served to fuel a clamor for independence,” adding that Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, 85, must act swiftly to find a serious political solution to the crisis, urging the international community to speak out firmly against state violence that has resulted in the loss of many lives. “If he hopes to avoid an armed uprising in Anglophone regions, which would without doubt have an impact in the Francophone zone, the Cameroonian president must go beyond superficial measures and take responsibility in order to find political solutions to the crisis.”

As Mr. Biya returns home, he knows he has a sticky situation on his hands. He might have declared at the beginning of the year that the form of the state was non-negotiable, but with the crisis escalating by the day, he must understand that the solution is at the negotiating table. Violent repression and corruption will surely not cut it. Allowing government surrogates to spread across the Anglophone regions like ragweed to talk peace to a hurting people will not yield the results he is looking forward to. He must remember that the Anglophone crisis is a crisis that will not go away anytime soon if proper measures are not taken. Years of marginalization have emboldened the people. This problem will continue to stalk Mr. Biya and his government for a long time, especially as the Anglophone Diaspora is involved. This is a Diaspora that is rich and has the capacity to destabilize the government. It will be preposterous to hold that the issues will go away by throwing money at them or by simply ignoring them. These problems have been around for more than half a century and if they are not properly addressed they could result in a popular revolt that will drag dissatisfied Francophones into the struggle.

By the editorial team

21, October 2017

Akere Muna says Biya will be history if Cameroon opposition unites for 2018 poll ⁰

Akere Muna, the only opposition figure in Cameroon to have declared his candidature for next year’s presidential polls is pushing for a united opposition front to face Biya.

Muna a top anti-corruption crusader and celebrated lawyer in the country told his supporters earlier this week that he will not mind if the coalition candidate was someone else.

He stressed that he was open to back any candidate whose ideas and vision was superior to his given that the ultimately goal is to end decades of rule by Paul Biya.

Biya, 84, has been president of the Central African country since 1982. He has yet to declare any intentions to contest in the 2018 polls but indications show that it is just a matter of time.

Muna, a former Vice Chairperson of Transparency International has also previously served as president of the Cameroon Bar Association. He recently resigned his post as president of the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in order to focus on his political ambitions.

The IACC describes itself as the world’s premier forum that brings together Heads of State, Civil Society, the Private Sector and more to tackle the increasingly sophisticated challenges posed by corruption.

Muna announced his presidential bid a week ago via a video address stating that his decision was premised on wanting to give the central African country a fresh start after years under incumbent Paul Biya.

Muna who hails from the Anglophone region, in the address and a statement cited by AFP said it was time for the Central African country to reset its direction hence his decision to enter the race.

“We have to walk to a new Republic”, which will be “based on good governance” and “the rule of law,” he asserted, saying that there would be no “tolerance for corruption, tribalism, nepotism and favoritism,” with him in charge.

Source: African News

21, October 2017

Message to Ambazonia: Gunmen kill 12 Niger gendarmes near Mali border ⁰

Gunmen mounted on pick-up trucks and motorcycles killed 12 gendarmes and wounded several in an attack on their base in western Niger, near the Mali border, on Saturday, two security sources said.

The village is a few dozen kilometers from where militants killed four US soldiers in an ambush on Oct. 4 that has thrown a spotlight on the US counter-terrorism mission in Niger, which straddles a large expanse of the Sahara.

The gunmen crossed over the border from Mali and drove up to the village of Ayorou, about 40 km (25 miles) inside, before springing their attack, the security sources said.

“They were heavily armed. They had rocket launchers and machine guns. They came in four vehicles each with about seven fighters,” said a security source on the scene.

One of the attackers was killed in an exchange of fire, he added. A spokesman for Niger’s military said he could not confirm any details of the attack.

Several extremist militant groups and well-armed ethnic militia are known to operate in the area near the border with Mali, and there have been at least 46 attacks recorded there since early last year.

However, security officials suspect a relatively new militant group calling itself Islamic State in the Greater Sahara to have been behind many of them, including the ambush on the joint US-Niger patrol.

(Source: Reuters)

21, October 2017

Bundes: 4 people stabbed in Munich ⁰

German police say a man with a knife has lightly wounded four people in Munich. Officers are looking for the assailant.

Munich police called on people in the Rosenheimer Platz area, located close to the German city’s downtown, to stay inside after the incident on Saturday morning.

The perpetrator fled the scene. Police said the motive for the attack was not immediately clear. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

German police special forces have detained a suspect in the knife attack in the southern city of Munich, Bild newspaper said on it website.

The daily did not give a source for its report. Police are expected to hold a news conference in the Bavarian capital around 1000 GMT.

(Source: Agencies)