Monthly Archives: March 2018

2, March 2018

France: Far-right leader Le Pen charged over Daesh tweets ⁰

French prosecutors have filed charges against far-right leader Marine le Pen over a series of tweets showing gruesome executions by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

A judicial source said Thursday that Le Pen was being investigated over suspicions of disseminating violent images.

The embarrassing tweets were posted in December 2015 and contained three graphic images of Daesh beheading American journalist James Foley.

The investigation comes as Le Pen prepares to present her plans for a restructuring of her National Front party in its annual congress next week. Le Pen lost to Emmanuel Macron during last year’s presidential election despite huge anticipations for her victory.

The probe is not expected to cost Le Pen her popularity among National Front loyalists although it could further affect her approval rating among the public.

Le Pen, who had described the investigation in its earlier stages as a “political interference,” said Thursday the probe was a sign the political establishment was trying to silence her.

“If they are trying to silence me, they will not succeed,” she said.

Le Pen and her party face other investigations into their financial conduct. In one case, the National Front is accused of paying parliamentary assistants from the European Union funds. There is also a probe into how the party has financed the past election campaigns.

Under the French judicial law, if a person is placed under formal investigation, like the one Le Pen is involved in over Daesh tweets, the person could be sent to trial. If Le Pen is convicted of the charges, she could face a maximum sentence of several years in jail and a 75,000 euro fine.

Source: Presstv

2, March 2018

Teachers detained in Cameroon over pay protest ⁰

More than 200 Cameroonian teachers demanding back pay and allowances have been arrested and detained in police stations across the capital Yaoundé after attempting to hold street protests on Tuesday.

Their family members say they have not had any contact since.

The leader of group, Samuel Ekoto, told BBC Afrique that plans to resolve the pay dispute last year weren’t honoured, adding:

We demand the release of our colleagues. Some of us have been waiting one, two, three years [for a resolution over pay] but there’s a lack of commitment from the authorities.”

But some teachers disagree. A spokesman for another teacher’s body, Jacques Bessala Ngono, told BBC Afrique it believed progress was being made in talks with the authorities and so had cut ties with those who protested.

Culled from the BBC

1, March 2018

Cardinal Sarah: High-ranking prelates are trying to change Christian morality ⁰

Cardinal Sarah has pointed out that high-ranking prelates are trying to change Christian morality. The cardinal also said the West was ‘committing suicide’ by losing its Christian faith

Senior churchmen are undermining Church teaching on life, marriage and the family, Cardinal Robert Sarah has said.

In a speech in Belgium, the cardinal accused high-ranking prelates from “opulent nations” of trying to modify Christian morality, and attacked pressure groups that “with powerful financial means and ties to the media, attack the natural purpose of marriage and commit themselves to destroying the family unit.”

Cardinal Sarah made the remarks – reported in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana and translated by Giuseppe Pellegrino – in front of several senior Belgian churchmen, including Cardinal Josef De Kesel, the apostolic nuncio and Abbot Philippe Mawet.

Abbot Mawet had criticised Cardinal Sarah just days earlier in an article for Libre Belgique.

The cardinal said:

Some high-ranking prelates, above all those coming from opulent nations, are working to cause modifications to Christian morality with regard to the absolute respect for life from conception until natural death, the question of the divorced and civilly remarried, and other problematic family situations. These ‘guardians of the faith’ however ought not to lose sight of the fact that the problem posed by the fragmentation of the ends of marriage is a problem of natural morality.

He continued:

The great derivations became manifest when some prelates or Catholic intellectuals began to say or write ‘a green light for abortion,’ ‘a green light for euthanasia.’ Now, from the moment that Catholics abandon the teaching of Jesus and the Magisterium of the Church, they contribute to the destruction of the natural institution of marriage as well as the family and it is now the entire human family which finds itself fractured by this new betrayal on the part of priests.

During his visit to Belgium, Cardinal Sarah also gave an interview with Catholic media outlet Cathobel in which he repeated his criticism of fellow clergy.

“Faith has become lacking, not only on the level of the people of God but also among those responsible for the Church,” he said. “Sometimes we can ask ourselves if we really have faith.”

This lack of faith is also affecting the wider culture, he added:

“Not only is the West losing its soul, but it is committing suicide, because a tree without roots is condemned to death. I think that the West cannot renounce its roots, which created its culture and its values.”

The cardinal said “chilling things” were happening in the West, and Western nations were exporting those things to the developing world.

“I think that a parliament which authorizes the death of an innocent baby, without defence, is committing a grave act of violence against the human person.

“When abortion is imposed, especially on nations in the developing world, saying that if they do not accept it they will no longer receive aid, it is an act of violence. And it is no surprise.

“When God is abandoned, man is also abandoned; there is no longer a clear vision of who man is. This is a great anthropological crisis in the West. And it leads to people being treated like objects.”

Culled from the Catholic Herald

1, March 2018

Cameroon Gambling – youth and old going-gaga over new gaming machines ⁰

The China coin operated tabletop gambling machines have become so much in vogue in most parts of Cameroon, with youth going gaga-over and turning out to be the main users.Playing games of chance have become the latest fad in most towns and villages in the country. With FCFA 100, small attractive machines stationed in roadside shops and beer parlours in the nooks and corners of the country has become an epicentre of attraction for both young and old as huge masses line up in front of them in order to make money.

When Cameroon Tribune (CT) called on some of the towns and villages in the country found out that many young people are fascinated and hooked up to these machines. Most operators wish to conceal about the gambling business and how the machines got into their shops. During a trip to the Mintom Sub-division in the Dja and Lobo Division in the South Region, CT reporters met a throng of youth inserting FCFA 100 coins into one of such machines. When asked the name of the machine and the reasons for the different football teams written on the machine, none of them had an answer. Information on the machines is written in English Language, in some cases with erroneous spelling such as football being spelt as “foorball”. The only thing most Mintom youths, just like those in other neighbourhoods in Yaounde could say about the gambling machine is where to insert FCFA 100, the start button and the “retreat” button in case the machine indicates you have won some coins which could be between one coin (FCFA 100) to 50 coins or FCFA 5,000.

CT gathered that the name of the machine is China coin operated table top gambling machines. On these machines, is written only old or new FCFA 100 coins are accepted with a warning: “not for persons under 18 years”.It is a portable machine that carries the names of popular football teams in the world such as Chelsea, FC Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus and Cameroon in some. Each team is found several times on the playing board, representing a particular number of coins. If an individual picks a team which is later selected by the machine as the winning team, the machine tells you the number of coins that team represents. If the selected team does not match with what the machine selects, the player loses. One of such machines is found in a roadside shop at the Mvog-Atangana Mballa neighbourhood in Yaounde. The owner of the shop refused to comment on how he got the machine. All he said was that the operator of the machine is not around. When asked the contacts of the operator, the shopkeeper said he does not have. After some days, the machine was no longer available at the spot.

At another neighbourhood in Yaounde, the bar attendant who refused to be identified said the machine belongs to “Chinese people”. When asked the contacts of the “Chinese people” he replied that they do not speak French or English and that one can only talk to them through an interpreter. But he needed the consent of the interpreter before handing his contacts to CT reporters, a thing he has not been ready to do so far. However, a bar operator said the machines were brought into the country by some Chinese businessmen residing in the Elig-Essono neighbourhood in Yaounde.

As CT reporters tried to know the exact location of the businessmen, the bar owner quickly said: “They are in a home, not an open shop.” Before placing the machines in any shop or bar, the Chinese partner gets into a deal with the bar owner to give them 30 percent of profit each time they come to empty the content of the machines.

The machine is computerised and programmed by the Chinese. The machine records the number of coins inserted and the number of players that won. Thus, each week a Chinese is seen collecting the machine to withdraw the numerous coins of FCFA 100 left within. These machines have become the best playground for many young people in the country. Some of them, in their school attire, are seen gambling for several hours. Recently in Yaounde around the Soa neighbourhood, the forces of law and order went on the offensive to rid the area of these machines.

Source: cameroon-tribune.cm

1, March 2018

Killed in (Peacekeeping) Action: 4 UN soldiers die in Mali ⁰

Four United Nations (UN) peacekeepers were killed in central Mali on Wednesday after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by suspected militants.

The UN mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, said in a statement that the casualties occurred when a convoy of peacekeepers hit the device along a road in the Mopti region.

“We have just received information from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali indicating that a UN military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device on the Boni-Douentza axis, in the region of Mopti in Mali. Preliminary reports indicate that four peacekeepers were killed and four others were wounded. Medical evacuations are currently ongoing,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

‘Undeterred’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemned” the IED attack and said such attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

“These cowardly acts will not deter MINUSMA’s determination to support the Malian authorities in their efforts to protect civilians and accompany the Malian people in their quest for peace and stability,” the UN chief added.

The Wednesday roadside attack came a day after six Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck a mine in the Segou region. A forest ranger was also gunned down in another incident blamed on militants.

‘Cornered’

Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Mali have been carrying out increasingly deadly attacks on domestic and foreign forces in the African country, raising security concerns.

But the head of the MINUSMA has said the increased attacks are because the terrorists have come under intensified pressure.

“MINUSMA is currently upgrading its security presence in central Mali,” Mali mission chief Mahamat Saleh Annadif said. “Cornered, the terrorists are multiplying their attacks.”

More than 11,000 UN peacekeepers have been deployed to Mali since 2013 to counter terrorist attacks and general lawlessness.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly (C) stands in front of a flag-draped coffin during a ceremony in honor of the two French soldiers killed in Mali, on February 27, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

In late January, 14 soldiers were killed and 18 more wounded in an attack on their camp in Mali’s restive northern regions.

Extremists linked to al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012 but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

In June 2015, Mali’s government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of non-militant armed groups. But extremists still remain active in the area, and large tracts of the West African country are lawless.

Source: Presstv

1, March 2018

UK running out of gas amid new cold wave ⁰

The UK’s National Grid says it needs to buy gas in order to meet the demand amid severe drops in temperature and gas supply outages due that have raised consumption levels to a five-year high.

The NG requested shippers on Thursday to post offers on the OCM locational market after wholesale gas prices soared 74 percent within a day.

Earlier, the company issued another warning after forecast for the day initially showed a shortfall of 49.5 million cubic meters below the country’s projected need of 395.7mcm per day.

According to the Guardian, the deficit had been narrowed down to 35.2mcm.

“We are in communication with industry partners and are closely monitoring the situation,” the NG said.

Widespread snow and unprecedentedly cold temperatures following the arrival of the “Beast from the East” polar vortex and Storm Emma have forced people across the UK to fire up their heating.

The situation has been further affected by several outages in the supply line, which has proven vulnerable to very cold weather over the past.

So far, problems have been have been reported at a pipeline to the Netherlands, while there has been reduction in gas flows from Norway.

Technical issues have also been plaguing main gas facilities in the UK, including the North Morecambe Barrow terminal.

The UK’s gas storage has also hit the lowest levels since 2006, mainly because of the decision last year by energy company Centrica to close down the country’s biggest gas storage facility, Rough. The site accounted for 70 percent of the UK’s gas storage.

Last year, a “perfect storm” of energy supply crisis forced Britian import gas from Russia, despite London’s role in a series of strict sanctions that were supposed to cripple the Russian energy industry.

Source: Presstv

1, March 2018

Battle for Ambazonia: Arsonists Visit SDF Chairman Ni Fru Ndi ⁰

The home of the chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) in Bamenda was last night attacked by arsonists. Mr. Fru Ndi has, for a long time now, been a victim of threats from unknown persons who accuse him of playing ball with the Yaounde government.

The fire, which started around the kitchen area of Mr. Fru Ndi’s home in Bamenda, was swiftly put out by firefighters with the help of neighbors.

Over the last week, threats against the SDF Chairman have increased. He is also being accused of complicity with the ruling CPDM by accepting to hold his party’s congress at the Bamenda Congress Hall.

Opponents and adversaries of the chairman indicate that by accepting to hold the SDF congress in a hall offered by the ruling party (CPDM), Mr. Fru Ndi was leading his party into an unholy political marriage with the ruling party which is widely considered as a crime syndicate in Cameroon.

Similarly, Anglophone separatists operating in Southern Cameroons had also threatened to disrupt the SDF Congress following criticisms by the SDF Chairman of the Southern Cameroons struggle for independence.

It was alleged that Mr. Fru Ndi had called the President of the Republic of Ambazonia, Julius Ayuk Tabe, and his government that had been arrested in Nigeria on January 5, 2018, and illegally extradited to Cameroon in late January terrorists.

Mr. Fru Ndi’s comments had angered many Southern Cameroonians who think a complete restoration of independence to the former British trust territory will be the only way for English-speaking Cameroonians to escape the marginalization they have experienced for 56 years.

The Southern Cameroons armed groups which have been carrying out retaliatory attacks on soldiers and kidnapping senior administrative officers in the region, have always held that they must punish Mr. Fru Ndi whom they accuse of having political intercourse with the Yaoundé government.

To ensure that the congress actually took place as scheduled, the Yaounde government provided top security to Mr. Fru Ndi, a situation that further fueled rumor that he was collaborating with Mr. Biya. Even the location of the event was heavily guarded, as the armed groups were determined to wreak havoc.

Similarly, due to threats, the SDF congress location had been changed as the owners of the first location were scared that their property could be burnt down or destroyed.

It should be recalled that the SDF had on many occasions tried to bring the Southern Cameroons crisis to the floor of the National Assembly, but was repeatedly blocked by the ruling party whose Members of Parliament have never seen anything wrong with the way their government has handled the crisis which has become today a civil war wherein more than 300 army soldiers have been killed and over 500 civilians have been murdered by the Cameroonian army.

The army has also rendered many people in the southwest region homeless by burning their homes as a retaliation against the population each time it is alleged that a soldier has been killed.

In the South West region, towns like Kwakwa have simply been erased from the map following the burning of the entire town by army soldiers, and in Mbonge, the town has become a ghost town as many residents have simply fled following the killing of a gendarme officer in January.

In Kembong, in Manyu Division where many gendarme officers have been sent to an early grave, many young men have fled the town, with a majority now seeking refuge in Ossing, a small city some 15 km from the Manyu Divisional headquarters of Mamfe.

The violence in the English-speaking regions has escalated over the last two months and armed groups operating in the region have made their impact felt. They have been issuing threats and many analysts have been advising that their threat should be taken seriously.

It should be recalled that in mid-February, the Batibo Divisional Officer was kidnapped and taken into a thick forest and attempts by government officials to locate him have been futile. Not even his body has been located even when there was rumor that he had been killed.

For now, it is believed that he is being held by Anglophone separatists who are seeking to restore their independence from the Republic of Cameroon. A few days after the disappearance of the Divisional Officer, the Social Affairs delegate was also kidnapped and his is living rough and wild just like the divisional officer.

It is worth mentioning that the SDF is in favor of a federal system in Cameroon and the party chairman and its presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election, Joshua Osih, have thrown their support behind a federal system that will empower the people and make them masters of their own destiny.

It should also be noted that the SDF has always chided the government for mismanaging the Anglophone problem that has unfortunately metamorphosed into a crisis that has resulted in hundreds of deaths.

It should be recalled that Mr. Tchiroma, Laurent Esso and Fame Ndongo, are the ministers who have caused the Southern Cameroons crisis to escalate. Today, it has gotten to levels that are almost impossible to address as Southern Cameroons separatists are determined to restore their independence.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that Cameroon’s minister of communication, Issa Tchiroma, will very likely be arrested soon following his role in the mismanagement and misappropriation of state funds.

The government spokesperson, who has been a mouthpiece for Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, is facing a long jail term as his name has appeared among those who are being accused of embezzling funds and misusing fuel coupons at the Cameroon Radio and Television Corporation (CRTV).

Mr. Tchiroma has been singing the president’s praises for years in the pious belief that he will not be brought to book in case he finds himself in dire legal straits. But as the trial of former CRTV General Manager, Amadou Vamoulke, drags on, more suspects are being roped in. Mr. Vamoulke has decided that he will not go down alone. He has therefore provided a long list of people who willingly participated in the looting of state funds at the CRTV.

Early this week, some seven CRTV staff were dragged to the Yaounde maximum security prison where they are expected to answer for their role in the misappropriation of CRTV funds and misuse of fuel coupons in the coming months. Mr. Tchiroma’s name has popped up and this has left the government spokesman with lots of butterflies in his stomach.

It is alleged that most of the fuel coupons were issued to friends and girlfriends of CRTV staff. It is also alleged that Mr. Tchiroma handed a huge chunk of these coupons to his harem of women who have done a good job of misusing them.

It should be noted that as the country’s minister of communications, Mr. Tchiroma is the CRTV Board chairman and he surely has a few questions to answer about the missing money and millions of dollars in fuel coupons alleged to be misused.

The 70-year-old Tchiroma has once spent 8 years in jail for his role in the April 1984 coup d’état that almost toppled Mr. Biya. But the news that he will soon be back in the dock and possibly back to jail has triggered an illness that may result in Mr. Tchiroma’ s evacuation abroad for medical treatment.

While arrangements for his evacuation are under way, the government is making sure that Mr. Tchiroma does not flee while on medical evacuation like the former Minister of Agriculture who is currently living in the Washington DC area after pretending that he was dying of an unknown ailment. He used his medical evacuation to escape the grip of the “lion-man” who was determined to hand him a long jail term for embezzlement.

By Kingsley Betek and Fosuh Tamajung in Bamenda

1, March 2018

Ambazonia Crisis: CRTV Buea begs for more security after threat ⁰

State-owned Cameroon Radio Televison (CRTV) in the restive South West region has reported of security threats from persons believed to be separatists.

According to a letter written by CRTV regional station manager, workers needed reinforced security especially in the wake of a threatening call to an official at Mt. Cameroon FM.

The letter addressed to the Governor of the region said an anonymous person believed to be a member of the separatists group was behind the call. Titled “Telephone Threats from Ambazonia elements,” the letter dated February 26, 2018; read as follows:

His message was frightful; that they were coming to Buea to kidnap, the Divisional Officer for Buea, the Governor and take over CRTV.

“I wish to draw your attention to the fact that an unidentified person called my collaborator Mme Charline Flore Demgne, Chief of Service for Programmes and Information at Mt. Cameroom FM on Monday, February 26, 2018 at 7am.

“I, therefore appeal to you to reinforce security at CRTV South West and put the whole city on alert,” it concluded.

Separatists under the banner the so-called Ambazonia Republic have abducted two government officials in February 2018. First a divisional commander and more recently an administrative official in the North West region also affected by what is referred to as the Anglophone crisis.

The kidnapping is a new trend in the activities of the armed wing of the separatists – the Ambazonia Defense Force (ADF). They have in the past months used guerilla style attacks on security forces killing over twenty officers at last count.

Government insists that there is durable peace in the two regions despite deadly attacks on the security forces. Curfews have been slapped on the two regions in the wake of the attacks. There has also been reports of military reprisals on locals.

Thousands of Cameroonians have fled into neighbouring Nigeria to escape the reported attacks. The United Nations refugee agency has said the numbers fleeing the crisis continues to grow. The government has been tasked to pursue dialogue but no concrete steps have so far been undertaken.

Culled from Africa News

1, March 2018

Nigeria: Death toll from Lassa fever reaches 72 ⁰

Nigeria is suffering its worst outbreak of Lassa fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, as local health officials said 72 people had died since the start of this year.

Lassa fever, named after the town in northern Nigeria where it was first identified in 1969, is endemic but the number of confirmed cases “has never reached” this level before, it added.

“Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak has reached record highs, with 317 laboratory confirmed cases,” the WHO said in a statement, quoting figures from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

On February 6, 31 people were reported to have died from the disease, which is caused by a virus of the same family as Marburg and Ebola.

But in an update, the NCDC said: “Since the onset of the 2018, 325 cases have been classified as: 317 confirmed cases, eight probable cases with 72 deaths.”

Fourteen health workers have been affected by the virus in six states.

The WHO said a total of 2,845 people who have come into contact with patients have been identified and were being monitored.

Worst-hit by the virus is Edo state, in the south, where Crusoe Osagie, a media aide to the state government, said mostly rural areas were affected.

“Edo state is the only state with Lagos to have a special treating hospital for this disease, which is in Irrua,” he told AFP. “People come here from all over. ”

The federal-owned facility usually deals with about a hundred cases each year but has already handled that number in the last two months, he added.

WHO said it was supporting the NCDC effort to contain the disease and treat those affected in treatment centres across the country.

“The ability to rapidly detect cases of infection in the community and refer them early for treatment improves patients’ chances of survival and is critical to this response,” said the world body’s representative in Nigeria, Wondimagegnehu Alemu.

Lassa fever is spread through contact with food or items contaminated with rats’ urine or faeces or after coming into direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

It can be prevented by enhanced hygiene and avoidance of all contact with rats.

More than 100 people were killed in 2016 in an outbreaks affecting 14 of the 36 states, including Lagos and the capital Abuja.

Source: Africa News

1, March 2018

S. Cameroons Crisis: Nigeria holds security meeting on French Cameroun cross-border military action ⁰

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, at the instruction of the Chief of Army Staff(COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, held an elaborate security stakeholders meeting on the 27th of February, 2018 at the 245 Reconnaissance Battalion at Ikom, Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State. The meeting is to confirm/assess the reported occasional security threats at the border areas between Nigeria and Cameroon with the view to addressing the situation. The GOC, on behalf of the COAS, thanked the various security agencies for their efforts in ensuring peace and security of all Nigerian citizens at the border areas in the midst of the reported/recorded security threats. He used the opportunity to urge the leaders and youths of the affected communities not take laws into their hands, remain law abiding and endeavor to report any security infraction to available security organization close to them.

General Abubakar reiterated the resolve of the Nigerian government to protecting lives and properties of her citizens and the capacity of the Nigerian Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity of the country at all times. Present at the meeting include the Commander 13 Brigade Brigadier General I Isah, Commander Military Intelligence Brigade Colonel Kingsley Nwoko, Commanding Officer 245 Battalion Colonel Solomon Diwa, a member Cross River State House of Assembly representing Boki Local Government Area Dr. Mrs Abang, the Chairmen of Boki, Ikom, Etung and Obubra Local Government Areas, Commissioner of Police, State Director of Security Services Cross River State and other heads of paramilitary organisations in the State as well as traditional rulers of the affected border communities.

The representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC), UNHRC Sub – Office Calabar Mr Josiah Kolleh Flomo also graced and made a brief at the meeting. Two important highlights of the event was the briefs made by the various commanders and heads of security agencies to the GOC and a visit to Ajasso – Etung – Mfum border with Cameroon in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Culled from prnigeria.com