Monthly Archives: April 2019

17, April 2019

Biya regime holds workshop to lay groundwork for implementing AfCFTA ⁰

Cameroon organized a workshop in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the capital on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Government officials said the two-day workshop gives Cameroon the opportunity to assess what the country will benefit from the agreement.

“We are talking about a continent of over 1 billion people and there are 25 million of us in Cameroon. The advantages of the free trade zone are so many for an economy like ours. It is necessary for us to work day and night to be part of the advantages and not disadvantages. We are confident that it will bring a lot of prosperity and stability to our economy,” Cameroon’s Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, told reporters.

The workshop, the first of its kind, brings together more than 100 stakeholders from the private sector, academia and civil society to evaluate Cameroon’s readiness to ratify the agreement.

Twenty two African nations have already ratified the agreement, the minimum threshold expected to approve the deal among the 55 members of the African Union.

According to ECA, AfCFTA represents a potential market of 1.2 billion consumers today, and nearly 2.5 billion in 2050, and is a powerful lever to stimulate exports, industrialization, job creation and economic diversification of the African continent.

Source: Xinhuanet

16, April 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Women Fleeing Violence Use Moss As Tampons ⁰

Women who have fled into the bushes from the conflict in English-speaking regions of Cameroon are using moss squashed into balls as tampons, risking infection. One 16-year-old explained to BBC Focus on Africa the challenges she is facing since she left her home:

Quote Message: There is no way we can get sanitary towels in the bushes. The nearest town is too far away and it’s not safe to go there. We use rags during our periods and it’s not easy finding pieces of cloth to use. I know it’s dangerous and one can easily get infected.”There is no way we can get sanitary towels in the bushes. The nearest town is too far away and it’s not safe to go there. We use rags during our periods and it’s not easy finding pieces of cloth to use. I know it’s dangerous and one can easily get infected.”

Another woman explained to me what she had been using for the last six months:

Quote Message: Moss plant – it grows on cocoa trees. Our mothers used it in those days when sanitary towels did not exist. You crush it and shape it into a small ball or tampon. Then you insert it deep into your body. This is what I’ve been using for the six months I’ve been in the bush. Moss plant – it grows on cocoa trees. Our mothers used it in those days when sanitary towels did not exist. You crush it and shape it into a small ball or tampon. Then you insert it deep into your body. This is what I’ve been using for the six months I’ve been in the bush.

Health workers strongly warn against this because of the risk of infection. More than 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, according to the International Crisis Group.

Militias began to emerge in 2017 after a security force crackdown on mass protests, led by lawyers in wigs and teachers in suits, over the government’s alleged failure to give enough recognition to the English legal and education systems in the North-West and South-West.

The government was accused of relying heavily on people trained in the French legal and educational tradition to work in key posts and generally marginalising Cameroon’s English-speaking minority, who make up about 20% of the population.

Source: BBC

16, April 2019

Douala: Customs seizes tonnes of smuggled drugs and fuel ⁰

Cameroon customs seized tonnes of smuggled drugs and fuel in the economic capital, Douala, late Sunday in its latest move to curb the inflow of “overseas dangerous and illicit” drugs and goods into the country, customs officials said in a statement Monday.

According to the customs, the drugs including 100,051 tramadol pills, 100,072 combiart tablets and 7,000 liters of fuel were seized in an operation that involved Cameroon Marine and Cameroon customs brigade in charge of combating illicit trade.

The illicit goods were smuggled from a neighboring country through Cameroon’s seaport in Tiko locality and then transported to Douala in a “heavy duty truck”, the officials, said adding that the suspects have been remanded in custody.

According to Cameroon police, tramadol is one of the most abused substances in the country and is making its way into schoolyards.

“There is growing addition to the pills which are readily available on black market. The opioid is also known to be used by terrorists in the country to boost courage and commit atrocities. It is also widely used by students. So we are doing all we can to put an end to this malaise,” a police officer, Emmanuel Watat revealed.

Source: Xinhuanet

16, April 2019

AFCON 2019: Shameless Cameroon unveil new kit ⁰

2017 Africa Cup of Nations champions, Cameroon have unveiled new kit ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The unveiling was done in Yaoundé as the team continued its preparations for the biennial tournament.

The team maintained its fitted and round neck style which is known for in the past but the dark green of the body became lighter a little bit.

The Indomitable Lions has been placed alongside four times AFCON winners Ghana, Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

Despite the country being stripped of the hosting right of the competition, they will still have the opportunity to defend the trophy they won two years ago.

Cameroon remains one of the most successful teams in the history of the AFCON, having won it five times with only the seven-time winners Egypt having bettered their record.

Reported by Prime News Ghana

16, April 2019

Southern Cameroons War: 3 Restoration Forces, 4 French Cameroun soldiers killed in clashes ⁰

At least three armed separatists and four members of the government forces died Sunday night in violent clashes in Bali, a locality in the Northwest, one of the two war-torn English-speaking regions of Cameroon, local sources said.

“Civilians have fled the area and fighting is intensifying. I saw three corpses when I was escaping. Many people are injured,” a local resident who asked not to be named said.

Government forces interviewed confirmed the confrontation and stressed that a mission to restore peace and security in the locality was in progress.

Ambazonian Communication Secretary Chris Anu warned of “dangerous times” for the locality.

“Mayhem has been unleashed on the people of Bali. We are urging everyone in Bali to look for a safer location to move to,” Anu said last Sunday in a widely circulated WhatsApp voice.

Clashes are escalating between government forces and armed separatists in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, where separatists have created an independent nation they call “The Federal Republic Ambazonia”.

Source: Xinhuanet with editing from CCN

15, April 2019

African players in Europe: Salah, Mane, Pepe star ⁰

Egyptian Mohamed Salah, Senegalese Sadio Mane and Ivorian Nicolas Pepe shared the glory among the African stars in Europe at the weekend.

Salah scored with an unstoppable shot from outside the box to complete a 2-0 win for Premier League leaders Liverpool over Chelsea after Mane had nodded the first goal.

Pepe took his Ligue 1 goal tally for the season to 19 by scoring once and also provided two assists as Lille stunned runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain 5-1.

ENGLAND

SADIO MANE (Liverpool)

He set Liverpool on their way and settled some nerves after a goalless first half by taking advantage of being unmarked to head in Jordan Henderson’s pin-point chipped cross at the back post. For the 27-year-old Senegalese star it was his 18th Premier League goal of the campaign, his best return in his time in England and a reflection of his often unsung contributions to his club sides.

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

Played a major role in Mane’s goal and added a glorious second minutes later with an unstoppable drive from outside the area for his 22nd goal of the campaign and 19th Premier League strike. The 26-year-old’s celebrations were worth the admittance fee as he knelt on one knee and later kissed the turf. It was a perfect riposte to the Chelsea fans who chanted an Islamopbobic song about him prior to last Thursday’s Europa League clash with Slavia Prague.

VICTOR WANYAMA (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Kenyan powerhouse midfielder has found holding down a regular starting position this season tough through a mixture of injury and form. However, he showed his old sparkle in scoring Spurs’ first in their routine 4-0 humbling of relegated Huddersfield, benefitting from Fernando Llorente pulling an opposition defender with him. The 27-year-old Wanyama profited by getting the better of Tom Hamer and slotting the ball home.

SPAIN

STANLEY CHUKWUEZE (Villarreal)

The Nigerian scored after seven minutes as Villarreal climbed out of the La Liga relegation zone with a 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Girona. However, a tough battle lies ahead for Chukwueze and his teammates as they are just two points above endangered Valladolid.

ITALY

KALIDOU KOULIBALY (Napoli)

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly bagged a brace as Napoli beat Chievo 3-1 to delay Juventus’ bid to win Serie A and condemn the Verona side to relegation. Koulibaly, 27, headed in the opening goal in the 15th minute and claimed his first double nine minutes from time. “We are angry. We want to show another face of Napoli,” added Koulibaly, following his first goals this season, after losing 2-0 to Arsenal in a Europa League quarter-final first leg.

FRANCK KESSIE (AC Milan)

Ivorian Kessie scored from the spot to keep AC Milan in the Champions League places with a 1-0 win over Lazio. Kessie slotted in on 79 minutes to end Milan’s four-match winless run, and stay one point ahead of Roma. The 22-year-old came under fire, however, after the game for holding Francesco Acerbi’s shirt aloft like a trophy along with teammate Tiemoue Bakayoko after the Lazio player had swapped it with French midfielder following the game at the San Siro.

GERMANY

NABIL BENTALEB (Schalke)

The Algerian midfielder returned to action for Schalke for the first time in a month after being dropped for poor discipline. Bentaleb came off the bench in Schalke’s 1-1 draw with Nuremberg to make his first appearance in a royal blue shirt since the 7-0 Champions League drubbing by Manchester City in mid-March. Interim coach Huub Stevens had banished Bentaleb to the reserves for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, but welcomed him back into the fold last week.

ISHAK BELFODIL (Hoffenheim)

Algerian international Belfodil was denied his sixth goal in three league games after his first-half strike against Hertha Berlin was wrongly disallowed for offside. The decision was not overturned by VAR because the whistle had already blown by the time Belfodil fired the ball in. Though Belfodil did not make the scoresheet, Hoffenheim won 2-0.

FRANCE

NICOLAS PEPE (Lille)

The Ivory Coast striker continued his excellent season with a goal and two assists in Lille’s stunning 5-1 thrashing of champions elect Paris Saint-Germain. The 23-year-old gave Lille the lead shortly after half-time by slotting in his 20th goal of the campaign, before teeing up defenders Gabriel and Jose Fonte late on as his side condemned PSG to their heaviest Ligue 1 defeat since 2009.

WAHBI KHAZRI (Saint-Etienne)

The Tunisian international’s 55th-minute penalty set Saint-Etienne on their way to a crucial 3-0 win over Bordeaux as Les Verts chase a Champions League spot. The 28-year-old has scored 14 goals this term since signing from Rennes.

AFP

15, April 2019

Yaounde intercepts about 30 passengers for alleged links to Boko Haram ⁰

Cameroon army arrested about 30 passengers in Far North region on Saturday night over suspected links to terror group Boko Haram during an impromptu road safety inspection, the region’s governor Midjiyawa Bakary said on Sunday.

According to Bakary, the passengers, mostly women and children, and their bus had no identification papers and were coming from a locality called Blangoua known for harboring Boko Haram insurgents.

“Blangoua shares boundary with Nigeria and Boko Haram militants regularly come to spend time there. There have been a number of suicide bomb incidents in the locality and many of those who committed these atrocities were women. So, soldiers were curious to see a group of women traveling without their husbands and from a place with bad reputation and decided to arrest them,” Local journalist Dairou Mohammed told Xinhua.

Boko Haram used to train women to suicide bombers, partially because it is easier to hide the bomb under women’s Burqa.

Bakary said that the road safety inspection was part of measures to curb insecurity that is common in the region during the period leading to major events.

“We have important events like the Labour Day, National Day (May 20) and the fasting period of Muslims all coming in May. Usually at this period, the attacks of Boko Haram increase,” he told reporters.

They will be released after “thorough investigation”, local authorities said.

On Friday, at least four Cameroonian soldiers died and seven others wounded in Mayo Moskota Sub-Division of the Far North region after landing on a mine planted by Boko Haram.

Source: Xinhuanet

15, April 2019

Comeback for Tiger Woods as he wins first major in 11 years ⁰

Tiger Woods won the 83rd Masters on Sunday, capturing his 15th major title to cement an epic return from scandal and injuries that once threatened his career.

Ending an 11-year major drought, the 43-year-old American superstar – who underwent spinal fusion in 2017 fearing chronic back pain would deny him life’s simple joys much less golf wins – seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open.

Woods fired a final-round two-under par 70 to finish on 13-under 275 for a one-shot victory to capture a $2.07 million (€1.82 million) top prize and the green jacket symbolizing Masters supremacy.

An all-American trio of three-time major winner Brooks Koepka, world number two Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele shared second on 276.

“I don’t know if there are words – I’m sure he’s ecstatic about it,” Koepka said. “To have the injuries and come back and do what he has done, it has been tremendous to watch.”

PGA TOUR✔@PGATOUR

Tiger Woods’ 15 majors:

1997 Masters
1999 PGA Championship
2000 U.S. Open
2000 The Open
2000 PGA Championship
2001 Masters
2002 Masters
2002 U.S. Open
2005 Masters
2005 The Open
2006 The Open
2006 PGA Championship
2007 PGA Championship
2008 U.S. Open
2019 Masters#

It was the fifth Masters title for Woods, his first since 2005, and it moved him three shy of the all-time record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus.

“A big well done from me to Tiger,” Nicklaus told telecaster CBS. “I’m so happy for him and for the game of golf. This is so fantastic.”

Woods served notice he had returned to form by contending last year at the British Open and PGA before snapping a five-year title drought by capturing the Tour Championship.

Racing to finish before an oncoming thunderstorm, players created their own electric atmosphere, spectators roaring repeatedly for sensational shotmaking on one of golf’s iconic stages at Augusta National, where Woods won his first major title in 1997.

Fans chant Tiger’s name

Woods then drove the green in two at the par-5 15^th and tapped in for birdie to seize the lead alone at 13-under par then sank a four-foot birdie putt at the par-3 16^th to stretch his advantage to two shots with two holes remaining.

Woods parred 17 and walked up to the 18^th green to crowds 20-people deep applauding with delight, but he kept a stoic visage until the job was complete, a tap-in for bogey followed by a fist pump and a scream of joy in celebration of a fairytale fightback like few others in sporting history.

Serena Williams✔@serenawilliams

I am literally in tears watching @TigerWoods this is Greatness like no other. Knowing all you have been through physically to come back and do what you just did today? Wow Congrats a million times! I am so inspired thank you buddy.

Just off the 18^th green, Woods hugged his mother as he had his late father Earl in 1997 and held his children, his back more than up to the task as the crowd chanted his name, a rare tribute, and rivals congratulated him as he entered the clubhouse.

Woods, one shy of matching Nicklaus for the most career Masters wins, won his 81^st career US PGA victory, one shy of the all-time record held by Sam Snead.

He also set a record for the longest gap between Masters triumphs, the 14-year spread one year longer than the old mark set by South African Gary Player from 1961 to 1974.

It completes a fairytale comeback to the pinnacle of golf for Woods, whose career imploded after a 2009 sex scandal before unraveling amid injuries and personal problems.

Logjam of late leaders

After battling to overhaul 54-hole leader Francesco Molinari of Italy, Woods birdied the par-5 13^th to join a lead pack of five at 12-under.

Woods, Molinari, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Kopeka and Dustin Johnson with Australian Jason Day in the clubhouse on 11-under and Patrick Cantlay, who also hit 12-under, foiled by bogeys at 16 and 17.

Woods and Molinari, in the last trio, each birdied the par-5 13^th to reach 12-under while Johnson reeled off three consecutive birdies, the last on an 11-foot putt at 17, to make 12-under.

Barack Obama✔@BarackObama

Congratulations, Tiger! To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination.

Schauffele got there on birdies at 14 and 15 and Koepka by answering a double bogey at the par-3 12^th with an eagle at 13 and birdie at 15.

None could go lower except Woods, with Molinari undone at the par-5 15^th when his approach struck a tree limb and his chip barely clung to the side of a damp slope on the way to a double-bogey disaster.

Augusta National moved the final round to Sunday morning due to storms expected to arrive in the afternoon, when leaders would typically be battling for the title.

The Masters, which has not had a Monday conclusion since 1983, decided to cancel its green jacket ceremony at the 18th green in order to hurry spectators to the exits faster.

(AFP)

15, April 2019

World’s largest aircraft completes historic first flight ⁰

The Stratolaunch, the world’s largest aircraft by wingspan, completed its successful first flight over the Mojave Desert, California, on Saturday.

The Stratolaunch has six engines and has a wingspan of 117m (384ft), bigger than the length of an American football field.

According to official information from Stratolaunch, the aircraft reached a maximum speed of more than 300 kilometres per hour (189 mph), during its 2.5 hour long flight at altitudes up to 17,000 feet (5,181m) over the desert.

According to reports, the Stratolaunch will enable convenient and affordable access to space, as its centre wing is designed to carry as many as three satellite-laden rockets and can support multiple launch vehicles, weighing up to a total of 500,000 pounds (over 226 tons).

15, April 2019

UK police invading migrant couples’ privacy over sham marriage suspicion ⁰

A new report shows genuine couples in the UK have been subjected to numerous cases of insult and harassment by police and other authorities, who suspect such marriages provide a cover for immigration fraud.

The Guardian newspaper said on Sunday that more and more registered couples across the UK had been subject to “insulting” searches by Home Office officials investigating whether their relationship was real and not one that allows the parties to remain in the country as a migrant.

The newspaper cited shocking cases of ministry officials raiding houses of couples or gatecrashing their wedding ceremonies only because they suspected they were involved in a sham marriage.

The couples are often forced to detail their sexual relationship, something many of them find deeply troublesome and insulting.

In one case, ministry officials had told a couple inside their house that their marriage could be declared sham because they were wearing pajamas in bed.

In another case, four ministry officials raided the home of a Pakistani man, identified only as Qasim, and his Portuguese wife three years ago. They interrogated the couple about their sexual behavior and then arrested the man for four months until authorities were convinced that the relationship was genuine.

“I was in a state of shock and trauma all the time I was in detention. It was very insulting that the Home Office came inside our home to check that everything was joined,” said Qasim.

Lawyers and rights activists have protested against the Home Office practice, saying it is part of the UK government’s hostile policy toward the refugees.

“You may be detained after your marriage ceremony is gatecrashed by Home Office officials. It’s very degrading,” said Poppy Firmin, an employee of a UK law agency.

“Home Office officials may come to your home early in the morning and check up on the number of toothbrushes,” said Elizabeth Ruddick, a solicitor working for major law agency.

The UK government has repeatedly been accused of violating the rights of refugees as authorities eye a drastic reduction in the number of arrivals in the country. That comes as many migrants from the European Union countries have already left the UK fearing that the country’s withdrawal from the EU could make their lives more difficult.

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