Monthly Archives: November 2019

23, November 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Addressing the wrong audience ⁰

The Cameroon government’s comedy has entered a new scene following the dispatching of rejected government officials to Southern Cameroons for them to address a crowd that has declared them unreliable and corrupt.

It should be recalled that those delegation members have kept a tight lip for three years as the Yaounde government mowed down innocent citizens of Southern Cameroons.

The different delegations, which have sneaked into the different cities and towns of Southern Cameroons, have already begun implementing a script imposed on them by the ruling party.

In Mamfe, the vice president of the country’s Senate also known as “an old people’s home”, Senator George Tabetando, addressed a crowd of CPDM loyalists on bended knees, urging them to help bring back the sons and daughters of Manyu Division from the bushes where they have been hiding from the sex-starved, alcohol-inflamed soldiers who have been raping women and gunning down young men for more three years.

He was accompanied in his drama by the mayor of Mamfe, Ayuk Takunchong, who has been feeding fat on the people’s wealth and resources.

Mr. Takunchong, who has been at City Hall for more than five years, has never condemned the irresponsible Yaounde government for the ferocious brutality it unleashed on his people.

Though Mr. Takunchong has been urging the boys and girls who have made the Manyu jungle their place of residence for three years, to come back to town, he has never castigated the corrupt government for unleashing a reign of terror on its own people.

Mr. Tabetando, the main actor of the CPDM unpalatable, low-quality and low-budget soap opera in Manyu Division, is himself wanted dead or alive for his role in the killing of many young men in his native Bachou Ntai where he is no longer regarded as a chief.

His effort to shed tears was considered by the locals as the height of hypocrisy. He is accused of provoking his own people when the government transformed Mamfe into a slaughter house in early 2017 following the killing of four gendarmerie officers in Agborkem German, a small river-side town on the border with Nigeria.

Following an unreasonable declaration of war on the people of Southern Cameroons by the country’s president, Paul Biya, Manyu Division quickly became the epicenter of the senseless fighting and killing of innocent civilians in Southern Cameroons.

Many towns and villages in the Division have been razed by a special killing squad set up by the country’s defense minister, Joseph Beti Assoumo, who had declared in 2017 that he would implement the president’s decision without batting an eyelid.

Despite calls by the international community for the government to negotiate in order to avert a bloodbath, the Yaounde government that is wont to violence, opted for a ferocious military campaign that has resulted in the deaths of 3,000 Southern Cameroonians, the burning of more than 250 villages and the destruction of the region’s once buoyant economy.

Companies such as the CDC, SONARA, PAMOL and Silicon Mountain; a once thriving IT hub, have all gone under, leaving many families and towns in tears and hardship.

Ossing, Kembong, Agborkem German, Dadi, Kwakwa, Muyengue and other once prosperous towns were torched by marauding soldiers who had been sent by the government to teach Southern Cameroonians a bitter lesson.

But after three years, the Yaounde government is gradually figuring out that a military victory is not in the cards. A message underscored last week by the USA undersecretary for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, who has been calling on the Yaounde government to organize a genuinely inclusive dialogue that should and must include the separatists.

He has also been urging the government to embrace the Canadian-sponsored Swiss initiative that has been endorsed by the international community.

In his view, the hastily organized, government-sponsored Major National Dialogue in Yaounde last month is just a first step towards an inclusive dialogue that will silence the guns and bring about genuine and long-lasting peace that is a prerequisite for the reconstruction of Southern Cameroons’ destroyed infrastructure and economy.

It should be recalled that Ambazonian fighters, who started their self-defense campaign with hunting rifles, have now acquired sophisticated weapons which have enabled them to give the poorly trained and unprofessional soldiers a run for their money.

More than a thousand soldiers have been sent to an early grave in the most frightening way and this has not really shocked a government which sees dialogue as a weakness.

The Yaounde government had underestimated the anger and determination of the people and it failed to factor in the Diaspora in its analysis of the situation.

Years of marginalization have sent more than 4 million Southern Cameroonians out of the country, with many settling in Nigeria, the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia.

These Southern Cameroonians have been bearing grudges against the government for decades and they had promised to make the government pay for its inhuman treatment of a people who voluntarily opted to join their brothers in East Cameroon.

With such a huge and professional Diaspora, the fragile and cash-strapped government does not really stand a chance, as Southern Cameroonians living abroad still have a stomach for a fight and determined to deliver a nightmare to the Yaounde government on a platter of gold.

Their financial contributions have enabled the fighters to acquire sophisticated weapons and their remittances are helping both the refugees and internally displaced persons to stay alive, albeit in very uncertain conditions.

The current scene of the government’s nauseating drama will surely not douse the fire. Southern Cameroonians are angry and justifiably so. They have lost friends and family in a war that was not necessary.

Rather than seek to address the issues that have triggered this strong overflow of powerful and devilish emotions in Southern Cameroons, the government has chosen to walk its usual path of trickery and manipulation that only leads to death and destruction.

Until the Yaounde government changes its strategy and embraces the truth, its numerous delegations to Southern Cameroons will continue to address the wrong audiences and the outcomes will be the same – no schools for many children, declining economy, unemployment, criminality and bitterness.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

22, November 2019

Real Madrid wants to sign Andre Onana ⁰

Goalkeeper André Onana of Ajax and Cameroon national team may continue his professional football career at Real Madrid.

According to Tuttomercato, Real view 23-year-old Onana as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois in the future.

In the current season, Onana has made 22 appearances for Ajax and conceded 18 goals.

André Onana is a student of the FC Barcelona Football Academy, and the Cameroon goalkeeper played within the Barça system in 2010-2015.

Source: Sports.news.am

22, November 2019

China Is Not In Africa For Charity, But To Control Its Resources ⁰

Africa is on the cusp of a new period in its history, its renaissance. Freed from centuries of colonialism and neo-imperialism, Africa has the opportunity to become a center of economic might to provide prosperity to the continent’s growing population. Yet, at present, Africa unfortunately faces a new danger: Sino-imperialism, the risk of falling under the control of China largely through Chinese economic investment and loans. The People’s Republic of China has long supported African states since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came to power in 1949. Under Mao, China’s backed African liberation movements in an effort to advance Maoism and offset Soviet and American influence. In much of Africa today, China is the imperialist power.

China is in Africa now not to advance Maoism, but to control its resources, people, and potential. From building railways in Kenya and roads in rural Ethiopia to running mines in the Congo, China has drastically changed the African economic landscape in the twentieth century. China lent nearly $125 billion to Africa between 2000 and 2006 and recently pledged $60 billion at the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation. The Chinese superficially appear to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with Africa by providing financial and technical assistance to Africa’s pressing developmental needs. Trade between China and Africa has grown from $10 billion in 2000 to $190 billion by 2017. It is estimated that 12 percent of Africa industrial production, or $500 billion annually—nearly half of Africa’s internationally contracted construction market—is carried out by Chinese firms.

China’s activities in the African continent have yet to receive the attention they deserve in the West. China’s behavior in Africa is important for three major reasons. First, China is the source of significant investment capital twinned with a prodigious ability to create infrastructure, both of which are needed by many African states. Second, China’s behavior in Africa provides the rest of the world with insight into how it will behave towards other states, particularly the states of the Global South, as it becomes equal in power with the United States. Third, what China is doing in Africa does not augur well for the rest of the world. China’s activities and behavior in Africa may only be described as neo-colonial and exploitative of African peoples and the environment.

China’s abusive behavior towards African states has occurred for decades. In 2007, Guy Scott, the former agricultural minister in the Zambian government told The Guardian, “We’ve had bad people before. The whites were bad, the Indians were worse, but the Chinese are worst of all.” But Sino-imperialism is getting worse as China grows in power and seeks evermore resources.

There are copious examples of the negative consequences of Sino-imperialism. One archetypical case is the China National Petroleum Corporation, the state-owned oil and gas company, which is a major investor operating in South Sudanese oil fields. The Chinese pollute the local environment with impunity, resulting in children born with deformities, the poisoning of livestock, destruction of fertile land, and the pollution of rivers. Additionally, the Chinese cause environmental destruction in the Northern Upper Nile and Ruweng states affects the indigenous Dinka Padang communities of South Sudan. The Chinese help produce oil generating revenue and economic opportunities but are not bound with environmental standards.

The Chinese influence in South Sudan also results from road construction and infrastructure development. South Sudan will provide thirty thousand barrels per day of crude to the Export-Import Bank of China to fund the construction of roads and infrastructure development. This includes the construction of a 392-kilometer (244-mile) road from Juba to Rumbek and from Juba to Nadapal on the Kenyan border, which is being built by a Chinese firm using Chinese technology and manpower.

South Sudan’s neighbors, Ethiopia and Kenya, received loans for infrastructure projects from the Chinese. The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative has introduced dynamic infrastructure projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway. The railway connects Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The railway was Ethiopia’s first railway in over a century and Africa’s first fully electrified line. The railways cuts travel time from the capital Addis Ababa to Djibouti from two days by road to twelve hours.

The Standard Gauge Railway appears to be providing revolutionary infrastructure to stimulate economic growth, but the details demand scrutiny. The project cost nearly $4.5 billion, partly financed by the China Export-Import Bank. The railway uses Chinese trains, Chinese construction companies, Chinese standards and specifications, and operated by the China Railway Group Limited (CREC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

As might be expected from this Sino-imperialist project, the railway has been plagued with technical and financial challenges, which calls into question Ethiopia’s dependence on Chinese technology and debt-finance. The African country is struggling to repay its loan to China and reap the benefits of this dynamic infrastructure project. In 2018, Addis Ababa negotiated with China and structured its loan terms from fifteen to thirty years. In next door Kenya, as a result of heavy borrowing by the government, China may seize the port of Mombasa. According to Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper, the terms are Draconian and state “neither the borrower [Kenya] nor any of its assets is entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty, with respect to its obligations.”

In addition to these abuses, the Chinese presence in Africa is defined by a purposeful isolation from the indigenous population. Chinese firms bring in their own drivers, construction workers, and support staff, denying these employment opportunities to Africans, and often live apart from the African societies in which they reside.

These activities are only an example of China’s abusive behavior in Africa. Africa endured colonialism and neo-imperialism for hundreds of years. Just as Africa has freed itself from those bonds, it needs to work with the West and other states to provide alternatives to Chinese money and infrastructure. The greatest threat Africa faces today is Sino-imperialism. It is now in danger of being captured by China’s sinister Sino-imperialism that will keep Africa from entering its renaissance.

Source: The National Interest

22, November 2019

Africa Cup of Nations: Cameroon 2021 dates ‘to be decided’ ⁰

The dates for Cameroon 2021, the next Africa Cup of Nations, are yet to be decided, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) says.

The announcement raises the possibility of the tournament returning to its previous schedule of January/February.

Egypt 2019 was the first Nations Cup to be held in June/July.

Caf say the Cameroon move is due to weather conditions in the country but a move would also avoid a clash with the newly relaunched Club World Cup.

Cameroon are also the hosts, in 2020, of the African Nations Championship, for locally-based players, and that will take place in April.

But an April Nations Cup would clash with the end of the European club season, so is unlikely be an option.

CAF says it will make a decision on the dates “jointly” with the host country.

The news was one of a number of decisions made at CAF’s Executive Committee meeting in Cairo on Thursday.

The governing body confirmed its decision to cancel its long-term media rights contract with French company Lagardere, which CAF says is legally required.

Lagardere has previously said it would challenge the decision or demand “a significant amount of cash”.

Caf also called for bids to host the 2020 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, which is still without a host after Congo Brazzaville pulled out.

And they announced the return of an award for players based on the continent.

There hasn’t been one since 2017, but the Executive Committee announced a new trophy for the best player featuring in the continent’s inter-club competitions – the African Champions League and Confederation Cup.

Source: BBC

22, November 2019

Yaounde: Six-nation central African summit debates future of CFA franc ⁰

Leaders from six central African countries gathered Friday in Cameroon for a summit expected to focus on the CFA franc, whose future has come under question in West Africa.

The extraordinary one-day meeting in Yaounde included leaders from Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

Cameroon President Biya hosted the summit and said it “gives us a new opportunity to exchange and agree additional measures that can consolidate the economic recovery of our region.”

Five of the six nations were represented by their heads of state, while Gabon, whose President Ali Bongo Ondimba suffered a stroke last year, sent its prime minister.

As members of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), the nations jointly use the CFA franc, a currency rooted in the French colonial era in western and central Africa.

The CFA franc will be on the agenda, according to press kit distributed by Biya’s office.

“The currency inherited from colonisation divides economists and heads of state in the (CFA) franc zone,” it said.

“(It) is being presented by numerous financial experts as a brake to development.”

The CFA — its initials come from the French words for African Financial Community — was launched on December 26, 1945 as a “franc of the French colonies of Africa.”

The money then morphed into two geographic variants, one for eight countries in western Africa and another for six in central Africa, with a combined population of 155 million people.

CFA member countries must lodge reserves with the Bank of France.

The currency is essentially pegged to the euro, at a fixed rate of 655.96 CFA francs per euro.

The arrangement guarantees unlimited convertibility of CFA francs into euros, facilitates inter-zone transfers and helps price stability.

But detractors say the CFA franc is a “post-colonial” contract that prevents countries from exercising sovereignty over their currency, or which enables France to wield influence in Africa.

The 15 member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed to adopt a single currency, the “eco”, as early as next year.

Prospects of earlier changes to the region’s currency dramatically surfaced this month when Benin leader Patrice Talon said the western African states planned to pull their reserves from the Bank of France.

“We are all agreed, unanimously, that we should put an end to this model,” Talon told French broadcasters RFI and France 24 on November 14.

Source: AFP

22, November 2019

Maltese tycoon re-arrested in journalist murder case ⁰

Maltese police on Friday re-arrested a tycoon in connection with the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, just hours after releasing him on bail, police said.

Yorgen Fenech had been detained on his yacht at dawn Wednesday after attempting to sail away from Malta, the day after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat promised to pardon an alleged middleman if he named the person who ordered the attack.

Investigators have described him as “a person of interest” in the 2017 murder of the blogger, who reported on corruption, including alleging links between high-level politicians and a company that it later transpired was owned by Fenech.

Under Maltese law, police had 48 hours to interrogate and then charge or release him. He was released on bail late Thursday then re-arrested Friday, a police source told AFP.

Caruana Galizia, described by supporters as a “one-woman WikiLeaks”, was blown up in a car bombing at the age of 53 near her home in the small village of Bidnija in northern Malta.

Her family welcomed Fenech’s arrest, but said Muscat’s office was implicated in the case and that he should distance himself from the investigation.

– Rushed arrest –

Muscat told reporters that police would initially have liked more time to probe new leads, but had been rushed into arresting Fenech after he attempted to leave the tiny Mediterranean island on his sleek blue and white yacht.

Friday’s re-arrest buys them another 48 hours.

Fenech, who is from a wealthy family with a sprawling business empire from energy to hotels, was also being questioned Friday over possible links to money laundering and drugs, the police source said.

A leaked Malta Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) report identified Fenech as the owner of a company in Dubai called 17 Black.

Caruana Galizia had written in her blog about 17 Black some eight months before her death, alleging it had connections to Maltese politicians.

Leaked emails revealed in court appeared to show that Panama companies owned by then-energy minister Konrad Mizzi and the prime minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri stood to receive payments from 17 Black.

– ‘No place near investigation’ –

Fenech’s arrest prompted calls for Muscat’s resignation over the long-running case, which sparked outrage around the world and has raised questions about the rule of law in Malta.

Civil society groups and Maltese journalists on Friday slammed the lack of police press conferences and Muscat’s decision to “shoulder the responsibility” for informing the public on updates in the case.

“The arrest of Yorgen Fenech is an important and overdue development in the investigation into our wife and mother’s assassination,” the Caruana Galizia family said in a statement.

But it added that the prime minister had “no place near the investigation”, and it was “prepared to use all legal means at our disposal to ensure that the investigation is independent and impartial, and that it runs its full course”.

The alleged middleman in the case, taxi driver and loan shark Melvin Theuma, who was arrested last week, was hospitalised Friday for an unknown medical complaint but his condition was not serious, Muscat said.

Security was tightened at the hospital after the 41-year old was admitted, he said.

Source: AFP

22, November 2019

Prince William honours African wildlife conservationists ⁰

Wildlife conservationists who have played an important role in protecting wildlife in Africa were honoured by the Duke of Cambridge in London on Thursday (November 21).

The Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa was awarded to Carlos Lopes Pereira from Mozambique, where the number of protected species like elephants and rhinos has been dwindling.

Prince William explained that, “the species that we are struggling to keep alive in the system is the protected species like the elephant, rhino. We almost lost all rhinos. We have few rhinos in the country, in the south. Elephants – we had a disastrous situation between 2010, 2014. We lost almost 60 percent of our elephant population. But we have, I think and I hope we’ll keep it for a long time stabilised on the protected species.”

Zambia’s Benson Kanyembo took home the Wildlife Ranger award, while Senegal’s Tomas Diagne was honoured for his work in conserving African turtles and tortoises.

“When I started my work, I started as a junior person who never thought they would be recognised, and it has sent a different message. Everyone, those who feel like they’re left out, now they are working hard. They know people are looking at them. One day they’ll be recognised. So it’s a big morale booster to all the rangers, not only in Africa, all Zambia. The whole Africa, everyone is appreciating,” Benson said after receiving the award.

Two finalists – Jeneria Lekilelei from Kenya and Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka from Uganda — also won grants in recognition of their work to protect lions and mountain gorillas respectively.

The annual event has been held for the past seven years.

REUTERS

22, November 2019

Ronaldo ready to make amends as injury-hit Juve take on Atalanta in Serie A ⁰

Cristiano Ronaldo conceded he is not ‘100 percent’ despite his goal spree for Portugal but always ready to play as injury-hit Juventus head to Atalanta on Saturday looking to extend their unbeaten run this season to stay top of Serie A.

Juventus visit fifth-placed Atalanta before hosting Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week.

Maurizio Sarri’s side are just one point ahead of Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan after 12 matches, with Lazio and Cagliari eight points adrift of the leaders in joint third.

Atalanta have gone three league games without a win and will be eager to get back into the Champions League berths, as they sit two points off fourth place, before next week’s trip to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Atalanta’s fortunes have slipped following the thigh injury suffered to Colombian star Duvan Zapata, who scored six goals in six Serie A matches before being sidelined for their last five league games.

As Atalanta sweat on Zapata’s return, Juventus will be without full-back Alex Sandro, who picked up a thigh problem playing for Brazil, with Blaise Matuidi recovering from a rib injury.

Ronaldo had said he was not be at his best physical form, with Sarri saying the Portuguese star has a “little knee problem”.

But the 34-year-old wants to make amends after storming off when he was substituted in Juventus’s last game against AC Milan.

“In the last three weeks, I have played at a slightly reduced capacity,” Ronaldo conceded after his goal spree for Portugal.

“I don’t like to be replaced, no one does,” added Ronaldo. “I tried to help Juve even when injured.”

Full-back Danilo, who scored his first goal for Brazil during the international break, warned: “The games after the international break are never easy, let alone against Atalanta, a team who are doing well.

“We can’t make mistakes or underestimate them.”

Inter will be looking to make it a perfect seven league games on the road this season as they travel to Torino, before their European trip to Slavia Prague.

Conte’s side face a tough task against the Andrea Belotti-powered Torino, who ended their six-match winless run against Brescia last time out, and are in 11th position.

Serie A runners-up Napoli are in crisis, having slipped to seventh, and desperately need a result at 14th-placed AC Milan, who are themselves floundering.

Cagliari and Lazio will look to continue their strong form at lowly Lecce and Sassuolo respectively.

Roma have a chance to move into the Champions League places as the look to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Parma at home against tailenders Brescia.

One to watch:

Carlo Ancelotti’s Serie A runners-up last season head for AC Milan amid reports he has two games left to save his job.

Napoli have gone four games without a win in Serie A to sit seventh.

The southerners have 19 points — 13 behind leaders Juventus — their worst tally after 12 games since the 2011-2012 season when they finished fifth.

After being held 1-1 by Salzburg in the Champions League, they travel to Liverpool next week in a key game for the former Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid boss.

Key stats:

100 – Torino captain Andrea Belotti’s Serie A goals

29 – Juventus’s unbeaten run against Atalanta — 23W, 6D

13 – Points between Juventus and last season’s runners-up Napoli

6 – Inter have won six in six on the road so far this league season.

5 – Years since AC Milan last beat Napoli

Fixtures

Saturday (all times GMT)

Atalanta v Juventus (1400GMT), AC Milan v Napoli (1700), Torino v Inter Milan (1945)

Sunday

Bologna v Parma (1130GMT), Verona v Fioretina, AS Roma v Brescia, Sassuolo v Lazio (1400), Sampdoria v Udinese (1700), Lecce v Cagliari (1945)

Monday

SPAL v Genoa (1945)

Source: AFP

22, November 2019

Israel: Netanyahu indicted on corruption charges, says he won’t resign ⁰

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would not resign despite being charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a corruption scandal that he denounced as an “attempted coup”.

The charges announced by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit were the first of their kind against a serving Israeli prime minister and represented the gravest crisis in the political career of Israel’s longest-serving leader.

Netanyahu, in power continuously since 2009 and before that in the 1990s, has dominated Israeli politics for a generation, decisively turning the country to the right. He has denied wrongdoing in the three graft cases, saying he is the victim of a political witch hunt.

He is under no legal obligation to resign. But the indictment could further embolden challengers trying to dislodge him after two inconclusive elections since April, with a third election expected to be announced within weeks.

Conviction on the charges could bring a lengthy jail term. But any trial could be delayed for months by the political crisis, and Netanyahu could try to secure parliamentary immunity from prosecution.ADVERTISING

His rejection of the charges echoed the pugnacious language of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump.

“It is an attempted coup based on fabrications and a tainted and biased investigative process,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech. “I will continue to lead the country, according to the letter of the law, with responsibility, devotion and concern for all of our futures,” he said, standing at a podium against the backdrop of four Israeli flags in his official residence.

His main centre-left challenger in the two elections this year, Benny Gantz, tweeted in response: “There is no coup in Israel, just a bid (by Netanyahu) to hang onto power.”

The attorney general, who was appointed by Netanyahu, spelled out the indictment in his own televised statement.

“This is a difficult and sad day,” said Mandelblit. It was his duty, Mandelblit said, to ensure that no one in Israel was above the law.

Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000

Police recommended in February that Mandelblit file criminal charges against Netanyahu in the long-running investigations dubbed Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000.

Netanyahu is suspected of wrongfully accepting $264,000 worth of gifts, including champagne and cigars, from wealthy businessmen in one case. In another, he is accused of dispensing favours in return for favourable stories about him in Israel’s biggest selling newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth.

In the most serious case, he is accused of granting regulatory favours worth about 1.8 billion shekels (about $500 million) to Israel’s leading telecoms company, Bezeq Telecom Israel, in return for positive coverage on a website owned by its former chairman.

Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu on charges of breach of trust and fraud in all three corruption cases, as well as bribery in the Bezeq Telecom case.

“They weren’t after the truth, they were after me,” Netanyahu said in his address, a note of emotion in what was otherwise a speech mixing anger with accusations.

“What I’m going through is not easy. I’m a human being, too. What my family is going through is unbearable. Every day, every evening, my blood and the blood of my wife and son are being spilled.”

Netanyahu failed to form a government after the election in April, and he and Gantz each fell short of securing a ruling majority in parliament after the second vote in September.

Earlier on Thursday, during one of the most unusual days in Israeli political history, the country’s president told lawmakers to name a third candidate to form a new government, a development that probably sets the stage for a third election within a year.

“These are harsh dark days in the annals of the State of Israel,” President Reuven Rivlin said as he announced that Gantz had not mustered enough support for a stable coalition.

The prolonged political stalemate comes at a tricky time for Israel and its most prominent statesman on the domestic and international fronts.

A conflict with arch-foe Iran has deepened – Israeli warplanes hit Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday after rockets were fired toward Israel – while fighting with Palestinian militants in Gaza flared last week.

The introduction of criminal charges could further complicate the eventual rollout of a long-delayed Middle East peace plan from Trump, by imperilling the political future of one of the key players whose support is needed.

And if a new Israeli election is in the cards, Netanyahu would be running as an indicted suspect, displaying further vulnerability to an electorate that has already seen him falter at the polls.

Palestinians greeted the news with grim pleasure. Palestine Liberation Organization official Wasel Abu Youssef said that for years Netanyahu had sought to avoid this outcome by “launching wars against the Palestinian people” to boost his domestic popularity.

(REUTERS)

22, November 2019

Cameroon Teen Girl Wins International Children’s Peace Prize ⁰

A 15-year-old girl from Cameroon is one of two winners of the 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize. Divina Maloum was rewarded for her efforts in promoting children’s rights by visiting school to warn students against joining armed groups, such as Boko Haram.

Hundreds of children from schools in Yaounde, glued to their TV screens, applauded Wednesday as Maloum was given the International Children’s Peace Prize for 2019 in the Hague on the occasion of Universal Children’s Day.

This is no small award. The other winner of the prize was 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, the climate activist from Sweden, who was unable to attend the ceremony but said in a statement that she is “incredibly grateful and honored for this prize.”

Among those watching Maloum accept the award was her civic education teacher, Ntigang Oumarou.

Oumarou said thanks to Maloum’s association to Children for Peace, many young people in their schools and neighborhoods no longer consume drugs. She said after Maloum’s talks and sensitization caravans, the community was alert and the police now conduct regular controls to make sure drugs and alcohol are not sold around schools and to children. She said she was very proud of the 15-year old and wished her well.

Maloum created Children for Peace in 2014 after she visited Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria, where Boko Haram terrorism has killed more than 27,000 people and displaced two million others.

She said she was horrified that children were the greatest victims of the war and started thinking of what she could do to help those who were joining Boko Haram, either by force or out of ignorance.

“I noticed that the rights of children especially for girls were violated. You see a girl of five years getting married to an old man of 60 years. You see boys, girls who are carriers of bombs (suicide bombers), so I decided to create that association to stimulate the civic and voluntary engagement of children in the fight against violent extremism. To make them be peace builders in their communities. To also make them to be change makers,” Maloum said.

Children for Peace now has a network of 100 children across Cameroon’s ten regions. She has organized inter-community children’s peace camps, established peace clubs in mosques, and together with other children, issued a children’s declaration against violent extremism.

Maloum said she believed everyone can make a difference in bringing peace to their societies.

‘My message to the world is that when the power of love will be greater than the love of power, man shall have another name which is God and that a youth, where you are as an individual, you can change the world and make a difference where you are going to,” she said.

Maloum said her main concern now is for peace to return to the restive English-speaking regions of Cameroon, where most schools have been closed for three years due to fighting between armed separatists and the country’s military.

Source: VOA