Monthly Archives: April 2020

US Politics: Pelosi endorses Biden as ‘voice of reason and resilience’ for president

27, April 2020

US Politics: Pelosi endorses Biden as ‘voice of reason and resilience’ for president 0

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed Joe Biden for president, joining a list of top Democrats, who have thrown their support behind the former vice president.

“Today I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States because he will be an extraordinary president,” said Pelosi in the pre-recorded message.

Her endorsement of the Democratic presidential candidate follows that of US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, former president Barack Obama and former vice president Al Gore, who all threw their weight behind Biden earlier this month.

In her video statement, Pelosi cited Biden’s experience in government, including his role in passing the Affordable Care Act, as evidence of his leadership qualities. She said Biden is well-positioned to lead the country amid the ongoing coronanvirus outbreak.

“As we face coronavirus, Joe has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis,” Pelosi said in her endorsement.

A boost during pandemic campaign lull

The endorsement comes at an opportune time for Biden, who has struggled to maintain a high profile during the Covid-19 pandemic and sustain the momentum he had built up in his lightning-quick run toward becoming the Democratic nominee.

Besides current and past Democratic leaders, Biden has also won endorsements from some other key stakeholders such as Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, a prominent climate change campaigner, and the 400,000-member United Auto Workers union.

The endorsements have given Biden a series of headlines at a time when his campaign is effectively on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, and when US President Donald Trump has dominated media attention with his combative White House briefings.

The Democrats are eager to project unity heading into the presidential race against Trump for the November 3 general elections.

In recent weeks, the more moderate Biden has made attempts to win the support of the liberal backers of Sanders and Warren.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

Global COVID-19 caseload grows slowly, contagion curve flattens in Europe

27, April 2020

Global COVID-19 caseload grows slowly, contagion curve flattens in Europe 0

As the global caseload of the COVID-19 disease increased more slowly, governments around the world are increasingly taking steps to revive their shuttered economies after weeks of pandemic lockdowns.

More than 206,544 people have lost their lives due to the respiratory disease caused by the new virus — well over half of them in Europe — and 2,971,477 others are currently infected with the virus across the globe, according to the latest data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the contagion curve appears to have flattened in Europe, as the continent’s worst-hit nations — Italy, Spain, France, and Britain — eventually report drops in their daily tallies.

That has allowed the governments to prepare for a staged end to weeks off coronavirus lockdowns.

Spanish children get outside after 6 weeks

Spanish children were finally free to go outside on Sunday, after six weeks of living under one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns.

Under the new lockdown conditions, children under 14 are allowed to step outside of their house for one hour of supervised activity per day.

Schools still remain closed.

Spain’s Health Ministry reported the lowest daily increase in the coronavirus fatality toll in more than a month on Sunday. It registered 288 deaths, which brought the total number of fatalities to 23,190, while the overall number of cases rose to 226, 629.

The county has recorded the world’s third-highest number of deaths, after the United States and Italy.

A man chases his daughters as they play in the street, in Barcelona, Spain, on April 26, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Italy to reopen factories

Italy will also allow manufacturers, construction companies, and some wholesalers to reopen from next week, and will permit limited family visits after more than two months of a strict lockdown.

Under the revised rules, retailers will be allowed to reopen two weeks later.

Restaurants, however, will remain closed until the beginning of June.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who outlined the road map to restart activities, said on Sunday, “We will live with the virus and we will have to adopt every precaution possible.”

Health authorities reported a third consecutive daily fall in COVID-19 deaths, with 260 fatalities — the lowest number since mid-March.

With 26,644 fatalities, Italy’s death toll still remains the heaviest in Europe, along with 197, 675 confirmed cases of the viral infection.

The number of new cases has been slowing and the number of patients in intensive care has been falling steadily, according to officials.

Britain reports 413 more deaths

Britain’s daily tally was also the lowest since the end of March, as officials reported 413 deaths in 24 hours, with 4,463 new confirmed cases.

That brought the total death toll across the United Kingdom to 20,732, along with 152,840 confirmed cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans for easing lockdown restrictions as early as this week.

He is due to be back at work on Monday after spending a week in hospital due to a coronavirus infection and two weeks of recovering at Chequers, his country residence.

France reports lowest deaths in over a month

France on Sunday reported the smallest rise in deaths since March 25, with a decrease in the number of patients in intensive care.

Deaths rose by 242 to 22,856, according to figures provided by the French Health Ministry on Sunday.

The number of new cases also increased by 1,129 to 191,743.

Some businesses allowed to reopen in Switzerland

Switzerland also allowed some businesses to reopen on Monday. The country has reported a total number of 29,061 cases of COVID-19 and 1,610 deaths.

Germany detects 1,018 new cases

Germany has confirmed 1,018 new cases, bringing its total to 155,193, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases on Monday.

The death toll also rose by 110 to 5,750, the data showed.

Meanwhile, millions of Muslims across the world have begun the holy month of Ramadan under coronavirus restrictions, which ban them from large gatherings for prayers in mosques.

Saudi Arabia relaxes some curfews

Saudi Arabia has kept 24-hour lockdowns in place in the city of Mecca, but eased some curfews elsewhere on Sunday.

Outside Mecca and certain lockdown areas, curfews will be eased for eight hours during the day.

The kingdom has also allowed some economic and commercial activities to re-start from Wednesday until May 13.

With 17,522 cases of infection and 139 deaths, Saudi Arabia has the highest numbers among the six members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The countries, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, have collectively recorded almost 46,000 cases and 258 deaths.

Dubai lifts lockdown on two commercial districts

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted a full lockdown on two densely-populated commercial districts in Dubai on Sunday.

Dubai, the Middle East’s business hub, already cut its 24-hour lockdown back to an eight-hour curfew on Friday.

The UAE has reported more than 10,300 cases and 76 deaths resulting from COVID-19, the second-highest count among the six-member Arab alliance.

Turkey’s death toll passes 2,800

Turkey eased a four-day curfew in 31 provinces and lifted quarantines in 177 settlements in 44 cities midnight on Sunday.

The Turkish Interior Ministry, however, said in a statement that regulations to curb the spread of the disease, such as compulsory wearing of masks and social-distancing in markets and streets would be strictly monitored over the next week.

Turkey’s confirmed cases increased by 2,357 in the past 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed on Sunday, taking the country’s tally to 110,130 — the highest total for any country outside Western Europe or the United States.

The number of deaths also increased to 2,805 after 99 people succumbed to the respiratory disease in the last 24 hours.

A total of 29,140 people in Turkey have so far recovered from COVID-19, authorities said.

A person wears a plastic water bottle with a cutout to cover her face, as she walks on a footbridge in Hong Kong, China, on January 31, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

China reports 3 new cases, no deaths

China, the first ever country to report the disease, has detected three new cases, down from 11 a day earlier, with no new deaths, the country’s health authority said on Monday.

Of the new cases, two were imported, down from five on the previous day, according to the National Health Committee.

The country has a total of 82,830 cases and 4,633 deaths.

Coronavirus keeps Muslims away from mosques across Asia

The Muslim populations in several countries across Asia have now been banned from gathering in mosques during the holy month of Ramadan.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, has closed its main mosque to worshippers, calling on people to pray at home.

The country’s Istiqlal Mosque, the biggest in South Asia, which every year drew thousands of worshippers for prayers during Ramadan, was empty on Monday due to the lockdown.

Indonesia has confirmed 8,882 cases of infection and at least 743 deaths so far.

Bangladesh also closed the gates of the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Jame Mosque in the capital, Dhaka.

Bangladesh has so far reported a total of 5,416 cases and 145 deaths.

Pakistan also closed one of its biggest mosques to people on Monday.

Police patrolled outside the Faizan-e-Madina Mosque in the city of Karachi to stop worshippers from entering the mosque.

Pakistan has reported more than 11,000 confirmed cases, along with 237 deaths.

India’s Jama Masjid in New Delhi was also deserted as only five worshippers joined an evening prayer on the first day of Ramadan.

The country’s Muslim population has lately been harassed online and across the cities over allegations that they were “deliberately” spreading the coronavirus in India.

India has reported 26,496 cases of the respiratory disease and 824 deaths.

Bangladesh’s garment factories defy lockdown

In a related development, Bangladeshi garment factories defied a nationwide lockdown to resume work.

Hundreds of factories resumed operations over the weekend in the industrial areas of Gazipur and Ashulia, just outside Dhaka.

Factories said they had been “under pressure” from big-name international brands to fulfill export orders.

They had to shut down in late March due to the outbreak.

Some 200,000 workers were likely back at work just in Ashulia, according to police spokeswoman Jane Alam.

This has raised fears that the industry’s vulnerable and largely female workforce could be exposed to the virus.

More than four million people work in thousands of garment factories across the country. Last year, Bangladesh shipped out 35 billion dollars of apparel to retailers such as H&M, Inditex, and Walmart.

Almost 2 million Australians get tracking app

In Australia, nearly two million people have downloaded a government app designed to trace close contacts of COVID-19 patients.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said 1.89 million people had downloaded the app CovidSafe as of Monday. That made only more than seven percent of the country’s population of 25.7 million. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said at least 40 percent of the population would need to download the app.

The app stores 21 days of data of the users’ contacts, and has sparked concerns about the privacy of users.

People observe social distancing as they pay their respects during the Anzac Day dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, on April 25, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

Australia has recorded 83 deaths and 6,700 cases.

Some states across the country have now begun easing social distancing restrictions.

Mexico removes almost all refugees from facilities

Mexico, through which many refugees travel to reach the United States, has deported most of the refugees back to their home countries over the past five weeks.

The country’s National Migration Institute (INM) said that it had been removing refugees from its 65 facilities, which held 3,759 people last month.

Authorities have returned 3,653 refugees to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador by road and air. Only 106 people remain in government refugee centers.

Experts say the move is being taken in line with Mexico’s policy of keeping the number of refugees in check under pressure from US President Donald Trump. The INM, however, said the refugees were being returned in order to comply with health and safety guidelines to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Health officials have reported 13,842 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,305 deaths in Mexico.

Source: Presstv

Yaounde alive with conspiracy theories on Paul Biya’s health

27, April 2020

Yaounde alive with conspiracy theories on Paul Biya’s health 0

The meeting President Paul Biya granted to the French ambassador to Cameroon last Thursday continues to captivate the attention of oppositionists from the Yaoundé regime, who dispute that it ever took place. Fuelled by rumours and conspiracy theories, the country is caught up in a political thriller-like storyline as a health crisis looms in the background.

The meeting between Paul Biya and the Ambassador of France to Cameroon Christophe Guilhou was supposed to answer questions surrounding the Cameroonian president’s health status and quiet rumours, with some people even maintaining that he was dead. However, the Etoudi Palace resident’s reappearance on the small screen after not being seen in public since 11 March, when Cameroon had merely two cases of COVID-19, hardly reassured sceptics.

Nevertheless, Ambassador Guilhou said that his meeting on Thursday 14 April was with a “still alert” Biya.

“We had a very long discussion,” he added in a brief statement after leaving the presidential palace, during which he also brought up issues relating to French-Cameroonian cooperation, the focus of his conversation with Biya.

Ultimatums and persistent rumours

On Wednesday, the day before the meeting, Maurice Kamto, a figure who has condemned the president’s silence on several occasions, caused a media uproar when he announced that he had asked the National Assembly to “establish the vacancy of the presidential office.”

The move was the climax of a series of ultimatums declared by the dissident of Cameroon’s head of state whose “extended and unexplained absence” has been described as “unacceptable” by the leader of the Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroun (MRC).

Despite Biya’s resurfacing (it is noteworthy that he has still not spoken about the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon), rumours continue to shake up the public arena. Images from the meeting have not dispelled doubt among the most ardent sceptics. On social media, some people are quick to call the video “fake.”

Franklin Nyamsi, a Cameroonian professor based in France, even claims that the communications department of the Embassy of France in Yaoundé – which he asserts he contacted – “had no knowledge of such a meeting” and that Guilhou “likely went to the meeting without informing his own department.”

Since then, Nyamsi has initiated a petition calling for the departure of the French ambassador to Cameroon on the grounds of “serious interference and flagrant manipulation of public opinion.”

To date, 9,700 people have signed the petition. However, off the record, a source within the Embassy of France denies that Nyamsi ever tried to contact the embassy.

Reversal of position

In recent days, a reversal of position has occurred. The same opposition groups that once praised Emmanuel Macron’s comments on Cameroon’s socio-political crisis during a video recorded on the sidelines of his appearance at the Paris Agricultural Show, are now criticising France’s position.

On the other hand, the party in power in Yaoundé, which had become vocal after the French president’s comments, is now defending Paris as its ambassador contends with an onslaught of criticism over the meeting.

“The offensive remarks and inept conduct of certain comrades should in no case discourage our friends,” said Grégoire Owona, Secretary General of the ruling Rassemblement démocratique du Peuple Camerounais (RDPC) party.

Complete the form for your free download of The Africa Report’s special feature “The Sahel trap”. Get your free PDF by completing the following form.

In light of the controversy, Guilhou broached the subject on Sunday during a political programme broadcast on national television. During the interview, the French ambassador was careful to downplay his positions, particularly regarding the Cameroonian president’s “alertness.”

“The media asked me how President Biya seemed and I responded that he was the same as he had been during previous meetings,” he said, without elaborating any further on the issue.

Sceptics are still not convinced.

“We’re concerned that Guilhou went along with a sick farce,” said Christian Penda Ekoka, an economist close to Kamto.

At a time when Cameroon has crossed the threshold of 1,000 COVID-19 patients, the health crisis underway in the sub-Saharan African country with the second largest number of infections still seems to be taking a back seat to the endless political sparring matches taking place in the public arena.

Culled from The Africa Report

3 officials kidnapped in Southern Cameroons

27, April 2020

3 officials kidnapped in Southern Cameroons 0

Three government officials were abducted Friday night in Boyo division of Northwest, one of the two troubled Anglophone regions of Cameroon, local authorities said Saturday.

A Court registrar of Boyo High Court, an official of election management body Elections Cameroon (Elecam), and a municipal councillor of ruling Cameroon’s People Democratic Movement (CPDM), were kidnapped by gunmen “as they were going about their normal activities”, according to security sources who asked not to be named.

Local police said a search and rescue mission of the hostages is underway.

Armed separatists have intensified attacks on officials who participated in Feb. 9 legislative and municipal elections in Cameroon, saying they disrespected their order to boycott the elections, according to media reports.

Since 2017, armed separatists have been fighting to create an independent nation in the two Anglophone regions of the largely French-speaking Cameroon.

Source: Xinhuanet

Cameroon coronavirus spread frees prisoners

27, April 2020

Cameroon coronavirus spread frees prisoners 0

Thousands of Cameroonian prisoners have effectively regained their freedom, as ordered by the central African state’s President Paul Biya, after his government reported that the coronavirus pandemic was spreading and inmates were among the groups with the highest level of exposure. The government has, however, not provided the number of infected inmates but says more than 1,500 people have been tested COVID-19 positive in Cameroon  in less than two months, with over 50 deaths. 

Speaking via a messaging application from Cameroon’s English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda Henry Asaah Ngu, superintendent of the Bamenda Central prison says the 138 inmates who have regained their freedom were all tested COVID-19-free. He says their departure makes it possible for prison staff to ensure that compliance with principles of hygiene is effective to check the spread of the coronavirus. 

“With this release, we will be able to apply very strictly that aspect of social distancing even within the prison,” he said.

Map of Bamenda in Northeast Cameroon

The Bamenda Central Prison has 403 officially declared inmates. Cameroon has 78 overcrowded prisons, with 30,000 prisoners in detention facilities constructed for a maximum of 9.000 inmates.  

Among the 1,400 who have regained their freedom from the Bamenda, Bafoussam, Bertoua and Buea central prisons is Emmanuel Ngomba. He says he was arrested two years ago, at 16, and held at the Buea Central Prison.

“I left the house one evening to go and see a friend. He said he wanted us to go and take some things from his uncle’s shop. We went there, took some gas bottles and engine oil. They [the police] caught me. Prison is not a good place,” he said.

Ngumba, who spoke via a messaging application, said his rights were abused because he was accused of theft and detained in prison for two years without trial. 

Fifty-two-year-old Pierre Tchamba also regained his freedom after more than two dozen years in the Bertoua prison, where he was given a life sentence for voluntary manslaughter and aggravated theft. 

Tchamba says after 24 years and four months of detention in inhumane conditions, he has finally regained his freedom thanks to COVID-19, which has been spreading in Cameroon and infecting inmates.  

Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute speaks during a meeting on the country's reconstruction, in Yaounde, Dec. 5, 2019. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)
FILE – Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute speaks during a meeting on the country’s reconstruction, in Yaounde, Dec. 5, 2019. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA)

A crisis meeting chaired by Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute last week announced that COVID-19 was a threat in Cameroon prisons but did not say how many inmates had been contaminated or have died from the pandemic. 

On April 15, President Biya ordered the release of thousands of prisoners over concerns about congested facilities spreading the coronavirus. Under the presidential decision, life sentences were reduced to 25 years and those for whom life sentences had been reduced to 25 years had five years taken off their sentences. Ten-year sentences were cut by three years, five-year sentences reduced by two years and three-year sentences cut by one year.  

However, separatists fighting for an independent English-speaking state in the central African nation and officials jailed for corruption were excluded. 

Source: VOA

Ambazonia Interim Gov’t takes final stab at reconciling Manyu County Self Defense Groups

27, April 2020

Ambazonia Interim Gov’t takes final stab at reconciling Manyu County Self Defense Groups 0

Southern Cameroons Secretary of the Economy, Comrade Tabenyang Brado has reportedly chaired a process to reconcile all of Manyu self defense groups and donors to the Ambazonia struggle and quest for an independent state, taking a more hands-on approach to solving the main problem.

In a heavily attended Manyu Town Hall Meeting that held yesterday Sunday the 26th of April 2020, Tabenyang Brado including a cream of senior Manyu citizens and the Chairman of the Manyu County Sesekou Dr Ako Peter explained to Manyus that there was an urgent need to maintain only defense structures during these difficult times.

The Ambazonia Economy Secretary supported by prominent Manyu titles holders had attempted late last week to resolve a serious issue that saw Manyu Restoration Forces fighting among themselves in the Mamfe Local Government Area.  However, yesterday’s meeting made huge efforts to end the Manyu rift and a real pact has been sealed with the outcome of the talks described by many as positive.

A high-ranking source in the Southern Cameroons intelligence who attended the Manyu Town Hall Meeting told Cameroon Intelligence Report on condition of anonymity that the new Manyu Self Defense plan as designed by the organizers of the town hall is more structured than previous ones. The new Manyu vision focuses on completing the liberation of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia step by step and guaranteeing the security of every Southern Cameroonian in Ground Zero.

Cameroon Concord News Group London Bureau Chief Asu Isong said all stakeholders agreed to the new vision and all were positive. We understand the Ambazonian leader, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has expressed his sincere gratitude to all his fellow Manyu Community members for putting the struggle first with their new commitment to support and assist the suffering people on Ground Zero and Ground 1.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in Dublin

Remembering Comrade Albert Mukong

27, April 2020

Remembering Comrade Albert Mukong 0

The nite has come, with a chill winter feeling in summer time and the lights have been turned off a great soul, a legend, a patriot and a great Cameroonian icon. Yet as darkness falls, the burning candle lights of the past glows on, and though they may seem dimmed for now at a noticeable exit, not even winter’s storm can put them out.

My generation has come of age, caught in the web of cultural and customary complacence and the challenges of global progressiveness that comes with the pressures of the technological revolution. This generation, my generation, grew up as boys who read Mukong, told stories of his deeds in prison, his boldness to speak up and challenge the government of the almighty Amadou Ahidjo. I really mean those of us who were born with the gift of public and political consciousness and cravings. We read “A Prisoner Without A Crime”, along side Things Fall Apart, A Man of The People, Animal Farm, The Old Man And The Medal, as our patriotic mental massaging items, away from the western histories and literatures imposed on us by the chains of colonialism. We read “A Prisoner Without A Crime” over and over, again and again, forming a mental picture on how this man, Albert Mukong, really looks like. We glorified those who dare tell us that they physically knew Mukong. The man was a legend to us.

I returned to Cameroon from studies in the United States of America in 1987. At that time, the country was continuing its dive or descends into the slumps of an economic crisis of an immense proportion. All the hopes and dreams of the Biya’s renoveau and communal liberalism doctrines were dashed to the ground and became a matter for the history books. I joined the civil service as an economics teacher but soon realized that I had no other choice but to become a political activist (like Mukong) in my own rights. My active involvements in the various change or revolutionary movements in Cameroon during the challenging decades of the ‘90s and the ‘80s, placed me in the very unique position of meeting and forming relationships we the great Cameroonian names and personalities we only heard about with some great mystery. Albert Mukong was one of them.

Albert Mukong had left the country on self exile in 1990, immediately following the Yondo Black trial. In his absence, the Anglophone awakening had gained grounds with the Cameroon Anglophone Movement (CAM) under the leadership of Dr. Enonchong. After moving from Mundemba to Douala in 1991, I had become one of the most strategic, influential and vocal leaders of the Anglophone cause. In early 1992, words came to me that Mukong was returning to the country. I was determined to get him into the fold of the Cameroon Anglophone Movement or have him identify himself with the movement. I discussed this with Mr. Vincent Feko and we got things rolling. I sent words to Mr. George Ngwane, Dr. Bate Besong and Lawyer Charles Taku to meet me in Douala so we can meet with Albert Mukong at the airport as he arrived the country. They were all based in Buea. Bate Besong and Charles Taku could not make it. George Ngwane came a day earlier and stayed with me. Dr. Enonchong was ill at the time, so I took George to visit him and to let him know our plans for Mr. Mukong. George had just published his second book: “To every son and daughter of the southwest” and he brought an autographed copy for Dr. Enonchong. Dr. Enonchong received us by his pool. He was a little bit apprehensive over our plans to bring Mr. Mukong in but we assured him that it was the right step to take and everything was going to be ok.

This was the plan: we were going to make sure the first place Mukong sets foot on Cameroonian soil after the airport, must be the residence of the Chairman of Cameroon Anglophone Movement (CAM). This was extremely important and symbolic to us. This was going to be my first time I was physically meeting Albert Mukong and it was also going to be a test of my having what it takes an activist to make things happen at this level. Mr. Vincent Feko came with his driver to pick us up for the airport. George and I prepared a welcome package for Mr. Mukong. The package was made of Georges two books: The Mungo Bridge; and To every son and daughter of the southwest; my book “Partners in Prison” and some CAM ’S documents.

When we got to the airport and as we waited for Mr. Mukong’s plane to touch down, we realized that our plans for Mr. Mukong was going to face significant opposition from the crew that came from Bamenda to take him home. They vowed they would have nothing to do with Dr. Enonchong and would not allow Mr. Mukong to even contemplate going to his house. Rather than spend time arguing with them, I made up secret plans in my head. Mr. Mukong came through security and I watched him for about 5 minutes greet his family and friends. I then rushed to him, hugged him and pulled him aside, away from everyone. I gave him the books and documents we had brought and told him why it was extremely important, for him and the struggle, for him to make his first stop at Dr. Enonchong’s house. I made my case very convincingly and he agreed with me. He went back and told the rest of the people that my plans make perfect sense and that was what he was going to do. I again succeeded in getting him to ride in our car to Dr. Enonchong’s, so we can have some acquainting opportunity.

A crowd had already gathered at Dr. Enonchong’s residence waiting for us and when we entered the compound, Dr. Enonchong went to his room to put on his red traditional hat. He hugged Mr. Mukong and then performed the traditional rites of libation. We stayed for a while at Dr. Enonchong’s and then drove to Mr. Feko’s house where Mr. Mukong was to spend the night before leaving for Bamenda the next. There too there was a huge crowd waiting for us.

With this Mr. Mukong was brought into the Cameroon Anglophone Movement and was made the Secretary General during the ordinary congress in Buea. This is how I started a personal and a significant political relationship and collaboration with Mr. Mukong. There is so much to say about Mr. Mukong for the period I have known him and related with him. He called me his political son and I called him chief.

Mr. Mukong has fought his whole life and some periods of his fighting life are difficult to comprehend but he fought from his heart. From my knowledge of Mr. Mukong’s struggles, it is certain that he never completely left the main objective of his OK party, that had as its main objective “One Kamerun” in a strong unification. It is sad that I did not have the opportunity to articulate to Mr. Mukong the vision of empowering the Cameroonian people through the bonds of unity. As Mr. Mukong leaves the stage, he should be assured that we will pick up and continue his work of uniting the Cameroonian people as one people and work to create a society that projects social justice for all and the respect for all human rights. We see the Cameroonian children from south to north, from west to east, moving hand in hand and using positively that which has been used negatively against them and their unity. The Cameroonian people are beginning to see their ethnic and cultural multiplicity and diversity as a strength and a resource; a divine gift for projecting collaboration, continuity, growth, unity and tolerance. This is not the message we have been exposed to regarding our numerous ethnicities, but now we are beginning to see clearly and this is why Mr. Albert Mukong must rest in peace. His work here is done but his memories will remain with us.

Sleep tight comrade Mukong and goodnite

By Christmas Ebini, PhD

General Manager of Chantier Naval becomes first senior Biya regime official to die from coronavirus

26, April 2020

General Manager of Chantier Naval becomes first senior Biya regime official to die from coronavirus 0

Alfred Forgwei Mbeng is now resting in peace in a cemetery in Douala. The General Manager of the Cameroon Shipyard and Industrial Company known as Chantier Naval was buried in the French Cameroun metropolis early this Sunday morning the 26th of April 2020.

The Southern Cameroons civil engineer died on April 25, 2020 at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala as a result of the coronavirus. He reportedly self isolated at his home when it was confirmed that he had contracted the virus, but was later moved to the Laquintinie hospital after his health condition worsened.

A former official of the Ministry of Public Works, Forgwei Mbeng was also a chartered member of the French Cameroun ruling CPDM crime syndicate who supported the Biya regime’s genocidal campaign in his home county of Bui in Northern Ambazonia.

He had been at the head of Chantier Naval since 2014. He is the first prominent French Cameroun government official to give up his life, struck down by COVID-19.

By Fon Lawrence in Douala

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday after battling Covid-19

26, April 2020

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday after battling Covid-19 0

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday, Downing Street has confirmed, after the premier battled the coronavirus and spent three nights in intensive care early this month. 

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work at the start of this week, according to reports Sunday just hours after it was announced that the UK’s coronavirus death toll had passed the “tragic” milestone of 20,000.

The Press Association said Johnson would be back in his Downing Street office on Monday after himself recovering from the virus.

A Number 10 source quoted by Sky News said the 55-year-old was “raring to go”. Johnson has been recuperating at the British prime ministerial retreat, Chequers, outside London since his release from hospital on April 12

Johnson spent three days in intensive care and later admitted “things could have gone either way”, after contracting the virus.

The prime minister’s return to work comes as pressure intensifies on his government on several fronts over its handling of the crisis.

Health department figures released Saturday showed a further 813 people had died in hospital after contracting COVID-19, pushing the official number of fatalities to 20,319.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described it as “a deeply tragic and moving moment”.

Passing 20,000 was an unwanted milestone, as the medical director of NHS England Stephen Powis and Britain’s chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance had said previously during the pandemic that keeping the number of fatalities below 20,000 would be “a good outcome”.

“The nation today will be deeply moved by the figures of the number of people who have died,” Patel said during the daily Downing Street briefing.

It was an increase on the 684 deaths reported the previous day and comes after the government claimed the virus had hit its peak.

However, there was some optimism as the number of new infections fell by 473 to 4,913, according to the same health department figures.

University of Oxford analysis also showed that the numbers dying in England may be on a downward spiral as it said a third of the 711 additional deaths recorded in the latest government figures on Saturday occurred more than a week ago.

Despite that, the latest figures confirm Britain has been one of the worst-hit countries in the world and the actual death toll could be much higher when deaths in the community are taken into account, particularly at care homes.

As well as a rise in fatalities, questions are being asked of the government over shortages in personal protective equipment and a lack of widespread testing, particularly of frontline health and social care workers.

There is also pressure, reportedly from within the ruling Conservative party, to relax social distancing rules.

Johnson ordered the country into lockdown on March 23, but Patel said ministers would not yet give a date for any relaxation of the rules.

“We’ve made a great deal of progress, but actually we’re not out of the woods yet, we really are not,” she said.

The lockdown was extended on April 16 and is due for review on May 7.

Concern over political influence

Meanwhile there was brewing row over the role played by Johnson’s controversial chief advisor, Dominic Cummings, after it emerged he attended meetings of the main scientific group advising ministers on the coronavirus pandemic.

Downing Street denied that Cummings and another advisor, Ben Warner, were members of the politically independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

However, following reports in The Guardian newspaper, the government admitted that Cummings had sat in on group meetings.

In a statement, a Number 10 spokesman said they attended meetings “to understand better the scientific debates concerning this emergency”.

The statement added it was “factually wrong and damaging to sensible public debate” to suggest the committee’s advice was affected by the government.

Labour’s health spokesman, John Ashworth told BBC radio on Saturday that his “concern” was “that political advisers have influenced the debate”.

And a former Conservative frontbencher, David Davis, tweeted that “we should publish the membership of SAGE: remove any non-scientist members”. Meanwhile on Saturday, health officials announced that as many as 5,000 severely ill coronavirus patients could be treated with plasma from people who have recovered from the illness as part of a new approach.

(AFP)

Biya’s Ambazonia reconstruction plan has turned the One and Indivisible Cameroon solution to illusion

26, April 2020

Biya’s Ambazonia reconstruction plan has turned the One and Indivisible Cameroon solution to illusion 0

French Cameroun Head of State so-called reconstruction plan, sold to the international community to avoid a UN intervention into the crisis in Southern Cameroons, gave French Cameroun surrogate, Prime Minister Dion Ngute and his gang of CPDM thieves the green light to start lining up fake consultants and contractors to siphon the imaginary millions budgeted for the suffering peoples of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

The French Cameroun government’s Southern Cameroons reconstruction plan is already heading towards complete fiasco and the appointment of Minister Paul Tasong by Dion Ngute has turned the plan into an illusion. The only solution left for Southern Cameroonians all over the world is to continue to fund Ground Zero self defense operations under the direct supervision of Vice President Dabney Yerima.

Approximately four years ago, the French Cameroun dictator declared a war against the people of Southern Cameroons and Biya gave the Cameroon government army ‘plein pouvoir’ to carry out a scorch earth policy.  Ever since soldiers loyal to the regime in Yaoundé invaded Southern Cameroons towns and cities, Biya has repeatedly endorsed their atrocities which include the destruction of more than 300 Southern Cameroons villages and towns and the killing of thousands of innocent Ambazonian citizens including women and children.

Southern Cameroons groups have unanimously resisted the French Cameroun military invasion which largely meets the financial demands of French Cameroun senior army officers and has so far achieved nothing than pushing the people of Southern Cameroons slowly but surely into achieving an Ambazonia state.

The so-called reconstruction plan does not provide the people of Southern Cameroons with anything new but allows the French Cameroun regime to continue its genocidal campaign in the territory and also to continue to plunder Southern Cameroons wealth. The plan inter alia denies Southern Cameroons detainees the right to freedom from French Cameroun jails and detention centers mindful of the dangers posed by the coronavirus.

The Ambazonian leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has called on the international community to prosecute Biya and his French Cameroun regime at the international Criminal Court.  In a recent statement, the Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Dabney Yerima appealed to the United Nations to pass an immediate resolution necessitating an Independent Fact Finding Mission to start work in the Southern Cameroons. Dabney Yerima observed that only such a mission will establish the facts in Ngarbuh and other scenes of genocides in Southern Cameroons.

There has been conflicting signals coming from the USA and in Western Europe following a dramatic U turn made by former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Herman J. Cohen. Hon. Cohen has been quoted as saying via a tweet message that “Elements of peace starting to come together in Cameroon: Government transparency about Ngarbuh massacre; US congratulations; Anglophone citizens becoming fed up with extremism of separatist militias. Let the US-led talks begin. ”

Cameroon Concord News Group has not been able to confirm if the US administration are 100 percent backing the French Cameroun regime but Yaoundé has interpreted retired Ambassador Cohen’s pronouncement as meaning that the Americans absolutely are siding by Biya and his ruling CPDM crime syndicate and the European Union hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic is so shy in their statements regarding what’s going on in Southern Cameroons. The European Union is practically doing nothing in effect to stop the killings going on in Ambzonia.

Senior Southern Cameroons leaders both within and out of the Ambazonia Interim Government have  said the French Cameroun reconstruction plan with Minister Paul Tasong at the head has dealt a devastating blow to the so-called One and Indivisible Cameroon. To be sure, the Biya plan has indeed closed the door to all Southern Cameroonians serving the French Cameroun regime.

Cameroon Concord News Group gathered that prominent Southern Cameroons scholars in the West have raised fingers against Ambassador Cohen with many observing that his recent take on the Ngarbuh massacre among other Southern Cameroons issues served as a green light to Biya and French Cameroun to float international law.

An aide to Vice President Dabney told Cameroon Concord News Group that  the former US diplomat is a man of integrity and understands that “French Cameroun administrators and troops in Southern Cameroons are colonizers and their activities clearly indicates that this is an occupation, a brutal occupation, and Ambazonians have got to stand up and resist until help comes.”

Biya and his French Cameroun political elites have become more brazen in their efforts to trample upon Southern Cameroonians’ rights since he started the extermination campaign four years ago and the French government of President Emmanuel Macron has unprecedentedly intensified Paris support for the Yaoundé regime.

Southern Cameroons leaders have voice their strong opposition to any reconstruction activity which French Cameroun Prime Minister Dion Ngute and Minister Paul Tasong are being teleguided by Biya and his French Cameroun gang to implement in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and we of this publication are emphasizing the need for popular Southern Cameroons resistance against any scheme from Yaoundé.

The level of barbarism being perpetuated by Mr Biya’s military and his government militias as they pursue their genocidal war and scorch earth policy to completely annihilate the Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) is alarming. So far, as a result of the on-going genocide in the Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia), an estimated 20,000 people have been killed, over 280 towns and villages have been burnt down, over 120,000 people are seeking refuge in Nigeria and further afield, over 1million people are internally displaced or living in bushes and over 3,000 persons incarcerated in prisons and detention facilities. It is also reported that over 4.5. Million people are at risk of famine. One thing we know for sure is that Mr Biya and his military and private militia will be held accountable for these crimes. While not exonerating Ambazonian self-defense forces, we also know that Mr Biya’s government is doing everything through its private militia (popularly known as Atanga Nji Boys) to commit atrocities and link them to self-defense forces, so as to evoke international sympathy. Only an independent fact-finding mission can establish the facts and thus far, Mr. Biya’s government has resisted all requests by independent humanitarian organizations to visit Southern Cameroons and establish the facts.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

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