Monthly Archives: February 2021

EU health agency chief says Coronavirus likely here to stay

12, February 2021

EU health agency chief says Coronavirus likely here to stay 0

The coronavirus will probably continue to circulate long-term despite the roll-out of vaccines, the head of the EU’s ECDC health agency told AFP on Friday, urging Europe to keep its restrictions in place for now.

“It seems more likely that it would stay” than disappear, Andrea Ammon, the head of the Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, said in an interview.

“It seems very well adapted to humans. So we should be prepared that it will remain with us,” she added.

“It wouldn’t be the first virus that is with us forever, so it’s not an unusual feature for a virus.”

While vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of contracting the illness caused by Covid-19, scientists have not yet established with certainty whether they also reduce transmission of the virus.

So when will we know if they do?

“It will still take a few months. You need a certain amount of vaccinated people that you follow. Special studies are now being set up,” Ammon said.

There is particular concern that the vaccines may not be as effective against some variants of the virus, especially the South African and Brazilian ones.

– Running the last kilometres –

Ammon pointed out that vaccines for the seasonal flu have to be adapted annually as the virus that causes it changes.

“It might turn out that (the coronavirus) goes the same way, or that at one point it remains stable and we can use one vaccine for a longer period,” she told AFP.

Ammon called on EU countries to maintain their restrictions despite a decline in cases across much of Europe.

“It’s still a mixed picture… We are really not out of the woods,” she said, noting that all EU members, with the exception of Finland, were still in “an epidemiological situation of serious concern”, according to the ECDC’s criteria.

“Everybody’s fed up with the measures, but when you’re running a long distance course… (you) have to run the last kilometres,” she stressed.

The number of daily cases across Europe is currently around 150,000, compared to around 250,000 a month ago, according to official data compiled by AFP.

Any relaxing of measures has to be done gradually, one measure at a time, “and only when you observe that it’s either stable or further decreasing then you go to the next one.”

The European Union’s vaccination campaign, which began in late December, has gotten off to a rocky start, hampered by a lack of vaccines and delivery delays.

According to official data on Friday, only three percent of people in the EU had received at least one vaccine dose, and 1.4 percent two doses, with a total of 20 million doses administered.

“Everybody’s aiming for that, all the efforts are in that direction,” Ammon said when asked if the goal seemed realistic.

Source: AFP

The world silent on ongoing French Cameroun regime’s genocide in Southern Cameroons

12, February 2021

The world silent on ongoing French Cameroun regime’s genocide in Southern Cameroons 0

A prominent Southern Cameroons academic, Professor Carlson Anyangwe says La Republique du Cameroun and its supporters in Paris, France continue their genocide in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia without a word of protest from the European Union or the so-called human rights defenders.       

Addressing a Southern Cameroons Interim Government open session on Thursday, Prof Anyangwe said the French Cameroun criminal syndicate in Yaoundé launched its war on the Ambazonian people at a time when the Southern Cameroons Interim Government was trying to get the Federal Republic of Ambazonia out of an economic crisis caused by fifty-eight years of excruciating life under genocide, terror, economic terrorism, and all forms of international criminality imaginable.

The much respected Southern Cameroon elite said, “La Republique du Cameroun and other French vassal states in the so-called CEMAC region harboring France’s proxy army of occupation have been trying to carve up, exploit, and pauperize Southern Cameroons and its people for 59 years,” adding that both the late French Cameroun dictator Ahmadou Ahidjo and President Paul Biya have dutifully followed the French policy of assimilation programs until the people of Southern Cameroons now say they have gotten enough.

During the Thursday zoom meeting in the presence of the Ambazonia exiled leader, Dabney Yerima, Prof Carlson Anyangwe censured Europe’s double standards on human rights but did not say if the EU is complicit in crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the Biya French Cameroun regime against the people of British Southern Cameroons.

At the heart of the crisis, which started in 2016, was a strike by teachers and lawyers, in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. The professionals, supported by citizens of their areas, protested the unfair use of the French language and unjustified appointments of French speakers in their territories. Cameroon is a bilingual country. By 2017, the situation had spiralled out of control and developed into a fully-fledged separatist war. Both government forces and separatists are now bogged down in a conflict that observers say, can only be resolved through dialogue.

On 8 September 2020, the Foreign Affairs Committee, of the United States Congress introduced Resolution 684 on the crisis in the Cameroonian regions of the North-West and South-West which was adopted on 1 January 2021.

The US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) did call on “the government of Cameroon and the separatist armed groups in the English-speaking regions of the North-West and South-West to put an end to all violence, to respect the human rights of all Cameroonians, and to pursue a truly inclusive dialogue with a view to resolving the ongoing civil conflict in English-speaking Cameroon”.

Resolution 684 condemned the abuses committed by state security forces and armed groups in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon, and affirms that the United States continues to hold the Government of Cameroon accountable for safeguarding the security and constitutional rights of all its citizens, regardless of region, religion, or political opinion. In addition, it urges all parties to the conflict in Cameroon, the Government of Cameroon, U.S. foreign relations entities, and members of the international community to take specific steps to resolve the ongoing civil conflict in Cameroon.

The U.S. Congress was also critical of France’s action in the conflict and Resolution 684 stated that   “…France maintains considerable interests in Cameroon, including significant economic and security cooperation, but has not sufficiently used its influence to stem atrocities committed in English-speaking regions or to support stronger international action to seek a resolution to the conflict.”

Prof Carlson Anyangwe noted that the French Cameroun aggressors have killed tens of thousands of Southern Cameroonians and committed brutal crimes with help from France and French speaking African countries in the Sub Saharan region.

France is the main supplier of weapons in La Republique du Cameroun’s aggression against Southern Cameroons.

According to independent estimates, the Biya French Cameroun war has claimed more than 5,000 lives.

The UN says more than two million English speaking Cameroonians are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including some 67, 000 thousand suffering from extreme levels of hunger in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Biya French Cameroun war has also taken a heavy toll on the British Southern Cameroons’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and businesses.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Club World Cup highlights challenges still in store for Qatar ahead of 2022

12, February 2021

Club World Cup highlights challenges still in store for Qatar ahead of 2022 0

Organisers would have wanted to use the Club World Cup as a demonstration of readiness for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, highlighting gleaming infrastructure and a soft touch with fans from abroad.

Instead foreign supporters were banned and all eyes were on strict coronavirus containment measures that followed high-profile outbreaks at the AFC Champions League and recent Australian Open qualifiers played in the Gulf state.

While the measures were lauded by FIFA as a success, Bayern Munich star Thomas Mueller tested positive for the virus and at least two members of the Al-Ahly delegation went down with Covid-19.

New coronavirus cases grew 18 percent nationwide in the eight days of the tournament compared to the same period the week before as health officials warned of a second wave.

A new lockdown could now be on the horizon, medical sources have told AFP.

However, confident authorities said ahead of the tournament that stringent testing requirements at a recent domestic cup final, similar to those in place for the Club World Cup, showed that the risk of the virus spreading at such an event could be contained.

– Measures still in place for World Cup? –

The day before the competition was due to get underway, Qatar announced a tightening of restrictions including a reduction of spectator capacity at stadiums to 20 percent.

However because the Club World Cup had secured approval to stage matches with stadiums at 30 percent capacity prior to the new rules, it was permitted to proceed with larger crowds, an official source told AFP.

“One hundred percent security never exists, but we can do whatever we can to go very close to this,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino told AFP in Doha during the tournament.

For the first time he also raised the prospect of coronavirus measures being enforced during the 2022 World Cup but insisted stadiums would be full.

The Club World Cup played out as Doha underwent a relative cold snap with temperatures in the evening, when matches were played, dipping below 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Next year the World Cup itself will be staged in November and December when conditions are likely to be similarly mild.

The two gleaming brand-new stadiums used for the Club World Cup — Education City and Ahmad bin Ali Stadium — also won plaudits from visiting players and managers.

So far Qatar has inaugurated three new venues and one refurbished ground with four still to open, most likely later this year. All of them boast state-of-the art air conditioning.

It was also revealed just ahead of the tournament that alcohol would be available at venues — albeit only in VIP hospitality suites pending a decision on general ticket holders’ access to drinks.

There was however no repeat of the boozy fan zones which proved popular with fans during the 2019 Club World Cup as all events away from matches were cancelled to stop the spread of Covid-19.

– Progress on human rights ‘limited’ –

While the large contingent of Al-Ahly fans who call Qatar home made stadiums feel more than 30 percent full, there was little else in Doha to suggest a major tournament was underway.

The limited number of fans attending matches also meant key aspects of Qatar’s 2022 infrastructure did not face an acid test.

The involvement of Bayern, both in the tournament and at previous training camps in Qatar, drew scrutiny from supporter groups and rights activists. Bayern have a shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.

In February 2020, labour activists Fair Square wrote to Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge urging the club to take a stand on workers’ rights issues.

Fair Square claimed that despite some progress, including reform pledges backed by the International Labour Organization, “progress has been limited in scope and as yet not effective in implementation”.

Qatari authorities stress that Amnesty International credits Qatar with meaningful labour reforms.

They include a new minimum wage due to begin this month, and scrapping requirements for managerial approval for staff changing companies.

Some migrant workers still complain of unpaid wages and being charged illegal recruitment fees.

Source: AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Arson is the government’s policy

11, February 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Arson is the government’s policy 0

The roasting of a baby on February 11, 2021 in Batibo in the North West region of Cameroon seems to be shocking to millions around the world, but very few people remember that the burning of homes during an insurrection or insurgency in Cameroon is a government policy which dates back to the days of the marquisard movement in East Cameroon.

The burning of a baby in Batibo on the country’s Youth Day by government army soldiers is a clear reminder that peace and stability are still illusory in Cameroon though the government is giving the impression that things are stabilizing in Southern Cameroons.

The roasting of vulnerable people is nothing new during this conflict that has already sent more than 7,000 Cameroonians to an early grave.

Kwakwa and Ngarbuh are still fresh in many minds. In Kwakwa, an old woman and a sick old man were roasted alive by army soldiers who are supposed to protect innocent civilians.

In Ngarbuh, government troops gunned down scores of people and set homes ablaze, leaving many calcinated in their homes. These were young children and pregnant women who had nothing to do with the insurgency that has been playing out in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon for over four years.

The government clearly holds that burning the homes of the poor and innocent people will cause the population to discontinue its support to the insurgents even when it has not been really proven that the population is supporting the fighters.

From every indication, it is also clear that the population has been caught between the devil and deep blue sea. The same population is being threatened by the Southern Cameroonian fighters when the fighters feel that they have been betrayed by somebody.

The population is confused and does not know who to turn to. The government is supposed to support these people who have lost their source of livelihood due to the fighting that is playing out in the Northwest and Southwest regions of the country.

The government of Cameroon has no pity for anybody. The death of children and pregnant women during this fighting does not arouse any pity in government officials. The government has one objective – proving that it can win a war – and the generals leading the troops clearly hold that the insurgency is an opportunity for them to enrich themselves.

The same government has been unleashing its army soldiers on the population just to demonstrate its strength. In Santa in the Northwest region, government forces mowed down some 20 young men in a hotel and the country’s territorial administration minister, Atanga Nji Paul, argued that the boys were fighters even when it was proven that it was the same government that had invited those boys to that hotel for reasons only known to Atanga Nji.

In Muyengue, the government was caught with its pants down with its soldiers setting homes ablaze though the soldiers were wearing blue helmets just to implicate the United Nations.

Government atrocities during this conflict have been carefully documented and whenever the war ends, those who committed these acts or commandeered these acts of extreme violence will be brought to book.

A government has the duty and responsibility of protecting its population but in Southern Cameroons, the Yaounde government is instead working hard to demonstrate that it is more devilish than the ragtag military that is fighting for the total liberation of Southern Cameroons.

Instead of seeking ways of ending the violence and engineering peace in the two English-speaking regions of the country, the Yaounde government is doing its best to prove a point that has no raison d’etre.

This is a war that could have been clearly avoided if the government had used known instruments of conflict management and resolution. Genuine dialogue, a key thrust of conflict resolution, was clearly ignored and to deceive the people of Southern Cameroons and the international community, the despicable Yaoundé government organized a semblance of dialogue wherein it chose who had to participate in it, which issues had to be discussed and what resolutions and conclusions had to be reached by the participants; an idea which only caused the conflict to escalate by multiple notches.

The roasting of a baby in Batibo is no accident and let nobody be deceived by whatever the government would say.

The Yaounde government is in the business of winning an argument and it will stop at nothing to prove its point. As usual, it will order an investigation, the findings of which will remain a dead letter like most of the other investigations conducted over the last 39 years by a government that has been conducting itself like a crime syndicate made in the same mould as the Sicilian Mafia.

Despite its efforts, the Yaounde government must understand that regardless of the ferocious brutality it is inflicting on the population, a clear military victory is a clear impossibility.

The more atrocities the government commits in Southern Cameroons, the more it creates more determined and angry fighters whose cardinal objective is to avenge the death of their loved ones.

The only way out of the quagmire the government has created will be sincere dialogue held with key Southern Cameroonian factions in a neutral place in the presence of a neutral third party.

But such dialogue cannot take place when the poster boy of the rebellion, Julius Ayuk Tabe, and other key elements of the Southern Cameroons struggle are still being held in the dungeons of East Cameroon.

A good first step will be releasing all those who have been arrested within the framework of the struggle and granting a general amnesty to all those who have directly or indirectly played a role in this struggle!

The burning of homes, babies and the old will never bring peace to Cameroon. On the contrary, it will only sow bitterness, revenge, death and destruction. The government must learn from history and it must acknowledge that times have changed.

If it defeated the marquisard movement in the 60s, it must understand that there was no internet and those involved in the marquisard movement were not many.

Today, there are some four million Southern Cameroonians out of their country and each one of them has been affected by the senseless fighting. And this is causing many of them to contribute money, ideas and time to ensure that the government stews in its own juice in Southern Cameroons by killing army soldiers and police officers who are collaborating with the corrupt Yaounde regime.

Despite the death and destruction that have already played out in Southern Cameroons, there is still room for genuine and sustainable reconciliation; an opportunity the government needs to seize if it is really looking forward to making Cameroon one and indivisible.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman, Editor-In-Chief

Concord News Group

Southern Cameroons War: Vice President Yerima Launches Operation Big Rubbergun

11, February 2021

Southern Cameroons War: Vice President Yerima Launches Operation Big Rubbergun 0

OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN…THE LAUNCH

Fellow Southern Cameroonians,

Let me start by asking all of us to maintain a minute of silence for the souls of our fallen heroes for they remain in our prayers.

Today marks the sixtieth anniversary of the attempted decolonization of the Southern Cameroons by the United Nations and the United Kingdom. Today marks 1133 days since our leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and nine members of his leadership team were abducted at the NERA hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. It is seven days today since Human Rights Watch published a report stating clearly that the French Cameroun army executed 10 men, women, and children in Mautu, Fako County on 10 January 2021. I stand here after 550 of our villages have been burned down. Since 2016, we have witnessed the execution of over 20,000 of our people, amongst them a four-month-old baby and a 96-years old great grandmother. Today we have over one million internally displaced persons, 120,000 refugees in Nigeria, Ghana, and the Mexican border.

 I come to remind you of our dark past, dangerous present, and to elaborate on our goal to take back control of our destiny. So, I speak today of grave national sadness and danger but also a moment of national opportunity. Our efforts to defend our people began on 30 November 2017, when Paul Biya of French Cameroun declared war upon our people. Today, we announce a project that offers new hope for our young nation. We are persuaded that the project before you is essential, responsible, and deserving of your support.

The Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing has emerged as an important global principle since its unanimous adoption at the UN World Summit in 2005. We are rolling out a plan to ruthlessly adhere to our Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Ambazonia. We must recognize that our security is based on being prepared to meet the threat posed by our enemy. We cannot afford to engage in the luxury of believing that French Cameroun will cease to be an aggressor.

We recognize and applaud our Restoration Forces for their bravery in the face of the brutal force and sophisticated equipment of the French Cameroun military. We recognize and applaud the contributions of humanitarian NGOs and CSOs to our revolution. We recognize and applaud all positive contributions from different organizations like DAC and other frontline movements that have taken us this far. Today, I intend to outline the Interim Government’s plan for 2021 and beyond. WE MUST BE BOLD, and with this project, WE ARE BOLD. OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN IS HERE.

Today is NOT about social media noise. In the last few weeks, you have been bombarded with noise by people who lack knowledge about this project. Those voices are loud but they are not in the majority.

We will deter our enemy from making attacks only if our retaliatory power is so strong that our enemy knows she faces severe consequences for their actions.  Our strongest hope is a peaceful solution to the conflict by the establishment of a United Nations Internationally Mandated Fact-Finding Mission to our territory. Although we are determined to keep negotiations high on our agenda, we must see our struggle through the lenses of Realists.

We must employ new tactics to fight for the safety of our people and the freedom of our nation. With each passing day, the crisis facing us is magnifying as the enemy advances without fear to spread their hostility, murder, and genocide upon our people. Our defence establishment has evaluated and instructed, and The Interim Government has concluded that OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN is necessary.

OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN will:

Recruit, train, and support Restoration Forces in their attempt to capture and hold territory. The project will also provide sophisticated hardware procurement and logistic support to our Restoration Forces. More details on the project will be in the presentation that follows this evening.

Tonight, let me underscore that it is not a delight for any leader to come before his people to burden them financially. But in our judgment, this is a burden worth undertaking. Investment in OPERATION CAPHOT aka THE BIG RUBBERGUN is an obligation that we believe will deliver us significant gains.

We cannot merely state our opposition to the genocide without paying the price for freedom. From your investments in OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN, we shall undertake a reorganization and modernization of our self-defence structure, to increase its firepower, tactical mobility, and flexibility to meet any direct or indirect threat from the enemy. I am asking you today to search your consciences and invade your resources for us to procure the necessary equipment and materials needed by our brave self-defence heroes who intend to capture, hold territory, and protect our people.

The management of the funds raised by OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN will be by a Loan Administrator and a Government Financial Officer, both working under the Bank of Ambazonia. All genuine self-defence forces stand to benefit from the resources of this national project.

Fellow Ambazonians, Operation BIG RUBBERGUN is here but our problems are critical and 2021 will not be easy. There will be setbacks before the unfavourable tide is turned. But we have no choice but to persist. The hopes of our nation rest upon us, especially those of us in the diaspora. The problems in achieving our goal of a free, independent, and prosperous Ambazonia are towering and unprecedented but we shall prevail. I believe Ambazonia possesses all the resources and talents necessary for victory, but the facts of the matter are that we have never made the collective decision to assemble the resources required for such victory.

I believe French Cameroun has an opportunity here and now to avert human disaster by releasing our leader, HE President Sisiku AyukTabe, and his top aides including all Southern Cameroons detainees to pave the way for constructive dialogue and good neighborliness.

I believe for us to get to Buea, we cannot afford to waste time squabbling and amplifying our differences.

Fellow Ambazonians, our success in this struggle for freedom and independence depends on the strength of our investment and success in OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN. We would be badly mistaken to think otherwise. This is our great opportunity if we grasp it to enhance the ability of our self-defence forces in our march to Buea.

Let us use OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN to affirm that it is Independence or Resistance Forever.

We will not be afraid, we will not be intimidated, and we must be bold

Thank You and God Bless You

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

US: Disillusioned Republicans plan to form anti-Trump third party

11, February 2021

US: Disillusioned Republicans plan to form anti-Trump third party 0

Dozens of former Republican officials, who view the party as unwilling to stand up to former President Donald Trump and his attempts to undermine US democracy, are in talks to form a center-right breakaway party, four people involved in the discussions told Reuters.

The early stage discussions include former elected Republicans, former officials in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Trump, ex-Republican ambassadors and Republican strategists, the people involved say.

More than 120 of them held a Zoom call last Friday to discuss the breakaway group, which would run on a platform of “principled conservatism,” including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law – ideas those involved say have been trashed by Trump.

The plan would be to run candidates in some races but also to endorse center-right candidates in others, be they Republicans, independents or Democrats, the people say.

Evan McMullin, who was chief policy director for the House Republican Conference and ran as an independent in the 2016 presidential election, told Reuters that he co-hosted the Zoom call with former officials concerned about Trump’s grip on Republicans and the nativist turn the party has taken.

Three other people confirmed to Reuters the call and the discussions for a potential splinter party, but asked not to be identified.

Among the call participants were John Mitnick, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security under Trump; former Republican congressman Charlie Dent; Elizabeth Neumann, deputy chief of staff in the Homeland Security Department under Trump; and Miles Taylor, another former Trump homeland security official.

The talks highlight the wide intraparty rift over Trump’s false claims of election fraud and the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. Most Republicans remain fiercely loyal to the former president, but others seek a new direction for the party.

The House of Representatives impeached Trump on Jan. 13 on a charge of inciting an insurrection by exhorting thousands of supporters to march on the Capitol on the day Congress was gathered to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Call participants said they were particularly dismayed by the fact that more than half of the Republicans in Congress – eight senators and 139 House representatives – voted to block certification of Biden’s election victory just hours after the Capitol siege.

Most Republican senators have also indicated they will not support the conviction of Trump in this week’s Senate impeachment trial.

“Large portions of the Republican Party are radicalizing and threatening American democracy,” McMullin told Reuters. “The party needs to recommit to truth, reason and founding ideals or there clearly needs to be something new.”

‘These losers’

Asked about the discussions for a third party, Jason Miller, a Trump spokesman, said: “These losers left the Republican Party when they voted for Joe Biden.”

A representative for the Republican National Committee referred to a recent statement from Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

“If we continue to attack each other and focus on attacking on fellow Republicans, if we have disagreements within our party, then we are losing sight of 2022 (elections),” McDaniel said on Fox News last month.

“The only way we’re going to win is if we come together,” she said.

The Biden White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McMullin said just over 40% of those on last week’s Zoom call backed the idea of a breakaway, national third party. Another option under discussion is to form a “faction” that would operate either inside the current Republican Party or outside it.

Names under consideration for a new party include the Integrity Party and the Center Right Party. If it is decided instead to form a faction, one name under discussion is the Center Right Republicans.

Members are aware that the US political landscape is littered with the remains of previous failed attempts at national third parties.

“But there is a far greater hunger for a new political party out there than I have ever experienced in my lifetime,” one participant said.

(Source: Reuters)

The Killings in Batibo Must Galvanize Southern Cameroonians

11, February 2021

The Killings in Batibo Must Galvanize Southern Cameroonians 0

The last time the gruesome killing of a Southern Cameroonian shook me to the core was the Ngarbuh Massacre, which I’m pretty sure or at least hope we still remember. When Ngarbuh occurred, there was this same social media outcry, great shows of indignation, solidarity etc etc etc. “We are Ngarbuh”…”I stand with the people of Ngarbuh”… “Enough is enough”…”God where are you?”….

Then, a demonstration was called at a major news media outlet in Downtown DC. Not wanting to deal with DC parking headaches, I took an Uber from Laurel, Maryland to the Downtown DC location of the demo. For those who know the general DC Metro Area, that’s not a short distance. Throughout the drive into DC, I was yapping to the Uber driver about the atrocities that were being committed against my people in my homeland. How the worst had just happened in a locality called Ngarbuh. Women and children killed…burnt alive in their homes. I told him how we, immigrants from Southern Cameroons, were going to have this massive demonstration in front of the news media outlet. Paint the whole place blue & white! A demonstration that had never been seen before and that would force the outlet to tell our story to the world. The Uber driver himself got caught up in my frenzy.

As we approached the location, I almost thought we were at the wrong address. But, I know that part of DC and had driven right by the news media outlet myself several times. The driver, who had been excitedly looking forward to seeing my massive crowd inquired if the address was correct. I was confused and embarrassed. I opened my eyes wider and looked around. Then, as we got closer, I saw some specs of blue & white Southern Cameroons flags. Then a handful of familiar faces. The same faces I’d been seeing at protests and demonstrations in DC, Maryland and New York since 2016. That was it. No massive crowd.

In my embarrassment, I quickly jumped out of the Uber, avoiding any eye contact with the driver, who clearly had many questions for me. Most probably wondering what kind of liar or drama queen I was. To tell such an exaggeratedly false story. I, nevertheless, joined the pitifully small group of Southern Cameroonians who had dropped everything on that day, to come out and tell the Ngarbuh story on the streets of DC. As I approached folks on the street handing out pamphlets to them and telling them what had just happened in our homeland, the realization hit me, that no matter what we say, how much we decry and manifest anger when pictures of these gruesome events are shared and circulated in our social media groupings, truth is, we have normalized these acts. They no longer shake our cores as they should. Truth is, we forget them just as quickly as we forget what we had for breakfast by lunchtime.  Truly sad!

These images don’t shake me to the core anymore. They just leave me sad and wondering what it is that needs to happen to bring back that real fire and rational commitment…take us back to where we were at the beginning. So we can get this shit right (excuse my choice of words). So that innocent men, women, children can stop dying…not for anything they’ve done but simply for who they are.

How many more gruesome pictures/videos do we need to see. Or perhaps the question is, do we even need to see them anymore?

Syh Aji-Mvo Ambe

Article published with the consent of Dr. Ebini Christmas

Southern Cameroons Vice President to hail Amba Self Defense position on the struggle

11, February 2021

Southern Cameroons Vice President to hail Amba Self Defense position on the struggle 0

The Vice President of the British Southern Cameroons Interim Government will be addressing the Ambazonian people today in a speech to be aired by the Southern Cameroons Broadcasting Corporation, SCBC.

Comrade Dabney Yerima will hail the self defense and unchanging position of Ambazonia Restoration Forces on supporting the independence cause against French Cameroun’s 59 years occupation.

In his message to the Southern Cameroons people, Vice President Dabney Yerima will say “I come to remind you of our dark past, dangerous present, and to elaborate on our goal to take back control of our destiny. So, I speak today of grave national sadness and danger but also a moment of national opportunity. Our efforts to defend our people began on 30 November 2017, when Paul Biya of French Cameroun declared war upon our people. Today, we announce a project that offers new hope for our young nation. We are persuaded that the project before you is essential, responsible, and deserving of your support.”

Yerima will also express the Ambazonia Interim Government’s deep appreciation to Southern Cameroonians in Ground Zero saying “The Responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing has emerged as an important global principle since its unanimous adoption at the UN World Summit in 2005. We are rolling out a plan to ruthlessly adhere to our Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Ambazonia. We must recognize that our security is based on being prepared to meet the threat posed by our enemy. We cannot afford to engage in the luxury of believing that French Cameroun will cease to be an aggressor.”

Vice President Yerima will add that “Our defense establishment has evaluated and instructed, and the Interim Government has concluded that OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN is necessary. OPERATION BIG RUBBERGUN will: recruit, train, and support Restoration Forces in their attempt to capture and hold territory. The project will also provide sophisticated hardware procurement and logistic support to our Restoration Forces.”

 Stay with Cameroon Concord News Group and be the first to know!!Wherever you get your news, we’ve got the Southern Cameroons news that matter to you. Watch SCBC today 7 pm Amba time

By Isong Asu

US announces sanctions against Myanmar’s generals

11, February 2021

US announces sanctions against Myanmar’s generals 0

Anti-coup protesters on Thursday took to the streets of Myanmar for a sixth consecutive day, after US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against the Southeast Asian nation’s generals and demanded they relinquish power.

There has been an outpouring of anger and defiance since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week and detained her along with other senior figures of her National League for Democracy party.

Security forces have used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against the protesters, with isolated reports of live rounds also being fired. Police also ramped up their harassment of the NLD with a raid on its headquarters.

But demonstrators again marched peacefully on Thursday in Naypyidaw—the capital and military stronghold—as well as Yangon, the largest city and commercial hub.

“Don’t go to the office,” chanted a group of protesters outside Myanmar’s central bank in Yangon, part of a civil disobedience effort urging civil servants and people in other industries to boycott work and put pressure on the junta.

“We aren’t doing this for a week or a month—we are determined to do this until the end when (Suu Kyi) and President U Win Myint are released,” one bank employee who had joined the protest told AFP.

There were also fresh rallies in the cities of Dawei and Mandalay, with protesters carrying signs that said “Restore our Democracy!” and “We condemn the military coup”.

US sanctions

Western nations have repeatedly denounced the coup, with the United States leading calls for the generals to relinquish power.

In the most significant concrete action to pressure the junta, Biden announced Wednesday that his administration was cutting of the generals’ access to $1 billion in funds in the United States.

“I again call on the Burmese military to immediately release democratic political leaders and activists,” Biden said, as he flagged further sanctions.

“The military must relinquish power.”   

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has also warned the bloc could impose fresh sanctions on Myanmar’s military.

“This seems like a well calibrated set of measures… Also a strong signal that President Biden himself announced them,” Myanmar-based political analyst Richard Horsey tweeted, describing the sanctions as a “clear message” to the military.

Crackdown deepens

There were more reports of arrests on Thursday, including the deputy speaker of the parliament’s lower house and a key aide to Suu Kyi, taking the number of coup-linked detentions to more than 200, according to monitor Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The military justified last week’s power grab by claiming widespread voter fraud in the November polls, which saw a landslide for Suu Kyi’s party.

It quickly moved to stack courts and political offices with loyalists as it ended a decade of civilian rule.

Fears are growing over how long the junta will tolerate the masses of people taking to the streets.

Live rounds were fired at a rally in Naypyidaw this week, critically wounding two people—including a woman who was shot in the head.

Images depicting the woman have been shared widely online alongside expressions of grief and fury.

“They can shoot a young woman but they can’t steal the hope and resolve of a determined people,” UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews tweeted Wednesday.

The military’s clampdown on information using internet blackouts—with tech companies ordered to cut communications intermittently—has drawn widespread condemnation.

Concern was also building Thursday that the junta was planning to impose a much harsher and sustained internet crackdown.

Tech-focused Myanmar civil society organisation MIDO tweeted that a draft cyber security bill had been sent to telecom companies, which would allow the military to order blackouts and website bans.

It would also require social media platforms to hand over users’ metadata.

Source: AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Ambazonia Communications Secretary says “two-state solution” only option

11, February 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Ambazonia Communications Secretary says “two-state solution” only option 0

Southern Cameroons Interim Government spokesman, Milton Taka has ruled out discussing the so-called Special Status with the regime in Yaoundé, stressing that the only way to resolve 59 years of marginalization and assimilation dispute in the two Cameroons is for the United Nations and the European Union including the AU to recognize the two states.

In a Wednesday telephone conversation with Cameroon Concord News London Bureau Chief, Isong Asu Secretary Milton Taka said decentralization and regional autonomy favored by the French government of Emmanuel Macron and being teleguided by the French Cameroun regime would not be on the agenda whenever Yaoundé decides to sit down with the people of Southern Cameroons and talk.

Hon. Milton Taka observed that there is no longer any solution but for the international community to recognize both British and French Cameroun as two independent states. “Whether La Republique du Cameroun accept it or not, there is no decentralization or federation anymore,” the Ambazonia Communication Secretary told Cameroon Concord News Group.  “Everyone should go their own way” he added.

Comrade Milton Taka also stated that “There is no point in discussing old solution formulas… which disregarded basic human rights to the people of British Southern Cameroons. That business is finished now.”

At the heart of the crisis, which started in 2016, was a strike by teachers and lawyers, in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. The professionals, supported by citizens of their areas, protested the unfair use of the French language and unjustified appointments of French speakers in their territories. Cameroon is passing for a bilingual country. By 2017, the situation had spiralled out of control and developed into a fully-fledged separatist war. Both government forces and separatists are now bogged down in a conflict that observers say, can only be resolved through dialogue.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Isong Asu in London

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