Monthly Archives: August 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Red Cross official dies following injuries he sustained in Bamenda attack

24, August 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Red Cross official dies following injuries he sustained in Bamenda attack 0

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday that one of its staff members has been killed in Southern Cameroons.

ICRC said in a statement that Nzobambona Diomede, a 62-year-old Canadian who was a delegate working in the fields of water and sanitation died on Monday, following injuries he sustained the day before during an attack in Bamenda, the chief town of the region.

Diomede was in Bamenda to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by a four-year-long separatist armed conflict, according to ICRC.

“Words are not enough to express our immense sadness nor to soothe the grief of his family and loved ones. We send them our sincere condolences and the expression of our deepest sympathy,” the statement quoted Markus Brudermann, head of the ICRC delegation in Cameroon as saying.

Circumstances of his death have not been clarified and no further information can be given at this stage, the statement said.

Since 2017, government forces have been clashing with separatist militant groups who want to create an independent nation they called “Ambazonia” in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest.

Aid workers have been working to provide assistance to over 700,000 people who have been displaced internally by the conflict in the Central African nation.

Source: Xinhuanet

Two killed in Boko Haram attack in French Cameroun

24, August 2021

Two killed in Boko Haram attack in French Cameroun 0

At least two people were killed in an attack by suspected members of terror group Boko Haram overnight into Tuesday in Cameroon’s Far North region, local sources said.

Armed militants invaded Malika, a locality in the region, firing indiscriminately when the villagers were asleep, killing two civilians, wounding several others and stealing cattle in the process, local sources said.

The villagers have fled and were taking refuge in the bushes, according to local authorities.

Nighttime incursions by Boko Haram have become recurrent in the region, according to security reports.

Source: Xinhaunet

Southern Cameroons Bishops call for an end to the conflict: Our people are tired of living in uncertainty

24, August 2021

Southern Cameroons Bishops call for an end to the conflict: Our people are tired of living in uncertainty 0

“We deplore the violence, insecurity, kidnappings, torture and senseless killings, sometimes of innocent people and children”, emphasized the Bishops of the Bishops’ Conference of Bamenda Province (BAPEC) in a statement published on Sunday, August 22nd, in which they renew their appeal for the end to the long conflict in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

The BAPEC members appeal to all armed groups to “end the violence with immediate effect and work towards a peaceful solution to the conflict”. “Our people have suffered enough and are tired of living in uncertainty and fear”, said the bishops, who praised the commitment of the priests who “stood by the people entrusted to them with pastoral care and have made and continue to make heroic sacrifices in this time of crisis”.

On August 20, a seven-year-old student at the St. Theresa Catholic Primary School in the Kumbo diocese of Cameroon was killed by a stray bullet in a gun battle between Cameroonian soldiers and separatists near the school.

On Sunday, August 22nd, a female parishioner was killed and a pastor was wounded during a service in the Presbyterian Church in northwest Bali.

A military patrol was ambushed by separatists. In the exchange of fire, stray bullets killed the women and wounded the pastor.

The conflict in the Anglophone regions in the southwest and northwest of Cameroon has been dragging on for more than four years and has intensified since the separatists symbolically declared the independence of the two areas that have been grouped into one in Ambazonia on October 1, 2017.

The separatists chose the date of October 1st to commemorate the independence of the English-speaking area from the United Kingdom in 1961. The French-speaking part had gained independence from France in 1960. The creation of a single bilingual state was then decided in a referendum. However, residents of the English-speaking regions complain that they are discriminated against in legislation and in education compared to French speakers.

The conflict has already claimed more than 3,500 lives and forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homes.

Source: Agenzia Fides

Tunisia political limbo: President indefinitely extends suspension of parliament

24, August 2021

Tunisia political limbo: President indefinitely extends suspension of parliament 0

A state of uncertainty continues to dominate politics in Tunisia, as the country effectively remains without a government one month after President Kais Saied abruptly sacked his prime minister, with the chief executive now indefinitely extending the suspension of parliament.

Saied’s unexpected intervention last month granted him an executive power, but bitterly irked his opponents, who denounced the move as a coup.

On Monday, Saied’s office issued “a presidential decree extending the exceptional measures… regarding the suspension of Parliament and lifting of the parliamentary immunity of its MPs until further notice.”

The president is to address the nation in the coming days, the statement said, without providing further details.

He is widely anticipated to announce new measures that would reassure a highly anxious Tunisian public and allay international concerns about Tunisia entering an authoritarian era.

Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days in July, following mass protests in several cities against the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tunisia’s biggest political party Ennahda denounced the move as a “coup,” but Saied at the time argued that his decision was meant to save Tunisia from collapse.

He said he would assume executive authority “with the help” of a government whose new chief he would personally appoint.

Ever since, authorities have placed several officials, including former ministers, under house arrest. Several politicians, lawmakers, businessmen and judges also say they have been banned from traveling abroad.

Apart from plunging the country into a political limbo, the latest developments have exacerbated political polarization in Tunisia.

The president’s critics have denounced the measures as “arbitrary” and “unjustified.”

Many, however, have thrown their weight behind the president, defending his decision to strip lawmakers of their immunity, as per Article 80 of the constitution that allows for exceptional measures if there is an “imminent danger” to national security.

Ennahdha — the largest party in parliament — called for a national dialog. But Saeed was quick to brush aside the initiative.

Before the latest presidential decree was issued, the party also announced the dismissal of its executive committee.

Party leader and parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi has decided to form a new board “in order to meet the demands of the current period,” the party said in a statement.

“Ennahda’s head decided to dismiss the party’s executive members and restructure it in a way that responds to the requirements of the phase,” it added.

Ghannouchi is under fire over his handling of the month-long political crisis. Prominent leaders from within his party have demanded that he quit the leadership.

Ennahda has been the most powerful party in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution that ousted former Western-backed ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The party, however, started to lose support since the economy stagnated and public services declined, after the pandemic hit the nation last year and infection rates surged this summer.

Source: Presstv

US Vice President Kamala Harris accuses China of using intimidation to back South China Sea claims

24, August 2021

US Vice President Kamala Harris accuses China of using intimidation to back South China Sea claims 0

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday accused China of coercion and intimidation to back unlawful claims in the South China Sea, in her most pointed comments on China on a visit to Southeast Asia, a region she said was critical to U.S. security.

Harris’s seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam is aimed at standing up to China’s growing security and economic influence globally and addressing concerns about China’s claims to disputed parts of the South China Sea.

Diverting attention and resources to the region has become a centrepiece of President Joe Biden’s administration, as it turns away from old security preoccupations with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

The U.S. administration has called rivalry with China “the biggest geopolitical test” of the century and Southeast Asia has seen a series of high-profile visits by top administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“We know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea,” Harris said in a speech in Singapore.

“These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision, and Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,” she said, referring to an international tribunal’s ruling over China’s claims in The Hague.

China rejected the ruling and has stood by its claim to most of the waters within a so-called Nine Dash Line on its maps, parts of which Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also claim.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the waters, which are crossed by vital shipping lanes and also contain gas fields and rich fishing grounds.

The U.S. Navy regularly conducts “freedom of navigation” operations through the disputed waters, which China objects to, saying they do not help promote peace or stability.

On board the USS Tulsa, a U.S. combat ship at the Changi Naval base in Singapore on Monday, Harris told U.S. sailors “a big part of the history of the 21st century will be written about this very region” and their work defending it was pivotal.

On Monday, Harris began her trip by meeting Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

They discussed the importance of upholding a rules-based international order and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, expanded cybersecurity cooperation and efforts to shore up critical supply chains between their countries. “Our partnerships in Singapore, in Southeast Asia and throughout the Indo-Pacific are a top priority for the United States,” Harris said on Tuesday, adding the region was “critically important to our nation’s security and prosperity”.

A top Chinese diplomat last month accused the United States of creating an “imaginary enemy” to divert attention from domestic problems and to suppress China.

Part of her task during the trip will be convincing leaders in the region that the U.S. commitment to Southeast Asia is firm and not a parallel to Afghanistan.

Biden has faced criticism over his handling of the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the chaotic evacuation after the lightning takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Harris said the United States was “laser focused” on the task of “safely evacuating American citizens, international partners, Afghans who worked side by side with us, and other Afghans at risk”.

She also said that the United States had put itself forward to host a meeting of the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC in 2023, which includes the United States, China and Japan.

(REUTERS)

Paul Atanga Nji: walking on egg shells

24, August 2021

Paul Atanga Nji: walking on egg shells 0

Cameroon’s controversial Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji, is these days walking on egg shells ever since he visited the Special Criminal Tribunal in Yaoundé.

The Territorial Administration Ministry boss, who is currently in Abuja to attend a security meeting, seems to have lost his voice after a tense meeting with members of the Special Criminal Tribunal who are analyzing his case in order to come up with a conclusion which is expected in the president’s office.

Atanga Nji, the conman who said there was no Anglophone problem, was questioned on his role in the mismanagement of COVID funds given to the country by the International Monetary Fund.

It is being alleged that he meddled with the distribution of the funds and even the services and goods that were supposed to be provided by his ministry were never provided. 

The conman has been under scrutiny ever since he granted a contract to his brother who lives in Florida, USA, for him to declare that Biya was supported by Americans in his bid to win another term in 2018.

He is also being suspected of misusing other funds, especially those related to the war in the English-speaking regions of the country.

Noted for his bad English and legendary stupidity, the conman is gradually being elbowed out of government as he cannot fulfill his promise.

He had conned his Beti masters into believing that he would put an end to the Southern Cameroons crisis, but since becoming the territorial administration boss, the situation has only gotten worse.

The Cameroon Concord News Group’s correspondent in Nigeria who spotted the conman on the conference grounds in Nigeria said he looked tired, old and even haggard; a sign that he was going through some psychological torture.

It should be mentioned that the territorial administration boss left the country without the usual fanfare because of the suspicion hanging over him like the Sword of Damocles.

It is being rumored in power circles in Yaoundé that he could be arrested at anytime and this could also happen upon his landing in Yaoundé in a few days time.

“He understands how the system works and he is really scared. He could even be arrested at the airport. He has been involved in many nasty deals and the suspicion hanging over him is robbing him of his peace,” a source in Yaoundé said.

Paul Atanga Nji has brought shame to the government and defeat to the military which has lost more than 3,000 of its soldiers in a war that could have been avoided through negotiations and peace deals.

It is becoming clearer that he will not be part of the next government which will be announced before the country’s president, Paul Biya, returns to Switzerland to continue with his long and costly treatment for multiple illnesses.

Atanga Nji is aware of the bad news and this is keeping him awake all night. Many Cameroonians hold that he lacks the stuff that makes ministers and many wish that he could be cut out of the government just to spare the country the numerous embarrassments he has been putting the country through.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Interim Gov’t statement on killings in Bali and Kumbo

23, August 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Interim Gov’t statement on killings in Bali and Kumbo 0

Fellow Ambazonians,

On Sunday, 22 August 2021, despicable cruelty was unleashed by the military of French Cameroun upon our people in Presbyterian Church Ntanfoang, Bali, during a service of worship. Eyewitness reports and videos from worshippers confirm that the French Cameroun army randomly attacked and fired at the Church from the windows. A Southern Cameroons Christian, Grace, was massacred at the scene. The Pastor was injured and taken to the local health centre. Our thoughts and prayers are with Grace’s family at this challenging time in the history of our country-The Federal Republic of Ambazonia. The Interim Government wishes all those who sustained injuries during the Bali attack a speedy recovery.

On Friday, 20 August 2021, the French Cameroun army attacked children at St. Theresa School (STS) Kumbo and killed Sinclair Shalanyuy. Sinclair was young and had a bright future ahead of her. Our thoughts are with Sinclair, too, and what’s more? She will never be forgotten!

Fellow Southern Cameroonians, these savage attacks perpetrated by soldiers loyal to the Biya French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé on our defenseless civilian population have become endemic. These ongoing crimes against humanity are premeditated and designed to terrorize and traumatize our suffering civilian population. Your Interim Government is presently consulting with Ground Zero commanders, and Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces shall respond to these unprovoked attacks appropriately.

People of Ambazonia, our fight represents an unyielding rejection of colonialism in any form, shape or manifestation. The rejection is consistent with international law, which gives hope to colonized people struggling for their liberation. History teaches us that many nations have won their liberation battles. Consequently, we shall overcome.

Fellow Ambazonians, we will continue to fight until self-determination is achieved. Be neither discouraged nor distracted. Our time shall come. Grace and Sinclair Shalanyuy, like thousands of Southern Cameroonians, have not died in vain. We owe them a debt to make Ambazonia a reality. Attacks on Churches and Schools underscore how desperate French Cameroun has become. It is a nation that has no respect for human lives and international norms. But we must continue our fight for freedom and justice with the belief that we shall overcome.

We have many long years of struggle and suffering before us as the path we have chosen is full of danger, but it is a path worth taking. The cost of freedom is high, but we must pay the price. As a people, one path we shall never choose is the path of surrender. Our task is simple; we must win and live free or die in the process of freeing ourselves.

Thank you,

God bless the Federal Republic of Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia

Dabney Yerima

Bali Nyonga: Biya Francophone regime forces kill Pastor, 1 civilian during Holy Mass

23, August 2021

Bali Nyonga: Biya Francophone regime forces kill Pastor, 1 civilian during Holy Mass 0

A man of God and a parishioner were killed in an attack by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime forces in Bali on Sunday.

The regime forces carried out an artillery strike on Bali Nyongha, killing the Pastor and a Christian during church service and wounding several other worshippers.

Human Rights groups have called for a de-escalation of violence but Yaoundé has continued with military operations under the command of a defense minister Beti Assomo who erroneously think that only a military victory will put an end to the conflict.

With no cease-fire in sight, the Francophone army soldiers have regularly raided Southern Cameroons towns and villages and thousands of civilians have been forced to migrate to Nigeria due to attacks by the Cameroon regime forces.

The War in Southern Cameroons has already claimed at least 40 000 lives, almost all of them civilian children, men and women, murdered by Cameroun troops in a series of targeted killings, organized massacres, and killings by fire in over 400 villages burnt down to ashes across Ambazonia. Over half a million people have been forcibly displaced as refugees living in various countries and especially in refugee camps in Nigeria. Over another half a million people have become IDPs hiding in forests, caves and hills due to forced displacement. Additionally, over 1.5 million people are facing a humanitarian disaster.

The Biya Francophone regime uses not only arson and the destruction of food, livestock, and crops in the fields as weapons of war. It also uses rape. Rape of Ambazonian women and girls by French speaking army soldiers is systematic and widespread. These agonizing situations are compounded by the fact that a high percentage of Cameroon government troops are HIV positive and also have other STDs. When they rape they infect the women and girls. This appears to be part of the genocide agenda of French Cameroun. Reports are now emerging of scores of school girls raped, impregnated and infected by Republique du Cameroun’s troops. This poses a nightmare not only of the HIV and STD infections but also of rampant teenage pregnancies. French speaking Cameroon government troops have burnt down health facilities and killed health workers in rural and semi-urban areas. Accessing health facilities or health practitioners is a huge challenge for rural and semi-urban folks.

By Fon Lawrence in Bamenda

Under rising pressure from Ambazonia Restoration Forces, Yaoundé goes after traditional rulers

23, August 2021

Under rising pressure from Ambazonia Restoration Forces, Yaoundé goes after traditional rulers 0

In the latest episode in the never-ending war in Southern Cameroons, Minister Beti Assomo recently instructed soldiers loyal to the regime in Yaoundé to search the palaces of several high notables of the Bui Kingdom including the much respected and pro French Cameroun Fon Mbinglo.

 Defence ministry issued the search warrant for several high Nso officials amid speculation that Minister Beti Assomo is longer Biya’s preferred choice.

The country’s Defense minister who arrogantly declared that he would implement president Biya’s decision of going to war against the English speaking people of Southern Cameroons without batting an eyelid has reportedly met his waterloo.

For more than four years, Southern Cameroonian fighters have proven that they are a force to reckon with and this has called into question the quality of soldiers being trained in Cameroon’s military academy.

Despite the military’s brutality and primitive approach, Southern Cameroonian fighters have succeeded to kill some 3,000 army soldiers and maimed almost the same number and this is already creating an uprising within the military.

Many soldiers have fled to neighboring countries and scandals about the payment of per diem to soldiers fighting in Southern Cameroons and the disappearance of huge amounts of money intended for the soldiers have given Joseph Beti Assomo a very bad name.

Beti Assomo is one of those who erroneously think that only a military victory will put an end to the conflict that has been considered by the international community as a conflict that could have been avoided if it had been properly managed.

He is also being accused of running a war economy that makes it hard for the conflict to be addressed. Regime insiders hold that he will be cut off following the cabinet reshuffle that is on the horizon because of his hawkish approach to the conflict in Southern Cameroons.

By  Rita Akana with additional reporting from Soter Agbaw-Ebai and Africa Intelligence

Cabinet reshuffle on the horizon: Why the following may not make it!

22, August 2021

Cabinet reshuffle on the horizon: Why the following may not make it! 0

After a long medical visit to Switzerland, Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, is currently working on a new cabinet based on an assessment of the country’s military, political and economic realities. Over the last five years, the country has been bleeding money due to the military crisis in the country’s two English-speaking regions. Southern Cameroonian fighters have been inflicting huge damage and losses on the country’s military, and military equipment has been disabled in many parts of Southern Cameroons.

All over the country, the economic situation is pathetic. Unemployment rates across the country are significantly high and corruption has reached lamentable and appalling levels. Many small- and medium-sized enterprises are shutting down due to punitive taxes and this is giving Mr. Biya a very bad name, making it hard for him to shake off the stress that is blighting his life.

While cabinet reshuffles are supposed to be conducted under wraps, in Cameroon, it is possible to have an insight into what is happening. A source close to the Presidency of the Republic has hinted the Cameroon Concord News Group that there will be significant changes and many heads will be rolling for the economic and military failures that will forever characterize Mr. Biya’s government. Mr. Biya is very bitter for the failings and wants to take out the dead wood in his government. These dead woods include, but not limited to:

Chief Joseph Dion Ngute: The current prime minister who is so laid back to the point where many think the country can really function without him. Since his appointment some two years ago, he has not succeeded to visit his own village due to the crisis that caused his massive palace to be burnt down. He was appointed on the grounds that he would help to disconnect the South West Region from the North West Region by giving currency to the fake news that South Westerners were a peaceful people who did not want to be part of the war that is still tearing the country apart. But Prime Minister Dion Ngute has not succeeded to bring out any South Westerners from the bushes. The indicators on the ground clearly point to the fact that South Westerners are as angry as North Westerners and that they are actively involved in the war that has resulted in the death of thousands of Cameroonians. In two years as Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute has achieved only one thing – getting married to a very young lady and this has really given him a bad name within government circles. He might be let go to fully enjoy the “ship” he has conquered recently. Will he have the energy to deliver on the mandate he has set for himself? 

Joseph Beti Assomo: The country’s Defense minister who arrogantly declared that he would implement the president’s decision without batting an eyelid. For more than four years, Southern Cameroonian fighters have proven that they are a force to reckon with and this has called into question the quality of soldiers being trained in Cameroon’s military academy. Despite the military’s brutality and primitive approach, Southern Cameroonian fighters have succeeded to kill some 3,000 army soldiers and maimed almost the same number and this is already creating an uprising within the military. Many soldiers have fled to neighboring countries and scandals about the payment of per diem to soldiers fighting in Southern Cameroons and the disappearance of huge amounts of money intended for the soldiers have given Joseph Beti Assomo a very bad name. He is one of those who erroneously think that only a military victory will put an end to the conflict that has been considered by the international community as a conflict that could have been avoided if it had been properly managed. He is also being accused of running a war economy that makes it hard for the conflict to be addressed. Regime insiders hold that he will be cut off following the cabinet reshuffle that is on the horizon because of his hawkish approach to the conflict in Southern Cameroons.

Paul Atanga Nji: The country’s poorly educated Territorial Administration Minister who has made a mountain of mistakes ever since becoming the boss of the territorial administration ministry. His poor mastery of English has transformed him into a laughing-stock. He is known for expressions such as “the boyses in the bushes”, “buring the bereaved”, and “Kumba is the capital of Fako Division”. Paul Atanga Nji, also known as the conman par excellence, was appointed as the country’s territorial administration minister because he had suggested that he would end the Southern Cameroons crisis if given the territorial administration portfolio and it was handed to him. Since taking over this portfolio, he has made multiple mistakes which have only made the conflict worse. He has created death squads just to overcome the brave Southern Cameroonian fighters, but his efforts have come to nothing. He has also tried to pit the different factions against each other, but his tricks have always fallen flat on their faces. He has also been implicated in many financial scandals. He is being suspected of using the war to illegally enrich himself and the “sparrow-hawk” is carefully looking at his file which may be submitted to the president very soon. His role in the disappearance of huge chunks of the COVID-19 resources is one scandal that might send him to the Yaoundé Maximum Security Prison. Ever since he got implicated in this scandal, he has been advised by the country’s security community to keep a very low profile and his has not been seen in public for over three months. His bold display of wealth by building a church and handing it over to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ebolowa is one action that has proven that he has robbed the country and is seeking to cast himself in very bright religious light. However, he is not fooling anybody. The Sparrow-hawk is hovering over his head and it is waiting for him to be taken out of government before it picks him up and takes him to where he rightfully belongs. 

Jacques Fame Ndongo: The country’s higher education minister, also known as an ethno-fascist, is one of those responsible for the escalation of the conflict in the two English-speaking regions of the country. He is also suspected of stealing funds allocated for the purchase of computers for the country’s university students. Though he sings Paul Biya’s name all over Cameroon, it is becoming very clear that Mr. Biya is sick and tired of a man who has done a lot to split the country with his violent speeches and manipulation. He has led the higher education ministry for almost fifteen years, but his presence at the helm of this ministry has been very destructive, as appointments in the country’s state universities are based on loyalty and not on merit. He is also accused of setting up extortion groups throughout the country and this is giving the government a very bad name that sickens Biya to the stomach. 

Jean de Dieu Momo:   This beggarly lawyer appointed as the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice some two years ago has been an embarrassment to the government on many occasions. His love of social media and his combative approach to politics are not very much liked by members of Mr. Biya’s inner circle. He was appointed just to demonstrate that the government was inclusive, but he is turning out to be a massive embarrassment to the government. He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar trying to plead with a lawyer in France to secure him residency in France; an incident that did not go down well with his boss and President Paul Biya. He will be released for him to continue living his low life in Douala where he is at ease to drink in very dirty drinking spots. 

The Cameroon Concord News Group is gathering more information on the upcoming reshuffle and it will be releasing it as it comes in. There is a lot of tension in Yaoundé, and many ministers are working overtime just to prove that they are still up to the task. The pressure is real, and the fear is palpable. Many families will soon be in tears and many know that things will change. For Anglophones in the government, many fear that new faces may come onboard as a way of calming tempers in the two English-speaking regions of the country and this implies taking out the old faces which have not delivered on their mandates.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai 

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