Monthly Archives: March 2022

Ambazonia Interim Gov’t condemns Governor Okala Bilai’s visit to Ndian County

10, March 2022

Ambazonia Interim Gov’t condemns Governor Okala Bilai’s visit to Ndian County 0

The leadership of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government has condemned the recent visit paid by the Francophone governor of the South West Okala Bilai to Ndian Division that comes amid intensified Ambazonia attacks on pro Yaoundé administrators.           

Vice President Dabney Yerima on Wednesday slammed the local CPDM elites and traditional rulers in Ekondo Titi for receiving Governor Okala Bilai in Ndian, saying the move is deemed as betrayal of Southern Cameroons.

“The visit is an insult to the people of Southern Cameroons”  Yerima added.

The exiled leader also expressed concern over statements made by the French Cameroun civil administrator during the visit.

The Ambazonia Interim Government expressed its regret over such visits, calling the so-called federalists in Southern Cameroons to stop providing the French Cameroun regime the opportunity to penetrate the Ambazonia homeland and to tamper with the interests of its counties.

“The IG reiterated its rejection of all forms of interaction with an enemy that violates Southern Cameroons sanctities and continues its aggression on the people of Southern Cameroons, continues to detain thousands of Southern Cameroons prisoners, kills Southern Cameroons children and destroys our homes, and displaces our people” the Yerima statement said.

Governor Okala Bilai travelled to Ekondo Titi a day after a roadside bomb killed both the Divisional Officer and mayor of Ekondo Titi.

By Isong Asu

Cameroon Women Rally to Demand More Political Representation

9, March 2022

Cameroon Women Rally to Demand More Political Representation 0

In Cameroon, thousands of women protested on International Women’s Day Tuesday demanding more political power and government jobs. Women make up more than half of Cameroon’s population, but there is not a single female among the country’s 10 regional governors or council presidents.

Thousands of women turned out at the 20 Boulevard in Cameroon’s capital singing that they do not want to be treated as inferior to men any longer.

The Cameroon government said it expected between ten thousand and fifteen thousand women for International Women’s Day celebrations on Tuesday. But Cameroon’s Ministry of Women’s Empowerment said more than 20,000 came out in Yaounde to protest.

Similar protests took place in towns and villages across Cameroon, in both French- and English-speaking areas.

Nicoline Nwenushi Wazeh, founder of the NGO Pathways for Women’s Empowerment and Development, PaWED, says Cameroon’s government is not doing much for women to gain more political power or reach representation goals set by the United Nations and African Union.

“All four ministers of state are men. Out of the 39 ministers we only have six women. All ten governors of the regions are men. Of the 58 divisional officers we have only two women. The lack of political will has made it that Cameroon government neither respects the universal quota of 30% nor the African Union quota of 50-50,” she said.

Nwenushi said there are only 61 women in the 180-member the lower house of parliament and the Senate has 26 women against 74 men.

Mumah Bih Yvonne of the Cameroon Women’s Peace Movement’s says both President Paul Biya and Cameroon’s electoral laws make it difficult for women to climb to leadership positions.

“The electoral code does not clearly spell out what quota is reserved for women. It just mentions that gender should be taken into consideration. Women need to be pushed by political will so I think this government can do better by appointing women who are very apt in different positions,” Bih said.

Marie-Therese Abena Ondou is Cameroon’s Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family. She says the ministry she leads has been educating men to consider women as equals. She says she also educates women to contest for elected positions and not to be scared of intimidating men.

“Many men feel threatened when we talk about equality and we want to reassure them (men) that it is not that they [men] will be pushed aside, it is working together. Men and women are born equal and we should try to remember that both have the same potential if given the same opportunities,” Ondou said.

The U.N. marks International Women’s Day on March 8 to bring attention to women’s contributions to development and stop inequities. This year’s theme was “Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.

Source: VOA

Football: Benzema hat-trick sees Real Madrid knock PSG out of Champions League

9, March 2022

Football: Benzema hat-trick sees Real Madrid knock PSG out of Champions League 0

Real Madrid pulled off one of the great Champions League comebacks on Wednesday as Karim Benzema scored a breath-taking hat-trick to upstage Kylian Mbappe and dump Paris Saint-Germain out in the last 16.

Madrid were set to be the latest victims of another Mbappe masterclass at the Santiago Bernabeu after the 23-year-old ran them ragged for the best part of an hour and fired in to put PSG 1-0 up on the night, 2-0 ahead on aggregate.

But Madrid came storming back as Benzema capitalised on a mistake by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and then scored an incredible double in two minutes, the third coming just eight seconds after PSG had kicked off.

When the full-time whistle confirmed their 3-2 aggregate victory, many of Madrid’s players dropped to their knees and looked up to the sky, as much perhaps in disbelief as joy, after completing one of the most memorable turnarounds in the club’s recent history.

All eyes were on Mbappe, who was the only player to be cheered by Madrid’s fans before the game as they were gifted an up-close preview of the player they hope will be theirs this summer.

Mbappe delivered, scoring a superb goal, not to mention a spellbinding second that was disallowed for offside when he bamboozled Thibaut Courtois with a magical dummy-finish.

To think he might not even have been 100 per cent here after a knock in training on Monday temporarily put his involvement in doubt.

But what looked set to become an exhibition of the world’s deadliest player instead became another remarkable European night for Real Madrid, who showed again why they consider this to be their competition.

Madrid clearly wanted to hit PSG hard form the start, with Dani Carvajal leaping and waving his hands at the crowd in an attempt to generate a wave of noise.

For a while, it worked, Vinicius Junior tearing down the left and Fede Valverde bulldozing through Mbappe, but the surge was brief. PSG killed Madrid’s momentum, pushed them back and took complete control.

Mbappe sped clear for the first time in the eighth minute, Neymar curling a ball into the space on the left. The stadium held its breath, Mbappe made space but this time hit Courtois.

Madrid dropped off but ceded control. Mbappe nipped past Eder Militao and Courtois saved. A lovely interchange between Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti gave Neymar a sight of goal but Courtois was there again.

PSG were comfortable now, dictating the play and sensing the trepidation. Madrid had openings, Benzema curling just wide, but all over the pitch they looked slower, heavier, more cumbersome.

Modric shines

Messi skipped through and scooped wide before Mbappe had his first of two goals ruled out, driving into the corner only to see the flag raised.

The goal, though, felt inevitable and in the 39th minute, it came. Carvajal lost the ball upfield and with Madrid committed, Neymar arced another brilliant pass over the top.

By the time he reached it, Mbappe only had David Alaba in front of him and as he shaped to bend into the far corner he instead fired early, whipping a deadly shot past Courtois and inside the near post.

Madrid tried to reset at half-time but Mbappe carried on where he left off with a brilliant, but disallowed, goal.

He fooled Courtois with an astonishing dummy shot, beating the Belgian without even touching the ball and slammed in. The flag went up but the stadium was astounded.

The game was becoming less a contest, more an Mbappe exhibition but then Benzema, out of nowhere, dragged Madrid back into the tie.

He chased Nuno Mendes’ backpass to Donnarumma, who skewed under pressure. Vinicius was able to collect and cut back to Benzema, who slotted home.

Suddenly, there was hope again, the crowd on their feet roaring Madrid on. Vinicius shot over when the ball cannoned kindly to him in the box. Luka Modric tracked Messi and slid him into touch.

It was Modric who inspired Madrid’s second too, a scintillating run through midfield allowing Vinicius to race clear down the left. He scooped back inside to Modric, whose exquisite reverse pass found Benzema, who finished.

Madrid were level on aggregate, the goal confirmed after a check from VAR. Then eight seconds later, incredibly, they were ahead. PSG squandered possession from kick-off, Rodrygo released Vinicius and Marquinhos’ attempted clearance found Benzema, who steered into the corner.

“This is how Madrid win,” the fans began to sing. They fell quiet when Messi stood over a free-kick in injury time but the ball curled over and the cheers began again.

Source: AFP

Russian tanks are getting close to the Ukrainian capital

9, March 2022

Russian tanks are getting close to the Ukrainian capital 0

At a deserted service station on the motorway northeast of Kyiv, a Ukrainian officer warns: “Don’t go any further. The Russians are over there.”

Over the last five days, the Russians have advanced more than 80 kilometres (62 miles) on the northeastern front and are getting close to the Ukrainian capital.

The Ukrainian officer in camouflage points towards the north, where the motorway stretches empty to the horizon between snow-covered fields.

“The Russian tanks are just over there, two kilometres away,” he said, ordering a civilian vehicle to turn round and go back, due to the danger from Russian forces.

“Drive in a zig-zag to avoid their shots,” he advises the driver.

Then he returns to his watch, in charge of around a dozen soldiers whose task it is to pass on information on Russian tanks so that the Ukrainian army can bomb them as soon as they move to break through the lines.

The Russian tanks are stationed just a few kilometres away from Kyiv’s city limits.

Last Saturday, the Russians were about 80 kilometres further up this road, on a level with the city of Chernihiv.

This advance along the motorway from the north brings Russian tanks just to the east of Kyiv, heightening fears that they could soon encircle the capital.

Russian tanks are also just a few kilometres from the city to its northwest.

In the surrounding villages, there are few cars on the road and they drive with utmost caution in what is now frontline territory.

Source: AFP

Plane carrying former US President Donald Trump makes emergency landing

9, March 2022

Plane carrying former US President Donald Trump makes emergency landing 0

A plane carrying former US President Donald Trump made an emergency landing in New Orleans on Saturday evening after experiencing engine failure over the Gulf of Mexico, a source familiar with the matter confirmed on Wednesday.

The plane, a Dassault Falcon 900, had gone about 75 miles from a New Orleans airport before turning back to the city, the person said. Other passengers included Secret Service agents, support staff and some of Trump’s advisers.

A Trump representative did not immediately return a request for comment on the incident.

The plane was returning Trump to his home in Palm Beach, Florida, from a New Orleans hotel where he was speaking to Republican Party donors at a private event, the person said.

The plane belonged to a donor who loaned it to the former president for the evening, the source said, and Trump advisers secured another donor’s plane to take him back to Florida.

The incident was first reported on Wednesday by Politico and the Washington Post.

(Source: Reuters)

Ukraine, Russia agree to day-long ceasefire to allow evacuation of civilians

9, March 2022

Ukraine, Russia agree to day-long ceasefire to allow evacuation of civilians 0

Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday agreed on a day-long ceasefire around a series of evacuation corridors to allow civilians to escape the fighting. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Moscow vowed to respect the truce from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm around six areas, including regions near Kyiv, in Zaporizhzhia in the south, and some parts of Ukraine’s northeast.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer transmitting data to the UN’s atomic watchdog, the agency said Tuesday. More than 200 technical staff and guards remain trapped at the site, working 13 days straight since the Russian takeover.

US President Joe Biden announced a ban on US imports of oil from Russia in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK also said they would phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year.

The UN said the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 surged past 2 million.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “fight to the end” in a virtual speech to UK lawmakers that earned him a standing ovation. “We will not give up and we will not lose,” he said.

Source: France 24

Ukraine leader vows: ‘We will fight to the end’, in virtual speech to UK lawmakers

9, March 2022

Ukraine leader vows: ‘We will fight to the end’, in virtual speech to UK lawmakers 0

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, invoking the wartime defiance of British prime minister Winston Churchill, vowed Tuesday (March 8) to “fight to the end” in a historic virtual speech to UK lawmakers.

“We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost, in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets,” he said.

Federal Republic of Ambazonia: IG seeks to peacefully settle borders with La Republique du Cameroun

9, March 2022

Federal Republic of Ambazonia: IG seeks to peacefully settle borders with La Republique du Cameroun 0

The exiled leader of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government says he would prefer to resolve questions about border demarcation with Biya and French Cameroun peacefully.

Vice President Dabney Yerima told Cameroon Concord News on Tuesday that he favours dialogue between the two Cameroons but reserved the right to strengthen Ambazonia Revolutionary Guards providing security in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Yerima said the situation in the long-running conflict in Southern Cameroons had become critical, and the pro-independence forces in Ground Zero were winning with support from the diaspora. Dabney Yerima accused the Biya Francophone regime in French Cameroun of staging provocations and causing civilian casualties in the Ambazonia homeland.

Yerima noted that the Ambazonia Interim Government authorized the use of explosives which began late last year to enable Ambazonia Revolutionary Guards to focus on defending Southern Cameroons towns and villages.

 “With the dust now settled, Southern Cameroonians can see clearly who their true leaders are. Mobilization is growing and God willing, we as a people will get to Buea” Vice President Yerima added.

Southern Cameroons revolutionary leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe proclaimed the independence of British Southern Cameroons five years ago, recognizing the South West and North West regions as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

French Cameroun under the 89-year-old Paul Biya rejected the move and started an invasion of Southern Cameroons in 2017.

Both the Ambazonia Restoration Forces and troops loyal to the Biya French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé have been accused of atrocities in the fighting, which according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) has killed more than 6 000 people.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Football: Barcelona and sharp-again Aubameyang in Europa League trophy hunt

8, March 2022

Football: Barcelona and sharp-again Aubameyang in Europa League trophy hunt 0

Barcelona and a rejuvenated Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Europa League specialists Sevilla will spearhead Spain’s challenge in the last 16 of the competition on Thursday.

Sevilla host English side West Ham in the first leg while Barcelona take on Turkish club Galatasaray at the Camp Nou, in two of the most attractive ties of the round.

Five-time European champions Barcelona are still adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings of the continent’s secondary competition after crashing out of the Champions League in the group stage for the first time in 18 years.

They face Galatasaray at Camp Nou on the back of their best run of the season after four victories in a row, including an impressive 4-2 win away at Napoli in the previous round.

They sit third in La Liga and have not lost in the league since December, boosted by a busy January transfer window in which they signed Aubameyang from Arsenal as well as Ferran Torres and Adama Traore.

Aubameyang and Torres have scored seven goals between them in Barca’s last five games.

“We have four wins in a row and this hasn’t happened for a long time,” said coach Xavi Hernandez on Sunday. “The players believe in what we are doing. We are on the right path.”

The Europa League is still Barcelona’s only realistic hope of winning a trophy this season and there remains a defensive fragility that will offer opponents encouragement.

But Barca will be heavy favourites against a Galatasaray side that have struggled recently, winning only twice in their last 15 matches.

Europa League kings

Sevilla, who have won the Europa League four times in the last eight seasons, will face a West Ham side who are battling for a trophy.

The Hammers’ chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League are slipping away, with Arsenal now firm favourites to secure the final Champions League spot and Tottenham and United still battling too.

West Ham captain Mark Noble said his team’s fighting performance in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool last Saturday would restore belief after a rocky patch in which they were also knocked out of the FA Cup.

“That performance will give us a lot of belief and hopefully we can take that into the Europa League now,” Noble said on the club’s website.

“It’s exciting and hopefully we can perform like that because Sevilla are a top team and we are going to need to perform well.”

The shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will hang over Thursday’s matches with the tie between Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig cancelled, although the Football Union of Russia lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday seeking to overturn UEFA’s ban on its club playing in European competition.

Wednesday (1745 GMT unless stated)

FC Porto (POR) v Lyon (FRA)

Real Betis (ESP) v Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)

Thursday

RB Leipzig (GER) v Spartak Moscow (RUS) – cancelled

Sevilla (ESP) v West Ham (ENG)

All at 2000 GMT

Atalanta (ITA) v Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

Barcelona (ESP) v Galatasaray (TUR)

Rangers (SCO) v Red Star Belgrade (SRB)

Sporting Braga (POR) Monaco (FRA)

Source: AFP

South Africa: Cameroonians arrested in Joburg for possession of R3 million stash of stolen Transnet and Prasa copper

8, March 2022

South Africa: Cameroonians arrested in Joburg for possession of R3 million stash of stolen Transnet and Prasa copper 0

Two Cameroonian nationals are set to appear in court today after they were arrested by the Joburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) undercover officers for possession of stolen copper in Bramley, north of Joburg.

JMPD spokesperson, Xolani Fihla said the two men were nabbed on Saturday, for possession of the stolen copper with an estimated value of R3 million.

“Working on information received, officers proceeded to corner 11th Road and 3rd Avenue in Bramley, where they observed the suspected property,” Fihla said.

“An unknown male opened the gate of the premises, officers approached him, identified themselves as police and proceeded to search inside the premises.”

While searching, they found another man inside the premises and discovered huge quantities of copper cut up into pieces.

“When questioned, the two males failed to give a valid explanation on how they acquired the copper and were immediately arrested. Upon arrest, the suspects attempted to bribe officers with R10 000 cash,” Fihla said.

City of Joburg’s power utility City Power and officials from state-owned enterprise, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) were called to the scene, to identify the recovered stash of copper.

“It was discovered that the copper belongs to Transnet and Prasa, and it cost an estimated value of R3 million worth of damage to infrastructure,” Fihla said.

The suspects were detained at Bramley SAPS and charged with damage to infrastructure, possession of stolen copper and bribery.

Source: IOL

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