Monthly Archives: June 2022

9, June 2022

2023 AFCON: Salah-less Egypt suffer shock loss to Ethiopia ⁰

Egypt sorely missed injured captain Mohamed Salah as they slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat by Ethiopia on Thursday in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying.

A strain ruled out the prolific Liverpool scorer after he defied his club last Sunday and played in a victory over Guinea despite not being fully fit.

Egypt lacked several other injured first choices, but were still expected to secure maximum Group D points in neutral Malawi against opponents 108 places lower in the world rankings.

But the quick Ethiopian forwards repeatedly troubled a slow Egyptian defence in the opening half and goals from Dawa Hotessa and captain Shemeles Bekele gave them a two-goal half-time advantage.

Egypt had more possession in the second half on a pitch badly cut up in places due to torrential pre-match rain.

Ethiopia were forced to play in Lilongwe because, like 16 other countries competing in qualifying, they do not have an international-standard stadium.

Coach Ehab Galal has only been in charge of Egypt for two matches after Portuguese Carlos Queiroz could not agree terms for an extension of his contract.

Galal, who left Cairo club Pyramids to take over the Pharaohs, will now come under intense pressure as a year filled with disappointments for Egypt continues.

They lost the last Cup of Nations final to Senegal on penalties in February and one month later suffered a similar fate against the same team in a play-off to decide who went to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Egypt needed 87 minutes to score the goal that beat Guinea in the opening round of 2023 Cup of Nations qualifying and the loss to Ethiopia left them bottom of the table.

The only consolation for Galal and his squad is that the other teams in the section — Ethiopia, Malawi and Guinea — have also won and lost so each side has three points.

Source: AFP

9, June 2022

Cameroon sees drop in new HIV/AIDS infections ⁰

A new study by Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health has revealed that the Central African nation has witnessed a remarkable drop in new HIV/AIDS infections.

The study was presented on Tuesday in the capital, Yaounde during a meeting to evaluate strides made to combat the epidemic in the country.

According to the 18-month study, 3.5 million HIV tests were carried out since January last year and 93,000 people were confirmed positive with the South Region having the highest number of confirmed cases.

Zoung-Kanyi Bissek, a senior official at the public health ministry said the results indicated a drop in prevalence from 3.3 percent in 2020 to 2.7 percent this year.

“This shows that the strategies put in place are well on course and are recording positive results. In those strategies, women and children are particularly targeted,” Bissek told reporters.

Source: Xinhuanet

9, June 2022

Mamfe Hospital Disaster: Dr. Joachim Arrey says Manyus must rebuild the General Hospital ⁰

“We must rebuild our general hospital. Without this hospital, my siblings and I would not be alive today. It is preposterous for anybody to burn a hospital. If this hospital has been destroyed by Amba fighters, then they do not know what they are fighting for. They have stopped children from going to school and now they are burning health facilities which do serve them and their families. If it is the military that is behind this unfortunate event, then they are simply justifying why people in Mamfe should distrust and hate them. This is unfortunate, but we must not let the wicked destroy us. Our strength will be determined by how fast we rebuild our beloved hospital and not how much we speak,” Dr. Joachim Arrey, the the executive director of the global think Tank for Africa speaking to Cameroon Concord News Group’s editor-in-chief, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, following the burning of the Mamfe General hospital.

Cameroon Concord News: I don’t know how to start. This is very bad news. The burning of the Mamfe General Hospital cannot be a good idea. Who could be responsible for this?

Dr. Joachim Arrey: Thank you for giving this platform for me to share my perspective on the burning of the Mamfe General Hospital. I am devastated. This has spoiled my day. Who burns a hospital with patients in it? What type of wickedness is this? It will take years to rebuild that hospital. However, we should not despair. This is a problem and an opportunity. The people of Manyu must show that sense of purpose they have been talking about for centuries. This is action time. No long speeches. This is terribly bad. However, we must rebuild our general hospital. Without this hospital, my siblings and I would not be alive today. It is preposterous for anybody to burn a hospital. If this hospital has been destroyed by Amba fighters, then they do not know what they are fighting for. They have stopped children from going to school and now they are burning health facilities which do serve them and their families. If it is the military that is behind this unfortunate event, then they are simply justifying why people in Mamfe should distrust and hate them. This is unfortunate, but we must not let the wicked destroy us. Our strength will be determined by how fast we rebuild our beloved hospital and not how much we speak.

Cameroon Concord News: This is really confusing. How do you think this can be handled? The rebuilding should be led by the government.

Dr. Joachim Arrey: You are totally right! This is the government’s domain, but we can work with the government to rebuild our hospital. We cannot wait for our people to start dying like ants before we act. Be advised that when you have money, you have power. If we, the people of Manyu Division, can mobilize USD 1 million in a short time, we will force the government’s hands. We have our people who are in government, and they should be telling us how to proceed. We are already working on a massive fundraising campaign and the Manyu Diaspora will have to demonstrate its love for our people in Manyu Division. I am already talking with many people, and they are willing to bring money to the table. I am here by announcing my modest contribution of CFAF 1 million for the reconstruction of the Mamfe General Hospital. There is a Manyu brother who has promised millions too. I prefer to keep that under wraps until we come up with a clear plan. However, we are calling on Manyu sons and daughters abroad and at home to organize fundraisers. Let us give! There is more pleasure in giving than receiving.

Cameroon Concord News: Who do you think should coordinate this massive effort?

Dr.Joachim Arrey: We still have very many good people among us. Some are medical doctors; others are politicians, while others are administrative officers. I know of Prof. Robinson Mbu, Minister Victor Mengot and Senators Enow Tanjong and George Tabetando who are good people who can provide effective leadership in times of crisis. Many of them know their way in Yaoundé and they have that leverage to push for a fast reconstruction of the hospital. If any of them steps in to provide the much-needed leadership, then I will give much of my time to the fund-raising effort.

Cameroon Concord News: But the government is always slow when it comes to development. It has not even issued a statement on the event. This is an emergency and urgent solutions are required.

Dr. Joachim Arrey: You are right! The government’s machinery is always very slow. It appears there are no emergencies on its agenda. We however have options. We can work with our traditional leaders to build a brand-new state-of-the-art hospital in Mamfe while the government continues to think in slow motion. We have the numbers, and we should use this numbers to serve our people. I am thinking that if the Yaoundé government is too slow for our liking, we should be talking to the mayor of Mamfe or Chief Godson Oben who is the paramount chief of Mamfe so that they can allocate us land for the building of an ultra-modern medical facility which would deliver world-class services to our people at affordable prices. That is why it is urgent and important for us to mobilize resources very fast. We don’t have to wait for our government. I am also urging those back home to organize fundraisers for this purpose. No amount will be too small. We all must work for our beloved Manyu.

Cameroon Concord News: I hope Manyu people at home and abroad will listen to you and act accordingly.

Dr. Joachim Arrey: I hope so too. This is the time for us to demonstrate that love we all say we have for our beloved Manyu. We must avoid long speeches at this time. We must act if we do not want our people to perish. It is in our power to deliver our people from the disaster that is staring them in the face.

Cameroon Concord News: Thank you Dr. Arrey for talking to Cameroon Concord News Group

Dr. Joachim Arrey: It is always a pleasure to share perspectives with you and your team. Have a great day!

9, June 2022

Mamfe Hospital Disaster: The army is to blame! ⁰

The news of the burning of the Manyu District hospital has hit many Cameroonians like a ton of bricks and many are asking many questions. What could have pushed anybody to burn down a hospital that is serving more than forty thousand inhabitants of the town of Mamfe and its environs?

From the first analysis made by the Cameroon Concord News Group’s correspondent in Mamfe who has visited the ruined buildings, it is evident that gasoline was used in the burning down of up to ten wards of the hospital.

“This is a coordinated act. How was this gasoline transported to the hospital when there are multiple checkpoints in and around Mamfe, the capital city of Manyu Division? There is a checkpoint in Mile One, there is another checkpoint opposite the hospital and there is a huge army camp in Besongabang, some two kilometers away from the hospital. How come none of the soldiers saw anything?” Our correspondent in Mamfe asked.

“I have been talking to many people around town and they say they saw soldiers heading in that direction yesterday at about 9pm Mamfe time and after they got into the hospital, there was a massive exchange of gunfire which sent the residents of the town to deck for cover in their homes, especially those living opposite the hospital. The military has to answer for this and there is nothing that will convince the people of Mamfe that the military is innocent,” our correspondent said.

“The government must launch a massive and transparent investigation and the investigators must talk with the people of Manyu Division if the facts must come out. There are many people who know the truth, but they are scared of talking. It is alleged that two French-speaking military officials had been seen in the day ferrying fuel from place to place, but the population thought nothing of it. The people of Mamfe thought it was the military and that the soldier might be travelling overnight, so they need extra fuel for their trip. These military officials must be investigated,” he said.

“There is much talking in Mamfe that the military thinks that carrying out such acts of violence and irresponsibility will intimidate the population into disconnecting from the rebellion. But this act is certainly going to be counter-productive. The people of Mamfe are angry both with the military and Amba fighters who do not have the capacity to undertake such a massive operation. I have called one of the Amba soldiers in Nchang, some three kilometers from the hospital, and he has stressed that they had not carried out any operations in that area. I have also talked with Amba generals in Mfuni and Ossing and they have also said that they cannot be destroying a hospital that is helping their own people. They have clearly pointed an accusing finger at the military, adding that how could that have happened when the military is directly opposite the hospital. There are many military checkpoints in Mamfe, and it is surprising that such an elaborate scheme can be implemented without the knowledge of the military,” he stressed.

“I am still investigating, but there is a lot of tension out here. The military seems to be hiding something. Our traditional chiefs must come together to produce a joint statement that will soothe the minds of our people. The people are angry, and they want the military to pay for its crime. Chief Oben, the Paramount Chief of Mamfe, has been seen this morning and he is clearly disappointed with the situation. He was a chief medical officer of this hospital before retiring and he did a great job renovating the hospital. The people are looking up to him for a fund-raising event that can result in the mobilization of massive resources to rebuild the hospital,” he underscored.

Meanwhile, sources in Yaoundé have indicated that the government is aware that there are many military officials who want the struggle to continue because they are making huge gains from the people’s suffering. The source, which spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the government is currently watching some army officials who are being suspected of stoking the fires in Southern Cameroons.

“The government is aware of the malicious intentions of some of its military officials who want the crisis to continue because the situation is helping them to live like maggots in bacons in Yaoundé. The government has not yet had enough probable cause to arrest them, but undercover agents are working very hard to uncover the secret plots put in place by these ignoble characters who are causing the country to continue to bleed. It is a matter of time. They will be unmasked,” the source said.

Meanwhile the Cameroon Concord News Group is calling on Manyu sons and daughters to organize fundraisers so that the hospital can be rebuilt in a very short period of time. While it is the government’s responsibility, the Board of Directors of the Cameroon Concord News Group holds that if the people of Manyu Division can come with lots of money, the government will be obliged to cave in and avoid the long procurement procedures that may delay things.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

9, June 2022

Platini was worth a million, Blatter tells court ⁰

Michel Platini “was worth his million” Swiss francs a year, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter insisted Thursday, telling a Swiss court he could not understand why the pair were answering fraud charges.

The former world football chief and French football legend Platini are being tried at Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court in the southern city of Bellinzona, following an investigation that began in 2015 and lasted six years.

The pair are being tried over a two million Swiss franc ($2.08 million) payment in 2011 to Platini, who was then in charge of European football’s governing body UEFA.

Blatter spoke for the first time in the two-week trial, which opened on Wednesday.

“I just had this man on my team and he was worth his million,” said the 86-year-old retired Swiss football administrator.

Platini was employed as an adviser to Blatter between 1998 and 2002. They signed a contract in 1999 for an annual remuneration of 300,000 Swiss francs, which was paid in full by FIFA.

The men insist that they had, from the outset, orally agreed to an annual salary of one million francs.

Blatter joined FIFA in 1975 and became the president of world football’s governing body in 1998.

He told the court he turned to former France captain Platini for advice.

Platini is regarded among world football’s greatest-ever players. He won the Ballon d’Or, considered the most prestigious individual award, three times in the mid-1980s.

“When I was elected as president of FIFA, we had a bad record. But I thought that a man who had been in football could help us — FIFA and myself,” Blatter told the court.

Platini “told me: ‘I’m worth a million’. I told him: ‘So you’ll be with me for a million’,” he added.

‘Gentlemen’s agreement’

The prosecution accuses Blatter of having signed off an invoice for two million Swiss francs presented to FIFA by Platini in 2011, almost nine years after the end of his work as Blatter’s adviser.

But the two men had never signed a contract providing for such a salary.

Blatter insisted that he had agreed with Platini a “balance” to be settled “later” when FIFA’s finances would allow it, in a “gentlemen’s agreement” concluded orally and without witnesses.

“It’s a salary that was due,” he insisted.

“I don’t know why we are in a criminal hearing for an administrative procedure,” he said in a strained voice, repeating that the investigation had put him through “seven years of punishment — an eternity”.

Both are accused of fraud and forgery of a document. Blatter is accused of misappropriation and criminal mismanagement, while Platini, 66, is accused of participating in those offences.

The trial will conclude on June 22, with the three judges expected to deliver their verdict on July 8.

If convicted, the pair could face up to five years in jail or a fine.

Source: AFP

9, June 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Serious Commotion as angry soldiers burn Mamfe Divisional Hospital ⁰

Cameroon government soldiers in Mamfe the chief town in Manyu Division used fuel from the base of an elite military unit in Besongabang and setup the entire Mamfe Divisional Hospital on fire, local leaders in Banya Quarters said on Wednesday.

The soldiers, who were responding to a series of attacks on their checkpoints by Amba fighters, accused the medical staff of the hospital of helping wounded fighters and also for spying on them.

Residents of Mamfe reported late on Wednesday hearing gunshots and heavy weapons fire between Amba fighters and Cameroon government army soldiers around GRA area, though they said the situation was calm after the entire hospital had been ravaged by fire.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that when the hospital was set on fire many patients undergoing treatment ran for their lives. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Residents of Mamfe have described the attack on the hospital and other houses adjacent to the hospital as the biggest so far carried out by elements of the Francophone dominated Cameroon government army.

During the attack, the Francophone soldiers burnt down the office of the chief medical officer and the main buildings of the General Hospital.

Since the attack, many persons have been reported missing while families have been separated and in disarray.

By Kingsley Betek in Mamfe

8, June 2022

Spain grants nationality to daughter of an undocumented Cameroonian woman ⁰

A Spanish court has upheld the decision to grant Spanish nationality to the daughter of a Cameroon woman who was born while they migrated to Europe.

The girl had been residing in Spain without any official documents that granted her a nationality since she and her mother arrived in 2018.

In a ruling seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday, the provincial court in Gipuzkoa in northern Spain took the measure to ensure that the girl no longer remained “in a stateless limbo” and “in inequality respect to other minors.”

Both the court’s press office and Spanish Commission for Refugees said this is the first case of its kind in the European Union country. The ruling upheld a previous decision by a lower court in 2021 to grant the girl nationality. It had been appealed by the government.

According to the court ruling, the mother and daughter crossed the Mediterranean and arrived in Tarifa in southern Spain in May 2018. The mother sent a request to the Cameroon embassy in Madrid for a Cameroon passport for her daughter, but they told her that she would need a birth certificate from Morocco or must return to Cameroon. She then asked Morocco officials for a birth certificate and a Moroccan passport for her daughter but never heard back.

The daughter was unable to be registered with city officials in the northern city of San Sebastián where she lives. That stopped her from getting full access to the public health system.

According to Program Ödos, a Spanish charity dedicated to women and children in migration, 550 children accompanied with their parents arrived to Spain in 2020 without any documentation to prove their birth.

Source: AP

8, June 2022

Ambazonia Fighters kill 6 Cameroon gov’t soldiers in tit-for-tat move ⁰

Ambazonia Revolutionary Fighters have killed six Cameroon government soldiers in the North West in a tit-for-tat measure after troops deployed to Southern Cameroons by President Biya killed nine civilians including a baby last week.

Cameroon Concord News correspondent in Bamenda who contributed to this report said the anti French Cameroun action was directed by a famous Amba commander known as General No Pity.

We gathered that six soldiers were killed and three others seriously injured.

After more than 59 years of marginalization, Southern Cameroonians led by their leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe declared Southern Cameroons an independent state in 2017, triggering a crackdown by the Francophone authorities.

The spiral of fighting has claimed more than 10,000 lives and prompted more than a million people to flee their homes, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

Amba fighters are now targeting military barracks, police stations, gendarmerie posts and Francophone officials, which they deem to be symbols of the French Cameroun state.

By Enowtaku Ebanghatabi Christelle with files from Fon Lawrence in Bamenda

8, June 2022

Biya and his Francophone gang have a long record of crimes in Southern Cameroons ⁰

89-year-old President Biya and his Francophone political elites are using the Boko Haram incursions in the Far North region and the deteriorating security situation in the Central African Republic as a political tool to cover up Yaoundé’s misdemeanors in Southern Cameroons.

For over five years now, Biya and his Francophone criminal gang have perpetrated horrible crimes in Southern Cameroons without any accountability and continue to deploy Francophone army soldiers and administrative officers to the Ambazonian homeland.

With strong political, economic and military backing from France, Biya and his gangsters have secured immunity for their Francophone army soldiers from prosecution over horrendous war crimes and genocide in Southern Cameroons.

The regime in Yaoundé has a long record of crimes against British Southern Cameroonians and justice has become a plaything in Southern Cameroons due to Yaoundé’s continued praises on its troops describing them as heroes.

Recently, the Ministry of Defense for the first time announced that Francophone soldiers killed nine Southern Cameroons civilians including a baby in Missong in the North West region.

The Francophone dominated Cameroon government military said four soldiers were searching for a missing colleague on June 1 when they encountered “a group of frenzied villagers.”

The Francophone soldiers opened fire, killing four women, four men and an 18-month-old girl and slightly wounding a 12-month-old baby.

In February 2020, 23 people were killed in a military raid on the village of Ngarbuh, 15 of whom were children. The Francophone army in a statement said the 23 Southern Cameroonians had died when a fuel tank exploded during a firefight between troops and separatists.

But as international outcry developed, the same Francophone military announced again that the civilians had been killed by “uncontrolled” soldiers who were supported by militiamen.

Three Francophone soldiers were reportedly prosecuted for murder and pleaded not guilty, but the verdict has still to be announced more than two years later. Cameroon Intelligence Report sources revealed that the three soldiers from Beti Ewondo extractions have been deployed to the Far North region.

Establishing fully-fledged peace and stability in Southern Cameroons is hindered by the presence of Francophone army soldiers and Francophone civil administrators and by extrapolation-the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime.

The consequences of the war in Southern Cameroons are all over the place. The trust that used to be the population’s hallmark has simply evaporated given the Cameroon government army atrocities that have taken place in the Ambazonian homeland.

Many children in rural parts of Southern Cameroons are still not going to school and this is creating a serious problem that will haunt the entire West Africa in the future.

Key to all measures aimed at ending the fighting in Southern Cameroons will be the release of all Southern Cameroonians arrested because of the conflict, including President Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe who is clearly the leader of Southern Cameroons.

His release and that of his entourage will send out a strong message that the Francophone political elites are committed to bringing sustainable peace to their so-called one and indivisible Cameroon and this might convince Ambazonian fighters in the bushes to down their weapons.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

8, June 2022

Belgian king Philippe decorates last Congolese WW2 veteran ⁰

Belgium’s King Philippe on Wednesday decorated the last surviving Congolese World War II veteran, an AFP correspondent said, during a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Belgian sovereign landed in DRC’s capital Kinshasa on Tuesday afternoon for a six-day visit billed as an opportunity for reconciliation between the vast central African country and its former colonial master.

On Wednesday morning, Philippe visited a memorial for combat veterans in Kinshasa and laid a wreath.

He also decorated 100-year-old Corporal Albert Kunyuku, who enlisted in Belgium’s colonial Force Publique in 1940 and saw service in Burma — the former name of Myanmar.

Kunyuku, the last surviving Congolese veteran of World War II, shook hands with the king for a long time.

Belgium’s colonisation of the Congo was one of the harshest imposed by the European powers that ruled most of Africa in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

King Leopold II, the brother of Philippe’s great great grandfather, oversaw the conquest of what is now DRC, governing the territory as his personal property between 1885 and 1908 before it became a Belgian colony.

Historians say that millions of people were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they were forced to collect rubber under his rule. The land was also pillaged for its mineral wealth, timber and ivory.

In 2020, Philippe wrote a letter to Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to express his “deepest regrets” for the “wounds of the past.”

Near the combat veterans’ memorial on Wednesday, some bystanders suggested that decorating Kunyuku was a cosmetic gesture.

“We should also compensate the families of these veterans who lost their lives in a war that did not concern them,” said Madeleine Yowa, a 43-year-old nurse.

Marie-Therese Bakuku, a street vendor, also urged financial reparations and called the ceremony hypocritical.

“There were thousands of them,” she said, referring to Congolese WWII veterans.

“Now there’s one left and they’re trying to save the day.”

Source: AFP