Monthly Archives: June 2022

28, June 2022

US: Three killed, dozens injured in Amtrak train derailment in Missouri ⁰

A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck and derailed Monday in a remote, rural area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

Two of the people who died were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more.

The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no crossing arms, officials said. Seven cars derailed, the Highway Patrol said.

Helicopter video of the site from KMBC-TV in Kansas City showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients.

Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said.

Passenger Robert Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper room when the crash happened.

“Everything started to go in slow motion,” he told CNN, describing how the train rocked before tumbling onto its side.

Nightingale was able to climb out of the side of the car.

“We all just sat there shocked,” he said.

Other passengers on the train included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, but no one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said.

High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Star.

The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.

Source: AP

28, June 2022

Moderator Samuel Fonki should be arrested and charged with crimes against humanity ⁰

Fonki Samuel, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, should be tried by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

The Francophone dominated Biya regime in Yaoundé and other Southern Cameroons stake holders should charge Moderator Fonki Samuel with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. The Ambazonia Interim Government, after charges are filed, could arrange for the arrest of Moderator Fonki by Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces.

The Ambazonia Interim Government should not take the law into its own hands and unilaterally arrest Moderator Fonki Samuel. The IG should support the rule of law in Southern Cameroons and see to it that Rev Fonki is charged, arrested and convicted of crimes against humanity for putting the Messaga Ekol and Oliti people of Akwaya Subdivision, Manyu Division at each other’s throat.

Moderator Fonki Samuel comes from a migrant community that moved from the North West and settled in Akwaya Sub Division in Manyu. Two generations successfully amalgamated into what we know today as the Messaga Ekol clan deep within the ancestral home of the Oliti people. The quest for rich farm lands has always placed the Messaga Ekol and the Oliti communities at daggers-drawn positions.

Events recently took a dramatic u-turn following the emergence of a migrant son as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon-and the Messaga Ekol people now have a voice and a powerful religious figure who can make their case heard in Yaoundé and even beyond. His recent press release on the massacre in Akwaya tells it all!!

Moderator Fonki personally signed the communiqué detailing what happened in Akwaya without the consent of the Divisional Officer and the Roman Catholic establishment that virtually controls the majority of the Christian family population in Akwaya Sub Division. It is evidently clear from the press release that Moderator Fonki Samuel Forba (to use his three names) is a stake holder in the land dispute in Akwaya. In the moderator’s own account, “Over 30 people were killed including children, girls, men, women and old people. Some were beheaded. About 5 Nigerians were killed in this attack”.

The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The Court is located in Den Hague, Netherlands; The Office of the Prosecutor is responsible for conducting investigations and prosecutions. It is headed by the Chief Prosecutor.

According to Human Rights Watch, “the ICC has one of the most extensive lists of due process guarantees ever written,” including “presumption of innocence; right to counsel ; right to present evidence and to confront witnesses; right to remain silent ; right to be present at trial; right to have charges proved beyond a reasonable doubt; and protection against double jeopardy.”

If Rev Fonki is arrested, there will be no vacuum in the Presbyterian Church. It will instead present an opportunity to have a decent cleric to run the affairs of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

28, June 2022

Akwaya: Land dispute turns deadly as two communities resort to arms ⁰

Contrary to a video circulating on social media that Amba fighters had slaughtered some 30 people in a small locality in Akwaya Sub-Division in Manyu Division, it is gradually emerging that the deaths have been caused by an ignored long-standing land dispute between two communities which have been at each other’s throat for decades.

A Cameroon Concord News source in the Division’s capital has informed the Cameroon Concord News Group’s Editor-in-Chief that the incident which started as a land dispute between the Oliti people and the Messaga Ekol people of Akwaya turned deadly when elements of the Oliti community attacked and killed some Messaga Ekol people on their farms on April 29, 2022.

The current incident caused by the Messaga Ekol community is retaliation, our source has said.

The Olitis have been mobilizing for months, the source pointed out, adding that with the help of some armed men whom they hired, most of whom are suspected of being Nigerians, launched a vicious attack which resulted in the deaths of some 30 Messaga people.

Their homes were also burned and some people were burned while asleep as the attack took place at night, our source added.The attacks led to the burning down of houses during which some people were burnt in their houses, including children and women, an idea corroborated by a Presbyterian Church press release issued on Monday.

With chaos playing out in many parts of the country, especially in the two English-speaking regions of the country where the government has lost control of things, many people are using the crisis to settle old scores.

There is no government presence in those communities and with the police and army scared of venturing into such areas, it clear that the violence resulting from land disputes will continue to escalate, our source said.

The Cameroon Concord News Group has asked its correspondents in Mamfe to gather more information in the days ahead with a view to shading more light on an issue which has nothing to do with the Southern Cameroons crisis.

It should be underscored that due to false intelligence following the death of four gendarme officers in Agborkem German in Manyu Division located on the Cameroon side of the Cross River, the Yaoundé government hastily rushed soldiers to the locality, causing the Southern Cameroons crisis to take a violent turn which will take years to check.

The four gendarme officers who were killed were not killed by Southern Cameroonians because of the crisis which was triggered by the torturing of lawyers and teachers by government police officers in Buea and Bamenda.

The gendarme officers were killed by Nigerian smugglers whose goods had been seized by those gendarme officers as it is a practice among Cameroonian police and gendarme officers.

To cover the matter up, the gendarme officers in Eyumojock misled the government in Yaounde and since the government only believes in violence, it immediately rushed soldiers to Agborkem German where the locals were tortured and young men forced to have sex with their mothers and grandmothers.

That was what caused the crisis to escalate. Biya was misled to declare a war at the airport in Yaounde upon his arrival from a summit in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The government must investigate the issues in Akwaya. It must not let these issues to fester. Government indifference is responsible for most crises in the country and because of the crisis in the two English-speaking regions of the country, government incompetence is now blamed on Amba boys who have nothing to do with the land dispute or the killing of 30 people in Akwaya.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

27, June 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Archbishop Nkea says the Church is in service of peace and reconciliation ⁰

The crisis in Cameroon which began five years ago between separatist forces and the government has plunged the English-speaking regions of the country into a deadly conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, destroyed properties and is creating a growing humanitarian crisis.

The immediate origins of the crisis stem from legal and educational grievances in 2016 which rapidly escalated into a secessionist political conflict with separatists calling for the creation of an independent state they call “Ambazonia.”

The violence has taken a heavy toll on the civilian populations in the Northwest and Southwest region of the nation, with attacks against schools, extrajudicial killings, kidnappings and a general sense of insecurity forcing millions of Cameroonians to flee to neighbouring countries. In all this, the Church has been vocal, calling for an end to the violence and for reconciliation between the sides in conflict.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda spoke to Vatican News on the sidelines of the 10th World Meeting of Families taking place in Rome, highlighting the Church’s role in the service of peace and dialogue in the country.

The people are most affected in the crisis

Archbishop Nkea notes that the Church’s major difficulty in its advocacy during the crisis is navigating “the thin line of neutrality” in the sense of not belonging to any side of the conflict between the government and the separatists, while trying to advocate for peace and reconciliation.

In fact, he explains, “sometimes the government thinks we are not condemning the separatists enough, and most of the time the separatists think that we are not taking a tough enough stance against the government.”

However, the Archbishop insists that the focus is “the People of God” – the suffering people, the students out of school and those who have been displaced by the conflict and forced to flee to neighbouring countries including Nigeria. For these people, he insists, “I am ready to give my life – not for separatists, not for the government!”

The Church in service of peace, dialogue

Since the start of the conflict, the Church has channeled her efforts towards restoring peace and reconciliation in the country, explains the Archbishop, who is also the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Cameroon.

These efforts have also been complemented with humanitarian assistance to those affected by the fighting, including medical care backed by aid from international organizations including the WHO and the UN refugee agency.

According to the UN, about 2 million people affected by the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon need humanitarian assistance and 1.4 million of the most vulnerable are targeted by humanitarian partners for assistance. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says over $139.9 is needed to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and limited funding has been a major constraint in this regard.

The Archbishop further reiterates the Church’s conviction that “the only way to resolve the conflict in Cameroon is through dialogue” which the Church has been trying to facilitate between the separatists and the government, in spite of challenges.

“We focus on what is right and we go on with what is right even to the point of death. We will talk to both parties and make sure that at some point they are able to dialogue and bring this crisis to an end.”

Violence begets more violence

The crisis in the English-speaking regions has led to the deaths of more than 4,000 civilians and hundreds of members of security forces.

Archbishop Nkea strongly condemns the killings, stressing that we “cannot get peace and justice by killing each other.”

“Let us realize that we are not killing ourselves to arrive at good. We can only kill ourselves and arrive at more killing and more violence.”

Source: Vatican News

27, June 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: At least 26 killed in attack in Akwaya Sub Division ⁰

At least 26 villagers were killed in an attack on Saturday in the Akwaya district of Cameroon’s South-West region, where separatist insurgencies have added fuel to long-running inter-ethnic conflicts over land, local sources said on Monday.

The district medical officer, Enow Daniel Kewong, said 26 bodies had been found so far and other people were still missing after the attack on Ballin village, near the border with Nigeria.

Source: Reuters

27, June 2022

Human Rights Watch accuses Amba fighters of fresh attacks ⁰

Anglophone separatists in Cameroon have killed at least seven people and carried out scores of kidnappings since January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday, in a further condemnation of alleged abuses by the rebels.

“Armed separatist groups are kidnapping, terrorizing, and killing civilians across the English-speaking regions with no apparent fear of being held to account by either their own leaders or Cameroonian law enforcement,” Ilaria Allegrozzi, HRW’s senior central Africa researcher, said in a report.

A conflict in Cameroon’s Northwest Region and Southwest Region has raged for nearly five years, pitching government forces against anglophones campaigning to secede from the majority French-speaking state.

The rights watchdog said rebels had killed at least seven people, injured six more, raped a girl and kidnapped as many as 82 people since January “in an uptick of violence.”

The separatists have targeted schools, torching at least two facilities, and attacked a university, it said.

The allegations are based on interviews with several dozen victims and witnesses as well as medical records and visual evidence, HRW said.

In 2017, mounting anglophone resentment at perceived discrimination snowballed into the declaration of an independent state — the “Federal Republic of Ambazonia,” an entity that is not recognised internationally.

The country’s veteran president Paul Biya, 89, who has ruled with an iron fist for nearly 40 years, responded with a crackdown.

The violence has claimed more than 6,000 lives and displaced around a million people, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

Schools have been attacked or boycotted as perceived symbols of the state — a campaign that in 2019 left some 850,000 children without denied access to education, according to UNICEF figures.

“These abusive calls (for school boycotts) trample the basic rights of an already terrorized civilian population,” HRW said.

The UN and international NGOs have accused both sides of human rights abuses.

HRW renewed this allegation, saying government troops had committed rights violations including “extensive burning of villages, homes, and shops, killings, torture, mistreatment, incommunicado detention and rape of civilians.”

On June 1, soldiers in the Northwest Region killed nine civilians, including a baby, the defence ministry said, describing the deaths as a “grave and unfortunate incident.”

Source: AFP

27, June 2022

Nigeria’s Benue charges Ambazonian refugees on respect for host communities ⁰

Benue State Government has advised Southern Cameroonian Refugees in Ikyogen, Kwande Local Government Area of the state to adhere to the laws of the land by ensuring peaceful coexistence within the community.

The Executive Secretary of Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Emmanuel Shior, gave the charge while commemorating this year’s World Refugees Day.

Represented at the occasion by the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor, Mr David Azenda, the Executive Secretary also identified with the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who are facing similar humanitarian crisis and appreciated the host community of Ikyogen, UNHCR and other Development Partners for their collective support.

In his remarks, the Team Leader of the National Commission for Refugee, Migration and IDPs Adikpo Field Officer, Mr Adeyemi Oluwaseyi, said there were more than 26.6 million refugees, out of which 76 Cameroonians were being hosted in Nigeria.

An officer of the UNHCR, who also spoke at the occasion, explained that the event focused on raising awareness of the plight and demonstrating to victims that their rights must be protected and treated with dignity.

The Paramount ruler of Kwande, the Ter Kwande, HRH, Chief Timothy Ahile, assured the refugees of the host community’s support and protection throughout their stay in the area, calling on them to be law abiding.

Two Refugees, Mr. Zefania Ekan and Mr. Chafa, also commended the state government, the host community and development partners for providing food and shelter for them in their trying moment.

Source: The Will Nigeria

27, June 2022

Yaoundé: Government reaches out to the Diaspora, but….. ⁰

The Yaoundé government which has been fighting its Diaspora for decades is finally softening its stance as it now sees the Diaspora as a possible development partner. The country’s President, Paul Biya, last week sent a delegation to Europe to try to woo well-off Cameroonians living there to invest back home.

Seeking to involve the Diaspora in the government’s development program is not new. Many African governments are increasingly recognizing the importance of their citizens living abroad or the ‟new African Diaspora” in national and regional development. This mass exodus of experts or brain drain from Cameroon occurred during the economic crisis the country went through starting in the mid-80s and during the brutal political crackdown of the 90s. Recently the conflict in the two English-speaking regions of the country has pushed thousands of Cameroonians out of the country.

The government’s gesture of reaching out to its Diaspora is laudable and justifiable, especially as the country’s Diaspora now has many dollar millionaires who can help the government in its efforts to address the country’s crippling unemployment and economic decline which are blighting the lives of the country’s youths.

Cameroon has a huge Diaspora which can help give the country’s economy a shot in the arm, especially at a time when the global economy is facing some testing challenges, but relations between the Yaoundé government and its Diaspora have not been the best for many years due to the government’s dictatorial tendencies, and this is standing in the way of any real collaboration between both parties.

In most African countries, the Diaspora is considered as a key development factor and many African countries have come up with policy measures which are motivating the Diaspora to play a key role in those countries. Remittances from Africans living abroad are changing things for the better in some African countries and as governments develop a friendly attitude towards their Diasporic communities, many of their citizens are also investing and this is turning out to be a win-win for those countries receiving these investment resources. The economic transformations taking place in African countries due to Diaspora remittances cannot be ignored.

According to the latest data from the World Bank, remittance inflows to Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 6.2% to USD 45 billion in 2021. In the report titled, “Migration and Development Brief 35”, the World Bank explained that the region’s largest recipient was Nigeria (USD 17.6 billion), and the country is experiencing a moderate rebound in remittance flows, in part due to the increasing influence of policies intended to channel inflows through the banking system. The report added that Nigeria continued to dominate remittance inflows into Sub-Saharan Africa given the exceptional size of the Nigerian migrant base.

The Yaoundé government might be waking up late but better late than never. It must work hard to woo its 5-million strong Diaspora comprising top-notch professionals and businesspeople. For long, the Cameroon government has always viewed its Diaspora as its enemy. The country’s Diaspora is totally against the corruption and bad governance which have brought the country down a dangerous economic path which is spreading death and agony among the country’s youths.

The country’s political arena is one of the worst on the continent, with dishonesty being the hallmark of most ruling party politicians. Bad policies, the government’s arrogance and a gloomy political outlook have pushed many Cameroonians out of their country, and it will be hard to win hearts and minds among members of the country’s Diaspora which has come to terms with the fact that things will never change for the better if the same people who have caused the friction are still in power.

However, if the government really wants to woo its Diaspora, it must mend its ways. Sending a delegation to Europe to urge the country’s Diaspora to invest back home is like putting the horse before the cart. Good policies, instead of missions abroad, will bring investors to Cameroon and when things are really working well in the country, the Diaspora will come in to breathe a new life into the collapsing economy.

Many countries in the world have pursued policies which make their countries attractive to their various Diasporic communities. Canada, for example, allows members of its Diaspora to return home after one year abroad with their personal effects without paying any customs duty.

In Tunisia, the country’s Diaspora has been supportive of the government’s development efforts. Members of the country’s Diaspora who are returning home after a long stay abroad could come in with their cars without paying duty. And customs duty is just one of the concessions that many countries around the world are making to bring back their Diaspora, especially members of the Diaspora who have investment projects which could help create jobs for their fellow citizens.

In Mozambique which went through a very destructive civil war, the government has taken measures to make the country’s Diaspora a key component of its development efforts conscious of the fact that the country’s Diaspora can contribute in social, cultural, and economic ways, including remittances, skills, and dialogue – all of which are key to national development.

With this strategy, the government has demonstrated its commitment to longer term engagement to work together with the Diaspora to leverage these contributions. To strengthen the support and engagement of the Mozambican Diaspora in social, economic and cultural development of the country, the government has launched a Strategy for Diaspora Engagement in National Development.

Meanwhile, Ghana, a country which understands the role the Diaspora can play, has a Diaspora Affairs Bureau within the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. This is a landmark achievement on the part of the Government of Ghana, which has formalized the engagement of the Ghanaian Diaspora for effective migration management and national development planning.

There are an estimated four million Ghanaians living in the Diaspora. The majority live in neighboring African countries and the largest concentration of Ghanaian migrants outside the region are found in Germany, Italy, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Bureau builds upon the success of the Ministry’s Diaspora Support Unit (DSU), established in 2012 with the support of IOM’s International Development Fund (IDF). The IDF supports IOM Member States in their efforts to strengthen their migration management capacity. The DSU was established as part of a national diaspora engagement project to provide a sustainable link between the Ghanaian Diaspora and various government agencies to achieve development and investment goals.

If the Yaounde government really wants Cameroonians to return home and lend a hand in national development efforts, it must rescind some of those obnoxious policies which have been at the centre of its dispute with its Diaspora. The issue of dual nationality has not been addressed and the country’s Diaspora is waiting for the government to address this issue immediately. Many African countries have already accepted dual nationality as the new reality, and this is helping their citizens who are living abroad to return home and invest without having to submit themselves to the immigration concerns which come with having two or more nationalities.

South Africa, for example, accepted dual nationality once Mandela came to power. Mandela understood that Many South Africans had escaped their country during the dark years of Apartheid and many children had been born in foreign countries during that time, automatically making them citizens of the countries wherein they had been born. South Africans returning to their country with foreign passports can come in with proof that they have South African citizenship without seeking a South African visa, but once in South Africa, the country’s laws will apply without discrimination. This is a country which knows how to bring back its citizens. Cameroon can draw on the experience of this country to address the issue of dual nationality.

There are other concerns which require the government’s attention. It is not easy to wire huge sums of money to Cameroon. The banking system is not reliable and the country’s investment and legal frameworks leave much to be desired. If the government can also invest in road infrastructure and strive to reduce police harassment and corruption, the country will be attractive to rich members of the Diaspora who have worked very hard to earn their money.

The business climate and environment must be friendly if any reasonable person will invest in the country. The government must also learn to cut politics out of other sectors of life. It must also be tolerant of opposing views. Investing in Cameroon remains a very risky venture. However, things can change if the government demonstrates a strong commitment to change some of those policies which are robbing the country of good investments. Sending delegations abroad will never cut it if the same policies remain in place.

By Joachim Arrey, Ph.D

26, June 2022

Atanga Nji Boys kill Thermal Centre worker in Bamenda ⁰

A pro Yaoundé armed group that was created by the Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji to infiltrate Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups has reportedly killed a thermal centre worker in Bamenda.

Cameroon Concord News understands the group which no longer receives Cameroon government funding, has now resorted to kidnappings for ransom all in a bid to survive.

The Paul Atanga Nji Boys abducted their victim on Thursday night, June 23 and murdered him as he attempted to escape from captivity.

Yaoundé has blamed the killing on Ambazonia Restoration Forces but at the time of filing this report, the Ambazonia Interim Government was yet to issue a statement on the incident.

After years of chafing at perceived marginalization and discrimination, the people of Southern Cameroons declared an the independent state in 2017 known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, 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.

By Rita Akana in Bamenda

26, June 2022

Two gov’t soldiers injured in Boko Haram attack in French Cameroon ⁰

Two soldiers have been injured and one Boko Haram fighter killed in clashes in Cameroon’s Far North region, army and local sources said on Friday.

The clashes took place overnight into Friday in the Kiliari locality of the region.

Heavily armed militants of the terror group attempted to attack the locality but were repulsed by troops who were patrolling the area, an army official who opted for anonymity said.

One of the militants was found dead early Friday after the clashes which lasted for hours, the official said.

Militants of the group have increased attacks mostly on civilians over the last two months, killing several, torching houses and looting property, according to security reports.

Source: Xinhuanet