Monthly Archives: October 2024

19, October 2024

Catholic population shrinks in Europe, rises in Africa ⁰

The Catholic population in Europe fell by nearly half a million people in 2022 but continued to increase in every other part of the world, according to data released by the Vatican this week.

According to the Vatican numbers, released by the Holy See’s Fides News Agency, the Catholic population in Europe was just under 285.6 million people at the end of 2022. That is about 474,000 fewer Catholics than was reported in 2021.

The Catholic population decline coincided with a total population reduction on the continent, which recorded a net loss of 517,000 people living in Europe over the year.

Catholics still made up about 39.5% of Europe’s population in 2022, which is an 0.08% decline, according to the Vatican. The Catholic population decline in Europe has been a consistent phenomenon for several years.

In spite of the reduction in Europe, the global Catholic population is still on the rise. At the end of 2022, the Catholic population reached nearly 1.39 billion people thanks to an increase of more than 13.7 million Catholics.

The data showed that about 17.7% of the world’s population was Catholic, which was an increase of 0.03%.

The Catholic population in Africa surpassed 272.4 million people in 2022 after seeing a rise of more than 7.3 million people — the largest increase of any continent. About 19.7% of Africa was Catholic in 2022, which was an increase of 0.32% from the previous year — the largest increase in Catholic representation as a percentage of population.

North and South America recorded more than 666.2 million Catholics in 2022 following a rise of more than 5.9 million Catholics. The number of Catholics in Asia surpassed 154.24 million, which was an increase of about 889,000. There were nearly 11.11 million Catholics in Oceania after a rise of about 123,000.

Apart from Europe, Asia was the only region to see a decline in Catholics as a percentage of the total population, with a reduction of 0.02%.

Priest shortage worsens globally, nuns decline, deacons increase

The total number of Catholics priests in the world declined for the fifth straight year, but some regions are seeing an increase.

At the end of 2022, there were about 407,730 priests in the Catholic Church, which was a net decline of about 142 priests. Globally, this means there is one priest for every 15,682 Catholics.

The worst reduction of priests was in Europe, which dropped by 2,745. There was also a decrease of 164 priests in the Americas and a loss of 69 priests in Oceania.

However, an increase in 1,676 priests in Africa and 1,160 priests in Asia helped soften the blow of the overall decline in priests.

Similarly, the number of major seminarians went down by more than 1,400 from 2021 to 2022. This includes a decrease of 921 in the Americas, 859 in Europe, and 375 in Asia.

Africa saw the largest increase of 726 seminarians and Oceania had a small increase of 12 seminarians. The number of minor seminarians went down by 553.

The number of women religious fell slightly below 600,000 in 2022 with a total decline of 9,730. This was mostly led by a decrease of more than 7,000 in Europe and more than 1,350 in the Americas.

There was also a decline of about 225 in Oceania. However, the number of women religious increased by more than 1,350 in Africa and by about 74 in Asia.

Alternatively, the number of permanent deacons increased globally by 974. This includes an increase of 267 in Europe, 15 in Asia, and one in Africa. The number declined by 308 in the Americas and one in Oceania.

The number of permanent diocesan deacons went up by 960, with an increase of 697 in the Americas, 255 in Europe, and nine in Asia, with a decrease of one in Oceania. The total number of religious permanent deacons increased overall globally by 14 to 615.

Source: aciafrica

18, October 2024

Ngannou returns to MMA to take on Brazil’s Ferreira: Here are all the fight details ⁰

Cameroonian fighter Francis Ngannou is set to make his long-awaited return to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) circuit to challenge the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira of Brazil.

Here’s everything you need to know about the fight night:

When is the Ngannou vs Ferreira fight?

The fight is scheduled for Saturday, October 19.

When is the Ngannou-Ferreira ring walk?

Ngannou and Ferreira will begin their ring walks for the main fight at 11pm (20:00 GMT).

Where is the Ngannou vs Ferreira fight taking place?

The fight will be held at Mayadeen, an events venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

What are Ngannou and Ferreira fighting for?

The PFL Super Fights heavyweight championship belt.

Where and how can I follow the Ngannou vs Ferreira fight live?

Al Jazeera will have live text and photo coverage of the fight from 15:00 GMT.

The fight will be streamed and broadcast live on multiple regional platforms that are charging pay-per-view fees.

What will be the duration of the MMA fight?

MMA fights vary in their number of rounds and the duration of each round, with title fights generally being the longest. In this case, the fight will be spread over five rounds of five minutes each. The total duration, if all five rounds are completed, will be 25 minutes.

What’s the MMA fight ring called for Ngannou vs Perreira?

The custom cage for this fight will be called the PFL SmartCage.

PFL MMA — The fight will be held in the PFL’s custom MMA cage in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia [Courtesy of the PFL]

Who is Francis Ngannou?

The 38-year-old fighter began his career in 2013 in France before switching to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) two years later and became the promotion’s heavyweight champion in March 2021. He kept the title until 2023, when he left the promotion.

Ngannou signed with the PFL in May 2023, and the promotion agreed to let him follow his boxing aspirations, which saw him take on Tyson Fury in Riyadh on October 28, 2023, and Anthony Joshua, also in Riyadh, on March 8, 2024.

The Cameroonian’s journey began at the age of 12 when he worked in a sand quarry. In his mid-20s, he embarked on a long and life-threatening journey from Cameroon to France – a trip he once described as “hell”.

Ngannou crossed the Sahara Desert and spent a year in Morocco before entering Spain through the Mediterranean Sea. Upon reaching Spain, he was detained for entering irregularly and spent two months in custody before regaining his freedom and finally making it to France.

In Paris, he was homeless until he found a fitness centre where he could sleep and start training as a fighter.

PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants Press Conference at the The Anthem in Washington D.C., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Cooper Neill / PFL) — Francis Ngannou’s last MMA fight came in 2022 [Courtesy of the PFL]

Who is Renan Ferreira?

The Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter began his career in the United States in 2013 and joined the PFL in 2023.

The 34-year-old won the PFL heavyweight title in a fight against Denis Goltsov, whom he beat in a second-round total knockout.

Ferreira, nicknamed “Problemo” has also recorded a win over Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in a three-round non-title crossover fight on February 24.

What’s Ngannou’s MMA fight record?

Fights: 20
Wins: 17
Losses: 3
By knockout: 12 wins, 0 losses
By submission: 4 wins, 0 losses
By decision: 1 win, 3 losses
By disqualification: 0 wins, 1 loss

What’s Ferreira’s MMA fight record?

Fights: 19
Wins: 13
Losses: 3
By knockout: 11 wins, 1 loss
By submission: 1 win, 1 loss
By decision: 1 win, 0 losses
By disqualification: 0 wins, 1 loss

What has Ngannou said about the fight?

On Ferreira: “Renan is at the top of the line [of MMA fighters] but my entire life, my biggest opponent has always been me. On Saturday night, I am going to get him, so he should be ready.”
What to expect from the fight: “This is an MMA fight, so everything will be on display. We’ve prepared everything, and everything will be on display. Ferreira is preparing some things because he is a jiu-jitsu black belt, and he is not undermining my punching power.”
Plans for a knockout victory: “I am going to fight strategically and according to how the fight presents itself. In my career, I went for a knockout, but it didn’t work out for me. The times when I did score a knockout, it wasn’t something that I had planned. I know I have 25 minutes, so I am going to lay my game plan down in that 25 minutes and win the fight.”

What has Ferreira said about the fight?

On Ngannou: “Both of us came from humble beginnings. We had an incredible career to reach where we are right now. It is a great honour to be fighting one of the strongest men in the world.”
What to expect: “We are both complete fighters. We can strike and grapple as well. I am ready to fight wherever the fight goes.”

What are the pre-fight events?

The main fight will be preceded by four events:

Women’s Featherweight: Cris “Cyborg” vs Larissa Pacheco
Bellator Middleweight: Johnny Eblen vs Fabian Edwards
Featherweight: Husein Kadimagomaev vs Zafar Mohsen
Lightweight: AJ McKee vs Paul Hughes

Who is on the undercards?

Five undercard fights will build up to the main event in Riyadh:

Bantamweight: Raufeon Stots vs Marcos Breno
Lightweight: Makkasharip Zaynukov vs Dedrek Sanders
Featherweight: Ibragim Ibragimov vs Nacho Campos
Middleweight: Mostafa Nada vs Ahmed Sami
Featherweight: Youssef Al Housani vs Taha Bendaoud

Has Ngannou left boxing for MMA?

No. The fighter has been pursuing both since leaving the UFC in early 2023.

Source: Al Jazeera

18, October 2024

Biya’s Health: What Yaoundé’s recent silence means for Cameroonians ⁰

The Francophone dominated regime in Yaoundé seems to be caught in a dilemma on how to respond to the current Biya health situation in Geneva, which could be a reason why after making public so many uncoordinated press releases and even cancelled a special prayer session, has refrained from commenting on the issue in the last few days.

In recent weeks, the Biya regime has been demonstrating that an Anglophone as prime minister is just window dressing as several Francophone cabinet ministers have been ramping up the development and airing funny press releases including launching a barrage of attacks on the media and citizens for discussing President Biya’s health.

But Yaoundé has refrained from additional press releases on the 91-year-old Biya for a week now.

It was widely anticipated that the so-called Anglophone Prime Minister Chief Dr Dion Ngute would stage a government action to assure Cameroonians that all is well with the dying leader.

Other than calling for prayers and issuing commentaries and statements through its state media condemning the television channels that announced the demise of the president including banning public discussions on the president’s health, Biya’s men are now maintaining a kind of silence of the lamb.

Yaoundé seems to be caught in a dilemma and has yet to decide on what to tell the Cameroonian people in response to the poor health condition of President Paul Biya in Geneva.

Vice President Dabney Yerima of the Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia Interim Government says the regime in Yaoundé seems to be calculating what steps it should take next.

Dabney Yerima added, “Or, the fact that Yaoundé has already been told that Biya is now a thing of the past could be another reason why it’s been silent for the last week.”

This week’s silence does not mean that Yaoundé will give up its lies on Biya’s health. But the regime’s propaganda that Biya is healthy and doing well in Geneva has now been stopped, due to the fact that it is not achieving anything.

No announcement has been made about Biya’s aborted return or the reasons. But this latest development has heightened doubts about the president’s condition, after September and October saw him cancel his participation in the United Nations General Assembly, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) summit and the meeting on sustainable development in Hamburg, Germany.

Faced with rumours of the president’s death spread by a television channel close to the Ambazonian separatists and widely reported on social networks, Etoudi and the Star Buildings were forced to make a public statement on 8 October, explaining that the head of state was continuing his stay in Switzerland, was in perfect health and would return to Cameroon “in the very near future”.

Today is Friday 18 October 2024 and President Biya is still not in Yaounde. Cameroonians are now wondering aloud “how near is this very near future.”

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

18, October 2024

After Biya, Niat and Atangana: Cavaye Djibril heading to Europe for treatment ⁰

After Marcel Niat Njifenji, the Senate President and Paul Biya, the country’s president, it seems Cavaye Djibril, the House Speaker is also heading to Europe for treatment.

The National Assembly Speaker has been drinking and smoking for decades, and his recklessness has caught with him, delivering health issues which are now threatening to send him to his ancestors.

It seems all senior government officials of the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime are down with terrible illnesses.

Even Atangana Clément, the Constitutional Council President, is also very ill. Cavaye Djibril is supposed to inform Atangana Clément of a vacancy as Biya has been out of the country for more than 40 days and none of them is healthy to do their job.

Cameroon is the only country in the world where all its leaders are very old and sick but none is willing to leave power.

Currently, the country’s president, Paul Biya, is in Geneva receiving treatment for multiple illnesses and Niat, the Senate President, is in France following a long and unknown health problem.

The country’s economy is as ill as its leaders and many young Cameroonians are looking outwards for opportunities as their economy goes through serious issues.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

17, October 2024

Cameroon under Biya: graves are being desecrated, human bones packaged and sold ⁰

Three individuals were recently arrested in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in possession of human remains, according to Cameroun Tribune. Aged between 25 and 30, the suspects, originally from Maroua, were apprehended following an investigation by authorities.

The investigation led to Pouss, a village in the Far North region, where nearly 30 graves had been desecrated. The seized skeleton, valued at an estimated six million CFA francs, was intended for a foreign buyer and was meant to be used in the production of a hard drug called “caillou.”

This arrest comes amid a troubling surge in human bone trafficking. On October 11, the National Gendarmerie arrested two suspects in Douala as they attempted to sell human bones. The suspects admitted that the bones were intended for sale at a price of five million CFA francs.

Cameroonian law severely punishes human bone trafficking. Article 274, paragraph 1 of the Penal Code stipulates a prison sentence of three months to five years and a fine ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 CFA francs for anyone convicted of grave or corpse desecration. However, this legislation appears insufficient to deter traffickers, who lure many young people with promises of quick profits.

Source: Sbbc

17, October 2024

Cameroon’s wage bill rises by CFA34bn in 2024 ⁰

Cameroon’s public wage bill rose by CFA33.7 billion year-on-year, reaching CFA332.6 billion by the end of March 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The ministry attributes this increase to several factors. One is the acceleration of back-pay settlements, which reached CFA42.4 billion in 2024, up from CFA32.2 billion in 2023. Another factor is a 5% salary increase in February 2024, along with a rise in family allowances from CFA2,800 to CFA4,500 per child.

The wage bill’s continued growth, largely driven by extensive public sector hiring, has raised concerns among officials who aim to maintain fiscal stability. Since 2021, the government has been working to limit public sector recruitment. For example, automatic recruitment of graduates from teacher training schools has been discontinued.

These measures, along with efforts to clean up payroll records, are part of Cameroon’s plan to meet the public wage sustainability ratio by 2025. If successful, it would be the first time in 16 years. The target, set at 35% within the CEMAC region, reflects the ratio of state wage expenses to annual tax and customs revenues.

Source: Business in Cameroon

17, October 2024

Ambazonia Crisis: Biya regime equips troops with Turkish MPT-76 assault rifles ⁰

The Cameroon Army has enhanced the lethality of its special forces with the adoption of Turkish-made MPT-76 assault rifles.

Developed in the late 2000s for the Turkish military, the MPT-76 is often likened to the AR-15 rifle and shares visual similarity with the German HK-417.

It features a quad Picatinny rail and a retractable polymer stock, enabling compactness and improved handling.

Chambered for NATO-standard 7.62x51mm ammunition, the rifle has a 20-round magazine and a rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute.

The MPT-76 comes in three different barrel lengths, but the version used by Cameroon is equipped with a 16-inch barrel.

In addition to Cameroon, the Turkish rifles are also in service with Azerbaijan, Senegal, and Somalia.

Source: The Defense Post

16, October 2024

Biya’s Health: Air Ambulance lands in Yaoundé ⁰

A source has informed Cameroon Intelligence Report that a Luxembourg Air Ambulance, a Bombadier Challenger 605, departed on October 16, 2024 from Paris Le Bourget Airport (LBG) at exactly 12:17pm and landed in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s political capital at 5:23pm.

The source however added that it was unclear who was onboard the Air Ambulance. Other sources have just intimated that the air ambulance might be in Yaoundé to pick up another sick person as most of Cameroon’s political leaders are very sick and senile.

A source close to the national assembly has said that the Speaker, Cavaye Djibril, is also sick and might be the person the Air Ambulance will be taking to France.

The source added that the Air Ambulance took off from Paris and not from Geneva.

This is a developing story and Cameroon Concord News Group has informed its correspondents in Cameroon to work their sources for things to become clearer by tomorrow morning.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

16, October 2024

Biya’s imaginary return to Yaoundé has not occurred ⁰

The expected return of Cameroon’s president Paul Biya to Yaoundé has not occurred. Financial markets are reacting to growing concerns about his health, while several key government figures have been called to Geneva.

What happened on 13 October? In Yaoundé, Cameroon, while supporters of the Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais (RDPC, the ruling party) and members of youth organisations had been discreetly mobilised to welcome President Paul Biya at the airport, the arrangements were scrapped a few hours later, with the same discretion. And with good reason: the Cameroonian president did not return to the country and is still in Europe. But where?

Imaginary homecoming

Faced with rumours of the president’s death spread by a television channel close to the Ambazonian separatists and widely reported on social networks, the Cameroonian presidency and government were forced to make a public statement on 8 October, explaining that the head of state was continuing his stay in Switzerland, was in perfect health and would return to Cameroon “in the very near future”. That was a week ago.

“The head of state had never planned to return this Sunday [13 October],” said a source close to the presidency, who confirmed that no members of the presidential guard or the presidential security directorate responsible for accompanying the head of state on his travels had been mobilised for this trip. According to our sources, airport authorities were not alerted to any movement of CM-001, the code reserved for President Biya.

Budgetary emergencies

As a result, public suspicions have returned with a vengeance. According to one of the most persistent rumours, Biya has been hospitalised for at least two weeks in an ultra-secure VIP wing of the Percy military hospital in Clamart, near Paris. Cameroon’s ambassador to France, André Magnus Ekoumou, denied this to Jeune Afrique. “Paul Biya has never been hospitalised in Paris or anywhere else. He is in Geneva and in good health,” he said.

Then the influential territorial administration minister Paul Atanga Nji provoked more tension by declaring a ban on debates about the president’s condition in the Cameroonian media. In the same vein, land and property minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi announced that he would organise a day of prayer for Biya at Yaoundé’s Palais des Sports on 17 October. This was subsequently cancelled on the orders of Biya’s private office, led by Samuel Mvondo Ayolo.

These initiatives have annoyed some members of the presidential entourage, since they contribute to the climate of mistrust surrounding their boss. On 13 October, Finance Minister Louis-Paul Motaze, who is also expected in Brussels in the next few days, and Senate Vice-President Aboubakary Abdoulaye were summoned to Geneva. On 14 October, they were joined by Senate President Marcel Niat Njifenji, who had just been discharged from the American Hospital in Paris, accompanied by a delegation of three officials from the upper house.

According to our sources, these summonses correspond to a working meeting officially organised to draw up the budget, which was due to be signed by the president in early August. To make up for the delay, it must be finalised before the plenary session of the National Assembly and Senate, scheduled for November. For his part, Njifenji will have to work with his Senate colleagues from Geneva to manage some of the tensions that are threatening the upper house with implosion.

The uncertainty surrounding the drafting of the state budget is also worrying international agencies. Uncertainty about Biya’s health is affecting Cameroon’s ability to borrow as well as increasing the perceived risk of political instability.

With foreign debt repayments imminent and economic operators awaiting clarification, it looks as though the head of state preferred organising the summit meeting in Switzerland over not holding it at all. To date, Biya has no concrete plans to return to Yaoundé.

Culled from The Africa Report

16, October 2024

Biya’s Health: The power struggle is building up in Yaoundé! ⁰

It is becoming obvious that Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, will no longer rule the country as his health takes a turn for the worse.

While Mr. Biya is fighting for his life, there is a huge battle brewing in Yaoundé as different factions seek to take control of things. The king is dying but the princes are more interested in his succession.

In the event that President Biya gives up the ghost in the days ahead, his constitutional successor, Niat Njifenji Marcel, is supposed to step in to run the interim, but he too is very ill and it is being reported that he is in a deep coma. Mr. Niat has been out of the country for almost three months and it is gradually emerging that he is not responding to treatment.

In such a situation, a vacancy can be declared at the Senate and Aboubakary Aboubakar, the 63-year-old Senate Vice President, will take the reins of power and run the country for at most 120 days.

The Lamido of Rey-Bouba was invited last week to Geneva where Mr. Biya is battling for his life and was asked to resign. The ruling mafia does not want him to run the transition period. He was not allowed to see the President. He left Switzerland disappointed and devastated.

Aboubakary has no plan to resign and is not in a rush to yield to any pressure and he is sticking to his guns. The ruling mafia does not want a northerner to be anywhere close to power and there are fears that if Mr. Aboubakary runs the show, he will deploy a game strategy that will not sit well with Chantal Biya and Ngoh Ngoh. The battle lines have been drawn and the pressure is mounting.

Meanwhile, the country’s finance minister, Louis-Paul Motaze, who was called to Geneva was refused access to the ailing 91-year-old Biya. Mrs. Biya who is now restricting access to the dying President rejected Motaze’s request to see his boss.

There is a lot of political drama playing out in Geneva and Yaoundé and the French are principal architects in the break dance. Nicolas Sarkozy, a former French President, is reported to be rooting for Franck Biya and he is insisting that power be handed to the young Biya who has no place in the country’s constitution.

Several regime insiders are against Franck Biya though not many of them have the courage to openly express their minds.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the ruling CPDM is quietly planning an extraordinary congress for the end of this year. Though not many party stalwarts are talking about it, the plan is for members to choose another candidate for the 2025 Presidential Election, given that the party’s natural candidate, Paul Biya, is caught up in another battle that he might not win.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai