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20, September 2023

Gabon: Ali Bongo’s son charged with treason and corruption ⁰

The son of Ali Bongo Ondimba and several allies of the ousted Gabon president have been charged with high treason and corruption and placed in custody, the state prosecutor told AFP Wednesday.

Bongo’s eldest son Noureddin Bongo Valentin and former presidential spokesman Jessye Ella Ekogha, as well as four others close to the deposed leader, “have been charged and placed in provisional detention,” said Libreville prosecutor Andre-Patrick Roponat.

Bongo, 64, who had ruled the oil-rich central African country since 2009, was ousted by military leaders on August 30, moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election.

The result was branded a fraud by the opposition and the military coup leaders, who have also accused his regime of widespread corruption and bad governance.

On the same day as the coup, soldiers arrested one of Bongo’s sons, five senior cabinet officials and his wife Sylvia Bongo Valentin.

National TV showed rolling images of those arrested in front of suitcases filled with cash allegedly seized from their homes.

Source: AFP

19, September 2023

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 5 Amba fighters killed in Meme Division ⁰

Cameroon’s army said on Tuesday that its troops have killed five separatist fighters in the country’s English-speaking region of Southwest, where a prolonged armed separatist conflict is in progress.

The Rapid Intervention Battalion, the country’s elite force, raided a hideout of the fighters in the Mofako Butu locality of the region late Monday.

Among those killed was a “dreaded” separatist commander who called himself “General Bitter Cola,” said Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong, senior divisional officer for Meme division where the hideout is located.

“He terrorized civilians, killing some. We are calling on all other fighters still in the bush to drop their weapons and embrace peace,” Ndong said.

Separatists have been fighting to create an independent nation in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017.

Source: Xinhuanet

19, September 2023

Vatican: Catholic Bishops in Cameroon Aim at “rekindling” People’s Faith after Ad Limina Visit ⁰

Catholic Bishops in Cameroon are eager to rekindle the faith of the people of God in the Central African nation following their September 10-16 Ad Limina Visit, the Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) has said.

In a September 16 statement, Fr. Jervis Kebei Kewi says NECC members have thanked Pope Francis for welcoming them to Rome during the visit that happens every five years.

“At the end of their pilgrimage to Rome, the Bishops go back home with thankful hearts for having consolidated their unity in the same faith, hope, and charity, and looking forward to rekindling the faith of the Cameroonian people in the immense heritage of spiritual and moral values of the whole Church, in communion with the Bishop of Rome,” Fr. Kewi says.

He says the Catholic Bishops in Cameroon “expressed their deep gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for the cordial and fatherly welcome that he gave them, and to the Cardinal Prefects and the officials of the various Dicasteries for the enlightenment and updates given them during their working visits to their offices.”

NECC members are “also deeply appreciative to the ambassadors of Cameroon to the Holy See and to the Republic of Italy, respectively, and the general community of Cameroonians living in Rome, and in Italy, for their welcome gestures and participation at Mass with them,” says Fr. Kewi.

The Catholic Bishops in Cameroon had an audience with the Holy Father on September 15, during which, under the leadership of NECC President, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda, “discussed matters affecting the life of the Catholic Church in Cameroon: the Pastoral life of the Church, the formation of priests and catechists, immigration, the upcoming Synod on Synodality, interreligious dialogue, the situation of the socio-political and economic crisis that our country, Cameroon, has been going through, and the security situation of the world at large,” says Fr. Kewi.

The Cameroonian Catholic Priest says that Pope Francis “promised to continue to pray for peace in our country and assured the Bishops of his closeness to the people of Cameroon.”

On the closing day of the visit, NECC members were received at Pontificio Collegio Urbano by the Cameroonian members of the Clergy, men and women Religious, and Laity living in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, where they celebrated a thanksgiving Mass, interacted, and shared a meal.

Source: ACI Africa

19, September 2023

Ambazonia travel ban means era of Biya-Francophone dominance is over ⁰

The travel ban imposed by Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces in Ground Zero will certainly have a lasting impact on the Cameroonian economy. The flow on effects of the travel ban on buses and commercial vehicles from the entire Southern Cameroons will definitely become a nationwide issue.

90-year-old President Biya and his Beti-Bulu gang needs to look at other ways to speed up a political process that will keep the two Cameroons together again!

Southern Cameroons small businesses as well as big businesses will continue to suffer because of the travel ban but the Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government Comrade Dabney Yerima says the travel ban is an indication that the era of Francophone dominance over the Federal Republic of Ambazonia is over.

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News on Tuesday, Vice President Dabney Yerima said “Despite massive military deployments to Southern Cameroons by La Republique all geared towards imposing their interests and values on British Southern Cameroonians, the people of Southern Cameroons are resisting and they will do so till the last man or woman standing.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that the leader of the Ambazonian nation, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe long ago designed a plan that will rebuild Southern Cameroons political and economic institutions including agriculture, industry and medicine.

Vice President Dabney Yerima also hailed the travel ban policy that restoration forces are adopting in Ground Zero and called on the Southern Cameroons diaspora to wake up and rejoin the Ambazonia revolution train.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

19, September 2023

King Charles III set to begin postponed state visit to France ⁰

Charles III finally makes it across the Channel from Britain to France this week, six months after rioting and strikes forced the last-minute postponement of his first state visit as king.

The 74-year-old British head of state’s rescheduled three-day trip to Paris and Bordeaux with his wife Queen Camilla, 76, starts on Wednesday, with the itinerary largely unchanged from March.

It includes set-piece ceremonial events with President Emmanuel Macron, whose unpopular pension reforms sparked the civil unrest earlier this year, as well as more informal meetings with the public.

The royal couple, Macron and his wife Brigitte will be officially welcomed at the Arc de Triomphe and lay wreaths of remembrance before a procession down the sweeping Champs-Elysees avenue.

The French leader and First Lady will host Charles and Camilla at a state banquet at Versailles, the palace west of Paris synonymous with French royalty — and the bloody republican revolution of 1789.

Source: France 24

19, September 2023

Killings in Southern Cameroons: Is the territory becoming a failed zone? ⁰

The resurgence of the activities of the ominous unknown gunmen in Southern Cameroons in the recent weeks is becoming worrisome.

Ever since Minister Paul Atanga Nji introduced his private militia known as the Atanga Nji Boys to help Cameroon government army soldiers in their fight against separatists, the unknown gunmen has become a phenomenon in the area and it is getting to an alarming height.

The inability of the Francophone dominated government in Yaoundé to unravel the mystery behind this or to unveil the real identity of the masterminds of these so-called unknown gunmen is not helping matters.

Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that recently, there has been a blame game between the Francophone dominated security agencies and Ambazonia Restoration fighters.

While Yaoundé continues to point accusing fingers at the Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups, the Ambazonia Interim Government including other front line groups have not minced words in their allegation that Cameroon government security agents in collaboration with some treacherous civil administrators and military leaders in Southern Cameroons are sponsoring the activities of the Atanga Nji Boys to disrepute, discredit and demonize the Southern Cameroons uprising.

A highly placed Cameroon government official contacted by this reporter but who sued for anonymity said that the festering insecurity in Southern Cameroons is politically motivated.

The modus operandi of these unknown gunmen in some instances like the attack on the Mamfe Divisional Hospital leaves members of the public more confused on who actually is behind the mysterious masquerade.

On Sunday, September 17, 2023, four innocent PAMOL workers were killed by unidentified gunmen. The armed men reportedly attacked the estate in Lobe, Ekondo-titi Subdivision in Ndian.

PAMOL Plantations in a statement made public on Monday, September 18, 2023, said the victims were Foin Ernest, a mechanic and his son Foin Marcel, Tiah Rita and Sakwe Olga wives of a Lobe Mill worker and a retired Research employee.

Could Ambazonia fighters truly be killing fellow folks as recently witnessed in Kumbo in Bui Division, Muea in Fako and now Ekondo titi in Ndian?

Who are truly the people behind the mysterious unknown gunmen?

Despite the narratives of both the Biya Francophone regime and the Dabney Yerima-led Ambazonia Interim Government, the fact remains that Anglophone Cameroon is burning! The fire is ragging so fast that if something is not done and done in a hurry to extinguish the inferno, the entire Southern Cameroons will soon be consumed.

In just one week unknown gunmen have killed people in Bamenda, Buea and Kumba including security agents on roadblocks.

The crisis in Southern Cameroons seems not to be cooling off!! There are lots of things still happening and another explosion of tensions is a possibility.

The consequences of the conflict are all over the place. The trust that used to be the population’s hallmark has simply evaporated given the atrocities that have taken place in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

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 country in the future.

The crisis which started with protests by teachers and lawyers in 2016, has robbed the two English-speaking regions of the country of much-needed economic development, as many investors have simply fled the region with their investments.

Many Southern Cameroonians are now investing in East Cameroon as the war has proven that instability is not friendly with economic prosperity. Where violence exists, economic prosperity simply walks away, leaving the population in abject poverty.

The relocation of businesses has worsened the unemployment situation in the two English-speaking regions of the country and unemployment has a way of generating hardship and producing hardened criminals.

The Yaoundé government has the nasty habit of leaving things to time but time might never address the grievances of Southern Cameroonians who hold that they have been victims of marginalization and other forms of injustice.

If the violence that has hit the two regions like a ton of bricks must remain a thing of the past, the Yaoundé government must take certain appeasement measures which should help to prevent future conflicts.

One of such measures must be the institution of constant, frank and fruitful dialogue with the jailed Anglophone leaders which will help the government and the local communities to address issues in a timely manner so as to preempt any future misunderstanding.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

18, September 2023

Federal Republic of Ambazonia: Only La Republique benefits from Ambazonia disunity ⁰

The Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government (IG) has called for an end to unhealthy rivalry and divisions among Southern Cameroons front line leaders that have pitted Ambazonia groups against each other, saying the disunity only serves French Cameroun’s interests.

The IG met on Friday, after a series of Ambazonia actions geared towards preventing the reopening of schools in Southern Cameroons.

“The ongoing killings are against the will of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and only serve the French Cameroun enemy and its malicious projects against the Ambazonian nation” Dabney Yerima said.

The exiled Southern Cameroons leader also warned that continued killing of Southern Cameroonians by restoration forces would endanger the struggle and damage the Southern Cameroons cause.

Vice President Dabney Yerima further called on all Southern Cameroons front line leaders to unmask the perpetrators of the crimes in Muea, Buea, Kumba and Kumbo and unite Southern Cameroonians in the face of the French Cameroun enemy.

Back to school is Southern Cameroons has been rocked by several rounds of clashes between Cameroon government forces and Ambazonia restoration fighters.

Attacks on teachers and students have left several people dead, including two head teachers and a female student.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

18, September 2023

Ambazonia fire power aimed at confronting La Republique, Biya plots ⁰

A high-ranking Ambazonia Interim Government official says the current fire power of Southern Cameroons restoration fighters is aimed at confronting the French Cameroun occupation and plots by the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé.

Dr Patrick Ayuk made the remarks on Saturday while addressing a Southern Cameroons forum on the controversy surrounding the back to school issue in Dover in the United Kingdom.

Affirming that Amba guns will never be used against Southern Cameroonians, Dr Patrick Ayuk said, “Southern Cameroons fighters all over Ground Zero are planning and preparing to face the Biya French Cameroun barbarism and oppression and liberate the entire Federal Republic of Ambazonia.”

The Southern Cameroons academic added, “Ambazonia fire power is directed against the enemy and Biya French Cameroun schemes in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.”

The Ambazonia Interim Government official also underlined the importance of holding an international Southern Cameroons dialogue in order to redesign a new platform for the Ambazonia struggle adding that the existence of too many Southern Cameroons groups will not lead to any positive outcome.

By Isong Asu

17, September 2023

Mama Africa: Tunisia expels hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants amid crackdown ⁰

Tunisian authorities expelled hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants from the port of Sfax Sunday after they were thrown out of their homes during unrest in July, a rights group said.

“The security forces on Sunday evacuated a square where some 500 migrants were assembled in the centre of Sfax,” Romdane Ben Amor, spokesman for the FTDES non-government organisation, told AFP.

He said the migrants were “dispersed in small groups towards rural areas and other towns”.

Since Saturday, authorities in Tunisia have been cracking down on illegal migrants, most of whom are from sub-Saharan African countries.

According to authorities, around 200 migrants “who were preparing to make the clandestine boat trip” towards Europe were arrested.

Tunisia is a major gateway for migrants and asylum-seekers attempting perilous sea voyages in hopes of a better life in the European Union.

Racial tensions flared in Tunisia’s second city of Sfax after the July 3 killing of a Tunisian man following an altercation with migrants.

Humanitarian sources say that at least 2,000 sub-Saharan Africans were expelled or forcibly transferred by Tunisian security forces to desert regions bordering Libya and Algeria.

Xenophobic attacks targeting black African migrants and students increased after an incendiary speech in February by President Kais Saied.

He alleged that “hordes” of illegal migrants were causing crime and posing a demographic threat to the mainly Arab North African country.

Hundreds of migrants lost their jobs and housing after his remarks.

At least 27 people died and 73 others were listed as missing after being expelled into desert areas bordering Libya in July.

Source: AFP

17, September 2023

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso military leaders establish security alliance ⁰

The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on Saturday signed a mutual defence pact, ministerial delegations from the three Sahel countries announced in Mali’s capital Bamako.

Its aim is to “establish an architecture of collective defence and mutual assistance for the benefit of our populations”, he wrote.

The Liptako-Gourma region — where the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger borders meet — has been ravaged by jihadism in recent years.

“This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries”, Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told journalists.

“Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries.”

A jihadist insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Mutual defence pact

The charter signed on Saturday binds the signatories to assist one another — including militarily — in the event of an attack on any one of them.

“Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracting parties shall be considered as an aggression against the other parties and shall give rise to a duty of assistance… including the use of armed force to restore and ensure security”, it states.

Source: AFP