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19, September 2016

Cameroon: Prime Minister Philemon Yang pays tribute to CAF President Issa Hayatou ⁰

Prime Minister Philemon Yang, has praised the work of the President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou. The CAF chief executive was one of the attractions during the official draw and presentation ceremony of the logo, mascot and anthem for the African Cup of Nations Women’s Football Cameroon 2016.

The Premier took the opportunity to pay tribute to this great son of the country that has headed CAF since 1988 and moonlighted as Acting President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and above all, is now an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Said Philemon Yang, “I would particularly like to acknowledge the presence of Mr. Issa Hayatou, worthy and valiant son of Cameroon, President of the African Football Confederation, Vice-President of FIFA and former interim president of FIFA. Mr. President Hayatou, the Head of State asked me to convey his warm greetings to your work in the service of international sport. At its 129^th session held in Rio, Brazil, the International Olympic Committee raised you to the honorary member of dignity. The other distinction spends your merit, your talent, and your commitment to the global sports movement. “

For his part, the CAF President, visibly marked by the praise he had received in the ceremony, was keen to stress his unwavering commitment to his homeland, Cameroon and joy of being with his family.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

19, September 2016

Boko Haram kills 8 in Nigeria ⁰

Boko Haram Takfiri militants have killed at least eight people outside a church in northeast Nigeria. According to local residents, the fatalities occurred shortly after morning service on Sunday in the village of Kwamjilari, located about 30 kilometers east of the town of Chibok, in Borno state.

“Some of the worshipers remained around the church and the gunmen opened fire and eight men died,” said Luka Damina, a resident from a nearby village. He noted that the gunmen had stationed some of their comrades on the road leading out of the village and they shot anyone who tried to flee.

“Many people ran into the bush with gunshot wounds,” Damina added. A local chief from nearby Kautikeri village, where some locals fled, confirmed the death toll, adding that the assailants had set fire to homes and fields of maize that were almost ready for harvest.

In a similar attack in the area last month, at least 10 people lost their lives and some 13 others were abducted after the assailants looted and torched houses. Boko Haram started its campaign of militancy in 2009 with the aim of toppling the central government in Nigeria.

The violence sparked by the group’s militancy has so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes. The militant group has expanded its terror activities to Nigeria’s neighboring countries. Troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been battling the terrorists in recent months. The group has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists operating mainly in Syria and Iraq.

Presstv

19, September 2016

France commemorates all victims of recent terror attacks ⁰

France has commemorated all victims of the recent terror attacks that shook the country to its core. A memorial service has been held in the capital Paris to honor the memory of all those people who unjustly lost their lives to vicious acts of terror and violence.

Hundreds of victims’ families and people who sustained injuries in the attacks attended Monday’s ceremony. President Francois Hollande and former president Nicolas Sarkozy also took part in the event during which the names of all victims of attacks carried out by Takfiri terrorists in Paris last year and in Nice in July this year were read out. “Our country had never been attacked to this extent, with such destructive rage, with such barbarian cruelty. That’s why it was so important for names, all names to be evoked,” Hollande said.

The ceremony also commemorated those killed in terror attacks in Brussels, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali. Hollande also hailed the courage of the survivors present at the event, stressing the need for helping and supporting them and their families. “You’ve been through a tragedy, yet you want to live, you’re fighting for it, and you will stand up again. Your energy is an example,” Hollande said.

France terror attacks: A timeline

March 22, 2012: French police move in to kill Mohammed Merah, a self-styled al-Qaeda-inspired gunman, after he takes the lives of seven people in the city of Toulouse in a 12-day killing spree. Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin, killed three soldiers, three Jewish children and a rabbi before he was shot dead following a 30-hour standoff with security forces.

A woman speaks with a police officer near a building where the chief suspect in an al-Qaeda-linked killing spree is holed up in an apartment in Toulouse, southern France, on March 22, 2012. (Photo by AP)

January 7, 2015: Two Takfiri militants attack Charlie Hebdo magazine, killing 12 people, including top editorial staff. The attack is largely believed to have been launched over the weekly’s insulting cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). A day after the magazine attack, another militant kills a policewoman. On January 9, he also takes people hostage at the HyperCacher supermarket and kills four of them before being shot dead by police. On the same day, the escaped Charlie Hebdo gunmen are killed in a printing plant in Dammartin-en-Goele north of Paris.

A man walks past flowers laid near the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris on Feb. 6, 2015. (Photo by AP)

November 13, 2015: Daesh launches a series of violent attacks, targeting cafes and a concert hall in Paris, and massacring a total of 130 people. On the same day, three bombers explode themselves and kill a bystander in a stadium in Saint-Denis.

Police and rescuers gather in front of a fast-food drive-thru restaurant outside the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on November 13, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

July 14, 2016: A truck driver deliberately plows through a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, killing 84 people and wounding 200 others. An 85th victim of the attack, claimed by Daesh, dies later in hospital.

Local authorities and people observe a minute of silence in front of the high commission in Papeete, the capital of the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, on July 18, 2016, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Nice attack on Bastille Day. (Photo by AFP)

July 26, 2016: Two knife-wielding men loyal to Daesh take a number of people hostage at a church in Normandy. The attackers kill a 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest. Police later shoots dead the two assailants.

A man stands in front of French flags and messages displayed at the place de la Republique’s monument in Paris, on July 26, 2016 after a priest was killed in the Normandy city of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. (Photo by AFP)

France is still under a state of emergency.

Presstv

19, September 2016

Paris: Massive rally in support of Gabonese President Ali Bongo ⁰

Gabonese citizens resident in France have held a massive demo in support of the president elect, Ali Bongo. The rally that took place at the Place du Trocadero Square of Human Rights, Paris on Sunday, September 18, 2016, called on foreign powers to respect the decision of the Gabonese people including their sovereignty.

The demonstrators started the event with a minute of silence in tribute to victims of post-election violence that rocked the Gabonese nation. All speakers at the rally upheld that Ali Bongo Ondimba was rightfully declared the winner on August 31, 2016, by the CENAP (Autonomous National Electoral Commission) with 49.80% of votes against 48.23% for Jean Ping.

The organizers sounded a note of caution to the French media and some French politicians not to meddle in Gabon’s internal affairs. They noted that the strategy of Jean Ping, throughout the campaign was based on denigration, insults, violence and falsehood. The demonstrators also revealed that they were calm and confident that the Constitutional Court will validate Ali Bongo as winner.

By Chi Prudence Asong

19, September 2016

Hillary Clinton censures three terrorist attacks carried out in the US ⁰

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton censures three terrorist attacks carried out in the US states of New Jersey, New York and Minnesota earlier. Responsibility for at least one of the recent attacks – the one in Minnesota—was claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terror group.

The former secretary of state took the chance on Sunday to highlight the US alleged war on ISIL. “ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in Minnesota, and this should steel our resolve to protect our country and defeat ISIS and other terrorist groups. I have laid out a comprehensive plan to do that,” Clinton said. She further elaborated on her plan to stop the group from carrying out similar attacks on the US soil.

This image from video provided by KSTP 5 television in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shows police activity at the scene of a stabbing at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

“This includes launching an intelligence surge to help identify and thwart attacks before they can be carried out, and to spot lone wolf attackers. We also need to work with Silicon Valley to counter propaganda and recruitment efforts online. Americans have faced threats before, and our resilience in the face of them only makes us stronger. I am confident we will once again choose resolve over fear.”

No injuries were reported after a pipe bomb went off in Seaside Park, New Jersey, late on Saturday. The explosion was followed by another one in New York City, leaving 29 people wounded. Nine people were also stabbed by a Daesh affiliate at a mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Saturday night. Meanwhile, an investigation was launched by the FBI in order to assess whether the stabbing was a terror attack.

Presstv

19, September 2016

2016 AFCON: Cameroon only knows how to party ⁰

Cameroon announced to the world that she was indeed “Africa in miniature” at the draw for the 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations on the 18th of September 2016. During the ceremony at the Multipurpose Sports Complex in Yaounde, the rich heritage was displayed through traditional dances from the four cultural zones of Cameroon: the Fang Beti, Sahel, Sawa and Grassfield. Each individual in the hall cited with one of the cultural zones.

The climax of the event came when the representatives from other African countries were able to identify a Cameroonian dance similar to theirs. Apart from representing Cameroon, the dance groups went the extra mile to present the traditional dances of the seven other countries participating in 2016 AFCON.

It was a total blend of colour and culture as flags were waved during the performances as an expression of joy, communicating Cameroon’s readiness to host the 2016 AFCON. A projection of some remarkable parts of Cameroon was made available to help the visitors catch a glimpse of what Cameroon is like while saying a warm Cameroonian, “Welcome/Bienvenue”!

CRTV

19, September 2016

Female Africa Cup of Nations: Cameroon to clash with Egypt on November the 19th ⁰

The draw for the tenth edition of the women’s football African Cup of Nations taking place from the 19 of November to the 3^rd of December 2016, was held on Sunday in Yaounde. 8 teams will take part in this competition. They are:

Group A

Cameroon

Egypt

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Group B

Nigeria

Mali

Ghana

Kenya

Pool A will evolve in Yaounde and Group B teams will compete in Limbe. The opening match will pit Cameroon against Egypt on November the 19, 2016 at the Yaounde Omnisport stadium. The anthem and mascot of the tournament were presented to the public.

By Ebong Kingsley

18, September 2016

President Obama calls on African-Americans to rally around Hillary Clinton ⁰

US President Barack Obama has called on the African-American community to rally around Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in an effort to defeat Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November election.

Obama, America’s first black president, made the call in an emotional speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation gala on Saturday night in Washington. Clinton also attended event. “If I hear anybody saying their vote does not matter, that it doesn’t matter who we elect — read up on your history. It matters. We’ve got to get people to vote,” Obama said.

“We have achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the African-American community. I will consider it a personal insult and an insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election,” he said. “You want to give me a good send-off? Go vote.”

According to exit polls, record numbers of black voters casted their ballots in 2012, and 93 percent of them backed Obama over Republican candidate Mitt Romney. A recent survey conducted by the Washington Post showed Clinton having an 80-point lead over Trump among black voters.

“If you care about our legacy, realize everything we stand for is at stake. All the progress we’ve made is at stake in this election,” he said. “My name may not be on the ballot, but our progress is on the ballot. Tolerance is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot. Justice is on the ballot. Good schools are on the ballot. Ending mass incarceration, that’s on the ballot right now,” he said.

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton waves as she accepts a Phoenix Award from Representative Jim Clyburn (D-SC) during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards Dinner on September 17, 2016 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)

Last month, Trump asked African-American voters to vote for him since they “have nothing to lose.” Trump talked about disproportionate levels of poverty, unemployment and failing schools for the black community in the United States and claimed he would make a better future for them if he won the White House.

“You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed — what the hell do you have to lose?” Trump asked the audience.

In his speech on Saturday night, Obama said Trump says “we got nothing left to lose, so we might as well support somebody who has fought against civil rights, and fought against equality, and who has shown no regard for working people for most of his life. Well, we do have challenges, but we’re not stupid.”

Presstv

18, September 2016

Cameroon: Bikutsi singer Roger Bekono is no more!! ⁰

Cameroonian bikutsi singer, Roger Bekono has passed away age 62. Roger Bekono died on Thursday in Yaounde following a long illness. The news was made public through a joint statement issued by his relative, Ottou Marcellin and his daughter Marie-Christine. The author of the greatest hit Jolie Poupee was reportedly sick for more than six years. He spent the last two weeks in a hospital in Mfou and finally left for the land of his ancestors on Thursday.

Born in 1954, Roger Bekono emerged in the 80s as a renowned bikutsi singer and went ahead and recorded 33 hit singles including “Jolie poupee”, “Etam”, “Enying Moni”, “Ye wo kombel” and also “Oget Mongi”. He worked with the likes of the great Zanzibar, Jean Marie Ahanda, Atebas, “Big” Ngole Pokossy and Mystic Jim.

18, September 2016

Bangui: Militant raid leaves 26 villagers dead in the worst instance of bloodshed in recent months ⁰

A militant raid on a village in the Central African Republic (CAR) has left 26 villagers dead in the worst instance of bloodshed in recent months, an official says. Militants from the Seleka group attacked the village of Ndomete, near the town of Kaga-Bandoro, about 350 km (220 miles) north of the capital, Bangui, on Friday. Reports of the attack, however, emerged on Saturday.

“There were 26 victims… the village chief was among the victims,” Albert Mokpeme, a spokesman for the presidency, said on Saturday. “It was a massacre,” he emphasized. Officials are concerned that the incident could revitalize the dormant acts of vendetta between the mainly Muslim Seleka militants and rival Christian anti-Balaka militias. In early 2013, Seleka toppled the then-President Francois Bozize, who was replaced by Michel Am-Nondokro Djotodia, the first Muslim to hold the presidency in the CAR.

Christian militias reacted by engaging in large-scale attacks against the minority Muslims. A fifth of the population was forced to flee to safer regions as the impoverished nation was plunged into violence along ethnic and religious fault lines. Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the resource-rich country, as it suffered its biggest crisis in its half-century of independence during the period of violence in 2013 and 2014.

This file photo, taken on January 2, 2016, shows United Nations peacekeepers patrolling outside a vote-counting center for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Bangui. (By AFP)

In 2014, some 11,000 peacekeepers were deployed by the United Nations (UN) to the country as part of the established United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

“MINUSCA regrets the loss of human life and the wounded that were recorded and also denounces attacks against the humanitarian community and United Nations personnel,” the UN said following the Friday bloodshed.

On July 23, 2014, Seleka and anti-Balaka representatives signed a ceasefire agreement in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, but the country has not yet emerged from its bloody past.

Presstv