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25, December 2024

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, killing dozens ⁰

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan after veering from its scheduled route, officials said.

Azerbaijani authorities said 32 people had survived the crash of the Embraer 190 near the city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

The plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku on the western shore of the Caspian to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia.

“A plane doing the Baku-Grozny route crashed near the city of Aktau. It belongs to Azerbaijan Airlines,” the Kazakh transport ministry said on Telegram.

Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said the plane had 62 passengers and five crew on board.

It said the plane “made an emergency landing” around three kilometres (1.9 miles) from Aktau.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a grouping of former Soviet nations.

The Kazakh transport ministry said the plane was carrying 37 nationals from Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia.

The office of Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general said: “According to available data, 32 people survived the crash.”

“We cannot disclose any investigation results at this time. All possible scenarios are being examined, and the necessary expert analyses are underway,” it said in a statement.

“An investigative team, led by the deputy prosecutor general of Azerbaijan, has been dispatched to Kazakhstan and is working at the crash site.”

Doctors flown to site

The Kazakh emergency situations ministry said its staff put out a fire which broke out when the plane crashed.

The ministry earlier reported that “28 survivors including two children have been hospitalised.”

It said 150 emergency workers were at the scene.

The health ministry said a special flight was being sent from the Kazakh capital Astana with specialist doctors to treat the injured.

Aliyev’s office said the president “ordered the prompt initiation of urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster.”

“I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash… and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Aliyev said in a social media post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev and also “expressed his condolences in connection with the crash,” his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news conference.

Azerbaijan’s first lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who is also the country’s first Vice President, said she was “deeply saddened by the news of the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash near Aktau.”

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. Wishing them strength and patience! I also wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” she said on Instagram.

“I express my condolences to the relatives of the passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines jet who died,” Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Telegram.

The plane’s course on Flight Radar showed it crossing the Caspian Sea away from its normal route and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed.

Kazakhstan said it had opened an investigation.

Source: AFP

25, December 2024

Who was Lord Justice Ayah Paul Abine? ⁰

Known for his outspoken nature, Lord Justice Ayah Paul Abine, a renowned Supreme Court Judge and human rights activist died on Christmas day at the age of 74. The news was confirmed by his family in Buea the chief city in the South West region.

Ayah Paul was a strong critic of the Cameroon’s powerful Francophone dominated political establishment. Ayah complained of pains around his chest and was rushed to the Buea Regional Hospital where he breathed his last.

Born in 1950 in Ngali, Akwaya Subdivision in Manyu, Lord Justice Ayah was among the few English speaking Cameroonians who served at the Supreme Court. His life was dedicated towards his career and he went on to defend the rights of millions of Cameroonians, children and other minorities.

Lord Justice Ayah started his career after he graduated from the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) in Yaoundé in 1976. He was Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in Buea in the South-West region, before becoming a member of the National Assembly in 2002. In August 2007, he was elected Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

Lord Justice Paul Abine left the ruling CPDM crime syndicate and founded the People’s Action Party (PAP). He was arrested on 21 January 2017 for advocating a return to federalism which was against the rule of Cameroon’s longest-serving dictator Paul Biya. He was tried before the military court in Yaoundé and was released from prison by presidential decree on 30 August 2017 after spending more than 8 months in detention at the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison.

Ayah Paul Abine became a champion for democracy, human rights and remains the only Cameroonian Supreme Court judge ever detained by the blood thirty regime in Yaoundé.

In 2023 he told this reporter that his life was in danger from the country’s top spy agency General Directorate of External Research, Cameroon’s intelligence agency.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

23, December 2024

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s Christmas message in full as he thanks the Ambazonian people ⁰

Fellow Ambazonians,

As we close the chapters on 2024, in this long and painful journey, know that your resilience in the face of adversity is a testament to our collective strength, our unwavering spirit, and the hope for a brighter future. During this year, there have been moments that have made us anxious, desperate and even despondent. However, your steadfastness to our struggle for independence is a lamp of hope in such challenging times. It is driving us forward, even in the darkest hours. Many of you have sent us messages of love and encouragement. My fellow Ambazonian Prisoners of Conscience (APoCs) and I are eternally grateful. We are still standing tall & strong and firing on all cylinders, regardless.

We remember and honour our fallen comrades who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. May we continue to draw strength from their sacrifices. We invite you to join us in prayer, seeking eternal rest for their souls and solace for their grieving families. Their legacy strengthens our resolve to fight on until we achieve a free and independent Ambazonia.

For them and for Ambazonia, we must redouble our efforts at solidifying our unity of purpose and staying focused on the prize at the foot of the mountain. We must continue the resistance that will show the international community that our resolve cannot be broken. We are not naive to the Cameroun government’s insincerity which has only intensified throughout the past eight years. Their empty promises and continued human rights abuses are a testament to their unwillingness to address the legitimate grievances of the Ambazonian people. We must show the world that even in the face of Mr. Biya’s insecurity, insincerity, impunity and intransigence, we will remain resolute till we get to the negotiating table. Note that the international community is saddled, plagued and distracted by a mirage of global challenges. We cannot entrust our fate to external organisations. We must make our struggle our priority and do all that it takes to move it forward. To my fellow leaders, I urge us all to embrace the call for unity. Our people look to us not for divisions but for a shared vision that will lead us out of this wilderness and into our Promised Land.

This year, the world has witnessed significant events. The re-election of President Donald Trump in the United States of America provides a sobering reminder of the importance of engagement on the global stage. We remember that his first term in office paid attention to our plight. His re-election rekindles our hope for renewed international attention to our cause. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria serves as a poignant lesson on the consequences of authoritarianism. The Gaza-Israel conflict and the ongoing war in Ukraine/Russia underscore the devastating human cost of protracted conflicts and the importance of pursuing peaceful resolutions.

A new dawn is emerging across Africa. The Sahel nations like Senegal, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are rising to challenge colonial legacies. These nations are pushing boundaries, asserting their rights, and giving us hope in Ambazonia’s own journey towards self-determination. Joined to these efforts, the re-election in Ghana of President John Dramani Mahama should challenge many African oligarchs and bring a rejuvenation of the pan African spirit that reminds us of the dreams of the venerable Osagyefor KWAME NKRUMAH and his likes. The new Ubuntu spirit in Africa is not only healthy but promising for our struggle. The urgency of the moment is evident.

Our fight also includes uncovering the truth behind any clandestine agreements that handed our territory and resources to La République du Cameroun. We remain committed to uncovering any treaties between the governments of the UK and La République du Cameroun concerning the Trust Territory of the British Southern Cameroons. Such treachery has subjected us to another cycle of colonisation, but we vow to expose these injustices, restore the independence of our homeland and regain our rightful seat in the assembly of the community of nations.

On a final note, I urge all Ambazonians to actively engage in community mobilization efforts. Share your stories, raise awareness, and demand international recognition for our cause. Together, we stand strong. Together, we rise. Let us unite in our resolve, and usher in a new era for Ambazonia. The finish line is near. In solidarity and unshakeable hope, victory is certain.

We ask for ancestral blessings upon Ambazonia and wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025.

Sisiku AyukTabe

Kondengui Prison Principal Yaoundé (KPPY)

23, December 2024

Cameroon facing worsening healthcare shortage ⁰

Cameroon’s healthcare system faces a shortage of 68,000 personnel, Public Health Minister Manaouda Malachie recently told lawmakers. This shortage, the minister said, prevents the country from meeting World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

The government official made this revelation before members of the Finance Committee of the National Assembly while defending the Public Health Ministry’s budget for the 2025 fiscal year.

Pressed by lawmakers to explain the shortage of medical staff in healthcare facilities, the minister emphasized the “need to recruit healthcare personnel in light of the scarcity of doctors and that, in accordance with the workforce management plan, recruitment is carried out with consideration of its financial sustainability for the state,” as noted in the committee’s report.

He nonetheless reassured that “efforts are being made to ensure that every locality has healthcare personnel.” Moreover, Manaouda Malachie informed the deputies that “given the sensitivity of the public health sector, a massive healthcare personnel recruitment project is underway. This will eventually significantly reduce the deficit.” However, similar promises had been made in the past.

Four years ago, in December 2021, at the same hearing, Manaouda Malachie acknowledged a deficit of 55,000 healthcare workers. He requested a budget line for the following year to “enhance the availability of quality human resources in healthcare facilities, develop a new human resources development plan, and engage in advocacy and social dialogue to improve working conditions for healthcare personnel.” Yet, by the minister’s own admission, with the current deficit of 68,000 personnel, the gap has widened by 13,000 since 2021.

According to the Cameroon Employers’ Association, Cameroonian doctors, along with teachers, are among the professional categories most likely to emigrate to Canada. An estimated 6,000 of them left the country between April and August 2024.

Source: Sbbc

23, December 2024

Martinez Zogo Murder Trial: defense challenge shifts focus to Appeal Court ⁰

The scheduled hearing at the Yaoundé military tribunal in the case of slain journalist Martinez Zogo is unlikely to yield significant progress. Defense lawyers have appealed the presiding judge’s November 11 rejection of their objections to the detention of their clients.

The appeal, filed with the Centre Region Court of Appeal, seeks to overturn Colonel Missé Njoné’s decision. Defense attorneys aim to compel the judge to reconsider procedural aspects of the preliminary investigation and judicial inquiry. If successful, the appeal could lead to the release of several of the 17 accused, including prominent businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga and former Directorate General for External Research (DGRE) head Léopold Maxime Eko Eko.

At the December 3 hearing, defense attorneys highlighted the unavailability of the contested decision. The tribunal assured them it would be forwarded to the court registry soon. However, the appeal court cannot proceed until it formally receives the case file, leaving the trial in limbo pending a ruling on the appeal.

This marks the second appeal filed by the defense since the trial began in March. In July, defense lawyers sought to compel Judge Missé Njoné to provide them with a copy of the case file. The court denied the request, ruling that Cameroonian law does not mandate the judge to share the document. Some lawyers have since appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.

In January 2023, Zogo’s mutilated body was discovered in the northeastern outskirts of Yaoundé. As director of Amplitude FM, a radio station in the capital, Zogo was known for his popular program exposing corruption among high-profile figures.

Investigations revealed that a DGRE commando kidnapped, tortured, and murdered the journalist. The revelations led to the arrest of 17 individuals, including 12 DGRE agents.

Source: Sbbc

23, December 2024

Tiger Woods’ son Charlie, 15, hits first hole-in-one ⁰

Tiger Woods’ teenage son Charlie hit his first hole-in-one during the final round of the PNC Championship – but they were beaten to the title in a play-off by Bernhard and Jason Langer.

Charlie Woods, 15, holed out at the par-three fourth to send the father-son team into the lead at the tournament, which features 20 major champions playing with a member of their family.

But it was Team Langer who celebrated a second consecutive trophy – and fourth overall – in Orlando, Florida when German Bernhard made eagle on the first play-off hole to seal the win.

“It was awesome,” Charlie said. “No one made a mistake today, so that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had.”

He added: “On top of that, I made an ace. I don’t think I can top that.”

Tiger Woods was playing in his first competitive event since the Open in July.

The 15-time major winner had back surgery for the second time in 18 months in September and conceded he was “nowhere near competitive shape” at the PGA-backed exhibition tournament.

However, he did think he and son Charlie “made a great team this week”.

“And that’s the whole joy of it, is to be out here with family and bonding and just the enjoyment of each other’s company,” the 48-year-old added.

The younger Woods was not the only player to make a first career hole-in-one on Sunday.

Some 30 minutes after Charlie holed out, Paddy Harrington – the 21-year-old whose father Padraig is a three-time major winner – aced the eighth hole.

“I’ve never hit a shot and been that excited before,” Padraig Harrington said.

Source: BBC

22, December 2024

Magdeburg: Home of English speaking Cameroonians comes under attack ⁰

The University of Magdeburg in the Federal Republic of Germany was the first renowned German academic establishment to offer management courses in English and this attracted hundreds of English speaking Cameroonians to the city of Magdeburg.

In the late 90s, the city of Magdeburg provided a rare opportunity for several Southern Cameroons freedom fighters who were asylum seekers in the small town of Halberstadt to blend with the English speaking student community in the University of Magdeburg. Magdeburg became the home of the new Anglophone Cameroon nationalism.

Today, Magdeburg’s Christmas market is a sad sight. This should have been the busiest weekend of the season, but the whole area has been cordoned off and all the stands are shut.

Police are the only people walking around the boarded-up mulled wine and gingerbread stalls.

On the pavement, red candles flicker, tributes laid for the victims.

Lukas, a truck driver, told me he felt compelled to come to pay his respects. “I wasn’t there when it happened,” he told me.

“But I work here in Magdeburg. I’m here every day. I’ve driven by here a thousand times.”

“It’s a tragedy for everyone here in Magdeburg. The perpetrator should be punished.”

“We can only hope that the victims and their families find the strength to deal with it.”

There is sorrow here – but there is anger too.

Many people here see this attack as a terrible lapse in security. That is a claim the authorities reject, although they have admitted the attacker entered the market using a route planned for emergency responders.

Michael, who also came to pay tributes to the victims, said “there should’ve been better security”.

“We should have been prepared better but that was not done properly.”

Michael, who also came to pay tributes to the victims, said “there should’ve been better security”.

“We should have been prepared better but that was not done properly.”

Standing at the security cordon, I heard a group of locals complaining loudly about Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and regional politicians.

“They are wasting our tax money, they are just looking out for themselves. They are not interested in us. We just hear empty promises,” one man said.

“They are turning what happened here around and want to put the blame on the opposition and use it for their election campaign,” he said.

On Saturday evening, around the same time as the square in front of Magdeburg’s Gothic cathedral was filled with mourners watching a memorial service, a demonstration took place nearby.

Protesters held a banner that read “Remigration now!” – a concept popular among the far-right – and shouted “those who do not love Germany should leave Germany”.

It is not clear yet what impact this attack may have on Germany’s upcoming election.

Germany has been hit by a number of deadly Islamist attacks in the past, but investigators said the evidence they have gathered so far suggests a different picture in this case.

Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the suspect appears to have been “Islamophobic”.

The suspect, Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen, is from Saudi Arabia, and his social media posts suggest he had been critical of Islam.

He also expressed sympathy on social media for Germany’s far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), re-tweeting posts from the party’s leader and a far-right activist.

Reported by Cameroon Concord News and the BBC

20, December 2024

ECHO says 2.7 million in Cameroon could face food insecurity ⁰

The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) said on Monday that food insecurity in Cameroon is worsening, with over 3 million people currently affected.

In its daily flash report, ECHO cited the Cadre Harmonisé, a food security assessment framework, which found that 2.7 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season from June to August 2025.

The lean season, the period between harvests, is typically a time of food scarcity for many households.

ECHO noted that these figures represent a 4.7% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The three regions most impacted by food insecurity are the Far North, North-West, and South-West.

The Far North region is expected to be the hardest hit, with over one million people projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season. ECHO attributed the worsening food security situation to several factors, including unprecedented flooding in the Far North region in 2024, escalating conflict-induced violence, and rising food prices.

Source: Business in Cameroon

20, December 2024

Missing flight MH370 affair: Malaysia approves new search ⁰

The Malaysian government says it has agreed in principle to resume the search for a passenger jet that vanished ten years ago in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 while on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board.

Efforts to locate the wreckage of the Boeing 777 have sputtered over the years and hundreds of families of those on board remain haunted by the tragedy.

On Friday, Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke said the cabinet approved in principle a $70m (£56m) deal with US-based marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity to find the aircraft.

Under a “no find, no fee” arrangement, Ocean Infinity will get paid only when the wreckage is found.

A 2018 search by Ocean Infinity under similar terms ended unsuccessfully after three months.

A multinational effort that cost $150m ended in 2017 after two years of scouring vast waters.

While the government has “in principle” accepted Ocean infinity’s offer, Loke said negotiations over specific terms of the deal were still ongoing and would be finalised early next year.

The new search will cover a 15,000 sq km patch in the southern Indian Ocean.

“We hope this time will be positive,” Loke said, adding that finding the wreckage would give closure to the families of those on board.

Source: BBC

20, December 2024

Letter to Camcordnews ⁰

Dear Cameroon Concord News

Help us to understand the new finance law many people are talking about. Francophone newspapers in Cameroon have spent a lot of time talking about the new taxes which will destroy Cameroonians and the economy but our own news platform has not yet shed light on this disturbing problem.

The parliament of Cameroon has been in session for weeks now and the law-makers of the country who are supposed to represent the population will be passing some new finance laws which might hurt many struggling citizens.

As ordinary citizens, we are yet to recover from the high prices caused by the pandemic. The stress and tension in the country arising from hardship are visible and many people are losing their lives due to hardship.

Cameroonians are already paying taxes but not much is seen in terms development, especially concerning the building of infrastructure.

To my knowledge, taxes are not a bad thing. They can help a country to develop. In Western countries such as France and Great Britain, many people lose huge amounts of money to the state by way of taxes. I don’t live in the West but I read a lot about life abroad.

It is true that citizens in Western countries hate paying taxes, but they do admit that taxes go a long way in positively impacting their lives.

Good roads, hospitals and schools are some of the things which make westerners to accept some of the high taxes they pay.

There is also the issue of security. Where there is security, there is a tendency for people to settle there and security usually gets financed with tax money.

Cameroonians are afraid of taxes not because they do not know what taxes could do for a country if well used. Their fear comes from the fact that Cameroon does not have good roads, good schools and hospitals but the citizens get punished every day, every year with taxes.

Taxes are not bad, what makes Cameroon’s taxes bad is the way tax revenues are used. For now, not many people back home are talking about the new taxes and high cost of living.

Like many ordinary Cameroonians, I will like the Cameroon Concord News to shed light on this new burden that will be soon imposed on Cameroonians by a government that hardly renders account.

Thank you for helping our government to understand our pain and for helping Cameroonians to understand what is in that new finance law.

Ngah Jude in Bamenda