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3, September 2019

MTN Cameroon launches back-to-school support for underprivileged children ⁰

MTN Cameroon has announced the launch of its 2019 Back2Skoul initiative aimed at supporting underprivileged children. More than 500 children will benefit from the initiative in all ten regions of the country for the 2019-2020 school year. MTN Foundation has been supporting orphans and underprivileged children from ten orphanages and care centres for several years now.

In each of these orphanages and care centres approved by the ministry of social affairs, MTN Foundation has set up a mini-school library equipped, among other things, with all curriculum textbooks of all the classes, from Class One to Upper Sixth, accessible to all the inmates.

On the occasion of back-to-school, these underprivileged children receive from MTN Foundation, school supplies that comprise school bags, exercise books, pens, didactic materials and protective clothing that enable them to cope with the rainy season. MTN Foundation also offers scholarships to the top five students in each of these orphanages and care centres. In addition, volunteer MTN staff are available throughout the school year to assist the inmates in better assimilating their lessons.

Source: Telecompaper

2, September 2019

15 killed after Mali building collapses ‘like a house of cards’ ⁰

Fifteen people were killed on Sunday when a three-story building under construction collapsed “like a house of cards” in the Mali capital Bamako, the government and local media reports said.

Twenty-six people were rescued alive from the partially occupied building after it collapsed just before dawn.

“Thanks to the determination of the emergency services, a young girl of around four years has just been pulled out of the rubble alive.”

“Another survivor (a woman) has just, happily, been extracted by rescuers,” the civil protection ministry said.

The ministry later said an investigation into the building’s owner had been opened. According to local media reports, the top floor collapsed onto the rest of the building which was already occupied, resulting in the entire structure “collapsing like a house of cards.”

Such collapses are common in Mali where buildings are often constructed without planning permission.

(Source: AFP)

2, September 2019

Ambazonians celebrate birthday of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe ⁰

Southern Cameroonians commemorates this Monday the birthday of the Interim President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and leader of the Ambazonia Revolution, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, who including 9 of his top aides were sentenced recently to life in prison by the Yaounde Military Tribunal.

Birthday wishes bearing his photo have been posted in some towns and villages all over Ground Zero and on social media by hundreds of Southern Cameroonians who are also respecting the lock down. The Ambazonian Vice President Dabney Yerima in an act of faith, homage and commitment observed that the leader of the Ambazonia resistance; President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe is more alive than ever.

In a soul-searching message the Southern Cameroons exiled government said that “today is the birthday of the heir to the legacy of the visionary leaders who staged the blockade of the Eastern Regional Assembly in Enugu, Nigeria in 1953.”

Many Southern Cameroons daily newspapers are expected to dedicate their front pages and many of the inside pages to the Ambazonia leader, whose name is multiplied on social networks, in some cases to praise him and in others to deplore him.

By Chi Prudence Asong in London

2, September 2019

Yaounde: US embassy issues security alert ⁰

U.S. Embassy Yaoundé reminds U.S. citizens that the security situation in Cameroon remains fluid and recommends that all citizens follow security best practices to remain informed, prepared, connected, and safe in the event of a crisis. Some of the most important security practices are listed below. For a full list of such practices, please go to the following Department of State webpage: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/what-can-you-do-crisis-abroad.html

Actions to Take:

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important safety and security messages and make it easier for us to locate and assist you in an emergency.
Monitor consular messages and local and international news from reliable sources.
Avoid demonstrations and public gatherings in Cameroon. Even events intended to be peaceful can quickly turn violent.
Make sure your passport is ready for use. Most countries require that it be valid for at least six months after the end of your trip and that it have two or more blank pages.
Always carry proof of your legal presence in Cameroon, such as a U.S. passport with visa, or a residency card. Since Cameroon does not recognize dual citizenship, U.S. citizens of Cameroonian descent should never attempt to use a Cameroonian passport or identification card.

1, September 2019

Ambazonia: Vice President Yerima vows continued support for Ground Zero ⁰

Ambazonia Vice President Dabney Yerima has announced continued support for Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces fighting an array of Biya regime militias and the French Cameroun government army.

“Southern Cameroons Self-Defense Forces and other Ambazonia revolutionary groups including the diaspora will continue to work together to resist La Republique du Cameroun’s occupation and will do everything to bring an end to French Cameroun’s control of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia” the Southern Cameroons Vice President said late on Saturday.

Ever since the Ambazonia Interim President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe declared the independence of Southern Cameroons, the territory has been under constant attack from the Cameroon government army supported by several armed militias created by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji rooted in French Cameroun extremism that has killed thousands of Southern Cameroonians since 2017.

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government is also battling a crisis created by a sharp drop in financial donations in the West. “It is vital that the people of Ambazonia in the diaspora know that we have heard their cries of distress,” Dabney said.

The Ambazonia Interim Government is the largest administrative body grouping Southern Cameroonians involved in the resistance against French Cameroun’s brutal colonial rule. The Ambazonia Vice President is scheduled to discuss the insecurity and La Republique Du Cameroun’s so-called back to school with other Southern Cameroons front line leaders this coming week.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

1, September 2019

EU says won’t change Brexit deal agreed with UK ⁰

The European Union (EU)’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Saturday the bloc will not change the divorce deal agreed with Britain and that he is “not optimistic” about avoiding a no-deal outcome.

Barnier said the most contentious element of the agreement, the so-called backstop mechanism aimed at keeping the Northern Irish border open in all circumstances, must remain.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who took power last month, has called for the provision to be scrapped in order to reach a new deal ahead of the country’s latest October 31 departure date.

Johnson has said he was encouraged in his bid to ax the backstop by recent meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to suggest an openness to alternatives.

But writing in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph, Barnier said Brussels remained unconvinced after “intense discussions with EU member states on the need to guarantee the integrity of the EU’s Single Market, while keeping that border fully open.”

“The backstop is the maximum amount of flexibility that the EU can offer to a non-member state,” he stated.

“I am not optimistic about avoiding a ‘no deal’ scenario, but I remain determined to explore all avenues that the UK government will present that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement,” Barnier added.

The EU negotiator also said discussions about alternatives to the backstop could not begin until Britain had approved the divorce deal struck with Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, late last year.

It was subsequently rejected three times by British MPs, leading Brexit to be delayed to October 31.

“We are ready to start this work immediately upon ratification of the withdrawal agreement, in parallel to finally creating clarity on our future relationship,” Barnier stated.

He added that if Britain left the EU without a deal, it would be London’s decision.

“Many people in the UK understand that and I would be surprised if they succumb to the idea that the EU is to blame for a difficult political situation in the UK.”

(Source: AFP)

1, September 2019

US: Pelosi, Schumer, other Dems call for stricter gun laws after Texas mass shooting ⁰

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as a number of Democratic presidential candidates have called for stricter gun laws following a mass shooting on Saturday in Texas.

The shooting, which happened in the western city of Midland, reportedly left at least five people killed and more than 21 others injured.

A gunman opened fire, shooting randomly at bystanders at a Home Depot department store before moving on to a Movie theater in neighboring city of Odessa, where he was shot and killed by police.

Following the incident, Schumer and Pelosi took to Twitter, calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to introduce legislation that would expand background checks on gun purchases.

Chuck Schumer✔@SenSchumer

Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, & everyone injured in the shooting in Odessa & Midland, TX.

Thank you to the first responders who risked their lives to stop the threat.@senatemajldr should bring up H.R. 8 the week Congress returns. We must #endgunviolence.

Pelosi also said that McConnell should end Senate GOP “obstruction.”

Nancy Pelosi✔@SpeakerPelosi

Enough is enough. Every day, the gun violence epidemic inflicts a devastating toll in communities across America, this time
in West Texas. The @SenateGOP must end its obstruction & finally pass House-approved legislation to #EndGunViolence. https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/83119 Pelosi Statement on Shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas“America’s heart is broken by the senseless and horrific mass shooting tonight in Texas.speaker.gov7,4692:27 AM – Sep 1, 2019

Meanwhile, several presidential contenders from the Democratic Party condemned the shooting.

“We do know that this is f-cked up. We know that this has to stop in our country,” Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) said at a campaign stop in Virginia.

Former Vice President Joe Biden also tweeted that “we must end this epidemic.”

Joe Biden✔@JoeBiden

I’m heartbroken, sickened, & angry. Weeks after the horror in El Paso, another community in Texas has been terrorized by gun violence. Enough. We must end this epidemic.@DrBiden & I send our thoughts to those affected & thank our law enforcement who responded at great risk.5,7302:02 AM – Sep 1, 2019

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Twitter called on Congress to take action to stop gun violence.

“We’ve already lost far too many to gun violence—Congress must act now.”

It is not yet clear what motivated the carnage and whether the incident was racially motivated as was the case in a massacre a month earlier the Texas city of El Paso, where a white young male targeted mostly native Mexican residents, killing 22 and wounding nearly 30 more.

PressTV-20 shot dead in El Paso in possible ‘hate crime’: Police

Meanwhile, in another shooting in Alabama, a 17-year-old reportedly shot 10 teenagers – ranging in age from 15 to 18 — following a high school football game in the city of Mobile.

The shooting victims were taken to a local hospital Saturday morning as Mobile Police Department spokesman Laderrick Dubose identified the teenage shooter as Deangelo Parnell, further declaring that there were no fatalities as the result of the incident.

Source: Presstv

1, September 2019

US: Texas mass shooting kills 5, injures 21 as Alabama school shooting wounds 10 teens ⁰

Another mass shooting in the US state of Texas has reportedly left at least five people killed and more than 21 others injured while an earlier shooting incident at a high school football game in the southeastern state of Alabama left 10 teenagers wounded.

The Texas shooting began in the western city of Midland Saturday afternoon, where up to three suspects were seen shooting randomly at bystanders at a Home Depot department store before moving on to a Movie theater in neighboring city of Odessa, where one of the shooters was reported shot and killed by police.

“It has been confirmed that the active shooter was shot and killed at the Cinergy in Odessa,” the Midland Police Department declared in a Facebook post, adding: “There is no active shooter at this time. All agencies are investigating reports of possible suspects.”

“We believe there are two shooters in two separate vehicles. One suspect is believed to be at the Cinergy [theater] in Midland and the other is believed to be driving on Loop 250 in Midland. The two vehicles in question are: gold/white small Toyota truck and a USPS Postal Van. Please stay away from these areas and stay indoors,” the police statement further said.

Moreover, Midland’s Mayor Jerry Morales was also cited in local press reports as saying that two suspects and a possible third shooter were firing randomly at passersby, initially adding: “We have two fatalities and up to 20 injuries.”

Morales further stated that one of the suspected shooters was shot and wounded by police, saying: “One suspect is in custody. I’m not sure if he is alive.” However, later reports said the suspect was killed by police, identifying him as 30-year-old white man.

It is not yet clear what motivated the mass carnage and whether the incident was racially motivated as was the case in a massacre a month earlier the Texas city of El Paso, where a white young male targeted mostly native Mexican residents, killing 22 and wounding nearly 30 more.

Alabama high school shooting injures 10 teenagers

In the Alabama shooting, a 17-year-old was apprehended by police officers after 10 teenagers – ranging in age from 15 to 18 — were shot following a high school football game in the city of Mobile.

At least 10 teenagers were reported injured in a shooting at a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama. (File photo)

Meanwhile, Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste admonished young people for “bringing their beefs that they have with each other in their neighborhoods” into public settings and “putting people in harm’s way.”

“Why are young people bringing this type of violence to public events?” Battiste said at a news conference. “We’re gonna have to be more aggressive on our end as a city as to how we hold these individuals accountable.”

The incident “may have been a directed threat at one or two individuals and other people just happened to fall prey to their carelessness,” he further added.

In yet another recent US mass shooting in early August nine people were killed and 17 others were left wounded in Dayton, Ohio.

Source: Presstv

31, August 2019

Sudan’s Bashir charged with corruption, holding illicit foreign currency ⁰

A Sudanese court on Saturday charged ousted president Omar al-Bashir, on trial for corruption, with illegal acquisition and use of foreign funds.

Judge Al-Sadiq Abdelrahman said at the third session of Bashir’s trial that foreign funds of multiple currencies were found at his home.

Authorities had “seized 6.9 million euros, $351,770 and 5.7 million Sudanese pounds at (Bashir’s) home which he acquired and used illegally,” the judge said.

Asked about the source, Bashir, 75, admitted to receiving funds from Saudi royals.

“My office manager… received a call from the office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman saying he has a ‘message’ that will be sent on a private jet,” Bashir said during the trial.

“We were told that the crown prince did not want his name to appear (linked to the transaction), and if the funds were deposited with Sudan’s bank or the finance ministry, the source would have to be identified,” he said.

The photo, taken on August 31, 2019, shows a view of the trial of Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir at a court in the capital Khartoum. (Photo by AFP)

The judge said illegal acquisition of wealth was punishable by up to 10 years in jail, while illicit use of foreign funds carried up to three years.

An investigator had previously told the court that Bashir received $90 million in cash from Saudi royals.

The trial was adjourned until September 7, said an AFP correspondent who attended the session.

Bashir was ousted in April after mass protests against his three-decade rule rocked Sudan for months.

Sudan has embarked on a transition to civilian rule following a power-sharing deal signed on August 17 by protest leaders and the generals who ousted Bashir.

(Source: AFP)

31, August 2019

Will 6,000 more Ambazonians die to show that Biya can no longer rule over Southern Cameroons? ⁰

It is evidently clear that regional and international leaders are not involved in the crisis in Southern Cameroons and the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations have proven to be either terribly insensitive or outright psychopaths. To be accurate, the international community clearly doesn’t care how their policies harm ordinary Southern Cameroonians.

The international community’s choice was clear from the outset: kick out Biya to save the so-called one and indivisible Cameroun, or sacrifice the Republic of Cameroon to save Biya. The ruling CPDM party embraced the latter to preserve itself and more than 4,000 Southern Cameroonians have died in the on-going process. No regrets from Yaoundé and pro Biya Southern Cameroons criminals such as Atanga Nji, Peter Mafany Musonge, Victor Mengot, Paul Tasong and Dion Ngute.

When the French Cameroun army failed to crush the Ambazonian Self-Defense Forces, the Southern Cameroons Interim Government and the Southern Cameroons diaspora stepped in to protect the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, and in the process another 2,000 or more were killed. Again, no worry! no sorry! None!

As that effort also failed following the arrest and forced extradition of the Southern Cameroons leader and his top aides from Abuja to Yaoundé and the election of disgraced Dr Ikome Sako at the head of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, the jailed leadership stepped in again stating that the complete independence for Southern Cameroons is the only way forward.

So, will 6,000 more Southern Cameroonians die to show that the 86 years old President Biya can no longer rule over Southern Cameroons?

Ever since the United Nations Security Council decided to back off from the threat to hit the Biya regime with sanctions following its refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue, the West has argued, rather poorly, that it was in the best interest for La Republique du Cameroun to manage the deteriorating situation in Southern Cameroons and that outside involvement was no remedy for the war.

Correspondingly, instead of putting the UN and the Commonwealth’s weight behind a political solution, UN and the Commonwealth including the African Union chief diplomats have all chosen to start a long-term campaign of receiving gifts of gold from President Biya. In the process, the Southern Cameroons crisis has become an alibi for international civil servants and diplomats to interfere in La Republique Du Cameroun as long as they steered away from the Biya regime.

Thanks to the US ambassador to Cameroon, the regime in Yaoundé failed to paint the Southern Cameroons crisis as a new landscape for a renewed so-called war on terror. As we write, no one is coordinating any action to pave the way for a political solution in Southern Cameroons.

By Asu Isong in London