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23, April 2019

Algerian police arrest businessmen close to Bouteflika’s inner circle ⁰

Five Algerian billionaires appeared in court on Monday to face charges from the general prosecutor following their arrest as part of an anti-graft investigation, Ennahar TV said on Monday.

The five Algerian businessmen are Issad Rebrab, considered the richest businessman in the energy-rich north African nation, and four brothers from the Kouninef family said to be close to ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Ennahar TV said.

Prosecutors are investigating “insider influence to obtain undue advantages and misappropriation of real estate”, state television reported.

The Kouninef family is hugely influential and the four brothers have dealings in everything from agribusiness to civil engineering.

They are said to be close to Said Bouteflika, the younger brother and former advisor of the president who stepped down on April 2 after weeks of mass protests against his 20-year rule.

Army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah has since called on prosecutors to “accelerate the pace” of probes into corrupt tycoons with ties to Bouteflika’s inner circle.

One of Algeria’s top businessmen and a Bouteflika backer, Ali Haddad, was arrested in late March as he tried to cross the border into Tunisia with two passports and undeclared currency.

The day after he was detained, prosecutors announced graft probes into unnamed individuals and banned corruption suspects from leaving the country.

Algerian media has reported that around a dozen businessmen are under investigation, all with ties to Bouteflika’s entourage.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

23, April 2019

Boko Haram Kidnapped 100, Set Villagers on Fire While They Slept!! Biya won’t talk ⁰

Over 100 Boko Haram jihadis reduced an entire village to ashes in Cameroon near the country’s border with Nigeria, fatally setting at least 11 residents on fire while they slept, including children and elderly persons, and taking 100 people hostage after the attack late last week.

Echoing information from a member of a local self-defense militia, an anonymous source close to security services in the area told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency on Friday, “Boko Haram made an incursion at night [on Thursday] in the Tchakamari [village] area. The toll is 11.”

The bodies were “charred,” the source added, noting that the jihadis had set fire to the entire village.

Voice of America (VOA), citing village resident Abba Malloum, placed the number of fatalities from the attack on the village at 13, adding that they “were shot to death or otherwise slaughtered, plus many wounded and about 100 men, women and children abducted.”

VOA learned that “over a hundred Boko Haram fighters attacked the village, shooting indiscriminately and setting fire to all the houses.”

Residents saw their maize, beans, groundnuts, and sheep engulfed in flames as the jihadis stole hundreds of their cattle. Tchakamari village, on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria, is deserted, with torched houses and animal carcasses bearing witness to the attack.

Resident Abba Malloum says the village of more than 400 people was reduced to ashes by Boko Haram fighters who came from neighboring Nigeria late Thursday night.

AFP learned from its local security sources that the attack began around 10 p.m on Thursday and carried on to 1 a.m. Friday, marking the deadliest Boko Haram raid into Cameroon in recent months.

The heinous assault prompted the U.S.-backed Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to deploy troops to the village. MNJTF includes forces from countries plagued by the Nigeria-based Boko Haram terrorist group including Nigeria itself as well as Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

Midjiyawa Bakary, governor of Cameroon’s Far North Region, has called for vigilance. He says after a crisis meeting of the Multinational Joint Task Force, troops have been deployed to secure the area and bring back the abducted people. The task force has been instructed to organize regular patrols and systematic searches of people, vehicles and homes and suspected villages and towns.

Boko Haram’s deadly insurgency, which began in Nigeria in 2009, has spilled over into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, triggering a U.S.-assisted military response by the affected countries. The jihadi group split into two factions in mid-2016, including the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) West Africa Province.

Although long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIS, the international terrorist group only recognizes and supports the West Africa branch. Both branches are terrorizing the West Africa region.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Boko Haram conflict has left more than 36,000 people dead, including jihadis from the group (18,950), government forces (1,958), and civilians ( 15,953) combined.

Citing the United Nations, CFR noted that the conflict has also “displaced 2.4 million people and put more than seven million at risk of starvation.”

Even as victims continue to lament the killings and kidnappings linked to Boko Haram, the newly re-elected administration of President Muhammadu Buhari recently took credit for rendering Nigeria “totally free” of the jihadi group.

The Buhari administration has falsely claimed victory over Boko Haram on several occasions, prompting a member of the opposition to question the president’s mental state.

Nigeria’s Legit news outlet noted that the administration made those comments last week as Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the chief of staff for the army, acknowledged that Nigerian troops had confined Boko Haram to the Lake Chad region and the Sambisa forest in northeastern Nigeria where they continue to terrorize residents.

U.S. and local officials have long considered the Sambisa forest, which covers parts of the northeastern Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Kano, to be Boko Haram’s last major stronghold in the country. Borno State is the birthplace of Boko Haram.

Source: Breitbart.com

23, April 2019

The killing of a Cameroonian WHO doctor is another setback in Congo’s Ebola battle ⁰

The killing of a Cameroonian doctor is a chilling reminder of the difficulties health workers face as they combat the Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, an epidemiologist with the World Health Organization (WHO), was killed in an attack on Apr. 19 at the university hospital in Butembo in DRC’s North Kivu Province. Two others were injured. His body was flown back home to Cameroon where he is survived by a wife and four young children the WHO said.

WHO’s director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the attack as “extremely heartbreaking” and said his office was assessing security arrangements for its staff and patients.

“The death of Dr Mouzoko also underscores that when health workers are targeted and attacked, it has huge ripple effects that are felt by the people they served, the communities in need, and of course their loved ones, friends and co-workers. It’s a loss for everyone, everywhere” – Dr Tedros said on Twitter.

The outbreak in DR Congo is the second largest and second deadliest Ebola outbreak the world has ever experienced and it is DR Congo’s ninth outbreak since 1976 when the disease was first discovered there. In its latest update on the outbreak, the WHO said: “As of 16 April, a total of 1290 confirmed and probable Ebola viral disease cases have been reported, of which 833 died (case fatality rate 65%).”

This is not the first time health workers have been attacked in the volatile northeast of DR Congo, near its borders with Rwanda and Uganda and where for years the government has been unsuccessful at countering rebel activities.

In February, two separate attacks on Ebola treatment centers forced the medical charity, Doctors Without Borders to evacuate staff and suspended medical services in the epicenter of the outbreak, Butembo and Katwa.

In March, an attack on another treatment center killed a police officer and injured others. Shortly after the attack that killed Dr Mouzoko, there was another attack on a treatment facility in which one assailant was killed and four others were captured.

Violent attacks in North Kivu province, is disrupting outreach efforts by medical teams to treat confirmed and probable cases of Ebola and affecting their ability to reach individuals at risk of the disease by virtue of coming into contact with an infected person.

Mass vaccination has helped to prevent more infections and death according to a preliminary report on the efficacy of the trial vaccine released earlier this month. Of the 93,965 at-risk people who consented to vaccination, 71 cases were confirmed and nine deaths occured. There have been no deaths recorded in vaccinated people who showed symptoms more than 10 days after the trial vaccine was administered.

Source: Quartz Africa

23, April 2019

European Union warns of worsening situation in Cameroon ⁰

The European Union has warned of an unfolding catastrophe in the conflict-hit English speaking regions of Cameroon where the state and separatist militia are engaged in blatant atrocities.

In a resolution on Thursday the EU Parliament said the security and political situation in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon were deteriorating and called on President Paul Biya’s government to immediately take all steps to bring an end to the violence and impunity in the country.

In its resolution No 2019/2691(RSP) of April 18 the European Parliament deplored the growing violence and discrimination facing the Anglophone community in the country; expressing particular concern over allegations that government forces are responsible for killings, excessive use of force, and torture of civilians.

“Regrettably, unlawful killings and atrocities continue to be reported regularly (in the regions) allegedly involving both the security and defence forces and separatist groups,” Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy told the EU parliament.

She said the 28-member states EU has consistently called for dialogue between the government and armed separatists as the only way to achieve a sustainable solution to the crisis, “in a non-violent and inclusive manner, respecting fundamental rights and the rule of law.”

In the resolution, the legislative body asked the government to lift the ban on the activities of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and to ensure an open space in which civil society can operate.

In her statement to Parliament Ms Mogherini said there was repression of demonstrations and narrowing of political space in Anglophone regions. She said 47 key opposition figures are under arrest awaiting military trials while more than a hundred protesters are in detention. Lawyers said Cameroon laws were not being respected.

“We have asked for the release of detainees against whom hard evidence cannot be produced and we asked for an immediate halt to violence, to human rights violations and hate speech. Regarding the situation in the English speaking regions of the Northwest and Southwest, we have consistently called for dialogue as the only way to achieve a sustainable solution, in a non-violent and inclusive manner, respecting fundamental rights and the rule of law,” Ms Mogherini said.

However, she lamented unlawful killings and atrocities continue to be reported regularly, allegedly involving both the security and defence forces and separatist groups

About 500,000 people are now displaced, including 32,000 refugees from Cameroon registered in Nigeria. Cameroon is also grappling with continued attacks by Boko Haram in the far North as well as in Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

“We know that Boko Haram is not invincible, and has suffered major setbacks. Yet we are seeing civilian deaths and losses by the security forces in Cameroon,” she told Parliament. There have been various accounts, supported by unverified gory images, describing what is going on in Cameroon as genocide but the government says the accounts are exaggerated by civil society looking for sponsors.

“We need to continue our humanitarian support as part of the international humanitarian response on the various fronts. If we consider both the Internally Displaced People and the refugees coming from Nigeria and the Central African Republic, there is about one million people in need of help,” she said.

Violence erupted in the Cameroon’s two English speaking regions when an industrial strike by aggrieved lawyers and teachers in 2016 over perceived marginalization turned into a clamour by armed separatists for outright independence of the region. Ambazonia, as the separatists identify the region, was administered as part of Nigeria as a UN trust territory under British control prior to reunification.

In November last year, the International Crisis Group (ICG) reported that the fighting had already killed between 450 to 500 civilians, 185 members of the security forces and hundreds of armed separatists. No official casualty figures have been reported since then but the toll has certainly risen as there has been several attacks since then.

ICG estimated that around 10 armed separatist groups had gained control of “large rural areas and a number of main roads” in the two English speaking regions.

Besides killings, the groups have been blamed for the repeated kidnappings of school children, staff and other officials in the regions. Trips to various localities of the regions even for burials are near impossible as the armed groups have mounted road blocks and kidnap travellers for ransoms.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a recent report said government forces killed at least 170 civilians in the last six months while civilians in the Anglophone regions were also attacked by armed separatists during the same period, with at least two men being executed.

The report said soldiers, special army units and gendarmes used indiscriminate force and torched hundreds of homes and public buildings in the Northwest and Southwest regions between October and March.

The government however dismissed the report saying it lacks seriousness and objectivity.

Communication Minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi said troops deployed to the regions work perfectly within their sovereign role of ensuring the protection of the nation and the populations, in keeping with republican values, against outlaws who mercilessly kill and sow terror and despair.

“Human Rights Watch has betrayed an obvious bias in favour of armed gangs,” Mr Sadi said. HRW called for “immediate measures by the government of Cameroon and the international community to protect the security, safety and unhindered access to healthcare and education for children.”

Cameroon Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji who is also National Coordinator of an Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Plan; a government initiative to assist victims of the conflict said the humanitarian situation in the regions is “under control.”

Contrary to the half a million Internally Displaced Persons by the crisis figure by civil society organisations, he said, official data indicated that only 152,000 persons have been displaced by the crisis.

In June last year, the government unveiled a FCFA 12.7 billion ($21.8 million) relief plan for the reintegration of the affected populations; reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure, housing, food, healthcare and education. CFCA stands for the Central Africa Franc, the single currency for the six states forming the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa States.

Relations between the minority Anglophone Cameroonians and the country’s dominant Francophone elite have long been fraught. Cameroon’s Anglophones often complain of being treated as second-class citizens since the reunification.

These grievances led to peaceful protests in 2017 which government forces violently repulsed after separatists load on the protests to declare independence for the state of Ambazonia.

President Biya, 86, who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years, has relied on military force to keep the country united.

On his re-election in November last year, President Biya vowed to pursue policies of decentralisation to address “frustrations and aspirations” in English-speaking regions hit by separatist unrest. He asked the rebels to drop their arms or face the determination of the military.

It was the first time in 13 months of pro-independence violence that Biya had clearly acknowledged the struggles of those living in anglophone areas. The United States, however, has suspended military aid to Cameroon over the suppression of human rights.

In November last year, President Biya’s government refused to authorise the Anglophone General Conference which was to kick-start dialogue on improving security in the regions. Organisers are still hopeful the conference will be allowed this year.

Culled from The East African

23, April 2019

A raft of crises now face Cameroon ⁰

Soccer fans in Cameroon were undoubtedly dismayed in January when the Confederation of African Football stripped the country of its hosting the 2019 June-July African Cup finals. The body cited security issues and lack of preparation in transferring the honor to six-time African Cup host Egypt.

But the recent ouster of two long-serving African presidents—Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria and Omar al-Bashir in Sudan—has intensified the focus by Cameroonians on the nearly 37-year reign of their aloof 86-year-old president, Paul Biya. Citing corruption and political marginalization, opposition figures and Anglophone region activists strive to make Biya the third African leader ousted in 2019 as a result of popular protests. So far, Cameroon’s security services have managed to suppress protests that have broken out, but the Cameroonian diaspora in Europe has been effective in generating sustained attention for change.

While only intermittently covered by American media, and with the United Nations and African Union mostly mute, Cameroon is currently engulfed in three separate crises.

First, since 2014, Boko Haram has terrorized Cameroon’s far north region, adjacent to Nigeria’s Borno State (where Boko Haram was founded in the city of Maiduguri) with murders, kidnappings, and destruction of infrastructure. Despite military support, training, and equipment from the United States and others, Boko Haram in Cameroon remains a persistent, serious threat. Tens of thousands are displaced and livelihoods destroyed. With Boko Haram incursions on the rise in 2019, Yaoundé’s brutal security responses are so tainted with credible human rights allegations that the United States in February announced a reduction in its assistance.

Second, peaceful protests against linguistic and political marginalization in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions erupted in 2016. Anglophones account for approximately 20 percent of Cameroon’s population, with the rest considered Francophone (in addition to about 200 local languages). These protests quickly escalated in 2017 into a violent secessionist insurgency and counter-insurgency. Anglophone separatists hoping to create an independent state of “Ambazonia” in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon have attacked soldiers and government installations and killed civilians perceived to be government sympathizers. Local and international human rights activists have documented scorched-earth military reprisals and extrajudicial killings. With positions hardening on both sides, the government rebuffed mediation and dialogue facilitation offers by the United Nations and others, demanding that the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for Central Africa Francois Fall, a former foreign minister of Guinea, end his quiet diplomacy in the Anglophone region. During his March 2019 trip to Cameroon in which he encouraged peaceful resolution of the Anglophone crisis, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy was sharply criticized by pro-government sources for “interference.”

In addition to the heavy burdens imposed by the Boko Haram and Anglophone crises, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that Cameroon—with a population of 24 million—hosts nearly 400,000 refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Nigeria and the Central African Republic.

Now, with the Algerian and Sudanese protests leading to the respective militaries’ removal of two long-serving presidents, previously disparate and quiescent opposition against President Paul Biya has mobilized to create Cameroon’s third, and—while not yet violent—potentially most serious crisis. With previous constitutional term limits abolished in 2008, Biya, who has ruled since November 1982 (and who served as prime minister from 1975 until 1982), was sworn in November 2018 for his seventh presidential term. The official election results, disputed by the opposition, gave him 71 percent of the vote, with opposition leader Maurice Kamto in second position, with just over 14 percent.

For years, fatigue and disenchantment with Biya’s rule has simmered below the surface in Cameroon and boiled openly in the Cameroonian diaspora. Complaints and jokes focus on his frequent and lengthy sojourns in Europe, corruption, aloofness, curtailment of civil liberties, lifestyle of his younger wife Chantal, and (given Biya’s age of 86) lack of any transparent succession planning. The lopsided official election results provoked protests in Cameroon and in diaspora communities, with Kamto claiming victory. The January 2019 arrest of Kamto and scores of protestors in the port city of Douala attracted scant notice in the media outside of Cameroon (despite condemnations from Nagy, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and others) but reinforced the opposition protests, especially in Europe. Expats attacked Cameroon’s embassies in Paris and Berlin and threatened to storm Geneva’s Intercontinental Hotel, should Biya, a frequent resident, again check in.

Now, with the removals of Bouteflika and Bashir, anti-Biya protesters hope to attract attention with new chants: “It can happen in Sudan; it can happen in Cameroon.” So far, Cameroon’s security services have managed to prevent sustained, mass demonstrations at home. As was the case in Algeria and Sudan while the protest movements swelled, it is not clear how the military would react should the Cameroon opposition movement gain momentum. The military’s performance in the Anglophone and Boko Haram violence is not encouraging, in terms of adherence to human rights norms. But fighting Boko Haram terrorists and Anglophone secessionists simultaneously may give Cameroon’s military leaders pause before taking on, in addition, political protestors in Cameroon’s Francophone political heartland, should Sudan-style mass protests materialize. Biya himself is taking no chances: Unusually for him, he has remained in Cameroon for more than 200 days without travel to Europe.

What is clear is that this is the time for conflict prevention efforts by African or other leaders, in hopes of moderating any response to protests in order to stave off the potential for a third Cameroon crisis turning violent. The problem is identifying a person, institution, or country with influence on Biya, who has been as aloof from his peers as from Cameroon’s citizenry. Despite his frequent and extended absences from Cameroon, he has not used the time abroad to bond with other leaders, rarely attending the annual United Nations General Assembly and only participating in a single African Summit in the last seven years. (Biya attended the March 2013 African Summit in Malabo, probably due to his shared Fang ethnic connection to Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.) Compared to other heads of state in Francophone Africa, Biya is not especially close to Paris. Given Biya’s de facto part-time residency in Switzerland, and in light of the Cameroonian diaspora’s focus on Geneva, the Swiss may have both interests and leverage, especially if backed by others such as Nagy’s, Mogherini’s, and African Union interventions.

Yet as failed conflict prevention efforts globally demonstrate, persuading any national leader to accept outside help to address a domestic political issue is hard. Biya’s response to U.N., U.S., and other efforts to focus on peaceful resolution of the Anglophone conflict is not encouraging. Regional and international unity to demand a political approach to address Anglophone grievances and expand political space (including release of opposition activists, including Kamto) might force Biya to adjust his approach but will require leadership by the United States or another power to muster. Credit agencies have already noticed that all is not well in Yaounde, with Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s both recently indicating a “negative outlook” to their respective B and B2 credit ratings.

Cameroon’s immediate neighbors are themselves facing challenges and are not in positions to offer much in the way of help or example. To Cameroon’s northwest, parts of Nigeria remain terrorized by Boko Haram. To Cameroon’s east, the Central African Republic remains deeply unstable and violent, despite the February agreement signed in Khartoum by 14 militias. South of Cameroon, Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba claimed victory in a disputed 2016 election (extending his family’s nearly half-century control over Gabon) but has since October 2018 been absent from Libreville for long stretches of time for health issues. On Cameroon’s southeastern border, the Republic of Congo under President Denis Sasso-Nguesso (no stranger to controversial lopsided election results) has used violence against demonstrators in the Pool region, leading to tens of thousands of displaced, in addition to hosting thousands of refugees fleeing violence in the neighborhood Democratic Republic of Congo. This part of Africa has no shortage of crises, but little in the way of obvious solutions.

Culled from The Brookings Institution

22, April 2019

Manchester United’s foundations at risk ⁰

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said prior to the humiliating 4-0 thrashing by Everton there would not be wholesale changes to Manchester United personnel in the close season, but Gary Neville, for one, believes he should think again.

United’s millionaire stars such as Paul Pogba and David de Gea put up a display described by the British press on Monday as “abject”, “an apology” for a performance, with the team derided as being generally “rudderless” and “spineless”.

However, whilst it came five years to the day when a 2-0 defeat by the same opponents cost David Moyes his job, it is not Solskjaer who is being targeted but the under-performing Pogba and his team-mates.

The World Cup-winning midfielder, after a series of encouraging performances when Solskjaer first assumed the reins in December, has returned to being the non-existent presence so often the focus of Jose Mourinho’s ire — although it was the Portuguese coach who was sacrificed.

His and Nemanja Matic’s failure to shore up midfield has been a contributing factor to United’s miserable run of six defeats in their last eight games and five successive away losses — their worst run on the road since 1981.

Seldom can a Manchester derby — they host title-chasing City on Wednesday — have been less eagerly anticipated by United fans.

Neville, United to the core and an integral member of Alex Ferguson’s side that accrued eight Premier League crowns and two Champions League trophies, was excoriating in his criticism of the players.

“If you’ve got weeds in the garden, you’ve got to get rid of them,” said Neville, who has become a respected pundit for Sky Sports.

“There’s some Japanese knotweed at that football club and it’s attacking the foundations of the house. It needs dealing with properly.

“I don’t need to name names, you know who they are.”

– ‘Level of happiness’ –

Former England international midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who has also turned to punditry since hanging up his boots, turned on the players as well.

The 36-year-old said such is the negativity in the team that even the younger talents have been sucked into the vortex of supine performances.

“They showed no heart, no desire and no will to win. They were woeful,” Jenas wrote in his column for the BBC website.

“Everyone was guilty.

“Even Marcus Rashford, who has got one of the best attitudes of anyone at the club, got sucked in by what I would describe as a vacuum of negativity.”

United fans may be wondering if the board jumped the gun in giving Solskjaer the job on a permanent basis — as the subsequent results appear to be reflective more of his unsuccessful stint in charge of Cardiff.

Indeed, just as his and the team’s fortunes have dipped, the man who was seen as his major rival for the job has seen his stock rise.

Mauricio Pochettino’s star has sparkled again thanks to Tottenham’s epic win over Manchester City in the Champions League.

But Neville has been slow to criticise his former team-mate Solskjaer.

The man dubbed ‘Red Nev’ after he led a players’ strike with England due to their anger over Rio Ferdinand being dropped because of a missed drugs test, took to the barricades when another unloved former United boss, Louis van Gaal, criticised Solskjaer a few weeks ago.

Van Gaal said Solskjaer was like Mourinho in parking the bus and relying on the counter-attack, only he was more popular because the results were going in his favour.

“Ole has brought in a level of happiness and excitement back to the fans,” retorted Neville.

“At least that’s something because, to be fair, it has been difficult in the last three or four years to watch what we’ve seen.”

Even Neville might be rethinking that statement in the wake of Sunday’s humiliation.

AFP

22, April 2019

At least 11 Malian soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attack ⁰

Suspected jihadists killed at least 11 soldiers in an attack Sunday in central Mali, the defence ministry said.

The military outpost at Guire was attacked at around five in the morning, the ministry said, adding that there were also a number of injuries and damage.

Earlier reports had put the number of soldiers killed at 10 or 12.

“The terrorists came out of the forest. They were on motorcycles and pick-up trucks. They burnt vehicles and took away others,” a security source, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The Mali armed forces said on Twitter reinforcements were being sent to the Nara sector, about 370 kilometres (230 miles) north of the capital Bamako.

A local resident contacted by AFP said there had been heavy gunfire and the military “were taken by surprise” in the attack.

“I saw two terrorists put their motorcycles in an army vehicle and drive off with it,” he said.

Malian and foreign troops are regularly targeted by jihadist militia.

Suspected jihadists killed 21 Malian soldiers last month in a raid on another army camp in Dioura, central Mali.

On Saturday a UN peacekeeper was killed and four others wounded when a mine exploded as their convoy passed through a central region..

The UN mission was established in Mali after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country in 2012 before being pushed back by French troops in 2013.

A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability. But the accord has failed to stop the violence.

The latest attacks came as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita pursued consultations to pick a new prime minister.

The last one, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, resigned with his entire cabinet two days ago, under fire from the ruling and opposition parties for failing to clamp down on the unrest.

Meanwhile, an influential Malian preacher and follower of the moderate Maliki school of Islam was on Sunday elected as head of the Islamic High Council of Mali (IHC). Cherif Ousmane Madani Haidara succeeds imam Mahmoud Dicko.

Dicko is one of Mali’s most prominent public figures who played a key role in the negotiations between the government and Islamist extremists ahead of the peace accord.

He was also a proponent of Wahhabism which he studied extensively in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of this strict Sunni doctrine.

(AFP)

22, April 2019

Sri Lankan police make two dozen arrests as death toll from blasts hits 290 ⁰

Sri Lankan police have arrested two dozen people in connection with a string of bomb attacks on several churches and hotels that have claimed the lives of at least 290 people.

The country went on lockdown on Easter Sunday after eight apparently coordinated blasts hit churches filled with worshipers as well as luxury hotels in the capital Colombo, and the cities of Negombo and Batticaloa.

Police announced the dramatic rise in the death toll on Monday morning, saying some 500 people had also been injured in the attacks, the worst of their kind since the end of Sri Lanka’s devastating civil war a decade ago.

There were 32 foreigners among those killed, including nationals from Britain, the United States, Turkey, India, China, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Three police officers were also killed several hours after the attack, when they raided a house in Colombo. Police reported an explosion at the house.

PressTV-Sri Lanka’s bloody day: Blasts target churches, hotels

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility, but police say they have already made 24 arrests in connection with the bloodshed.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told reporters that “so far the names that have come up are local,” but investigators will look into whether the suspected attackers had any “overseas links.”

The premier also acknowledged that “information was there” about possible attacks. “While this goes on, we must also look into why adequate precautions were not taken.”

An intelligence memo warning of a possible attack had circulated 10 days earlier, raising questions about whether more preventative measures could have been taken.

“Serious action need to be taken as to why this warning was ignored,” Sri Lanka’s Minister of Telecommunications, Harin Fernando, tweeted along with a photo of the memo. The document, titled “Information of an alleged plan attack,” is dated April 11 and signed by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Priyalal Dissanayake.

Some intelligence officers were aware of this incidence. Therefore there was a delay in action. What my father heard was also from an intelligence officer. Serious action need to be taken as to why this warning was ignored. I was in Badulla last night

President Maithripala Sirisena, who was on a private visit to India and Singapore, called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council early on Monday, according to a government source.

He expressed his shock at the explosions, saying he had issued directives to the law enforcers – including police and the Special Task Force – to carry out investigation into the incident and take action against those involved.

The prime minister would also attend the meeting, the source added.

Authorities earlier convened an emergency meeting involving the heads of the army, air force and navy, according to Economic Reforms Minister Harsha de Silva.

Witnesses said soldiers armed with automatic weapons stood guard outside major hotels and the World Trade Centre in the business district.

Heavy security measures are also reported outside the St. Sebastian’s church in the city of Negombo — one of the churches that came under attack.

Security personnel stand guard outside the St. Anthony’s Shrine in the capital Colombo on April 22, 2019.(Photo by AFP)

Meanwhile, a police spokesman said the Sri Lankan military had found a homemade bomb near the departure gate of Colombo’s main airport late on Sunday as it was clearing a route in preparation for Sirisena’s return home. They disposed of the device in a controlled explosion, according to the spokesman.

Night-time curfew announced

A curfew that was enforced on the country from Sunday evening was relaxed early Monday morning, allowing many people to make their way home from the main airport, where they were stranded overnight due to the restrictions.

The government, however, ordered a night-time curfew that would run from 8:00 p.m. local time until 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday in the capital.

The curfew was announced as security forces said they are carrying out searches across the country for those behind the bomb attacks.

It was also announced that the president will declare a nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday.

“The government has decided to gazette the clauses related to prevention of terrorism to emergency regulation and gazette it by midnight,” the president’s media unit said in a statement.

Sri Lankan Army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony Shrine after a blast in Colombo, April 21, 2019. (Photo by AP)

According to the president’s office, Sirisena will ask for foreign assistance to help track what it called international links to the bombings.

The government has also blocked access to social media and messaging sites out of concerns that “false news reports … spreading through social media” could lead to violence.

The services will be suspended until investigations into the attacks are concluded, the government said.

This has, however, concerned many, who believe it is very important for people to be able to communicate at times of crisis.

“This really puts people who already have vulnerable access to communication in a much worse position. It is a dangerous precedent to set,” said Joan Donovan, director of the technology and social change research project at Harvard Kennedy’s Shorenstein Center.

People gather outside a hospital following blasts in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, April 21, 2019. (Photo by AP)

Facebook issued a statement Sunday, offering its condolences to those “affected by this horrendous act,” stating it is “committed to maintaining our services and helping the community and the country during this tragic time.”

“We are aware of the government’s statement regarding the temporary blocking of social media platforms,” it said. “People rely on our services to communicate with their loved ones.”

‘Intl. network likely involved’

Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday that the attacks could not have succeeded without the help of “an international network.”

“We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country,” Senaratne said. “There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.”

He said that authorities were warned two weeks before the attacks, and had the names of suspects.

Meanwhile, security experts have warned that the attacks bear the hallmarks of the Takfiri Daesh and al-Qaeda terror groups.

A senior Asian counter-terrorism official who declined to be identified said the attack was likely carried out by a group with “significant operational capability and skilled commanders.”

US issues travel warning

In another development, the State Department issued a travel advisory for its citizens traveling to Sri Lanka, saying that “terrorist” groups “continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka.”

It listed several potential targets, including tourist spots, transportation centers, markets, malls, government offices, hotels and places of worship, saying terrorists could attack “with little or no warning.”

Muslim leaders urge ‘maximum punishment’ for perpetrators

In the meantime, top Muslim leaders in the county demanded “maximum punishment” for the perpetrators of the attacks.

They also offered their condolences “to the people of Christian faith and extend our hands of friendship in solidarity.”

“We urge the government to provide security to all religious sites and to give maximum punishment to everyone involved in these dastardly acts,” said the All Ceylon Jamiyyathuul Ulama, or council of Muslim theologians.

The National Shoura Council, a group of 18 Muslim organizations, also said that the government must not “leave any stone unturned in its efforts to apprehend the culprits whoever they may be and to whatever part of the populace they may belong to.”

Fears of fresh post-civil war violence

The South Asian nation has a population of about 22 million people; 70 percent of whom are Buddhist, 13 percent Hindu, 10 percent Muslim and seven percent Christian, according to the country’s 2012 census.

Sri Lanka is reeling from a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009 with an estimated 100,000 deaths. The strife was mainly between the so-called Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, and ended when government forces defeated the rebels.

Authorities are now concerned that the new spate of violence could upset the fragile peace in the country.

Police have already reported a petrol bomb attack on a mosque in Sri Lanka’s northwest and arson attacks on two shops owned by Muslims in the west.

Moreover, the country has recently witnessed a surge in ultra-nationalist Buddhism led by its most powerful Buddhist organization, the Bodu Bala Sena.

Source: Presstv

22, April 2019

Age cheating accusations hit Under 17 Afcon, Cameroon implicated ⁰

The ongoing Under 17 African Cup of Nations in Tanzania has been rocked by accusations of age cheating. Recently, Moroccan soccer administrative body accused Cameroon of using players who are way over 17. According to the body, the West African nation has a number players who are 25 years old.

The allegations came after Morocco’s loss to Cameroon in a final group B assignment. The young Indomitable Lions triumphed 2-1, a result which saw them seal a place at the Under 17 World Cup later this year.

According to President of the Moroccan soccer body Fouzi Lekjaa, they will report the matter to FIFA since CAF has failed to take appropriate action. He argues the continental body was alerted about the issue.

“I am sorry to say CAF is totally unable to handle this case relating to the age of the players. It is not enough to suspend players who are above the legal age. They should rather disqualify these teams and punish officials who are responsible for this situation,” said Lekjaa

At the ongoing tournament, 6 players were disqualified for age cheating and three of them are Cameroonians. This followed tests which were conducted.

Niger was disqualified for using over aged players at the 2009 tournament. Niger’s disqualification saw Malawi taking their place at the World Cup having automatically earned a semi-final spot. The semi-final line-up includes Angola, Cameroon, Guinea, and Nigeria. The four teams will represent Africa at the Under 17 World Cup later this year.

Source: Malawi24.com

21, April 2019

Junta expands purge as Sudan plans to unveil civilian rule ⁰

Sudanese authorities have arrested several top members of ousted President Omar al-Bashir’s ruling party in a bid to mollify protesters who are pushing for a civilian rule.

The arrests came as authorities said they had searched Bashir’s home and found suitcases loaded with more than $351,000 and six million euros, as well as five million Sudanese pounds.

Sudan’s attorney general also ordered the formation of a committee to oversee investigations into crimes involving public funds, corruption and criminal cases related to recent events.

The crackdown, observers say, is intended to placate protesters who want the military council which took over after toppling Bashir to hand power to civilians.

The new moves were taken on the eve of protest leaders’ planned announcement of a ruling civilian council they say will replace the country’s current ruling military body.

PressTV-Top members of former Sudanese govt. arrested, sacked

On Saturday, military rulers and protest leaders held a round of negotiations as thousands of demonstrators massed outside the army headquarters, calling for a civilian rule.

“We clarified our main demand, which is the transfer of power to civilian authorities,” Siddiq Yousef, a senior member of the umbrella group leading the protest movement, told state television.

“We agreed to continue negotiations to reach a solution that satisfies both the sides, so that the transfer of power will happen in a peaceful way,” he said.

He did not say whether protest leaders will go ahead with their planned unveiling of a ruling civilian council on Sunday.

Since Bashir’s ouster on April 11, Sudan has been ruled by a 10-member military council which has so far resisted calls to transfer power to a civilian body.

The foot-dragging has prompted thousands of protesters to remain camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum, calling on the military rulers to step down.

Protest leader Ahmed al-Rabia said he expected mounting pressure from the street and from the international community to make the military council cede power in “two to three weeks”.

“We are done with the easy part (toppling Bashir). We want to remove the entire regime,” said Rabia.

In order to appease the protesters, the military council has agreed to demands such as detaining Bashir and releasing many political detainees and protesters.

On Saturday, authorities arrested Ahmed Haroun, the acting head of Bashir’s party, former first vice president Ali Osman Taha, former Bashir aide Awad al-Jaz, the secretary general of the Islamic movement Al-Zubair Ahmed Hassan and former parliament speaker Ahmed Ibrahim al-Taher.

Parliament speaker Ibrahim Ahmed Omar and presidential aide Nafie Ali Nafie were also put under house arrest.

The military council further said it will retire all eight of the officers ranked lieutenant general in the National Intelligence and Security Service.

A judicial source also said Sudan’s public prosecutor had begun investigating Bashir on charges of money laundering and possession of large sums of foreign currency without legal grounds.