5, April 2019
Atanga Nji says number of internally displaced persons in Southern Cameroons inflated by NGOs 0
NGOs are exaggerating the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Cameroon’s two war-torn English-speaking regions in a bid “to make business,” an official said on Thursday.
“I read a public document recently published by an NGO saying that we have more than 400,000 internally displaced people in Cameroon. That is total misinformation and I can say it’s fake news,” Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji told a press conference here in the capital city. “It is unfortunate that some partners want to use the situation to make business. Inflating the number of IDPs presents another danger which can even jeopardize the sovereignty of the state,” he added.
Nji’s statement came after Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based NGO, reported that close to 500,000 people have been displaced internally in the two war-torn English-speaking regions. “Statistics from administrative authorities and serious NGOs working in collaboration with government show that there are about 152,000 internally displaced people in the northwest and southwest regions and about 6,000 internally displaced in the west, central and littoral regions,” Nji said, adding that 75,000 IDPs have been assisted by the government.
Armed separatists have been clashing with government forces in the two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest since November 2017, seeking to secede from French-majority Cameroon and create a new nation called “Ambazonia.”
Xinhuanet
5, April 2019
US: 5 Cameroonians Indicted For Wire Fraud And Money Laundering 0
A federal grand jury indicted five individuals on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment was returned on October 26, 2017, and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants. The five individuals indicted are:
Aldrin Fon Fomukong, a/k/a “Albanky,” a/k/a “A.L.,” age 24, of Greenbelt, Maryland;
Nnkeng Amin, a/k/a “Rapone,” a/k/a “Arnold,” age 30, of Beltsville, Maryland;
Yanick Eyong age 26, of Bowie, Maryland;
Ishmail Ganda, a/k/a “Banker TD,” age 31, of College Park, Maryland; and
Izou Ere Digifa, a/k/a “Lzuo Digifa,” a/k/a “Mimi VA,” age 22, of Lynchburg, Virginia.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Watson of Homeland Security Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Brian Ebert of the United States Secret Service, Washington Field Office.
According to the indictment, between February 2016 and in or about July 2017, the defendants gained access to email accounts associated with the victims and sent false wiring instructions, causing the victims to wire millions of dollars into drop accounts set up by the defendants. The defendants then allegedly disbursed the money received from the victims into the drop accounts by, among other transactions, using wires to transfer money to other accounts, by initiating account transfers to other accounts at the same bank, by withdrawing sums of money, by obtaining cashier’s checks, and by writing checks to other individuals or entities.
Over the course of the conspiracy, the defendants stole or attempted to steal over $8.7 million from at least 11 victims.
Fomukong, Amin, Eyong, and Digifa remain detained. Ganda is released under the supervision of pretrial services.
Fomukong and Amin face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each of the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised HSI and Secret Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O’Connell Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.