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19, January 2019

36 passengers kidnapped in Southern Cameroons released ⁰

Thirty-six passengers have been released one day after they were abducted by gunmen on Tuesday along the Buea-Kumba highway in Cameroon’s southwest, one of the two war-torn English-speaking regions, according to local authorities.

“They (kidnappers) took us somewhere and collected money, phones and other belongings from us and released us after. They asked us to trek to our various destinations.” said Divine Asong, one of the kidnapped passengers. “We trekked for a long distance. It was a sad experience,” he added.

After the release, locals held an emergency meeting with senior government officials in Kumba, one of the commercial towns in Cameroon Anglophone, to discuss ways of curbing the rampant kidnappings in the troubled region.

“We asked that government should put in place urgent measures to restore peace in the area. Among other things, we asked that detained separatist leaders should be released and the region demilitarize to appease the people,” a local who attended the meeting told Xinhua.

The abduction came about two months after a group of 79 school children were kidnapped in Bamenda, the most populous city of Cameroon’s Northwest, another English-speaking region. The local government has blamed armed separatists for the abductions, yet the separatists claimed that the government staged the kidnappings to tarnish their image internationally.

Source: Xinhua

18, January 2019

Brexit: Merkel’s protege to Britain: We will miss you ⁰

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s protégé has appealed to Britain not to leave the European Union (EU) as the clock is ticking down to Brexit in 70 days.

German conservative leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeds Merkel as leader of the Christian Democrats, joined a dozen of German politicians, industrialists and artists, appealing to the UK not to leave the union.

“Britons should know: from the bottom of our hearts, we want them to stay,” said the letter, which was published in The Times newspaper. “Without your great nation, this continent would not be what it is today.”

“Should Britain wish to leave the European Union for good, it will always have friends in Germany and Europe,” it added.

“After the horrors of the Second World War, Britain did not give up on us. It has welcomed Germany back as a sovereign nation and a European power,” said the letter.

The move is considered as a major U-turn in Berlin’s policy after Merkel said earlier this week that there would be “no renegotiation” in a new deal between the union and the UK.

The chancellor will leave power in 2021, with Kramp-Karrenbauer taking over as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. She warned on Wednesday that “for me, it is clear that there cannot be any renegotiation.”

Merkel made the remarks to the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee immediately after May’s Withdrawal Agreement was historically voted out on Tuesday.

PressTV-May urges party talks after surviving confidence vote

Lawmakers roundly rejected the deeply-contested Brexit deal that May had negotiated with the EU.

The lawmakers, who want either a further referendum or a softer version of the exit, are trying to stop Brexit altogether or to leave without a deal.

The prime minister, who narrowly won a no- confidence vote on Wednesday, called on all parties to “focus on finding a way forward on Brexit.”

The defeat of the departure agreement can lead to a disorderly exit from the EU or even a reversal of the 2016 EU referendum, where 52 percent of Britons voted in favor of Brexit.

There are 70 days left before Brexit, but May has not rejected holding talks on extending the negotiating period beyond the current departure date of March 29.

Source: Presstv

18, January 2019

African Union calls on Congo-Kinshasa to delay release of final vote results ⁰

The African Union on Thursday called on Democratic Republic of Congo to suspend the release of the final results of its disputed presidential election due to its doubts over the provisional results.

The rare move from the group injects fresh uncertainty into the post-election process, which was meant to usher in the country’s first democratic transfer of power in 59 years of independence, but has been mired in controversy since the Dec. 30 vote.

The final tally is scheduled to be released by the election commission once the constitutional court has ruled on challenges to the provisional results on Friday, but the union called for this to be postponed following a meeting in Addis Ababa.

“The Heads of State and Government attending the meeting concluded that there were serious doubts on the conformity of the provisional results as proclaimed by the National Independent Electoral Commission, with the verdict of the ballot boxes,” it said in a statement.

A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the decision was unprecedented. “I cannot remember another instance where the AU called for a suspension of certification of results.”

The Congolese foreign ministry declined to comment on the union’s statement and the office of President Joseph Kabila could not immediately be reached.

Opposition leader and election runner-up Martin Fayulu has requested the recount, claiming he won by a landslide and that the victory of another opposition figure, Felix Tshisekedi, was engineered by the authorities. Election officials deny the results were rigged.

The dispute risks further destabilising the volatile Central African country, where previous elections have been followed by violence. Earlier on Thursday, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) eased pressure on Congolese authorities by backing off earlier calls for a recount.

Following an emergency meeting, the 16-member bloc said they would not push for one and called on the international community to respect the Congolese electoral process.

Fayulu, a former Exxon Mobil manager, says Tshisekedi, who is the president of Congo’s largest opposition party, struck a deal with outgoing president Kabila to be declared winner.

Tshisekedi’s and Kabila’s camps deny that. Congo is the world’s leading miner of cobalt, used in electric car batteries and mobile phones, and Africa’s biggest copper producer. It also mines gold and diamonds. But unrest, disorganisation and corruption have left many in poverty and dissatisfied with Kabila’s rule.

Court judgement

Fayulu has said he is not confident he will win on Friday before the nine-judge Constitutional Court, which he considers friendly to Kabila. The United States on Wednesday kept up the pressure on Kinshasa, vowing to “hold accountable” anyone who undermines democratic processes.

Domestic election monitors noted a range of voting irregularities, and the Catholic Church said official results are inconsistent with its own tallies.

Three diplomats briefed on the Church’s findings said they show that Fayulu won a clear victory. In a report on Thursday, domestic election observer mission SYMOCEL called on the national electoral commission to publish results for each of the more than 50,000 polling stations.

SYMOCEL also said that the commission had relied on results taken from voting machines with USB sticks rather than hand-counted tallies in legislative and provincial assembly elections held the same day, in violation of electoral law.

A commission spokeswoman had no immediate comment. Kabila’s ruling coalition won a clear majority in those elections, which could undermine the next president’s ability to make a break with the outgoing president’s 18-year tenure.

(REUTERS)

18, January 2019

Responsibility to Protect accuses Biya regime of crimes against humanity ⁰

There is an imminent risk of mass atrocity crimes due to violence between government security forces and armed separatists in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions.

BACKGROUND

Political tensions over cultural rights and identity have been growing in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions since 2016 when English-speaking lawyers, students and teachers began protesting against their under-representation and cultural marginalization by the Francophone-dominated government. Violent repression by the security forces resulted in arbitrary arrests, sexual violence and the killing of protesters in the largely Anglophone North-West and South-West regions.

The crisis deepened after October 2017 when Anglophone separatists symbolically proclaimed independence from Cameroon, declaring a new state of “Ambazonia.”

The situation is reaching a critical threshold and the risk of mass atrocity crimes occurring in the immediate future is very high if effective preventive action is not taken.

As the conflict intensified, there has been growing evidence of government security forces perpetrating extrajudicial killings and torture, as well as burning property in Anglophone villages.

Armed separatist forces have also perpetrated abuses, including killings and kidnappings. At least 40 schools in the Anglophone region have been destroyed since October 2017. Some armed separatist groups have also attacked and killed state officials and members of the security forces as part of an effort to render the Anglophone areas ungovernable.

On 12-13 November 2018 at least 30 people were killed and hundreds displaced as result of military raids on separatist strongholds. On 25 December hundreds of people fled the villages of Menkefou and Choupat in western Cameroon after suspected Anglophone separatists abducted 15 people and torched 80 houses.

The Anglophone and Francophone areas of Cameroon were unified in 1961, but there have been long-term disputes over the extent to which government resources and access to employment are controlled by the French-speaking majority. Although the Anglophone minority constitutes 20 percent of the overall population of Cameroon, they are a majority in the North-West and South-West regions.

OCHA estimates that 437,000 people have been internally displaced in the North-West and South-West regions since December 2017. As of 10 November 2018 UNHCR estimates that more than 30,000 people have also sought refuge across the border in Nigeria.

In addition to the Anglophone conflict, military operations against the armed extremist group Boko Haram also continue in the north of Cameroon, where there have been widespread allegations of security forces perpetrating extrajudicial killings.

Trade Treaty, all UN member states should immediately halt the sale of weapons to parties to the conflict who routinely violate IHL, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

ANALYSIS

The targeting of individuals based upon their cultural identity poses a direct threat to both Anglophone and Francophone civilians. Any further escalation of violence could result in greater internal displacement and further refugee flows. The government has failed to address the root causes of the Anglophone conflict and provide a political means for peacefully resolving it.

Cameroonian security forces appear to be committing systematic or widespread attacks on civilians, potentially amounting to crimes against humanity, particularly in the North-West and South-West regions as well as in their response to Boko Haram in the far north. Widespread allegations of extrajudicial killings have been bolstered by leaked video evidence of security forces summarily executing groups of unarmed civilians.

The government of Cameroon is failing to uphold its Responsibility to Protect the Anglophone minority and requires international assistance to mediate and end the developing armed conflict in the North-West and South-West regions.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

During 2017 the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for the government of Cameroon to conduct impartial investigations into violence in the Anglophone regions. On 17 November 2017 six UN Special Rapporteurs issued a joint statement urging the government to engage in meaningful dialogue and halt violence in the North-West and South-West.

On 10 August the UNSC adopted a Presidential Statement on the situation in the Central African region. The statement highlighted the “worrying increase in violence in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon.”

Despite the government’s failure to protect populations from violations and abuses of human rights or to hold security forces accountable, on 12 October 2018 Cameroon was elected to the HRC for the 2019-2021 term.

On 21 November the UN Resident Coordinator for Cameroon called for dialogue between the government and armed Anglophone separatists.

NECESSARY ACTION

The security forces must cease the use of disproportionate and deadly force against unarmed civilians and ensure that the human rights of all Cameroonians are protected, regardless of language or cultural identity.

All persons responsible for extrajudicial killings must be held accountable. The government of Cameroon should grant OHCHR access to the North-West and South-West regions to investigate potential human rights violations and abuses.

The government of Cameroon should immediately initiate a dialogue with Anglophone community leaders and constructively.

Culled from Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

18, January 2019

Battle for Ambazonia: Defense Secretary visits injured soldiers in Buea ⁰

The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defense In Charge of the National Gendarmerie, Yves Galax Landry Etoga rounded off a one day inspection visit on January 14, 2019 in Buea headquarter of the South West Region. His visit took him to the Gendarmerie Legion South West Region, Squadron No 80, Gendarmerie Post in Bonjongo, Brigade Buea and Motorised Brigade Buea. In these places, he went office by office inspecting equipment and working conditions.

At the Military Hospital Buea and the Buea General Hospital, he visited some injured military personnel and wished them a quick recovery. Following the Head of State’s end of year speech on December 31, 2018, President Paul Biya reiterated to warmongers in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon to drop their arms. The Gendarmerie boss was therefore in the South West Region to see how effective warmongers have laid down their arms. It was also a moment for him to get first hand information on the security situation on the region.

He held in-camera meetings with administrative and military personnel certainly on how to strategies in continuing to protect civilians and their property in the face of ceaseless attacks from unknown gun men. South West Legion Commander, Colonel Tchinda Mbouzikeu Henri said that the visit of the Secre tary of State was meant to inspect their working conditions. He said it boasted the morale of South West Gendarmerie personnel. He indicated that directives were handed down to them on what hierarchy expects.

Colonel Tchinda saluted the determination of the Gendarmerie in protecting civilian and their property. The Secretary of State, Landry Etoga was accompanied to the South West Region by General Sali Mohamadou, Commander of the Second Combined Military Region and General Toungue Elias, Commander of the Second Gendarmerie Legion.

At hand to receive them in the South West Region were the Secretary General at the South West Governor Office, Dr. Mohamadou and the South West Regional Coordinator for the National Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintergration Committee, Fonju Njukang Bernard.

Source: Cameroon Tribune

18, January 2019

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Biya unveils 2019 “road map” to new cabinet ⁰

Cameroonian President Paul Biya on Wednesday made his plan of action for 2019 known to Council of Ministers, according to the presidency.

The plan of action will focus fundamentally on security and development, according to the Prime Minister and the Head of Government Joseph Dion Ngute.

“We have to work on security, maintaining peace in the four corners of the country and advancing the economic program of Cameroon so as to get to emergence in 2035. And of course we have to work on the program for the youths to ensure that we give the youths a satisfaction and make them fulfill their potentials,” Ngute told reporters after the meeting.

Biya also asked the government officials to restore peace in the two troubled English-speaking regions where a conflict about independence from the largely French-speaking country had been escalating, according to some officials who attended the meeting.

It was the first council meeting since the cabinet reshuffle on Jan. 4.

Source: Xinhua

17, January 2019

Southern Cameroons War: Ambazonia Group kills two soldiers in recent attack ⁰

Cameroon government security officials have confirmed the deaths of two of its servicemen reportedly tortured and killed by unknown Ambazonian militants. In a recent video circulated by some Southern Cameroons activists on social networks, armed separatists tortured and beheaded two Cameroon government army soldiers.

We gathered that one of the soldiers killed was serving with the firefighter’s brigade in Bamenda in the Northern Zone of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia.

Security sources confirmed that “One of the young soldiers was kidnapped Monday, then tortured, before being executed,” a security source at the Ministry of Defense who requested anonymity hinted Cameroon Concord News. Yesterday, 36 people were briefly kidnapped before being released.

By Sama Ernest in Yaounde

17, January 2019

Gabon: Wheel-chaired President Bongo back in Morocco hospital ⁰

The Gabonese head of state has returned to Morocco to continue his recovery after presiding the swearing of his new government.

President Ali Bongo who suffered a massive stroke during a trip to Saudi Arabia did not offer a word during the ceremony in Libreville. Cameroon Concord News learnt that Bongo left Libreville on Tuesday night for Rabat, where he had been staying for some time, to continue his convalescence.

As required by the constitution, the Gabonese number one had returned home after two months of absence to take part in the ceremony of swearing of members of the new government led by Julien Nkoghé Békalé.

The event was not broadcasted live because Bongo could hardly walk or speak, but a video showed the President nailed on a wheelchair. The release is the first in his native Gabon since his hospitalization in Saudi Arabia.

Some young soldiers attempted unsuccessfully to oust the dictator on January 7, judging him unable to hold the reins of the country.

By Pierre Onana

17, January 2019

UK: Bisong Foundation stages charity football match between Cameroon’s 1990 World Cup stars and Cambridgeshire Police FC ⁰

Former Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and a UK Selection took on the Cambridgeshire Police Football Team in an enthralling game of football organised by the Bisong Foundation at the Cambridge Stadium in Trumpington. The police team actually looked forward to the game and were expecting a tough one as they had to play against some of the Cameroon team who played in 1990 World Cup quarter-finals against England.

Under the theme of integration in diversity and a shared sense of belonging, Bisong Foundation chose to leverage the powerful influence of elite footballers to mobilise the community and promote personal, social and community development.

Bisong Foundation believes that football as the world’s most popular sport, can help break down barriers created by ignorance or prejudice and bring together people from different backgrounds to create, expand and strengthen social ties and network, play, watch and enjoy the game.

Bisong Foundation feels that the benefit of effective community engagement with the police can increase public perceptions of safety, a tendency towards a reduction in disorder and anti-social behaviour as well as an increase in confidence and trust between the police and the local community.

Using football to facilitate interaction between the police and community members in a non-enforcement context helps to reduce bias on the part of community members and police officers. It also helps both groups to break down personal barriers and overcome stereotypes.

Our ultimate goal is to build a united society where everyone is valued irrespective of ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability or any other perceived differences. We believe that if we continue to work together for equality, we can change attitudes, and build a society where everyone feels they belong.

PC Josh – Player / Coach of Police FC adorning Young People with medals

When former FECAFOOT and FA referee, Samuel Taku gave the kick off, the game went into high pitch quite rapidly with the police team pressing on the ex-Lions back line, creating some scoring chances. One shot by the Police side bounced off the post in the early stages of the first half. However, one-time great Songo’o Jacques maintained calmness to his defensive line as the team flew through the centre of the midfield controlled by African legend Cyrille Makanaky towards the opposing goal with their pacey forwards led by Joseph Desire Job, ex-Middlesbrough FC goal getter.

The first goal went to the police team through the left from a cross that deceived the entire ex-Lion’s defence including ever present Songo’o Jacques. The ex-Lions team started to find their rhythm and were quickly levelled through Desire Job.

At the start of the second half, the police team went straight at the ex-Lions as they aimed to demonstrate their physical fitness and strength. The ex-Lions came twice from behind to draw level. The game ended 3-3 after regular play time. In the penalty shootout, all-time great Cyrille Makanaky scored the decisive penalty as the ex-Lions beat the police team 5-3.

The Runners Up trophy was handed to the police team by Mrs Karyne Tazi, Managing Director of the Women’s Resource Centre in Wolverhampton and the Winners’ trophy was presented to Cyrille Makanaky captain of Former Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and Legends of African Football by Mrs Annette Nti, President of the Women’s Association of Hainaut, Belgium. Medals were equally awarded to children and young people by the police team.

Mrs Nti awarding the Winner’s Trophy

Mrs Melanie Ngangen, Secretary of Charity Ensemble Manchester was head of delegate of children and young people who attended the event. She has been working with children to educate them about the heritage of Cameroon and was delighted to meet and interview legends of Cameroon and African football.

Cyrille Makanaky posing with the Young Generation

Mrs Tazi awarding the Runners – Up trophy to the captain of the Police FC

The police team raised £130 to support the work of Bisong Foundation.

*The author is Co-Founder of Bisong Foundation and also its Marketing Coordinator and Community Officer

17, January 2019

Dr Ebenezer Akwanga’s Southern Cameroons War Crimes Tribunal: Deceptive and without merit ⁰

Last week we of the Cameroon Concord News Group published a news item from a source representing Dr Jonathan Levy announcing the creation of a Southern Cameroons War Crime Tribunal. The document detailing the creation of the tribunal noted that several Ambazonian groups have come together to declare the formation of a War Crimes Tribunal – The Southern Cameroons Special Tribunal Coordination Committee (SCSTCC).

The author of the document further pointed out that the initial backers include the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), the Southern Cameroons Defense Force (SOCADEF), the African Peoples Liberation Movement (APLM), the Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS) and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. It added that other groups are expected to join soon.

The face behind the mask then profiled Dr. Jonathan Levy observing that he is an international lawyer specializing in human rights and has been appointed Chief Coordinator of the tribunal. “According to Dr. Levy, the special tribunal’s immediate mission is to use existing courts and procedures to investigate and prosecute war crimes.”

The reactions that came from our readers around the globe prompted us to dig deeper into the war crimes tribunal affair. We of the Concord Group can now reveal that the so called war crimes tribunal is a creation by Dr Akwanga who alongside Cho Ayaba has been working to undermine the authority of the Ambazonian Interim Government.

It was easy for us to know that Dr Jonathan Levy works with Redress-a legal establishment that has been helping Dr. Akwanga to recover financial damages arising from the multiple violations he suffered from French Cameroun policing institutions and officers. Consequently, we of the Cameroon Concord News Group believe and fervently too that the Southern Cameroons War Crimes Tribunal initiative is misplaced.

Contrary to what the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Dr Samuel Ikome Sako announced late last year that the IG had created a body to gather and preserve evidence of French Cameroun crimes and will use the evidence to persuade the UN Security Council to make a robust intervention as the crisis unfolds, establishing a war crimes tribunal by Dr Ebenezer Akwanga and his anti IG acolytes is deceptive and without merit.

A senior Southern Cameroons advocate who contacted us immediately after we reported the creation of the so-called Southern Cameroons War Crimes Tribunal said he was very concerned about credible allegations made against Dr Ebenezer Akwanga relating to the arrest of priests and the sealing of a church in Munyenge. Southern Cameroonians should and must be aware that places of warship are protected under international law.

We understand that Redress is a reputable Human Rights organization with a capacity to investigate crimes and assist victims. Why did Dr Akwanga not ask Redress to take up the Southern Cameroons case and push for international intervention by the UN Security Council or the International Criminal Court which it is specialized in doing in many cases?

Creating a tribunal and appointing a Redress official who is already helping him in his personal case, has a conflict of interest, and another attempt to personalize the leadership of the Ambazonia cause by deceiving the people of Southern Cameroons and the world that a mechanism exists outside the United Nations and possibly the International Criminal Court for holding French Cameroun criminals to account. We call on the Ambazonian Interim Government to put a stop to this fallacy immediately and to establish an appropriate mechanism to gather information of the crimes committed by the Biya Francophone regime and submit to the competent structures within the UN and countries with universal jurisdiction over the Geneva Convention crimes and the International Criminal Court.

We of this publication will not let these pathetic attempts by Dr Ebenezer Akwanga to personalize the Southern Cameroons cause, raise false expectations and appropriate money. We know that there are people collecting evidence out there and that the Ambazonian Interim Government has contacted a Swiss based organization CIVITAS which gathers evidence for the purpose of launching universal jurisdiction investigations and prosecutions of persons committing international crimes.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-in-Chief