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12, February 2024

Haller’s late goal seals Ivory Coast’s 2-1 win over Nigeria in AFCON final ⁰

Sebastien Haller scored a dramatic late winner as hosts Ivory Coast fought back to beat Victor Osimhen’s Nigeria 2-1 in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final and complete the most remarkable of major tournament turnarounds by claiming their third continental title.

Nigeria looked set to repeat their 1-0 victory over the Ivorians here at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium during the group stage when captain William Troost-Ekong — who had netted a penalty to decide that first meeting — rose to head in the opener late in the first half.

However, Franck Kessie equalised just after the hour mark and Haller turned in Simon Adingra’s cross in the 81st minute to spark wild celebrations among the sea of orange in the Abidjan stands.

Ivory Coast’s success sees them add this year’s title to those claimed in 1992 and 2015, while this win also allows them to join Nigeria on three Cup of Nations triumphs overall.

Only Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana have won the title more often, with the Super Eagles squandering the opportunity to match their Ghanaian rivals on four victories.

Spearheaded by reigning African player of the year Osimhen, the Nigerians had looked the most formidable team in the competition over the last month.

But Ivory Coast’s sense of destiny was simply too overpowering, as they became the first host country to win the AFCON since 2006.

Didier Drogba captained the Elephants team that lost on penalties to Egypt in Cairo in that final 18 years ago, while this time he was among the spectators to witness a stunning victory for his country.

Back from the brink

It is an incredible achievement for a side that was on the brink of elimination in the group stage after losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea on January 22.

That was their heaviest ever home defeat and the Ivorians then parted company with coach Jean-Louis Gasset, replacing him with Emerse Fae, a teammate of Drogba’s in 2006.

They then began a remarkable turnaround which saw them oust holders Senegal on penalties, beat Mali with a last-gasp goal in extra time, and edge out DR Congo with a Haller goal in the last four.

Their supporters packed out the stadium to its 60,000 capacity, with many fans having to watch the game from vantage points on stairways.

Anyone wanting to dampen the excitement levels might have pointed out that Cup of Nations finals tend to be low-scoring affairs.

There were just 10 goals scored in the last 11 finals, five of which were decided on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate.

Indeed, Ivory Coast’s four previous final appearances had all ended goalless before going to penalties, two of which they had won.

This looked set to be another nervy, low-scoring affair with chances few and far between early on.

However the home side then had a great chance on 34 minutes when Kessie found Adingra on the left and his shot was turned away by Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

That proved crucial as Nigeria went ahead just four minutes later when Ademola Lookman’s corner from the left was touched on and Troost-Ekong headed in from the edge of the six-yard area.

Earlier in the tournament the Ivorians would have crumbled in such a scenario, but they deserve great credit for regrouping at the interval and throwing everything at Nigeria.

Max-Alain Gradel’s netbound shot was blocked in front of the line by Calvin Bassey five minutes after the restart, before Nwabali turned an Odilon Kossounou long-range piledriver around the post on 62 minutes.

They drew level from the corner which followed that, as Kessie — whose late penalty had rescued the hosts against Senegal in the last 16 — appeared at the back post to head into the net.

It seemed inevitable that a second Ivory Coast goal would follow and it duly did with nine minutes of the 90 to play as Haller got his studs to Adingra’s cross and diverted the ball into the far corner.

Behind for the first time since their opening match, Nigeria could not react, and Ivory Coast held on for victory.

Source: AFP

11, February 2024

Olembe tragedy families invited to AFCON final ⁰

Families of the victims of the Stade d’Olembe tragedy that took place during the last Africa Cup of Nations in Yaounde, Cameroon, have been invited to Sunday’s final in Abidjan, according to Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe during an address to review the ongoing AFCON.

At least eight people were killed and 38 were injured, seven seriously, in a crush that took place at the stadium before a round of 16 match between hosts Cameroon and Comoros during the last edition of the biennial continental competition on Jan. 24 2022.

It was determined that a “massive and late influx of supporters … caused the crush,” according to a government report, with security forces opening a gate outside the stadium to ease the over-crowding, which subsequently led to the tragedy.

“Some of the [victims’] family members from Cameroon are invited [to the AFCON final],” Motsepe began, “and will be with us here in Cote d’Ivoire.

“We visited each of their houses, met with their families, and expressed our condolences.”

Motsepe expressed confidence before the tournament began that measures in place around stadiums across the Ivory Coast would prevent a repeat incident during the ongoing tournament.

“The day after the final in Cameroon, we were in Cote d’Ivoire already to prepare for this following AFCON,” he added. “We had to identify what our failures and weaknesses were, and what the things were in Cameroon we had to improve.

“I’m happy that there’s been specific improvement, but despite all the precautionary measures you can take, there will always be unforeseen events. When you’re better prepared, you have a much better propensity to deal with these consequences.”

With the Ivorian government investing around $1.5 billion in tournament infrastructure, there has been no repeat of supporter deaths at the continent’s premier football event to date.

However, it hasn’t been an entirely smooth competition, with injuries suffered by media professionals travelling in a shuttle bus between Yamoussoukro and Abidjan one notable example.

For Motsepe, broadcast consistency, ticket sales and transport between the tournament venues are three clear areas of improvement that provide learnings from this year’s competition for future editions to come.

“We could have sold 150,000 tickets for the opening match, but there were empty seats,” the South African billionaire recalled. “My sponsors want to see value, and we want them to put more money in for the continent’s football development.

“Empty seats are not good for African people, but people bought up many tickets and then sold them at extortionate prices. This is one area that needs to improve.

“The broadcast of the game between Senegal and the Gambia was partly interrupted, and we can’t have that — there must be zero tolerance for any interruption or interference with the broadcast.

“There was also an instance where there was a [road] accident and our advice wasn’t followed.”

Despite these problems, Motsepe expressed his broader confidence that the tournament had been an overwhelming success, and a valuable testament to the state of African football under his premiership.

“This AFCON has been excellent, the best AFCON in the history of the competition,” he concluded. “We’ve had more than 180 countries worldwide, close to two billion people watching the football in Africa, and we should feel proud as Africans that we can produce such an exceptional competition.

“The next one must be even better, and the next one even better.”

Source: ESPN

11, February 2024

11 February: Biya concerned about rising youth migration ⁰

President Paul Biya has expressed concerns about the obsession of young people in the country to emigrate.

“The growing desire of a fringe of our youths to emigrate to other climes is increasingly a cause for concern, especially when it becomes an obsession and even affects people who are well integrated into their local communities,” Biya said in a televised message geared toward the younger generation on Saturday evening.

He said Cameroon, “like many others around the world” is facing difficulties but migrating “at all costs” was not the solution.

“You should know that while you yearn to leave, many foreigners are trying to settle in Cameroon, thereby confirming that ours is a hospitable country and a land of opportunities,” he said, adding that emigration was full of “illusions and perils”.

Last month, airport security officials in the country’s commercial hub of Douala said Cameroonian civil servants especially nurses, teachers and security forces were emigrating at an “alarming” rate.

Biya’s speech came on the occasion of National Youth Day, celebrated annually on Feb. 11 in the Central African country.

Source: Xinhuanet

11, February 2024

11 February: Many school children feared dead in explosion in Nkambe ⁰

Many school children are feared dead in an explosion on Sunday in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region of Northwest, according to witnesses and local police.

The blast occurred in Nkambe, a town in the region, as children were taking part in activities to mark National Youth Day, which has been celebrated in the country on Feb. 11 since 1966.

Witnesses said the children had sustained “very serious” injuries.

Authorities were yet to make an official statement.

Separatists had imposed a three-day lockdown to disrupt the activities in the regions where they have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation they call “Ambazonia”.

Source: Xinhuanet

11, February 2024

11 February: Amba Fighters impose lockdown in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Fighting erupted again early Saturday in parts of Cameroon’s war-torn English-speaking regions of Southwest and Northwest as armed separatists began imposing a three-day lockdown to disrupt National Youth Day activities.

Residents of Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest Region and the largest city in English-speaking Cameroon, said they heard bursts of gunfire in some parts of the city.

“The streets are deserted. People are afraid to go out. Almost all activities are not operational,” a resident of the city, who asked not to be named, told Xinhua by telephone.

Officials in both regions have assured residents of “tight” security and urged “everyone, all the youth, to come out en masse to take part in National Youth Day activities.”

On Thursday, separatist leaders announced that they will impose a lockdown in the regions from Saturday to Monday as a measure to disrupt National Youth Day activities, which will be held in the central African country on Sunday.

Separatists said the event was “illegal” in the two Anglophone regions, where they have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation they call “Ambazonia.”

Source: Xinhuanet

10, February 2024

Michael Jackson: Stake in catalogue sells for $600m ⁰

Sony Music Group is understood to have paid at least $600m (£475m) for half of Michael Jackson’s catalogue.

If accurate, it would mean the singer’s musical assets are worth more than $1.2bn (£950m).

The deal would also be the biggest ever for the work of a single musician.

Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, is one of the most successful pop stars of all time, selling more than 400 million records worldwide.

That figure is disputed and may be much higher.

His 1982 album, Thriller, is still the best-selling record of all time, according to Guinness World Records.

The King of Pop is also hugely popular on streaming services, with almost 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

His songs Billie Jean and Beat It have each been played more than one billion times on Spotify alone.

An upcoming film biopic starring Jackson’s nephew in the title role will also undoubtedly increase interest.

The back catalogue deal is also reported to include tracks by other artists acquired by Jackson’s Mijac publishing group, said to include hits by Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.

The sale would have been arranged with the Estate of Michael Jackson, who manage the late star’s affairs.

Source: BBC

10, February 2024

Protests in Senegal turn deadly as political crisis deepens over election delay ⁰

Senegal’s political crisis deepened as a second person died Saturday in increasingly violent protests against President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone upcoming presidential elections.

A 23-year-old man died Saturday after being shot during clashes in the capital Dakar, two of his relatives told AFP, while a 22-year-old student died Friday in the northern town of Saint-Louis in still uncertain circumstances.

“The international and regional community must bear witness to the excesses of this dying regime,” said presidential candidate Khalifa Sall (no relation).

Modou Gueye, a market vendor, took “a live round to the stomach” on Friday in the Colobane neighbourhood of the capital Dakar, said his brother Dame Gueye, 29, who was with him at the time.

His brother-in-law Mbagnick Ndiaye said he succumbed to his injuries Saturday morning.

Authorities have yet to confirm Gueye’s death, but videos posted to social media suggest there were others injured as well.

In Saint-Louis, Alpha Yoro Tounkara died on the campus of Gaston Berger University where he was studying geography, and a hundred of his classmates held an all-night vigil for him.

The Interior Ministry issued a statement denying that security forces had operated within the university campus.

Reputation in question

Anger has mounted since President Sall last week postponed until December a presidential election scheduled February 25. The postponement came hours before official campaigning was due to begin.

Protests were held across the country Friday and police made wide use of tear gas to keep crowds away from a main central square in Dakar, also closing main roads, rail lines and major markets.

Reporters Without Borders said at least five journalists were targeted by police in Dakar.

Senegal’s democratic record on the line as presidential vote delay sparks crisis

A new round of protests are planned for Tuesday.

Sall said he postponed the election because of a dispute between parliament and the Constitutional Council over potential candidates who were not allowed to stand, and has said he wants to begin a process of “appeasement and reconciliation.”

The postponement has been criticised by the United States and European Union. Senegal’s parliament backed the move after security forces stormed the chamber and removed some opposition deputies.

Parliament also voted to keep Sall in office until his successor takes office, which is unlikely to be before early 2025. His second term was due to end April 2.

The crisis has called into question the West African country’s reputation for democratic stability in a region beset by military coups.

Source: AFP

9, February 2024

French Cameroun: 2 killed as fire hits IDP camp in Far North Region ⁰

At least two people were killed in a fire accident at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Cameroon’s Far North Region, officials and local police said on Friday.

The fire, which broke out in a tent on Thursday night, gutted other shelters in the Ndaba locality that hosts the IDPs. Two children who were unable to escape were killed in the tragedy.

Local police said that at least 100 shelters were destroyed, while dozens of households in the camp were displaced.

Rescue workers were conducting an assessment to determine the extent of the damage, and the victims were in critical need of food, shelter, and other items, according to the police.

Fires in camps and communities where IDPs are resettled have become common in the semi-arid region, where temperatures sometimes reach 46 degrees Celsius.

Source: Xinhuanet

9, February 2024

Ivory Coast’s Haller eyes AFCON glory after cancer battle, Bundesliga agony ⁰

No single player symbolises Ivory Coast’s remarkable turnaround to reach this weekend’s Africa Cup of Nations final quite like striker Sebastien Haller.

Sebastien Haller scored Ivory Coast's winner in the semi-final against DR Congo in his first start of the Africa Cup of Nations — Sebastien Haller scored Ivory Coast’s winner in the semi-final against DR Congo in his first start of the Africa Cup of Nations

The 29-year-old was the host country’s match-winner in the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo in his first start of the tournament after injury.

That came after a year marked by a return from cancer and then an agonising climax to the German Bundesliga title race with Borussia Dortmund.

Like Didier Drogba once upon a time, Haller is the poster boy of the Elephants team at this, their home Cup of Nations.

He appears on billboards across Abidjan, advertising anything from mineral water to deodorant and a major mobile phone operator.

“It’s bizarre. I wasn’t expecting that,” he admitted ahead of the tournament when asked about seeing his face everywhere.

“I need to use this notoriety to serve as an example to others.”

Yet it looked like he might not play any part in the competition as an ankle injury picked up playing for Dortmund in December prevented him from featuring in the group stage.

The Ivorians were on the brink of a humiliating group-stage exit after a stunning 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in their third game, but squeezed through as the last of the four best third-placed teams.

Haller was therefore able to play a part from the bench under interim coach Emerse Fae — appointed mid-tournament to replace the sacked Jean-Louis Gasset — as Ivory Coast faced Senegal in the last 16.

He scored in the penalty shoot-out as the hosts knocked out the holders, and he again played an important part as a substitute in the dramatic quarter-final win over Mali.

Finally considered fit to start in the semi-final, it was his volley that saw off DR Congo at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium.

“It is true that we had a few slip-ups at the start of the competition but maybe we are a different team now,” he told broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique after that game before playing down his own role in the semi-final triumph.

“I wasn’t really thinking that I absolutely had to score. The most important thing was to help the team,” he said.

Struggles at club level

Haller was born in France and represented them up to Under-21 level, playing alongside 2018 World Cup winners such as Benjamin Pavard and Ousmane Dembele.

However, with the call from France senior coach Didier Deschamps never coming, he accepted the offer in 2020 to play for Ivory Coast, the country of his mother’s birth.

“When I scored my first goal on my first cap against Madagascar, it was really something. I was so happy,” he later recalled in an interview with So Foot magazine.

Haller has endured a difficult season at club level with Dortmund

Haller played in the Ivorian team that went out of the last Cup of Nations in Cameroon in the last 16.

At that point the former Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham United forward was starring for Ajax, banging in the goals in the Netherlands and in the UEFA Champions League.

A big-money move to Dortmund followed in July 2022, with the German club seeing him as the man to replace Erling Haaland, who had just been sold to Manchester City.

However, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer just days after joining, and several months of treatment followed, including four rounds of chemotherapy and two operations.

His first competitive appearance for the club only came on January 22 last year against Augsburg.

He went on to score nine goals in the run-in as Edin Terzic’s side looked certain to end a decade of Bayern Munich dominance and win the Bundesliga.

They were in the driving seat on the final day of the campaign, but Haller missed a penalty in a 2-2 draw with Mainz which allowed Bayern to pip Dortmund on goal difference.

There has been little to shout about at club level since then for Haller, who has not started a game for Dortmund since September and has not scored since netting a brace in a Cup tie against lower-league opponents on August 12.

Yet now he has the chance to lead his country to Cup of Nations glory on Sunday against Nigeria, something which he will also hope can kickstart his club career.

Source: AFP

9, February 2024

Who is winning the war in Southern Cameroons? ⁰

It is more than 6 years since 91-year-old President Biya launched a full-scale attack on the English speaking people of Southern Cameroons — but who is really winning the war in Ambazonia?

Frankly speaking, the answer cannot be straightforward. To be accurate, it is also no longer dependent on Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces and the Ambazonia Interim Government but much on the political situation in La Republique du Cameroun.

Judging from Yaounde’s military calculations, progress, so far, has been slower than expected, according to Cameroon Intelligence Report sources, although some Francophone military barons have insisted this is accidental and not deliberate.

While our chief political man, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai says it is still too early to predict the result with any certainty, we of the Cameroon Concord News Group are of the opinion that there are some areas of the Southern Cameroons war in which Yaoundé or the Ambazonia Interim Government are currently leading.

Our London Bureau Chief Isong Asu breaks them down here:

One and indivisible Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Ambazonia

From every indication, neither President Paul Biya nor President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has achieved the stated objectives they set out at the beginning of this campaign.

Immediately after Biya launched the invasion of English speaking Cameroon six years ago, he outlined the objectives and stated that “Cameroon was one and indivisible.”

Biya’s aims were to flush out separatists and to defend the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cameroon.

But the Biya Francophone officials have repeatedly shifted their goalposts, stating at the beginning that they were fighting Anglophone terrorists and changing it to separatists. And because of its ever-changing Southern Cameroons war aims, the Francophone dominated military has now commercialized the war and there are military bases all over Southern Cameroons including in villages that are not even accessible by road. From Yaoundé’s perspective, we think they’re moving closer to achieving their objectives which is that of militarizing the entire Southern Cameroons.

But the Ambazonia Interim Government is making resistance gains and has managed to put pressure on French Cameroun’s tough defensive lines in Buea and Bamenda. This week, Amba fighters raided Buea the chief city in the South West Region and punished Southern Cameroonians who defied ghost town operation orders.

“We still have a long way to go in this war in Southern Cameroons, but recent actions in Buea and Bamenda are something Yaoundé should be worried about,” Soter Agbaw-Ebai said.

Correspondingly, one of Southern Cameroons main objectives — stated in President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s independence speech — is to liberate the entire Southern Cameroons from the union with French Cameroun. But this is appearing to be unattainable following the many divisions deep within the Ambazonia Interim Government.

“So getting to Buea, I don’t actually think that’s ever going to be possible with the Ambazonia leader and his top aides still in Kondengui” Soter Agbaw-Ebai noted.

“No one in Europe takes those clowns in Maryland seriously so it is very hard to see how My Trip To Buea could be achieved in the near term. Only a change of regime in Yaoundé, which seems very unlikely at the moment can reactivate the journey to Buea” Soter Agbaw-Ebai furthered.

La Republique versus Southern Cameroons

If winning the war in Southern Cameroons was based on morale, Southern Cameroonians would emerge as the victor.

Morale among Amba fighters has been high even after the arrest of the Ambazonian leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides in Abuja, Nigeria. Stark resistances from Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces have forced President Biya to make some huge adjustments to his military deployments in English speaking Cameroon and cabinet ministers from Anglophone Cameroon including Paul Atanga Nji have been told not to comment publicly on the war.

“I think Cameroon government army soldiers are in a weaker position today because they appear to be panicking when deployed to the rural areas in Southern Cameroons,” Agbaw-Ebai said.

Biya and his Francophone political elites made their war aims very unclear from the very beginning, which has made it extremely difficult for them to win support for the war in both French and English speaking Cameroon.

A rising number of French speaking Cameroonians have started to express serious doubts about the progress that is being made in this senseless conflict in Southern Cameroons.

“Whether that means there will be some kind of threat to the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime, I think is a different question, but clearly there is quite widespread discontent with the way the war in Southern Cameroons has been run,” Soter Agbaw-Ebai pointed out. Morale has also been weakened by corruption among Cameroon’s military leaders.

Cameroon Government Military against Ambazonia Forces

It is difficult to say who is currently winning from a military standpoint because the two forces do not have complete control of the security situation in Southern Cameroons.

And even with the continued deployment of troops from French Cameroun to Southern Cameroons towns and villages, it is still unclear how effective these French speaking army soldiers plan to deal with the present invincible Amba fighters as well as how resilient Ambazonia fighters will be this 2024.

“For me, the two sides are relatively balanced and I believe the war will drag on for many years after Biya” Soter Agbaw-Ebai concluded.

By Isong Asu

London Bureau Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group