Breaking News

3, January 2017

Akéré Muna says the Anglophone problem has two sides- One legal and the other political ¹

Barrister Akere Muna has revealed that Anglophone territories have undergone an annexation by Francophone Cameroon. Akéré Muna, made the revelation in a televised conversation with Spectrum Télévision (STV) on December 29, 2016. The former President of the Bar Association argued that the current Northwest and Southwest Regions were independent before the October Reunification in 1961.

Akéré Muna contested the statements of those who declare the contrary and pointed out that Southern Cameroons existed as an independent country. “People had different agendas. I think that for some, it was necessary to mask an annexation and for the others, it was two States. And this desire on the side of Southern Cameroon was so clear that they demanded there be independence before the Reunification. So West Cameroon celebrated its independence at the Centenary Stadium in Victoria before the Reunification. “

Muna also brandished documents referring to the independence of West Cameroon and asserted that he attended the proclamation of the independence of that entity. The former president of Transparency International also observed that during the Foumban negotiations in 1961, “Southern Cameroons did not suspect that there was another game going on “. He added that prior to Nigeria’s independence; Southern Cameroons was managed as an integral part of Nigeria with headquarters at Enugu. But his father, Solomon Tandeng Muna had demanded and obtained that Southern Cameroons be detached from Nigeria before its independence to avoid future negotiations with both Cameroon and Nigeria.

Akéré Muna noted that the Anglophone problem has two sides- One legal and the other political. “On the legal side, we can do a lot of things that have been done, which have completely truncated the truth. But I think that the solution to the problem of our country does not lie in the past. The actions we are undertaking today will determine the future.”

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

2, January 2017

Military Commissioned officers promoted ⁰

Francophone tradition was respected on the 1st January 2017, as some service men and women nationwide received recognition for their services to the state. The epaulets and medal award were organized nationwide. In the North, Adamawa, East and South West Regions the ceremonies were highlighted by military parade and the usual congratulatory songs accompanied by bouquet of flowers from family members and love ones.

Officers from the Navy, Army, Gendarmerie, and the Air force commissioned and non-commissioned received their epaulets and medals in respective ceremonies chaired by the administrative authorities of the regions. In Garoua the ceremony was organized at the independent square, under the Chairmanship of Governor Abate Edi Jean. Some 20 Military officers were promoted to new ranks.

In the Adamawa Region 52 military personnel were promoted to the grade of Warrant Officers, Staff Sergeants and Corporals in a colourful ceremony presided over by the Governor Kildadi Taguiéké Boucar. In the East region, 57 men and women in uniform were also upgraded. Governor Gregoire Mvogo who chaired the ceremony also handed Agro pastoral equipment including wheelbarrows, cutlasses, water cans to some 9 military officers who retired from active service.

The Special Amphibious Battalion in Tiko in the South West region stole the show. It was the Divisional Officer for Tiko, Patrick Ngwashi who handed the distinctions, praising the battalion for their acts of bravery demonstrated over the years in the defense of the nation. Epaulets were received by some 30 lucky recipients.

CRTV

2, January 2017

Samuel Eto’o: A Hull City target ⁰

At 35, Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o could be on his way back to England after an earlier spell with Chelsea FC (2013-2014) and Everton FC (2014-2015).

The Cameroonian forward is currently targeted by the English club Hull City who wants to reinforce a moribund attack to save themselves from relegation.

Eto’o currently plays with Antalyaspor, but the Turkish club is interested to lend him out for the rest of the season. If the loan deal goes through with Hull City, the former Indomitable Lions captain will be at his twelfth club in his career and his third in England.

2, January 2017

US: Trump to ‘repeal a lot’ of Obama’s actions ⁰

US President-elect Donald Trump will repeal “a lot” of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on his first day in the White House, says a top aide of America’s 45th president. Sean Spicer, Trump’s designated White House press secretary, told ABC on Sunday that the incoming president was planning to immediately annul some of Obama’s actions that he thinks have “hampered” the economy.

He would repeal “the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job creation,” Spicer said without revealing more details. Trump has not hold back on criticizing Obama’s decisions on immigration, energy regulation and foreign policy. He has accused Obama of jeopardizing the country’s security by accepting thousands of refugees without using a proper vetting process. The Republican president-elect has pledged to deport undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico.

The New York businessman has also indicated that he would pull out of the 2015 Paris Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Obama was a signatory to the pact, which entered into force on November 4. Trump, who believes climate change is a “hoax” created by China, has picked Scott Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma and a skeptic of climate change, to head the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

On foreign policy, Trump has undermined Obama’s stance on Russia and has accused the outgoing president of “creating” the Daesh (ISIL) terror group. He says he would cooperate with Russia in the fight against Daesh. Spicer said Sunday that Trump was also going to “bring a new brand to Washington” by banning members of his administration from becoming lobbyists for a period of five years after they leave his government. “It’s very forward-thinking,” he said. “What we’ve had in the past is people who have looked in the rearview mirror. This time, we’re thinking forward. If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you’re going to serve this country, not yourself.”

Presstv

2, January 2017

Anglophone Uprising: Strikes called off, leaders say no more celebration of 11th February and 20th May ³

Anglophone leaders have canceled a plan for successive strikes this New Year after it was revealed government agents have infiltrated some of the groups involved in the struggle for a Southern Cameroons state.

The consortium said in a statement released recently that hush hush money has been paid to some Southern Cameroonians to use the strike action negatively. The communiqué also revealed that the Yaounde regime intends to arrest the leaders if the demonstrations turn violent.

The leaders have promised to make changes in the approach that reorganizes the Southern Cameroons quest for nationhood. The reforms are one of a handful of outstanding actions that will finally paralyzed all administrative actions from La Republique du Cameroun.

The consortium leaders say all Southern Cameroonians should stay indoors and that 11^th February and 20^th May celebrations will no longer hold in Southern Cameroons.

The first 24-hour strike was to begin today in the South West and North West regions. Further strikes had been scheduled for next week. The strikes would have led to the collapsed of business activities in the entire region.

By Rita Akana

1, January 2017

USA: Lawmaker beats, threatens to kill wife ⁰

A Republican lawmaker and major gun advocate has been arrested over beating his wife and threatening to kill her with a gun as his young children beg him to stop. Police authorities in the state of South Carolina’s Aiken Country released audio recording of an emergency 911 call on Friday from inside the home of state Representative Chris Corley, which is punctuated with screams of what the dispatcher believed were the lawmaker’s children “begging for their father to stop” beating their mother.

No one speaks during the call, the first of three relevant to the violent incident. All that can be heard are screams in the background. “Please stop,” is screamed repeatedly. “Just stop, daddy. Just stop. Why are you doing this, daddy?” Audio of the call was released by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office just days after the 36-year-old legislator was arrested on charges of domestic violence and pointing a gun at his wife.

The operator in the initial call was clearly shaken and contacts the Aiken County 911 operator in a bid to send police officers to Corley’s home in the city of Graniteville. “I had a caller, sounded a lot like children screaming for help and begging for their father to stop,” said the operator. The call ends with the county operator saying she will dispatch officers to the house.

However, Sheriff’s deputies would later get a follow-up phone call from a different woman, who is not identified but presumably is Corley’s mother-in-law. She is heard telling deputies that a man with a gun “beat his wife and he’s threatening to kill his self (sic).”

By this time, Corley’s wife and two of their children had fled across the street to her mother’s home. Corley was later arrested on charges that he punched his wife in the face and threatened to kill her as he pointed a 9 mm pistol at her during an argument at their home after she accused him of cheating, according to Aiken County sheriff’s records.

The lawmaker faces a felony charge of first-degree criminal domestic violence, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Corley’s 37-year-old wife told police officers later that the only thing that kept him from shooting her were the screams of two of their children, aged 2 and 8. The legislator then went into a bedroom, saying he “was going to kill himself,” his wife added as quoted in the police report on the incident, which noted that as Corley headed for the bedroom, his wife and children ran to her mother’s house across the street.

However, Aiken County Magistrate Melanie DuBose has released Corley, who is also a lawyer, but restricted him from handling any firearm, among other conditions of his $20,000 surety bond. The lawmaker was elected in 2014 as a gun advocate and sponsored a resolution declaring June 2015 “Gun Violence Awareness Month” to “raise awareness surrounding the issue of gun violence.”

Corley was little known as a legislator until he thrust himself into the national spotlight in 2015, when he suggested on the floor of the South Carolina House that removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds was equivalent to the state’s Republican Party surrendering to political correctness in the wake of the Charleston church shooting massacre, in which a white supremacist gunned down several African American worshippers.

Presstv

1, January 2017

Fru Ndi says Biya made an empty speech ²

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Front has reacted angrily to President Biya’s recent address to the nation. Ni John Fru Ndi observed that the Head of State proposed nothing as solutions to the problems that has rocked the Anglophone regions of the country.

Fru Ndi did not mince his words expressing his disappointment after the speech by the man who has governed Cameroon for 34 years. Hinted the Chairman “I was not expect anything from the speech. He did not say anything about the young people who were killed … He did not say anything about the return of Anglophone students to school. Whether Anglophone students go back to school or not, he does not care, the schools reopen or not, it’s not his problem.”

The SDF leader reaffirmed his support for the Anglophone lawyers, teachers and English-speaking students who, in his opinion are only defending their rights. In this traditional speech to the Nation, the Cameroonian dictator used offensive language against Anglophone protesters. Biya called them “extremists, manipulated and instrumentalized”.

By Rita Akana

31, December 2016

Francophone North West Governor and Biya: Reading from the same script ¹

The Governor of the North West region, Adolphe LELE L’Afrique, has told police officers that sanctions await those who go out of policing norms during this festive period.

In a surprised visit to some check points Bamenda, LELE L’Afrique told the men in uniform to be polite when checking identity cards and vehicles and avoid certain malpractices that will fetch them sanctions.

Governor Lele Adolphe visited the check point at Up Station flanked by his close collaborators in the army, the gendarmerie and police force.

There have been several reports of police harassment and bribes in many check points which culminated to tension between travelers and the men in uniform.

One of the check points visited by NW Governor(c) Wilson MUSA

The Governor’s visit comes a few days after he ordered the closure of all entry points from Nkambe and Kumbo and thorough check on vehicles entering Bamenda from Up Station.

The measures were aimed at preventing youths from these two divisions from entering into Bamenda town and subsequently disrupt teachers’ meeting with ad hoc committee created by Prime Minister to look into problems raised by Anglophone teachers.

The trip is also on the heels of reports of police brutality on peaceful demonstrators in Bamenda that remains militarized ever since the strike action which began on November 21, 2016.

Culled from Cameroun Info.Net

31, December 2016

Biya speaks to the nation ⁰

Fellow Cameroonians,

My Dear Compatriots,

The year 2016 which is drawing to an end was marked by many events of great significance for our nation. This year we got off to a good start. Donors, including the International Monetary Fund, hailed the resilience of our economy despite an unfavourable context. Our defence and security forces beat back Boko Haram and put it on the defensive. Our country resolutely embarked on a new phase of its grand project to accelerate growth and create jobs and wealth.

As the months rolled by, circumstances put this positive momentum to the test. Similarly, some social and political unrest occasionally seemed to undermine the very foundations of our togetherness; but, ultimately, we were able to hold our ground. Therefore, I would like, first and foremost, to solemnly state tonight that, more than ever before, Cameroon is standing on its feet. A country that is ONE and INDIVISIBLE, proud of its cultural diversity and jealous of its freedom. A country that is replete with talented and enterprising people. A country that is endowed with abundant resources. A country that is looking to the future with confidence and determination, resolved to meet the challenges of ensuring social progress and prosperity for all. As the year 2016 draws to a close, I must recall the unprecedented bereavement our country suffered during the Eseka railway disaster. It was a time of profound grief for the entire nation. Our people demonstrated solidarity during that tragedy. The probe I have ordered will reveal the truth. I will draw the conclusions thereon, as promised.

My dear compatriots,

I would now like to dwell on the events that have unfolded recently in the North-West and South-West Regions. Physically and emotionally, we are deeply concerned about these events. Due to the acts of a group of manipulated and exploited extremist rioters, Cameroonians have lost their lives; public and private buildings have been destroyed; the most sacred symbols of our nation have been desecrated; economic activities have been paralyzed momentarily.

You would agree with me that all of this is UNACCEPTABLE. Our country does enjoy political and trade union freedoms which are guaranteed and governed by our laws and regulations. Against this backdrop, every citizen can rightfully opine on any aspect of national life, including through duly declared peaceful strike action. This is a fundamental civil right as desired by the Cameroonian people given that it is enshrined in the Constitution. This right is inalienable in the model of democracy which I proposed to the Cameroonian people and which, TOGETHER, we have been building daily, patiently and resolutely. It is unbecoming of some people to use this context of freedom to commit acts of violence and try to undermine our country’s unity. Under such circumstances, it is the State’s bounden duty to restore order, in the name of the law and in the interest of all. To act otherwise is to jeopardize our democracy and allow anarchy to prevail over the rule of law.

I strongly condemn all acts of violence, regardless of their sources and their perpetrators. We will fully draw conclusions from the various inquiries being conducted on the matter. Let me make this very clear: it is not forbidden to voice any concerns in the Republic. However, nothing great can be achieved by using verbal excesses, street violence, and defying authority. Lasting solutions to problems can be found only through peaceful dialogue. All the voices that spoke have been heard. They have, in many cases, raised substantive issues that cannot be overlooked. I have enjoined the Government to engage in frank dialogue with the various parties concerned to find appropriate solutions to the issues raised. I urge them to participate, without any bias, in the various discussions. However, we should never forget that we are walking in the footsteps of our country’s founding fathers, our national heroes, who shed their blood to bequeath to posterity a nation that is united in its diversity. Cameroon’s unity is therefore a precious legacy with which no one should take liberties. Any claim, no matter how relevant, loses its legitimacy once it jeopardizes, even slightly, the building of national unity.

All Cameroonians, without exception, have embarked on building a united, inclusive and bilingual nation. This is a unique experience in Africa. Like any human endeavour, our experience is not perfect. There are aspects that can be improved. We should therefore listen to each other. We should remain open to constructive ideas, to the exclusion,however, of those that would affect the form of our State. Besides the bodies that I instructed the Government to set up and which are already at work, we are ready to go an extra mile. We are willing to move in the footsteps and spirit of the architects of Reunification, and put in place a national entity which will be tasked with proposing solutions aimed at maintaining peace, consolidating our country’s unity and strengthening our resolve, and our day-to-day experiences of LIVING TOGETHER. And this should be done in strict compliance with our Constitution and our Institutions.

Do I need to repeat this? CAMEROON IS ONE AND INDIVISIBLE! It shall so remain. Its wealth and strength are derived from the diversity of its people, its cultures and its languages. Such is the pluralism that has earned our country the esteem, respect and admiration it enjoys. Cameroon is a democratic country, a State governed by the rule of law. Its problems should be resolved within the ambit of the law and through dialogue. Our compatriots want to live in peace and harmony. They should not be disturbed! That is also why our country is engaged in the war against Boko Haram.

In this regard, I can safely say that in 2016, this terrorist group was driven to the wall. There seems to be hope that this shady terrorist group may not recover from the setbacks it has suffered. However, there is a need to remain vigilant; the possibility of isolated suicide attacks, like that of 25 December last, cannot be ruled out. Credit for this positive development goes to our national defence and security forces, the Joint Multinational Task Force and cooperation with the Nigerian authorities. We should also commend the support given us by our international partners to whom I extend my thanks.

Also, I should mention the key role of vigilante committees which, thanks to their courage and devotedness, were, on many occasions, able to foil planned attacks. I must once again commend the Cameroonian people for their steadfast patriotism during these difficult times.

Yes, ordeals help forge national unity.

We must now ramp up internal security, reconstruct, organize the return of displaced persons, and revive the local economy. In short, bring back life and tranquillity to the affected areas. To that end, the State will do its utmost, while counting on the dynamism of the people and support from development partners. Despite the burden of security spending, the Government has not relented in its effort to promote our economic growth. Many of our major first-generation projects such as the Kribi Port, the Lom Pangar Dam and the Memve’ele and Mekin power plants are virtually operational or about to be commissioned. To bridge the energy gap and end load shedding, other major projects such as the Bini à Warak, Menchum, Song Dong and Nachtigal power plants will supplement this programme. Our power transmission and management problems will be resolved with the establishment of the National Electricity Transmission Corporation.

The development of our road network is also progressing. An extensive road construction or rehabilitation programme is ongoing nationwide. I will mention only the most notable of them, such as the Yaounde-Douala and Nsimalen-Yaounde motorways where work is going on normally, but also the east or west entryways to Douala and the second bridge over the Wouri. In the longer term, there are plans to create an inter-regional road and rail network to ease access to our mineral deposits and stimulate trade with neighbouring countries. Cameroon lies at the crossroads of two major economic blocks, namely West and Central Africa. Why therefore should it not seek to become the hub it is geographically predisposed to be?

The main objective of boosting our energy capacity and extending our road network is to create the best conditions for our country’s industrialization. This is our major challenge for the coming decades. It will also confirm the positive employment trends observed in recent years. For instance, as at October 2016, 320 000 new jobs were recorded, representing an increase of nearly 20% compared with the previous financial year. Given the overall gloomy economic situation, this performance is commendable.

However, we should do better. To that end, we must improve the management of all the economies of our sub-region. That is why I deemed it necessary to convene a meeting of all CEMAC Heads of State in Yaounde recently. This meeting enabled us to take measures to revive growth in our zone, while accelerating the integration of our economies and the free movement of goods and people. Cameroon will fulfil its duty to that end.

In keeping with our ambition of achieving emergence by 2035, we are relentlessly working to increase our agricultural production, ensure the industrial processing of our raw materials and expand the digital economy. The 2017 State budget truly reflects this resolve to increase momentum on these highly strategic sectors.

My dear compatriots,

There are many ongoing projects designed to promote social progress and prosperity in our country. Our assets are known to all. However, we are still having difficulty unlocking our potential. It was in a bid to reflect on such difficulty that in May 2016, I initiated the International Economic Conference on the theme “Investing in Cameroon: Land of Opportunities”. Besides important business meetings held during the conference, this unique initiative which was hailed by our development partners, enabled us to share extremely valuable experiences on the path to economic emergence. In this interconnected world, we sought, in all simplicity, to get others’ views on our capacity to access the global economy. The harvest has been bountiful in terms of the principles of the actions adopted to improve the business climate in Cameroon. This will be reflected in our institutions in the near future. I have already expressed my view on this issue on many occasions: our progress is constrained by various forms of resistance or inertia. We should remove such obstacles and create a sound and attractive business environment that accelerates progress in our country by aligning with the appropriate global dynamics. Responsibility here lies with the government. I will see to it resolutely. Though I believe that the State should play the role of regulator and facilitator, and even investor in some specific domains, I also believe that the private sector should invest wherever there are opportunities. At a time when diversification is a veritable lifeline for CEMAC economies, our investors should, for instance, take advantage of the opportunities offered by regional integration or various economic partnership agreements to which Cameroon is a signatory. I am therefore appealing to the creators of our wealth to fully play their role in stimulating our economic growth in everyone’s interest. The Cameroonian people who are beginning to reap the benefits of the sacrifices made over the years do not wish to return to austerity. I see with them. This requires us all to put our hands on deck in perfect patriotic fervour, like our heroic Indomitable Lionesses.

For many years they gave their all without seeking vain and early glories; they demonstrated hard work, resolve, talent, and bravery; they won hearts through the quality of their performance in the game; they appealed through their moral quality and the ethics of the game which earned them the fair play trophy; they reflected Cameroon’s great diversity as they defended the national colours; and though they did not win the coveted trophy of the 2016 women AFCON, they brought joy and pride to an entire nation.

Such an excellent demonstration of patriotic fervour is an appeal to everyone, each in his or her specific sphere, to defend Cameroon’s future everywhere, in an exemplary manner.

My dear compatriots,

Before concluding, I would like to invite you to spare a thought for our soldiers and civilians who fell while defending our fatherland in 2016, as well as for the victims of the recent Eseka railway disaster. I would now like to express the wish, for our nation, that the year 2017 would abound with the fruits of peace and harmony, progress and economic prosperity for everyone.

Happy and Prosperous New Year 2017

Long Live Cameroon

31, December 2016

Boko Haram leader denies Nigerian government claims that the group has been crushed ⁰

The ringleader of the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group has urged the militants to beef up extreme violence against people, denying recent claims by the government that the group has been crushed.

In a video posted on YouTube purportedly by Boko Haram on Friday, a man, standing in front of almost a dozen armed men and a couple of pickup trucks in an undisclosed location, identified himself as Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the terror group, and read a statement, calling on his fellow militants to “kill, slaughter and abduct all the infidels… and detonate bombs everywhere.” “I am here, well and alive,” he said, rejecting the Nigerian government’s earlier reports that he had been fatally wounded in anti-terror air raids.

He also denied that the army had ultimately defeated terrorists after it captured Boko Haram’s last major stronghold. “The battle is just beginning.” “You should not be telling lies to the people,” he said, referring to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who announced on Christmas Eve that the Takfiri group had been defeated and driven away from its last known bastion deep inside the thick Sambisa Forest in the northeastern volatile state of Borno.

President Buhari, who came to power in 2015, under the motto of crushing Boko Haram, also said the terrorists were on the run and no longer had a place to hide. The group, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” has pledged allegiance to Daesh, a Takfiri terrorist group operating mostly in Iraq and Syria. Back in early August, Daesh reportedly terminated Shekau’s seven-year-long leadership by replacing him with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, a former spokesman for Boko Haram. Shortly after the announcement, Shekau released an audio message saying, “People should know we are still around,” apparently defying Daesh and the decision to oust him.

Presstv