Headline News

18, January 2017

Nigeria: Army says mistaken airstrike kills 100 civilians ⁰

At least 100 civilians have been killed in what Nigeria’s army calls a mistaken airstrike in the north of the country. Nigerian military commander, Major General Lucky Irabor, confirmed on Tuesday that the attack in the northeastern area of Rann, near the border with Cameroon, had mistakenly targeted a refugee camp.

The general had earlier declined to give a toll of casualties. “Many civilians, including personnel of International Committee of the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) were wounded,” he said of the Tuesday morning attack, which was carried out in Borno state.Local officials said the air force fighter jet that carried out the attack was on a mission to bombard suspected positions of Boko Haram, a Takfiri group operating in northern Nigeria and some neighboring countries.

Several other people, including aid workers, were injured in the airstrike. Later reports said those injured were all Nigerian nationals working for international aid organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC said in a later statement that six of its workers were killed in the airstrike. “We regret that among the casualties of today’s airstrikes in Rann, there are six Nigerian RC members killed and 13 wounded,” said the aid group. Hours later, the MSF issued a statement condemning the airstrike.

“This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled from extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable,” said MSF director of operations, Jean-Clement Cabrol. Nigeria has been at war with Boko Haram since the group started an insurgency in Borno about eight years ago. Almost 15,000 people have been killed while the violence has displaced more than two million, including those refugees killed in the mistaken airstrike.

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to Daesh, another Takfiri group, which has been wreaking havoc in the Middle East and North Africa over the past few years. A task force established by the African Union to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram has almost contained the violence. However, Boko Haram has used the end of the rainy season to step up attacks over the past weeks as its militants could move easier in the bush. On Tuesday, the terror group claimed bombings that rocked the University of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, a day earlier. A professor and a child were killed in the attack while 17 others were wounded.

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18, January 2017

European Parliament elects new president ⁰

Antonio Tajani of the European People’s Party (EPP) has been elected as the European Parliament’s new president. The 63-year-old Italian defeated another Italian, S&D socialist Gianni Pitella, on Tuesday and is set to replace Germany’s Martin Schulz.

In the past, Tajani served as the spokesman for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and as a European commissioner.

The battle among the two Italians was won by Tajani on a vote of 351-282 in the decisive final round, which only the top two candidates managed to enter.

Before voting began, the EEP, the largest group in the block’s legislature, formed a coalition with the ALDE liberals, that gave Tajani the required lead over Pittella.

Members of the European Parliament take part in a plenary session marking the election of the assembly’s new President in Strasbourg, eastern France, on January 17, 2016. (Photos by AFP)

“This was as democratic process and as I said today, I will be the president of all, I will respect all members of parliament and all groups,” said Tajani.

“We must devote our attention to all those who are in tough living conditions,” he added while giving a short acceptance speech, during which he also dedicated his victory to the victims of a deadly August earthquake in central Italy and all those injured by terrorism.

In a statement issued to congratulate Tajani, Pittella noted that it had been some time since the European Parliament had elected a president “in a fully transparent and open competition without any pre-arranged deals.”

“Today, the political landscape in the European Parliament is dramatically changed with the birth of a new conservative block. We will constructively oppose this block,” added Pittella.

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18, January 2017

Arrest of Anglophone leaders: Ghost town operation to continue indefinitely ¹

Tuesday the 17^th of January 2017 marked day three of the civil disobedience campaign across Southern Cameroons. Although the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo government had earlier dismissed the level of participation as insignificant, the success of the policy prompted Yaoundé to make a dramatic U-turn banning the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society and arresting its leaders. Local reporting in Bamenda and Buea shows that many Anglophone citizens are now joining the revolution and ghost town operations are expected to continue.

The Francophone regime in Yaoundé has disconnected internet and telephone services all over British Southern Cameroons and moved the leaders arrested to an unknown destination deep inside La Republique du Cameroun. The Common Law Lawyers and the teachers’ trade unions have urged Southern Cameroonians to keep their children at home and put their faith in the Consortium. The teachers and lawyers say, no schools will resume until the demands made by the Anglophone Consortium are met. We also gathered that the Anglophone Bar Association has taken over the responsibility of releasing information coming out of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

Numerous shops will remain closed in the North West and South West regions of the country today and many parents have vowed to keep their children home from school. Although the government tried to portray the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society leaders as extremists, it is now evident that the Anglophone leaders had indeed refused bribes from agents of the Francophone regime. We are expecting to see a complete absence of automobile and pedestrian traffic in normally congested areas in West Cameroon this week.

This decidedly grassroots campaign is a response to the Francophone government’s gross mismanagement of Southern Cameroon’s resources and economy and its misplaced spending priorities that privilege the already bloated security and military sectors of Francophone Cameroun at the expense of Southern Cameroon’s underfunded health and education sectors. As several British Southern Cameroonians have noted, this campaign is driven by popular support and everyday Anglophone citizens that blame the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime for their increasingly difficult economic situation.

It is more dangerous now as many anonymous Anglophone actors have began taken control of the revolution following the arrest of the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society. Opposition political parties have instructed their members to join the ghost town campaign. Concerns have been expressed over an escalation of violence in British Southern Cameroons. The specter of La Republique’s violence continues to hang over all public protests after the killing of many Southern Cameroonians in Kumba, Buea, Bamenda and Kumbo.

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

17, January 2017

“La Republique is attempting to drive the Anglophone resistance underground” ¹

Following the recent decision by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Rene Sadi Emmanuel banning the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the Southern Cameroons National Council including the subsequent arrest of the leaders of the Consortium, reactions have been pouring into our European news desk.

The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Cameroon Concord News Group, the Right Honorable Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai pointed out to our Dublin Bureau Chief, Diamond Ebs Esoh that “La Republique is attempting to drive the Anglophone resistance underground. That will fail.” Our Chairman observed.

Mr Agbaw-Ebai said “What is ongoing is a revolution and by banning the Consortium, Biya and his gang have just energized the revolution.”

With the Southern Cameroons National Council, the Anglophone media guru noted that “The SCNC is an international organization operating worldwide. It has a tremendous capacity to talk to Southern Cameroons and enforce its decision from any part of the world. It does not need Biya to operate.”

By Chi Prudence Asong in Dublin

17, January 2017

Yaounde shuts down internet and telephone services in Anglophone Cameroon ¹

Cameroon Concord News has been informed that internet and telephone services in British Southern Cameroons have all been disconnected. The decision is in line with the Yaounde regime’s attempt at stifling the Anglophone uprising.

The situation has become more intractable following the arrest and subsequent transfer of the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium from Buea to Yaounde. The West Cameroon diaspora has been called upon to provide proxy servers to the freedom fighters back home.

By Sama Ernest in Buea

17, January 2017

Consortium leaders arrested in Buea ⁰

Barrister Agbor Balla, Dr. Neba Fontem, Dr. Michael Boyo and Mr Kah Afumbom have been arrested by plain cloth police officers in Buea. Our informant has confirmed that the Chairman of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the Secretary General have been moved over to Yaounde.

17, January 2017

CPDM Government bans Consortium, SCNC ¹

Some senior political commentators have accused the Paul Biya-led One Cameroon regime of toying with the nation’s unity and future. Their comments were made public earlier today when state radio and television announced a ministerial order from the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization banning the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the Southern Cameroons National Council.

The decision by Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi came after a declaration by the chairman of the so-called Ad Hoc Committee; Ghogomu Mingo Paul that the new generation of Anglophone leaders have unanimously resolved to resist any further dialogue with the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo government.

Ghogomu Paul ignored claims by the Anglophone Consortium that the Yaounde regime was gambling with Cameroon’s future by continuing to maliciously deploy the military in the Southern Cameroons region and implementing sinister divide and rule tactics against Anglophone’s key actors.

The Minister Rene Sadi’s order has shut the door to the advice that was given to President Biya to personally and visibly head a holistic solution-seeking strategy that will prove his commitment to a robustly sustainable peace with British Southern Cameroonians.

Our chief political correspondent in Yaoundé opined that for there to be true unity, stability and progress in the country, President Biya should engage the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium with new faces who are not going to be wasting time establishing so-called Ad Hoc Committees that will not resolve pertinent issues sustainable.

At the time of filing this report, the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society had not reacted to the ministerial order published by the Yaounde regime.

By Chi Prudence Asong

17, January 2017

Anti-Francophone rebellion brewing in Southern Cameroons ⁰

An anti-Francophone rebellion is brewing in Southern Cameroons, where the embattled government of the 83 year-old Paul Biya continues to bring in new anti Anglophone measures and militarizing the English regions of the country. Now, even elected local officials are joining the fray in a seemingly random but increasingly prevalent wave of civil disobedience in West Cameroon.

Working under the direct supervision of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and on the theory of strength in numbers, the Anglophone teachers and lawyers have paralyzed business and academic activities in British Southern Cameroons. Southern Cameroons have observed a successful civil disobedience campaign for three days and there are speculations that the Consortium intends to step up the fight against Anglophone marginalization.

Furious at the success of the ghost town operations, the chairman of the so-called Ad Hoc Committee announced late yesterday that dialogue with the Anglophone leaders has come to an end. Prof. Ghogomu Mingo Paul in his statement launched a scathing attack on members of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society.

Anglophone lawyers, teachers’ trade unions and campaigners have tried to get the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo government to implement a two state federation that will guarantee political and economic freedom to West Cameroonians. However, the regime in Yaounde has remained defiant and is reportedly planning to suspend thousands of Anglophone civil servants while maintaining a huge military presence in the English regions.

State buildings are empty ever since Monday the 16^th of January 2017 and municipalities have stalled in ordering strikers back to work. The Southern Cameroon strikes are becoming so frequent that everyone from council workers to motor taxis, medical doctors to buy’am sell’am, has walked off the job at some point. Ghost town operations today were again successful following an appeal from the Consortium that West Cameroonians should remain calm and discipline.

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

17, January 2017

Consortium calls for “greater self discipline” amid ghost town tensions ⁰

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week, the Consortium called for a Ghost Town to protest against the continuous militarization of our towns, police provocation and brutality – shooting and arrest of citizens – even as the negotiations were going on. This call has been respected throughout the NW and SW Regions. West Cameroonians are a peaceful people and must remain so.

However, some pictures of people exacting violence on school children in Limbe have shocked the Consortium. These pictures remind us of what happened in Bamenda a month ago. Let it be clear that the Consortium unreservedly condemns violence in all its forms and aspires to a society where respect for human personality and property will reign supreme. We strongly urge all our people to remain decent, and to show greater self-discipline. We must undo violence from our cultural make up, and beware of infiltrations and people who are sent to incite violence so as to justify a crackdown. Nevertheless, we encourage parents to keep their children at home when there is a call to strike.

We call on Government to clear our streets of all armed uniform men. We also demand that all those arrested, abducted or kidnapped in Bamenda, Mutengene, Buea, Kumba and Mamfe, including teachers who expressed strong views about the current situation of the country should be released forthwith.

Fellow Citizens,

Concerning the work the Teachers’ Union did in the Teachers’ Ad hoc Committee, we expect them to present it to the public and educate the masses about its contents before an agreement is finalized. We are consulting with them and will ensure that the outcome is satisfactory to our people.

We therefore decry all attempts by the Chairperson of that Committee to manipulate the process and to exacerbate tensions at a time when everyone is looking forward to a sustainable solution. In the same vein, we urge the community – parents, students and other stakeholders – to be patient and wait for the Teachers’ Unions to suspend the strike when the process has come to a logical end. But this can only be after the community has been properly informed about the resolutions arrived at, and guarantees provided that past abuses will not be repeated.

Our hope for this beautiful country is that we and our brothers East of the Mungo can cohabit peacefully, and that every child will have equal opportunity to rise to greatness through hard work. We pray for a country where our origin will no longer limit us.

God is our strength.

For the CONSORTIUM

Barr. Nkongho Felix A. Dr. Fontem A. Neba

17, January 2017

UN, EU reassure support for Iran nuclear deal ⁰

The European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) have both reaffirmed their support for the Iran nuclear deal on the first anniversary of the accord’s implementation. The deal, officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was reached between Iran on the one side and the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany on the other in July 2015. It began being implemented on January 16, 2016 and terminated nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in return for certain limits on the Iranian nuclear program.

During the course of the negotiations that resulted in the deal, the EU acted as coordinator for the negotiating parties and, together with the UN, hosted the talks. In a statement on Monday, the EU’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, once again reaffirmed the bloc’s support for the deal in the face of potential threats from the future US administration to undermine it. “The full and effective implementation throughout the entire lifetime of the JCPOA remains essential,” said Mogherini in a statement. “The EU has clearly affirmed its resolute commitment to this objective.”

She said the bloc “will continue to work hand in hand with all those willing to contribute to its full implementation and in achieving the objectives which brought us together.” There has been concern that the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, a former businessman and a self-admitted non-politician, may breach the deal or stop implementing US commitments under it altogether. Trump has previously threatened to “tear up” the deal. Throughout her Monday statement, Mogherini, the top EU diplomat, pointed to the merits and strengths of the deal in what sometimes seemed to be directed at an audience of one.

She said the agreement “is working for all” and now belonged to the entire international community. “The JCPOA is a multilateral endeavour, achieved through diplomatic means and endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution. It was born out of the efforts of the E3/EU+3 and Iran, but it now belongs to the entire international community. The JCPOA provides benefits for all and creates opportunities for improved regional cooperation that should be seized by all,” she said.

She was referring to Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), which unanimously endorsed the JCPOA on July 20, 2015. She also highlighted that, “Iran has delivered on its nuclear-related commitments as confirmed by the four reports issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency.” The Agency has taken up the task of monitoring the technical implementation of the Iran deal. Also on Monday, Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, reassured the world body’s support for the accord in his office’s daily press briefing.

He praised the first anniversary of the JCPOA’s implementation as “a significant milestone in the historic agreement.” “The United Nations shall continue to support the implementation of the JCPOA, in accordance with resolution 2231 (2015) and other relevant decisions of the Security Council,” he said.

All the other parties to the JCPOA, including the outgoing US administration, Russia, and China, have also already stressed the need to sustain the deal amid the Trump threats. Meanwhile, Trump, in a shift from his usual rhetoric of lambasting the Iran deal, has refused to say what policy he would want to take regarding it, also admitting that he is “not a politician.”

“Well, I don’t want to say what I’m gonna do with the Iran deal. I just don’t want to play the cards. I mean, look, I’m not a politician, I don’t go out and say, ‘I’m gonna do this’ — I’m gonna do, I gotta do what I gotta do,” he told the British daily The Times on Sunday.

Trump has flip-flopped on policy issues before, too.

Russia sees no reason for non-performance

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who was his country’s lead negotiator in the talks over the Iran deal, also stressed that the JCPOA was an important and constructive agreement and that Russia would remain committed to it.

Speaking at a UN roundtable on the one-year anniversary of the deal’s implementation, Ryabkov said Russia saw no grounds for any failure to fully implement the deal and downplayed the rhetoric by Trump, TASS reported.

He said very little was known about the “approaches of the next US administration to this issue and the foreign policy agenda in general.”

He said that, while Moscow was studying the public statements by Trump’s advisers and cabinet nominees made during the US Senate hearings, he saw “no signs… that a completely new situation will occur.”

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