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Nigeria: Boko Haram down but far from over

22, August 2016

Nigeria: Boko Haram down but far from over 0

The Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group has invaded a village in Nigeria, killing at least ten people and abducting 13 others before burning down the entire village. The terrorists riding on motorcycles opened fire on residents in Kubrrivu village near the northeast town of Chibok at dawn on Saturday, locals said on Sunday.

Residents said the militants attacked the village as residents slept, adding they burnt down the whole village after looting food supplies and livestock and taking away women and children. A community elder said seven women, five boys and a girl were abducted by the violent group which has pledged allegiance to Daesh terrorists in the Middle East.

The terrorist group first raided the village in 2014, during which the villagers were forced to flee. The residents returned and reconstructed their homes one year later after Nigerian troops retook swathes of territory from the terrorists. Boko Haram has been active in Nigeria since 2002, but its attacks had not been significant until 2010, when the gunmen managed to free 700 inmates from a prison in Bauchi and raid a mosque in Maiduguri.

This file photo taken on March 25, 2016 shows Nigerian soldiers in Damboa, Borno State northeast Nigeria. ©AFP

Boko Haram in Nigeria: A timeline of events

  • September 2010: In a prison break in Bauchi, militants free 700 inmates.
  • May-December 2011: The group intensifies terror attacks by raiding government officials, police officers, students and religious leaders.
  • January, 20, 2012: Terrorists carry out a series of coordinated attacks in Nigeria’s largest city of Kano, killing almost 200 people
  • April 2012: They attack a church in in Kaduna, killing at least 38 people.
  • June 2012: Militants attack three churches in Kaduna, killing at least 19 people.
  •  August 2012: Gunmen raid a church in Kogi State, killing 19 people.
  • December, 2012: More than 40 people are killed in separate attacks in the country.
  • April 2013: Boko Haram insurgency kills more than 200 people in the city of Baga in the northeastern state of Borno.
  • May 2013: At least 200 heavily armed militants raid the northeastern town of Bama, killing dozens of people and freeing 100 militants from a prison. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declares a state of emergency in the northeast.
  • May 2013: Nigeria announces a military offensive in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe against the terrorists.
  • June 2013: In a series of attacks, Boko Harm raids several churches in different states and kills more than 50 people.
  • September 17, 2013: Gunmen kill 143 people by dressing in military uniforms and staging a fake checkpoint near Benisheik in Borno.
  • November 13, 2013: The US State Department announces Boko Haram as a terrorist organization.
  • January 2014: Gunmen kill at least 45 people in a raid on a market in Kawuri in Borno.
  • April 14, 2014: Militants abduct more than 250 teenage girls from a boarding school in Chibok. Some of the girls, however, manage to escape.
  • May 13, 2014: Terrorists raid three villages in Borno. Villagers fight and kill more than 200 militants.
  • May 20, 2014: Twin bomb blasts kill 118 people at a market in the city of Jos.
  • May 21, 2014: The US declares that it has sent 80 troops to Chad to help search for the kidnapped schoolgirls.
  • May 2014: The United Nations Security Council imposes sanctions against Boko Haram.
  • June 3,4, 2014: Boko Haram militants kill hundreds of people in Borno. Some sources put the death toll at 500.
  • June 2014: Militants hold a village in Borno hostage for four days. They kidnap over 60 women and children and kill 30 men.
  • October 16, 2014: The Nigerian government says it has reached a ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram under which the militants pledged to release schoolgirls.
  • November 1, 2014: In a video, Boko Haram’s leader denies the government’s claim of a ceasefire.
  • March 7, 2015:  Boko Haram pledges allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
  • April 2015: Mass graves of at least 400 men and women are found in northeastern Nigeria.
  • April 28-30, 2015: Nigerian forces destroy Boko Haram camps and rescue some 450 women and girls in an operation in Sambisa Forest.
  • July 1, 2015: Gunmen storm three villages in Borno, killing at least 145 people.
  • September 3, 2015: At least 30 people are killed and 145 wounded after Boko Haram attacks a crowded market in Kerawa, Cameroon and a hospital near a Cameroonian military camp.
  • February 2016: Mlitants raid two villages in northeast Nigeria, killing at least 30 people. In another attack, two female bombers kill 58 people at a Nigerian refugee camp for villagers fleeing the insurgency.
  • April 14, 2016: Boko Haram releases a video purportedly showing the girls abducted from Chibok in 2014.
This image taken from a video released on August 14, 2016 shows a Boko Haram militant standing in front of teenage girls kidnapped from Chibok in April 2014. ©AFP

In the April footage, one of the militants claimed that some of the girls were still alive and the others had been killed in airstrikes by the Nigerian air force. He said a number of the girls, “about 40 of them”, had also been married to the militants.

Last year, Amnesty International said at least 2,000 women and girls had been kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria since the beginning of 2014, and many of them forced into sexual slavery or combat.

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Nigeria: Niger Delta Avengers announces ceasefire, says it supports holding talks with Abuja

21, August 2016

Nigeria: Niger Delta Avengers announces ceasefire, says it supports holding talks with Abuja 0

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), known for its attacks on Nigeria’s oil installations, has announced a ceasefire, saying it will support the notion of holding talks with the government in Abuja. The group said in a message on its website late Saturday that it would support efforts to negotiate with “the federal government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational oil corporations and neutral international mediators.” It said NDA would “observe a cessation of hostilities” and will honor its pledge “unless the ruling political APC (All Progressives Congress party) continues … to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens and invade especially Ijaw communities.”

The Ijaw ethnic people are the dominant militant group in the southern Niger Delta region. They have vowed to resume fighting if the current window for talks expires and the government fails to address their demands. “We promise to fight more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity fails,” the NDA said in its message. Attacks on Nigeria’s oil pipeline and facilities have left a devastating impact on the African country’s economy. Reports say Abuja has lost a third of its oil income as a result of the militancy affecting its oil facilities.

The government blamed two such attacks on Friday on the DNA while a second group, identifying itself as the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM), carried out another attack on the state-owned pipeline on the same day. The DNA has yet to comment on reports that it has been holding talks with government representatives in Abuja over the past weeks. The group has also refused to publicly support efforts by community figures from the Niger Delta region to resolve the conflict.

 

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Breaking: Horror in Mora as Boko Haram strikes again

21, August 2016

Breaking: Horror in Mora as Boko Haram strikes again 0

Boko Haram militants have struck Cameroon again. The suicide attack took place today Sunday, August 21, 2016, in the town of Mora, capital of Mayo-Sava Division, located just over 80 km from Maroua, the chief city in the Far North region.

Our chief correspondent in the Far North say at least 5 people including the bomber have been pronounced dead. We also gathered that 25 people have life threatening injuries from the blast and a dozen more were seriously affected.

The death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours as first aid did not arrive on time. The kamikaze attack took place not far from the entrance of the main market of the city, where traders had gathered to buy cargoes of onions. The suicide bomber detonated his device near a group of traders.

The attack comes at a time when the Cameroon army recently announced the weakening of Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to the organization of the Islamic state and is now called Islamic state in Africa.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files from Sama Ernest

Former US navy officer who published book on the killing of Osama Bin Laden forced to give up all profits

21, August 2016

Former US navy officer who published book on the killing of Osama Bin Laden forced to give up all profits 1

A former Navy Seal who penned a bestselling book about his role in the killing of Osama Bin Laden has to pay $7m to the US government. Matt Bissonette violated a non-disclosure agreement by failing to get clearance from the Pentagon for his book No Day Easy, which was published in 2012. Mr Bissonette has now agreed to give up all profits and royalties as well as any film rights or speaking fees.

The government has agreed to dismiss other liability claims as part of the agreement, in which he has to pay the equivalent of £5m. Bin Laden – the leader of terror group al-Qaeda – was killed in a raid on his compound in Pakistan in 2011 and buried at sea.

The school wine built: Boozing Brits help children in Argentina through Fairtrade range Navy Seals traditionally abide by a code of silence and do not speak publicly about their actions. Mr Bissonette accepted he had failed to enter his book for review by the Pentagon at a district court in the state of Virginia.

In a statement, he apologised and said he had been acting on the incorrect advice of his lawyer. “It was a serious error that I urge others not to repeat,” he said. “Although I never intended to endanger my former colleagues, I now recognise that failing to seek pre-publication review could place them and their families at greater risk, for which I especially apologise.” The Mirror

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Race for the White House: New Poll shows 8-percentage point lead by Clinton over Trump

20, August 2016

Race for the White House: New Poll shows 8-percentage point lead by Clinton over Trump 0

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has taken an 8-percentage point lead over her Republican rival, Donald Trump, in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential race, according to a new poll. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, released on Friday evening, shows the former secretary of state has 42 percent of the votes as compared to the New York billionaire having only a 34-percent support. Another 23 percent wouldn’t pick either candidate.

However, Clinton’s lead over Trump slimmed slightly in a four-way match-up that included Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. She received 41 percent to his 34 percent. In that scenario, Johnson earned 7 percent, while Stein bagged 2 percent. The poll was conducted from August 14 to 18 among a national sample of 1,118 of adults and 1,119 likely voters. The margin of error for both samples is 3 points. Reuters noted that at this point of the race four years ago, President Barack Obama was leading his Republican challenger Mitt Romney by less than 2 points.

According to Pew Research Center poll, released on Thursday, a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Trump, with 55 percent saying he would make a poor or terrible president, while 45 percent saying the same about Clinton. Thirty-one percent say Clinton would make a good or great president, while 27 percent say the same of Trump. Those who back Trump say, 81 percent to 11 percent, that life is worse now for US citizens than it was 50 years ago. However, Clinton supporters — 59 percent — say life is better than five decades ago and 19 percent say it is worse.

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Maroua: Fire consumes Red Cross ware house

20, August 2016

Maroua: Fire consumes Red Cross ware house 0

A fire has consumed the Maroua Red Cross ware house. All the medical stocks of the international Red Cross society in a warehouse situated in the Kosseyel beiy neighborhood in Maroua have been reduced to ashes by fire.

The rest of the humanitarian support items estimated at tens of thousands of tons would have also gone on flames were it not for the intervention of the Maroua rescue and firefighting brigade.

CRTV

Cameroon holds send-off ceremony for troops assigned to the Central African Republic

20, August 2016

Cameroon holds send-off ceremony for troops assigned to the Central African Republic 0

The national flag was handed over to the deputy commander of the troops projected on a peacekeeping mission to the Central African Republic. The Cameroonian contingent is part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission to the Central African Republic, MINUSCA.

The ceremony at the Military Headquarters was the first of its kind for Cameroonian soldiers going on an international assignment. The Minister Delegate at the Presidency, Joseph Beti Assomo said the tradition has been instituted by the Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces; a farewell and a welcome ceremony will, henceforth, be organised for soldiers before departure and upon return from international missions.

Joseph Beti Assomo indicated that the innovation was among other measures taken by the Head of State to render the soldiers more efficient and effective in preserving and promoting Cameroon’s diplomacy of peace. Prior to the send-off ceremony, the soldiers of the peacekeeping force and gendarmes of the Formed Police Units took part in pre-deployment refresher courses in Douala and Yaoundé on the notion of peacekeeping. They also signed individual contracts and their mission bonuses had an increment of two hundred thousand CFA Francs per month per person.

The Minister insisted on the respect of military discipline within the ranks expressing outrage at the strike action staged by some previous MINUSCA contingent. He added that their mission should reflect Cameroon’s foreign policy of peace and her efforts to provide sustainable peace and security in neighboring Central African Republic.  In a bid to reinforce discipline, a senior officer in charge of discipline will be deployed and the military security unit will be beefed up, security and health units will also be reinforced.

The soldiers are expected to remain professional and respect UN procedures in the execution of their mission in the Central African Republic during their one year stay in the CAR. A military parade with stamina, courage and enthusiasm reminiscent of Cameroon’s military prowess marked the end of the first part of the ceremony. The soldiers and their close relatives later wined and dined with the Minister Delegate at the presidency in charge of Defence before their take off.

 

CRTV

The decline of the ANC: Opposition Councillor elected mayor of Pretoria

19, August 2016

The decline of the ANC: Opposition Councillor elected mayor of Pretoria 0

South Africa’s ruling party, African National Congress (ANC), has been dealt a major blow as an opposition politician is named as the mayor of the capital Pretoria for the first time since the end of Apartheid two decades ago. Opposition councilor Solly Msimanga, 36, of the liberal center-right Democratic Alliance (DA), was elected Pretoria mayor on Friday.

“The people decided which way they want the city to go, and it was not the direction that it has been taking in the last… years,” Msimanga said in his inaugural speech to the city council. People are “tired of corruption, they are tired of nepotism, they are tired of cronyism… they are tired of work only given to members of certain families and their friends,” he said.

Msimanga vowed to end the patronage that he said had left the capital in the red. “This city is technically bankrupt right now because of greediness and because of people who decided to put themselves first,” he said. “No more will our people suffer under the hands of the ANC.”  The ANC councilors heckled Msimanga during his speech.

It is the first time since the end of white-minority rule in 1994 that Pretoria, also known as Tshwane, is not headed by a mayor from the ANC. The loss for the ANC and victory for the DA follows nationwide municipal elections earlier this month. The ANC lost control of three major cities, namely, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Nationwide, as well, the party suffered its worst results in 22 years in the municipal vote, gaining less than 54 percent of ballots cast, an eight percentage point drop from the last local elections in 2011. The ANC was once viewed as the South African party upholding the ideas and tenets of anti-Apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, and the DA as the party serving rich white South Africans.

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Baghdad based US military spokesman says Iran-backed forces in Iraq have grown to 100,000

19, August 2016

Baghdad based US military spokesman says Iran-backed forces in Iraq have grown to 100,000 0

Iran-backed Shia forces in Iraq have grown to 100,000 in the war against Daesh Takfiri militants, says Baghdad-based US military spokesman, Colonel Chris Garver. In an email to Fox News, Garver said that since the rise of Daesh terrorists inside Iraq more than two years ago, Shia forces have grown to 100,000 fighters.

Garver added that the fighters have been able to grow inside the Popular Mobilization Units.  Iraqi government forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, have been pushing the militants out of the country’s territory.

Fox News reported that this is an alarmingly high number and is the first time such a figure has been estimated. The American news channel also reported concerns that the Shia fighters represent an “anti-American force” that would take over once Daesh are defeated.

Many have been critical of the US’ role in Iraq. Last month, an Iraqi parliamentary panel opposed the role of US troops in the liberation of Mosul, in light of the news that the US was planning to send hundreds of additional troops there. Iraq’s MP Nayef al-Shammari said that “Iraqis have already retaken Tikrit, Fallujah and… Ramadi.”

When asked about Shia fighters’ involvement in the liberation of Mosul, Garver said, “the government of Iraq is in charge of this war. We’re here to support them. So, who they [want in] the campaign is really their decision.” However, he strongly stressed that there is no coordination between the US and Iranians “in any way.”

Iraq is preparing for an offensive into Mosul, the country’s second largest city, which fell into the hands of Daesh in the summer of 2014. The city is the last remaining bastion of Daesh in Iraq as the military and allies have managed to retake key towns and villages from the militants over the past months.

Iraqis managed to recapture the city of Fallujah, west of the capital Baghdad, in late June. The city was a main hub of Daesh militancy in Iraq and its liberation boosted hope for Iraq’s final push toward Mosul. Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi has said that less than 10 percent of the Iraqi territory remains in the hands of Daesh.

 

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Rebuilding the Bakassi Peninsula: The lies as told by CPDM Beltha Ndoh Bakata

19, August 2016

Rebuilding the Bakassi Peninsula: The lies as told by CPDM Beltha Ndoh Bakata 3

The 19th Session of the Bakassi Projects Follow-Up Committee held in the Prime Minister’s Office on August 18, 2016 reported Cameroon Tribune.

Three years after the establishment of Cameroon’s total sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula following the June 12, 2006 Green Tree Accord, barons of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate are reportedly expressing a kind of satisfaction in government circles for what they claim is the effective implementation of social, economic, security and administrative projects in the zone handed over by the Federal Republic of Nigeria after the October 10, 2002 International Court of Justice ruling.

The Biya regime and its propaganda machinery revealed in 2015 that over FCFA 30 billion had been invested in the area since 2008. They added that more investments worth over FCFA 722 million have since been added in 2016. However, this photo attached to this report as recorded for us by Cameroon Tribune does not showcase a constituency that has received huge amount of government funding.

While chairing the 19th Session of the Coordination and Follow-up Committee for the Implementation of Priority Projects in the Bakassi Zone, on August 18, 2016, the committee’s Chairperson and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Bertha Ndoh Bakata, said that much indeed had been accomplished through the yearly Public Investment Budget and the FCFA 5.6 billion Special Mini Development Programme.

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Bertha Ndoh Bakata who has the luxury of living in the capital city of Yaounde gave a run-down of the projects executed citing the construction of rest houses, classrooms, youth centres, fishermen’s houses, health structures, customs posts, roads and community halls, among others, in localities such as Isangele, Akwa, Idabato, Mbengmong, New Beach and Kombo-Abedimo.

She hinted that Prime Minister Philemon Yang authorised a trip of a team of five to the area in April 2016 to identify emergency projects which a Douala-based company and some Canadian investors were interested in executing.  But the images emerging from Bakassi indicates Bertha Ndoh Bakata and her mentor, Minister and Chief Dion Ngute are simply playing the CPDM game.

CPDM Beltha Ndoh Bakata betrayed herself at the tail end of her submission during the August 18 meeting by urging participants to address persistent problems such as insufficient potable water, electricity, telecommunication and roads. If 30 billion already invested in this area cannot tackle Beltha Ndoh Bakata “persistent problems” who now is fooling who here?

CPDM Beltha Ndoh Bakata called for more commitment by ministries in the implementation of the projects and the early disbursement of earmarked funds, especially as the long rainy season acts as a major impediment.

By Sama Ernest with files from Cameroon Tribune

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