Headline News

30, September 2024

Biya may not be returning anytime soon! ⁰

President Paul Biya who has been hospitalized in France will not be returning to Cameroon anytime soon, a source close to the ailing leader has informed the Cameroon Concord News Group.

Mr Biya travelled to France for a prostrate cancer operation and has not been responding to treatment, the source added.

“The cancer seems to be spreading and due to his age, things are not falling in place as planned. If the president will be coming home, he might not be in front of the plane as his health is not the best. He is old and anything can happen. Our concern now is who will take over after him when the next in line is also very sick in France?”

Meanwhile, the ruling CPDM is planning to have an extraordinary congress before the end of the year based on the fact that the news from Paris is not good.

The extraordinary congress will also look at how to modify the party constitution to ensure that the position of chairman is not a lifetime affair.

The congress will also be an opportunity to look at those who might possibly step in just in case the president returned in the cargo compartment of the plane, our source said.

Our source furthered that an Anglophone was being considered for the post of party chairman and anybody who occupies the post might run in case the inevitable occurs.

However, there are also fears that the military might step in if the transition is not properly managed. Our informant hinted that one of the generals whose name the Cameroon Concord News prefers to keep under wraps was already being suspected of talking with the French government.

“A palace coup is very likely to take place in Cameroon. We might see the Gabon-style coup. Cameroon is in for dangerous times. We are scared of street violence as the level of frustration and unemployment leaves much to be desired. The days ahead are unsettling and if care is not taken, Cameroon could descend into chaos”.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

28, September 2024

Eyumema-Nyene Mawn-Mohwa: Now that the fighting is over Manyu needs complementarity and not competition! ⁰

After decades of unnecessary fighting, it is becoming clear to people of Manyu Division that competition is the law of the jungle while complementarity is the law of civilization. The Division’s women’s organization should be encouraged to embrace complementarity.

For a very long time, it has been challenging to have people of Manyu descent to work together because of bloated egos and the men who are supposed to take the lead on efforts at bringing much-needed development to the Division have been unable to get pass their unnecessary pride and differences.

Organization after Organization has been plagued by internecine fighting, causing misunderstanding and various factions to develop. And the various factions hardly deliver any good development results. Development is also about numbers. Those who have the numbers usually have a greater resource mobilization capacity.

After most fights, the various factions always seek to destroy each other, making it hard for any real reconciliation to take place.

It has always been a firm belief in Manyu that only the men can deliver great results, but this mistaken belief is gradually yielding to new ways of thinking as Manyu women organizations are springing up and the women are more determined than ever to bring about transformative change in the Division.

Today, there are three key women organizations which are seeking to engineer a paradigm shift, though the usual demons have already reared their ugly heads.

MOHWA, which has been in existence for a long time, is trying to find its feet after a very long bruising divorce. Its ranks have been diminished following the formation of EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN.

Despite its reduced numbers, MOHWA remains a determined and necessary force which wants to bring its share of development projects to the Division.

Though there is still a lot of bitterness, which is normal when a divorce occurs, MOHWA members still hold that they can put smiles on the faces of some young Manyu girls who are struggling to find their way around the complicated and confusing maze known as life.

Internal fighting could be bad business for any organization but it could also be a huge stock-taking moment if leaders keep an open mind. MOHWA can still rise from its ashes if its leaders address those issues which have caused it to lose many of its members and this organization, which has stood the test of time, will continue to be a fixture on the Manyu development landscape if new ways replace old methods of doing business.

After a long bruising fight, EYUMEMA has seen the light of day. This brand new women’s group has ignited and rekindled hope in many Manyu people. Its sheer numbers will be a development asset if old demons do not take a seat at the table.

Many Manyu women across the world have been rushing to join the organization, hoping that the organization’s growing numbers will be transformed into huge development capital.

The United States has the largest EYUMEMA branch and there is every indication that things are headed in the right direction. Besides having delivered boreholes to the Division, EYUMEMA still has a huge and long pipeline of projects with the building of the preventive hospital’s technical and physical capacity being a top priority.

Manyu Division lost its key medical facility a few years ago in a fire whose origin has been controversial. Following this unfortunate situation, the preventive hospital in Mamfe has been serving as a full hospital though it lacks the proper technical capacity.

EYUMEMA sources have indicated that endowing the preventive hospital with some modern capacity is a key objective of the organization.

With branches in various towns in Cameroon, EYUMEMA is clearly stealing the show from MOHWA, with many women joining the organization without knowing why they are joining. Many seem to be under a spell. The noise from the USA seems to be music to their ears and they want to be part of an organization which is already displaying a deep sense of purpose.

The MOHWA fragmentation has not only ended with the creation of EYUMEMA. A bomb seemed to have fallen on MOHWA and that explosion also resulted in the creation of NYENE MAWN in Belgium.

Its creation might not have put smiles on many faces, especially for those who think that unity is strength. However, division is as old as man and instead of spending time and energy fighting old demons, NYENE MAWN members feel they could be counted among those organizations which are putting the Manyu girl child at the heart of their operations.

The more, the merrier goes the saying and NYENE MAWN is a welcome addition to the Manyu development landscape. The brand new organization is currently developing a sound management structure to ensure that demons of the past do not rear their ugly heads in this organization which sees complementarity as part of its development strategy.

Now that the fighting is over, it is time to take stock of things. Fighting is something any reasonable person should shun. But if it cannot be avoided, its lessons should at least be learned.

Today, Manyu needs lots of development projects and any organization which is capable of changing things for the people of that Division should be welcome. MOHWA, EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN are all Manyu organizations and the people of Manyu should support their development aspirations and endeavors.

These organizations should understand that anger against a sister should never be the reason why there won’t ever be any collaboration.

The world is in constant movement and change is the only constant. As people of Manyu descent, we must embrace our organizations, support them in whatever they are doing, provided that they will bring much-needed development to our Division, and above all, encourage them to collaborate, where necessary.

The world is moving towards complementarity and competition clearly belongs to the past. Competition may only lead to a duplication of operations and such a situation might not be in the interest of our people.

Manyu looks forward to working with all its women’s groups and the men should donate generously to these groups as our women are pointing us in the right direction. Manyu is our land and we must develop it and make it a better place than we met it.

Dr. Joachim Arrey

This is a Cameroon Concord News Group Production.

28, September 2024

Biya’s bill of health: prostrate operation goes wrong in France ⁰

While his Swiss doctors have done their best over the years to keep Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, alive over the last decade, a prostrate operation gone wrong in France is threatening to kill the 91-year-old Biya whose bill of health is a top secret in his native Cameroon, a source has told the Cameroon Concord News Group Chairman.

Mr. Biya has been a colony of diseases for years and he has been able to manage those issues due to good health systems in Western countries where he has been their patron. But after 42 years in power, Biya has not been able to endow his country with good health facilities.

But a bad prostrate operation in France has weakened the Cameroon strong man and there is panic within his family. It seems the end is near, our source said, adding that such an operation could be risky, and given that the patient here is 91 years old, things could easily spiral out of control.

At 91, Mr. Biya cannot handle a full sedation and that was the first issue prior to the operation. But it is the operation itself that is causing panic both in Paris and Yaoundé, with Mr. Biya’s family losing sleep as his situation deteriorates, our source revealed.

His family members have been holding long prayer sessions, urging God to give their father another chance, but the prayers do not seem to get to their destination as his recovery is raising more concerns.

While Mr. Biya’s family is calling on God for another chance for their father, many Cameroonians, for their part, are holding secret prayer sessions, urging the same God to rid them of the damnation which has been theirs for over four decades.

Mr. Biya has become a millstone around the necks of his countrymen due to his incompetence and corruption. Cameroonians are leaving their country in droves as the economy has collapsed with youth unemployment standing at over 40%.

The country’s economy is characterized by its informality, causing the government to lose tax revenues. But the Biya regime is not in a hurry to modernize the economy and digitization which could help reduce corruption has been on the back burner for decades.

Tribalism and regionalism have been institutionalized and this is causing tensions within the country. For more than eight years, the Yaoundé government has been unable to find good and sustainable solutions to the sociopolitical crisis in the country’s two English-speaking regions which has created thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees.

Many Cameroonians hold that a dead Biya will be good news to the country and more secret prayer sessions are in the cards.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

28, September 2024

Race for the White House: Harris visits border to neutralize weak spot against Trump ⁰

Kamala Harris was due to deliver a tough-on-illegal-migration message after visiting the US-Mexico border Friday, directly tackling the politically explosive issue in a bid to blunt one of Donald Trump’s main attack lines in their fight for the White House.

The US vice president’s trip to Arizona — her first to the border since replacing President Joe Biden as Democratic nominee in July — comes as polls show illegal migration remains one of her biggest vulnerabilities against the Republican.

Harris will call for tougher security in the speech in the border town of Douglas and accuse Trump of killing attempts to pass a bipartisan migration bill in hopes of boosting his own election chances, her campaign said.

“The American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games,” she plans to say, according to her campaign.

A campaign official told reporters that Harris will announce that as president she would strengthen border restrictions recently put in place that successfully stemmed the flow of undocumented crossings.

Harris made an unannounced visit to the border wall in Douglas, where she met with Border Patrol officials and was photographed alongside the distinctive metal slats at the international frontier.

Arizona is also one of the half-dozen battleground states that are expected to decide the agonizingly close November 5 election, and it is where polls show Harris may have to do the most work.

Former president Trump has turbocharged the border issue in recent weeks as he seeks an edge against Harris, America’s first female, Black and South Asian vice president.

The 78-year-old has called for mass deportations, amplified bogus claims about migrants eating pet cats and dogs, and stepped up his racially charged rhetoric about an “invasion” of illegal immigrants who he claims consist of murderers, rapists and mentally ill people.

Source: AFP

28, September 2024

As Biya’s health takes turn for the worse, reports say France might sponsor a coup ⁰

Cameroonians should be bracing for impact as the health of the country’s president, Paul Biya, takes a turn for the worse.

Mr. Biya has been a colony of diseases for some time now but the diseases have been in check thanks to Swiss doctors who have kept him alive with life-saving steroids.

The 91-year-old Biya has been struggling with a heart problem, failing memory, incontinence and chronic high blood pressure which have been threatening for years to send him to the world beyond.

According to a source close to the ailing president, Cameroonian officials, most of whom have been emasculated, are struggling to keep things under wraps. But their efforts at hiding things are not delivering the right results as critical information is already leaking.

Sources at the hospital where the incompetent leader is struggling for his life have indicated that it will be a miracle for Mr. Biya to run in the 2025 presidential election as his health continues to decline, especially his memory which has sharply diminished.

The source adds that only very few members of the president’s entourage have access to him, adding that his wife, Chantal Biya, is ensuring that no news filters from the hospital.

The source underscored that the steroids which had helped to keep the dictator alive were not yielding the expected results.

“Mr. Biya’s doctors are concerned as their efforts are not helping their old patient. There is panic within the president’s close circle and even his children are not given full access to their father for fear that their reaction could draw unwanted attention,” our source said.

“We know that the president’s inner circle is aware of the impending bad news. Ngoh Ngoh has been briefed on many occasions but he has been advised to keep things under wraps. There are fears that if news of the president’s failing health results in the inevitable, there could be chaos in the country,” our source is in Switzerland said.

“We are keeping a close eye on the situation but we know things are not good. Biya is struggling for his life and it is like his time is up. In Yaoundé, there are questions as to who will take over given that Marcel Niat Njifenji is also on life support,” our source added.

“I think constitutionally, the burden will be on Cavaye Djibril, the speaker of the House, who is also very ill and is incapable of carrying himself around. Cameroonians should be bracing for impact as the news is not good. We are scared that there could be chaos across the country and this might cause the military to step in just to keep the population in check,” our source said.

“But can the military actually help Cameroon? Most of the country’s senior military officials are corrupt and ill. There are huge divisions within the military and such a situation could only cause those differences to become the main cause of genocide in a country wherein tribalism and regionalism have been institutionalized,” our source pointed out.

Meanwhile, it is rumored that the French are already shifting their attention from Biya to the post-Biya epoch in Cameroon. Sources in France say the French are more concerned about their interest and they are looking for options which will help them stay in Cameroon.

Some people say the French might sponsor a coup like the one which took place in Gabon just to pre-empt any bloodshed. The source adds that some French military officers have been talking with Cameroon’s military officers and they are already putting in place alternative plans just in case the worst happens.

Since traveling to China in early September for an important summit, Mr. Biya has not returned home and many hold that he might not be returning anytime soon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

28, September 2024

Lucas Cho Ayaba in Norwegian Custody: Arrest Sends Important Message ⁰

Earlier this week, Norwegian police confirmed the arrest of a man on suspicion of incitement to commit crimes against humanity in Cameroon. AFP confirmed the man was Lucas Cho Ayaba, a Cameroonian separatist leader. His arrest could be a step toward justice for the victims of serious crimes in Cameroon’s embattled Anglophone regions.

Ayaba is the leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council, a major separatist group involved in the ongoing conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone region. Ayaba is alleged to have coordinated its armed wing, the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), remotely from Norway. The Ambazonia Governing Council’s aim is to carve out an independent state for Cameroon’s minority Anglophones. To accomplish this aim, the group punished anyone it perceived as collaborating with the government. It targeted civilians, kidnapped humanitarian workers, and killed perceived opponents while using intimidation and violence to keep children and their teachers out of school.

The prosecutor has indicated that the investigation is at an early phase, but given Ayaba is accused of inciting these crimes from Norway, prosecutors may have a number of grounds on which to pursue the case. It is the first time Norwegian judicial authorities have charged an individual for incitement to crimes against humanity.

As armed separatists like the ADF continue to clash with government forces, the welfare of civilians has become a secondary concern to the parties involved. Ayaba’s arrest is a warning to others implicated in grave crimes that the reign of impunity may be ending.

Separatists are not the only ones committing serious human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions. Serious crimes by government forces have been rife since the crisis began and security forces have also killed civilians, burned dozens of villages, and arbitrarily arrested and tortured hundreds of alleged armed separatists.

The Cameroonian government has the responsibility to ensure justice for the most serious crimes but has made scant progress in investigating, much less prosecuting, those responsible for grave offenses committed as part of the Anglophone crisis, particularly by Cameroon’s security forces.

While Ayaba’s arrest is to be welcomed, justice cannot be one-sided. All perpetrators of grave abuses, including government forces, should be held to account.

Culled from Human Rights Watch

28, September 2024

CAMTEL battles vandalism threats as internet service deteriorates ⁰

CAMTEL is facing intentional vandalism targeting its optical fiber, disrupting internet services across Cameroon since September 20.

Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL), the country’s leading telecommunications provider, has reported a significant deterioration in Internet service following a rise in acts of vandalism targeting its optical fiber infrastructure. Since September 20, the company has faced an upsurge in deliberate attacks that have severely impacted its ability to maintain reliable electronic communications across Cameroon.

CAMTEL’s management believes that these incidents are intentional and aim to undermine the company’s reputation and its capacity to deliver high-quality Internet services.

As the backbone of Cameroon’s digital connectivity, CAMTEL’s optical fiber network plays a critical role in ensuring seamless communication, making the recent disruptions particularly concerning for businesses and individuals who rely on stable online access.

“Our teams on the ground are working tirelessly to restore connection as soon as possible.

CAMTEL apologises for the inconvenience caused by the deterioration of service due to these incidents and remains committed to providing its partners with quality Internet service” Camtel said in a statement.

Source: Techafricanews

26, September 2024

Ambazonia at the United Nations: The Speech of Vice President Dabney Yerima ⁰

The neglected eight-year war in Southern Cameroons and the urgent international action to end it

The ongoing mass killing of Southern Cameroonians by French Cameroon in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, marked by systematic violence, widespread displacement, and the persecution of innocent civilians, continues to be met with disturbing silence and inaction from the international community.

The conflict which has claimed some thirty-two thousand lives, torn apart communities and displaced about 5 million people is a glaring example of a human rights crisis that demands urgent attention.

Despite a compelling body of evidence of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities by Biya’s armed forces ranging from extrajudicial killings of men women and children, to the destruction of villages, schools and churches used as military camps, raping of women, girls and children, looting of property by the French Cameroon invading military, global powers and international institutions have failed to respond with the seriousness the situation deserves.

This neglect has allowed the situation to deteriorate, deepening the suffering of the Ambazonian people and emboldening Paul Biya and his invading military sponsored by France which is responsible for the violence and human rights abuses.

The recent trend of arresting, abducting, and incarcerating Ambazonians in the Diaspora is not only a violation of their fundamental rights but also a misguided approach that will not resolve the crisis. These actions, aimed at silencing voices advocating peace, justice, and self-determination, only exacerbate tensions.

We, the leaders of Ambazonia, categorically state that arresting Ambazonian leaders abroad will not bring about peace. The international community must recognize that repression and intimidation will not end this conflict.

I have followed the ongoing general assembly meeting of the United Nations hoping that some world leaders would site what is going on in Ambazonia as one of the ongoing conflicts in the world today, strangely, none of them mentioned it. Some world leaders would cite Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and Sudan, but will never think of the conflict in Southern Cameroons.

President Biden had a great speech but omitted the conflict in Ambazonia even though interestingly he called on the UN to go back to their main objective of promoting and fighting for peace around the world. He also emphasized the force of people’s power.

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Philemon Yang, a born Ambazonian, on the other hand did not make mention of the genocide going on in Ambazonia which he could not resolve through peaceful dialogue when he was head of government in Yaoundé. He is calling for a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and Palestine. What a paradox! Ask Yang to leave the current UN Session and spend a week in his village, Oku, in Ambazonia. He will tell you, over his dead body because he has the blood of innocent Ambazonians on his hands.

What Ambazonia and the people in the region need is not more violence or punitive measures but genuine and meaningful discussions which address fully and definitively the root causes of the French Cameroon-Ambazonia armed conflict. The key to resolving this conflict lies in dialogue. We call upon the international community, especially key stakeholders such as the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, and major world powers, to push for a peaceful resolution through negotiations without pre-conditions.

The International community should note that the genocide in Ambazonia will not be resolved by arresting, abducting or incarcerating Ambazonians.

The people of Ambazonia have the right to self-determination and to live free from fear and persecution. The international community’s continued indifference is unacceptable. It is time for the world to act decisively, to bring both sides to negotiate a peaceful and just resolution, and to address the root causes of the conflict. We shall not be intimidated; we are bold and resilient because self-determination is our basic human rights. We will continue to fight for our liberation. We will continue to fight for our inalienable right to govern ourselves in peace, justice and security.

We stand firm in our belief that the future of Ambazonia must be determined by the people of Ambazonia themselves and no one else, not by the unlawful detention of those seeking to voice the legitimate aspirations of the Ambazonian people.

All evidence points to the fact that it is Biya and his civilian and military collaborators who ought to be in a dock. Ambazonia is a land founded on democracy and Justice.

The rule of law is the basic tenet in Ambazonia. Justice shall prevail!

The time for negotiations is now. Arrests and abductions will not stop our will and the will of a people who are determined to live in peace, dignity, and freedom. We urge the international community to stop turning a blind eye and take active steps towards peace in Ambazonia. I call on all comrades around the world to celebrate our Independence Day this year like never before. Let our voices be heard in Canada, Ground one, and Ground two and Ground zero, Rome, South Africa and the United States of America with the slogan, “No to the War in the Southern Cameroons and Yes to peaceful negotiations.”

26, September 2024

UN Conference on diversity holds in Nairobi ⁰

A UN conference on climate diversity and desertification, held on the theme “Greening the African Horizon” took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 17 September 2024 with Africa taking center stage in efforts to restore degraded landscapes, protect biodiversity and build sustainable livelihoods for its citizens.

Dubbed as the GLF Africa 2024 hybrid conference greening the African Horizon, the event brought together thousands of participants from local communities, indigenous peoples, youth leaders and policy makers, as well as innovators to showcase Africa’s immerse potentials.

Speaking at the event, the CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Eliane Ubalijoro, said that the event was designed to showcase Africa’s immense potential to construct a resilient equitable future through its landscape.

“Together, we have the power to green Africa and beyond- for food securing livelihoods, food security, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. Land and community are the common denominators for achieving these goals. Though the climate crisis presents immense challenges, Africa holds immense potentials of rich and local indigenous knowledge, innovative solutions, youth leaders, brilliant minds and emerging technologies,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, Elijah Mboko, National Technical Specialist at FAO Kenya said that “As we bring in new tools and approaches, we should look at how to best integrate them into the existing functional systems so that we don’t start from zero to distort what is ongoing on the land. We don’t want to work in isolation; we want to strengthen that system.”

By integrating local knowledge with cutting-edge technology and the latest science, the GLF is creating an AI hub to promote community-driven AI solutions that challenge the status quo. It will connect landscape actors and create interdisciplinary alliances to foster collaboration, innovation and inclusive knowledge.

Catherine Nakalembe, Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland and Africa Program Director at NASA Harvest, who also attended the event pointed out that Africa needed to design systems that fitted the African context.

“We need to design systems that are appropriate for the context of Africa. We need data from the places that we’re trying to understand to build better models. Let’s say, foe Western Kenya, we need a context-aware model that can interpret intercropping in small-scale practices,” she said.

A key aspect of restoring forest is planting trees, which in turn requires effective tree seed and seedling delivery systems. During a session hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF, panelists and participants emphasized the need to develop a market for demand-driven native tree species to engage communities through participatory approaches and to share knowledge and resources broadly through stakeholder networks such as the nascent Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP).

Also present at the event, the Senior Manager for the Youth Leadership Program at the African Wildlife Foundation, Simangele Msweli, underscored that youths made a critical mass of the population. “70% of the African population is under the age of 35. Youths make up a very critical mass of the population. The biodiversity and climate crisis requires a whole-of-society approach-everyone must take action,” he said.

“There is a need to decolonize how we do climate justice and land restoration. Whatever has happened on other continents, whatever the donors and the granters are saying might not be the solution for Africa. There is a need for Africa to come up with African solutions. There is a need for women to be involved in coming up with solutions to land issues that are upon them,” said Deborah Oyugi, English Countries Manager and Safeguarding Lead at Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (Yilaa).

By Cecilia M. Manjang

26, September 2024

Yaoundé: Glencore affair could cause political earthquake ⁰

As UK courts investigate accusations of corruption against Glencore and the oil trader’s activities in Africa, speculation is rife in Cameroon that the affair could have repercussions for President Paul Biya.

On 8 October, Southwark Crown Court in London will open a new hearing in the Glencore case, and Cameroon will again be holding its breath. The case could erupt into an international corruption scandal.

At this and subsequent hearings, it will be a question of putting names to the nebulous figures who are alleged to have received bribes from the oil company – to the tune of some CFA10bn ($16.9bn) in connection with contracts awarded to Cameroon by the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (National Society of Hydrocarbon, SNH).

Expectations dropped on 10 September at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, where the case was called for a preliminary hearing. Despite popular pressure, none of the names of those suspected were mentioned. Yaoundé is waiting for British defendants Martin Wakefield, Alexander Beard and Andrew Gibson, former senior executives of the Anglo-Swiss oil company, to reveal the names of the Cameroonians to whom they are alleged to have paid bribes for the award of oil contracts – and preparing for the impact.

Biya implicated?

As Cameroon’s President Paul Biya looks set to run for re-election in a year, he is grappling with the possible consequences of the Glencore case, which could call into question his commitment to fighting corruption. Two years have passed since former executives of the company confessed to bribing Cameroonian officials, yet no criminal investigation has been launched. This is despite a complaint by SNH to the Special Criminal Court (SCT) asking it to “identify the Cameroonian accomplices in these acts of corruption”.

According to the British defendants, the events took place between 2007 and 2014. Most of those working for SNH or Société Nationale de Refininage (National Society of Refining, Sonara) at the time are still in their positions. However, none have been heard from in an investigation. Is this because the chain of responsibility could go all the way back to the president of Cameroon himself? According to many observers, it is unthinkable that SNH could have awarded contracts at extremely advantageous rates without the presidency being informed.

The minister of state and secretary-general of the presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, also chairs SNH’s board of directors. Yet the government has communicated little about this affair, reinforcing the impression of a lack of transparency that surrounds the management of oil affairs, despite international commitments to financial openness. The only positive development is that the ministry of finance has referred the matter to Swiss and British authorities to defend Cameroon’s interests. Glencore’s Douala-based subsidiary will be subject to a tax reassessment commensurate with the damage suffered by Cameroon’s public finances.

At the very least, the affair reveals major security flaws, since it has been established that aircraft carrying cash could land at Cameroon airports without alerting the attention of the relevant authorities. How did these shipments escape the attention of the customs service and therefore the ministry of finance? This is one of the questions that Wakefield, Beard and Gibson, the British defendants at Southwark Crown Court, will have to answer.

Moudiki on borrowed time?

Who might be the Cameroonians implicated in the Glencore affair ? On 26 July, Biya authorised Ngoh Ngoh to hold an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors of SNH, with a view to replacing Adolphe Moudiki, the long-serving managing director and a long-time ally of the head of state. But the president then changed his mind and in the end prevented the dismissal of his old ally, without explanation. Moudiki is still at the head of SNH, but now appears to be a man on borrowed time.

The matter is all the more delicate for him because his wife, Nathalie Moudiki, is charged with the company’s contractual interests through her position as director of legal affairs at SNH. At 85 years of age, Moudiki will not indulge in any talk of retirement, even though his colleagues say his insight and vigilance have been undermined by illness. He initially denied any involvement in the company that he has run with an iron fist for 31 years, before changing tack.

On 6 November, 2023, he filed a complaint with the TCS to “identify the Cameroonian accomplices in these acts of corruption”. He added that SNH is “confident that the outcome of the proceedings in London will enable the TCS to speed up its investigations”. In Yaoundé, there is no doubt Moudiki is hoping to get the TCS to look into the oil networks of the man who tried to sack him – Ngoh Ngoh, secretary-general of the presidency.

As chairman of SNH’s board of directors since 2011, he is the number two in Cameroon’s executive and the link between President Biya and the oil company, which contributes around 60% of the national budget. Given he is supposed to be the eyes and ears of the president, how could he have allowed the Glencore scandal to emerge, his critics ask. “Technically, you can’t sell at knock-down prices without it showing up in the records presented to the directors, and SNH’s and Sonara’s auditors are turning a blind eye,” said one source.

Reluctance to comment

Against a backdrop of clan warfare around the presidency, Ngoh Ngoh’s enemies are waiting to see him fall. Given the complexity of the Glencore affair and the number of people involved in the alleged acts of corruption, between London, Geneva and Cameroon, is still unknown, could it all come to nothing?

Among the “second tier” figures exposed are Charles Metouck and Ibrahim Talba Malla, the two successive heads of Sonara between 2007 and 2014, when the incidences of corruption are alleged to have taken place. Neither has, as yet, offered a reaction. The former, appointed managing director in 2007, was dismissed and arrested in 2013 before being sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for embezzling CFA514m ($872,000). But the latter, his successor, who held the post from 2013 to 2019, is the current minister delegate in charge of public procurement.

Little known to the public, he is nonetheless a political heavyweight of northern Cameroon, comprising the three regions of Adamaoua, the north and the far north and representing reservoirs of votes on which Biya will be relying in part in the forthcoming elections. No doubt aware of the explosive nature of the situation, Talba Malla’s successors, Jean-Paul Simo Djonou and Harouna Bako, have not so far commented on the Glencore affair, nor on the actions Sonara intends to take to protect its interests and safeguard its image.

Source: The Africa Report