Life

22, September 2017

Over 50 people die in Chad cholera outbreak ⁰

The Chadian government says more than 50 people have died of cholera in the country since authorities declared an outbreak of the disease.

“We count 312 cases, including 52 deaths,” said Health Ministry secretary general Hamid Djabar on Thursday.

Authorities declared a cholera outbreak on Monday, which put in place a “crisis committee” to monitor the situation and to strengthen cooperation with partners such as medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the UN children’s agency UNICEF.

“For the time being, the outbreak is confined to the region of Sila” near the borders with Sudan and the Central African Republic, said Djabar.

In the neighboring region of Salamat, 19 cases and two deaths were recorded, but the Health Ministry said the situation was “under control.”

Health authorities discovered the presence of the cholera virus in the east of the country in mid-August following two deaths from acute diarrhea and vomiting.

The cholera virus, which can kill within a few hours if left untreated, regularly affects the east and the Lake Chad basin, the least developed areas of the country where half the population lives below the poverty threshold.

“In 2011, Chad, along with other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, was affected by a large-scale cholera outbreak. More than 450 deaths and a total of 17,200 cases of the disease were reported,” MSF said on its website.

A similar outbreak was also discovered in neighboring Nigeria, where the UN said Monday that at least 44 people had died of the disease in the northeast of the country.

The first cholera case in Nigeria was identified in Borno state also in mid-August and has since spread, mainly in camps for those displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

“According to estimates, there are 1.3 to 4 million cases of cholera every year, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths due to the disease worldwide,” the World Health Organization said in July.

(Source: AFP)

20, September 2017

Biya Computer Gift: The CPDM government cannot stop telling lies ⁰

The anti Anglophone Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo has told the Prime Minister and Head of Government that 80,000 of the 500,000 computers promised to Cameroonian students will be available as of November 2017. Fame Ndongo made the revelation during an extraordinary cabinet meeting that held on the 19th of September in the Prime Minister’s office in Yaoundé.

The controversial Francophone cabinet minister did inform Yang Philemon that he has put in place a transparent distribution mechanism that will take into account enrolment through the bio metric system in all the universities. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Higher Education, “The computers that students expect will be delivered to them from November on wards. The Ministry of Higher Education will simply have to dispatch the computers concerned to the students who will be enrolled beforehand by the bio metric system in order to avoid fraudulent or fraudulent distributions.”

Fame Ndongo and his higher education gang now say the computers should arrive faster than expected. Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo had made numerous declarations on the Biya Computer program but none has ever come out to be true. He promised the first wave by the end of December and then another delivery date was announced for the month of February 2017 and again deferred. Cameroon Concord News understands the devices are manufactured by a Chinese company that will also equip Cameroonian universities with digital technology centers.

By Sonne Peter, CCN

19, September 2017

44 die of cholera in Nigeria’s militancy-hit northeast ⁰

The United Nations says at least 44 people have died in a cholera outbreak in the militancy-hit northeast of Nigeria, where the first case of the disease was identified nearly five weeks ago.

The world body said in a statement that nearly 2,300 confirmed or suspected cases of cholera had been registered by Monday.

“To date, the outbreak has claimed at least 44 lives, out of close to 2,300 confirmed and/or suspected cases,” read the statement.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that nearly $10 million is needed to keep the disease from spreading.

Additional funding would assist to implement a cholera response and prevention plan in the coming months, including providing access to clean water and a vaccination program.

Peter Lundberg, OCHA’s deputy humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, said that despite new treatment centers and sanitation measures, more needed to be done.

“The camps for displaced persons are congested, there is not enough water, sanitation facilities are poor, and the health care system is weak,” Lundberg said, adding, “We must tackle this urgently to avoid preventable suffering and loss of life.”

The first cholera case was identified in Borno State on August 16 and has since spread, mainly in camps for those displaced by the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group.

A boy walks through one of the internally displaced people camps in Gwoza, north-eastern Nigeria, on August 1, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection spread by contaminated food and water. It can be easily treated with oral rehydration solution if caught early, but the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.

The latest figures by the UN suggest a 4.3 percent fatality rate — well above the 1 percent rate that the World Health Organization rates as an emergency.

Cholera is just one of the challenges facing the Nigerian government, which is still struggling to expand its authority in the militancy-wracked northeastern states.

Displaced families stand at the main gate of a camp for internally displaced people at the Monguno district of Borno state, Nigeria, on February 14, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Last week, Mark Lowcock, the UN head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, said that the threat of famine caused by the conflict’s impact on farming had been averted.

But 8.5 million people in the northeast, out of 17 million in the wider Lake Chad region comprising Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, needed humanitarian assistance, Lowcock added.

Northeast Nigeria is already in the grip of a humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 people and displaced more than 2.6 million since 2009.

Source: Presstv

18, September 2017

Yaounde: How President Biya’s children are changing the rules at ENAM ⁰

Last Saturday’s late arrival of the son of the President of the Republic at the examination centre for Cycle B “General Administration” into the National School of Administration and Magistracy, compelled the management of the exams to let the other candidates who came late into the hall.

A Mercedes brand vehicle matriculated CE 915 belonging to the Director of ENAM, Linus Toussaint Mendjana, having on board Paul Biya Junior entered the ENAM campus very late. Tongues have ever since been wagging on why the Director General of ENAM preferred to put his car at the disposal of the son of the President of the Republic.

4,837 candidates competed on Saturday 16 September for the entrance examinations at ENAM Cycle “B” of the administrative division. Paul Biya Junior sat for the exams in “G.A block 3” on constitutional law and general culture.

A week ago, Brenda Biya, the daughter of the President of the Republic, took part in the entrance examination to the cycle B “financial control” of the same school. The presence of the children of the President of the Republic in the list of candidates for entrance examinations to ENAM has generated a new debate in French Cameroun.

By Sama Ernest
Cameroon Concord News

16, September 2017

Yaounde: Aids plague reaching peak ⁰

According to estimates by the National AIDS Committee, Cameroon is recording approximately 38,000-53,000 new HIV infections each year. Cameroon Concord News understands that 620, 000 people are living with HIV in Cameroon. Since 2004, the trend in prevalence has been marked by a downward trend, from 5.5% to 4.3% in 2011 in the population aged 15-49, with a peak between 35-39 years (8 , 1%).

Given that the HIV epidemic is more urban (4.8 per cent) than rural (3.8 per cent), and that current control strategies are cost-effective in a context of scarce and increasing resources, the Yaounde regime is considering boosting communication to people aged 15-49 and particularly for those who are developing risky behaviours. One of the goals is to reduce the incidence of HIV in the population aged 15-49 by at least 50%.

Health official say to achieve this, a relevant and well-targeted communication strategy must be developed, taking into account already identified risk behaviors: poor or ignorant girls who have unprotected sex with men who are generally older and have financial power, multiplicity of partners among girls and boys, homosexual swinging, etc.
Yaounde also noted that the increased use by young people of phones to quickly exchange messages and images through Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Viber, etc., is a new facort to be integrated inevitably into the campaign to eradicate virus.

Sama Ernest
Cameroon Concord News

12, September 2017

Petit Pays cancels Canadian tour ⁰

The captain of the Indomitable Lions of Makossa, Petit Pays has called off the remaining date of his North American tour in Canada after saying his tour organizer was extremely lacking in entertainment finesse. Omega Rabbi Rabba pulled out of the date in Montreal and has also cancelled a planned press conference appearance in the historic Canadian city.

Cameroon Concord News gathered Turbo, the mega star cancelled the tail-end of his tour due to the fact that the sponsor failed to provide air tickets and accommodation for him and the group, Sans Visa. His manager and spokesman, Eyong Eyong Ebot said all Canadian gigs have been cancelled “due to poor arrangements”. Eyong Eyong Ebot confessed Petit Pays had promised a great spectacle despite the passing away of his younger brother, Didier Pupee but the attitude of the organiser has been shameful, disgusting and disgraceful.

Insiders said this Saturday event in Montreal was annulled due to a complete breakdown of financial communication between Petit Pays’ US based manager and the promoter in Montreal. The organiser reportedly did a money transfer to Mr. Eyong Eyong Ebot via Money gram but later cancelled the transaction and has ever since been brandishing the receipt as prove that he paid the artist. The multi-award-winning Makossa star said he hopes to come back to Montreal some other time. Watch Petit Pays reaction in video below

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By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameron Concord News

11, September 2017

Congo conflict forces more children to leave school ⁰

More and more children are being deprived of education in the Republic of the Congo over a protracted conflict and the country’s weak education system, an NGO says.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said Monday that some 850,000 children have been displaced and 900 schools have been destroyed as a result of intensified violence in Congo’s central Kasai region over the past year.

The group said the population is part of some 7.4 million children who are out of school in Congo as the conflict keeps taking toll on the country’s already weakened education system.

Some 92 percent of children in the six-to-11-year-old age group are out of school in the violence-hit towns of Kalemie and Tanganyika, the group said.

The group also warned that the vast Central African country risks losing its next generation as only 4 percent of humanitarian funds for education have been received this year.

“When children are displaced they are forced to suspend their education, or drop it altogether. This disruption to their development hinders their personal progress, and has detrimental effects to the socio-economics of the entire country,” said Celestin Kamori, the council’s Congo education program coordinator.

The campaigning group called on international donors to prioritize education emergencies.

“Donors should recognize that education is also a protection tool. Children enrolled in emergency education classes, catch-up classes and child-friendly spaces are less likely to join armed groups,” said Kamori, adding, “We need more funding to scale up emergency education support so that we don’t lose a generation.”

The Norwegian Refugee Council said many schools that are spared of the effects of fighting in Congo are used to shelter displaced families, further complicating efforts to restore the education system.

It added that school-aged children account for more than 17 percent of some 3.8 million people who have been displaced in Congo over the past two decades.

Source: Presstv

11, September 2017

Jacky Biho, Sam Fan Thomas to run SONACAM ⁰

Cameroun has created a new corporation to manage authors’ rights. The organization has been named the Cameroon National Copyright Corporation (SONACAM). State radio and television reported that an executive bureau was also elected headed by the renowned Sam Fan Thomas.

The elections that held on Saturday the 9th of September 2017 also witnessed a major electoral victory for popular names such as Adeline Mbengkoum, Moussa Haissam, Ottou Marcelin, Calvino, Adeline Mbengkoum, Majoie Ayi, Sergeo Polo and of course the beautiful Jacky Biho. Some musicians of the new generation such as the likes of Salatiel, Duc-Z, One Love, Lab’l were also included in the executive.

Legendary artists Manu Dibango, Eko Roosevelt and Georges Seba were elected as honorary presidents. According to the statutes of SONACAM, the executive has a three year mandate renewable once. The Minister of Arts and Culture, Narcisse Moulle Kombi who chaired the first general assembly of SONACAM installed the elected bureau and urged them to work for the interest of artists. A total of 2,400 of the 3655 artists registered in the national musicians’ database signed up for the Cameroon National Copyright Corporation (SONACAM).

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from CRTV

7, September 2017

Al Jazeera: Linguistic tensions boil over in Cameroon ⁰

Thousands of students, shopkeepers and staff in Cameroon have protested this week against what they claim is the marginalisation of the country’s English-speaking minority population. The so-called ghost-town protests in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, including the city of Bamenda in the north and the town of Buea in the southwest, which led to the closure of schools, shops and market stalls, are the latest in a series of actions launched in November 2016.

Initiated by teachers and lawyers, the protests have revolved around encouraging people to use absenteeism to challenge what many English-speaking citizens claim is the dominance of French in society. Thousands of students stayed away as schools resumed this week. Petrol stations and shops were also empty.

Many protesters called for full linguistic representation in schools, courts and in the government. Cameroon’s English-speaking citizens make up around 20 percent of the nation’s total population of almost 24 million. The rest of the country speaks French, which is the language of use for government business.

Activists in the Southwest Region of Ambazonia told Al Jazeera that a mass skipping of the first day of school – Monday, September 4 – was a success. “Some people think that parents are not sending their kids to school because of the militarisation of these two regions, but that’s not the case,” said a participant who wanted to remain anonymous.

“How do you want kids to go back to a system that we are protesting against, the system that we want cleaned? It’s a peaceful protest.” On Monday, pro-government newspapers, the Cameroon Tribune and L’essentiel du Cameroun, published front-page stories showing children attending school as normal.

Security forces were also deployed in the affected areas at the start of the week to ensure there was no repeat of last year’s violent protests which witnessed the use of live ammunition and tear gas by state security forces. Since protests began last year, the government has frequently cracked down on disorder in the Anglophone regions of the country.

President Paul Biya, in power for 35 years, ordered a series of arrests and shut down internet access for three months. Security forces have killed at least six people to date and arrested hundreds more. Last Friday, President Biya ordered the release of dozens of political activists in a move seen as an attempt to ease tensions. The UN has called for both sides to engage in constructive dialogue.

Source: Al Jazeera

6, September 2017

Boko Haram Crisis: Cholera spreading in Nigeria ⁰

Cholera is spreading fast through camps housing people displaced by Boko Haram militants in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Most deaths were recorded in Muna Garage camp on the outskirts of state capital Maiduguri, the epicenter of the extremist insurgency that has also destabilized neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

A UN report said more than 530 suspected cases of cholera had been registered by Tuesday – more than three times the number reported five days earlier.

Twenty-three people had died, it added, up from 11 reported on Aug. 31.

The outbreak began late last month, and aid workers had already warned that Nigeria’s rainy season could spread disease in already unsanitary displacement camps.

About 1.8 million people have abandoned their homes because of violence or food shortages during the conflict, UN agencies say.

Displaced families stand at the main gate of a camp for internally displaced people at Monguno district of Borno State on February 14, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

As well as Muna Garage, the nearby camps of Custom House, Ruwan Zafi and Bolori II also had cholera cases, and there were reports of outbreaks in the areas of Moguno and Dikwa, northeast and east of Maiduguri, the UN note said.

In Dikwa, 80 km (50 miles) from Maiduguri, there were 103 suspected cholera cases, 17 of which had been confirmed with a rapid screening test at the local hospital, but no outbreak had been officially declared.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection spread by contaminated food and water. It can be easily treated with oral rehydration solution if caught early, but the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.

The latest figures suggested a 4.3 percent fatality rate – well above the 1 percent rate that the World Health Organization rates as an emergency. The short incubation period of two hours to five days means the disease can spread with explosive speed.

(Source: Reuters)