Thousands of protesters have turned out in the West African state of Togo for the second day running, in a campaign aimed at forcing out President Faure Gnassingbe.

On Thursday,demonstrators converged from three points in the capital Lome for what was billed as a “march of anger” against a family which has ruled Togo for 50 years, culminating in a rally on the seafront.

“Demonstrators have used rocks to block the road from Gakpoto to St. Joseph’s school, and others are preventing cars from going through,” Amnesty International’s director for Togo, Aime Adi, said.

In Atikoume district, angry youths refused to follow the march itinerary set down by the 14-party opposition coalition, and said they would block streets, an AFP journalist saw.

However, in some neighborhoods on the march route, tension that was noticeable on Wednesday seemed to have eased somewhat.

Marchers said they would maintain pressure on the Gnassingbe government.

“I am not tired and I will never be tired so long as the struggle is not over. Even if we have to march every day, I will be there,” said a protester.

In the north of the country — a region previously seen as reliably pro-government — several other rallies, also drawing thousands of people, took place in the northern cities of Sokode, Bafilo and Dapaong, local residents told AFP.

However, there were no protests in the far northern town of Mango, where a young man was killed in a demonstration on September 20, which was followed by a crackdown by the authorities.

The protests are the seventh in a wave of agitation that began in August. At least four people have been killed and dozens injured.

The government is proposing an overhaul of the constitution under which presidential terms would be limited to two five-year spells in office.

Gnassingbe, in power since the death of his father in 2005, was re-elected in 2010 and again in 2015, in votes that the opposition denounced as unfair.

If the two-term limit applies from the next elections, scheduled in 2020, he could theoretically remain in office until 2030.

As a result, the opposition wants the two-term restriction to be applied retroactively by restoring the 1992 constitution, in order to force Gnassingbe from office.

The president’s father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, ruled the country with an iron fist from 1967 until his death in 2005.

According to a source close to the presidency, the proposed change to the constitution will be put to a referendum “by the end of the year.”

(Source: AFP)

Latest report from the Manyu State in Southern Cameroons said that gunshots were heard around the residence of the Chairman of the Governing Council, Sesekou Ayuk Tabe in Ewelle village. Cameroon Concord News can now confirm that military helicopters fired the shots and destroyed the compound.

Meanwhile, there are several reports in Francophone newspapers that the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime has issued an arrest warrant for the Chairman over lame and ridiculous claims of embezzlement during his time at AS Sonel.  The Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council office has refused to disclose his whereabouts, saying he was at “secure location” in the USA.

Our Chief correspondent in Mamfe reported that martial law has been declared in order to prevent what the French Cameroun media painted as increased terrorism from the Southern Cameroons Defense Force.

French Cameroun Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of Southern Cameroons to impose Francophone constitutional order and guarantee President Biya’s continued stay in power in Yaoundé.  All cross border trade with the Federal Republic of Nigeria have been abolished, CCN gathered from military intelligence files.

A well placed source in Buea confirmed that all airports in Southern Cameroons were now closed.

This item is still developing

By Sama Ernest, CCN

Mamfe, the capital city of Manyu Division, today, October 2, 2017, is the theater of some intense fighting following the killing of some residents of Mamfe yesterday by the country’s military after the population declared its independence from the Republic of Cameroon. Due to the number of deaths registered yesterday across the Anglophone zone, the Southern Cameroons Governing Council and the Southern Cameroons National Council have issued threats of reprisals and Southern Cameroons Defense forces have successfully smuggled weapons into city where it is currently engaging the army in tough battles that have left two army soldiers and one gendarme officer dead. It should be recalled that the border between Cameroon and Nigeria in Manyu Division is one of the most porous and, in places like Akwaya, the government is conspicuously absent.

The group that attacked the soldiers comprised some forty well trained men, twenty of whom have been arrested while the others have melted into the Manyu forest. Www.cameroonconcordnews.com reporter in Mamfe says that the entire city is in total darkness and residents are really facing tough times. There is no Internet connection and anybody seen walking around the city is considered a suspect and is promptly arrested. There are massive raids across the Anglophone region following the declaration of independence on October 1, 2017, and many young men and women are being arrested and taken to unknown destinations.

Similarly, the village of the leader of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council, Ewelle, which is close to the Nigerian border, is currently being raided and the young adults are all being taken to an unknown destination. Many of the young men have been shot in their legs, with some sustaining critical injuries. The soldiers are working in collaboration with the chief who has been toppled because of the current situation in the region. The chief is still working with the Yaounde government and the young men and women of the village think that it is time for him to quit playing such an unholy role.

In the meantime, rumors of a possible coup d’etat are rife in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital. Many people hold that with Biya’s era coming to an end, all is possible and since the 85 year old president is down with prostrate cancer and other illnesses, it is very likely that there is division within his entourage as each personality seeks to position himself as the rightful successor of the ailing octogenarian.

Also, it has been alleged that the American billionaire, George Soros, is using his vast resources to help Southern Cameroonians walk away from their oppressors of fifty-six years. George Soros, the Greek American, is alleged to have supported Burkina Faso when there was a popular uprising against the country’s former dictator, Blaise Compaore. It is also alleged that thanks to him, Senegal’s civil society succeeded to stop former President Abdoulaye Wade from changing the constitution. The fund attributed to Soros is designed to dethrone dictators and restore genuine democracy in most third world countries.

Similarly, it is also alleged that a Canadian firm has signed an oil contract with the Southern Cameroons Governing Council regarding the Anglophone region’s vast oil fields.The proceeds from the contract are expected to be used to purchase arms for shipping to Southern Cameroons. The Canadian firm is suspected to have played a key role in the conflict in Angola when Cabinda sought to secede. If this story is confirmed, then the struggle has moved into a very critical stage and this implies that things will take a turn for the worse and the entire school year will, once more, be disrupted.

Many Southern Cameroonians are prepared to lay down their lives for their country. To them, they want to quit the union with East Cameroon so as to build a more prosperous and democratic country wherein social justice and the rule of law will be realities. They hold that the union with East Cameroon has been an ill-wind that has not blown them any good. The massive arrests, they say, will not rob them of the enthusiasm to fight on, adding that their arrest will only make things worse for the government, as it already has a bad name. They hold that the one-for-all and all-for-one slogan has given them the courage to fight on. In their view, the government stands to gain if it negotiates, if not the Diaspora will continue to destabilize the country.

Police and the military in Cameroon have shot dead at least seven Anglophone people as member of the community continue protesting for independence from the majority Francophone nation.

The unrest took place Sunday on the anniversary of Anglophone Cameroon’s independence from Britain in the country’s English-speaking regions.

Five prisoners were killed in the jail where they were being held in the town of Kumbo. Donatus Njong Fonyuy, mayor of the town said a fire erupted in the jail and soldiers shot dead five prisoners at around 6 a.m. (0500 GMT).

“We don’t know what caused the fire in the prison … But five prisoners were killed by soldiers. Two were wounded by bullets and are at the hospital,” said the official, adding that two civilians were also injured in the incident.

Reports said soldiers shot dead a demonstrator in the same town after he attempted to raise the blue and white flag of the Ambazonia separatist movement in the local chief’s palace. Two demonstrators who had raised the flag were also shot and wounded around midday.

Security forces attempted to block pro-independence marchers from entering the city of Buea, a major hub of protests. Witnesses said one protester was killed in the clashes on the edge of the city.

A similar protest was held in Bamenda where young men brandishing improvised secessionist flags clashed with security forces. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters trying to march on the regional governor’s office. There was no account of casualties in Bamenda.

Security was high in Buea and Bamenda as military helicopters circled overhead and businesses remained shuttered for the entire day. Troops from the Cameroonian army’s Rapid Intervention Brigade, a unit known for its fight against the militants of Nigeria-based Boko Haram group, were also deployed in the two cities. There were also reports of gunfire although it was not clear whether they targeted the protesters or were only fired in the air.

In anticipation of the protests in English-speaking regions, authorities had ordered Cameroon’s border with Nigeria closed for the weekend. All gatherings of more than four people had been banned and movement between different parts of the region had been forbidden.

Police and the military have yet to comment on the shootings that led to deaths Sunday. A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said security forces were taking restraint in dealing with the fresh bout of violence.

“We won’t use violence unless there is major cause. There are numerous risks, even terrorist risks. We’re keeping calm,” said the source.

The months-long protests are viewed as a sign of increasing dissatisfaction with President Paul Biya’s 35-year rule.

Biya said the acts of violence, “regardless of their source and their perpetrators”, were deplorable.

“Let me make this very clear: it is not forbidden to voice any concerns in the Republic. However, nothing great can be achieved by using verbal excesses, street violence, and defying authority,” the president wrote on his official Facebook account.

Cameroon, a former German colony under the name of Kamerun, was divided between the allied French and British victors at the end of World

The great day finally arrives. It has been a very long night. Many people have not known a good night’s sleep. All across, the worlds have been calling for peace. Leaders across the globe are advising Cameroonians not to walk that path, but Anglophones are hell-bent on walking away.

Akere Muna delivered a keynote address, calling for peace. He clearly has the interest of our nation at heart. But don’t expect much in terms of communication. Internet connection across Southern Cameroons went down yesterday.
The disconnection was gradual and it was final in the night. This is a government strategy to prevent mass communication. However, If you are around Missellele, in the south west region, then you are connected thanks to the littoral communication mast. It’s still too early in the two Anglophone regions.

As promised, 9am will surely usher in a new nation. The preparations have been very carefully coordinated. It’s hard to understand that a whole people are following instructions from people who are thousands of miles away.

However, some areas have already started seeing violence. The Kumbo central prison in Bui Division is up in flames as reported by some. Tombel is back in the news. Mutengene is seeing large crowds at the famous roundabout.

Disturbances are being reported there and in Mamfe, determined youths are defying orders and making sure their voices are heard.

Cameroon will never be the same again. For the moment, Tiko, Buea and Limbe are calm. Call family and friends to make sure everybody is ok. Cameroon is at the crossroads. It’s disturbing to see this happen in this once-upon-a-time oasis of peace. Free at last!! A new nation is born!! The Republic of Southern Cameroons

Eleven people were killed in a series of overnight shootings in a Cape Town township, police said Saturday, including four victims shot dead when gunmen opened fire in a bar.

Extra police officers were deployed to the Philipi district of Cape Town, a city that suffers from regular gang violence and armed clashes between rival criminal groups.

“We have deployed teams comprising specialist detectives, high-risk units and intelligence operatives,” police spokeswoman Novela Potelwa told the News 24 website. “We already executed search operations that are set to continue throughout the day. The police are doing their best to arrest those responsible.”

Tens of thousands of people live in informal shack settlements in Philipi, located in the notoriously crime-ridden Cape Flats area of the city.

Four people were shot dead at an informal “shebeen” bar on Friday evening, with three other bodies found by police nearby. Another four more people were killed elsewhere in the district.

The ruling ANC party condemned the deaths.

“Regardless of the circumstances, these mass murders — related or not — are criminal acts which must be punished using the full might of our law,” party spokesman Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.

“Criminals live amongst our communities, they are harbored by us and until society stands as one against this scourge, it will not be defeated,” it added.

On average, there are 51 murders per day in South Africa, according to official figures released last year.

Crime is seen as a major issue hampering the country’s social cohesion, economic development and international reputation — especially as a tourist destination.

Last week 36 Dutch tourists were robbed on a bus on route to their hotel after landing at Johannesburg airport for a three-week holiday.

(Source: AFP)

The UN Human Rights Council voted Friday to extend the mission of an international probe into atrocities in Burundi, overriding strong pushback from the government accused of crimes against humanity.

The adoption of the European Union resolution to prolong the mandate by a year came a day after the council’s African bloc approved a separate measure to send a team of experts to Burundi that would report their findings to the government.

The controversial African proposal, strongly supported by Burundi’s UN delegation, angered Western delegations and rights groups.

They blasted it as an underhanded attempt to suppress the impact of the UN-backed probe, which has collected evidence of egregious crimes orchestrated by Burundi’s government and security forces.

The EU proposal, which was backed by the United States, passed Friday with 22 votes in favor, 11 against with 14 abstentions.

The African group was split on the EU measure: South Africa and Ghana voted against, while Kenya, Nigeria and Ivory Coast abstained.

With both Burundi resolutions having been approved by the council, the crisis-riddled country is now in the rare circumstance of being subject to two investigations.

In accordance with the African-backed plan, three experts will be “urgently” dispatched to Burundi to study the situation and then “forward” their findings to the judicial authorities, who will assess their validity.

The EU resolution extends the work of the independent Commission of Inquiry, which earlier this month accused the government of crimes against humanity, including executions and torture.

“The Commission can now continue its crucial work to end the abuses and hold perpetrators accountable,” the Geneva director for Human Rights Watch, John Fisher, said in a statement.

“Burundi’s victims deserve no less”, he added.

Burundi plunged into crisis in 2015 after the country’s President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a fiercely contested third term in office.

The violence claimed between 500 and 2,000 lives, according to differing tolls from the UN and civil society groups, while more than 400,000 Burundians have fled abroad.

(Source: AFP)

Authorities in the South West Region of Cameroon have restricted movement of people and vehicles and banned meetings from Friday to Monday. The ban imposed by the Francophone Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai affects the celebration of independence day in the region on October 1.

Among the regulatory measures announced on Thursday are the closure of all borders, bars, night clubs, parks and “prohibition of any public gatherings and assembly of more than four persons in any public location”.

He said the measures are intended to preserve public peace and guarantee security “following persistent threats of destabilization through manipulation by individuals acting from outside the national territory.” This was followed by another ban on restriction imposed by the Senior Divisional Officer of the Manyu Province in the region, Oum II Joseph from Friday to Tuesday.

“All public meetings and manifestations are banned within the entire division with effect from Tuesday 26th September to Tuesday 10th October 2017,” he added. The measures follow last week’s massive demonstrations in several English-speaking towns in the North-West and South-West Regions against the continuous detention of some of the inhabitants of the regions and independence from French Cameroon.

It started in Bamenda last Friday despite a ban on movement of persons imposed the night before by Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique following a bomb attack that injured three police officers. The demonstration spread to Buea in the South-West Region where women led the march with hundreds behind them carrying leaves, tree branches and flags of the Cameroon separatist movement.

It was the same scene in the towns of Fontem, Kumba and Mamfe among others in the same region who are also demanding to be independent from French Cameroon. Tensions are still high ahead of the October 1 independence day celebrations which risk facing demonstrations in the Anglophone regions.

Culled from Africa News

Three United Nations soldiers from Bangladesh were killed by an explosive device that detonated as they were escorting a convoy in northern Mali on Sunday, the West African country’s peacekeeping mission and Bangladesh’s military said.

Attacks on peacekeepers in Mali, where extremist groups continue to operate in the vast desert in the north of the country, have made the UN mission there, MINUSMA, the organization’s deadliest.

Another five UN troops were seriously wounded in Sunday’s explosion, which occurred at around 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) on the main road between the towns of Anefis and Gao, MINUSMA said in a statement.

“Our thoughts go firstly to the families and loved ones. We pledge our complete support to them during this painful ordeal,” the head of MINUSMA, Koen Davidse, said. “The mission will use all means to ensure that justice is rendered.”

The UN did not immediately release the nationalities of the soldiers. But the Bangladesh military’s media department confirmed that three of its soldiers had died by an improvised explosive device during an encounter with militants, adding that four other Bangladeshi peacekeepers were injured in the attack.

West Africa’s arid Sahel region has in recent years become a breeding ground for militant groups — some linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh — that European countries, particularly France, fear could threaten Europe if left unchecked.

Despite a 2013 French-led military operation that drove back militants who had seized control of Mali’s north, the area remains home to groups that have staged assaults on high-profile targets in the capital Bamako, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.

MINUSMA, established in the wake of the French intervention, has struggled to quell the unrest.

The UN Security Council established a sanctions regime this month that allows the body to blacklist anyone who violates or obstructs a fragile 2015 peace deal signed by Mali’s government and separatist groups.

Anyone who attacks peacekeepers, hinders the delivery of aid, commits human rights abuses or recruits child soldiers could also face sanctions, including a global travel ban or asset freeze.

(Source: Reuters)