Southern Cameroons resistance hopes against the Francophone dominated Cameroon government military did not come true, a top official in the Dabney Yerima led-Ambazonia Interim Government has conceded.

But the official who asked not to be named in this report, who presently co-ordinates Ground Zero operations, insisted: “That doesn’t mean that victory won’t be on our side.”

Vice President Dabney Yerima is currently trying to get the Southern Cameroons diaspora to rally once again behind the Interim Government, notably Southern Cameroonians in Canada and in the US.

A source in the Ambazonia Interim Government hinted that Yerima believes that at least some funding will surely come through that will facilitate Ground Zero actions this year.

Dabney Yerima has been speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News. He told us that upcoming events in La Republique du Cameroun will present great opportunities for Southern Cameroonians to get to Buea.

Yerima pointed out that every Southern Cameroonian citizens both at home and in the diaspora want the war to end with victory for the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

“The fact that we have been resisting the French Cameroun military for six years is already a big victory” Yerima furthered.

Amba fighters had hoped to take control of the entire South West and North West regions from the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé as well as forcing the international community to recognize Southern Cameroons as an independent state.

But disunity among the frontline leaders and lack of funding has made their efforts appear to have stalled.

Many Southern Cameroons academics in the West have acknowledged that the Ambazonia Interim Government had been over-optimistic.

A blame game has crept into Ambazonia public discourse about the degree to which the Maryland Group and their fighters – are at fault for what is currently happening now in Ground Zero.

Vice President Dabney Yerima refused to be drawn on when a new push to Buea could come.

“I can say for sure that we won’t stop,” he said. “We will continue fighting for our freedom, for our independence.”

By Chi Prudence Asong in London

UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) paid tribute on Wednesday to peacekeeper Emmanuel Steve Atebele of Cameroon, who was killed last week by an explosive device, a UN spokesman said.

The Jan. 15 bombing attack in Mbindali in Ouham-Pende Prefecture also wounded five other peacekeepers. But they are all now in stable condition, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Dujarric said that the UN mission in CAR, known as MINUSCA, also reports that specialized units of the force, in coordination with the UN Mine Action Service, continue to work to minimize the risks linked to explosive devices.

He said they now regularly carry out clearances and destruction of unexploded ordnance operations and conduct awareness campaigns for the local population.

Peacekeepers have established a temporary operational base in Am-Dafock in Vakaga Prefecture, close to the border with Sudan, he said.

“This base will strengthen our efforts to secure the area and help prevent potential violence and tensions ahead of the seasonal movement of livestock, known as transhumance,” said the spokesman.

Source: Xinhuanet

At least five people were killed after the terror group, Boko Haram, raided two civilian communities in the Far North region, local and security sources said on Sunday.

The militants raided Ldubam Bah village of the region at about 7 p.m. on Saturday, killing four civilians, a security source in the region said.

At about 8 p.m. on the same day, the militants attacked Mavoumai village of the region, killing one person and injuring a girl, the source said.

“The bodies were buried early Sunday. Our brave soldiers will hunt them down,” the source added.

Local media reported that villagers were fleeing from the villages where the raids were carried out.

Boko Haram has been operating in the region since 2014.

Source: Xinhuanet

President Paul Biya and visiting Chadian Minister of Economy, Planning and International Cooperation Mahamat Assouyouti Abakar on Friday discussed bilateral relations and regional development.

A statement released Friday evening by the Cameroonian presidency said that Abakar was a special envoy of Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.

“The reinforcement of the longstanding and excellent cooperation ties that exist between Cameroon and Chad, and the necessity to collectively tackle issues of common interest within the framework of the Economic Community of Central African States and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa were at the center of discussions,” the statement said.

Abakar told reporters after the meeting in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde that he was asked by Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to convey a fraternal message to his Cameroonian counterpart, which touched on “some elements” to bolster the growth of sub-regional cooperation.

Source: Xinhuanet

On January 12, 2024, Cameroon’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, presided over a ceremony in Douala, to honor 455 employees from subsidiaries of the Castel Group.

The recipients, from Société anonyme des boissons du Cameroun (SABC), Société des eaux minérales du Cameroun (Semc), and Société camerounaise de verrerie (Socaver), were awarded medals for their dedication, hard work, and continuous improvement in their respective roles. The event showcased the employees’ commitment and contribution to the success of these companies within the Castel Group.

Stéphane Descazeaud, the Director-General of SABC, expressed his warm congratulations and appreciation for the employees’ longstanding commitment and outstanding performance. “These distinctions are the result of many years of dedication, commitment to your work, perseverance, and daily improvement of your expertise. These are the values and traditions that you embody, and you are an example for many of us to follow. (…) I extend my congratulations and warmest thanks to you because you have chosen to devote a significant part of your life to our company,” he said during the ceremony.

“I received a gold medal this time, after receiving silver and vermeil ones 11 years ago. It is the recognition of the Nation through the company Boissons du Cameroun,” rejoiced Vanessa Nana, one of the recipients. In total, the honored employees from the leading brewery in the Cameroonian market received 621 medals, including 327 in silver, 71 in gold, and 223 in vermeil.

Source: Business in Cameroon

President Paul Biya held a meeting with visiting Foreign Minister of the Central African Republic (CAR) Sylvie Baipo-Temon on Tuesday, during which the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

“The Central African Republic and Cameroon maintain excellent relations. We have very strong fraternal links and are good neighbors,” Baipo-Temon told reporters after the meeting in the Cameroonian capital city of Yaounde.

She conveyed best wishes from CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera to his Cameroonian counterpart and the people of Cameroon.

The two sides also exchanged views on the stability and development of the Central African region, according to a statement from the Cameroonian presidency.

Source: Xinhuanet

At least five separatist fighters have been killed in an offensive by Cameroon’s military against armed separatists in the restive English-speaking Northwest Region, local and army sources said Tuesday night.

The attack took place early Tuesday in the Ewai village of the region.

Cameroonian troops raided a separatist hideout, which was serving as the main base of one of the separatist groups in the region, killing the five separatist fighters, an army official in the region said.

“Our brave soldiers also captured so many of their weapons and rescued some people who were abducted by the separatist terrorists. Many of the terrorists escaped with bullet wounds,” the official who asked not to be named said.

Separatist leaders confirmed the attack on social media but claimed that only three fighters were killed.

A resident of the village, who asked not to be named, said that hundreds of people in the village fled to the bush as the offensive unfolded.

There was no word on casualties on the side of government forces during the raid.

The separatists, who have been in conflict with government forces since 2017, hope to establish an independent nation in the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

Source: Xinhuanet

Effective January 1, 2024, with the implementation of Cameroon’s 2024 fiscal law, the government has introduced new tax measures expected to lead to an inevitable decrease in salaries for some workers. According to Célestin Tawamba, the leader of Cameroonian business leaders, these measures are projected to result in a salary reduction ranging from 5% to 25% in various companies.

One significant measure involves the expansion of the list of in-kind benefits subject to the income tax scale. The related circular signed on December 29, 2023, by Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé specified that “personal income tax (IRPP) in the salaries and wages category has been rationalized by fully taxing all benefits in kind paid in cash. The list of benefits in kind subject to estimation for the determination of the taxable base of IRPP in the salaries and wages category has been extended to include: telephone 5%, fuel 10%, security 5%, and internet 5%”.

This means that along with existing benefits in kind, such as housing allowances (15%), electricity (4%), water (2%), domestic help (5% each), vehicles (10% each), and food (10%), previously subject to the income tax scale, the State is adding, as of January 1, 2024, phone allowances (5%), fuel allowances (10%), security allowances (5%), and internet allowances (5%). According to information from sources within the General Tax Directorate, under this new provision of the 2024 fiscal law, a worker receiving, for example, a phone allowance of 50,000 CFA per month will only see 5% of that amount (2,500 CFA) exempt from IRPP. The entire remaining allowance, i.e., 47,500 CFA, will be subject to IRPP.

Significant deductions for high incomes

Similarly, a worker receiving a fuel allowance of the same amount (50,000 CFA) will have IRPP deducted from 45,000 CFA, while 5,000 CFA will be exempt from paying this tax. Considering that the IRPP rate for salaries below 2 million CFA is 10% in Cameroon, the worker in this scenario (assuming their salary is less than 2 million CFA, ed) will lose 4,500 CFA from their fuel allowance due to the payment of IRPP to the tax authorities, corresponding to a decrease in their salary by 4,500 CFA. This reduction will be even more significant as the same operation is applied to the phone, security, and internet allowances.

It is worth noting that the in-kind benefits targeted by this new provision of the 2024 fiscal law related to IRPP concern higher-income workers who generally enjoy substantial salary packages. In other words, the 2024 fiscal law will allow for increased tax revenue collection from higher salaries. The larger the salary, the greater the deduction for IRPP on in-kind benefits, as the IRPP rate varies depending on income levels. It is 10% for incomes below 2 million CFA per month, 15% for incomes between 2 and 3 million CFA, 25% for incomes between 3 and 5 million CFA, and 35% for incomes exceeding 5 million CFA.

Moreover, the government, in the 2024 fiscal law, caps the flat-rate deduction at 4.8 million CFA per year (400,000 CFA per month) for the 30% deduction from the gross annual salary. “Only salaries exceeding 1,333,000 CFA per month are affected by this limitation,” the Minister’s note read.

A worker with an annual salary income totaling 100 million CFA will now only benefit from a maximum deduction of 4.8 million CFA (the rest being subject to IRPP payment), compared to the previous 30 million CFA. The nearly 25 million CFA that were previously exempt from IRPP before the new fiscal law came into effect will now be added to the taxable base, resulting in a significant loss of income to the tax authorities.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Professor Joseph Owona, a cabinet minister under President Biya and a successful academic, has died aged 78.

A Cameroon government embassy official in Paris, France confirmed the death of the peer, who became Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and was later appointed Secretary General at the Presidency.

Owona served as right-hand man to the 91-year-old President Biya during the early days of multi-party politics.

He would later serve as Minister of Health, Minister of Youth and Sports and President of FIFA’s Normalization Committee of the Cameroon Football Federation and retained a keen interest in the International Relations Institute (IRIC) in Yaoundé.

In the early 90s, he made a mockery of Cameroon researchers accusing them of not producing any results.

Sometimes referred to as a Biya favourite, Professor Joseph Owona began his rise through politics deep inside the secretariat of the ruling CPDM Central Committee.

He was a controversial figure described by many as the minister who brought problems to Biya while others brought solutions.

Owona was a law professor at the heart of the Biya’s government promoting tribalism and nepotism.  As Secretary General at the presidency, he was widely criticised for suggesting that no Bamileke could be head of state. He never withdrew his remarks after a firm rebuke from Etoudi but was removed from his role.

Born on 25 January 1945 in Akom, the polygamist served as a minister several times and was a member of the Constitutional Council from April 2020 to January 2024. He did his higher education at the University of Yaoundé and Panthéon-Sorbonne in France.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai