Another major accident on the Douala-Yaoundé highway has once again prevented the flow of traffic between the two main cities in the country. Cameroon Concord News gathered that the accident occurred late yesterday Saturday the 29^th of October 2016 some 15 km after Boumnyebel.

This new disruption of traffic on the Yaoundé-Douala comes only a week after the collapse of the pavement in Mányai that completely cut off movement on the Yaoundé-Douala axis and caused the train accident in Eseka.

A tractor-trailer carrying a container from Douala and heading to Yaoundé spilled across the width of the road. The accident involved a long plug of several kilometers and traffic was interrupted for four hours.  At the time of filing this report only small vehicles were allowed to circulate.

By Sama Ernest

Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh has called on the CPDM government dominated commission to publish its findings on the October 21, 2016 Eséka tragedy immediately. The man widely believed to be the only credible challenger to the 83 year old Cameroonian dictator, made the appeal at the Yaoundé Central Hospital on October 28, 2016 as he donated blood to those badly wounded in the train crash.

The winner of The Guardian Post Awards 2015 told news reporters that he considered his gesture a patriotic act: “I came to donate blood, which is an act of citizenship in the sense of our solidarity towards our compatriots who are now survivors,” said Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh.

Dr Fomunyoh added that the Cameroonian people were waiting for the truth about the accident. He criticized President Biya for not appointing a broader commission with independent personalities and religious authorities.

By Ebong Kingsley

Two babies who survived the Eseka Train crash have been reunited with their biological dad. Mamadou Apraw, the father of the kids came and duly presented authentic documentation that linked him to the children but according to administrative procedures, he had to wait a little longer.

Apraw was surprise to find out that the two children were alive and that gave him a reason to smile even in pain and sorrow following the death of his wife who unfortunately was among the over 76 deaths.

The native of the Far North Region based in Douala, has been authorized to reunite with his children at the Regional Delegation of Social Affairs in the Littoral Region. His emotional testimony on National television on Wednesday the 26^th of October 2016 was a kind of good news to Cameroonians even as the nation is still in a state of shock and disbelief.

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Cameroon-info.net has reported that the former general manager of the Cameroon Real Estate Company, SIC was rushed to the Yaounde General Hospital after he suffered a stroke. The disgraced Giles Roger Belinga has been in intensive care at the Yaounde General Hospital for almost a week.

Ever since he was imprisoned, family sources say his health has deteriorated. He was arrested by agents of Operation Sparrow hawk and was sentenced to 35 years in prison and ordered to pay the sum of 3 billion FCFA to the State of Cameroon, on the 27^th of September 2007.

After an appeal, his sentence and fine were reduced to 20 years in prison and 233 million FCFA respectively. He again lodged another appeal with the Supreme Court which was subsequently referred back to the Special Criminal Court.

Arrested on February the 26th, 2006, Giles Roger Belinga is being held in a cell at the Secretariat for Defence in the gendarmerie headquarters in Yaoundé. He was charged with embezzlement of public funds.

By Chi Prudence Asong

The Eseka train accident almost took a religious twist following protest from some Muslims families that according to Islam, a corpse should not be kept in a mortuary. Some of the families were heard raising their voices in the morgue at the Yaounde Central Hospital.

One of the Muslim family head violently attacked some of the staffs that were on duty referring to the prohibition of Islam. However, Imam Hamed Bashir of the Biyem-Assi mosque condemned the Muslim families who created the noisy scenes at the Yaounde Central Hospital. The Imam observed that “if the Muslim victims had drowned, died in a plane crash or a natural disaster where it is almost impossible to find traces of the victims, who will they be attacking?”

Imam Bachir Hamed advised that since Cameroon is a secular state, the citizens and the government must first find a compromise with the team that handles any disaster. Imam Bachir Hamed added that in times like this, Muslim families should remain close to the government in order to dialogue and to assist in the identification of victims with dignity and to organize the funerals.

It should be noted Islamic rules stipulates that a deceased person be buried as soon as possible. If the death occurred in the night, the individual is buried before sunrise. If it’s in the morning it is done before sunset.

By Sonne Peter

Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has made public the CPDM death toll of the Eseka train crash incident. The Cameroon government spokesman reduced the tally to 76 and increased the number of wounded to 599 during a press conference on Tuesday the 25^th of October 2016 in Yaounde.

The minister of communication gave a breakdown of the distribution of those injured in different hospital units in the country. He observed that there were 473 persons at the Eséka District Hospital: 22 at the Mother Teresa; Mercy 25 and Urban health Centre: 79.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary also revealed that, 368 wounded continued their treatment in hospitals in Douala, Edea and Yaoundé. While 231 minor injuries returned to their families immediately after First Aid care in Eséka.

The Cameroon government spokesman added that a process has been developed on the identification and collection of bodies of victims. Said Tchiroma:  “The applicants and other rights holders must bring original and photocopies of their identification and any official document that can link the family with the remains (marriage certificate at birth or other documents …)”

However, the minister noted that several other bodies have not yet been identified. Issa Tchiroma indicated that these bodies are subject to “an identification procedure in the presence of at least three members of the applicant family. For each body, the doctor in charge of the mortuary services deliver a kind of death certificate to the family, “he further informed.

The Centre for Health Emergencies of the Ministry of Health has mobilized to respond to all queries relating thereto. It responds to hotline: 1510.

By Sama Ernest

President Biya has signed a decree setting up a commission of inquiry into the train derailment incident that happened in Eseka on Friday 21st October 2016. Alot of tongues are reportedly wagging already in Yaounde on the failure to include an independent personality in the commission-not even the Roman Catholic Arch Bishop of the Yaounde Diocese. Our Yaounde city reporter say there is also some under-the-table talk going on following the non-inclusion of the the all-powerful Minister of Transport, Edgar Alain Mebo Ngoo

The Commission as appointed by the 83 old leader will be headed by the Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

Its members include;

-The Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals 

-The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation 

-The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of State Control

-The Secretary of State for Defense in charge of the Gendarmerie

-The Delegate General in charge of National Security 

-The Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council.

The commission is expected to;

1. Determine the cause of the accident and propose ways of avoiding a similar occurrence
2. Identify those responsible for the accident
3. Assess the management of the catastrophe

The decree was signed today Tuesday 25th October 2016

A 15km rural road in Matomb in the Nyong and Nkelle Division of the Centre Region will soon be rehabilitated to serve as deviation from the Manyai spot where the Yaounde – Douala highway split last Friday 21st October 2016.

Officials at the Ministry of Public Works made this announcement, indicating that negotiations are ongoing with a Chinese construction company to rehabilitate the road alongside five bridges to which traffic will be diverted.

Work continues on the broken spot some few days after it was officially opened for traffic. As part of the Ministry of Public Work’s policy to maintain national highways, over 300 metallic coverts will also be replaced along the Yaounde – Douala stretch.

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President Biya declared Monday a day of national mourning in honour of the close to 100 people who died in the Eseka train disaster. But did not take part in any of the ceremonies held in and around the country.  Some areas of the country observed a moment of silence in loving memory of the victims of the intercity train 152 and the more than 560 injured persons.

At the train station in Yaounde, the staffs of the Cameroon Railway Company simply dressed in black and also did observe a minute of silence at 1 pm local time; the only permitted activities were public religious services. Correspondingly, inter religious services held in churches and prayers in mosques mainly in Yaounde, Douala and Eséka.

In the nation’s capital, Yaoundé, a handful of people converged at symbolic places and wrongfully thought that there were going to be a special events with the 83 year dictator in attendance. But nothing happened. Cameroon-info.net reported that Cameroonians who wanted to go to the Independence Square to pray were prevented by the police. Police officers were stationed at all entrances to the historic site located at the Hippodrome district.

There only significant event in Yaounde was a Holy Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady by Bishop Jean Mbarga, Archbishop of Yaoundé.  As usual, the Head of State was personally represented by René Emmanuel Sadi, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.

By Sama Ernest

The search for victims trapped in the wagons of the Camrail Intercity train that derailed at Eseka has ended after the body of a baby was found in the last wagon lifted on Monday, 24th October 2014. After four days of intensive and productive rescue efforts, the search exercise has officially come to an end with the CPDM government reporting that more than 90 dead bodies were pulled out the wreckage and taken to mortuaries in Yaoundé and Douala.

Emergency communication units have been opened in the train stations in Yaoundé and Douala to help relatives of victims to easily identify the corpses.  The over 500 injured are now receiving treatment in hospitals in the Centre and Littoral Regions. Telephones numbers have been made public for relatives to call and get information about their love ones: Yaoundé – 699113333 and Douala- 699114444.

At the crash site, a security cordon has been placed around the rubble preventing the public from gaining access pending a mixed police and gendarmerie investigation. The stench from the crash site remains a sad reminded of the gravity of the crash which is so far the worst railway disaster in the country’s history.

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