Suspected separatist fighters abducted nine villagers in Cameroon’s restive English-speaking region of Northwest, local and security sources said Tuesday.

Gunmen believed to be separatist fighters stormed Big Babanki village in the region on Monday night, threatening to kill those who were perceived to be working with government forces, a source living in the village said.

“They kidnapped about nine people, including quarter heads and elderly individuals, accusing them of collaborating with the military. They also set some houses on fire,” said the source, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

Army officials in the region confirmed that troops were searching for the hostages in the village where separatist fighters frequently operate.

Kidnapping for ransom is a common occurrence in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, where separatists seek to establish an independent nation. Government forces have been clashing with separatist fighters in these regions since 2017.

Source: Xinhuanet

At least five separatist fighters have been killed in military raids in Cameroon’s war-torn English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest, army sources said on Monday.

Early Sunday, the military raided Furu Awa locality in Northwest region killing three separatist fighters “who had taken the area hostage,” an army official in the region said.

Late Sunday, troops attacked a separatist hideout in Mbalangui locality of Southwest region, killing two fighters.

“Two top commanders were among those killed in the raids,” the official, who asked not to be named, said. “Our brave soldiers will continue to secure the lives of civilians in the regions.”

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

Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have been experiencing a separatist insurgency since 2017.

Source: Xinhuanet

Toto Roland Motuba, who headed undercover operations for the Cameroon Intelligence Report in Buea says Anglophone prisoners have been subject to brutal physical abuse by Buea security personnel.

In a conversation with our London Bureau Chief Isong Asu on Monday, Toto Roland Motuba revealed that French speaking prison guards are using batons and physical force on a regular basis on Southern Cameroons detainees and when they attempt to inquire about the reason for their arrest, they respond with more baton strikes and beatings.

He said that security agents hit the late journalist Samuel Wazizi with blows on his head and face while his hands were bound behind his back.

“At one point, a female officer kicked Wazizi forcefully in the back, after which plain clothed men pushed him into a van along with other male and female detainees, many of whom were crying and transported them to Yaoundé” Toto Roland Motuba furthered.

Toto Roland described how Cameroon government security agents humiliated and insulted Anglophone women and girls detained in the Buea prison saying that they were kicking the women like football.

Toto Roland explained that several other British Southern Cameroons detainees were initially taken to a police station in Limbe before being transferred to the Buea prison, where they were subjected to more beatings and were threatened not to publicize their ordeal.

Toto Roland Motuba recounted that over 2000 detainees were mistreated in such a brutal way in Buea.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups have once again warned the regime in Yaoundé and its great benefactor, President Biya of the inconceivable consequences of the continued military operations in Ground Zero.

In two separate audio messages aired by Amba commanders in both Manyu and Bui Divisions, the fighters were heard saying that the territory known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia is now a powder keg and continued French Cameroun military activities will have consequences for Francophone army soldiers.

In a hasty move last week the European Union announced that it was currently discussing the terms and conditions of military support for the Cameroonian army. That aid should amount to around €10m the EU hinted.

The EU gesture has been described by the Ambazonia Interim Government (IG) as unwise. Vice President Dabney Yerima has been quoted as saying that the EU is now   defending a regime that is killing civilians and burning hospitals and villages.

Yerima said French Cameroonians will be the ones to suffer if things spiral out of control in Southern Cameroons.

Seven years into a deadly separatist conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, hopes of finding a negotiated settlement seem more distant than ever as both the government and secessionist rebels dig in, according to civil society activists.

It’s a conflict marked by spikes of extreme violence that invariably target civilians. The latest high-profile incident was last month, when government soldiers killed nine people in Missong village, in the anglophone Northwest region.

Rights groups accuse both the security forces and secessionist fighters of serious abuses that include extrajudicial killings, rape, kidnapping, and torture.

The root of the conflict is the central government’s historical marginalisation of the two English-speaking regions, the Northwest and Southwest, home to about 20 percent of the population.

But the dynamics of the violence have changed with the growth of a lucrative “war economy”, typically involving kidnapping and the broader extortion of the civilian population. The political and economic spoils of the war have reduced the incentive to find a negotiated settlement.

By Toto Roland Motuba

Cameroon’s water utility, Camwater, entered into a partnership agreement on October 19th with the National Higher Polytechnic School of Douala (NHPSD) to facilitate the professional integration of graduates.

Under the agreement, NHPSD will provide its most qualified engineers to support the state-owned company. According to Camwater, NHPSD graduates will participate in specific projects conducted within the company, and Camwater will offer its support, to the best of its abilities and whenever feasible, for the training and organization of scientific and technological events at the University of Douala.

The state-owned company has additionally pledged to welcome interns from Polytech Douala and has been granted the privilege of retraining its staff at this vocational training school as part of their continuous professional development.

Source: Business in Cameroon

It’s 10 am on a Monday in the Mile 2 Nkwen locality of Bamenda, a city in northeastern Cameroon. The streets are empty.

Mondays are “ghost town” days in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon that became engulfed in a separatist crisis some seven years ago.

In many communities, everyone is expected to stay home. Markets are closed, offices locked, and the streets deserted.

The separatists who took up arms against the government in Yaoundé enforce the Monday lockdowns. Residents risk being attacked, kidnapped or shot if they disobey.

The separatists hope to mount pressure on the central government to make concessions for the Anglophone community in the country, by stopping all economic activity once a week.

Cameroon has been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion against the government in 2017. The dissidents say they want the region to secede from the area dominated by the French-speaking majority, and aim to create an independent, English-speaking state.

As a way out of the isolation and boredom of “ghost towns,” residents are finding new ways to network and support each other.

There are social and sports clubs, credit and thrift schemes, choirs or salons to stay active.

Economic social network gatherings

In Bamenda, one economic network benefits all members: financial contributions  are saved, pooled and payed out on a rotational basis to individual members.

The “Prosperous Neighbors” social network president, Ambechi Louis, says that despite the difficult security situation, members are finding ways to remain hopeful.

“We use Mondays for our meeting days because we used to hold them on Sundays and people often had other commitments. Since Mondays are a free day in the region, more people can participate,” Louis told DW.

Carine belongs to a social network group for women only; Mondays are her chance to get to know her neighbors better since everyone is busy throughout the rest of the week, she says.

“We are into neighbor solidarity and many others like veteran sporting clubs. Monday is a day to be home, so we want to use that to exercise, participate in online groups, wash clothes, meet friends and socialize,” Carine told DW.

Thriving drinking spots

Pubs in several communities are cashing in in on the ‘ghost town’ days. On Mondays, some pubs even apply a members-only policy and decline to serve drinks to anyone outside of their communities.

One pub owner, known as “Spice Boy,” says strangers aren’t allowed entry for security reasons. Any resident of the community will, however, be served.

“The days that the sales are [good] are Mondays,” he told DW. “The reason is simple: We have meetings that have all been moved from Sundays to Monday and after these meetings, [people] come to drink and socialize.”

“Spice Boy” says a normal day can bring in about €50-70 ($53-73) but a “ghost town” day can net double.

“Mondays can be very boring and to end the boredom people come to drink,” he said.

A local economy ‘on its knees’

But some analysts are worried about the prevailing situation of the ghost towns and the implications for the economic activities in the region.

“You see, ghost towns are very bad to the economy. Bamenda for example has lost its place as the fastest growing city in the sub-region,” Stephen Nsum, an economist and a Bamenda-based university lecturer, told DW.

He believes that if the phenomenon isn’t eliminated. it could plunge more people into poverty.

“Thousands have been laid off from their jobs because salaries can’t be paid. Investors have pulled out of the two Anglophone regions and even the biggest state employer after the public service is on its knees,” Nsum said.

“If ghost towns are ended there is hope the region shall gradually return to its part to economic recovery,” he added.

The English-speaking regions of Cameroon remain conflict zones with lives lost, properties destroyed, and the humanitarian crisis worsening.

Culled from DW

At least 50 people were kidnapped in two separate incidents over two days in northern Cameroon, local authorities said Tuesday.

The kidnappings occurred Sunday and Monday afternoons by an unknown armed group near the border with Chad, the mayor of Touboro town, Celestin Yandal, told The Associated Press.

Seven people have been released so far. Abductions in this area happen often, but locals say the scale of these attacks is rare.

The first kidnapping took place between Touboro and Koutere towns, where mostly Chadians were taken as well as some people from Cameroon including students and shopkeepers, the mayor said.

The second abduction occurred while people were traveling on a bus from Ngaoundere city to Touboro, he said.

Cameroon has been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in the Central African nation in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the area dominated by the French-speaking majority and setting up an independent, English-speaking state.

The government has accused the separatists of committing atrocities against civilians. The conflict has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced more than 750,000 others, according to the United Nations.

The country also faces a threat from Islamic extremists in the region.

Source: AP

St. Joseph is the foster father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He’s the patron saint of fathers and above all, he is the protector of the Church. Joseph is also the patron saint of laborers, because he was a working man, a carpenter. He’s the patron saint of families and, here’s a beautiful one, he’s the patron of the Sasse Old Boys Association all over the world.

St. Joseph represented peace and forgiveness but reconciliation was his trade mark.

At the Celtic Manor in the beautiful city of New Port in Wales, both President Obale Ebai and the much respected Gerald Nupa, echoed St Joseph’s sentiments during the SOBA UK Residential Annual Convention at the weekend.

The desire for reconciliation was visibly seen and spoken in all corners of the 5 Star International Golf resort and the general consensus was that unity is achievable.

The Sasse Old Boys were reminded that the prayer of His Lordship Bishop Bibi of the Buea diocese was that he wanted all Sobans in the UK to reconcile.

Outlining the vision of reconciliation that his predecessor Egbe Franklin had envisioned, SOBA UK president Obale Ebai observed that the era of negativity and unhealthy propaganda is over!

SOBA UK patron Dr Enow Humphrey who performed the installation ceremony ritual on the new executive told this reporter that “if we Sobans don’t reconcile, it’s like a powder keg that would torpedo all the achievements that have been made in SOBA UK.”

In his public statement during the barbecue, Valery Watat said that despite all the difficulties, Sasse Old Boys in the United Kingdom have to fulfill Bishop Bibi’s longstanding wish of having all Sobans bury the hatchet and to permanently reconciled and working together to build Sasse College.

“For this, we are today one SOBA UK” Valery Watat declared.

SOBA UK’s renowned master of ceremony Fritz Esambi also weighed in on reconciliation during the gala and vowed to continue working to rebuild and make SOBA an alumni force to be reckoned with in Cameroon and even beyond.

‘A good move’

Cameroon Concord News Group understands the blame game is now over as all Sobans in the UK are forging a good working relationship based on unity and integration.

In the words of Bertrand Abang, the 2023 SOBA UK Residential Convention at Celtic Manor was a kind of joint rally so that the working relationship matures organically among all Sasse Old Boys.

SOBA UK members have successfully discovered ways to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in Celtic Manor

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government has issued a statement detailing the current situation of the Ambazonia leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides.

The statement decried La Republique du Cameroun’s crimes in Southern Cameroons and the holding of hundreds of Southern Cameroonians in French Cameroun jails.

The document made public by the office of the Vice President, Dabney Yerima observed that over the past 7 years, the French Cameroun regime has mastered the nasty game of arresting innocent Southern Cameroonians and Francophone army soldiers deployed to Southern Cameroons are now commercialising their freedom.

“The only message that Yaoundé is sending to the world by its continued incarcerating of the Ambazonia leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides is that it revels in the endless depth of its gratuitous cruelty” the statement noted.

“President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his senior aides are detained for demanding the dignity and freedom that every human being is inherently entitled to; for representing the marginalized people of Southern Cameroons; for nothing. President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his jailed cabinet deserve their liberty” the statement furthered.

The Ambazonia Interim Government statement urged the international community to initiate a game-changing global endeavor aimed at stopping the war in Southern Cameroons and collectively impose draconian consequences on the 90-year-old Biya and his ruling French Cameroun political elites.

The IG press release reminded every Southern Cameroonian that the greatest fear of any political prisoner is to be forgotten.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government has said that the man heading the criminal French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé is only accelerating the demise of his own family by killing innocent Southern Cameroons women and children.

In a press briefing late on Friday, Vice President Dabney Yerima stated that every drop of Anglophone blood brings Biya, his wife and children closer to destruction.

Dabney Yerima wondered aloud why French Cameroonians have continued to remain silent and accepting the heinous crimes in Southern Cameroons where soldiers loyal to the 90-year-old Francophone dictator are Killing women and children and destroying hospitals.

Vice President Dabney Yerima also pointed out that Yaoundé is now suffering the economic consequences of the war in Southern Cameroons at the hands of Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces’

Yerima also emphasized the rising resentment towards the ruling CPDM crime syndicate and its leader Paul Biya.

By Chi Prudence Asong