The government has dismissed 1,172 public servants, including civil servants and state employees, according to a statement released on Monday, November 18, by the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform (Minfopra), Joseph Le.

The latest round of sanctions adds to the previous 1,981 dismissals and 424 terminations, bringing the total number affected to 3,577. The statement explains that these decisions were made under decrees issued on October 7, 1994, defining the general civil service statutes, as amended by the decree of October 12, 2000, and a decree from November 9, 1978, specifying common provisions for state employees under the labor code.

The sanctions stem from a physical headcount operation, known as Coppe, launched in 2018 to identify and remove irregularly listed employees from state payrolls. Irregularities were often due to unexplained absences, resignations, or unreported deaths. The operation is expected to conclude in 2025, at which point all identified personnel will be removed from the civil service, following the President’s directive in the 2025 budget circular signed on October 23, 2024.

Joseph Le revealed that the dismissed and terminated employees are part of a broader group of 8,766 public agents at risk of disciplinary action. Despite repeated notices from the Ministers of Finance and Public Service, only 601 individuals responded to requests for clarification, with some attending hearings with the Permanent Public Service Discipline Council.

Following disciplinary procedures, some personnel were reinstated, while others were terminated for submitting fraudulent documents “intended to mislead the administration.” At the start of 2024, numerous public employees remained suspended from payroll for unexplained absences, including 2,326 teachers flagged as absent following a call for reporting by Secondary Education Minister Nalova Lyonga.

Minister Le emphasized that this “significant operation” aligns with President Paul Biya’s directives to combat chronic absenteeism among public servants. In July, Le warned that any public employee absent for 30 consecutive days would face immediate dismissal or termination. “If a public servant fails to be at their post for 30 days, they simply merit dismissal or termination. Many other measures are stipulated in the Civil Service Statute and related regulations. Salaries are compensation for work performed, not work to be done. Absenteeism and indiscipline must end,” he stated after a cabinet meeting on July 25.

The Coppe operation, conducted between April and June 2018 by the Ministry of Finance, identified and removed 10,000 fictitious employees from the payroll, generating an annual budget saving of approximately 30 billion CFA francs in 2019, according to Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze.

Source: Sbbc

At least three people — a soldier and two civilians — have been killed in an Ambazonia attack in the northwest region, local and security sources said Monday evening.

The civilians were driving along the Ndu-Foumban road early Monday when Amba fighters ambushed them, a security source in the region said.

“They (the civilians) gave the soldier a lift. Along the way, the separatists who were hiding in the bush opened fire on their car, killing three people and injuring two others,” the source said.

Additional troops have been deployed to the road where attacks have become recurrent.

A separatist insurgency has been going on in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017.

Armed separatists want to secede from the largely French-speaking Cameroon and create an independent nation in the English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

Source: Xinhuanet

On November 9, the administration of the Saint-Laurent University Institute of Ndop announced that 11 of its students and their supervisors had been kidnapped by separatist fighters in the troubled Northwest region. According to the institute’s statement, the abduction took place on Saturday, November 2, around 10 a.m., during an academic activity. 

“The students and staff were traveling by motorcycle to Babessi for an outreach program when they were stopped by armed Ambazonian fighters at Baba 1. The armed men, identifying themselves as members of the Baba 1 Ambazonia fighters, took the 11 students and teachers hostage and disappeared into the surrounding bush,” the statement detailed.

Despite efforts to secure their release, “appeals from various stakeholders for the release of the students and staff have gone unanswered,” the institute’s administration said, adding that “local sources suggest the Ambazonian fighters are demanding ransom or using this abduction for political leverage.”

Schools have frequently been targeted by separatist fighters, who seek to disrupt educational activities by attacking campuses or kidnapping students and staff. In a recent report, the UN noted that in September 2024 alone, at least four attacks were documented—three in the North-West region and one in the South-West. These assaults affected public schools, religious institutions, and secular private schools alike.

One of the deadliest attacks took place on October 24, 2020, at the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba, in the Southwest region. Armed men stormed the school, killing seven students, a tragedy that provoked widespread outrage both nationally and internationally.

Numerous international organizations have repeatedly called for schools to be spared from the separatist conflict that has destabilized the Northwest and Southwest regions since 2017. In September, the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé issued a renewed appeal for an end to these attacks, emphasizing, “Schools are learning sanctuaries, and children should not be prevented from attending classes.” The embassy further condemned “all forms of violence against civilians.”

Source: Sbbc

Parliament is reviewing a draft bill aiming at establishing a legal framework for the processing and protection of personal data in the country.

The proposed Personal Data Protection Bill was submitted to the National Assembly in Yaounde on 13 November by Bolvine Wakata, minister delegate in the presidency responsible for relations with the lawmakers.

According to the government, this Bill aims to protect individuals’ fundamental rights and freedoms regarding the processing of their personal data, regardless of the data type, processing method, or parties involved.

“Processing and use of personal data have major economic implications,” the government stated in an explanatory note to lawmakers.

It added: “Data protection is essential for the survival of any state concerned with its sovereignty on the global stage.”

Notable among provisions of the Bill is a section which compels data controllers or processors to ensure that personal data is handled in a lawful, fair and transparent manner.

Additionally, the Bill mandates that data processing must respect individual privacy, with processors required to maintain confidentiality across digital networks and any other platforms.

The processing of personal data must also be based on the data subject’s unambiguous consent.

Aside from establishing criminal and financial penalties for those who violate the law, the bill would create a Personal Data Protection Authority—an independent body tasked, among other things, with issuing authorisations, approving certification mechanisms, handling complaints, and coordinating with other governmental bodies to ensure the law is effectively implemented.

Source: iTweb

The leader of the Ambazonia revolution, Sisuku Ayuk Tabe has called for unity among all Southern Cameroons restoration movements fighting for the creation of an Ambazonian state.

Sisuku Ayuk Tabe was reacting to the appointment of Marco Rubio as the new US Secretary of State described as one of the few US senators to lend an attentive ear to Southern Cameroons nationalism.

The Ambazonian leader called for unity in order to seize the opportunity under the current Trump administration for the real emancipation of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

‘This is another encouraging message that should push our people towards unity. Let us always do what is necessary to be in the vanguard of the push towards unity, because despite everything… there is strength in numbers! Let us lead by example and give priority to unity in our quest for Ambazonia. A bundle of brooms is unbreakable, but a single broomstick can be easily broken. Our struggle is bigger than one person. Let us remain united’, wrote Sisuku Ayuk Tabe.

‘Ambazonie’s strength lies in our diversity. Let us celebrate our differences and unite for a common goal’, he continued. This reaction follows on from the former US Assistant Secretary of State Tibor Nagy’s comments that the new head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, is someone who cares about the Southern Cameroons struggle.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

At least 10 civilians, including women, were killed when the Boko Haram terror group raided a locality in Cameroon’s Far North region, authorities said Wednesday.

The overnight attack took place in Ldamang, a village in the region’s Mayo-Tsanaga division.

Far North Governor Midjiyawa Bakari confirmed the attack to Xinhua and said an official statement would be released later.

Source: Xinhuanet

The November 11 hearing at the Yaoundé Military Tribunal lasted approximately 20 minutes, with the court rejecting all objections raised by the defense.

The tribunal, led by Colonel Missé Njonè, denied the defense team’s request for a reenactment of events related to the case of businessman Amougou Belinga. The court also dismissed requests to dismiss certain preliminary investigation and case file documents.

The judges further rejected a proposal to reclassify charges against some defendants and denied the application of a contested referral order from December 1, 2023, which had previously ordered the release of Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga and Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, former head of the Directorate General of External Research (DGRE).

The court reaffirmed its decision to include the DGRE as a civil party in the case, a status the intelligence agency has sought to avoid since the trial began in March.

The next hearing is scheduled for December 2, when the parties hope to initiate substantive deliberations.

Source: Sbbc

Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during Donald Trump’s first term, has suggested that Washington’s policy on the ongoing separatist crisis in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions could see a shift. which has simmered since 2016, could see a shift. In a recent tweet, he wrote: if “Trump selects certain people whose names have come up for high level posts the Yaoundé regime will get much more pressure over its mistreatment of its Anglophone population.” Nagy, who previously engaged with this issue, believes that the Biden administration has largely neglected the crisis, a situation that he expects could change with new leadership in the White House. “Cameroon [government] has gotten a relatively free ride with Biden; hopefully that will change,” he added.

During Trump’s first term, U.S. diplomacy took an assertive stance on Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, with Washington repeatedly condemning the Cameroonian military for alleged human rights violations and abuses against civilians. “I receive more emails about Cameroon than any other African issue—10 to 20 daily, with horrific photos and videos of people decapitated with machetes, security forces committing terrible acts…We need a de-escalation,” Nagy said in a 2019 interview. His comments led to strained relations between Yaoundé and Washington, with Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, René Emmanuel Sadi, responding that such statements reflected “a lack of understanding of the issues, realities, and facts” and constituted an “unacceptable attempt at interference in Cameroon’s internal affairs.” After meeting with President Paul Biya in Cameroon, Nagy later adopted a more measured tone.

In recent years, Washington has taken a more collaborative approach with Yaoundé regarding the Anglophone crisis. The U.S. has even prosecuted U.S.-based Cameroonians accused of trafficking arms to separatists in the troubled regions, a move welcomed by the Cameroonian government, which had long sought American cooperation to neutralize these leaders.

However, analysts argue that Washington’s assistance in pursuing those behind attacks in the separatist regions is driven primarily by broader geopolitical strategy. Amid rising tensions with Russia, especially over the Ukraine conflict, the U.S. has aimed to isolate Moscow by offering reassurances to certain Kremlin partners. This dynamic, however, could shift if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Starting November 15, 2024, Cameroon will eliminate physical fiscal stamps. The announcement was made by the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motazé, on November 1, 2024.

From that date, the fiscal stamp required for various documents—such as driver’s licenses, vehicle registration cards, gun permits, hunting licenses, scientific research permits, transport contracts, property transfers, and others—will be declared paid online through the General Tax Directorate’s (DGI) platform.

The Minister said that the traditional physical stamp will be replaced by an online payment receipt. This receipt can be verified through the DGI’s system for authenticity. Although Motazé listed specific documents in his announcement, DGI officials confirmed that the move to digital applies to all types of fiscal stamps, including those used on photocopies and graduated stamps.

According to tax agents, most beneficiaries of tax exemptions pay this stamp tax, which has a fixed rate of CFA300,000, in line with current regulations.

The reform is designed to improve the security of tax revenue by removing cash transactions and the use of stamping machines, which have been linked to fraud in the past. Some of these machines were reportedly missing or deliberately malfunctioning in certain financial districts, allowing criminal networks to divert public funds. The issue was especially apparent during high-demand periods, such as the start of administrative exams or public sector recruitment drives.

Stamping machines were introduced in Cameroon a few years ago to combat the widespread counterfeiting of physical stamps. However, despite this effort, fraudsters continued to find ways to bypass the system, depriving the government of substantial revenue each year.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Colonel Misse Njoné, head of the panel of judges in the military tribunal handling the high-profile case of journalist Martinez Zogo’s assassination, is set to rule today on procedural objections raised by the defense and the prosecutorial motions presented by the government commissioner. This case involves 17 defendants, including 12 agents from Cameroon’s powerful intelligence service, the General Directorate for External Research (DGRE). They stand accused of kidnapping, torturing, and killing Martinez Zogo in January 2023. Zogo, a prominent radio host at Amplitude FM in Yaoundé, frequently exposed corruption involving top government officials.

The judge’s decision on whether to accept the defense’s complaints regarding alleged irregularities in the preliminary investigation and the case’s instruction phase could significantly impact the course of the trial. If the judge upholds the defense’s objections, the investigation could be restarted from scratch, potentially resulting in the release of some of the accused. During the last hearing on October 21, the government commissioner opposed all objections and requested their outright dismissal.

In recent hearings on September 30 and October 21, defense attorneys raised multiple procedural challenges, particularly pointing to errors made by investigators during both the preliminary and instruction phases. For instance, lawyers for Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga—an influential businessman suspected of ordering Zogo’s murder—argued that the search of his residence was conducted without a warrant or notification to his attorneys. They also alleged that certain items disappeared during the search.

Furthermore, the defense claims that witness statements were illegally taken and that interrogation records were “regularized” only after the fact. This retroactive approval was reportedly granted by the government commissioner, who headed the joint police-gendarme investigative team. Defense attorneys contest the legality of this team, asserting that jurisdiction should have rested with the public prosecutor in Mfou, where Zogo’s body was found, or the Central Region tribunal prosecutor.

The defense also challenges a December 1, 2023, dismissal order issued by former investigative judge Sikati II Kamwo, which called for the release of Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga and former DGRE chief Léopold Maxime Eko Eko. Following an administrative dispute, the military tribunal deemed the dismissal order falsified, keeping both men in custody. The defense now insists the order was genuine and demands the immediate release of their clients based on this document.

Since the proceedings began in March, these procedural debates have delayed the trial’s progression to substantive issues. Today’s decision by the tribunal president will determine whether the case will finally proceed to the main trial phase or face further delays.

Source: Sbbc