Less than two weeks since the country’s president, Paul Biya, returned from Switzerland where he was inflated with steroids, the 91-year-old dictator who was swollen like a dead fish has lost the weight that was almost crushing him.

Pictures of the incompetent dictator granting audience to the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, H.E. Paul Patrick Biffot, Gabon’s ambassador to Cameroon, clearly show that Mr. Biya has lost most of his steroids-induced weight.

The dictator, who was the picture of health on the day he returned from Switzerland, is gradually becoming thinner and scraggier.

It is also being reported that the dying dictator can no longer walk though pictures released show that he can stand. No other cameras are welcomed wherever the failed dictator finds himself.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai

Cameroon and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration through arts, culture, and community development initiatives, marking 60 years of partnership. A recent ceremony in Yaoundé, attended by Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Jules Doret Ndongo and German Ambassador Corinna Fricke, highlighted the significance of their enduring relationship.

A Legacy of Cooperation

Since 1960, Cameroon and Germany have worked together to promote cultural exchange, preserve historical heritage, and support local communities. This partnership has yielded fruitful collaborations in various sectors, including:

– Cultural Preservation: Efforts to restore and promote Cameroonian artifacts and historical sites, showcasing the country’s rich cultural diversity.

– Community Development: Initiatives to improve living conditions, education, and economic opportunities in local communities, enhancing the quality of life for Cameroonians.

– Environmental Conservation: Joint projects to protect Cameroon’s natural resources and promote sustainable development, ensuring a healthy environment for future generations.

The German Development Cooperation (GDC) in Cameroon has been instrumental in fostering this partnership, working closely with the Cameroonian government to achieve sustainable development objectives. Additionally, the Goethe-Institut has played a vital role in promoting cultural exchange and language training.

Over the past six decades, Cameroon and Germany have made significant strides in:

– Promoting cultural understanding and exchange

– Enhancing economic development and job creation

-Protecting Cameroon’s unique biodiversity

As they look to the future, Cameroon and Germany remain committed to deepening their partnership, addressing emerging challenges, and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.

“Today, we celebrate 60 years of friendship and cooperation between Cameroon and Germany. Our partnership is built on mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to sustainable development. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts, fostering a brighter future for both nations.” Corinna Fricke German Ambassador to Cameroon added.

Source: CRTV

On October 29, electric utility Eneo announced a “major incident” on the North Interconnected Network (RIN), causing a widespread power outage across the three northern regions of Cameroon: Adamaoua, North, and the Far North. The issue reportedly occurred around 5:40 a.m. on the transmission line connecting the Lagdo Dam in the North region to Adamaoua.

In response, Eneo has reactivated its fuel-powered thermal plants to restore electricity to the affected areas. Each region has a thermal power plant located in the main cities of Ngaoundéré, Garoua, and Maroua. However, Eneo confirmed that, for now, only these regional capitals are receiving electricity.

Eneo assures that repair teams are actively working to restore service “as soon as possible.” According to an Eneo representative, the situation is expected to return to normal by this evening.

Source: Sbbc

There are around 50,000 Cameroonians living in Canada, the Cameroon’s High Commissioner to Canada, Ngole Philip Ngwesse, estimated as reported in the government daily. However, he cautioned that this figure could be imprecise, as many Cameroonians don’t register with the High Commission for consular cards. Without a reliable census, determining the exact number remains challenging.

The main hubs for Cameroonian immigrants in Canada are Quebec and Ontario, particularly Montreal and Toronto. Citing Quebec government statistics, Ngwesse noted that Cameroon was the second-largest source of permanent immigrants to the province in 2023, behind only France. Cameroon’s business association reported that 6,000 Cameroonians emigrated to Canada between January and April 2024.

This significant migration has raised concerns on both sides of the border. The Quebec government recently expressed plans to limit the intake of Cameroonian nurses, reflecting the impact of the migration on the healthcare sector and broader bilateral relations.

Source: Sbbc

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Cameroonian authorities to immediately release journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua, publishing director of the privately-owned Le Point Hebdo bimonthly newspaper, after he was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a report on the minister of housing’s alleged mismanagement, and to drop all charges against him.

“Journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua’s troubling detention, as well as the continued imprisonment of five other journalists for their work, underscores the urgent need to reform the country’s laws to ensure journalism is not criminalized,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa Program, in New York. “Government officials should be able to respond to journalistic coverage and criticism without resorting to censorious legal proceedings. Ondoua and the other jailed journalists should be released immediately and not punished for doing their jobs.”

On Tuesday, October 22, the regional division of the judicial police (DRPJ) in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, summoned and arrested Ondoua on charges of false news, defamation, and insulting “constituted bodies,” which includes ministers, deputies and certain types of state officials, according to a CPJ review of the summons letters, and Prosper-Rémy Mimboé, the newspaper’s managing editor, who spoke to CPJ. The arrest followed a complaint filed by Célestine Ketcha Courtès, minister of Housing and Urban Development, and Ondoua is still waiting for arraignment in the Yaoundé court, according to those sources. He faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted.

Mimboé told CPJ that Ondoua’s arrest was in connection with several reports published by Le Point Hebdo criticizing Courtès’ management of housing policies, including one published on June 18, 2024, a copy of which CPJ reviewed.

Cameroon, which is preparing for a presidential election next year that could see the 91-year-old current president Paul Biya run for his eighth term, has seen numerous arrests and suspensions of media outlets and journalists in recent weeks related to the delay of parliamentary and local elections.

Cameroon was ranked as sub-Saharan Africa’s third-worst jailer of journalists in CPJ’s annual prison census, with six imprisoned as of December 1, 2023. One journalist, Stanislas Désiré Tchoua, was released on December 28 after serving a prison sentence for defamation and insult.

CPJ’s messages to Bangté Talamdio, a member of Courtès’ cabinet, and calls to the public listed number for Cameroon’s Ministry of Housing, DRPJ and Yaoundé court of first instance went unanswered.

Source: CPJ

Cameroonian President Paul Biya has directed the dismissal of all state employees who have been absent without justification or suspended from the payroll following the 2018 Physical Headcount of State Personnel (Coppe). This decision, outlined in a circular on October 23, is part of the preparations for the 2025 state budget.

In the circular, President Biya orders the completion of the contentious phase of the Coppe operation by 2025, which will involve permanently removing all identified personnel from the state payroll. These individuals have either been absent without justification, resigned without reporting it, or passed away without official notification. He also called for continued efforts to clean up the payroll system, including removing employees who have resigned and closing salary or pension accounts that were improperly collected.

The 2018 census exposed thousands of irregular cases within the public workforce. By the end of the operation, 8,766 state employees were found to be in violation of payroll rules. Despite multiple warnings and notifications from the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Service, only 601 of these employees responded to disciplinary hearings, according to a statement by Public Service Minister Joseph Lé on October 13, 2022.

As of early 2024, many employees still had not complied and remained suspended by their respective departments. Among them were 2,326 teachers who had been flagged for “irregular absence” following various reports, according to a January 17, 2024, statement by Secondary Education Minister Nalova Lyonga.

This latest directive from President Biya aims to finally resolve the issue by removing these non-compliant employees from the state payroll system.

Source: Business in Cameroon

The military tribunal in Yaoundé on September 21, 2024, focused on arguments from government prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Cerlin Belinga. He dismissed all objections raised by the defense in the case surrounding the January 2023 assassination of journalist Martinez Zogo.

Defense attorneys for the 17 defendants, including 12 agents from the Directorate General of External Research (DGRE), attempted to highlight procedural flaws to secure their clients’ release. However, the prosecutor argued that the defense had not raised legitimate objections but merely made “observations,” which he systematically dismissed.

On the issue of establishing a joint police and gendarmerie commission, the prosecutor defended his authority to do so, stating that the accused belonged to these services. He also justified the retroactive regularization of certain reports, asserting that it was his duty to ensure the compliance of actions carried out by judicial police officers under his supervision.

An additional point of contention emerged regarding the December 1, 2023, referral order, which granted release to two key defendants—former DGRE director Léopold Maxime Eko Eko and businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga. The prosecutor dismissed this as a “pointless debate,” noting that the investigating judge, Lieutenant Colonel Sikati II Kamwo, had “clearly disregarded” it.

Regarding allegations of illegal property seizures during searches, the lack of summons for the accused, and the non-compliance of certain procedures, the prosecutor rejected all these observations, ultimately urging the judges to receive and dismiss them.

These submissions sparked a strong reaction from the defense lawyers, who reiterated their appeal for the tribunal’s president, Colonel Misse Njonè, to rule strictly according to the law. The president has adjourned the case until November 11, when he will “rule on the exceptions.”

According to several defense lawyers present, if the judge were to accept their requests, the investigation into the assassination of the head journalist at Amplitude FM could restart from scratch, potentially leading to the release of many of the accused.

Source: Sbbc