Cameroon needs to organize annual bar exams for trainee lawyers, the Bar Council urges citing a legal requirement that has been neglected for years. In a recent interview with state broadcaster CRTV, Bar President Mbah Eric Mbah explained that the decree of February 20, 1995, governing the final examination for trainee lawyers, mandates an annual exam. However, he lamented that this requirement has not been adhered to, leading to significant problems.

He indicated that the irregular frequency of the exam has pushed many law graduates to seek training in neighboring countries like Nigeria, Sierra Leone, or Rwanda. “I was in Rwanda, where I spoke with 400 fellow Cameroonians,” he said, noting that such training abroad can be problematic due to territorial differences in procedural laws.

While acknowledging budget constraints, he expressed optimism that the government is beginning to address the issue. “In our recent discussions, the current Justice Minister appeared receptive to the concerns raised by the Bar President and the Council, and committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure the annualization of the exam, as required by law,” said Claude Assira, a member of the Bar Council.

However, there has been no official confirmation from the Ministry of Justice that the government will implement the annual bar exam. Many remain skeptical, citing the lack of budget as the primary reason for the delays and doubting whether this issue will be resolved anytime soon. In previous years, low demand for legal services was blamed for the delays, with some suggesting that the long wait periods have actually benefited practicing lawyers.

“This isn’t just an economic issue, although it shouldn’t be ignored. I firmly believe the economic factor can be overcome by broadening the lawyer’s scope of work,” argued Claude Assira.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute chaired a high-level interministerial meeting in Yaoundé on September 19, 2024. The meeting, between governors, regional councilaors and government officials, aimed to address the devastating floods that have caused significant loss of life and extensive property damage in the Far North. According to the national radio, the government reaffirmed its commitment to investigating the “underlying causes” of the flooding and implementing “new preventive measures,” in line with directives from President Paul Biya.

During a 2022 visit to the flood-stricken Yagoua, the capital of the Mayo-Danay department in the Far North, Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji stated that President Biya had requested a thorough study of the causes of the flooding and the necessary measures to address the problem. Local officials in Yagoua pointed out at the time that rivers in northern Cameroon often converge, and rainfall in the Adamaoua region swells the Logone River, exacerbating the flooding. However, a more comprehensive study is still needed to accurately determine the causes.

In the meantime, the government has announced that President Biya has released over 1.6 billion CFA francs to assist affected populations and rebuild critical infrastructure destroyed by the floods, primarily in the Far North region. Paul Atanga Nji began a working visit to the flooded areas on Thursday, where he is meeting with those impacted and distributing humanitarian aid, including temporary shelters, mattresses, blankets, food supplies, and sanitary kits.

The recent floods in the Far North, particularly in the Diamaré, Logone-and-Chari, Mayo-Danay, and Mayo-Tsanaga departments, have wreaked havoc. According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of September 10, 2024, more than 18,000 homes had been destroyed, tens of thousands of hectares of crops flooded, and thousands of livestock lost. Over 33,000 households, representing around 236,000 people, have been affected, including more than 38,000 women of reproductive age and over 4,000 pregnant women. The provisional death toll stands at 17, and schools and health centers have been inundated, according to the Far North’s Governor, Midjiyawa Bakari.

Immediate priority needs include food, shelter, essential household items, and water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) services. Local authorities and humanitarian partners are implementing emergency measures to ensure the safety of people and property, including reinforcing the Logone River dike. However, continued rainfall and rising water levels pose an increasing risk of further deterioration and potential outbreaks of disease in the coming days and weeks, OCHA warns.

Source: Sbbc

The strangest thing in life is living in a world where principle is always linked to bribe and corruption.

Ever since the MOHWA scandal broke out following the breakaway of EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN, many detractors who do not see beyond their noses hold that exposing the truth about the maladministration and malfeasance in MOHWA meant that Cameroon Concord News Group journalists had taken money from EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN.

Strangely, none of those alleging that the media group had taken money can prove where and when the money was delivered.

The Cameroon Concord News Group wants to know the account in which the money was paid. As a media organization, the Cameroon Concord News Group will be very pleased to see that money in its account for the excellent services it rendered to the Manyu public.

It takes hard intellectual work to produce exciting articles like the ones the Cameroon Concord News Group delivered to decry the malfeasance that was eating into the fabric of MOHWA.

The Cameroon Concord News Group looks forward to receiving any information that will help to direct it to the accounts wherein the money was paid.

By Chi Prudence Asong

From September 18 to 20, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the Cameroon Ministry of Defense organized the West Africa Logistics Conference, bringing together more than 50 military logistics leaders from West Africa and the United States. During the conference, participants discussed logistics challenges and identified opportunities for collaboration to improve interoperability and operational effectiveness.

Air Force Brig. Gen. George “Dutch” Dietrich, Director of Logistics for U.S. Africa Command, expressed his appreciation to the Cameroon Armed Forces for their close collaboration in hosting the event. He emphasized that WALC serves as a vital platform for regional cooperation, enabling military and civilian leaders to address common logistics challenges and find solutions to enhance interoperability and operational readiness.

In his opening remarks, U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon John C. Lamora noted, “WALC is a real opportunity to tackle a challenge that every military in the world faces. Logistics are a critical component of all operations, from peacekeeping to responding to humanitarian crises and natural disasters. By improving our collective understanding of regional challenges, we can better prepare to respond to future crises.”

This year’s conference was attended by representatives from Benin, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Culled from the US embassy in Yaoundé

Cameroon is battling devastating floods as the country’s President Paul Biya, still broad on a trip he began two weeks ago, tasked officials to address the dire humanitarian crisis.

Some 20 people have died and 236,000 others displaced in the Far North region, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

They are among 2.30 million people in West and Central Africa so far affected severe flooding in 2024.

This region has been experiencing flooding since the start of the rainy season, which began in the second half of July with an average rainfall frequency of one day out of four.

There has been an increasing significant damage to infrastructure, farmland, and disruption of essential services in three of the six administrative divisions of the floods-prone region including Mayo Tsanaga, Mayo Danay, and Logone-and-Chari.

The peak of the floods was recorded on August 28 with the breaking of water retention dikes in Mayo Danay, causing the town of Yagoua and other villages to be flooded, OCHA said on Friday.

Several schools have been forced to shut, destroyed, or are being used to provide shelter for affected communities since the 2024/2025 academic year started on Monday September 9 leaving schoolchildren in the region in limbo.

The mostly agrarian and pastoralist population has seen its and farmland and herds of cattle and sheep; main source of livelihood and vital for local economies and food security washed away by floodwaters. The lifestyle of the people in this part of the country is nomadic.

This week, authorities moved students to schools that are still functioning using mainly heavy duty trucks and canoes, signaling a possible overcrowding for the time being.

Cameroon’s floods aren’t the only source of crisis. While the students in this part of the country are suffering from an environmental disaster, those in most parts of the Anglophone region of the country have also been at home because of conflict.

The English speaking regions of South West and North West in Cameroon have seen school disrupted for fear of being attacked as armed separatists have imposed a lockdown and are reinforcing tactics to prevent children from schooling.

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya is still away after he first left the country for Beijing on September 8 for the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

State television reported with footages of a plane carrying the president and wife that the ageing leader had left the Chinese capital. But ten days later, he hasn’t returned to Yaounde.

Biya routinely travels to Europe for “brief private stays” and sometimes detours from foreign trips. He has been absent before from national crises although his officials often argue they are delegated to deal with the issues while he is away.

In October 2016, when an overloaded train derailed in the small town of Eseka, killing over 75 people, Biya was on a “brief private visit to Europe” which is how his office refered to his regular jaunts to Geneva.

A year later, the president was again on another “private” visit to Switzerland when protests broke out in the Anglophone western part of the country over perceived and real marginalisation of the English-speaking minority population. The protests ballooned into today’s armed struggle that has kept many schools closed.

Though again absent, the 91-years-old President was touched by news of the devastating floods in the Far North Region of the country, according to the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, who conveyed the Cameroonian leader’s heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families at a press conference in Yaounde on Friday.

As part of a wide range of emergence response measures, Minister Atanga Nji announced that the president had ordered the disbursement of an emergency aid of $594,000 (FCFA 350 million) to the flood victims.

“We will provide beds, matrasses, food items and other health facilities to the victims,” said Atanga Nji. He supervised the departure of some truckloads of part of the assistance from Yaounde on Tuesday.

Blaming the floods on climate change, Atanga Nji said the floods, and droughts, will not be unique to Cameroon. He said neighboring Lake Chad Basin countries like Chad and Nigeria have also been hit by floods, landslide and mudslide resulting from scattered downpours and thunderstorms. The same countries have been pummeled by droughts recently.

In Chad, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports at least 341 fatalities, at least 1,495,969 people affected and 265,590 damaged houses by devastating floods in the central and south-western part of the country as at Tuesday. Local media including Chadinfos.com have reported a higher tool.

In Nigeria, at least 30 people have died and several hundred thousand others forced from their homes by floodwaters in Maiduguri, capital of northeastern Borno state that borders Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Already burdened by violence and insecurity brought about by the Boko Haram insurgency, the recent floods have exacerbated the sorry story of the Far North Region one of Cameroon’s most populous and least developed of the ten semi-autonomous administrative regions.

According to OCHA, the floods have struck vulnerable communities already facing challenges due to climate change, pockets of drought, locust invasions, bird invasions, pachyderm invasions and a highly volatile security context since 2014, “not to mention the structural poverty of the Region”, it said in a report on Friday, September 13.

Cameroon is just one of several countries so far hit by floods this year in West and Central Africa.

Torrential rains and severe flooding have affected more than 2.30 million people in West and Central Africa in 2024, according to statistics by OCHA. The most affected countries are Chad, Nigeria, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali.

Culled from the East African

Minister Paul Tasong, head of the steering committee for the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North-West and South-West Regions (PPRD-NO/SO), revealed during the 14th session of the North-West Regional Assembly that only 50 billion CFA francs of the 154 billion CFA francs expected since 2020 have been raised. Initially, the plan was scheduled to last two years. 

Since its launch in 2020, the Presidential Plan has struggled to attract significant support from Cameroon’s international partners. Countries like France and the United States conditioned their participation on the implementation of a genuine dialogue to resolve the ongoing armed conflict in the separatist regions. As a result, only a few partners, such as Japan and the United Nations Development Programme, have released funds to support infrastructure rehabilitation projects in these regions.

Paul Tasong, who also serves as Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development, reported that 258 projects have been completed in areas such as providing agricultural inputs to farmers, building schools, and setting up water supply systems. Additionally, 38 projects are still underway, while 2 have been suspended.

He thanked the partners who have contributed to the Presidential Plan, noting that an estimated 2,500 billion CFA francs would be needed for the complete transformation of the North-West and South-West regions, according to a communication from the North-West Regional Assembly.

Source: Business in Cameroon

In a memo dated September 10, 2024, Martin Mbarga Nguele (photo), Director General of National Security (DGSN), reaffirmed the importance of free movement of people within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). This reminder was directed to the Director of Border Police, regional security delegates, port and airport commissioners, and immigration officers at border posts.

“In accordance with the Additional Act No. 05/19-CEMAC-070 U-CCE of April 1, 2019, which establishes a common immigration policy and border protection, I want to reaffirm our guidelines regarding the free movement of people within the CEMAC zone. Citizens of member states traveling to another community country are not required to obtain visas, provided they have a valid biometric passport or national identity card,” wrote Cameroon’s police chief in the leaked document.

The directives aim to ensure the principles of free movement are fully respected, reflecting Cameroon’s commitment to fostering regional integration and facilitating exchanges within CEMAC.

This communication came just days before the 4th Ordinary Session of the Committee of Central African Police Chiefs (CCPAC), scheduled in Yaoundé from September 17 to 20. The session will focus on implementing community policies regarding the free movement of people and goods, a responsibility given to CCPAC following an institutional reform in 2020.

Since 2017, free movement has been an established principle for the six CEMAC member states (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad), allowing passport holders to travel without restrictions. This process began in 2000 with the introduction of the CEMAC passport, followed by an additional act in 2005. In 2013, visa requirements were lifted for regional citizens, allowing for visa-free stays of up to 90 days in any member state.

However, countries like Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have faced challenges in fully implementing these provisions. This prompted Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, to call for effective free movement during the 13th edition of CEMAC Day on March 16, 2022. “Our community regulations have clearly established this. Additional efforts are nonetheless needed to ensure its successful implementation, to the satisfaction of our people,” Biya said in a speech delivered by Luc Ayang, President of the Economic and Social Council.

Source: Sbbc

At least 97 Southern Cameroon civilians were arrested in Bonakanda in Fako Division by gendarmerie officers from the Buea legion, Barrister Lyonga Ewule confirmed on Saturday through a statement released by Legend Law Offices, as Vice President Dabney Yerima of the Ambazonia Interim Government ordered an investigation into the latest in a series of such deadly raids in Anglophone zones.

Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered from an official in the governor’s office in Buea that the raid on Bonakanda took place late on Saturday night while residents were preparing for Sunday church services.

At least 20 of the men arrested were humiliated in front of their wives and children and several were given haircut with broken bottles, Barrister Lyonga Ewule said in the statement.

Since 2016, hundreds of Southern Cameroon civilians have been arrested by the Francophone dominated Cameroon government military on lame and ridiculous reasons that the military is targeting armed groups in the deadly security crisis in English speaking Cameroon.

“The incidence of continued arrest of innocent Southern Cameroonians is assuming a worrisome dimension in Ambazonia,” said Dabney Yerima, the current vice-president of the Ambazonia Interim Government.

Francophone gendarmes often conduct raids on many Southern Cameroons villages leaving civilian casualties.

Barrister Lyonga revealed that among those arrested were two disable and two Autistic persons identified as Lisongo Njume and Emmanuel Nyoki.

By Rita Akana and Kingsley Betek in Buea