News

17, March 2024

Niger revokes military cooperation with US ⁰

Niger’s government announced on Saturday that it was breaking off “with immediate effect” its military cooperation agreement with the United States.

The declaration came just a day after a senior US delegation left Niger, following a three-day visit to renew contact with the military junta that ousted the president and moved closer to Russia.

The statement said the government had decided to “denounce with immediate effect” the agreement relating to US military and civilian employees of the US Department of Defense inside Niger.

It was read out Saturday evening on national television.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington was aware of the statement, and that it came after “frank discussions … about our concerns” with the junta’s “trajectory.”

Miller said on X that the US was still in touch with the junta and would provide updates “as warranted.”

The Pentagon provided AFP with an identical statement.

The United States still stations some 1,000 troops in Niger at a desert drone base built at a cost of $100 million.

Movements there have been limited since the July 2023 coup and Washington has curbed assistance to the government.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a rare visit to Niger a year ago in hopes of shoring up president Mohamed Bazoum, a stalwart ally in Western security efforts against jihadists.

Just four months later, the military deposed Bazoum and put him under house arrest.

The junta took a hard line against former colonial power France, forcing the withdrawal of French troops in place for nearly a decade.

Niger’s military had in the past worked closely with the United States.

But the junta has sought cooperation with Russia, while stopping short of the full-fledged embrace of Moscow by military-run neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.

Source: AFP

14, March 2024

French Cameroun: Divisional Officer sentenced to 10 years for killing partner ⁰

The military court in Ebolowa in the South Region has finally made public its verdict on the Franck Derlin Ebanga-Lydienne Taba affair.

Franck Derlin Ebanga, a civil administrator was accused of murdering his partner Lydienne Taba with a pistol he reportedly collected from a gendarmerie officer in his area of command four years ago.

The presiding judge sentenced him on Wednesday and issued a committal order at the hearing. He will also pay the victim’s family FCFA 45 million in damages.

This is the outcome of a case that began on the night of 24-25 July 2020. Franck Derlin Ebanga, then Divisional Officer of Loukoundje in Océan Division spent a tense evening at his home in the town of Kribi with his partner, Lydienne Taba, a student at the University of Douala. The following day, the body of the 23-year-old woman was found lifeless.

The 30-year-old chef de terre as they are known in French speaking Cameroon initially explained that it was an accidental discharge from his service weapon that killed Lydienne Taba. His version was disputed by the victim’s family.

An investigation conducted by the Gendarmerie Legion in Ebolowa led to the conviction of the accused. His new home is now the Ebolowa central prison. Solange Lydienne Taba was laid to rest on August 29, 2020 in Lobathal Mouanko, her native village in the Sanaga-Maritime Division, Littoral region.

By Alain Tabot-Tanyi with files

13, March 2024

Southern Cameroons Crisis: NERA 10 Seek Nigeria’s House Of Reps’ Intervention ⁰

Six Cameroonian professors working in Nigerian universities and four others have sought the immediate intervention of the House of Representatives to secure their release after being allegedly abducted and deported to their home country.

According to the Nation, they said they had been imprisoned in Cameroon since January 2018.

It was learned that they were being detained at Kondengui Security Detention facility in Cameroon.

The detainees who claimed to be legal residents in Nigeria alleged that they were illegally abducted and deported from Nigeria on January 5, 2018, to Cameroon, on “frivolous allegations of plotting to destabilise the government of La Republique du Cameroon (LRC) President Mr. Paul Biya.”

They added that they were unlawfully prosecuted and remanded in prison in their home country, Cameroon despite two subsisting judgements given by Nigerian courts which declared their prolonged detention as unlawful.

Those who submitted the petition to the Nigerian federal lawmakers on their behalf are Prof. Carlson Anyangwe, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Barr. Fru Joseph Awah, Barr. Abdul Oroh and Barr. Mbinkar Ernestine Singeh.

They added that considering the position of Nigerian courts on this, the House of Representatives should compel the Cameroonian government to free them from prison and compensate them financially.

They also added that in October 2022, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UN-HRC-WGAD) in Communication 59/2022 of October 14, 2022, found their arrest and detention by Nigeria and Cameroon arbitrary and illegal and asked both countries to unconditionally free the victims and pay them appropriate compensation.

The petition reads: “Cause the government of Nigeria to institute an urgent action to secure the implementation of Communication 59/2022 of 14th October 2022 of the UN-HRC-WGAD calling for the release of the Petitioners.

“Cause the Government of Nigeria to take action and implement the rulings in the 3 judgments of the Federal High Court of Abuja in 2019, ordering the release and compensation of these Petitioners.

“Cause Nigeria to leverage on the Abuja 2002 ruling in the case of Kelvin Ngwang Ngumne et al Vs the FGN, demanding that Nigeria intervenes to resolve the conflict between Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun and respect for the particular clause of the Green Tree Agreement which demands that both la Republique du Cameroun and Nigeria retain their boundaries at independence, To pursue the self-determination quest of the Southern Cameroons to its logical conclusion as mandated by the FHC 2002 judgment.

“Cause the Government of Nigeria to take action and urgently initiate proceedings before the ICJ and other international jurisdictions citing la République du Cameroun to be sanctioned for fraudulent misrepresentation during the Bakassi Peninsula case in the ICJ.

“Cause the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to take its rightful place as “big brother” in African politics and cause the African Union or the United Nations to intervene in the matter between the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun or to proceed as mediator and resolve the ongoing conflict and restore peace and stability in the Gulf of Guinea region.”

At the last hearing of the subject before the House Committee on Public Petitions, Mohammed Manu, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no record of the petition.

He did, however, state that their results proved that the government was handling the situation as a security and legal concern.

Hon. Mike Etaba, Chairman of the Committee, adjourned the hearing till April 16, 2024, for proper service and hearing.

Source: Sahara Reporters

11, March 2024

Fifty hurt as Latam Airlines jet to New Zealand hit by ‘technical’ issue ⁰

Fifty people were hurt, with 12 in hospital, after a flight from Sydney to Auckland suffered what was described as a mid-air “technical event”.

The Latam Airlines jet “just froze” after a “quick little drop”, one passenger told the New Zealand Herald.

Emergency services said 12 people were taken to hospital, and one patient was in a serious condition.

Reports said multiple passengers felt the aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, drop suddenly mid-flight.

Passengers were thrown out of their seats, causing them to hit their heads on the plane’s ceiling.

Some were not wearing their seatbelts, Radio New Zealand reported, quoting one of those on board.

Another passenger reported seeing people “flying around” and seeing traces of their blood on the ceiling.

New Zealand’s St John ambulance service said it had “assessed and treated approximately” 50 patients.

Twelve people were taken to hospital, with one patient in a serious condition and the remainder in a moderate to minor condition

Further details about the “technical event” or what caused it are still not known.

Latam Airlines said it “deeply” regretted “any inconvenience and discomfort this situation may have caused its passengers”.

It said “a technical event during the flight” had “caused a strong movement” but provided no further information.

“The plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled,” it added.

The aircraft was scheduled to fly on from Auckland to Santiago, the capital of Chile, where the South American carrier is based.

The flight has been cancelled and a new flight was scheduled for Tuesday, RNZ reported.

Source: BBC

11, March 2024

Ukraine War: European arms imports nearly double ⁰

Weapons imports to Europe nearly doubled over the past five years, partly due to the war in Ukraine, while exports from Russia halved, researchers said on Monday.

Ukraine has become the world’s fourth largest arms importer, while France has replaced Russia as the world’s second largest exporter behind the United States.

Arms imports to Europe rose by 94 percent in 2019-2023, compared to the preceding five-year period, while overall global arms transfers decreased slightly, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

SIPRI prefers to analyse trends over half-decades as a few deliveries of major contracts can tilt yearly figures.

The increase is “partially explained by the war in Ukraine, and Ukraine has become the fourth largest importer of arms in the world in the last five years”, SIPRI researcher Katarina Djokic told AFP.

SIPRI noted that at least 30 countries had supplied major weapons as military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.

But other European nations also increased imports, with a larger share coming from the world’s number one exporter of arms, the United States.

In the 2019-2023 period, 55 percent of imports to Europe were from the US, up from 35 percent in the 2014-2018 period.

This is partly due to most European states being NATO members and partners of the US in the development of weapon systems like the F-35 fighter jet, Djokic said.

Russian exports plummet

At the same time increased imports from the US underlined many European nations’ desire to quickly acquire weapons and therefore buy “off the shelf” rather than develop new systems.

Globally, US exports grew by 17 percent in the period, bringing its share of total arms exports to 42 percent.

Meanwhile, Russia — which long held the position as the second largest exporter — saw its exports fall by 53 percent between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.

Russia was not only exporting fewer weapons, it was also exporting to fewer recipients.

It only exported to 12 countries in 2023, compared to 31 in 2019.

“There are also important changes in the policies of their biggest customer, China,” Djokic said.

China was traditionally one of the biggest recipients of Russian arms but has been pushing to develop its domestic production.

China still accounted for 21 percent of Russian exports, while India was the biggest recipient with 34 percent.

While Russia’s exports declined, France saw its own grow by 47 percent, thereby narrowly edging out Russia to become the world’s second largest exporter.

Violations of humanitarian law

France accounted for 11 percent of total weapons exports in 2019-2023.

In particular, Djokic noted that France had been particularly successful in selling its Rafale fighter jet outside Europe.

The war in Gaza — which began in retaliation for Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel — has already affected arms imports to Israel.

This is primarily through transfers of weapons from the US, either via new military aid or the speeding up already existing contracts, according to SIPRI researcher Zain Hussain.

Hussain cautioned that the longer term impact of the conflict was harder to predict.

“We already see in certain European states a kind of push by different actors or states to limit arms to Israel during its (military) operations in Gaza due to potential violations of international humanitarian law,” Hussain said.

Such measures could affect transfers to Israel.

The question then remains as to whether they would remain in place after the end of Israel’s current ground and air assault on Gaza, Hussain explained.

Source: AFP

11, March 2024

Princess of Wales apologises for Mother’s Day photo ‘confusion’ ⁰

The Princess of Wales has apologised “for any confusion” her Mother’s Day photograph caused, after five agencies retracted it over editing concerns.

Catherine, in a statement posted on Kensington Palace social media, said: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”

The image, taken by the Prince of Wales, was the first of Catherine to be released since her surgery in January.

PA, Getty Images, AFP, Reuters and Associated Press had removed the image.

In her statement on X, formerly Twitter, Catherine said: I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

The photo shows the princess sitting down, surrounded by Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George, the latter wrapping his arms around her.

It was the first official photo of the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery two months ago. Since then she has stayed out of the public eye.

The image was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s social media accounts with a message from Catherine which said: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months.

“Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

Source: BBC

9, March 2024

French Cameroun: Far North Region is losing the battle against arms trafficking ⁰

Northern Cameroon has for decades been a hub for ammunition, small arms and light weapons trafficking in the Sahel. The problem has fuelled regional insecurity since 1980. In response, states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission created the Multinational Joint Task Force in 1994.

But arms trafficking has worsened since Boko Haram’s emergence and expansion into Cameroon in 2013. In the past decade, Cameroon’s defence forces have seized and destroyed over 3 000 weapons and items of military equipment.

Northern Cameroon covers the Far North, North and Adamawa regions, which form part of the Sahelian belt. This part of Cameroon shares borders with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR), and experiences a lot of smuggling and trafficking.

Due to various insurrections, Nigeria has become fertile ground for the manufacture of homemade weapons. In Chad, numerous conflicts since the 1970s – including rebellions and reversals of political power – have led to a proliferation of small arms.

Coupled with various forms of violent extremism, the rebellion of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Sahara, which developed during the 1990s in Niger’s Diffa and Agadez regions, bordering Chad, also increased the circulation of weapons. And Chad’s proximity to Libya, which has been afflicted by civil war over several decades, has exacerbated the problem.

The CAR, for its part, is experiencing a long cycle of socio-political instability. Between 2004 and 2014, the groups involved in the country’s three bloody civil wars engaged in intense arms trafficking. But despite a 2013 United Nations Security Council arms embargo, weapons continue circulating.

Institute for Security Studies research shows that weapons pass through corridors used for illicit trade, migratory flows and transhumance. To reach Boko Haram in Nigeria, guns from Chad pass through the country’s capital N’Djamena, and are then smuggled through Kousseri and Fotokol in Cameroon. Or they pass through Cameroon’s Mora and surrounding areas.

Weapons are also leaving Boko Haram strongholds to fuel insecurity in Northern Cameroon. Their route follows an axis between Gwoza in Nigeria, and Mayo-Tsanaga and Mayo-Louti or Bénoué in Cameroon.

Weapons from Chad and CAR, used for kidnappings for ransom in Cameroon’s Northern and Adamaoua regions, pass through Touboro and Garoua-Boulaï. Traffickers bringing in arms from Niger and Sudan use the cross-border transhumance routes, many converging towards Cameroon’s north.

Traffickers use various means to transport weapons. Some pose as traders, hiding guns in goods, especially cereal bags. Others disguise themselves as transporters of goods and people, hiding weapons in their vehicles. Many nomads moving in and between the countries mentioned above are also arms smugglers.

These weapons add to the region’s insecurity. They contribute to existing community conflicts – particularly disputes between farmers and breeders, indigenous and non-native populations, inheritance conflicts and religious antagonisms.

Urgent measures are needed to curb the problem. A 2016 Cameroonian law imposes three months to two years’ imprisonment for arms trafficking. In 2018, Cameroon hosted the conference of the Central African states party to the Kinshasa Convention for the control of small arms and light weapons. Cameroon and Nigeria also met in September 2022 to discuss collaborating to combat the problem.

On the ground, defence and security forces have managed to seize weapons during their operations. However, faced with the growing scale of the problem, this is not enough. Cameroon’s 2016 law should be amended to enable harsher penalties for arms trafficking. And greater political commitment is needed to translate recommendations from conferences into action.

Concrete steps must be taken at national, regional and interregional levels. At the national level, Cameroon and its neighbouring countries must strengthen their policies against arms trafficking by imposing tougher measures. In addition to raising the alarm in the event of a security threat, local community committees must help collect information about the circulation of weapons.

At the regional level, the gendarmes, police, military, ecoguards and customs officers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and CAR need a significant boost in logistical capacity. They also need a collaborative mechanism that allows rapid response and coordination of joint actions to stop arms trafficking.

Finally, at the interregional level, the ad hoc committees in charge of the issue, such as the Multinational Joint Task Force or the Brazzaville Convention, must share lessons on what works.

Source: Defenseweb

9, March 2024

Yaoundé: Court documents allege counterintelligence spied on Martinez Zogo ⁰

Cameroonian authorities must disclose which journalists, in addition to murdered journalist Martinez Zogo, have been targeted for surveillance by the country’s counterintelligence service and ensure that spying on members of the media is immediately discontinued, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

The existence of a surveillance operation that allegedly spied on Zogo since at least 2015 was disclosed in a 20-page referral to trial document reviewed by CPJ. The document was part of a judicial investigation into the January 2023 kidnapping, torture, and murder of the popular radio host, which was finalized on February 29, 2024.

Seventeen suspects are expected to stand trial, on a date yet to be set, in a military court in the capital, Yaoundé, on charges including murder, complicity and conspiracy to murder, complicity and conspiracy to torture, complicity to kidnap, and violation of instructions, according to the document and news reports.

The suspects include:

Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, former head of the counterintelligence agency General Directorate for External Research (DGRE)

Justin Danwe, former DGRE director of operations

Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, an influential businessman and head of the privately owned media group L’Anecdote

Bruno François Bidjang, L’Anecdote managing director and news presenter for privately owned television station Vision 4

“The revelation that a surveillance operation targeted popular radio host Martinez Zogo since at least 2015 raises concerns about which other journalists have been surveilled by Cameroon’s counterintelligence agency,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program in New York. “Cameroonian authorities must make a full disclosure and ensure the end to all surveillance, physical or electronically, of journalists. The unfettered practice is not only a violation of journalists’ right to privacy but has serious consequences for source protection.”

Zogo was found dead on January 22, 2023, after going missing five days earlier. A week before his abduction, Zogo publicly accused Belinga of widespread corruption involving funds from the Cameroonian treasury during his radio show Embouteillage (Gridlock).

The court document reviewed by CPJ was prepared by lead investigating judge, Lieutenant-Colonel Pierrot Narcisse Nzié, the third investigating judge in the case who was appointed in December after the previous judge ordered the controversial release of Belinga and Eko Eko. The pair remained in detention after authorities claimed that the release order was fake.

The document describes how DGRE agents led by Danwe, under the influence of Belinga, allegedly carried out the kidnapping and torture of Zogo in Ebogo, a district of the capital Yaoundé, on January 17, 2023. Part of this team returned to the scene an hour later for a second operation that “resulted in Zogo’s death” by “strangulation and torture.”

The court document said Eko Eko denied involvement, saying Zogo was never a threat to him and the operation against the journalist was Danwe’s personal initiative; however, Nzié said Eko Eko could not claim this, as he had ordered the DGRE to surveil the journalist since 2015 as part of the “Presse” dossier. The court documents did not elaborate further but said the surveillance operation ordered by Eko Eko was confirmed by another witness, Emmanuella Moudie, the chief of the DRGE’s electronic surveillance division.

Zogo’s surveillance was also corroborated by Yves Saïwang, another suspect facing trial and an officer in the DGRE’s electronic surveillance division, who “bluntly” declared during questioning that Zogo was the target of the DGRE’s surveillance, according to the court document. Saïwang also said that since 2017, he was responsible for monitoring Zoga. Eko Eko had never taken any measures to prevent this and could not escape responsibility, Nzié said in the court document.

Saïwang also said he sent Danwe geolocation information about Zogo via WhatsApp and then received 20,000 francs (US $33), according to the document. Heudji Guy Serge, another DGRE officer who is also a suspect in the trial, said he, too, provided technical information to Danwe about Zogo and received 15,000 francs (US $25).

Denis Omgba Bomba, director of the media observatory at Cameroon’s Ministry of Communication, told CPJ that there was no surveillance “program” dedicated to journalists but that as Zogo was a public figure, the surveillance was a normal intelligence operation. Bomba added that the protection of journalists’ sources is not absolute and that the state can ignore this for security reasons.

Authorities charged Bidjang with conspiracy to torture, conspiracy to arrest, and kidnapping in relation to Zogo’s murder, according to the court document. He is detained in Yaoundé’s Principal Prison on separate charges of revolt, incitement to insurrection, rebellion, and spreading false news, his lawyer, Charles Tchoungang, told CPJ.

Source: CPJ

6, March 2024

Gulf of Aden: Two killed in Houthi missile attack on cargo ship ⁰

Two crew members have been killed in a Houthi missile strike on a cargo ship off southern Yemen, US officials say – the first deaths the group’s attacks on merchant vessels have caused.

The Barbados-flagged True Confidence had been abandoned and was drifting with a fire on board, managers said.

It was hit in the Gulf of Aden at about 09:30 GMT, they added.

The Houthis say their attacks are to support the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said the True Confidence’s crew had ignored warnings from Houthi naval forces.

The British embassy in Yemen said the sailors’ deaths were the “sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping” and insisted the attacks had to stop.

Six crew members were also injured, a US official told the BBC’s US partner CBS.

The attack happened about 50 nautical miles (93km) south-west of the Yemeni city of Aden, a spokesman for the ship’s owners and managers said in a statement.

Following the attack, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported on Wednesday evening that two US-led air strikes had targeted the international airport in the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port city of Hudaydah.

Source: BBC

2, March 2024

Yaoundé: prosecutors wind up probe into the murder of Martinez Zogo ⁰

The Yaoundé military court in Cameroon on Friday closed their judicial investigation into the murder of journalist and former director of radio amplitude FM, Martinez Zogo who died just over a year ago.

The trial will now open in the coming weeks according to the counter-espionage service. The twenty or so accused have all been referred to the court on various charges.

In Cameroon, the end of this judicial investigation comes just five days after five of the detainees had their charges reclassified. Three members of the DGRE, Cameroon’s counter-espionage service, will be prosecuted for “assassination”.

The businessman and the head of the Direction générale de la recherche extérieure (DGRE) are accused of having played a role in the death of the director of radio Amplitude FM, whose tortured body was discovered on the outskirts of Yaoundé in January. Zogo had not been missing for five days before his remains were located January 22 near Soa, a suburb of Yaoundé.

Léopold Maxime Eko Eko is suspected of “having provoked in any way whatsoever the torture of Martinez Zogo or given instructions to commit it”, in the words of the examining magistrate. In the course of the investigation, the intelligence chief was questioned several times on the substance of the case. In particular, he was confronted by his sole accuser, Justin Danwe, as well as several agents working within the DGRE at the time of the events.

Among the incriminating elements that interested the investigators: the holding of a meeting during which Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, Justin Danwe and several DGRE technicians allegedly listened to an audio tape attributed to Martinez Zogo, in which he allegedly made defamatory remarks about the head of the intelligence services.

In the minutes of the release order, quoted by jeune Afrique, the magistrates noted that Eko Eko, Danwe and the witnesses cited had assured them “that a meeting had never been held at the situation center with the journalist Martinez Zogo as the subject”.

Outrage over Zogo’s murder

The murder of Salomon Mbani Zogo better known as Martinez Zogo left many shocked in Cameroon as NGOs continued to call out violations of press freedom and freedom of speech.

The man in his fifties was the host of popular daily radio show, Embouteillage or Gridlock in English. On the air, he regularly tackled cases of corruption and alleged embezzlement, not hesitating to question important personalities by name. Amougou Belinga was one of them. The businessman is reputedly a friend of several ministers.

Fellow journalists paid their respects to Zogo and called for an investigation which Cameroonian President Paul Biya ordered on Thursday, February 2. The probe into the abduction and subsequent brutal killing of the journalist led to the arrests of Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga and Léopold Maxime Eko Eko.

Reporters without Borders alleged that “the outcome of the investigations [remained] very uncertain as the affair’s ramifications reach up to the highest level of the state while the political environment [was] described by several local sources as verging on insurrection.”

Source: Africa News