Senate elections took place in Cameroon Sunday, as tensions continued to soar in the French-majority country’s anglophone regions where separatist rebels have been fighting government forces for several months.

Senate elections do not take place by universal suffrage in the West African nation. Some 10,000 municipal councillors across Cameroon are voting for 70 members of the upper house for a duration of five years.

Appointees to the 30 remaining seats will be named later by President Paul Biya.

His party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC), already holds a large majority in the Senate and is the clear frontrunner in the ballot. The main opposition, the Social Democratic Front (SDF) only has candidates in five of the 10 provinces.

The president of the Senate may act as an interim head of state but the chamber only plays a marginal role primarily focused on examining the second reading of draft laws.

Authorities closely monitored the ballot in the Northwest and the Southwest provinces, two English-speaking territories that became part of the French-majority country after independence in 1960.

Tensions have been flaring in these parts — accounting for about a fifth of the 23-million-strong population — since separatists proclaimed the autonomous republic of “Ambazonia” in October last year.

The country has had a tortuous colonial history that saw it pass from German rule to French and British hands, and the anglophone minority complain of having long been marginalised by the French-speaking elite.

The conflict between rebels and the army has become increasingly serious, as separatists urge the armed forces and government officials to leave the territory.

New separatist groups are emerging, while the Yaounde authorities have reduced their communications about the conflict to a minimum.

The unrest in the anglophone regions has prompted around 33,000 people to flee to neighbouring Nigeria.

AFP

Journalists in the central African country of Cameroon are in a quandary about how to fight a government ban on political reporting in the run-up to the March 25 senatorial elections.

Some, like private media outlets Galaxy FM and Magic FM, are defying the edict.

“We won’t accept limiting freedom of speech when Cameroon wants to be fully democratic,” Galaxy FM presenter Jean Jacques Ola Bebe told Deutsche Welle (DW) earlier this month.  Despite the ban, Magic FM recently featured a member of Social Democratic Front, the chief opposition party, as a studio guest taking calls from listeners.

According to reports, however; these are the exceptions.

Many media professionals agonize over how to fulfill their watchdog role without triggering the wrath of the powerful National Communication Council (NCC), the media regulatory body. The government’s track record provides reason to worry.

The NCC has banned newspapers, levied exorbitant fines against media critical of the government and put journalists in jail.

Last year, the NCC suspended the licenses of at least 40 media outlets for violating the country’s terrorism laws. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented the abuses in a report, “Journalists are NOT Terrorists: In Cameroon, anti-terror legislation is used to silence critics and suppress dissent.”

Reporter Ahmed Abbas is a prime example. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “complicity in acts of terrorism” and “failure to denounce acts of terrorism.” He won the prestigious CPJ International Press Freedom Award in 2017 and was released in December after 879 days in prison.

The NCC itself is suspect. Journalists argue that President Peter Biya created the council to punish media outlets that oppose his government and portray him unfavorably. Biya has been in power since 1982 and is Africa’s longest reigning leader, according to Deutsche Welle.

Freedom House designates Cameroon’s media “not free.” Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index ranks Cameroon 130 out of 180 countries. A Freedom House report noted, “Some independent outlets continue to operate, sometimes in defiance of government sanctions, but frequently self-censor in order to avoid reprisals.”

To gain insight into how Cameroon’s press corps is handling the recent ban, IJNet turned to Comfort Mussa, an award-winning journalist and founder of the Sisterspeak237 blog that “advocates for our rights, shares news, opinions and analysis of women’s obstacles and victories, setbacks and head starts.” Mussa also writes a weekly column Comfort Zone for The Sun newspaper.

IJNet: How are private media outlets in Cameroon reacting to the government ban on political debates? Are many defying the order?

Mussa: Reactions have been varied. The regulations on “political programs” have given rise to a new debate among journalists in Cameroon about what a clear definition of “political program” really is. A report or debate about the state of roads or public health policies can be tagged as political. However, many journalists interpret [the government ban] to mean political debates headed into the 2018 elections.

How do you see media outlets responding?

Most political programs on local radio and TV stations continue to air, albeit with a lot of caution on the part of the journalists. “Cameroon Calling,” a flagship program that often features political debates on the [government-controlled] radio station, CRTV, did not air last Sunday.

There is a certain degree of self-censorship from many journalists, especially those from private stations. It is worth noting that over 100 of the private radio stations in Cameroon operate under “administrative tolerance” without formal licenses.

How has the ban affected your reporting?

Whether on Comfort Zone or Sisterspeak237, I am constantly aware of the environment in which I operate and this makes me cautious and more diligent about how I report and the topics I choose to write about. In the different networks that I am part of, we have been brainstorming about ways in which journalists can get around this. However, so far, it is still business as usual.

Comfort Mussa added this: “There is a shift in the questions that journalists are discussing these days, concerning the future of journalism in Cameroon. I am proud of the conversations that journalists are having now and how they are exploring different formats and innovative ways of practicing journalism.”

Among NCC rules published for covering the upcoming elections:

• Suspension of all political programs throughout the period of electoral campaigns

• Prohibition of candidates from taking part in programs other than those authorized within the framework of the campaign

• Need for media organs to plan equal coverage of all political parties taking part in the election

• Need for media reports to favor social cohesion, peace, national unity and integration, democracy and human rights

• Need for media content to reflect the present administrative and political disposition and not favor conflict of any kind

A final note: The NCC president promised to distribute an election guide and warned that any media that go against the established principles would be punished.

Source: IJnet.org

Hundreds of thousands of protesters are getting ready for a massive anti-gun rally in Washington, as calls grow for tighter gun control measures following a wave of mass shootings in the United States.

The “March for Our Lives” event, set to take place on Saturday, has been organized by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida.

Fourteen students and three educators were slain and 15 other people were wounded in the February 14 shooting rampage, the most deadly school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, sparking renewed debate about gun control in the US.

“No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country,” rally organizers said in a statement.

“It’s an issue of life and death,” Alex Wind, a student who survived the Florida massacre, told CNN. “Everyone has their own idea of how this needs to change, but I think we all agree that this needs to change. The mass shooting epidemic we have in this country is terrible.”

The event is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of students to DC and local marches nationwide to call for gun control and school safety measures in response to mass school shootings.

Event organizers said that similar demonstrations were being held across the country and abroad, with up to 800 events scheduled worldwide. Many celebrities have donated funds to the organization which was established in the wake of the Florida mass shooting.

The 19-year-old shooter, identified as Nikolas Cruz, fired some 100 shots by his AR-15 rifle. Prosecutors in Florida are seeking the death penalty for Cruz, though lawyers representing the shooter have said he will plead guilty if the death penalty is not pursued.

Earlier this month, the Florida state legislature passed new laws raising the minimum age for purchasing an assault-style weapon to 21.

President Donald Trump proposed last month to arm teachers to deter school shootings, a controversial idea that has drawn little support from educators, including the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers lobby.

Trump was endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) in his 2016 presidential election campaign. The president and his fellow Republicans in Congress strongly support Americans’ constitutional right to own guns.

Source: Presstv

Source:Xinhuanet

A UN rights report sheds light on the plight of Libyans seven years after a NATO-led military intervention there, saying rival armed groups in the North African state continue to kill and torture civilians with impunity, while Europe-bound refugees are still being bought and sold in “open slave markets.”

In a report to the Human Rights Council on Wednesday, the United Nations human rights office said ordinary Libyans and refugees in the North African state are still being arbitrarily held in appalling conditions with no access to the outside world.

In March 2011, a multi-state NATO-led coalition began a military intervention in Libya a month into an uprising against the country’s then dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.

That mission, which was said to be aimed at paving the way for a ceasefire in Libya and ending attacks against civilians, came to an end in October that year after the fall and death of Gaddafi amid the uprising.

Seven years on, Libya remains a lawless state, with various rival armed factions vying for power. The country is now split between two governments based in the east and the west.

Libya’s coastlines are also largely in the hands of armed groups who smuggle refugees onto boats heading for Italy and Europe.

“Extrajudicial and unlawful killings are rampant,” UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour told the Geneva forum. “In what has become an increasing pattern in and around Benghazi over the last two years, more bodies with signs of torture and hands bound were found in the streets,” he added.

He explained that armed groups are “the main perpetrators of grave human rights violations and act with almost complete impunity.”

According to Gilmour, detention centers run by armed groups, “including those with links to ministries,” have the worst record.

The Libya-Italy route has been one of the major passageways for the asylum seekers attempting to reach wealthier European states.

Amid the mayhem in Libya, a CNN video grabbed news headlines late last year, showing an auction, where refugees captured by traffickers were being sold into slavery.

The report caused international outrage and prompted rights groups to blame Europe for the crisis. They said as long as European countries refuse to create safer and legal means for refugees to reach the continent, people will continue to suffer.

The footage also triggered protest rallies in several European countries, with the participants pointing the finger of blame for the chaotic situation in the state at Europe, which supported the 2011 military intervention.

According to the UN refugee agency, Libya hosts 43,113 refugees seeking to travel to Europe. Up to 90 percent of people taking a perilous sea journey to Europe depart from Libya.

Adel Shaltut, charge d’affaires at Libya’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva, said, “Libya is a victim of illegal migration, it is only a transit country and cannot shoulder all responsibilities. Our coast guards and border guards do not have capacity to face organized crime and terrorism.”

EU diplomat Carl Hallergard said that refugees and activists were subjected to “unlawful detentions, abductions, torture, forced labor and sexual and gender-based violence.”

The European Union said it is “deeply also concerned about reports of migrants and refugees allegedly being sold as slaves and call on the Libyan authorities to investigate and hold persons responsible for those acts accountable.”

Source: Presstv

The EU recalls its envoy to Russia over a nerve agent attack on British soil as several members of the bloc consider expelling Russian diplomats.

EU leaders issued a statement in Brussels Thursday, saying it is “highly likely Russia is responsible” for poisoning Soviet-era spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in a British town earlier this month.

The Skripals were found unconscious on March 4 on a bench in the British city of Salisbury. They remain hospitalized in critical condition.

Britain claims the Soviet-designed Novichok nerve agent has been used to poison the pair and points the finger at Russia.

Moscow has rejected the claims as “absurd”, saying the substance used in the attack could have originated from the countries studying it, including the UK itself.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the EU leaders at the Brussels summit on Thursday agreed to recall the European Union’s ambassador to Moscow for consultations.

AFP quoted an unnamed EU official as saying that “some member states are looking into possibly expelling Russian diplomats or recalling national diplomats.”

British media reports identified those countries as France and Russia’s closest European neighbors, including Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

The poisoning incident has worsened already tense ties between the EU and Russia.

Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the aftermath of the poisoning incident, and has been pressing its European allies to follow suit.

Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite said, “All of us we are considering such measures.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May told EU leaders that the poisoning case is part of a “pattern of Russian aggression,” warning that Moscow would pose a “threat” for the “years to come.”

Separately, she held talks in Brussels with French President Emanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also urged a “strong European message” to Moscow.

In accusing Russia, the UK however has not presented any evidence. Earlier this week, experts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived in the UK for a probe into the attack. They say it could take up to three weeks to analyze the samples gathered from the scene.

As the Europeans deliberated, Russia’s Ambassador to Britain Alexander Yakovenko warned that the UK has “bad record of violating international law and misleading the international community.”

History shows that British statements must be verified,” he added, urging a “full transparency of the investigation” as well as cooperation with Moscow and the OPCW experts.

Moscow has repeatedly called on London not jump to conclusions, offering cooperation with London in probing the case.

Russia responded to the UK’s expulsions by expelling exactly the same number of British diplomats, and has vowed it would hit back if London fails to stop its anti-Moscow measures.

Source: Presstv