News

2, March 2018

Israeli police question Netanyahu for eighth time over fraud, bribery allegations ⁰

Israeli police arrived on Friday at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home where media reports said they were to question him for an eighth time over allegations of fraud and bribery.

An AFP journalist saw detectives arriving at Netanyahu’s official Jerusalem residence in two vehicles at around 9 am (0700 GMT). Police issued no official confirmation that questioning was under way. Investigators were at the same time to take a statement from his wife Sara at national fraud squad headquarters near Tel Aviv, media said.

A former Netanyahu aide and a top businessman are both in custody, linked to allegations of suspected fraud by the premier.

Nir Hefetz, a former media adviser to the Netanyahu family, and Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of telecoms group Bezeq, were among seven suspects arrested last week as fraud suspicions against Netanyahu snowballed.

Police suspect Elovitch was given business concessions in return for Netanyahu receiving good press on Walla!, a news website he owns. Hefetz is alleged to have acted as a messenger between Netanyahu and Bezeq and Walla! bosses.

He is also suspected of trying to bribe a retired judge to block a probe into the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, over alleged misuse of public funds.

Police have now questioned the premier eight times since the beginning of 2017, and last month said there was sufficient evidence to charge him for graft, fraud and breach of trust in two other cases.

In one, he and family members are suspected of receiving one million shekels ($285,000, 230,000 euros) of luxury cigars, champagne and jewellery from wealthy personalities in exchange for financial or personal favours.

In the other case, investigators suspect the premier of trying to reach an agreement with the owner of Yediot Aharonot, a top Israeli daily newspaper, for more favourable coverage.

Israeli media said police would question him on the Bezeq affair for the first time on Friday and would also take from him a statement as a witness in suspected corruption around Israel’s purchase of three submarines from German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp.

The cases have fuelled speculation he could be forced to step down or call an early election but Netanyahu says he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

Eli Kamir, another former Netanyahu adviser arrested last week, was on Wednesday released from police custody but placed under house arrest.

Shlomo Filber, a Netanyahu ally for more than 20 years and former director general of the communications ministry, was freed last week after agreeing to turn state’s witness in exchange for avoiding jail, police said.

He is suspected of mediating between Netanyahu and Elovitch and promoting regulatory changes worth millions to Bezeq.

(AFP)

2, March 2018

Cold snap paralyzes Europe, more die ⁰

An extreme cold snap across Europe claimed more lives, forced the closure of airports in Scotland, Switzerland, France, and Ireland, and left hundreds of drivers stranded on snowy highways Thursday.

Heavy snow and high winds halted all flights in and out of Dublin Airport, with authorities saying they are unlikely to resume until Saturday. Irish Rail said no trains are likely to run until Saturday.

Forecasters said a new storm is bringing blizzards, 100-kph winds, freezing rain, and thunderstorms to Ireland, southwestern England, and Wales later Thursday. They predicted zero visibility and deep pockets of snow.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar urged people to get home by 4 pm Thursday and stay there until the storm has passed. The Irish stock exchange shut down at midday and will be closed all day Friday.

“The risk to life and limb presented by severe weather conditions should not be underestimated,” said Varadkar.

The World Health Organization warned Thursday that the cold weather poses particular risks to vulnerable people such as the elderly, children, and those with chronic diseases or disabilities.

Swedish media reported that a woman who had left her home at an asylum center with her daughter and son, aged 8 and 9, was pronounced dead in the hospital after being found in a forest.

Danish police said an 84-year-old woman with dementia became the second person to die in the country because of the cold weather.

It was travel chaos at Europe’s airports and on its highways.

People walk on the tracks after the tram service was stopped due to snowfall in Tours, France, on March 1, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Geneva’s airport closed after the Swiss city was hit with 13 centimeters of snow over a three-hour period early Thursday. It reopened several hours later after extensive de-icing of the runway, plans and facilities.

Snow also shut down Glasgow and Edinburgh airports in Scotland, and there were cancellations at Heathrow and other airports in Britain. Airports in the southern French cities of Montpellier and the Atlantic beach resort of Biarritz were also affected.

Around the Paris region, about two dozen officials braved Arctic temperatures for a night outdoors to call attention to the plight of the homeless after at least 13 died from exposure since January 1.

Dragging blankets and sleeping bags, officials from an array of political parties wearing their blue, white, and red sashes hunkered down near Austerlitz train station as snow began falling early Thursday.

Hundreds of drivers were trapped in their cars overnight in Scotland, and authorities said everyone except emergency workers should stay off the roads.

Police in the county of Lincolnshire in eastern England said most roads there are impassable, with as much as 60 centimeters of snow in rural areas.

In southern France, about 2,000 cars were blocked on highways in the Herault region, where snow — and snowplows — are extremely rare.

Macedonia’s government urged employers to exempt pregnant women and people over 60 from working for a day and to pay special attention to keeping construction workers warm due to the freezing conditions. The low temperature Thursday in Macedonia dropped to -18 Celsius near the border with Bulgaria.

(Source: AP)

1, March 2018

Killed in (Peacekeeping) Action: 4 UN soldiers die in Mali ⁰

Four United Nations (UN) peacekeepers were killed in central Mali on Wednesday after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by suspected militants.

The UN mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, said in a statement that the casualties occurred when a convoy of peacekeepers hit the device along a road in the Mopti region.

“We have just received information from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali indicating that a UN military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device on the Boni-Douentza axis, in the region of Mopti in Mali. Preliminary reports indicate that four peacekeepers were killed and four others were wounded. Medical evacuations are currently ongoing,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

‘Undeterred’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemned” the IED attack and said such attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

“These cowardly acts will not deter MINUSMA’s determination to support the Malian authorities in their efforts to protect civilians and accompany the Malian people in their quest for peace and stability,” the UN chief added.

The Wednesday roadside attack came a day after six Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck a mine in the Segou region. A forest ranger was also gunned down in another incident blamed on militants.

‘Cornered’

Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Mali have been carrying out increasingly deadly attacks on domestic and foreign forces in the African country, raising security concerns.

But the head of the MINUSMA has said the increased attacks are because the terrorists have come under intensified pressure.

“MINUSMA is currently upgrading its security presence in central Mali,” Mali mission chief Mahamat Saleh Annadif said. “Cornered, the terrorists are multiplying their attacks.”

More than 11,000 UN peacekeepers have been deployed to Mali since 2013 to counter terrorist attacks and general lawlessness.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly (C) stands in front of a flag-draped coffin during a ceremony in honor of the two French soldiers killed in Mali, on February 27, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

In late January, 14 soldiers were killed and 18 more wounded in an attack on their camp in Mali’s restive northern regions.

Extremists linked to al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012 but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

In June 2015, Mali’s government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of non-militant armed groups. But extremists still remain active in the area, and large tracts of the West African country are lawless.

Source: Presstv

1, March 2018

UK running out of gas amid new cold wave ⁰

The UK’s National Grid says it needs to buy gas in order to meet the demand amid severe drops in temperature and gas supply outages due that have raised consumption levels to a five-year high.

The NG requested shippers on Thursday to post offers on the OCM locational market after wholesale gas prices soared 74 percent within a day.

Earlier, the company issued another warning after forecast for the day initially showed a shortfall of 49.5 million cubic meters below the country’s projected need of 395.7mcm per day.

According to the Guardian, the deficit had been narrowed down to 35.2mcm.

“We are in communication with industry partners and are closely monitoring the situation,” the NG said.

Widespread snow and unprecedentedly cold temperatures following the arrival of the “Beast from the East” polar vortex and Storm Emma have forced people across the UK to fire up their heating.

The situation has been further affected by several outages in the supply line, which has proven vulnerable to very cold weather over the past.

So far, problems have been have been reported at a pipeline to the Netherlands, while there has been reduction in gas flows from Norway.

Technical issues have also been plaguing main gas facilities in the UK, including the North Morecambe Barrow terminal.

The UK’s gas storage has also hit the lowest levels since 2006, mainly because of the decision last year by energy company Centrica to close down the country’s biggest gas storage facility, Rough. The site accounted for 70 percent of the UK’s gas storage.

Last year, a “perfect storm” of energy supply crisis forced Britian import gas from Russia, despite London’s role in a series of strict sanctions that were supposed to cripple the Russian energy industry.

Source: Presstv

1, March 2018

Battle for Ambazonia: Arsonists Visit SDF Chairman Ni Fru Ndi ⁰

The home of the chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) in Bamenda was last night attacked by arsonists. Mr. Fru Ndi has, for a long time now, been a victim of threats from unknown persons who accuse him of playing ball with the Yaounde government.

The fire, which started around the kitchen area of Mr. Fru Ndi’s home in Bamenda, was swiftly put out by firefighters with the help of neighbors.

Over the last week, threats against the SDF Chairman have increased. He is also being accused of complicity with the ruling CPDM by accepting to hold his party’s congress at the Bamenda Congress Hall.

Opponents and adversaries of the chairman indicate that by accepting to hold the SDF congress in a hall offered by the ruling party (CPDM), Mr. Fru Ndi was leading his party into an unholy political marriage with the ruling party which is widely considered as a crime syndicate in Cameroon.

Similarly, Anglophone separatists operating in Southern Cameroons had also threatened to disrupt the SDF Congress following criticisms by the SDF Chairman of the Southern Cameroons struggle for independence.

It was alleged that Mr. Fru Ndi had called the President of the Republic of Ambazonia, Julius Ayuk Tabe, and his government that had been arrested in Nigeria on January 5, 2018, and illegally extradited to Cameroon in late January terrorists.

Mr. Fru Ndi’s comments had angered many Southern Cameroonians who think a complete restoration of independence to the former British trust territory will be the only way for English-speaking Cameroonians to escape the marginalization they have experienced for 56 years.

The Southern Cameroons armed groups which have been carrying out retaliatory attacks on soldiers and kidnapping senior administrative officers in the region, have always held that they must punish Mr. Fru Ndi whom they accuse of having political intercourse with the Yaoundé government.

To ensure that the congress actually took place as scheduled, the Yaounde government provided top security to Mr. Fru Ndi, a situation that further fueled rumor that he was collaborating with Mr. Biya. Even the location of the event was heavily guarded, as the armed groups were determined to wreak havoc.

Similarly, due to threats, the SDF congress location had been changed as the owners of the first location were scared that their property could be burnt down or destroyed.

It should be recalled that the SDF had on many occasions tried to bring the Southern Cameroons crisis to the floor of the National Assembly, but was repeatedly blocked by the ruling party whose Members of Parliament have never seen anything wrong with the way their government has handled the crisis which has become today a civil war wherein more than 300 army soldiers have been killed and over 500 civilians have been murdered by the Cameroonian army.

The army has also rendered many people in the southwest region homeless by burning their homes as a retaliation against the population each time it is alleged that a soldier has been killed.

In the South West region, towns like Kwakwa have simply been erased from the map following the burning of the entire town by army soldiers, and in Mbonge, the town has become a ghost town as many residents have simply fled following the killing of a gendarme officer in January.

In Kembong, in Manyu Division where many gendarme officers have been sent to an early grave, many young men have fled the town, with a majority now seeking refuge in Ossing, a small city some 15 km from the Manyu Divisional headquarters of Mamfe.

The violence in the English-speaking regions has escalated over the last two months and armed groups operating in the region have made their impact felt. They have been issuing threats and many analysts have been advising that their threat should be taken seriously.

It should be recalled that in mid-February, the Batibo Divisional Officer was kidnapped and taken into a thick forest and attempts by government officials to locate him have been futile. Not even his body has been located even when there was rumor that he had been killed.

For now, it is believed that he is being held by Anglophone separatists who are seeking to restore their independence from the Republic of Cameroon. A few days after the disappearance of the Divisional Officer, the Social Affairs delegate was also kidnapped and his is living rough and wild just like the divisional officer.

It is worth mentioning that the SDF is in favor of a federal system in Cameroon and the party chairman and its presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election, Joshua Osih, have thrown their support behind a federal system that will empower the people and make them masters of their own destiny.

It should also be noted that the SDF has always chided the government for mismanaging the Anglophone problem that has unfortunately metamorphosed into a crisis that has resulted in hundreds of deaths.

It should be recalled that Mr. Tchiroma, Laurent Esso and Fame Ndongo, are the ministers who have caused the Southern Cameroons crisis to escalate. Today, it has gotten to levels that are almost impossible to address as Southern Cameroons separatists are determined to restore their independence.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that Cameroon’s minister of communication, Issa Tchiroma, will very likely be arrested soon following his role in the mismanagement and misappropriation of state funds.

The government spokesperson, who has been a mouthpiece for Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, is facing a long jail term as his name has appeared among those who are being accused of embezzling funds and misusing fuel coupons at the Cameroon Radio and Television Corporation (CRTV).

Mr. Tchiroma has been singing the president’s praises for years in the pious belief that he will not be brought to book in case he finds himself in dire legal straits. But as the trial of former CRTV General Manager, Amadou Vamoulke, drags on, more suspects are being roped in. Mr. Vamoulke has decided that he will not go down alone. He has therefore provided a long list of people who willingly participated in the looting of state funds at the CRTV.

Early this week, some seven CRTV staff were dragged to the Yaounde maximum security prison where they are expected to answer for their role in the misappropriation of CRTV funds and misuse of fuel coupons in the coming months. Mr. Tchiroma’s name has popped up and this has left the government spokesman with lots of butterflies in his stomach.

It is alleged that most of the fuel coupons were issued to friends and girlfriends of CRTV staff. It is also alleged that Mr. Tchiroma handed a huge chunk of these coupons to his harem of women who have done a good job of misusing them.

It should be noted that as the country’s minister of communications, Mr. Tchiroma is the CRTV Board chairman and he surely has a few questions to answer about the missing money and millions of dollars in fuel coupons alleged to be misused.

The 70-year-old Tchiroma has once spent 8 years in jail for his role in the April 1984 coup d’état that almost toppled Mr. Biya. But the news that he will soon be back in the dock and possibly back to jail has triggered an illness that may result in Mr. Tchiroma’ s evacuation abroad for medical treatment.

While arrangements for his evacuation are under way, the government is making sure that Mr. Tchiroma does not flee while on medical evacuation like the former Minister of Agriculture who is currently living in the Washington DC area after pretending that he was dying of an unknown ailment. He used his medical evacuation to escape the grip of the “lion-man” who was determined to hand him a long jail term for embezzlement.

By Kingsley Betek and Fosuh Tamajung in Bamenda

1, March 2018

S. Cameroons Crisis: Nigeria holds security meeting on French Cameroun cross-border military action ⁰

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, at the instruction of the Chief of Army Staff(COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, held an elaborate security stakeholders meeting on the 27th of February, 2018 at the 245 Reconnaissance Battalion at Ikom, Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State. The meeting is to confirm/assess the reported occasional security threats at the border areas between Nigeria and Cameroon with the view to addressing the situation. The GOC, on behalf of the COAS, thanked the various security agencies for their efforts in ensuring peace and security of all Nigerian citizens at the border areas in the midst of the reported/recorded security threats. He used the opportunity to urge the leaders and youths of the affected communities not take laws into their hands, remain law abiding and endeavor to report any security infraction to available security organization close to them.

General Abubakar reiterated the resolve of the Nigerian government to protecting lives and properties of her citizens and the capacity of the Nigerian Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity of the country at all times. Present at the meeting include the Commander 13 Brigade Brigadier General I Isah, Commander Military Intelligence Brigade Colonel Kingsley Nwoko, Commanding Officer 245 Battalion Colonel Solomon Diwa, a member Cross River State House of Assembly representing Boki Local Government Area Dr. Mrs Abang, the Chairmen of Boki, Ikom, Etung and Obubra Local Government Areas, Commissioner of Police, State Director of Security Services Cross River State and other heads of paramilitary organisations in the State as well as traditional rulers of the affected border communities.

The representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC), UNHRC Sub – Office Calabar Mr Josiah Kolleh Flomo also graced and made a brief at the meeting. Two important highlights of the event was the briefs made by the various commanders and heads of security agencies to the GOC and a visit to Ajasso – Etung – Mfum border with Cameroon in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Culled from prnigeria.com

1, March 2018

Train crash kills 10 in Egypt ⁰

At least 10 people were killed and 15 others were injured in a train crash on Wednesday in Egypt’s northern province of Beheira, the health ministry said.

Two passenger carriages separated from one train and collided with a cargo train, the official news agency MENA said, citing the provincial security director.

Egyptians have long complained that successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety measures for the railways.

A string of crashes have further inflamed public anger over the antiquated transport network.

A collision in August killed 42 people and injured more than 100 people.

(Source: Reuters)

28, February 2018

Yaounde: Issa Tchiroma arrest in the offing ⁰

Cameroon’s minister of communication, Issa Tchiroma, is very likely to be arrested one of these days. The government spokesperson who has been a mouthpiece for Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, is facing a long jail time as his name has appeared among those who are being accused of embezzling funds and misusing fuel coupons at the Cameroon Radio and Television Corporation (CRTV).

Mr. Tchiroma has been singing the president’s praises for years in the pious hope that he will not be brought to book in case he finds himself in tough situations in the country. But as the trial of former CRTV General Manager, Amadou Vamoulke, drags on, more suspects are being roped in. Mr. Vamoulke has decided that he will not go down alone. He has therefore provided a long list of people who willingly participated in the looting of state funds.

It should be noted that Mr. Tchiroma, Laurent Esso and Fame Ndongo, are the ministers who have caused the Southern Cameroons crisis to escalate and it has gotten to levels that are today almost impossible to address as Southern Cameroons separatists are fighting hard to restore their independence.

Over the last two months, the crisis has led to the killing of over 500 civilians and more than 300 soldiers. The government of Cameroon has however been seeking to hide the truth from the public. It holds that if the Francophone majority gets wind of the number of army soldiers killed, it might also rebel against a government that has turned down all appeals for a peaceful and negotiated settlement.

However, relatives of Francophone soldiers killed in the jungles of the North West and South West regions have begun calling for a release of a comprehensive list of soldiers who have lost their lives as a result of the crisis.

While the government is still dragging its feet on this, some private individuals are already working hard to get information from bereaved families in order to come up with a comprehensive list.

Sources close to the country’s ministry of defense have revealed that the defense minister, Joseph Beti Assoumo, is totally against the publication of such a list and he is working hard to block any efforts that might lead to the publication of such a list.

But the authors of the list, who have elected anonymity, have hinted the Cameroon Concord News Group that they will spring surprises just to prove to the government that it is hard to hide the truth in today’s world where social media and android technology are making it easy to lay hands on any information.

Meanwhile, as Cameroonians look forward to seeing Mr. Tchiroma in the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison in Yaounde where his former cabinet colleagues have taken up residence for some time now, the Southern Cameroons crisis that has put Cameroon in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons is gradually spiraling out of control. Over the last weeks, Southern Cameroonian fighters have changed their strategy from killing soldiers and gendarmes to kidnapping senior administrative officers, in the hope that they will create a huge impact on a government that is noted for its do-nothing attitude.

Over the last two weeks, the Batibo Divisional Officer and Social Affairs delegate have been kidnapped and taken to the jungle where they are living wild and rough. In Manyu Division, senior CPDM officers have had to face the wrath of Southern Cameroonian fighters. A senior official of the CPDM in the Upper Bayang Sub-division was visited and his car was burnt.

Similarly, many local chiefs in Manyu and Ndian Divisions are on the run as the people have resorted to attacking them. They are accused of being government pawns and have collaborated with the corrupt Yaounde government to rob the people of their freedom and wealth. This series of events is not only frustrating to many families, especially those of the kidnapped administrative officers, but also to the government which has been unable to put the determined Southern Cameroonian fighters out of business.

Today, many administrative officers in Southern Cameroons are living in fear. Ambazonian Tigers have struck fear into them and many are not living a normal life as they are permanently looking over their shoulders. Regardless of the heavy presence of troops in Southern Cameroons, most administrative officers hold that the government can never provide them with the type of security they need to operate normally. Besides, they understand that corruption, divisions and frustration are making it hard for the country’s defense forces to effectively play their role.

Within the military, there are different schools of thought regarding how the Southern Cameroons crisis should be addressed and this is making it hard for the government to beat a more determined Southern Cameroons army that has proven that it can punch well above its class.

These divisions and frustrations in the military can be seen in an anonymous letter written to the president by some disappointed soldiers about issues facing current efforts to roll back Southern Cameroons fighters who have been making huge gains in the North West and South West regions.

“We are advising you that there is disorder and non-compliance with the instructions given by the field operations hierarchy in the two regions in crisis. The decisions taken by the higher military hierarchy are not implemented by those expected to implement them in the field, especially in the Southwest region where the instructions of General Sali are not respected by the commander of operations, Colonel Ousmanou, who by flouting these instructions, is putting our forces at risk where they are killed by the separatists. This way of acting has already encouraged or facilitated the secessionists to kill some of our troops and seize our equipment (weapons and ammunition). During meetings of the General Staff chaired by the Manyu Divisional Officer, Colonel Ousmanou is always against everyone, sometimes urging the prosecutor of the republic to support ideas relating to the respect of human rights. He declares that the President of the Republic and his government in Yaoundé must find a political and non-military solution to this crisis and that he will never accept that a man under his command use his weapon against anyone,” the memo said.

The memo adds that “Other senior officers are engaged in maintaining and protecting the underground economy that sustains and supports the enemy camp. Colonels Ntsama and Ngongang are engaged in despicable acts that do not honor our military. They are involved in the breaking of shops in Ekok, and other localities of Manyu, carting with them freezers, money and other property. Any questions from a subordinate in this regard always result in the subordinate’s redeployment further into the zone or he is given a harsh punishment.”

This does not only reveal that there are cracks on Mr. Biya’s wall. It is also a clear demonstration that the Southern Cameroons crisis is causing the government to implode. Southern Cameroonians have succeeded to split the military and even the ruling party is gradually falling apart. Their corrupt practices are being exposed by some of theirs who have elected anonymity. The huge pain and death left by Ambazonian fighters’ attacks on the country’s military are gradually splitting the Francophone population that was for a long time indifferent to what was happening in Southern Cameroons.

Over the last three months, Southern Cameroonian fighters have been giving the country a good run for its money and this has given the government a black eye. The government, which has refused all appeals for dialogue, has seen its reputation eroded, and this is making many analysts to hold that the government will come back on its word. The government had already branded Southern Cameroonian restorationists as terrorists and based on the declarations of fascists elements within the regime, the government will never negotiate with those it considers as terrorists.

This new strategy of kidnapping senior administrative officials is designed to put an enormous amount of pressure on the aging and ailing government for it to release Southern Cameroonian leaders who had been abducted and extradited to Cameroon where they have been held incommunicado for almost two months. The extradition has angered many Southern Cameroonians, especially the fighters.

Currently, Southern Cameroonian fighters hold that the more administrative officials they hold, the greater their chances to get their leaders released. They have therefore sent word all over the place that any administrative officer operating in Southern Cameroons is a target. There are even prices on the heads of some administrative officers such the governor of the Southwest region, Okala Bilai, who has been judged in absentia by the Southern Cameroons people’s court and has been sentenced to death.

It is being secretly said that anyone who kills the southwest governor will be given about US$20,000. He is being charged with describing Southern Cameroonians as dogs and Ambazonians Tigers have clearly stated that such a crime must be punished, and death is a befitting punishment for the crime.

Another administrative officer who is in the cross-hairs of the Ambazonian Tigers is the Manyu Senior Divisional Officer who had issued a press release that caused many residents of Manyu to quit their homes to seek refuge in neighboring Nigeria which is playing host today to over 50,000 Cameroonian refugees.

Fear has gripped the entire Southern Cameroons and the country’s leaders in Yaounde are losing sleep. This new atmosphere has been captured in a press release issued by the Manager of the South West Regional Station of the CRTV which drew the government’s attention to a possible takeover of Buea, the Southern Cameroons capital, by Ambazonian fighters.

By Besong Esther Agbor

28, February 2018

Monica Lewinsky says affair with Bill Clinton was ‘gross abuse of power’ ⁰

Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says her extramarital affair that led to the impeachment of Former US President Bill Clinton “was not sexual assault,” but “constituted a gross abuse of power.”

The 44-year-old made the comment in a report published by the Vanity Fair magazine on Tuesday, reflecting on events after the #MeToomovement born in the wake of the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

“There are even some people who feel my White House experiences don’t have a place in this movement, as what transpired between Bill Clinton and myself was not sexual assault, although we now recognize that it constituted a gross abuse of power,” Lewinsky said.

“Now, at 44, I’m beginning to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern,” she added.

Clinton, then 49, and 22-year-old Lewinsky started a sexual relationship in 1995 in the White House, and the affair came to light in 1998.

Lewinsky admitted she had sexual encounters with Clinton on nine occasions, until March 1997 and alleged that First Lady Hillary Clinton was at the White House during many of those incidents.

The Lewinsky scandal led to the impeachment of Clinton in the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in 1999 over his affair with Lewinsky and remained in power until 2002.

Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky in the White House (file photo)

In the Tuesday report, Lewinsky said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being “publicly outed and ostracized,” after the scandal and lauded the #MeToo movement for providing “the safety that comes from solidarity.”

Lewinsky further said she had been rethinking the issue of consent in her affair with the former US president back in 1998 and that she had “limited understanding of the consequences” at the time.

“I’m beginning to entertain the notion that in such a circumstance the idea of consent might well be rendered moot, although power imbalances – and the ability to abuse them – do exist even when the sex has been consensual,” she said.

“He was my boss. He was the most powerful man on the planet. He was 27 years my senior, with enough life experience to know better. He was, at the time, at the pinnacle of his career, while I was in my first job out of college,” Lewinsky added.

The former White House intern concluded that “none of the above excuses me for my responsibility for what happened. I meet regret every day.”

Her comments were made in the wake of growing allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful figures in Hollywood as well as the world of politics.

Campaigners and rights activists stress that many victims of sexual abuse and exploitation decline to report the incident due to fear, shame, and worry about damage to their career.

Sexual allegations against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein initially sparked the latest wave of sexual harassment and assault revelations in various industries, including in the media and politics.

The US is specifically struggling to deal with a series of sexual abuse scandals that have raised doubts about how institutions, including the church, sports teams and the news media respond to those vulnerable to abuse.

At least 16 women have so far come forward to accuse the incumbent US President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and the White House has called his accusers liars.

Source: Presstv

28, February 2018

Ambazonia Crisis: Things take a turn for the worse ⁰

As days go by, the Southern Cameroons crisis that has put Cameroon in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons is taking a turn for the worse. Over the last weeks, Southern Cameroonian fighters have changed their strategy from killing soldiers and gendarmes to kidnapping senior administrative officers, in the hope that they will create a huge impact on a government that is noted for its do-nothing attitude.

It is being secretly said that anyone who kills the southwest governor will be given about US$20,000. He is being charged with describing Southern Cameroonians as dogs and AmbazoniansTigers have clearly stated that such a crime must be punished, and death is a befitting punishment for the crime.

The release stated that “I wish to draw your attention to the fact that an unidentified person called my collaborator, Ms. Charline FloreDemgne, Chief of Service for programmes and information at Mount Cameroon FM, on Monday, February 26, 2018 at 7am.

His message was frightful; that they are coming to Buea to kidnap the Divisional Officer for Buea, the Governor and take over CRTV.

I,therefore, appeal to you to reinforce security at CRTV South West and put the whole city on alert.”

This desperation is a clear representation of the mood across the country. Government authority has been chipped off by small, but important events. In Kembong a small town some 10 km Mamfe, the Manyu Divisional headquarters, workers of timber companies were kidnapped and given strict others on what to do. Their heavy equipment was burnt, and the workers released, although one of them was not lucky. He was sent to an early grave for reasons that are not yet known.

Though there are rumors about the presence of French soldiers in Manyu Division, Ambazonian Tigers have said the French will surely meet their Waterloo in Kembong where it is believed to have been stationed. Speaking to the Cameroon Concord News Group, a captain in the Ambazonian Tigers said “the French are looking for someone to kill them and we will do just that. We are not scared of anybody. We are determined to regain our land and we will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. Mr. Biya can bring the entire European military to Southern Cameroons, but we will never be defeated.”

A lot is happening in Cameroon. The country’s leader is missing in action. For many weeks now, he has not been seen regularly in public and there is rumor that his cancer and failing heart have reduced his ability to government the country.

With all what is happening, Mr. Biya and his inner circle are at their wit’s end. Violence has not been able to intimidate Southern Cameroonians into submission. Southern Cameroonians have proven that military action alone will not solve the problem. Though government officials have been saying they will not negotiate with terrorists, it is clear that they will be doing that very soon, as Southern Cameroonians are determined to win back their independence. The Southern Cameroonian Diaspora is making good on its promise to provide arms to the pool of willing fighters back home that is inflicting pain on the country’s military.

From every indication, things are turning out badly for the government. Families of soldiers killed in Southern Cameroons have begun asking questions and the war itself is becoming very expensive for the government. Mr. Biya and his government have to sue for peace. They haveto reconcile with the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora.

The Southern Cameroons Diaspora is rich and it has made its influence felt in Cameroon. The Yaounde government is frustrated and does not know how it can rein in a Diaspora that has transformed marginalization into an opportunity. The government must seek ways to work with this Diaspora. It must look for ways to bring some key elements of the Anglophone Diaspora to the country’s governing bodies. Without such compromises, the country will never be stable. With more than three million Southern Cameroonians out of the country, it is clear that Cameroon is in for very tough times. It is time to talk peace and any discussions must include the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora. Cameroon has been caught in a downward spiral. If the government does not change its policies and strategies regarding this crisis, it might be swept away by a crisis that has become as violent as a tornado.

By Kinsley Betek and Fosuh Tamajung in Bamenda, with contributions from Rita Akana and Ebong Ngole in Buea