News

Revealed: At least 43,000 Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria

27, January 2018

Revealed: At least 43,000 Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria 0

More than 43,000 Cameroonians have fled as refugees to Nigeria to escape a crackdown by the government on Anglophone separatists, local aid officials said on Thursday.

The figure is almost three times as high as that given by the United Nations and Nigerian officials two weeks ago.

Cameroon is a majority French-speaking country but two southwestern regions bordering Nigeria are Anglophone. Last October, separatists declared independence for a state they want to create called Ambazonia, sparking a military crackdown by the government of President Paul Biya.

In Nigeria’s Cross River state, which borders southwest Cameroon, more than 33,000 Cameroonians have taken refuge from violence, John Inaku, director general of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told Reuters by phone.

Earlier this month, the UN refugee agency had said more than 8,000 refugees were in Cross River state.

Explaining the disparity, Inaku told Reuters the UN agency was only registering people in Cross River coming in through conventional routes.

“This is a war situation and refugees are trooping in by the minute through the bush paths, rivers and every other unconventional routes open to them,” he said.

“During our advocacy to our border communities we told them to allow the refugees in and not be hostile to them so our communities have been receiving them warmly and accommodating them. These are very remote areas, hard to reach without good roads,” Inaku said.

Inaku said community facilities were becoming overstretched and so people were getting hostile toward the refugees, who were in “deplorable condition”, hungry and in need of medicine.

The Benue SEMA director general said the agency had also had difficulty counting refugees because they were in remote areas.

Early on Thursday, gunmen crossed from Nigeria to attack a border post in Cameroon’s southwest, security force witnesses said, with the incident likely to further damage relations between the neighbors.

The separatists pose the biggest challenge yet to the 35-year rule of Biya, who will seek re-election this year. The conflict is also fuelling tensions between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Cameroonian military officials and pro-government media accuse Nigeria of sheltering the insurgents, who since last year have waged a guerrilla campaign to establish an independent homeland for Cameroon’s English-speaking minority.

REUTERS


Gunmen kill 14 soldiers in Mali

27, January 2018

Gunmen kill 14 soldiers in Mali 0

At least 14 soldiers have been killed and 17 others sustained injuries in the central Mali city of Timbuktu after unknown gunmen attacked their camp, according to military sources.

Unidentified armed men attacked the camp in the town of Soumpi at around 6 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Saturday.

“The provisional toll is 14 dead, 17 wounded and two enemies killed. The search is still on for those missing,” said one of the military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another military source confirmed the attack, putting the death toll at “around 15.”

“The soldiers abandoned their position. The enemy carried away material,” the unnamed source said.

The attack came two days after 26 civilians were killed and several others injured when their vehicle was blown up by a mine in central Mali.

According to Malian army spokesman Colonel Diarran Kone, the vehicle had crossed the volatile border with neighboring Burkina Faso, where militants loyal to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group are known to operate, when it ran over the mine.

In a separate incident, the Malian military said its forces had come under attack in the town of Youwarou near Mopti, once a popular tourist spot, but that they had repelled it.

“They neutralized seven terrorists and recovered equipment abandoned by the assailants,” it said.

In the past three years, Takfiri forces, which had long been destabilizing the thinly populated desert north of Mali, have swept south into its wetter, more populated central regions, exploiting local conflicts to spread militancy.

Mali plunged into turmoil after President Amadou Toumani Toure was overthrown in a military coup on March 22, 2012.

The coup leaders said they staged the putsch in response to the government’s inability to contain the rebellion in the country’s north.

In January 2013, French soldiers were deployed to Mali under the pretext of putting an end to the crisis in the West African country, a former colony of France.

Unrest rages on across Mali despite the presence there of an 11,000-strong UN peacekeeping force, which has been stationed in the country since July 2013, as well as 1,000 French forces.

 

Source: Presstv


Berlin: African Bar Association President calls for the release of Ambazonian leaders

27, January 2018

Berlin: African Bar Association President calls for the release of Ambazonian leaders 0

African Bar Association President has called for the release of Southern Cameroons Ambazonia leaders and members of the African Bar Association members abducted and detained by Nigeria at the annual conference of the international criminal Bar in Berlin Germany today.  He also called for international intervention to halt the genocide in Southern Cameroons.

The African Bar Association, Afba, had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Nigerian authorities to release Cameroon’s separatist leaders who were reportedly arrested by Nigeria’s State Security Services. The association’s President Hannibal Uwaifo had earlier painted the arrests as unlawful and a violation of human rights. The African Bar Association further pointed out that extradition will be a violation of international law and Nigerian local laws given the country does not have an extradition treaty with Cameroon.

By Chi Prudence Asong in Berlin


7,000 flee Congo-Kinshasa to Burundi in just three days

27, January 2018

7,000 flee Congo-Kinshasa to Burundi in just three days 0

Thousands of asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have fled to Burundi in the past three days over fierce fighting in the eastern parts of the country, Burundi police say.

Nearly 7,000 Congolese have crossed Lake Tanganyika and taken refuge in Burundi since Wednesday as clashes raged between DR Congo government forces and rebels in the troubled eastern province of South Kivu.

Burundi police said on Friday a total of 6,692 refugees had registered in just three days to escape fighting between the army and the Yakutumba militia, although the flow appeared to have since slowed.

“Yesterday, Lake Tanganyika seemed to be completely covered by hundreds of boats of all sizes, packed with refugees and their property, it was quite sight,” one rights activist told AFP.

Congo’s President Joseph Kabila told a press conference that the security situation in the east, much of which is in the hands of rival militias, was “worrying.”

The UN refugee agency or the Burundian authorities have not made any immediate comment about the situation yet.

The Congolese government said last week it was waging “war” against two militias in the east, the Yakutumba and the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) rebel groups.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo had one of the most brutal colonial rules before undergoing decades of corrupt dictatorship and back-to-back civil wars that left the mineral-rich country poor and politically unstable.

Dozens of armed groups have been active in the eastern DR Congo, long after the official end of a 1998-2003 war during which millions of people died, mostly of hunger and disease.

The United Nations in January warned that the Democratic Republic of the Congo was at a “breaking point,” saying this year it will seek more than $1.5 billion to respond to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.

“The size of the crisis in the Congo is really challenging our collective ability to respond”, said the UN migration agency’s chief envoy to the country, Jean-Philippe Chauzy.

The escalating violence in Congo’s center and east this year comes amid a political crisis in the country due to President Kabila’s refusal to leave office after his term expired in December 2016.

In 2006, the UN mission helped carry out Congo’s first free and fair elections in 46 years, paving the way for President Joseph Kabila to be elected for a five-year term.

His second term in office ended in 2016. Under the DR Congo’s constitution, Kabila is banned from seeking a third term. However, Kabila is authorized to stay in office until his successor is elected but he decided to remain in power. This prompted the UN to urge the Congolese authorities “to respect the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Congolese Constitution.”

The delay in holding an election has flared up violence in the country.

 

Source: Presstv


Trump booed as he attacks ‘nasty, mean, fake’ media

27, January 2018

Trump booed as he attacks ‘nasty, mean, fake’ media 0

The President of the United States Donald Trump was booed at the end of his Davos speech on Friday when he attacked the media.

Trump was asked what experience from the past had prepared him best for his presidency when he launched the tirade.

He said: “It wasn’t until I became a politician that I realized how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be”.

(Source: Ruptly)



Update on the Ambazonian refugee arrivals in Nigeria

26, January 2018

Update on the Ambazonian refugee arrivals in Nigeria 0

Situational Context

The Government’s decision to intensify its military campaign against members of the pro-independent movement in Southern Cameroon is creating more population movement towards Nigeria in search of international protection. Civilians have allegedly being killed by security forces while the government has accused suspected separatists of being responsible for the death of more than 10 security personnel since the crisis intensified following the unilateral declaration of independence on October 1, 2017.

New Arrivals

More Cameroonians are arriving in Cross River, Taraba and Benue states in Nigeria with the main receiving communities recorded as Amana, Akamkpa, Agbokim, Ikom/Ajassor and Boki (Cross Riverstate) and Abande (Benue state). Due to the closure of official border entry points in those states, the asylum seekers continue to use informal crossing points. As a result, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says monitoring the arrivals and recording them remain a challenge. Those arriving are coming from Akwaya, Otu, Eyumojock, Nsan, Dadi & Bodam in Cameroon’s South-West Anglophone region. There are several accounts by asylum seekers as reasons for their flight including fear of generalised persecution because they are Anglophone Cameroonians, and heavy military and police deployments by government to prevent infiltration by militants of the independent movement in the English-speaking Cameroon regions.

 

Source: Reliefweb.int


Refugees flood into Nigeria to escape ethnic cleansing in Cameroon

26, January 2018

Refugees flood into Nigeria to escape ethnic cleansing in Cameroon 0

In an echo of the Vietnam War, entire villages in English-speaking Cameroon are being torched by government soldiers to punish civilians suspected of sympathising with secessionist militias. The United Nations believes 43,000 people have recently crossed the border into neighbouring Nigeria, seeking refuge from the escalating conflict. The international community’s calls for dialogue have been ignored by Cameroon’s Francophone leader, President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982.

Until recently, diplomats have largely sidelined the deteriorating situation in Cameroon, believing it is an internal matter. The increasingly popular demand for secession is rooted in a contested referendum at independence in 1961. The English-speaking minority (20% of the population) was forced to choose between either joining Nigeria or the French-speaking Cameroon, rather than the desired third option, independence. The violence which came to a head in 2016 when the government of Cameroon imposed French-speaking teachers on English-speaking schools, and Francophone judges were appointed to dispense justice according to the French legal system in courts which hitherto had followed English common law.

The arrival of so many Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria has made it a regional problem. In early January, the Nigerian government responded by arresting 10 Anglophone Cameroonian politicians who were meeting in Abuja. Authorities initially denied they had detained Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the secessionist leader, and his colleagues. However, the government eventually admitted they were holding the pro-independence politicians, accusing them of training a guerilla army, intending to cause trouble in the “peaceful country of Cameroon.”

Nigerian commentator Adeola Fayehun immediately pointed out that Cameroon is far from peaceful, and that it was absurd to imply that the independence leaders were training an army. “Where are the weapons?” she asked. “Where is the evidence?”

Lawyers for the 10 secessionist leaders do not know where they are being held and have not been able to contact them. Amnesty has appealed to Nigeria not to hand them over to the Cameroonian authorities, fearing they will not receive fair treatment.

Cameroonian social media has featured distressing photographs of the charred remains of Appih, a 96-year-old woman burned to death in her home when government soldiers torched Kwakwa village in Meme county last week. Nearby villages of 6,000 people are now reported to have fewer than 50 inhabitants as people try to escape. The Anglophone Sun newspaper quoted one refugee saying, “We are not running away from so-called secessionists but from military harassment.” Soldiers were reported to be doing “a brisk business” selling the possessions of people who have fled to Nigeria, leaving behind deserted villages.

On January 25th , militants based in Nigeria crossed the border, attacking a customs post, the latest in a series of often deadly guerrilla operations. Secessionists claim they are retaliating against the disproportionate forced used by Cameroonian authorities to put down peaceful demonstrations by Anglophone protesters which began in 2016. Amnesty has repeatedly condemned the shooting of unarmed civilians in the Anglophone region, including firing from helicopters hovering over churches as worshippers emerge from Mass.

Seeking a peaceful solution, Anglophone Catholic leaders have urged President Biya to allow a genuine dialogue aimed at devolving power to English-speaking areas under a federal system. Their pleas have been ignored by President Biya: he has the support of the international community because of Cameroon’s role in fighting Islamist Boko Haram militias in the far north of the country. Biya is also aided by the fractured opposition, seemingly unable to make common cause with democracy activists in the Francophone community.

Meanwhile, the Cameroonian Diaspora has appealed to the UK government to support their fellow English speakers in asserting their rights as a persecuted minority in the majority Francophone West African nation. However, the Foreign Office stands by the result of the 1961 referendum. Campaigners point out that their rights under the post-independence constitution were soon eroded by the French-speaking majority. Currently only one member of the 36-person cabinet is from the English-speaking regions in the south west and north west.

There are no grounds to suppose the militant pro-independence forces will crumble, despite increasingly heavy-handed government tactics. Anglophone Cameroonians interviewed for this article say they are prepared to sacrifice everything they have in this once-in-a-generation chance to gain independence from Francophone Cameroon. The disproportionate government response appears to be feeding the polarization of the population. The international community may not wish to be involved, but it seems inevitable that Cameroon’s troubled post-colonial legacy will have to be confronted sooner or later.

 

Source: Independent Catholic News


China unveils ‘Polar Silk Road’ project

26, January 2018

China unveils ‘Polar Silk Road’ project 0

China on Friday outlined its ambitions to extend President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative to the Arctic by developing shipping lanes opened up by global warming.

Releasing its first official Arctic policy white paper, China said it would encourage enterprises to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages, paving the way for Arctic shipping routes that would form a “Polar Silk Road”.

The official paper revealed that Beijing would pursue its strategic regional objectives “jointly with Arctic States, while respecting traditions and cultures of the Arctic residents including the indigenous peoples and conserving natural environment”.

“China hopes to work with all parties to build a ‘Polar Silk Road’ through developing the Arctic shipping routes,” the paper, issued by the State Council Information Office, said.

The paper revealed that China also eyes development of oil, gas, mineral resources and other non-fossil energies, fishing and tourism in the region.

Despite being a non-Arctic state, China has gained interest and increased its activity in the polar region.

China, which became an observer member of the Arctic Council in 2013, owns a major stake in Russia’s Yamal liquefied natural gas project.

Yamal has planned to supply China with four million tonnes of LNG a year, according to the state-run China Daily.

Another advantage is that shipping through the Northern Sea Route would save almost 20 days off the regular time using the traditional route through the Suez Canal, the newspaper reported last month. COSCO Shipping has also previously sailed vessels through the Arctic’s northeast passage.

The file photo shows an Arctic LNG tanker in Saint Petersburg. (By AFP )

 

China’s increased activities in the region has prompted concerns from Arctic states over Beijing’s long-term strategic
objectives, including possible military deployment.

“Some people may have misgivings over our participation in the development of the Arctic, worried we may have other
intentions, or that we may plunder resources or damage the environment,” Vice-Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said at a briefing.

“I believe these kinds of concerns are absolutely unnecessary.”

China’s Belt and Road initiative aims to connect China to Europe, the Middle East and beyond via massive infrastructure projects across dozens of countries, reflecting Xi’s desire for China to take on a more prominent global leadership role.

(Source: Reuters)


Brazil court orders seizure of ex-president Lula’s passport

26, January 2018

Brazil court orders seizure of ex-president Lula’s passport 0

A Brazilian court on Thursday approved the seizure of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s passport, the Justice Ministry said, after an appeals court upheld the corruption conviction of the left-wing hero.

The decision came on the eve of a planned trip by Lula to Africa. It also came a day after appellate court judges voted to uphold Lula’s convictions on taking a bribe and money laundering and extended his sentence, in a major blow to the popular politician’s plans to run again for the presidency this year.

Lula’s lawyer Cristiano Zanin said the former president’s passport would be handed in on Friday, but called the decision “shocking” and an unnecessary restriction on his freedom of movement. In a statement, he said that the appellate court had been informed of Lula’s trip to Africa and his plans to return to Brazil on Jan 29.

“He won’t travel now,” Lula spokesman Jose Chrispiniano said, adding that the former leader had planned to attend an African Union conference in Ethiopia.

Justice Minister Torquoato Jardim, who was informed of the decision by the federal police chief, recommended that Lula be informed of the decision to avoid any problems, the ministry said.

Lula could be arrested as soon as judges make a decision on a final appeal in his case, which is expected to occur in at most two to three months.

(Source: Reuters)


Schools Set Ablaze as Biya regime Vows Crackdown on Separatists

25, January 2018

Schools Set Ablaze as Biya regime Vows Crackdown on Separatists 0

Unrest in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions intensified with arson attacks on schools and a city market as the government vowed to quash a secessionist movement whose leaders are in detention in Nigeria, saying it won’t negotiate with terrorists.

 At least three schools were torched this week in the Northwest region, one of two Anglophone areas in the majority French-speaking Central African nation, after a market in the city of Bamenda was set ablaze in an attack the government blames on the separatists. Gunmen killed one soldier and seriously injured another on Thursday as they were on patrol in a town west of Bamenda, a commander of the paramilitary police, Ewane, said by phone.
 “The government cannot and will not engage any form of dialogue with terrorists bent on amputating part of the national territory in the name of secession,’’ Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in a phone interview late Wednesday. “You don’t negotiate anything with such people.”
Security forces have stepped up patrols in the areas, searching houses and arresting those who can’t produce identity papers as part of “a routine operation,’’ Simon Emile Mooh, prefect for the Bui Division in the Northwest region, said by phone. “The forces of law and order are merely making sure that no weapons have been sneaked in,” he said.

Ten leaders of the separatist movement, which calls the two Anglophone regions the Republic of Ambazonia, have been held in neighboring Nigeria since Jan. 6 at an undisclosed location, according to their Nigerian lawyer, Femi Falana. The crisis began more than a year ago with peaceful protests against the French language’s dominance in courtrooms and schools.

One of the movement’s interim leaders, Bobga Harmony, announced on Facebook “the multiplication of self-defense operations” because the government rejects talks. “We shall continue targeting anti-secessionists as well as burn down schools,” he said.

Source: Bloomberg


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