News

28, October 2017

Biya-Guterres Meeting: Etoudi treating details like a nuclear secret ⁰

Nothing has so far filtered from exchanges between the French Cameroun dictator, Paul Biya and UN Secretary General. Antonio Guterres arived the Unity Palace yesterday the 27^th of October, 2017 from a trip to the Central African Republic.

A well-placed source hinted Cameroon Concord News that both men had an intensive conversation on the Southern Cameroons crisis, the war against the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram and the influx of refugees including the security situation in the Central African Republic.

By Sama Ernest, CCN

27, October 2017

Yaounde Military Tribunal: Mancho Bibixy coming out strong as the new Southern Cameroons leader ⁰

The Great Bibixy Mancho has appealed to the Biya regime and its gang of corrupt judges to release all Southern Cameroons young men and women detained in the context of the Anglophone crisis. The Hon. Bibixy Mancho made the declaration at the hearing on October 26, 2017 in the Yaounde Military Tribunal.

During the hearing, the radio host was the first to speak at the Yaoundé Military Court, “Madam President, Yes, I took part in the demonstrations, condemn me to death, but let these children go back to Bamenda, they did not do anything. They are detained in very bad conditions, without being able to benefit from the assistance of their parents. When some members of their families come to visit them in prison, they are stuck in front of the gate because they do not have a pass to get to them, it is better that they are judged in Bamenda where they can benefit from the assistance of their loved ones, “the leader said.

After his speech and that of the other detainees who denounced the inhuman conditions in which they are incarcerated, Mancho Bibixy who is the only geniune leader of the Southern Cameroons crisis remained in detention. He was accused by the state prosecutor for instigating the rebellion in the Bamenda County.

Mancho Bibixy was arrested on November 30, 2016 in Bamenda. Seen once in a coffin during a march, on November 28, 2016, he also demonstrated with the MPs and Senators of the Social Democratic Front. But by some strange happenstance, Mancho Bibixy did not benefit from the so-called presidential pardon on August 29, 2017.

By Eyong Johnson, CCN

27, October 2017

Russia test-launches several ballistic missiles from land, air, sea ⁰

Russia has carried out a number of ballistic missile test-launches from “land, air and sea” as part of massive military drills that also involve Russia’s strategic forces, the country’s Defense Ministry says.

According to a statement released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday, a Topol-type ballistic missile, one of the country’s most sophisticated weapons, was fired earlier in the day from the Plesetsk testing ground in the northwest of the country and hit a designated target on the Kura testing grounds in Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia’s northwest.

It added that two of its nuclear missile submarines (SSBNs) had also launched three ballistic missiles — two from the Pacific Fleet stationed in the Okhotsk Sea, north of Japan, and one from the Northern Fleet deployed in the Barents Sea, in the Arctic Ocean.

The missiles from the Pacific Fleet hit targets in the Chizha testing range in the northwestern region of Arkhangelsk, and the missile from the Pacific Fleet struck a target on the Kura testing grounds, the statement added.

The ministry further said Russia’s strategic Tupolec-160, Tupolev-85MS and Tupolev-22MZ bombers were also deployed in the drills to demonstrate their power as they launched air-based cruise missiles at ground targets in the Kura and Pemboi testing ranges, and one in Russian military terrain in Kazakhstan.

“All objectives of the training have been successfully completed,” the statement added. Last month, Russia successfully test-launched a Topol missile equipped with a new advanced warhead. It was designed to penetrate the missile defenses of a potential enemy more effectively.

Culled from Presstv

27, October 2017

Southern Cameroons refugees flood Nigeria ⁰

The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has begun intervention in the management of Cameroonian refugees streaming into Nigeria. More than 5,000 persons have already arrived five border communities, the Commission said, describing their situation as “worrisome”.

Following shutdown of the Nigeria-Cameroon border at Mfum/Ekok, Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandede, had said about 40,000 refugees were expected to migrate to Nigeria, as projected by the United Nations Refugee Agency, and that Cross River State was expected to host close to 30,000.

On Tuesday, Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), John Inaku, led a team from the UNHCR to Utanga and Amana in Obanliku local government area, preparatory to an intervention in the crisis. He urged the host communities to sustain the tempo of their generosity. The team expressed concern over the challenge of meeting the needs of the affected and disclosed readiness to partner with Nigerian authorities to address the issue.

UNHCR official, Mr. Sam Agwa, said the condition of the refugees was disturbing, even as he commended the magnanimity of their host communities. Another staff, Mshilia Ibrahim, added that plans were underway to provide shelter for the refugees.

Eric Shu, coordinator of Rhema Care Integrated Development Centre, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), revealed that more than 50 women of the over 5,000 refugees in Utanga and Amana, were pregnant and needed urgent medical attention and shelter.

Source: The Guardian

26, October 2017

Mali: Blast kills 3 UN peacekeepers ⁰

Three United Nations soldiers were killed and two others wounded by an explosive device as they were escorting a convoy in northern Mali on Thursday, the peacekeeping mission in the West African nation said.

More than 80 members of the UN mission, known as MINUSMA, have been killed since 2013 in attacks by militant groups active in the country’s north and center.

The mission said in a statement that the peacekeepers’ vehicle struck the explosive device between the northern towns of Tessalit and Aguelhok around 2:30 p.m. (1430 GMT). It did not identify the nationalities of the soldiers involved.

“I condemn with the greatest energy such abject acts, whose only objective is to destabilize the country and harm the peace process underway in Mali,” said interim mission chief Koen Davidse.

The rise of extremist groups – some linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh – in the arid Sahel has alarmed Western powers like France, which has deployed thousands of troops to the region in response.

Four US Special Forces troops were killed earlier this month in neighboring Niger by fighters believed to belong to a local Daesh affiliate operating out of Mali.

(Source: Reuters)

26, October 2017

International Crisis Group identifies Boko Haram-CPDM Connections ⁰

A new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) published a day after the suspension of the Institution’s activities in Cameroon by the Biya regime has reportedly rocked Yaounde. The Belgian Non Governmental Organization (NGO) continues to fire bullets at the Francophone dominated government . In its latest report released Wednesday, October 25, 2017, ICG reported that some barons of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate in the Mayo Sava Division had requested help from the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram to dislodge President Paul Biya from power.

“Some in the Mayo Sava have said that Boko Haram should come and deliver them from Kafir (disbeliever) who is in Etoudi (the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon), “said the report while indicating that the sect tried from the onset of its abuses not to attack Muslims.

The authoritative organization also accused Biya and his gang of not communicating enough about the war they have been waging since May 2014 against the Nigerian sect. “The Cameroonian government does not communicate about the funds allocated for the war against Boko Haram. However, the budgets of the Ministry of Defense and the Delegation for National Security have increased from $ 305 to $ 420 million and from $ 130 to $ 145 million, respectively. Over the four years of conflict, security spending has increased by more than $ 500 million, “says ICG.

The report entitled “Far North of Cameroon: The Puzzle of Reconstruction in times of Conflict” noted that the fight against Boko Haram in the Far North which is the poorest region in the country, has exacerbated the already precarious economic situation and upset socio-economic roles. The International Crisis Group stressed that Cameroon’s war against Boko Haram since May 2014 has only worsened the already precarious economic situation of the four million inhabitants” of the Far North region.

Despite the economic difficulties experienced in the Far North, “the populations have shown a great capacity for adaptation and resilience that offers the Cameroonian government and international partners the opportunity to implement development policies that integrate diversity and fluidity of the economic traditions of this border region between Nigeria and Chad “.

The report says Cameroonians had a crush of 2 billion CFA to help the 22,000 displaced in the Far North. “But these mechanisms of solidarity quickly showed their limit: indeed, the helping populations are breathless and have become as vulnerable as the displaced populations,” regretted ICG.

International Crisis Group observed that “the government has favoured a military response and few concrete measures have been taken for economic recovery” in the Far North region. ICG revealed that the Northern Development Emergency Plan announced in June 2014 has “only” 78.8 billion CFA francs and is “well below the development needs of the area, evaluated at least 1 600 billion CFA francs (2.86 billion dollars) by the northern elites “.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Cameroon Info.Net

26, October 2017

Trump administration mulling drone attacks in Niger ⁰

The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly speeding up plans to use armed drone to attack militants in Niger, in the wake of a deadly ambush that killed four American troops in the African country.

The US is already using unarmed Reaper drones to gather intelligence in purported terrorist positions inside Niger but American military commanders want to be able to arms the aircraft like the French can, NBC News reported Wednesday, citing unnamed US military officials.

The officials said Washington has been pressing the government of Niger more aggressively to allow armed drones at the US bases there following the deadly October 4 ambush by Daesh terrorists near the country’s border with Mali.

The Pentagon revealed new details about the attack on Monday night but details of what happened remain murky more than two weeks after the incident.

According to General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the American troops were on their way back to their base when they were ambushed by some 50 Daesh militants.

It took the US troops an hour to request backup, Dunford said, noting that armed French Mirage fighter jets arrived on scene two hours after the ambush began. Apparently, the pilots did not fire at the militants because they could not distinguish them from friendly forces.

However, US officials say an unarmed Reaper drone rushed to the site of the attack within minutes of the team’s call for help.

Expanding US drone strikes to Niger would amount to a significant escalation in the global American drone campaign. While the US military has conducted occasional drone strikes in Libya and Somalia, most of Africa has not been excluded from the drone war which is focused on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

Colonel Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said refused to talk about “possible initiatives by the administration,” but said “the Department of Defense will always ensure our forces are properly equipped and have the necessary capabilities to accomplish their mission and defeat any threat.”

Pentagon officials say US forces in Niger do not currently have a combat role and are rather gathering intelligence that could come in handy once the Trump administration authorizes lethal operations there.

Presstv

26, October 2017

Biya sacks Police Commissioner Luc Sylvain ⁰

President Biya has sacked the Police Commissioner at the head of the 14th District Public Security Station in Yaounde.

The celebrated bribe taker , Commissioner Nyllanke Luc Sylvain was also accused of serious misconduct related to police ethics.

The sacked commissioner, occupied this post since 2014 until his ousting on October 25, 2017.

By Eyong Johnson, CCN

25, October 2017

Boko Haram leader’s wife killed in Nigeria airstrike ⁰

The Nigerian military says it is investigating reports that one of the wives of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram Takfiri group, has been killed in a recent airstrike.

“Efforts are ongoing to confirm the reported killing of Shekau’s wife, alongside other BHTs (Boko Haram terrorists),” said air force spokesman Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya on Tuesday, six days after an attack on Boko Haram militants near Urga in the Konduga area in Borno state.

Adesanya said the air raid on October 19 targeted “a large gathering of Boko Haram terrorists” at the Durwawa settlement. He added that the attack killed scores of militants on the ground and triggered a fire.

The official said that Shekau’s wife, identified as Fitdasi, was “reported to have been representing her husband in a coordinating meeting with other terrorists at the location of the airstrikes”.

Fitdasi was thought to be one of Shekau’s four wives. Nigerian army arrested another wife, Hassana Yakubu, in a raid in the northeastern city of Damaturu in 2012. She was released a year later along with the wives of several other top commanders of Boko Haram.

One of other wives of Shekau is a widow of Muhammad Yusuf, the founder and former leader of Boko Haram who died in custody in 2009.

Under Shekau’s leadership which began after Yusuf’s death, Boko Haram has led an insurgency in northern Nigeria and neighboring countries that has left around 20,000 people dead. Hundreds of thousands have also been displaced in the violence.

The Nigerian military claims its massive operations which began two years ago has made Boko Haram a spent force as the group has withdrawn from its major strongholds in Borno. However, the government still struggles to contain sporadic attacks that mostly target civilians in crowded places.

Source: Presstv

25, October 2017

Yaounde: Transport Minister suspends General Travel Agency ⁰

The Francophone Minister of Transport has suspended as a precautionary measure and subject to prosecution, the General Travel Agency following a serious traffic accident that occurred on Tuesday the 24^th of October, 2017 between Boumnyebel and Sombo on the National No. 3 road, commonly known as the Douala-Yaoundé highway.

Cameroon Concord News can now confirm that 15 people died and the death toll is expected to rise. The remains of the 15 were dropped off at the morgue of the Edea Regional Annex Hospital, where many wounded are being cared for.

Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo told state radio and television that his decision was based on the recurrence of traffic accidents involving the travel agency. The driver of the bus who has been involved is also punished with a withdrawal of his driving license for a period of 12 months.

Cameroon ranks among the most underdeveloped countries on the face of the earth despite its natural and human resources. Cameroon is bereft of infrastructure. Its hospitals have been reduced to consultation clinics. Its roads have consumed more lives than HIV and malaria put together.

Cameroonians have lost faith in the government. Years of unemployment have reduced them to sorry spectators of events in their own country. Many have died of preventable illnesses and for many, the shadow of uncertainty is permanently looming large on the horizon.

By Sonne Peter, CCN