News

10, November 2017

La Republique attributes killing of two gendarmes to Anglophone secessionists ⁰

The Biya Francophone regime has announced that Anglophone secessionists in Cameroon killed at least two gendarmes, signalling an escalation in a protracted dispute with central government. The attacks in the Southern Cameroons city of Bamenda marked the worst fighting in recent years between Ambazonia militants and French Cameroun government forces in the central African state after a year of mostly peaceful protest.

Anglophone lawyers and teachers launched demonstrations a year ago against what they see as marginalisation of English-speakers by President Paul Biya’s government in the Northwest and Southwest regions who were forced to work in French. A harsh crackdown by state forces, including helicopter gunships firing on civilians, killed dozens and bolstered support for the once-fringe separatist movement ahead of presidential elections in 2018.

Cho Ayaba, a leading member of the Ambazonian Governing Council, a separatist body established to create an independent state called Ambazonia, said secessionist militants killed three gendarmes in two co-ordinated attacks in Bamenda, the capital of the predominantly English-speaking Northwest region.

Cameroonian security sources reported the deaths of two gendarmes in an overnight attack near Bamenda, with one senior military official blaming secessionists. Another source said the gendarmes were ambushed by armed men on motorbikes. Cameroon’s government spokesman and chief of police could not be reached immediately for comment.

Ayaba said members of the Ambazonian Defence Force, an armed wing of the separatist movement, killed two gendarmes in a first attack at a checkpoint near Bamenda airport and a third was killed in an ambush on a gendarme patrol unit in a Bamenda suburb an hour later.

“We carried out the actions,” said Ayaba. “Their security forces are a target and we will continue attacking them until they are gone.” Another separatist leader confirmed his account. Cameroon’s linguistic divide harks back a century to the League of Nations’ decision to split the former German colony of Kamerun between the allied French and British victors at the end of World War One.

The secessionist movement existed underground for decades and recently started to gain widespread support in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest in response to government repression of protests. Hundreds of Anglophone Cameroonians were swept up in mass arrests following violent demonstrations on October 1 and at least 5,000 fled to neighbouring Nigeria.

Source: Reuters

10, November 2017

US: Protesters demand US Congress to pass immigration bill ⁰

Hundreds of protesters have occupied a US Senate office building to press Congress to pass legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children to stay in the country, a protection taken away by President Donald Trump.

More than 1,000 people filled the Hart Senate Building with chants and banners calling for lawmakers to pass the so-called DREAM Act, which would grant legal residency to an estimated 800,000 immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, who are referred to as “Dreamers.”

The activists held a giant sign reading, “Congress we demand a clean Dream Act now!”

The protest comes two months after the Trump administration canceled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a US immigration policy similar to the DREAM Act that was founded by the administration of former President Barack Obama in June 2012.

Under the DACA program, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children, are temporarily allowed to live, work and go to school in the country if they meet several requirements.

Almost 800,000 Dreamers live in the US. The vast majority have arrived from Mexico and other Latin American countries south of the US border.

Polls show that there is wide support for offering protection to the so-called Dreamers. A Washington Post/ABC News poll taken in September found 86 percent of respondents are in favor allowing Dreamers to stay in the country.

Trump’s immigration policies have sparked protests both inside the US and abroad since he took office in January.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump characterized Mexican migrants living in the US as murderers and rapists and said the US would build a wall on the US-Mexico border to keep illegal immigrants from entering the country.

Source: Presstv

10, November 2017

World Policing: Biya’s Cameroon very prominent in the lower rankings ⁰

Africa’s best police service is that of Botswana despite being ranked 47th best in the world. This is according to the World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI) released by two bodies, the International Police Science Association (IPSA) and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

The index ranked the Rwandan police as Africa’s second best (with global position of 50th) followed by Algeria (58th), Senegal (68th) and Tunisia (72nd) in that order. Completing the top 10 for Africa were, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Ghana, South Africa and Mali respectively.

“WISPI measures the ability of the police and other security providers to address internal security issues in 127 countries, across four domains, using sixteen indicators,” authors of the report stated. The four domains are, capacity, process, legitimacy and outcomes.

The Botswana Police Service has been ranked no. 1 in Africa and 47 out of 127 countries in the World Internal Security and Police Index #WISPI, released by the Institute of Economic and Peace (IEP).

Despite the failure of Africa to break into the top forty, the continent was very prominent in the lower rankings. Six African countries were in the bottom 10. Cameroon and Mozambique in the 120th and 122nd spots.

Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria made it an African quartet at the bottom – occupying 124th to 127 slots respectively.

At the top of the global rankings, Europe dominated with eight countries. Except first place Singapore and Australia in sixth spot, all the other countries were in Europe – Finland, Denmark, Austria, Germany (2nd – 5th), Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (7th – 10th).

About the World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI)

The aim of the WISPI is to, firstly, measure security provider performance across the four domains of internal security: capacity, process, legitimacy and outcomes.

Secondly, to see how these domains relate to each other and finally to track trends in these domains over time, and to inform the work of security providing agencies, researchers, and practitioners in the field of peace and conflict studies, criminology, and police studies.

Source: Africa News

9, November 2017

Message to Ambazonia: ICC launches probe into Burundi crimes despite exit ⁰

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has decided to launch an investigation into atrocities committed in Burundi, despite the country’s pullout from the international body last month.

ICC judges authorized the tribunal to open an investigation into crimes committed in Burundi or outside the east African country, ICC said on its website on Thursday.

The alleged crimes include murder, rape and torture, which started in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans to run for a third term, which he succeeded.

“According to estimates, at least 1,200 persons were allegedly killed, thousands illegally detained, thousands reportedly tortured and hundreds disappeared,” the court said in a statement.

The alleged acts of violence, it said, have reportedly resulted in the displacement of 413,490 persons between April 2015 and May 2017.

Judges issued the authorization on Oct. 25, two days before Burundi’s withdrawal from the ICC.

The Burundi investigation is the 11th full-scale investigation by the ICC. Almost all the investigations are in Africa, prompting some of the countries to exit the international body.

Government defiant

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said her investigation found proof suggesting police and security forces, “acting pursuant to a state policy, carried out a deliberate attack against the civilian population.”

The attacks, she said, entailed “multiple acts of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance and persecution, constituting crimes against humanity.”

Burundi remains obliged to cooperate with her investigation, despite the country’s withdrawal from the ICC, she added. The Burundian government remained non-committal, saying the country would not be helping with the investigation.

“We are no longer a state member,” Burundi Government spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba said. “They can do whatever they want, they can take all initiatives they want, Burundi will not cooperate because we stopped collaboration.”

Forgotten crimes

International human rights groups voiced support for the ICC’s decision, saying the probe would help deliver justice to victims and the people whose rights had been violated.

The probe “signals that ICC withdrawal does not shield a government from scrutiny about its role in grave human rights violations,” said Param-Preet Singh, the group’s associate international justice director.

Earlier this year, a UN commission of inquiry report based on interviews with more than 500 witnesses revealed that crimes against humanity, including killings and sexual violence, were still being committed in Burundi.

Source: Presstv

9, November 2017

Ambazonia Interim Government condemns attacks in Jakiri and Bamenda ⁰

PRESS RELEASE
AIG PR/042/2017
(For Immediate Release)
Ambazonia Interim Government condemns attacks in Jakiri and Bamenda

Abuja, 9th November 2017 – The President of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia (former UN Trust Territory of British Southern Cameroons pursuant to UN General Assembly Res. 1608(XV) of 21st Apr 1961), President Sisiku AyukTabe, condemns in the strongest terms the recent attacksin the Jakirilocal government area of Bui county and Bamendacity of Mezam county that led to the loss of life and propertyin the northern zone of the territory.This is an unfortunate and unpleasant situation.

Monday, confrontation around Bilingual High School in Jakiri involving armed security forces and soldiers from the neighboring country La République du Cameroun and individuals, unknown to the Interim Government of Ambazonia, resulted in the death of Constable Maj. Djodnia of the Police Service of La Républic du Cameroun, illegal occupier of the territory of Ambazonia since 1961.Tuesday, a similar incident at the Bamenda city entry checkpoint led to the unfortunate death of Marshal Hinma René and pupil David Sallé of the Gendarmerie, part of the Army under an office of the Presidency of La République du Cameroun. Reacting and without investigation, additional deployed special armed forces of La Republic du Cameroun exacerbated indiscriminate arrest and shooting of unarmed civilians especially youths and mothers that have resulted in the dead of a young mother Mrs. Janet Ngwafor in Bamenda onWednesday the 8 of November 2017 and many are injured and on the run.

Significantly, Ambazonia has recorded 122 deaths , 150 people missing, 1894 persons injured by direct gunshots or torture, and at least 16,000 cases of internally displaced persons due to military activities carried out by armed security and soldiers under the direct instructions to “shoot-and-kill” by Secretary General in charge of Defence at the Presidency of the La Républic du Cameroun in Yaounde between September 22 and October 31, according to findings of a 15-person inquiry commission chaired by Member of Parliament for Jakiri, Honorable Joseph M. Wirba of the major opposition party in La Républic du Cameroun Social Democratic Front.

Across the border, the UNHCR in Nigeria’s Cross River State has recorded some 40,000 teenage parents and their children who fled massacre by the armed paramilitary and security forces of La Républic du Cameroun. In fact, the actual numbers cannot be documented because the Government of La République du Cameroun routinely blocks access to internet, regularly shut off electricity supply while banningfree movementpeople as the military forces continue to kill, kidnap, maim our citizens and dispose dead bodies in mass graves in the forests.

The President of the Interim Government expresses the heartfelt condolences of the people of Ambazonia to the families who lost their loved ones and wishes speedy recovery to the injured. He conveys the solidarity of the people of Ambazonia with the victims and affected families, at this particularly challenging situation.

These incidents points to a trend in which the community-oriented peace-loving people of Ambazonia known for their vibrant culture and thriving businesses are targeted to frustrate the Interim Government’s determination to achieverecognition as an independent, democratic, sovereign state in the community of nations. The cowardly act attests to the deliberate effort by the repressive regime of Mr. Paul Biya to deter nonviolent progress being made by hardworking Ambazonians to restore their country from illegal occupation.

©The President of the Interim Government calls on the Chairperson of the African Union, President of the European Union, and Secretary General of the United Nations to take immediate steps and concrete actions to end the escalating situation perpetuated by the Government of La Republic du Cameroun. At the core of these actions is a UN-sponsored referendum to ensure the complete withdrawal of appointed officials and military as well as security personnel throughout the territory of Ambazonia by Mr. Biya’s regime. This action will form an essential pillar our people and those of La Républic du Cameroun living side by side as neigbours in peace and security.

The President of the Interim Government calls on the people of Ambazonia and leadership of frontline movements to show renewed unity at this critical time and overcome divisions, to rebuild cohesion at all levels of the federal framework and institutions, per the resolution of the fourth conclave in Nigeria. Such cohesion is a prerequisite for fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Ambazonia and for a prosperous nation. We should, together transform this tragic attack into renewed strength and resolve to continue working to restore peace and unity among the people of Ambazonia.

The President of the Interim Government reaffirms commitment to the principle of non-violence and to continue its diplomatic and legal effort vital to secure a seat at the table of international nations using relevant international law and instruments and work with countriesto completely regain the territory that the people of Ambazonia can proudly call home to live in freedom and peace and take charge of their destiny.

Sisiku Julius AyukTabe

President, Interim Government

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

9, November 2017

Togo’s opposition accuses security forces of ‘savage repression’ ⁰

Togo’s opposition on Wednesday accused the security forces of “savage repression” after nearly 20 of its supporters were injured as they tried to protest against the ruling party.

The opposition held the first of three planned demonstrations this week on Tuesday, calling for constitutional reform and the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe.

But it said its supporters were prevented from taking to the streets in the northern cities of Sokode and Bafilo, despite government permission.

Heavily armed soldiers with their heads and faces covered positioned themselves at the starting points of the protests, breaking up crowds with sticks and tear gas.

In Sokode — the stronghold of opposition leader Tikpi Atchadam — the opposition said 16 people were injured by gunshots and beatings and three in Bafilo, where one disabled person was beaten up.

Protesters face security forces (unseen) during clashes as part of an anti-government protest in Togo’s capital, Lome, October 18, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Amnesty International said it counted “at least 10 injured” in hospital in Sokode on Tuesday afternoon, including one with gunshot wounds in intensive care.

“There are others in houses,” making an exact number difficult to ascertain, the organization’s country director Aime Adi told AFP by telephone.

“The coalition condemns in the strongest terms this savage repression and the doublespeak of the regime,” the opposition said in a statement.

On Monday, the government had indicated it was open to talks with the opposition and announced the release of 42 people arrested during previous demonstrations.

Since the first protests began in late August, at least 16 people have died and more than 200 others have been injured as hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country.

Demonstrators were again out in force on Wednesday and are expected again on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the European Union, United Nations and the French, US and German embassies said they welcomed the government’s measures to calm the situation.

It appealed for protests to take place peacefully.

The opposition wants Gnassingbe to step down and the introduction of a two-term limit for presidents, applied retroactively to prevent Gnassingbe standing for re-election.

Gnassingbe has been in power since 2005 and won three elections. His father General Gnassingbe Eyadema was president before him and ruled for 38 years.

(Source: AFP)

8, November 2017

Southern Cameroonian killed in Bafut checkpoint attack named ⁰

Janet Ngwafor has been named as the Ambazonian civilian victim of the attack on the gendarmerie checkpoint in Bafut. She died at a military hospital in the Bamenda County late yesterday.

She succumbed to her wounds inflicted by a bullet on Tuesday night in Bafut. In this attack, two gendarmes were also killed making a total of three deaths in this incident attributed to Southern Cameroons militants who in recent days are multiplying attacks against Francophone law enforcement officers.

In its latest report published last October, the International Crisis Group called on French Cameroun political authorities and international partners to find “strong” measures to prevent the birth of armed insurgency in Southern Cameroons. Speaking on the Southern Cameroons Television, Prof. Carlson Anyangwe blamed the Bafut attack on forces loyal to the Biya Francophone regime and called on the UN to investigate the killings.

Beyond the electoral issues pending the 2018 presidential elections, the sporadic violence of recent months and communications in social networks have shown that Ambazonians are bracing up for an armed struggle.

By Sonne Peter, CCN

8, November 2017

Gunmen kill 11 traders in Nigeria ⁰

Gunmen have killed at least 11 traders in central Nigeria, police said Wednesday, in the latest violence in the region, which has been hit by decades of ethnic and sectarian strife.

The traders were returning from a rural market in the Riyom district of Plateau state when they were ambushed by “unknown assailants” on Tuesday, said police spokesman Tyopev Terna.

“Eleven people who were returning from a weekly village market in Makera village were shot dead at about 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) yesterday”, he told AFP.

Four other traders were injured in the attack, which happened some 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the state capital, Jos, heh added.

An investigation has been launched to establish the motive for the attack and to identify the victims, who are believed to be from the Fulani ethnic group.

Plateau state lies in Nigeria’s so-called Middle Belt that separates the predominantly Muslim north from the largely Christian south.

It has long been a hotbed of ethnic, sectarian and religious tensions between indigenous Christian farming communities and the Muslim settler Hausa/Fulani cattle herders.

Tensions typically boil over into tit-for-tat violence over access to land and resources, and the struggle for political control.

Riyom district has been hit by waves of violence between farmers and herders.

A camel herder crosses Yobe river, which separates Nigeria from Niger, on the outskirts of the town of Damasak in North East Nigeria, April, 25 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Last month two people were killed in Jol village in the area after a young herder’s body was found nearby. The cattle drivers were blamed.

At least 29 were killed in an attack targeting people sheltered in a rural primary school in nearby Bassa district.

The attack was apparently in revenge for the death of six Fulani herders who were killed by unidentified assailants in the area.

(Source: AFP)

8, November 2017

Ambazonians urge to form self-defence groups against occupation forces ⁰

Tension is reportedly mounting in many counties in Southern Cameroons ever since the Governing Council renamed the territory as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Cameroon Concord News has learned that representatives of the Governing Council are urging locals to form self-defence groups against the “occupation forces”, after the government deployed thousands of soldiers to the various states.

A gendarmerie officer was killed while pursuing Southern Cameroons militants who attacked a school in Jakairi in the Bui County.

“Suspected Ambazonian militants gunned down a gendarme on (Monday) in Jakiri,” a town in the Ambazonia’s northwest, a source close to local authorities said, an account confirmed by the Biya Francophone government. “They killed him with the officer’s own gun,” the sourced added.

Gendarmes were in pursuit when the officer found himself cut off and encircled by the attackers in a forest, the source said. Citizens of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia say they suffer inequality and discrimination, and last month the interim head of state, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe issued a symbolic declaration of independence which was met with a French Cameroun government crackdown.

International monitors say the Southern Cameroons conflict has created a refugees crisis in the Cross River State in Nigeria. At least 255 people have been killed in clashes since late September, but those figures are disputed by the government of the 84 year old President Paul Biya.

By Chi Prudence Asong, CCN

8, November 2017

President Trump says he never knew there were so many countries ⁰

US President Donald Trump has candidly revealed his ignorance of geography and international politics, saying he never knew there were “so many countries” until he was elected president.

Trump dropped the clangor while delivering a speech to Japanese dignitaries on the first leg of his Asian tour on Monday, admitting that he had been unaware of the number of countries in the world until he became president and received congratulatory phone calls from world leaders over his election victory.

The US president also referred to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by his first name as he was recounting how he first became acquainted with the premier during a meeting in New York in November last year, just over a week after his surprise election win.

“So my relationship with Shinzo got off to quite a rocky start because I never ran for office, and here I am. But I never ran, so I wasn’t very experienced. And after I had won, everybody was calling me from all over the world. I never knew we had so many countries,” Trump said.

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at Akasaka State Guest House in Tokyo on November 6, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The businessman-turned politician continued to explain how inexperienced and ill-informed he had been when he assumed the office, once again proving his incompetence for the post of presidency.

“I didn’t know you were supposed to not see world leaders until after you were in office which was January 20th,” he said.

“You were just not supposed to because it was considered bad form. It was not a nice thing to do and I understand that from the standpoint of the president whose place you were taking,” Trump added. The US president’s offhand comments in Japan went viral on social media and faced massive outrage and mockery.

Trump’s visit to Japan was part of a 12-day Asian tour aimed at urging the international community to place maximum pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missiles program. On his five-nation Asia tour, the US president will also visit South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Source: Presstv