News

18, March 2017

Namibia: Tribes lodge complaint against Germany for colonial-era genocide ¹

Descendants of two Namibian tribes who suffered one of the most horrific genocides under Germany’s colonial rule more than a century ago have now lodged a complaint against Berlin in a New York court. Lawyers representing Namibia’s Herero and Nama tribes and an American non-profit association on genocide were to appear in the court on Thursday as part of a class-action lawsuit, which seeks reparations from Germany for the mass killing of tens of thousands of people and other crimes by German settlers and troops from 1904 to 1908.

Germany has admitted that genocide took place but it has yet to make an official declaration. Berlin also refuses to pay direct reparations, saying it has generously supported Namibia’s development programs since the country’s independence from South Africa in 1990 through paying hundreds of millions of euro. The original lawsuit was brought against Germany in January under the Alien Tort Statute that allows investigations of international law violations against non-US citizens by American courts. Besides seeking reparations, the plaintiffs also demand that they be represented in negotiations between Germany and Namibia on the genocide. They say their exclusion from the talks is a violation of the UN declaration on the indigenous people.

The lawsuit claims that German colonial authorities explicitly consented to settlers’ seizure of a quarter of Herero and Nama lands — about thousands of square miles — from 1885 to 1903. Historic documents suggest that around 65,000 Herero people were massacred in the bloody Battle of Waterberg in August 1904. Around 10,000 people from the Nama tribe were also killed after they sought to rebel against the Germans during the conflict. Germany and Namibia have been in talks over the massacres but Berlin is yet to release any details of the deal being negotiated.

Presstv

18, March 2017

Largest wave of arrest by BIR in Bamenda ¹⁰

The army has sealed the entire Metta Quarter, Azire and T-Junction in the city of Bamenda and scores of Southern Cameroonian youths have been arrested and are currently being transported in military trucks to an unknown destination.

Our security informant observed that the troops started the operation since 4 am local time. We also gathered that bikes and taxis are not allowed to use the neighborhoods where the soldiers have been stationed.

CAMCORDNEWS DESK

17, March 2017

Douala: CPDM man busted with 7 vaginas in his freezer ⁰

A prominent CPDM militant has been arrested in Douala for murdering a girl and mutilating her genitals in the economic metropolis. Police sources revealed that he lured the girl into his apartment, had sex with her and then killed her. The man seen here but whose name was not disclosed by police removed organs from the girl’s body including what a spokesman for the Douala police described as “genitals”.

Rita Akana of the Cameroon Intelligence Report hinted that the alleged murderer arrested and currently being detained by security agents in Bonanjo, the administrative district of Douala is a chartered member of a gang involve in trafficking human organs. A security source who sued for anonymity said police also discovered 7 vaginas in his freezer. The neighbors who heard shouts from his apartment reportedly called in the police.

Organ traffic and ritual killings is rising in Cameroon. Many senior citizens are now involved in trafficking organs with the complicity of health personnel and doctors, for economic and financial purposes.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Cameroon Concord News

17, March 2017

Photo exhibition for 25 people killed by Cameroon security forces in Maroua jails ²

The Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa (Redhac) has once again expressed its anger over the killings of innocent citizens by Cameroon security forces in Magdeme in the Far North region. The Human rights body revealed that 25 people were abducted, tortured were killed on 13 March 2015.

Through a photo exhibition linked to the commemoration of the second anniversary of the killing of the 25 people in gendarmerie cells in Maroua on 13 March 2015, Redhac is asking the Yaounde authorities to clarify the matter and that the bodies be handed over to their loved ones.

In the early hours of December 27 2014 Cameroon security forces closed two neighboring villages in the department of Mayo-Sava, Far-North region and carried out a sweeping operation that was aimed at Boko Haram. The operation resulted in numerous violations including at least nine unlawful killings and massive destruction of property. 130 cases of disappearances were registered and 25 deaths in custody following torture. The families, for their part have continued to demand the fate of their missing relatives.

By Rita Akana

17, March 2017

UN Road Safety Mission in Cameroon ⁰

A United Nations road safety performance review mission is presently in Cameroon to oversee government’s policies on road safety. The team is in the country to ensure that road safety measures put in place strictly conforms to the United Nations latest action on road safety proclaimed in 2010.

The crew is made up of experts in road safety, the UN Secretary General’s envoy on road safety missions and a delegation from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The mission is expected to hold working sessions with stakeholders within the road safety domain. These stakeholders are drawn from the Ministry of Transport, Members of the National Road Board and the road safety task force of the National Gendarmerie.

The evaluation mission comes at a time when government has been on the offensive in its road saftey campaign. A number of repressive measures have been put in place to punish recalcitrant road users. Also regular supervision missions are being jointly organized by the Ministry of Transport and National Gendarmerie to ensure the strict implementation of the measures.

CRTV

16, March 2017

Lives of Southern Cameroonians means nothing to Francophones ²

The exiled leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium who recently fled to Ghana and Nigeria have voiced concern about expulsion and killing of Southern Cameroonians by troops loyal to the Biya regime.

The international community says a lot but does nothing to save the lives of Southern Cameroons minority in La Republique du Cameroun. The Consortium leaders opined that the world is now aware of what is going on in Southern Cameroons but international bodies such as the African Union and the UN keep saying exactly what everybody else knows, but it doesn’t choose to do anything about it.

The reality is that the lives of Southern Cameroonians are meaningless to Biya and the Francophone political elites including some Western powers generally, because the greater interest is for economic exploitation of West Cameroon.

A four-month crackdown on the Southern Cameroons minority has seen hundreds including a Member of Parliament, veteran journalist Tina Nene Nganda, Barrister Eyambe and the Secretary General of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society flee to Ghana and neighboring Nigeria.

The violence against Southern Cameroonians by Francophone soldiers and police officers is a blow to efforts put by an Anglophone Prime Minister and Head of Government, Philemon Yang to reach a comprehensive peace with the Cameroon’s Anglophone minority.

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium leaders further criticized the 84 year-old Biya saying, “The international community considers him a person of peace. It’s total hypocrisy. If he is a true democrat and somebody committed to human rights and peace, he should be speaking up on the violation of Anglophone’ rights in the country.”

By Chi Prudence Asong in Lagos

16, March 2017

Twelve points for the New African Union Commission Chairperson ⁰

Moussa Faki Mahamat, the new chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), takes office in mid-March as the continent faces its worst spate of humanitarian crises since the 1990s. The most alarming is in the Lake Chad basin where more than eleven million people need emergency aid. In Somalia, 6.2 million (almost half the population) face acute food shortages and in South Sudan, where the UN recently declared a famine, nearly 5 million are severely food insecure. The suffering is largely man-made: the effects of drought have been exacerbated by prolonged wars and mass displacement.

More promisingly, Gambia’s peaceful transition, negotiated by the Economic Community of West African States with AU support, is one of the steps toward democracy and rule of law being taken in much of the continent. Whether these gains can be multiplied across Africa depends on how well Mr Faki, Chad’s former foreign minister, will use the tools at his disposal to persuade member states to address the triggers and longer-term drivers of conflict: fraught electoral processes; leaders who refuse to leave office as scheduled; corrupt, authoritarian or repressive governments; population growth; joblessness and climate change. These same forces precipitate two other major continental challenges, migration and the threat from religious extremists and other violent non-state groups.

International Crisis Group

15, March 2017

Anglophone Crisis: Synod Clerk says arrests, torture, high handedness and threats to life won’t solve the problem ⁰

The Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Rev Babila Fochang has said that university students cannot go back to school and study smoothly without internet in this present generation. In his recent homily, the Right Rev. Babila Fochang observed that the Church as a body will never play games with the future of children nor can tell lies in the face of the current crisis that has rocked the two English speaking regions of the country.

The Presbyterian Church leader pointed out that Anglophone Christian churches in Cameroon have been under serious attack with some Anglophone members of government making lame and ridiculous claims that the churches are playing Pontus Pilate role in the on-going Southern Cameroons uprising. The Man of God noted that some church leaders are under surveillance with threats of arrests while pastors have been bullied to say all is well in West Cameroon.

Revered Babila Fochang declared, “Now that media houses have been threatened that they will be shut down if they mention anything concerning what is going on, the prophetic voices remains the only outlet of truth.” He reminded the laity of the threat on Jeremiah’s life because he prophesied the word of the Lord just as the Lord asked him to and added that Jeremiah told them he had only spoken what he was asked to by the Lord. Like Jeremiah the true prophetic voice can only say, “…Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God… As for me, I am in your hands, do with me whatever you think is good and right.”

“My people, history have demonstrated that killing of prophets and human rights activists have never been the solution to suppress truth! Let us face issues and deal with them upfront! Arrests, torture, high handedness and threats to life won’t solve our problems. Don’t treat fellow humans as animals! You can’t expect university students to go to school and function smoothly without internet! Not in this generation! God forbid this inhuman treatment and violation of human rights! Fear God and allow good citizens to enjoy their just rights; and by so doing we would all escape the wrath of God.”

Cameroun Info.Net

15, March 2017

Bamenda: Corrupt Government Delegate attacks the Consortium ⁵

The frustrated and corrupt Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council, Vincent NDUMU NJI, has urged traders in Bamenda major markets not to respect ghost town days but to go about their usual activities. The man who attempted to claim a building at T-Junction belonging to a late business tycoon, made the call on Tuesday March 14, 2017 at the City Council hall during a crisis meeting held to discuss the way forward after a fire incident ravaged close to 60 shops in the market.

The loud sounding nothing CPDM militant opined that ghost town was helping to paralyze activities of traders than the killings, rapes and militarization of the Bamenda province of Southern Cameroons. Vincent Ndumu sounded like his Buea counterpart, Patrick Ekema by appealing to all traders to send their children to school and forget about school boycott.

Without any security backing from the Francophone dominated police establishment in Bamenda, Mr. Ndumu reiterated that the fire incident was perpetrated by those people who do not want children to go back to school. His suspicion he claimed was based on tracks which were reportedly circulated Monday warning traders who continue to boycott ghost town days.

In an attack on the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium that has legitimate authority in Southern Cameroons, Vincent NDUMU stated that people should not be obeying leaders they cannot see. He added that if the Government had succeeded to take Bakassi from Nigeria, defeat Boko Haram, then it would be able to track down perpetrators of the burnings in Bamenda.

During the enlarged meeting with victims of the fire incident and market Masters of some major markets, Vincent NDUMU NJI promised that the burnt shops will be reconstructed within three months and that the new ones will be modernized.

The fire incident occurred early Tuesday ravaging about 60 shops, it was only contained by army rescue unit and police who exploited water Canons that were previously used on innocent students at the University of Bamenda. The Bamenda so-called government delegate avoided to comment about traders whose children have been abducted and ferried to unknown destination in La Republique du Cameroun.

By Rita Akana with files from CIN

15, March 2017

Ethiopia: Death toll from landslide rises to 82 ⁰

The death toll from a landslide at Ethiopia’s largest rubbish dump reached 82 on Tuesday as the country’s parliament declared three days of national mourning, a government minister said. Communications Minister Negeri Lencho said, rescuers are still searching for survivors and victims’ bodies.

Part of the largest hill at the Koshe rubbish dump in the capital Addis Ababa gave way on Saturday, swallowing up a slum that had been built on the trash and burying families alive in their homes. Most of the dead are women and children. Rescuers on Tuesday pulled a woman alive from the rubble more than two days after the disaster, said Dagmawit Moges, a spokeswoman for the Addis Ababa city administration. Starting Wednesday, flags in Ethiopia will fly at half-mast as the country observes three days of mourning for the victims.

The Koshe landfill has for more than 40 years been the main garbage dump for Addis Ababa. Hundreds of people lived at the landfill on the outskirts of the capital, collecting recyclables trucked in from neighborhoods around the city of about four million people. The government tried last year to close the dump and move it to a different location, but opposition from residents at the new site forced the authorities to back down.

Residents blamed the landslide on the construction of a new biogas facility on top of the rubbish. Lencho rejected that claim, saying slum dwellers had caused the collapse by digging into the soil to find rubbish to sell.

Presstv