13, February 2017
Consortium halts its Monday ghost town operation 0
The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has halted its Monday ghost town operation. The interim leaders hinted that Southern Cameroonians deserve a day off following the massive civil disobedience campaign that disrupted Youth Day celebrations throughout the Anglophone regions. The interim leaders in a statement released late yesterday observed that ghost towns will return tomorrow Tuesday the 14th of February 2017.
The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has gotten the endorsements of senior Southern Cameroons groups including the religious leaders. Tapang Ivo and Mark Bareta on Sunday said they had halted today’s ghost town after very intensive and productive discussions with the operation command of the Consortium in both the Buea and Bamenda provinces of West Cameroon. The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium will however, use the time today to monitor minute by minute the trial of the detained leaders; Dr Agbor Felix Nkongho and Dr. Neba Fontem that opens today in Yaoundé.
The Consortium leaders have warned La Republique that “If no word comes from the Biya Francophone regime on the independence of Southern Cameroons soonest, we will prove to the world what really demonstrations mean.” There have been fears among prominent Francophone political elites that the Anglophone protests could lead to widespread civil disobedience.
The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium leaders, who are now pushing for an independent state for Southern Cameroons, said they were suspending the ghost town only for today to allow Southern Cameroons to get some rest. However, the Francophone political elites have warned that the Biya regime will not accept any proposal to hold talks with the outlawed Consortium. Cameroun government Minister of Communication said that any talks outside what the regime wants will be contrary to the Constitution.
A prominent Southern Cameroons barrister was quoted as saying “We are not going to accept dialogue with any Biya emissary because our Southern Cameroons sovereignty is not vested in the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo government.”
By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
13, February 2017
Angola: President dos Santos orders probe after stampede kills 17 0
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has ordered a probe into the cause of a deadly stampede at a football stadium during a match that left at least 17 people dead and nearly 60 more injured. The presidential decree was issued late on Friday following the stampede that occurred earlier in the day at a stadium in the northern city Uige where hundreds of fans rushed towards the stadium’s gates.
“I express my solidarity with the families of the deceased and have instructed the Provincial Government of Uige to provide all necessary assistance to the injured,” he said in a statement.
Dos Santos said he had given “guidance to the competent authorities to open an inquiry that will establish the cause of this serious incident.” Panic spread through a crowd of fans during a match between Santa Rita de Cassia and Recreativo de Libolo football clubs in Angola’s domestic league season, local media said. “There was a blockage at the entrance to the January 4 stadium… this obstruction caused multiple fatalities — 17 deaths, and there are 56 injured in the hospital,” police spokesman Orlando Bernardo told AFP.
There were an unknown number of children among those killed in the stampede, and that hospitals were still treating those wounded, he added. Police authorities said hundreds of fans had attempted to gain entry into the already-packed stadium to watch the match, leading to a crush that pushed some people to the ground. Many of those killed were reportedly trampled to death or had suffocated. According to a statement published on the website of the Recreativo de Libolo club, “while the players were on the field, outside fans were trying to get into the stadium.”
“A gate probably gave way to the pressure of the crowd causing several people to fall who were literally trampled on by the crowd,” it added. The Portuguese news agency Lusa cited the president of the Uige-based host team Santa Rita de Cassia as saying that local security forces were to blame for lack of crowd control.
Pedro Nzolonzi cited serious police error in letting the people so close to the field. “Many of them did not want to pay and those who had tickets could not get in. Then the confusion began,” he said. “It is all the fault of the police. It was easy to avoid. They just need to extend the safety cordon,” he added. The country’s sports ministry also called on the local football association as well as provincial officials to conduct investigations into the tragic incident, according to state news agency Angop.
Presstv