News

24, November 2016

Syrian airstrike kills 3 Turkish soldiers ⁰

Turkey claims a Syrian airstrike killed three Turkish soldiers and wounded 10 others overnight, raising the ante in its military invasion of the Arab country. A military statement on Thursday said the attack occurred at around 3:30 am (0030 GMT) in the course of a Turkish operation in northern Syria.

It is the first time Turkey accuses Syrian government forces of killing its soldiers since Ankara launched its incursion, dubbed Euphrates Shield, into the Syrian territory on Aug. 24.

In its invasion of Syria, the Turkish military is supporting militants, including the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), and Takfiri terrorists who are fighting to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Hundreds of Turkish troops are taking part in the operation, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week was pushing forward with its aim of capturing the Syrian city of al-Bab.

Presstv

24, November 2016

Malabo: African and Arab leaders pledged to develop fraternal cooperation ⁰

A cream of African and Arab heads of state present in the Equatorial Guinean capital, including Gabon, have pledged to develop and consolidate the cordial relations of fraternal cooperation that exist between the two regions.Among the key political discourse during the forum were the acceleration of the process of establishing the Joint Africa-Arab Disaster Response Fund and the implementation of the Joint Plan of Action on Agricultural Development and Food Security with the aim of working closely together to ensure food security in Africa and the Arab countries by 2025.

The issue of agricultural development and food self-sufficiency reportedly attracted the attention of President Ali Bongo of Gabon who some reports have suggested is conscious of the urgency of being less dependent on the West and Asia.

Co-chaired by Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno, current President of the African Union, the Mauritanian President, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President-in-Office of the League of Arab States and His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, the Fourth Afro-Arab Summit, resulted in the Malabo Declaration. President Biya was conspicuously absent.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

23, November 2016

Battle for British Southern Cameroons: La Republique creates Common Law Bar Association, Law School ¹

The Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in an attempt to calm down mounting tensions in British Southern Cameroons, has made public a ministerial order signed by the minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Laurent Esso, creating a Common Law Bar Association and a Law School. The decision was reached after a meeting held yesterday with veteran Anglophone lawyers; Ben Muna, Mbah Ndam, Sama Francis and Nico Halle. Cameroon Concord News is yet to confirm the correctness of this report. But we will keep our readers posted as we get details of the ministerial order.

23, November 2016

Battle for Southern Cameroons: One feared dead, Fru Ndi escapes beatings ⁰

A man in his early twenties was injured by bullets and rushed to the regional hospital in Bamenda yesterday afternoon as Francophone troops loyal to the Cameroonian dictator opened fire at peaceful protesters. Cameroon Intelligence Report identified the wounded man as one of the unarmed teachers who demonstrated for the improvement of their working conditions in British Southern Cameroons.

The angry populations have joined the Cameroon Common Law Lawyers and the Anglophone teachers to make public popular demands contrary to the message conveyed by state radio and television of a return to the two-state federal structure in 1961.

We got intelligence that the police forces have been ordered to shoot at the demonstrators. Many witnesses have announced the deaths of some demonstrators and information is circulating that the home of John Fdu Ndi, leader of the SDF, the main opposition party was attacked by the protesters who described him as a “traitor” – because of his proximity to the regime. Fru Ndi has reportedly escaped from his Ntarikon villa.

There is panic all over the national territory as people are beginning to fear inter-community clashes between Francophones and Anglophones following the Biya Francophone Beti-Ewondo government’s position, which has chosen to repress by force instead of dialogue on popular and legitimate demands.

By Rita Akana and Sama Ernest in Bamenda

23, November 2016

Burying our dead and healing the wounded – Support Anglophone Cameroon now! ⁰

Barely two days into the indefinite non-violent strike action called by Common Law Lawyers and Teachers’ Unions across Southern Cameroons, President Paul Biya’s paramilitary forces have shot and killed at least two young men and injured several others.

With little in the way of self sustenance for the largely unemployed youth population, here is an opportunity for you and me to show our support and tell them how much they mean to us, and how much their efforts are appreciated. It is a generation that was long condemned by La Republique du Cameroun even before conception. If any body doubts it, this strike action is caused by the outright rejection of Common Law by the regime in Yaounde, which is in effect a repudiation of Anglophone education, culture and identity.

While many have rushed to paint the strike action led by young people on the streets as vandalism, we strongly reject this characterization. These are heroes fighting for all of us. These are men, women , boys, and girls as gifted as everyone of us. But the failed policies of ethnicization by Paul Biya and his marginalization of Anglophones are responsible for the hopelessness that is the fuel for the current situation.

You and I can help. Many of us are giving sacrificially and we urge you to join us. Join us as we reach out to the families of the deceased with some help; join us as we extend a helping hand to the injured; join us build a resistance against this pervasive injustice and the perpetual slavery of the Anglophone by La Republique du Cameroon.

Nothing is too small. Visit the closest Bank of America and deposit any amount. Please take a picture of the deposit slip and share with me (Innocent Chia 630 901 8400). Then do one more favor: please invite two others in your circle to do the same – only two.

The account name at Bank of America is:

*SCNC Foundation*

Account number is:

*446037637181*

Routing number is *052001633*

22, November 2016

The Mendo Ze trial begins tomorrow: What it means to Cameroonians ⁰

The Special Criminal Court will begin the trial of Gervais Mendo Ze, the former general manager of the Cameroon Radio and Television, CRTV tomorrow November the 23^rd2016. Professor Gervais Mendo Ze alongside three of his former collaborators; Yap Abdou, Yvette Siéwe and Luc Nyassa will be auditioned tomorrow in Yaounde. Gervais Mendo Ze, will be heard in a case of alleged misappropriation of nearly 18 billion 364 million 546 thousand 702 FCFA relating to the management of TV License payments.

Depicting the Special Criminal Court established to prosecute alleged corrupt government officials and the several Alibabas responsible for pilfering from the public treasury as the President’s court is no misnomer. We call it the President’s court because it is one instrument of power through which the President is reining in on perceived opponents from within his CPDM power conduit. An attribute of a genuine court is the fairness of the trial proceedings in cases which are brought before the court for trial. It is not the number of convictions entered against accused. A court is legitimate and recognized as such because of its exercise of judicial, executive, legislative and administrative independence. A court that is independent must be accessible to all citizens after all, is equality before the law, not a constitutionally protected value? The Special Criminal Court is lacking in these attributes of impartiality, judicial independence and accessibility. It is perceived more as the President’s Court than a Court of Justice.

Establishing this court was President Biya’s way of saving himself the embarrassment of being humiliated during his perennial trips abroad as the President of the most corrupt countries in the world. This ranking of the country as the most corrupt or one of the most corrupt countries had a potential to hamper President Biya’s personal pecuniary interests far from the borders of Cameroon. There was therefore a personal interest need to establish the court. Another personal interest need was to avail himself of a legal tool under his direct control to consolidate absolute power, blackmail potential rebels and competitors within the system and to stifle any form of institutional opposition. He perceived the court as a tool with which to whitewash his more than thirty years of corrupt governance and the rape of the economy.

With the war against Boko Haram, the fight against corruption using the Special Criminal Court has afforded Paul Biya justification contest in the next institutionally flawed elections in order to externalize power purportedly to direct the war against terror and the war against corruption. True to the name the President’s Court, the President has exclusive preserve in referring cases to the Special Court and the power to terminate them. He decides who will be arrested, who will be investigated and who will serve time and who will not.

In one instance, he ordered a detained the late Minister Bapes Bapes released from remand custody at Kondengui when a warrant was issued for his arrest without the presidential fiat. Recently Titus Edzoa a former Secretary-General at the Presidency of the Republic benefited from a purported Presidential pardon whose primary purpose was the release of a French citizen Thiery Atangana from jail. The fear of a presidential referral to the Special Criminal Court on additional charges of corruption under a practice devolved under the supervision of Paul Biya called “rouleur compresseur” pushed Titus Edzoa to rejoin the CPDM Party without a public resignation or repudiation of his membership of the party on which he intended to contest presidential elections prior to his incarceration. Edzoa was a victim of this system of presidential justice when new charges were brought against him when his first imprisonment was about to end in order to maintain him in prison. Cameroonians want the rule of law to be the guarding principle on which justice is administered in the name of the people.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

22, November 2016

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria hails Russia’s stance on the crisis in the Arab country ⁰

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has hailed Russia’s stance on the crisis in the Arab country, saying Moscow’s support for Damascus in different fields has helped alleviate the suffering of the nation. Assad made the remarks in a meeting with a Russian delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, in Damascus on Tuesday.

Regarding global matters and the ongoing conflict in Syria, Russia has adopted policies based on commitment to the international law and respect for the sovereignty of states, consolidating its position as a great power, the Syrian leader said. Russia’s backing for Syria in various fields has tangibly contributed to soothe the suffering of the Syrian people caused by to the foreign-sponsored war on their country and economic sanctions in place for years.

Rogozin, for his part, emphasized that Moscow’s military, economic and political support for the Syrian government and people is aimed at boosting their resilience against terrorism that has affected not only Syria, but elsewhere across the world. The two sides further discussed historical bilateral relations between the two nations as well as cooperation in the fields of fighting terrorism, economy and trade. They also agreed to bolster ties in the economic, commercial, oil, investment, gas and transport sectors.

Syria has been hit by deadly militancy it blames on some Western countries and their regional allies since March 2011. Russia has been conducting an aerial campaign against Daesh and other terror outfits in the Middle Eastern country at the Damascus government’s request since last September.

The image grab taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on November 15, 2016, shows Russian Su-33 fighter jets standing on the flight deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. (Photo by AP)

Separately on Tuesday, Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis sat down with Rogozin and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, Khamis appreciated the support of Russian nation and leadership for the Syrians, while expressing his country’s interest in developing economic relations with Moscow and stressing that Syria will spare no efforts to remove obstacles that hinder bilateral ties.

Rogozin, for his part, referred to the Russia’s anti-terror camping in Syria, saying, “The success of the military operation in Syria will not be completed without supporting the economic life of the citizens in order to continue the work and achieve victory.”

Additionally, the Syrian-Russian Joint Committee, co-chaired by Rogozin and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, held a session on bilateral economic relations. Muallem hailed the role of Russia in empowering his country to counter terrorism, noting that the repercussions of the war were the main cause of the Syrians’ need for economic support. Elsewhere in his comments, the top Syrian diplomat said that Damascus will give priority to its friends, including the Russian companies, in reconstruction projects.

Presstv

22, November 2016

Boko Haram kills 7 Cameroonian troops in the Lake Chad district of Darak ⁰

Seven Cameroon elite forces were killed late on Monday in a violent attack attributed to Boko Haram. Cameroon Concord News was reliably informed that the Nigerian Islamic sect staged the attacks in the Lake Chad district of Darak that claimed the lives of the 7 servicemen deployed to the Joint Multinational Force.

Our source hinted that those soldiers killed included the head of a mechanized division of the Africa force, a captain of the Cameroonian army. The head of the local vigilance committee was also killed. Shortly before the incident, a young female suicide bomber was neutralized in the IDP camp at Kolofata.

The suicide bomber who was shot dead by elements of the Joint Multinational Force reportedly carried half a dozen explosive that were defused by BIR deminers. Boko Haram attacks are experiencing an upsurge at the end of the rainy season.

By Rita Akana

22, November 2016

Mali twin attacks blamed on militants ⁰

Twin attacks blamed on militants during weekend municipal elections in Mali have claimed the lives of at least five soldiers and one civilian, security sources say. In the first incident, security sources said on Monday that five Malian troops were killed after being ambushed while transporting ballot boxes in the restive north. “After the voting on Sunday, an army convoy taking the ballot boxes for counting was attacked in the north by jihadists. Five Malian soldiers were killed,” AFP quoted a source as saying

Separately, a group of militants nabbed several vehicles and killed a civilian in the town of Dilli in southwestern Mali overnight Sunday to Monday. “They arrived early Monday in Dilli. They attacked a council building. The jihadists then took off with two ambulances and a vehicle, after which they killed a civilian and made off for the Mauritanian border,” a local official said. This comes as Malians have voted in long-overdue local elections, which were tainted by a spate of violent attacks and opposition boycotts.

On Sunday, people in Mali cast their ballots in the first elections since 2013 to elect 12,000 municipal councilors across the troubled West African country. The elections, held with a two-year delay, were boycotted by a number of opposition parties and some armed groups, including the Tuareg rebel group, formerly known as the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).

Malians gather outside a polling station in Gao during municipal elections on November 20, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Reports by residents and officials said that voting was cancelled in some districts of the northern Mali region of Timbuktu after ballot boxes were burned by unidentified armed men. In 2012, Tuareg rebel groups seized control of northern Mali, which they call Azawad. However, al-Qaeda-linked militants took control shortly afterward. Then, the French military intervened in Mali, its former colony.

Since the al-Qaeda’s move, the impoverished West African country has been in turmoil. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali was deployed in July 2013 to bring calm. A year later, Tuareg rebels agreed to a ceasefire deal with the government.

Presstv

21, November 2016

Bamenda population protest against Government Delegate, Chinese contractors ¹

Some 2000 inhabitants of the city of Bamenda have staged a massive demonstration against the deplorable state of roads in the metropolis. The protesters also chanted anti-government slogans condemning the regime for the criminal neglect of the North West region. The Monday November 21st protest also clamoured for the departure of the Chinese contractors working with the Bamenda Urban Council government delegate.

The strike action that was led by a journalist took the city by storm and gained the support of the population that voiced appeals for a return to the Southern Cameroons state. State radio and television painted the strike action as a minor incident orchestrated by a group of young men armed with sticks who threatened to beat shop owners in the Bamenda main market.

The mammoth crowd blocked access points at Ngeng junction, Nkwen market and Cow Street. Police used teargas against the peaceful demonstrators but no casualty has been reported so far. The North West governor has not commented on the happenings. At press time, the police were clearing off the materials used in blocking the roads including burnt tyres. It is important to include in this report that the government delegate to the Bamenda urban council has come under serious attacks ever since he was appointed some 7 years ago.

By Cham Victor Bama in Bamenda