News

Nigeria: Boko Haram kills 2 soldiers

7, November 2016

Nigeria: Boko Haram kills 2 soldiers 0

Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists have killed at least two Nigerian soldiers and razed a village in the troubled northeastern part of the African country. Local residents said on Sunday that a group of Boko Haram gunmen arrived in Akwada village late Saturday and torched homes after looting food supplies. “Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village around 7:30 p.m. They fired indiscriminately and hurled explosives,” AFP quoted resident Bitrus John as saying.

“They killed two soldiers and injured another one in gunfight,” John said. Bulus Samson, another witness, said, “The village has been entirely burnt, there is nothing left apart from burnt rubble of our mud houses.” Akwada adjoins the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok, where the terrorist group kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls two years ago.

Nigerian soldiers had deployed in the area following incessant attacks there in recent months. The latest attack underscores the continued threat of Boko Haram in Nigeria’s volatile northeast. It came two weeks after similar raids on two nearby villages, where the militants looted and burnt homes.

In a separate development, the Nigerian army said on Sunday it had retaken some villages from the militant group in the Lake Chad region in operations on Friday and Saturday and “rescued” 85 people. Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement that 37 Boko Haram terrorists were killed in another operation in four villages in the south of Borno state.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and some 2.6 million people have been displaced since Boko Haram began its terror activities in 2009. Many blame corrupt officials in the Nigerian government and army for the continued militancy. Recent reports say the terrorist group is receiving some of its arms and ammunition from corrupt Nigerian officials. The group has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists operating mainly in Syria and Iraq.

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President Assad of Syria says Western powers are becoming much weaker

6, November 2016

President Assad of Syria says Western powers are becoming much weaker 0

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says Western powers are “becoming much weaker” in his conflict-ridden country as government forces, backed by fighters from allied popular defense groups, are gaining more ground in battles against foreign-backed terrorists.

“In the past, if I said anything, people would say the Syrian president is disconnected from reality. Now it is different. The West is becoming much weaker,” Assad said in an interview with the British weekly The Sunday Times, which was published on Sunday.

The 51-year-old Syrian leader further questioned the role that the so-called US-led military coalition is playing in the fight against Daesh extremists, saying, “They don’t have a leg to stand on explaining to people what’s going on. Daesh was smuggling oil and using Iraqi oil fields under American satellites and drones to make money, and the West was not saying anything.”

He then praised Russian airstrikes on the positions of Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria. “What made the difference, of course, was firepower. They have firepower we don’t have. At the end, we were fighting an unlimited reserve of terrorists coming to Syria and we struggled, so Russian firepower and Iranian support has compensated,” Assad pointed out.

The Syrian president underlined that Russia is not interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, and that Moscow is not looking for political deals with the Damascus government. “They never try to interfere because they don’t want anything from us. They don’t ask us to be a puppet president,” Assad commented.

He also expressed determination that Syrian forces will eventually retake Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city and the country’s industrial and financial center, from Takfiri terrorists. “Aleppo is an issue where terrorists have occupied part of the city, and we need to get rid of them,” the Syrian president said.

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Cameroon honours two soldiers killed by Boko Haram

5, November 2016

Cameroon honours two soldiers killed by Boko Haram 0

The remains of two Cameroonian soldiers killed by Boko Haram were decorated in Maroua on Friday, by the Governor of the Far North Region,Midjiyawa Bakari. Caporal Ngafdigang Joseph and Halilou Ismael Benson were both posthumously raised to the rank of Bravery in the Cameroonian military.

The Friday, 4th of November 2016 ceremony was to pay tributes to the soldiers who gave the supreme sacrifice in the fight against terrorism and attended by four army Generals among them was the Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force.

The Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force said the demise of the two soldiers gives more encourage to the military expedition to completely flush out the terrorists. He added terrorist have been rounded up within a small area.

CRTV

 

November 4th 1982-November 4th 2016: In Loving Memory of the Late President Ahidjo

4, November 2016

November 4th 1982-November 4th 2016: In Loving Memory of the Late President Ahidjo 0

The late President Ahmadou Ahidjo elected in May 1960 as the first President of the Republic of Cameroon decided on the 4th of November 1982 at the age of 58, to resign as head of state. He handed over to his constitutional successor, Prime Minister Paul Biya. To remember this day, a sister publication, Cameroun-Info.Net made available the historic speech that was read on state radio by the late president.

“Fellow Cameroonians, My dear compatriots,

I have decided to resign from my functions as President of the Republic of Cameroon.

This decision will take effect as from Saturday, November 6th at 10 am. In this major circumstance, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who for nearly 25 years, gave me their confidence and provided assistance in performing my duties as president of the republic.

I particularly want to thank the militants of our great National Party, the CNU for their total, constant and unwavering support.

If there was much to do in building our beloved and beautiful country, we have indeed accomplished together after independence, reunification and Unification and considerable progress in all areas.

Our country has significant assets. We have consolidated national unity; we have many resources, varied and complementary, a continuous expanding economy, sound monetary and social justice system, an ever improving working population and a dynamic youth including strong and fruitful relations of friendship and cooperation in Africa and the world.

I invite all Cameroonians to give unreserved trust and lend their support to my constitutional successor, Paul Biya. He deserves the confidence of all, inside and outside. I urge you to remain a united people, patriotic, hardworking, dignified and respected. I pray Almighty God that he continues to provide the Cameroonian people the protection and assistance to its development in peace, unity and justice.

Long Live Cameroon.”

November 4, 1982

Amadou Babatoura Ahidjo

President of the Republic of Cameroon

 

Culled from Cameroun-info.net

President Uhuru Kenyatta accuses the UN of covering up failures in South Sudan

3, November 2016

President Uhuru Kenyatta accuses the UN of covering up failures in South Sudan 0

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has accused the United Nations of covering up its failure to establish peace in South Sudan by blaming a Kenyan commander in charge of the UN forces in the conflict-stricken country. Kenyatta said on Thursday that the UN was “scapegoating” Kenyan forces deployed to South Sudan for the failings of its mission in the country, known as UNMISS.

“We know that the people of this region want peace in South Sudan. But we also know that peace will not come to South Sudan by blaming a Kenyan commander for the wider failings of the mission to South Sudan,” said Kenyatta.

The harsh criticism came two days after the UN sacked Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki as the head of UNMISS, saying the results of a probe into his response to the fighting in South Sudan in July were “chaotic and ineffective”. The UN said soldiers killed civilians, looted warehouses and raped women, including foreign aid workers, during the escalated wave of violence in the capital, Juba.

Kenyatta, however, rejected the findings and said that Kenya would pull out its troops from South Sudan in protest at the UN statements. “We will no longer contribute to a mission that has failed to meet its mandate, and which has now resorted to scapegoating Kenyans,” Kenyatta said, adding, “Serving does not come at the expense of the country’s dignity.”

Kenyatta’s angry remarks followed a Wednesday statement by the Kenyan Foreign Ministry which announced Ondieki’s dismissal but said soldiers would be withdrawn and Kenya would disengage from its mediator role in the peace process for South Sudan.

Kenya has more than 1,000 troops in South Sudan. The troops are part of the 13,000-strong force of UN Mission in South Sudan. It had also agreed to contribute to a proposed 4,000-strong “regional protection force” intended to bolster UNMISS.

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Yaounde-Douala Highway: Accident claims 6 lives, injures dozens

3, November 2016

Yaounde-Douala Highway: Accident claims 6 lives, injures dozens 0

A truck transporting agro industrial products has killed six people on the Yaoundé-Douala highway today Thursday, November the 3rd 2016, Cameroon-info.net reports.  Residents say the vehicle was en route to Yaoundé from Douala when it left the motorway and crushed six of the many people who were standing on the edge of the road.

The accident reportedly occurred at Omog, a village located about 5 km from Boumnyebel. The truck driver lost control as he was dodging the pot holes on the road. Apart from those killed, other victims with injuries were transported to the Puma hospital and the death toll is expected to rise.

By Rita Akana with files from CIN

EU: Irish Prime Minister warns of a vicious approach in negotiations over Brexit

3, November 2016

EU: Irish Prime Minister warns of a vicious approach in negotiations over Brexit 0

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has warned of a “vicious” approach by the EU in negotiations over Britain’s exit from the bloc. Speaking among politicians, business leaders, trade unionists and community organizations in the capital Dublin on Wednesday, the premier further assured the nation that Brexit would not limit movement between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland by setting a “hard border.”

He said he had been assured by British Prime Minister Theresa May that there would be “no return to the borders of the past” after Brexit. The prime minister also urged leaders of the European Union not to be “obsessed” with the UK’s gains and losses in Brexit negotiations, asserting that “The other side of this argument may well get quite vicious after a while, because there are those around the European table who take a very poor view of the fact that Britain decided to leave.”

Ireland’s foreign minister, Charlie Flanagan, who also attended the Dublin conference along with all leaders of the nationalist political parties on the island, said London was being pushed over maintaining the “invisible” border after Brexit.

“It is vitally important in the context of the [Brexit] negotiations next year that the matter of the invisibility of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is not only featured but is both preserved and maintained,” Flanagan said. On June 23, nearly 52 percent of Britons voted in a referendum to end their country’s 42-year membership in the EU. Nearly 56 percent of the voters in Northern Ireland voted in favor of remaining an EU member.

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Kenya to withdraw from UN South Sudan peacekeeping mission

2, November 2016

Kenya to withdraw from UN South Sudan peacekeeping mission 0

Kenya says it will withdraw from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dismissed the Kenyan commander of the mission over its failure to protect civilians. The Kenyan Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country would “withdraw, immediately” its forces from South Sudan in reaction to Ban’s decision.

On Tuesday, the UN secretary general dismissed and called for the immediate replacement of Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki in reaction to a damning report that showed the failure of the mission to protect civilians and the UN staff during the deadly violence that erupted in the capital Juba in July.

The ministry said it had been informed “with dismay” of Ban’s decision, adding, “The continued deployment of (Kenya’s) troops in South Sudan is no longer tenable and is inimical to their safety and well-being.” It also accused the UN of failing to address the shortcomings of the peacekeeping mission, known as UNMISS. An independent UN inquiry released on Tuesday found that UNMISS had failed to respond to repeated pleas for help from aid workers under attack just a few minutes’ drive away.

A peacekeeper from Nepal deployed by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) patrols outside the premises of the UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Juba, South Sudan, October 4, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

According to the summary of the report, General Ondieki lacked the proper leadership of the mission that “culminated in a chaotic and ineffective response to the violence.” Kenya rebuked the dismissal as lacking transparency and consultation.

“This action is not only wrong but also insulates the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) from the hard questions it needs to answer, and the responsibility it must shoulder to facilitate the proper management of UNMISS,” the Kenyan Foreign Ministry said.

Kenya contributed about 1,000 troops to UNMISS, which is composed of nearly 16,000 soldiers. The ministry added that Kenya would also “discontinue plans to contribute to the Regional Protection Force, and … disengage from the South Sudan peace process.”

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, but descended into war in December 2013, after President Salva Kiir accused the former vice president, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup to usurp power. Numerous international attempts to reach a truce between the warring sides have failed.

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Biya meets commander of United States Africa Command

2, November 2016

Biya meets commander of United States Africa Command 0

President Paul BIYA received the new Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Thomas D. WALDHAUSER at the Unity Palace on Wednesday 2 November 2016 for discussions on a wide range of security matters of concern to the two countries.

It was a get to know each other audience with the new Africom Commander, U.S. Marine Corps General Thomas D. WALDHAUSER, who assumed duties in July 2016. This was in company of the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon, Michael Stephen HOZA.

Speaking to the press after the audience, General WALDHAUSER underlined the important role Cameroon plays in the security of Africa. He said they reviewed a wide range of security issues especially the way forward in the cooperation between the two countries in military matters.

 

Meanwhile, Ambassador Michael Stephen HOZA, revealed some of the matters of utmost concern, such as the fight against terrorism, the ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. The Americans will continue to stand by Cameroon, especially with the training of Cameroonian military staff and the supply of high end equipment.

President Paul BIYA and General WALDHAUSER exchanged souvenir gifts during the audience, a mark of the intimate friendship that underlies cooperation ties between Cameroon and the United States of America.

9 women killed on the Yaoundé -Bafoussam highway

2, November 2016

9 women killed on the Yaoundé -Bafoussam highway 0

9 people were killed on Wednesday morning on the highway code name National Road 2 in the Central region linking Bafoussam in the West.

The 9 people, all women crashed at about 10:30 am on the Yaoundé -Bafoussam axis. The accident occurred between Obala and Ebeda, located in the Ekom-Edjem district some 38 km from Yaoundé.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that the women were  returning from a gospel crusade when their car violently collided with a vehicle.

The 9 ladies died on the spot and 1 seriously injured was taken to a hospital in Ebebda.

By Sonne Peter

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