News

24, June 2016

Penal Code Crisis: North West lawyers stage massive demo ⁰

Cameroonian lawyers from the North West region have staged a massive demo on Thursday morning in Bamenda, against the new Penal Code. Dressed in their black robes, the legal practitioners carried banners expressing their discontent and demand for the immediate withdrawal of the Penal Code adopted by the CPDM dominated National Assembly.

Late last week, the board of the Bar Association of Cameroon had urged the government to withdraw the document and submit the text to a national consensus.

Last Wednesday in the Chamber of the National Assembly, MPs of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) and the MRC walked out when their colleagues of the ruling CPDM were preparing to vote on the text. The opposition is demanding the removal of items that grant immunity to members of the government.

Cham Victor Bama (Cameroon Concord News Group)

23, June 2016

3 billion FCFA to help Congo Basin communities ⁰

Some prominent NGOs announced on Wednesday in Yaounde the nation’s capital that they will invest nearly 3 billion CFA francs to secure the livelihoods of communities in the Congo Basin.

The consortium of NGOs (Well Grounded, Forest Peoples Program, Fern, ClienEarth and Rainforest Foundation Uk), coordinated by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), launched on Wednesday, June 22^nd the project “Congos”, which aims to support sustainable development and secure the livelihoods of communities in the Congo basin.

Five countries are involved in the scheme. They include Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville and Gabon. Cameroon Concord News understands the total cost of the project is an estimated 3 billion CFA francs from the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2019.

Anang Valerian (Cameroon Concord News Group)

18, June 2016

Nigeria: Aso Rock confirms extension of President Buhari’s medical leave ⁰

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his four-day medical leave in London in the UK and will return to his country on Sunday, June 19 Buhari to resume service at Aso Rock palace on Monday, June 20. The announcement of the extension of the former coup leader was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

In making the announcement, the current Nigerian Acting President reminded reporters at the presidency that Buhari had a 10-day medical leave which started on the 6^th of June for a “persistent ear infection.” And to reassure his compatriots about the state of Buhari, Professor Osinbajo said that “Mr. President is in good condition, he is doing very well, he is fine. He needs to have one or two days of rest”.

The Aso Rock announcement was prompted by rumors circulating in the country that Buhari was dying in a London hospital. The former military dictator has seen the cancellation of some programs on his agenda.

Chi Prudence Asong (CIR)

18, June 2016

Bodies of 19 Ethiopians found in a container in the Democratic Republic of Congo ⁰

The bodies of nineteen Ethiopians suffocated in a container have been discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo precisely in Mwenda, a town in the Mokambo district.

Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered from Congolese media sources that the nineteen Ethiopians were undocumented and their bodies were found in the bush 7 km from Mwenda, to the border town of Mokambo in Upper Katanga.

75 survivors (72 Ethiopians and 3 Zambians) were also discovered in the same container. We also learned that the illegal immigrants were being transported by a Zambian truck driver en route to South Africa.

CIR

18, June 2016

Germany censures NATO over war games in Eastern Europe ⁰

Germany’s foreign minister has censured war games by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Eastern Europe, saying such drills will not bring security to the region and will rather stoke tensions with Russia. Frank-Walter Steinmeier made the remarks in an interview with the German Bild am Sonntag newspaper, whose extracts were published on Saturday.

“What we shouldn’t do now is inflame the situation further through saber-rattling and warmongering,” Steinmeier said, adding, “We are well-advised to not create pretexts to renew an old confrontation.” NATO launched the Anakonda-16 maneuver on June 7, simulating a Russian attack on Poland. The two-week-long exercise involves some 31,000 troops, dozens of ships and fighter jets, along with 3,000 vehicles.

“Whoever believes that a symbolic tank parade on the alliance’s eastern border will bring security, is mistaken,” Steinmeier said.

Presstv

17, June 2016

Nigeria: Boko Haram kills 18 women ⁰

The Takfiri Boko Haram militants have shot and killed at least 18 women when they stormed a funeral in a village in Nigeria’s troubled northeastern state of Adamawa.

Witnesses and local government officials said the attack was carried out at about 5:00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Thursday in the village of Kuda near the Sambisa forest, where Boko Haram militants hide in far-flung camps to avoid the Nigerian military.

“They stormed our village on motorbikes and immediately opened fire on the people observing the wake,” a witness, requesting anonymity, said.

Presstv

17, June 2016

Russia bombs US-backed militants in Syria ⁰

An American official has expressed grave concern over allegation of Russia’s bombing of US-backed militants in Syria. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on Thursday that Russia bombed US-backed militants in southern Syria earlier in the day, raising “serious concern” over the incidence. “Today, Russian aircraft conducted a series of airstrikes near al-Tanf against Syrian counter-ISIL forces that included individuals who have received US support,” said the senior defense official.

“Russia’s latest actions raise serious concern about Russian intentions. We will seek an explanation from Russia on why it took this action and assurances this will not happen again.” “Russian aircraft have not been active in this area of southern Syria for some time, and there were no Syrian regime or Russian ground forces in the vicinity,” the official said. The US military launched a $500 million program in early 2015 to train entire units of what it described as “moderate” militants in the Arab country. But the program drew heavy fire last fall after admitting the efforts had floundered, with numbers of trainees falling massively short of the planned 5,000.

One group even handed over ammunition and other gear to a local al-Qaeda affiliate, known as the al-Nusra Front. Since then, the Pentagon has worked with militants from different groups, instead of an entire unit. This is while the CIA has also been involved in training militants in Syria. Since September 2014, the US and some of its allies have been carrying out airstrikes against purported positions of Daesh (ISIL) militants inside Syria.

The Takfiri militants, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, control large areas of Iraq and Syria. The Syrian government has charged that the airstrikes had targeted the country’s infrastructure in many instances and done little to stop the advances of terrorists. Syria’s years-long foreign-sponsored militancy has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since early 2011 and left behind vast trails of destruction in a country where millions of people have been displaced.

Presstv

16, June 2016

Yaounde: Supreme Court raided by unidentified gunmen ⁰

The Supreme Court of Cameroon has been experiencing several cases of burglary since the beginning of June this year. Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered that the offices of Justice Dagobert Bisseck, President of the Judicial Chamber of the Supreme Court and Justice Jean Claude Robert Foe of the administrative chamber were visited by unidentified gunmen.

Interestingly, both Justices Bisseck and Jean Claude Foe were all on administrative leave when the incident occurred. The chain that protects the entrance gate to the building was cut off and important documents were carried away. Surveillance cameras are nevertheless present in the corridors leading to these offices but unfortunately they were all out of service. The CPDM government is maintaining a kind of deliberate silence on this recent attack on the Supreme Court.

Rita Akana (CIR)

16, June 2016

Nigerian Air Force to induct JF-17 fighter aircraft, Mi 35 Helicopters ⁰

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has started expansion works on airbase facilities at Yola International Airport as it prepares to receive new aircraft, including Russian-made Mi-35 helicopters as well as JF-17 Thunder fighters and Super Mushshak trainers from Pakistani Aeronautical Company (PAC). Addressing government and military officials who gathered for the commissioning of the projects in the city of Yola earlier this month, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa said works include the expansion of existing airport aprons, pilot and crew rooms as well as the construction of new office and residential accommodation and recreational facilities.

He said the country will soon take delivery of an undisclosed number of JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft and Mi-35 helicopter gunships to provide additional air support to ongoing counter-terrorism operations against the Boko Haram militant group in the north-east. “Due to this expected fleet expansion, it has become necessary to expand existing ground facilities at the military airport. These include the aprons, pilot and crew rooms, office and residential accommodation and new recreation facilities to enhance the welfare of the personnel and reposition the NAF for effective and efficient air operations,” Capt. Famuyiwa said.

Apart from the Jf-17 which Famuyiwa confirmed as due for due delivery shortly, Nigeria is seeking up to 10 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft from Pakistan to beef up its trainer fleet. Capt Famuyiwa said there are strong indications that the US could soon allow Nigeria to acquire Brazilian-made A-29 Super Tucano light attack and trainer turboprops to replace its aged fleet of Alpha Jets. According to a leaked copy of Nigeria’s 2016 budget which President Muhammadu Buhari presented to a joint session of the National Assembly in December 2015, the Nigerian Air Force aims to acquire three JF-17s this year, and has budgeted $25 million towards this. N2.06 billion ($10.2 million) was allocated for 10 PAC Super Mushshak basic trainers, and N11.6 billion ($56 million) for two Mi-35M helicopters as well as N5 billion for the JF-17s.

Meanwhile, the German government has pledged to supply the Nigerian armed forces with new navy vessels, mobile health units, ground surveillance equipment and mine detection and disposal equipment as well as specialised training programmes for counter-terrorism special forces. Addressing Nigerian media on the sidelines of the Nigeria-Germany Bi-National Commission Meeting in Abuja earlier this month, the Permanent Secretary of the German Foreign Office Markus Elderer said Germany would also train Nigerian military engineers in the handling and maintenance of equipment set for donation.

“The Nigerian government requested equipment support and military training so we are incorporating all of these in this agreement. We are doing this through training, through equipment supply like the ground surveillance radar systems and mine clearing equipment. “We will also supply mobile health units for the security forces carrying out the difficult tasks of combating terrorism. We are almost at the finishing line and we are just awaiting the signing of the agreement so that we can begin implementation, I think everything will be done this year,” he added.

The Nigerian army is already receiving counter-terrorism training and equipment from the US, the UK, France, Russia as well as Pakistan as it struggles to defeat Boko Haram militants. Western powers have doubled their assistance to the war-ravaged West African nations since the election of former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari as president over a year ago.

Defenceweb

16, June 2016

Bodies of three dozen refugees found in Niger Sahara Desert ⁰

The bodies of nearly three dozen refugees, including women and children, have been found in Niger’s Sahara Desert, where they were apparently abandoned by smugglers en route to neighboring Algeria and eventually Europe. “Thirty four people, including five men, nine women and 20 children, died trying to cross the desert,” Niger’s Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum said in a statement on Wednesday.

He said two of the victims have been identified as Nigerians but the nationalities of the others were not immediately clear. Bazoum said the bodies were found near the northern desert town of Assamaka, at a border post between Niger and Algeria. The refugees, he said, had died between June 6 and 12. Thirst was described in the statement as a probable cause. Temperatures currently stand at 42 degrees in the region.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has estimated that 120,000 people crossed through the Niger desert last year and 60,000 between February and April this year. The IOM also recorded 37 refugee deaths in the desert in 2015. Libya used to play host to the majority of the refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa on their way to Europe, but since the North African country plunged into political chaos in 2011, Algeria has become the new route.

Thousands of illegal migrants and refugees have recently arrived in Algeria on their way to Europe, mostly from neighboring Mali and Niger. More than 7,000 Nigerien migrants, mostly women and children, were turned back from Algeria to their home country in 2015 as part of an agreement between the two countries’ governments. Meanwhile, Europe has recently curbed the number of illegal arrivals from Africa, after a deal with Ankara in March reduced the number of people trying to cross from Turkey.

Presstv