Cameroon’s public wage bill rose by CFA33.7 billion year-on-year, reaching CFA332.6 billion by the end of March 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The ministry attributes this increase to several factors. One is the acceleration of back-pay settlements, which reached CFA42.4 billion in 2024, up from CFA32.2 billion in 2023. Another factor is a 5% salary increase in February 2024, along with a rise in family allowances from CFA2,800 to CFA4,500 per child.

The wage bill’s continued growth, largely driven by extensive public sector hiring, has raised concerns among officials who aim to maintain fiscal stability. Since 2021, the government has been working to limit public sector recruitment. For example, automatic recruitment of graduates from teacher training schools has been discontinued.

These measures, along with efforts to clean up payroll records, are part of Cameroon’s plan to meet the public wage sustainability ratio by 2025. If successful, it would be the first time in 16 years. The target, set at 35% within the CEMAC region, reflects the ratio of state wage expenses to annual tax and customs revenues.

Source: Business in Cameroon

The Cameroon Army has enhanced the lethality of its special forces with the adoption of Turkish-made MPT-76 assault rifles.

Developed in the late 2000s for the Turkish military, the MPT-76 is often likened to the AR-15 rifle and shares visual similarity with the German HK-417.

It features a quad Picatinny rail and a retractable polymer stock, enabling compactness and improved handling.

Chambered for NATO-standard 7.62x51mm ammunition, the rifle has a 20-round magazine and a rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute.

The MPT-76 comes in three different barrel lengths, but the version used by Cameroon is equipped with a 16-inch barrel.

In addition to Cameroon, the Turkish rifles are also in service with Azerbaijan, Senegal, and Somalia.

Source: The Defense Post

A source has informed Cameroon Intelligence Report that a Luxembourg Air Ambulance, a Bombadier Challenger 605, departed on October 16, 2024 from Paris Le Bourget Airport (LBG) at exactly 12:17pm and landed in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s political capital at 5:23pm.

The source however added that it was unclear who was onboard the Air Ambulance. Other sources have just intimated that the air ambulance might be in Yaoundé to pick up another sick person as most of Cameroon’s political leaders are very sick and senile.

A source close to the national assembly has said that the Speaker, Cavaye Djibril, is also sick and might be the person the Air Ambulance will be taking to France.

The source added that the Air Ambulance took off from Paris and not from Geneva.

This is a developing story and Cameroon Concord News Group has informed its correspondents in Cameroon to work their sources for things to become clearer by tomorrow morning.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Taxi driver unions in Yaoundé have raised concerns over a surge in violent attacks that have claimed the lives of several drivers. “In less than two months, we’ve lost eleven taxi drivers. Those attacking our members kill them and then use their taxis to continue working in the city,” said Mounchirou Amadou, national president of Cameroon’s taxi drivers, in an interview on public radio CRTV. Reports from drivers indicate that attackers often use knives to subdue their victims, while others have mentioned the use of chemical substances to incapacitate the drivers before committing their crimes.

During a press conference held on October 3, 2024, in the capital, union leaders called for collective action to combat this growing issue, particularly in major cities. They proposed several measures, including the systematic identification of all taxi drivers and their vehicle door numbers, as well as stronger efforts to crack down on illegal transport services. The unions also suggested reinstating a city exit permit to be issued by professional or union organizations, and the creation of a task force under the Ministry of Transport and Territorial Administration.

In May 2023, the government had already announced a set of measures to address the increasing insecurity in yellow taxis. “From now on, all owners of transport vehicles will be identified by administrative authorities, and a registry will be provided to law enforcement and unions. Additionally, vehicle owners must submit the names of their temporary or permanent drivers to the administrative authorities,” stated Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration at the time. Furthermore, on August 2 of the same year, Mfoundi senior divisional officer Emmanuel Mariel Djikdent banned taxis with tinted windows in the capital to improve visibility and safety inside transport vehicles. He also reintroduced the requirement to display door numbers on taxis to help police locate drivers in case of an attack.

Source: Sbbc

There is a mad rush for visas as news of President Paul Biya’s death is becoming more certain. Yesterday, the lion man who thought he owned the world sank into a deeper coma, causing panic among his family members.

Despite assurances from the 91-year-old dictator’s ministers that the president is hale and hearty and is working remotely, many people who have benefitted from the chaos and corruption which have characterized the dictator’s time in power are applying for visas just in case violence erupts after his death.

“Many government officials who do not hold foreign passports are rushing to embassies to secure visas for themselves and their families. They are aware that the clouds are gathering and a massive storm may be headed to Cameroon,” a source in Yaoundé who saw ministers heading to the French embassy told Cameroon Concord News.

“We know that things are really bad in the country and the spectrum of anger encompasses a wide range of emotions that tells every reasonable person that revenge may be in the menu. Cameroonians are angry and years of frustration could trigger extreme violence if news of Mr. Biya’s death gets confirmed,” the source said.

“There is panic within government circles and even ordinary people are making alternative arrangements just in case Cameroon goes down such a slippery slope. Life is very challenging these days and escalating living costs are hurting many Cameroonians who cannot even make ends meet” our source added.

“We are in trouble. 42 years of misrule could create massive chaos in our country. We are praying for a smooth transition and Cameroonians should learn to forgive. We can fix our country and move on peacefully. We should not let anger destroy whatever we have built together,” the source added.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

Cameroon Concord News Group can now confidently declare that Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, is in the final phase of his life.

The struggling lion, who has been hospitalized at the Clinique Générale-Beaulieu, Chemin de Beau-Soleil 20, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland, located in the Champel District of Geneva, emerged briefly from his coma, giving false hope to members of his entourage.

Biya, who is 91 years old, opened his eyes and shook his hand on Monday, quickly sank into a more profound coma on Monday afternoon, causing confusion among his family who thought they could wrap him up and hastily bring him back home for him to beat the 45-day absence from Cameroon which could trigger a declaration of a vacancy at the Presidency.

Our sources in Geneva which have elected anonymity have indicated that there is panic within government circles as Mr. Biya will not be in Cameroon before Thursday. 

There is total sadness here in Geneva, one of sources said; stressing that even the first lady is already losing hope.

He added that “she knows what will happen to the family once Mr. Biya dies. The entire family is aware of the dislike Cameroonians have for Mr. Biya who is being blamed for economic and political chaos in Cameroon.”

“Biya is finished. They cannot even show him on TV. He has been in a coma since he got to Geneva and even the doctors understand that the end is near,” our source stressed.

“It will be a miracle if he comes out of today’s coma. He is in very bad shape and his death won’t come as a surprise to those who are around him in Geneva,” he said.

“Even the sycophantic ministers in Cameroon who issued press releases last week indicating that the lion man would be home soon are today concerned. They are all regretting that they included timeliness on Biya’s return in the releases,” the source pointed out.

This is a developing story and more will be yours as our sources provide the details.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Tough negotiations are underway in Geneva, Switzerland, where Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, is fighting for his life.

It is clearly emerging that things are pointing south for the 91-year-old Biya who has been battling many diseases for some time now, and even his own ministers have begun organizing prayer sessions.

The French are working hard to find a successor who will protect French interest and guarantee peace to Mr. Biya’s family which is considered by many Cameroonians as having illegally benefitted from the massive corruption scheme Mr. Biya has run for almost 42 years.

In this regard, top military officials have been called to Geneva, including the head of the Brigade d’Intervention Rapid (BIR). Some senior government officials such as Louis-Paul Motaze are already in Geneva where they are being briefed on actions which will follow once Biya breathes his last.

The Senate President, Niat Njifenji was also supposed to be in Geneva, but given his state of health, he has been left out of the negotiations. His deputy, Abubakary Aboubakar, is also taking part in the negotiations.

It is being rumored in Yaoundé that 63-year-old Aboubakary will run the transition while Frank Biya or Motaze could become the CPDM’s candidate in the presidential election which will follow Biya’s death.

There is a lot of water going under the bridge and some CPDM stalwarts are arguing that they would not embrace any candidate imposed on them by the West.

Cameroon’s situation mirrors what happened in Côte d’Ivoire in 1994 when Houphouet Boigny died and in Togo and Gabon when Gnassingbe Eyadema and Omar Bongo died.

In all three cases, the French delayed the announcement of the deaths of those leaders until a French-dictated solution was found. In Togo, the speaker of the house, who was the constitutional next in line, was sent out on a fake mission and once the announcement was made, the country’s airspace was closed, ensuring that the speaker was kept out of the political equation, making it easy for Faure Eyadema, the late president’s son, to take over despite protests by several ECOWAS countries.

In Gabon, it was a similar scenario where Ali Bongo, who has recently been ousted in a military coup, succeeded his father.

The West has the nasty habit of imposing leaders in French-speaking African countries. In Chad, French President Emmanuel Macron had to rush to Ndjamena, the country’s capital at the height of COVID-19 to ensure that the country’s current president got installed following the assassination of his father, Idris Deby. A similar scenario also occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the assassination of Laurent Désire Kabilla.

Cameroonians should be vigilant. Biya is no more or he is dying and the delay in the announcement of his death is because the West is cooking up something for the country.

Cameroonians must reject a West-imposed political solution as it will never serve the interest of the ordinary Cameroonian.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

In 2023, nearly 450 ransom kidnappings were recorded in the English-speaking regions of North-West and South-West Cameroon, both deeply affected by the ongoing crisis. This figure is more than double that of 2022, when around 200 kidnappings were documented. These statistics come from a report published in September 2024 by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled). The report reveals that in 2018, approximately 40 kidnappings were registered, followed by a slight drop in 2019. However, since 2020, the number of abductions has steadily increased, peaking in 2023.

Analysts from these organizations attribute this rise to a reduction in financial support from the diaspora to separatist fighters. Deprived of this backing, armed groups have turned to ransom kidnappings to fund their operations. ” In response to the reduced international financial support, separatist groups increasingly kidnap civilians to fund their operations,” the report states.

The document also notes that at the start of armed conflicts in 2017, more than 89% of attacks targeting civilians were attributed to government forces. However, separatists have gradually intensified their attacks on civilians, reaching nearly 48% of political violence in 2020. “This elevation in civilian targeting, including a steep rise in abductions and kidnapping for ransom in 2022 and 2023, further compounded the waning support from both the diaspora and local civilians,” the study highlights.

In addition to the loss of external support due to the kidnappings, separatists have also seen their popularity dwindle among local populations. “Although effective from a fundraising perspective, the abductions diminished support from local populations and many diaspora supporters,” the report specifies.

Regarding kidnapping targets, separatists primarily choose individuals who are “politically influential, wealthy, or both.” They also abduct ordinary people, though ransom amounts depend on the victim’s profile, wealth, and vulnerability to abduction. Additionally, members of the security forces and the military remain prime targets for the separatists.

Source: Sbbc