News

31, October 2024

Yaoundé and Berlin celebrate 60 years of strong cooperation ⁰

Cameroon and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration through arts, culture, and community development initiatives, marking 60 years of partnership. A recent ceremony in Yaoundé, attended by Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Jules Doret Ndongo and German Ambassador Corinna Fricke, highlighted the significance of their enduring relationship.

A Legacy of Cooperation

Since 1960, Cameroon and Germany have worked together to promote cultural exchange, preserve historical heritage, and support local communities. This partnership has yielded fruitful collaborations in various sectors, including:

– Cultural Preservation: Efforts to restore and promote Cameroonian artifacts and historical sites, showcasing the country’s rich cultural diversity.

– Community Development: Initiatives to improve living conditions, education, and economic opportunities in local communities, enhancing the quality of life for Cameroonians.

– Environmental Conservation: Joint projects to protect Cameroon’s natural resources and promote sustainable development, ensuring a healthy environment for future generations.

The German Development Cooperation (GDC) in Cameroon has been instrumental in fostering this partnership, working closely with the Cameroonian government to achieve sustainable development objectives. Additionally, the Goethe-Institut has played a vital role in promoting cultural exchange and language training.

Over the past six decades, Cameroon and Germany have made significant strides in:

– Promoting cultural understanding and exchange

– Enhancing economic development and job creation

-Protecting Cameroon’s unique biodiversity

As they look to the future, Cameroon and Germany remain committed to deepening their partnership, addressing emerging challenges, and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.

“Today, we celebrate 60 years of friendship and cooperation between Cameroon and Germany. Our partnership is built on mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to sustainable development. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts, fostering a brighter future for both nations.” Corinna Fricke German Ambassador to Cameroon added.

Source: CRTV

30, October 2024

Ukraine in new mobilisation drive as Russia advances ⁰

Ukraine is planning to draft another 160,000 troops into its military as Russia gains ground in the east.

Russia has been advancing in the eastern Donetsk region and on Tuesday said it had fully captured the mining town of Selydove.

It also comes amid reports that a number of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia.

Ukraine’s military has been under severe pressure of late, in part due to Russia’s greater manpower and deeper resources.

“There are plans to call up more than 160,000 people,” the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, told parliament on Tuesday.

The AFP news agency reports the recruitment will take place over three months.

The announcement comes as Ukraine continues to commit personnel for its incursion in the Kursk region of Russia, which started in August.

The Pentagon estimates around 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to train in eastern Russia.

The US said on Tuesday a “small number” of North Korean troops have been sent to Kursk. A couple of thousand more are heading there, it said.

South Korea has claimed the troops are being trained in various locations, with many wearing Russian uniforms in order to disguise themselves.

A high level government official said they believed up to 11,000 soldiers had already been sent to Russia, with at least 3,000 in the west of the country.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin refused to deny that North Korean troops had arrived in Russia, following reports that Pyongyang was preparing to send thousands of troops to aid its ally.

The latest mobilisation comes after Ukraine’s parliament passed legislation in April to help mobilise troops to fight invading Russian forces.

The law requires every man aged between 25 and 60 to log their details on an electronic database so they can be called up. Conscription officers are on the hunt for those avoiding the register, pushing more men who do not want to serve into hiding.

The measure is aimed at boosting numbers in the military, which is under severe pressure as Russia continues to make gains in the east.

Moscow has announced that it now controls all of Selydove in the Donetsk region as well as surrounding villages, as it focuses on the city of Pokrovsk.

This is a strategically significant transport hub, just 18km (10 miles) away.

Source: BBC

30, October 2024

French Cameroun: Power outage hits Northern regions ⁰

On October 29, electric utility Eneo announced a “major incident” on the North Interconnected Network (RIN), causing a widespread power outage across the three northern regions of Cameroon: Adamaoua, North, and the Far North. The issue reportedly occurred around 5:40 a.m. on the transmission line connecting the Lagdo Dam in the North region to Adamaoua.

In response, Eneo has reactivated its fuel-powered thermal plants to restore electricity to the affected areas. Each region has a thermal power plant located in the main cities of Ngaoundéré, Garoua, and Maroua. However, Eneo confirmed that, for now, only these regional capitals are receiving electricity.

Eneo assures that repair teams are actively working to restore service “as soon as possible.” According to an Eneo representative, the situation is expected to return to normal by this evening.

Source: Sbbc

30, October 2024

Nigerian MP apologises after viral taxi slapping video ⁰

Nigerian MP Alex Ikwechegh has apologised after a video went viral of him slapping and verbally abusing a taxi driver who had come to deliver food to his house.

“I sincerely apologise for my words and actions during this incident… As a public servant, I understand the weight of my role and how my words can impact others,” said the politician who was questioned by police over the incident on Sunday evening.

Bolt driver Stephen Abuwatseya accepted a job to deliver some snails to Ikwechegh’s home in the capital, Abuja, and began recording their conversation after an argument started over payment.

The lawmaker had accused the driver of disrespecting him and went on to slap him in the clip.

What appeared to have angered the 44-year-old politician from Abia state in south-eastern Nigeria was the driver’s request that he come outside to collect the delivery.

“So, you think I will give you my money with the way you have spoken to me?” he asked in the video recording.

Mr Abuwatseya responded: “I did a job for you, and you have to pay me, sir.”

The MP then phoned the snail seller to complain about the driver’s behaviour: “How can this stupid idiot come to my house and tell me that I’m supposed to come and meet him in his car and pick up snail that I’m buying from you?

“Can you imagine this rat? I can make this man to disappear in the whole of Nigeria and nothing would happen.”

He then turned back to the driver and continued the argument, asking if he knew who he was, repeatedly saying: “How dare you?”

He continued: “I will beat you up. I will show you that I’m a big brother to you. I will slap the hell out of you, lie you down, and lock you in my generator house. How dare you?”

When Mr Abuwatseya later made it clear he was recording, the MP challenged him to call the police chief.

The recording stopped when it appears the MP grabbed at the phone. In a later clip the driver is seen bare-chested and alleges the politician tore his shirt off and had slapped him three times in total.

In a statement on Monday, the police said they were investigating the matter and urged people to refrain from using the inspector general of police’s name “to intimidate others”.

In his statement, released on Tuesday, Ikwechegh extended his “heartfelt apologies” to the police chief “ recognising the unintended disparagement my remarks may have caused to his person, his office, and the entire institution”.

He also apologised to the House of Representatives, which, according to local media, has since referred the matter to its ethics committee.

“This incident has been a humbling reminder of the necessity for restraint and self-control, especially in challenging circumstances,” the legislator said.

“I am committed to using this experience as an opportunity for growth, both as a citizen and as a more empathetic representative of the people.”

Ikwechegh said he and Mr Abuwatseya had “explored alternative dispute resolution methods” to sort out the issue and had reached a “respectful resolution”.

Source: BBC

29, October 2024

High Commissioner Philip Ngwesse says 50,000 Cameroonians live in Canada ⁰

There are around 50,000 Cameroonians living in Canada, the Cameroon’s High Commissioner to Canada, Ngole Philip Ngwesse, estimated as reported in the government daily. However, he cautioned that this figure could be imprecise, as many Cameroonians don’t register with the High Commission for consular cards. Without a reliable census, determining the exact number remains challenging.

The main hubs for Cameroonian immigrants in Canada are Quebec and Ontario, particularly Montreal and Toronto. Citing Quebec government statistics, Ngwesse noted that Cameroon was the second-largest source of permanent immigrants to the province in 2023, behind only France. Cameroon’s business association reported that 6,000 Cameroonians emigrated to Canada between January and April 2024.

This significant migration has raised concerns on both sides of the border. The Quebec government recently expressed plans to limit the intake of Cameroonian nurses, reflecting the impact of the migration on the healthcare sector and broader bilateral relations.

Source: Sbbc

26, October 2024

Yaoundé: journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua detained on insult charges ⁰

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Cameroonian authorities to immediately release journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua, publishing director of the privately-owned Le Point Hebdo bimonthly newspaper, after he was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a report on the minister of housing’s alleged mismanagement, and to drop all charges against him.

“Journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua’s troubling detention, as well as the continued imprisonment of five other journalists for their work, underscores the urgent need to reform the country’s laws to ensure journalism is not criminalized,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa Program, in New York. “Government officials should be able to respond to journalistic coverage and criticism without resorting to censorious legal proceedings. Ondoua and the other jailed journalists should be released immediately and not punished for doing their jobs.”

On Tuesday, October 22, the regional division of the judicial police (DRPJ) in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, summoned and arrested Ondoua on charges of false news, defamation, and insulting “constituted bodies,” which includes ministers, deputies and certain types of state officials, according to a CPJ review of the summons letters, and Prosper-Rémy Mimboé, the newspaper’s managing editor, who spoke to CPJ. The arrest followed a complaint filed by Célestine Ketcha Courtès, minister of Housing and Urban Development, and Ondoua is still waiting for arraignment in the Yaoundé court, according to those sources. He faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted.

Mimboé told CPJ that Ondoua’s arrest was in connection with several reports published by Le Point Hebdo criticizing Courtès’ management of housing policies, including one published on June 18, 2024, a copy of which CPJ reviewed.

Cameroon, which is preparing for a presidential election next year that could see the 91-year-old current president Paul Biya run for his eighth term, has seen numerous arrests and suspensions of media outlets and journalists in recent weeks related to the delay of parliamentary and local elections.

Cameroon was ranked as sub-Saharan Africa’s third-worst jailer of journalists in CPJ’s annual prison census, with six imprisoned as of December 1, 2023. One journalist, Stanislas Désiré Tchoua, was released on December 28 after serving a prison sentence for defamation and insult.

CPJ’s messages to Bangté Talamdio, a member of Courtès’ cabinet, and calls to the public listed number for Cameroon’s Ministry of Housing, DRPJ and Yaoundé court of first instance went unanswered.

Source: CPJ

24, October 2024

Biya orders dismissal of absentee state employees after 2018 census ⁰

Cameroonian President Paul Biya has directed the dismissal of all state employees who have been absent without justification or suspended from the payroll following the 2018 Physical Headcount of State Personnel (Coppe). This decision, outlined in a circular on October 23, is part of the preparations for the 2025 state budget.

In the circular, President Biya orders the completion of the contentious phase of the Coppe operation by 2025, which will involve permanently removing all identified personnel from the state payroll. These individuals have either been absent without justification, resigned without reporting it, or passed away without official notification. He also called for continued efforts to clean up the payroll system, including removing employees who have resigned and closing salary or pension accounts that were improperly collected.

The 2018 census exposed thousands of irregular cases within the public workforce. By the end of the operation, 8,766 state employees were found to be in violation of payroll rules. Despite multiple warnings and notifications from the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Service, only 601 of these employees responded to disciplinary hearings, according to a statement by Public Service Minister Joseph Lé on October 13, 2022.

As of early 2024, many employees still had not complied and remained suspended by their respective departments. Among them were 2,326 teachers who had been flagged for “irregular absence” following various reports, according to a January 17, 2024, statement by Secondary Education Minister Nalova Lyonga.

This latest directive from President Biya aims to finally resolve the issue by removing these non-compliant employees from the state payroll system.

Source: Business in Cameroon

23, October 2024

Martinez Zogo Murder: Prosecution dismisses defense objections ⁰

The military tribunal in Yaoundé on September 21, 2024, focused on arguments from government prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Cerlin Belinga. He dismissed all objections raised by the defense in the case surrounding the January 2023 assassination of journalist Martinez Zogo.

Defense attorneys for the 17 defendants, including 12 agents from the Directorate General of External Research (DGRE), attempted to highlight procedural flaws to secure their clients’ release. However, the prosecutor argued that the defense had not raised legitimate objections but merely made “observations,” which he systematically dismissed.

On the issue of establishing a joint police and gendarmerie commission, the prosecutor defended his authority to do so, stating that the accused belonged to these services. He also justified the retroactive regularization of certain reports, asserting that it was his duty to ensure the compliance of actions carried out by judicial police officers under his supervision.

An additional point of contention emerged regarding the December 1, 2023, referral order, which granted release to two key defendants—former DGRE director Léopold Maxime Eko Eko and businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga. The prosecutor dismissed this as a “pointless debate,” noting that the investigating judge, Lieutenant Colonel Sikati II Kamwo, had “clearly disregarded” it.

Regarding allegations of illegal property seizures during searches, the lack of summons for the accused, and the non-compliance of certain procedures, the prosecutor rejected all these observations, ultimately urging the judges to receive and dismiss them.

These submissions sparked a strong reaction from the defense lawyers, who reiterated their appeal for the tribunal’s president, Colonel Misse Njonè, to rule strictly according to the law. The president has adjourned the case until November 11, when he will “rule on the exceptions.”

According to several defense lawyers present, if the judge were to accept their requests, the investigation into the assassination of the head journalist at Amplitude FM could restart from scratch, potentially leading to the release of many of the accused.

Source: Sbbc

23, October 2024

Bundes: police raid pizzeria serving side order of cocaine ⁰

Police have raided a pizzeria in western Germany which they alleged served customers a side of cocaine when they ordered item number 40 on the menu.

Authorities were tipped off about the scheme in March by food inspectors, and drug squad officers began watching the restaurant, criminal director Michael Graf von Moltke said on Monday.

When police went to detain the pizzeria manager at his apartment, the 36-year-old reportedly threw a bag of drugs out of the window, which “fell right into the arms of the police officers”, Düsseldorf police said.

Police found 1.6kg (3.5lb) of cocaine, 400g (14.1oz) of cannabis and €268,000 (£223,120) in cash in the apartment.

The restaurant manager was released by police a few days later, and he reopened his restaurant and continued to sell the drug and pizza combination.

Investigators used the opportunity to explore the drug supply chain to the pizzeria, leading them to bust a drug ring in western Germany weeks later.

Around 150 officers raided two cannabis plantations – one in Mönchengladbach, to the west of Düsseldorf where 300 plants were found, and another in Solingen, to the east of the city, where 60 plants were found.

The homes and businesses of 12 suspects were also raided, resulting in the arrests of three people, including a 22-year-old suspected of being the head of the drug operation.

Police also found weapons, money and expensive watches during the raids.

The pizzeria manager was rearrested while trying to leave the country and remains in custody.

“The number 40 was one of the best-selling pizzas,” Mr Moltke said.

Police have not released the name of others involved in the drug operation, or the price of the pizza and cocaine combination.

Source: BBC

23, October 2024

Putin says more than 30 countries want to join BRICS ⁰

More than 30 countries have expressed a desire to join BRICS, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the group on Wednesday.

Putin said the group would discuss its expansion at the meeting, while keeping in mind the need to maintain efficiency.

Earlier on Wednesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived summit, his first visit to the country for more than two years that has drawn scorn from Ukraine.

The gathering is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since launching its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022 and Putin wants to use it to demonstrate that attempts to isolate him on the world stage have failed.

Around 20 world leaders, including China, India, Turkey and Iran, are in the central city of Kazan, where they will address topics such as developing a BRICS-led international payment system and the conflict in the Middle East.

Moscow sees the platform as an alternative to Western-led international organisations like the G7 – a position supported by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In bilateral talks on Tuesday, including with Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin hailed Moscow’s close ties and “strategic partnerships” with its partners.

Xi, meanwhile, praised China’s “profound” ties with Russia in what he called a “chaotic” world.

Russia and China’s relations have “injected strong impetus into the development, revitalisation and modernisation of the two countries”, Xi said.

Putin said he saw relations between Beijing and China as a foundation of global “stability.”

“Russian-Chinese cooperation in world affairs acts as one of the stabilising factors in the global arena. We intend to further increase coordination in all multilateral platforms to ensure global security and a just world order,” he told Xi.

Source: AFP