A Brazilian court on Thursday approved the seizure of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s passport, the Justice Ministry said, after an appeals court upheld the corruption conviction of the left-wing hero.

The decision came on the eve of a planned trip by Lula to Africa. It also came a day after appellate court judges voted to uphold Lula’s convictions on taking a bribe and money laundering and extended his sentence, in a major blow to the popular politician’s plans to run again for the presidency this year.

Lula’s lawyer Cristiano Zanin said the former president’s passport would be handed in on Friday, but called the decision “shocking” and an unnecessary restriction on his freedom of movement. In a statement, he said that the appellate court had been informed of Lula’s trip to Africa and his plans to return to Brazil on Jan 29.

“He won’t travel now,” Lula spokesman Jose Chrispiniano said, adding that the former leader had planned to attend an African Union conference in Ethiopia.

Justice Minister Torquoato Jardim, who was informed of the decision by the federal police chief, recommended that Lula be informed of the decision to avoid any problems, the ministry said.

Lula could be arrested as soon as judges make a decision on a final appeal in his case, which is expected to occur in at most two to three months.

(Source: Reuters)

The Manyu CPDM food aid meant to feed thousands of Ambazonian refugees and displaced persons was forcefully collected from Nigerian and Southern Cameroons businessmen trading on the Enugu-Bamenda Highway, Cameroon Concord News has learned.

The bags of rice, beans and salt were seized from traders by heavily armed Cameroon government troops and part of the items handed over to Minister Victor Mengot and his CPDM delegation from Yaoundé. We also gathered that the small quantity handed over to the pro Biya comedians is being diverted by corrupt contractors and there are already calls to open an independent investigation.

The bags of rice were taken from the businessmen and women through roadblocks manned by a bewildering array of the Francophone dominated army and bandits serving with councils controlled by the ruling CPDM crime syndicate.

Ever since the 84 year-old President Biya declared war on the Anglophone communities, not only are kidnappings and executions common, but Southern Cameroons’s insecurity also makes it difficult for senior Cameroon government officials to travel to the rural areas. Minister Victor Mengot could not go to places like Kembong, Dadi and Nsang as government agents who do go there run the risk of relying for protection on the same people they are fighting.

A prominent Manyu CPDM elite who travelled to Mamfe with Minister Mengot and who did not wish to be named, told Cameroon Concord News that a significant amount of food presented by the Minister Mengot delegation was being diverted to cartels who were selling it illegally.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The United Nations has slammed the Democratic Republic of Congo for its inability to contain a surge in the number of extra-judicial “executions” in the country, saying figures show a three-time increase in two years of such killings by “state agents”.

The United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) said Wednesday that a crisis in vast region of Kasai has driven up the number of summary “executions” in the DRC, saying state agents carried out 1,176 extra-judicial killings last year.

MONUSCO deplores “the exceptional increase” which showed that killings had tripled in number over the past two years.

It said at least 89 women and 213 children were killed as part of the extra-judicial killings in the DRC in 2017.

The findings, which were part of MONUSCO’s annual report on human rights violations in the DRC, said that 64 percent of all extra-judicial killings by state agents last year were carried out by armed forces.

The report also indicated that rights violations and abuses committed in 2017 across the central African country had risen by more than 25 percent compared to the previous year, adding that a total of 6,497 cases had been recorded last year.

MONUSCO said at least 752 people were executed in Kasai, a region that comprises three provinces plagued by violence since August 2016 when Kamwina Nsapu, a tribal chieftain known for his fierce opposition to regime of President Joseph Kabila, was killed. Around 3,000 people have been killed since then while some 1.4 million remain displaced.

The UN report described Kasai as a region plagued with “persistent crisis”, saying crimes by state agents were rampant there. The world body lost two of its experts in the region last March while investigating the violence.

The Interim President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and 10 of his senior aides are being held captive in the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the President Buhari administration. A leading voice in the Southern Cameroons struggle for independence has said the Nigerian action is an “act of aggression” against Ambazonia.

The Ambazonian Secretary for Communication Hon. Chris Anu has condemned the act in the most strongly worded statement ever since the interim government was announced by President Ayuk Tabe. There are fears that Nigerians residing in Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun may be targeted by the Ambazonian Defense Force known as the Tigers.

“What happened in Abuja wasn’t staged by Yaoundé, but an act of aggression against the people of Ambazonia, its independence and dignity, and against relations between Ambazonia and the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” a spokesperson for the Interim Government said Wednesday.

In a telephone conversation with CIR, Ambazonia’s Secretary of State for Finance & Economy Hon. Brado Etchu Tabenyang stated that “The Ambazonian Government does not accept that President Ayuk Tabe remain hostage, and we do not know the reasons for his captivity. Nothing justifies such an action from an experienced Nigerian leader which violates the Vienna Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Responding to calls for dialogue from the President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang, a senior adviser to President Ayuk Tabe told CIR that “It is not possible for us to dialogue with our leaders in detention.”

On the whereabouts of the detained Ambazonia leaders, Cameroon Intelligence Report contacts in Abuja have met with the Sisiku and his team and we want to reiterate that they are very, very well.  The Ambazonian leaders – Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, Prof. Che Awasum,  Barrister Nalowa Bih, Dr. Fidelis Che, Dr. Nfor Nfor, Dr. Henry Kimeng, Prof. Che Awasum, Mr Tassang Wilfred, Dr. Ojong Okonghor, Barrister Shufai Berinyuh, Barrister Eyambe Elias and Dr. Cornelius Kwanga – were arrested at Nera hotel by the Nigerian Secret Service, DSS in Abuja on January 5th while holding a meeting.

A high-level Cameroon government ministerial source told CIR today that President Biya and his closest allies “have no idea what’s going on with the Ambazonia leaders in Nigeria,” and that President Buhari has again sent words to Biya via the President of Equatorial Guinea.

The arrest of President Ayuk Tabe plunged Southern Cameroons counties into a political crisis and stoked fears of conflict between Ambazonians and Nigerians living in Cameroon. So far the Ambazonian interim Government have called for calm, and made public statements asking for Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s release.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

US First Lady Melania Trump, who has made no public statement since reports of payoff from her husband’s lawyer to a porn star, will not be accompanying him to the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The change of plans was confirmed Tuesday to CNN by East Wing communications director Stephanie Grisham, who had said a week earlier that she would be partaking at the event in a show of support for President Donald Trump.

The new decision was made based on “scheduling and logistical issues,” according to the White House official.

Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen reportedly brokered a payment to adult industry actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the latest round of the presidential election, in October 2016, to make sure she will not leak the affair to the press.

Ever since the news broke out on January 12, the wife of the 45th US president has been silent except for a pair of tweets that do not mention Donald Trump.

Later that day, the Slovenian-born first lady departed with Trump for a long holiday weekend to Mar-a-Lago, where Trump hosted two dinner events both in her absence.

“Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & his service to this great country.  I am honored to be First Lady of a nation that continually strives for equality & justice for all,” she tweeted on January 15 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 In another tweet on Saturday, she marked the one-year anniversary of her husband’s inauguration via a picture that excluded him and instead showed her holding an American soldier’s hand.

Daniels, who is a celebrity actress, screenwriter and  director in the porn industry, has released a signed statement, denying having had any affairs with married Trump or having received any hush money. The recent allegations add to those of sexual assault by Trump, already gripping his administration in the first year.

Source: Presstv

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn rejects Egypt’s proposal for the World Bank (WB) to arbitrate in an escalating dispute over a dam Addis Ababa is building over the Nile.

Egypt says the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is more than half way complete, could lower the water flow onto its plains.

With talks in a deadlock, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry proposed last month that the World Bank intervene in the matter but Desalegn said Sunday “this is not acceptable with our side.”

“Seeking professional support is one thing, transferring (arbitration) to an institution is another thing,” he said.

Desalegn has just returned from a visit to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told him he had “extreme concern” over the lack of progress in talks which have been deadlocked for months.

Sisi warned that Egypt’s share of the Nile — which provides nearly all of its freshwater — was a red line. Addis Ababa insists the dam would not be cutting down the flow into Egypt.

Ethiopia aspires to become African’s biggest power exporter, with the $4 billion dam project being central to the plan.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam which is now 60 percent complete is about to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity upon completion.

Sisi has said Egypt had no intention to go to war over the matter, while the Ethiopian premier has said it was “possible to reach agreement … through cooperation and with the spirit of trust”.

Source: Presstv

HUMANITARIAN organisations are alarmed by the spike in teenage pregnancies amid rape and gender violence in makeshift camps housing thousands of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria.

Women and children, worst affected by the violence, represent about 80 percent of the approximately 10 000 refugees that have fled a crackdown in English-speaking areas of Cameroon and settled in Nigeria’s Cross River State.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed shock that teenage pregnancies involving girls aged as young as 14, have been reported.

“UNHCR is concerned that many more incidents go unreported or are referred only to community elders,” spokesman William Spindler, said.

Spindler said for women, the lack of work combined with the over-stretched reception facilities, created a higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly from survival sex.

Unaccompanied and separated children are particularly affected by difficult access to food and the lack of subsistence opportunities.

UNHCR reported numerous incidents where children have to work or beg to survive or to help their families. Many children are unable to attend school, as they lack both the time and funds for education.

English-speaking Cameroon is beset by protests in English-speaking regions. Communities allege marginalisation by the government dominated by French speakers.

A vicious response by government forces has led to scores of deaths and massive displacements. UNHCR is currently working with Nigerian authorities to identify sites away from the border, where refugees can be hosted according to international standards.

– CAJ News

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that over 10,000 refugees from Cameroon have been registered in various communities in Cross River State in South-south Nigeria.

The Assistant Representative in charge of Operations for UNHCR in Abuja, Mr. Bamba Boubacar, made the announcement in Calabar, the state capital, at the weekend while donating a field Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) in Calabar to facilitate the registration of refugees seeking asylum in Nigeria.

“We have registered, so far, 10,400 Cameroonian refugees in Cross River and the registration is continuing. We have been informed that there are people not registered in various areas. But, until we complete the registration, we would not be able to give an accurate figure.

“We have people from other countries, and also Nigerians who were established in Cameroon coming back. They cannot be registered as refugees. So, we need to be cautious and register before providing a figure.

“Today we are providing this additional support to NCFRMI in Calabar because we have an influx of Cameroonian refugees in this area. This entry was not foreseen and the capacity on the ground was not up to provide a better response to this crisis and as partners of NCFRMI in the protection of refugees, we are providing this support because as you know the refugees are scattered across vast areas in Cross River State, and to register them, the team has to move from one place to the other. And so far, there are a limited number of vehicles. So, this additional vehicle will help to speed up the registration process so that the asylum seekers would be registered on time, and having at least a proof of registration as asylums seekers. This would be helpful for their protection when they are moving. They would provide this document to security officials so they will know that they are asylums seekers, and they have been registered. The vehicle is a four by four SUV for rugged terrain, with sitting capacity for seven persons, equipped with communications facilities.

“UNHCR is working closely with government to improve their protection to ensure the people have documentation so they will not be harassed or arrested by authorities for lack of documentation. We would continue to work with the NCFRMI, and the state authorities to improve the security and protection of asylum seekers and refugees.

“Before we provided this vehicle, we have already started to provide assistance to the refugees, and I am happy that you are concerned about food. We have provided water, food, items, mattresses, blankets and also shelter kits and so on. We are providing much broader assistance to the people,” Boubacar said.

Boubacar said the UNHCR was planning to establish as office in Calabar, and additional two field offices in other parts of Cross River State.

Also speaking at the event, Head, Refugee Status Determination Unit, NCFRMI, Mr. Murdakai Titus, said they were grateful to the UNHCR for donating the vehicle.

“On behalf of the Federal Commissioner, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the management and entire staff of NCFRMI, I would like to express our profound appreciation to the office of the UNHCR in Nigeria led by Mr. Antonio Jose Canhandula, for this great gesture. It is indeed an exemplary demonstration of partnership in action, which has long been in existence since the establishment of the commission in 1989.

“The gift of this vehicle is made timely when the South-south zone is witnessing unimaginable influx of persons of concern from our neighbouring country Cameroon and more are still arriving. It will certainly facilitate our collective humanitarian response in the South-south zone. Hence, the need for such gesture cannot be overemphasised. We look forward to a better collaborative relationship in Nigeria,” Titus said.

Source: ThisDay

The UN has expressed concerns about the swelling numbers of people fleeing English-speaking areas of Cameroon for Nigeria, saying it is particularly worried over the safety of women and children.

William Spindler, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), decried the precarious situation of women and children, which made up about 80 percent of the approximately 10,000 registered refugees in Nigeria’s Cross River.

“Some of these are boys and girls who fled to Nigeria alone,” Spindler said, adding that unaccompanied and separated children are particularly vulnerable.”

“UNHCR has received numerous reports that children have to work or beg to survive or to help their families.”

“Many reported that they were unable to attend school, for lack of time and money.”

“Thousands more are among the population of unregistered Cameroonians in neighboring states, where some of the children are unaccompanied and vulnerable.”

“UNHCR is working with the Nigerian authorities to assist with the reunification of separated children with their families, to provide unaccompanied children with protection services and to restore the basic right of all children to education,” Spindler said.

He said some of the children fleeing to Nigeria told UNHCR that they had been out of school in Cameroon for all of 2017.

“For women, the lack of work combined with the over-stretched reception facilities, creates a higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly from survival sex.”

“While only a limited number of cases have been recorded, mainly in the Amana community of Cross River state, UNHCR is concerned that many more cases go unreported or are referred only to community elders.”

“Incidents of domestic violence, as well as cases of teenage pregnancies involving girls as young as 14, have also been reported,” the spokesperson elaborated.

He said in Benue, two school buildings were serving as temporary refugee accommodations, where women and their families sleep inside communal school halls – deprived of private space and the right to family dignity.

“For them, and for the rest of the population living in temporary tents hastily built next to local residences, sufficient and appropriate shelter is key to ensure adequate registration, systematic aid distribution and reduced protection risks,” Spindler stressed.

According to him, UNHCR and the Nigerian authorities are currently working to identify sites away from the border, where the refugees can live according to international standards.

“We are also establishing offices in the towns of Calabar and Adikpo to better provide assistance and protection to the women and children,” he said, noting that support includes food, basic relief items, water and sanitation facilities.

Since mid-2017, Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have seen demonstrations as tensions have mounted over what the country’s English-speakers see as discrimination against them in favor of the majority French-speaking population.

Source: Sahara Reporters

The Russian Defense Ministry has accused the US of fueling tensions in northern Syria by supplying arms to militant groups.

“The Pentagon’s uncontrolled deliveries of modern weaponry to the pro-US militants in the north of Syria contributed to the rapid escalation of tensions and prompted the Turkish special operation,” said a statement released by the ministry on Saturday.

The statement was released after Ankara began new air and ground operations around the area of Afrin in northern Syria aimed at ousting the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).

The US’ “provocative actions” such as establishing “border forces” and other activities aimed at the “disintegration of Syrian sovereignty, and supporting armed militant groups” have resulted in Turkey’s “extremely negative” reaction.

A few days before the launch of Turkey’s northern Syria operations, Washington claimed that it was not supporting the YPG in Afrin.

“We are not operating in Afrin. We are supporting our partners in defeating remaining Daesh pockets along the Middle Euphrates River Valley, specifically in areas north of Abu Kamal, on the eastern side of the Euphrates River,” said spokesman for the US-led coalition Colonel Ryan Dillo.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement voicing its concerns over Turkish military operations in Syria, in which it noted that Russian troops were withdrawing from Afrin “to prevent potential provocation and exclude the threat to the life and well-being of Russian military.”

Turkish tanks cross border into Syria

Meanwhile, several Turkish military trucks carrying tanks and other armored vehicles have crossed the border into the Syrian city of A’zaz in northern Syrian.

The deployment started after Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that ground operations are expected to begin on Sunday.

Yildirim also said that Turkish “armed forces have started an air campaign in order to destroy elements” of the YPG militants in Syria.

The Turkish army also said in a statement that the airstrikes had struck 108 targets belonging to Kurdish militants, but it did not say whether the targets were all in Syria’s Afrin’s province.

According to an YPG spokesman, the air raids have killed 10 people, seven of whom civilians.

“Seven civilians were killed, including a child, as well as two female fighters and one male fighter,” said YPG spokesman Birusk Hasakeh, adding that the child was an eight-year-old boy.

YPG vows to resist Turkish airstrikes

Following Turkey’s Saturday night airstrikes on Afrin, the YPG announced that it had no choice but to fight back.

“We will defeat this aggression, like we have defeated other such assaults against our villages and cities,” said a statement.

While noting that Turkey was targeting civilian neighborhoods, the YPG called on the people of north Syria to unite and defend Afrin.

Source: Presstv