Akere Muna, the only opposition figure in Cameroon to have declared his candidature for next year’s presidential polls is pushing for a united opposition front to face Biya.

Muna a top anti-corruption crusader and celebrated lawyer in the country told his supporters earlier this week that he will not mind if the coalition candidate was someone else.

He stressed that he was open to back any candidate whose ideas and vision was superior to his given that the ultimately goal is to end decades of rule by Paul Biya.

Biya, 84, has been president of the Central African country since 1982. He has yet to declare any intentions to contest in the 2018 polls but indications show that it is just a matter of time.

Muna, a former Vice Chairperson of Transparency International has also previously served as president of the Cameroon Bar Association. He recently resigned his post as president of the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in order to focus on his political ambitions.

The IACC describes itself as the world’s premier forum that brings together Heads of State, Civil Society, the Private Sector and more to tackle the increasingly sophisticated challenges posed by corruption.

Muna announced his presidential bid a week ago via a video address stating that his decision was premised on wanting to give the central African country a fresh start after years under incumbent Paul Biya.

Muna who hails from the Anglophone region, in the address and a statement cited by AFP said it was time for the Central African country to reset its direction hence his decision to enter the race.

“We have to walk to a new Republic”, which will be “based on good governance” and “the rule of law,” he asserted, saying that there would be no “tolerance for corruption, tribalism, nepotism and favoritism,” with him in charge.

Source: African News

Cameroon president, Paul Biya, has underscored the importance of the youth of his country, describing them as a ‘major asset’ for the future.

A message posted on his social media handles – Facebook and Twitter – on Friday read as follows: ‘Our youths constitute a major asset for the nation’s future. They are numerous and full of potential, dynamic and ambitious, conquering and creative.’

The 84-year-old who is currently on vacation since September after participating in the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York has been sharing messages with the nation.

His message which preceded the latest one bordered on patriotism: “Patriotism is a virtue that some people might wrongly consider outdated. Even today, it remains a mark of responsible and nobly asserted citizenship for the nation.”

A section of the Central African country is in a state of political crisis arising from protests in the English speaking regions of South West and North West. People in the regions are pushing for independence from Cameroon citing marginalization over the years.

Yaounde has depoloyed security personnel to quell any such intents. The clashes of October 1 – when a symbolic independence was slated to be declared led to deaths, injuries and mass arrests. International bodies including the A.U., U.N., and E.U. have called for dialogue.

The president who insists the unity of Cameroon was non-negotiable has also backed talks. The government, however, says security personnel had excercised professionalism in dealing with the protests rubbishing reports by rights group that they were unnecessarily highhanded.

Source: Africa News

A large deployment of police and gendarmes is curremtly going on in Douala, the economic metropolis of La Republique du Cameroun, where the Social Democratic Front (SDF) is keen to organize its march despite a ban by a French Cameroun  sub-prefect, Jean-Marie Tchakui Noundie.

According to security sources, hundreds of police and gendarmes have been deployed to Douala since last night. They will strengthen the security apparatus of the economic metropolis after the decision of the SDF leaders to challenge the administrative authority.

SDF MP, Jean Michel Nintcheu, who is also the president of the SDF for the Littoral region has said the Saturday, October the 21^st event will go on as planned.  He made the declaration on Thursday night via the antennas of a local television channel that the SDF will not obey the decision of the sub-prefect.

Cameroon Concord News understands the SDF is supported by two political parties, which are not represented in the National Assembly. The Biya regime with the support of the political class, has banned the demonstration scheduled for October 21.

By Sama Ernest, CCN

Barrister Akere Muna has said that the leader of the SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi actually defeated President Paul Biya during the presidential election of 1992. The lawyer with international reputation who recently declared his intention to contest the 2018 presidential elections made the revelation to local and international newsmen and women while presenting his vision for Cameroon.

On Wednesday, October 18, the 65-year-old Prince from the Mbengui County in Southern Cameroons held a press conference in Yaounde and presented to the public his motivations and especially the orientation he wants to give to the management of public affairs in Cameroon if he is elected President of the Republic.

“I think that I will give Cameroonians hope. My speech and what I will put on the table will stimulate Cameroonians to a renewed hope. I am Cameroonian and I think I will put on the table a program that can meet the expectations of the hour. And let the Cameroonians judge, “said the former Vice president of Transparency International.

In his exchange with the media gurus, Akere Muna also gave out alot, some that certainly did not go well with the barons of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate. This is the case with the one linked to the 1992 presidential election. Akere opined that the elections in 1092 were won by the leader of the SDF, NI John Fru Ndi.

“In 1992, it was the first multiparty elections in Cameroon. I managed the assembly and vote counting. And I can tell you in ’92, Fru Ndi indeed won, “he said before explaining.

“Since we did not have an efficient counting machinery, I had the results of the parliamentary elections that came earlier. There was a room and each had a department. There was a young lad who counted together the votes of all the departments. We began to announce, every day, the results we had to show that we were advancing. The state, panic-stricken, decided to begin to announce the results too. So I did assign someone who tallied the votes of the ruling party, the CPDM. After two hours, he came to see me saying that there was something weird. He told me “the figures given to the radio are the same as in the legislative elections …” At the time, Minister Kontchou was in communication. They decided to pass on the figures for the legislative … Minister Kontchou was called to point out that the figures that were read are the same as those of the legislative ones. He was stronger than the current minister Issa Tchiroma. He acknowledged that it was a mistake. That he put the results of the presidential election in the same drawer as those of the legislative ones. At the time of release the results for the reading, he said, had rather released the bad results, “said Akere Muna.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, CCN

While Cameroonians grapple with life and the fear of a civil war, there is increasing belief that change is in the offing. According to our sources in Yaounde who have elected to be anonymous, a new republic will soon emerge in Cameroon as the old one led by Mr. Biya is set to crumble soon. It is an open secret in Yaounde that the 85-year-old leader is fighting for his dear life in Geneva, Switzerland, where he has been seeking quality medical care since he left New York some three weeks ago. Though members of his inner cycle have been working hard to keep information about his health under wraps, details about his failing health have begun emerging, as his stay in a Swiss hotel gets longer by the day. Due to age, Mr. Biya is battling all types of age-related issues and, according to a source close to the ailing dictator, he is gradually running out of time. If care is not taken, he will soon be returning home, but this time around to bid farewell to friends and family.

He has, for so many years, been suffering from lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems, but this time around it is a malignant cancer that might finally deliver the coup de grace as the Octogenarian’s health is really unsettling. It should be recalled that over a decade ago, it was rumored that Mr. Biya had died in a Swiss hospital, but the strong man emerged a few days later to challenge his detractors. However, this time around, he might not have the same opportunity to declare that he would be around again for a long time. It is believed that anybody, no matter how rich, cannot be the picture of health at such an age. Mr. Biya has been under enormous pressure in recent times as his country falls apart. The burden of responsibility and the guilt of failure have taken a huge toll on his health and this is showing on him. It is increasingly being rumored within government circles that it will be a miracle for him to pull himself out of the grip of such multiple health problems.

His health has been concerning to some of his collaborators, but things took a turn for the worse when Anglophones decided to challenge his authority. The 85-year-old-dictator has been priding himself on the pseudo-peace he has established in Cameroon through corruption and intimidation. But in October 2016, Anglophones who could no longer play spectator to Mr. Biya’s tragicomedy decided that it was time for them to draw the world’s attention to the political tragedy and economic failure that have been playing out in the country for close to thirty-five years.

Demonstrations by teachers and lawyers in October 2016 rapidly degenerated into calls for federalism which the government promptly rejected and resorted to the only method of governance it uses to address issues in the country – intimidation and corruption. But Anglophones leaders were tired of those Machiavellian methods, arguing that a federal system would empower the people and bring development closer to them. If that were to become true, it would diminish the powers of the central government and those around the aging leader will lose leverage and money; two things they are not prepared to let go.

They then had to activate their trade mark violence and Anglophone leaders were arrested and taken to Yaounde, a decision that has come back to haunt them. The Anglophone region has become ungovernable despite the huge deployment of troops and the mass killing of demonstrators on October 1, 2017. Mass graves are popping up all over the region and this is giving the government a bad name. The government spokesperson and Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma, an ex-convict because of his active role in the 1984 coup in Cameroon, had earlier declared that only seven persons had been killed as if seven lives were not important. Today, there is a huge cloud of doubt and fear hovering over the two Anglophone regions. Schools are not in session. Lawyers are yet to call off their strike and university students still have doubts about returning to school in a location wherein many of their mates were raped and others made to drink raw sewage. The government is at its wit’s end. Anglophones have made up their minds. The injustice has to be addressed once and for all or they will walk away from the fake union that was put together by former President Amadou Ahidjo.

To reach out to the English-speaking minority, the ruling party, known by many Cameroonians as a crime syndicate, has dispatched its members to the region to preach their own version of peace to the people, that is, after they have killed many innocent people and dumped their bodies in mass graves. But such a move is not going to bear the type of fruits they want. The people are determined to see the wrongs of the past righted. The delegations are carrying with them lots of food and drinks believing that such a move will soften the people’s stance. But the people don’t need food and drinks. They want a country wherein their children will have the same opportunities like Francophones.

Mr. Biya’s thirty-five years in power have been like an ill-wind. They have never really blown any good to the struggling masses. The country’s roads are among the worst in the world. Hospitals have been reduced to mortuaries for the poor. For thirty-five years, Mr. Biya has never built a hospital that can take care of his numerous health problems in Cameroon. Even when there are hospitals, the equipment is either too outdated or lights fail every 30 minutes. Health insurance is still a foreign concept in Cameroon and out-of-pocket consultation fees are too expensive for many Cameroonians, especially those who are unemployed. Many parts of the country are still in profound darkness and despite efforts by donors to address this issue, the government has been doing a good job at embezzling the funds.

Today, many Cameroonians are looking forward to a third republic. The second republic headed by Mr. Biya has been a disaster to the people of this country. Cameroonians look forward to a change of government which many hold could come sooner rather later. With Mr. Biya’s health declining, it is obvious that change will soon be heading to Cameroon. It is time for those in positions of leadership to start thinking of the next phase in the country’s life. Mr. Biya belongs to the past. He has been served by the country for more than sixty years. His entire education was paid for by the taxpayer and the country is still paying huge bills because of the expensive lifestyle he has adopted. Currently, he is with more than thirty persons in Geneva where they are lodging in the most expensive hotel in the country and this bills will be paid by a country whose economy is on its knees.

To many Cameroonians, a change of government will be a welcome relief. The current leaders have failed them. The leaders have worked very hard to feather their own nests while leaving the country in abject poverty. The news of the “monarch” grappling with multiple health conditions tells the people that a new republic is looming large on the horizon and they are calling on all stakeholders to take appropriate measures so that the major issues facing the country can be dealt with in a democratic and peaceful manner. They hold that if the country is in chaos, it is because of the president whose hallmark has been to divide the people so as to rule them. They argue that even the Anglophone problem can be easily dealt with if and when new leaders emerge.

Cameroonians are ready for change. They want a new republic that will place the people’s wellbeing at the center of government actions and policies. They want a system that will not be predicated on one person. They argue that Mr. Biya’s system has rolled the country into the dark ages and they are calling on future leaders to point the country in a different direction. They hope the transition will be properly managed to ensure they do not end up with what many call the “dictator’s legacy” also known as civil wars. They also argue that Cameroon can take care of its problems and that the system should be cleansed of extremists who have been fanning the embers of conflict between the Anglophone minority and the government. Today, there is a general consensus that federalism will help douse the fire in the Anglophone regions if government officials know how to navigate the murky waters created by people like Fame Ndongo, Issa Tchiroma and Laurent Esso. Though on its knees, Cameroonians hold that with good leadership, the country will easily emerge from its own ashes like the proverbial phoenix, that is, if Biya’s men do not cease power and return to their old ways.

Source: Cameroon Intelligence Report

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization in La Republique du Camroun, Rene Sadi has installed his son Gilles Christian Sadi as the Divisional Officer in the Southern Ocean Sub Division. The installation ceremony took place on Saturday the 14^th of October , 2017 and was watched by a docile French Cameroun public.

In what some observers see as the beginning of a Minister Rene Sadi take over  of the country after Biya, Gilles Christian Sadi is now head of the Kribi district III. The Saturday, October 14, 2017 event was unprecdented and the presence of the administrative body was remarkable. Three Senior Divisional Officers and twenty Divisional Officers were part of the audience that attended the ceremony. Among the three prefects, was the all-powerful Rene Sadi acolyte, the SDO of Mfoundi, Jean-Claude Tsila.

Sadi Senior

Gilles Christian Sadi, son of René Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MINATD), will now have to work to fulfill mission of helping his dad get a smooth transition from Biya.

Speaking during the occasion, the SDO for the Ocean Division, Antoine Bissaga, said Sadi Junior’s greatest challenge is that of land. “Put all your genius, your integration and your objectivity into all land transactions. Beware of land sellers or those who will offer you. Because I must admit that in Kribi, the terrain slips dangerously in all seasons. Please do not slip during the dry season and fall, “he advised.

By Rita Akana, CCN

The French Cameroun Prime Minister, Philemon Yang who hails from West Cameroon is fighting for his political survival after Southern Cameroonians abandoned the 56 years old marriage with La Republique du Cameroun in a general uprising that has left the country facing a prolonged period of uncertainty.

President Biya’s outgoing government saw its support slump and eventually disappeared as Southern Cameroonians flocked to Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council, the Anglophone Cameroons new version of the SCNC which has staged a remarkable recovery to become the decisive political grouping in the new Republic of Southern Cameroons.

“Tsunami” was the word used by several Southern Cameroons newspapers recently to describe the outcome of the October 1 Independence Day celebrations that President Biya and Mr Philemon Yang looked certain to dominate just a year ago. But both men’s inability to persuade Southern Cameroonians that Cameroon remains one and indivisible has cost Yang and President Biya their majority following — and perhaps their jobs.

Even with growing calls for Prime Minister Philemon Yang to severe links with Ghogomu Paul Mingo and to open genuine dialogue with the leadership of the Governing Council to either form a federated structure, the unpopular head of government from Oku has kept his man and they are heading to Southern Cameroons to stage a repeat of the one year old comedy and tragedy with the moderate leader of the Consortium and some Bamileke lawyers based in the territory. But this current arrangement would require them to overcome almost a 56 years old Francophone/Anglophone divisions dating from a French teleguided coup against Southern Cameroons in Foumban in the 1960s.

Cameroon Concord News Group and the Cameroon Intelligence Report are focusing instead on a new Cameroon after Biya and the terms of separation no matter how long the process will take. It is time for this new generation of Southern Cameroonians to live up to the greatness and to prove themselves renewed and worthy of a future by staging a massive ghost town operation against Philemon Yang and his gang.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Cameroon Concord News Group

Barrister Akéré Muna has responded to comments reportedly made by one of the 1984 April 6^th coup plotters, Issa Tchiroma Bakary. The French Cameroon political elite who also moonlight as Minister of Communication and Cameroon government spokesman had reacted negatively after Akere Muna announced that he would run for the 2018 presidential elections.

Speaking on Canal 2 International on Thursday about his candidacy in France, Akere lamented especially the hostile reactions to his candidacy from some pro Biya comedians. “We spend our time saying that there is nobody, and when someone comes up, they hit him.”

Without mentioning names, Barrister Muna replied to those who accused him of taking advantage of the Southern Cameroons crisis. “I chose this moment because I am ready. I have served at home and in international institutions.  I think that now I am ready to put my knowledge at the service of the nation”.

Akéré Muna promised to have dual citizenship recognised if he was elected President of the Republic. He told Canal 2 International that he was surprised by the enthusiasm of Cameroonians in the Diaspora who seem to be passionate by his approach.

For Akere, the Diaspora must be an integral part of the development of Cameroon. He promised that there would be dual nationality provided that they had a tax residence in Cameroon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, CCN

The evidence is finally here:  Agbor Balla Nkongho is actually  working tirelessly to frustrate the struggle armed with staggering sums of money from LRC.  At this very moment he is living large in Hotel des Deputes in Yaoundé after covering thousands of kilometres recruiting and bribing Southern Cameroonians to join his evil enterprise.

Meanwhile Dr Fontem Neba, a man who was jailed alongside with him has had his ID confiscated and bank account frozen. Fontem cannot travel while Balla has not only an ID but even a passport and the resources to travel abroad as evidenced by his most recent trip across Africa.

So why is Fontem being punished and Balla rewarded ?

Why are they refusing to return the ID of Fontem but Balla has an ID and a passport ? Why is Fontem’s account frozen while Balla is overflowing with cash ? What was the excuse given by Balla when the prison guards found 6.5 million cfa on him?

Is it even credible that someone would give an inmate 6.5 million to buy a vehicle when the inmate doesn’t even know when he will be released ? Why did one of the interrogators in Nkondengui tell Fontem that HE, Fontem was the ONLY hard nut to crack implying that Balla was more understanding?

Is the offer that was tabled to Balla, Fontem and the others still available ? Who are the people who came from the presidency 2 days ago to coerce Fontem in Buea? Why did they not make a similar move towards Balla?

Why is Fontem not ousting Balla even though it is clear that both men see things differently ? Is Fontem safe? What is Balla planning ? What has he told LRC about Fontem ? We are living in dangerous times…Agbor Balla must be stopped

NB: This write-up was sent to our editorial desk by an anonymous source. We decided to publish it for the simple fact that Barrister Agbor Balla is no longer talking about BBC Mancho and the many other Southern Cameroons detainees.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the so-called Cameroon government spokesman and Minister of Communication has said that secession will never see the light of day in Cameroon. The French Cameroun political elite known for his role in the 1984 April 6^th Coup against President Biya and for his anti Beti Ewondo statements also observed that the Biya Francophone government has satisfied the demands of Southern Cameroonians and added that each time a concession is made, “the seccessionists raise new conditions.”

Tchiroma was speaking during a visit to the headquarters of La Meteo, a pro Biya regime newspaper based in Yaounde on Tuesday the 10^th of October 2017. The controversial cabinet minister whose health has been failing of recent, acknowledged that Cameroon was indeed at crossroads but secession has no place in the country.

Exactly one year ago, the anglophone crisis sparked off in Southern Cameroons basically from demands made by anglophone lawyers and teachers which ultimately metamorphosized into demands for federalism and later secession by the peoples of Southern Cameroons.  The Francophone dominated government in Yaounde has reported an uneasy calm lately within these regions after the riots of October 1.

By Rita Akana, CCN