Politics

8, June 2022

Ukraine War: Russian Foreign Minister visits Turkey in bid to unblock Black Sea for grain exports ⁰

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a two-day visit to Turkey on Tuesday for talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine, which have been stalled by Moscow’s offensive amid a UN warning of worldwide food crisis due to the war. This comes as fighting intensifies in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he hoped issues relating to grain shipments from ports in Ukraine could be resolved, provided Kyiv de-mines the waters around them. Speaking alongside his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Lavrov said Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine was going according to plan and that peace talks would need to resume before there was any chance of presidential talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Turkey’s foreign minister said a UN plan to open a corridor to restart Ukrainian grain exports was reasonable and requires more talks with all sides to ensure ships would be safe.

Speaking alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu said their meeting in Ankara was fruitful, including a will to return to negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv for a possible ceasefire.

Source: France 24

7, June 2022

UK: Boris Johnson is now a weakened leader and with an uncertain future ⁰

The moment of truth for the embattled British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson at the end of a day rife with speculation about his political survival.

It’s a result that means Boris Johnson is now a weakened leader and with an uncertain future, although he himself doesn’t think so. But it’s exactly the stuff that matters to people that forced members of his own conservative party to call for a no-confidence vote: lock-down breaching parties held at government buildings at the height of Coronavirus pandemic when families were banned from visiting even dying relatives.

The sticky Partygate scandal played a major role in conservative MPs challenging Johnson’s position, but it was not the only reason.

Things came to a boiling point over the weekend when the prime minister was booed at an event celebrating the Queens 70-year-rule.

And prior to Monday’s vote, allegations of intimidation and arm-twisting by number 10 trying to get conservative MPs to change their minds, and a last ditch effort by the Boris Johnson himself writing to MPs begging for a second chance.

Boris Johnson has survived the confidence vote. But the considerable number of votes against him can pose a serious challenge to his premiership. That’s why some experts say he won’t be able to hold on to power for much longer.

Sourcies

4, June 2022

ECOWAS leaders discuss sanctions against juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea ⁰

West African leaders on Saturday opened a meeting in Ghana’s capital Accra to decide whether to ease or ramp up sanctions against junta-ruled Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is expected to decide whether to keep, lighten or lift retaliatory measures on Mali, imposed in January after its military regime announced an intention to rule for another five years.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo Ado opened the summit, attended by the heads of state of most of the 15-member countries but without any representative from Mali, Burkina Faso or Guinea visible in the audience.

“This present summit will re-examine and assess the situations in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso in light of recent developments within the region and global context,” he said.

“Our objective has always been to find ways to help these countries return to constitutional order.”

Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali are currently suspended from ECOWAS bodies.

While Mali has already been slapped with sanctions, the other two countries risk further punitive measures from the bloc after ruling juntas in their respective capitals vowed to hold onto power for another three years.

West Africa has seen a succession of military coups in less than two years — two in Bamako, followed by Conakry last September and Ouagadougou in January.

Insurgency

ECOWAS, keen to limit political instability spreading further, has held summits and piled on the pressure to shorten the juntas’ so-called transition periods before a return to civilian rule.

But strongmen Colonel Assimi Goita in Mali, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya in Guinea and Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in Burkina Faso, have all flouted that pressure and since been sworn in as presidents.

They invoke the severity of domestic crises — that span jihadist insurgency to social problems — and claim they need time to rebuild their states and organise elections.

A UN report published last week said the West African sanctions had contributed to worsening living conditions, particularly for the poor.

One of the most volatile and impoverished countries in the world, Mali is battling a decade-old jihadist revolt, which began with a regional insurrection and then spread to Niger and Burkina Faso.

ECOWAS closed borders and suspended trade and financial exchanges, except for basic necessities.

In Guinea, the military overthrew president Alpha Conde last September and has vowed a return to civilian rule in three years.

Burkina Faso’s government was overthrown in January, when disgruntled colonels ousted elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

Source: AFP

3, June 2022

African Union head tells Putin Africans are ‘victims’ of Ukraine conflict ⁰

African Union head Macky Sall on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take into account the suffering in African countries from food shortages caused by the conflict in Ukraine.

Sall, the Senegalese president, told Putin on a visit to Russia to “become aware that our countries, even if they are far from the theatre (of action), are victims on an economic level” of the conflict, adding that food supplies should be “outside” of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over Ukraine.

Source: AFP

3, June 2022

IG urges South Africa to stop Biya’s war crimes in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government has reportedly sent a letter to prominent MPs in the South African parliament, calling on the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa to take measures to stop the Biya French Cameroun regime forces from killing innocent civilians including women and children in Ambazonia.

Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that in the letter to the South African lawmakers, Dabney Yerima called on the ANC administration to take immediate, concrete steps to stop the ongoing war in Southern Cameroons.

The exiled Southern Cameroons leader has also met with heads of parliamentary groups in South Africa including the much respected Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters party urging all to immediately take action against the despotic Biya French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé.

Yerima told an anti French rally recently in South Africa that the international community must hold the Biya Francophone government in Yaoundé accountable for its atrocities against the people of Southern Cameroons.

By Isong Asu

2, June 2022

Ukraine war enters 99th day: Senegalese President to speak to Putin ⁰

The head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, will speak with President Vladimir Putin in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi on Friday, Dakar said.

The visit is aimed at “freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilisers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries”, along with easing the Ukraine conflict, Sall’s office said Thursday.

The visit was organised after an invitation by Putin, and Sall will travel with the president of the African Union Commission, his office added.

The AU will also receive a video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though no date has been set.

27, May 2022

Biya Succession Palaver: French ambassador at Unity Palace ⁰

The French Ambassador Christophe Guilhou was at the Unity Palace today to push for a succession plan program.

Pro Yaoundé media houses reported that the top French diplomat and Biya discussed the current situation in Ukraine and its consequences on the world economy.

However, Cameroon Intelligence Report sources confirmed after the meeting that Paris is very worried about Biya’s deteriorating bill of health and the need for new blood that will protect French interest.

The French are scared that if Biya disappears suddenly, there could be chaos and they will lose Cameroon, especially as Russians are spreading their presence on the continent.

Ever since the Biya regime purchased arms from Moscow, Paris has been very concerned and it is working hard to build confidence even though it no longer trust Biya who is crumbling and losing his mind.

Speaking to reporters after the almost one hour thirty minutes meeting, Christophe Guilhou said

“Cameroon is still a friend of France and France is still a friend of Cameroon. We have a very substantial cooperation. The idea is to foster even more the cooperation and the friendship between Cameroon and France.”

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

27, May 2022

Secret Meetings Continue at Etoudi ⁰

More secret meetings are still being held at the Unity Palace to find Dion Ngute’s replacement.

Dion Ngute, who became Prime Minister some three years ago, is viewed by the French and Cameroonian authorities as having fallen short of their expectations because he has not been able to douse the fire in the Southwest region.

He was brought in as Head of Government to help disconnect the Southwest Region from the separatist movement that is still tearing the country apart, as a strategy to roll back the revolution.

“Dion Ngute has failed as a Prime Minister. He is a nice person. He is mild mannered and very friendly, unfortunately he has not been able to establish communication lines with Ambazonian fighters so that some of them could be convinced to down their weapons and return to a state of law,” a source at the presidency told Cameroon Intelligence Report.

“Many people are thinking that Dion Ngute could be replaced by Elung Paul Che, but many others wonder if he has any leverage over the Ambazonia Interim Government and its majority Amba fighters, many of whom pay allegiance to the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora,” he stressed.

“We need peace in Cameroon and many Cameroonians hold that if the post of vice president is created, it should be given to someone who can talk to the Diaspora and has much leverage over the separatists,” he underscored.

“We are hearing that the president and his men are seriously looking abroad for someone with vast knowledge and experience who can help change things on the ground. The intelligence community has it that many Southern Cameroonians working in international organizations have much leverage as they help to finance the fighters. Bringing one of such persons into government might cut the fighters off some of their finances, making it possible for them to come to the negotiating table,” the source, who is a senior government official, said.

“The focus is now on Southwesterners in international organizations. The hawks in government hold that someone who is moderate and not tainted by the corruption in Yaoundé could be a welcome relief. The search for a real Southwesterner is even extended to some who are on retirement and the key factor here is they must be capable of talking with both the separatists and federalists,” he said.

“The hawks in government know that the mismanagement in Cameroon has put the government at odds with major global development finance institutions. They think that bringing someone from the world of finance and development will help the government to clean up its image,” the source added.

“There are a few Northwesterners who could be considered for this position, but it is feared they will not be supported by pro CPDM Southwesterners in Yaounde and that they lack the cloud that can help to bring the separatists back to the fold,” he pointed out.

“The African Development Bank, the African Union and the UN have some good Southwesterners. They are knowledgeable, they have been in the civil service and have been connected to the struggle in different ways, but their handicap is that they are loose cannons and electrons which cause doubts in the minds of the government hawks,” he stressed.

“I have been reliably informed that government delegations are currently in Abidjan and Addis Ababa to gather more intelligence on some people whose names are on the list. Things are moving very fast and change is really in the offing,” our source pointed out.

“Change is coming to Yaounde and it is bringing with it a lot of confusion and fear. We only hope we will get the right people. We need people who are trust-worthy. People who can silence the guns in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon,” he said.

“While the French keep on pushing for the return of Abouem à Tchoyi, Cameroonians clearly think that Anglophones deserve the position of vice president and the next president should come from the English-speaking minority,” he furthered.

“We don’t need to ruin our country. We just need someone who will unite the country and bring about development in the country,” he concluded.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

26, May 2022

Cabinet Reshuffle: Dion Ngute on his way out ⁰

The long-awaited cabinet reshuffle will soon be released and many southwesterners will end up being unhappy, as Dion Ngute is on his way out.

Though hated by Southwest separatists, the current prime minister, Dion Ngute, has his supporters who think he should still be in government. But Biya and the international community think differently. He has not been up to the task a source at the UN told the Cameroon Concord News Group’s editor-in-chief.

According to the international community and France, Dion Ngute has outlived his usefulness. The Biya government thought Dion was capable of disconnecting the Southwest region from the separatist movement, but the Ndian Division native has not been able to unite Southwesterners for more than three years. On the contrary, he has been a lightning rod for controversy.

The Southwest Diaspora is totally against Dion Ngute as it is being publicly alleged that he has not done anything for his people. He has not been to his native Ndian since he became the Prime Minister.

Also, Dion has never sought to talk to the Southwest Diaspora which has been financing the fighting in his region of birth and this makes it hard for the dying Biya regime to keep him as the Prime Minister, a source told the Cameroon Concord News Group.

According to a source at the country’s Presidency, Dion’s fate has been decided and he will be promptly replaced by a Francophone, presumably by someone from the north who is expected to calm down northerners who have been planning to slaughter Betis once Biya disappears.

Dion’s departure has been made a lot easier by the need to appoint a vice president who will succeed Biya in the event of a vacancy.

A Cameroon Concord News Group source at the Presidency has said that the Biya regime is still looking for a Southwesterner who will be capable of serving as a vice president. For now, it is hard to find a credible Southwesterner at home.

The source added that the French are insisting on an establishment Southwesterner but most credible and presidential Southwesterners are out of the country. They are working abroad and many of them are not loyal to the government.

The government is looking at Southwesterners in international organizations, especially those who can have an influence on separatists.

The French are worried about losing Cameroon and they hold that a moderate Southwesterner could help calm down tempers in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

The Source hinted that a list of Southwesterners in international organizations such as the African Development Bank, the African Union, the United Nations and the World Bank is being studied at the Presidency.

Many names have been floated but the fear is that will those in international organizations be capable of protecting those who have been very loyal to Biya over the last forty years?

While it is difficult to find a very reliable Southwesterner at the international level, the French are suggesting that Abouem à Tchoyi could also make a good successor because of his deep understanding of the government and the Anglophone problem which is tearing the country apart.

Abouem à Tchoyi has served as governor in the two English-speaking regions of the country and he understands the issues. He is supported by Anglophones because he knows the issue, but he is from the center region and this makes things complicated, the source said.

Currently, a few names from the African Development Bank and the United Nations are being analyzed. The fear is that those being considered are loose electrons. Will they be able to work according to French dictates? the source asked.

There is tension at the Unity Palace. Most Betis who are close to the regime are scared. Any Anglophone is feared. They know many Anglophone Cameroonians feel hurt and may not give the Betis the protection they need at this time.

For now, the die has been cast for Dion Ngute. Cameroon needs to remain united and indivisible and only an Anglophone vice president can make that happen.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

26, May 2022

Yaoundé: Biya Set To Reshuffle Cabinet ⁰

President Paul Biya is set to replace the Dion Ngute cabinet that was appointed to resolve the crisis in Southern Cameroons.

Cameroon Concord News sources hinted this after the President had a valedictory meeting with some top barons of the ruling CPDM party at the Unity Palace on Tuesday.

According to our sources, Biya has indicated that he would immediately form a government that will oversee a peaceful transition to the new generation.

He reportedly thanked some of the ministers including Prime Minister Dion Ngute for their services to the nation, expressing confidence that giving the experience they have garnered in the services of government, they are equipped to help Cameroon again when the need arises.

This item is still developing

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé