Politics

Thousands protest in Niger demanding immediate withdrawal of US troops

13, April 2024

Thousands protest in Niger demanding immediate withdrawal of US troops 0

Thousands of people in Niger’s capital on Saturday protested for the immediate departure of US soldiers from the north, after the military junta in Niamey said it was withdrawing from a military agreement with Washington.

Following a July coup, the West African country said in mid-March that the 2012 cooperation agreement had been “unilaterally imposed” by the United States.

Students and several prominent figures from the military regime were amongst the crowd in front of the National Assembly Headquarters in Niamey.

The crowd was heard chanting “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march”.

French troops were expelled at the end of 2023, but about 1,000 American soldiers remain based in Agadez city in the north.

In late March, Niger said the US would submit a proposal to “disengage” its soldiers from the country. Washington declined to comment, but said it contacted Niger to “obtain clarification”. 

“They said they (the Americans) were going to leave, so let them leave in peace and quickly,” shouted Sheikh Ahmadou Mamoudou, a well-known religious leader. 

Flags from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Russia were visible but organisers asked demonstrators to refrain from slogans insulting the US or burning its flags.

In March Niger joined neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso in the creation of a joint force to battle the long-running jihadist rebellions raging in the three nations.

The three countries have turned their backs on former coloniser France and strengthened their ties with Russia.

Source: AFP

President Biya’s health: doctors long implanted a pacemaker in his heart

13, April 2024

President Biya’s health: doctors long implanted a pacemaker in his heart 0

The succession crisis at the heart of Cameroon is clearly deeper than that in the heart of the regime’s leader President Paul Biya.

Cameroon Intelligence Report has been reliably informed that Swiss doctors implanted a pacemaker in the heart of president Biya during his last trip to Geneva.

Our source added that the crisis at the heart of the Francophone dominated regime is deeper than the crisis in the heart of its head of state.

The ruling CPDM crime syndicate is 42 years old and many in both French and English speaking Cameroon think that now is the best time to evaluate the success or failure of President Biya and his acolytes in managing state affairs.

According to several indicators compiled by our London Bureau Chief Isong Asu, the situation of the 42 year old Biya government in terms of responsiveness indicates the worst scenario compared to other CEMAC states like Gabon and Congo Brazzaville.

The Biya regime has the worst record in the regulation and quality of legislation, especially for the economy. Immediately after he took office from the late Ahmadou Ahidjo economic crises became more pronounced.

For 42 years, Biya has based his policies on false therapeutic promises that are now being ridiculed by many including legendary Cameroonian musician Richard Bona.

For 42 years, people’s livelihoods have been severely affected by the crises created and exacerbated by the Biya government. Cameroonians have protested against the incompetence of the ruling government until many recently turned to prayers calling for some sought of divine intervention.

“The Biya administration is an extreme one, and needs someone from inside to take it down as quickly as possible,” said Rita Akana, our Yaoundé City Reporter.

“Our Beti, Bulu and Ewondo communities all share a responsibility to stop the deep division, polarization and rift among the Cameroonian people,” a senior CPDM official said during a televised debate on Equinox TV.

Dr Joachim Arrey of the Global Think Tank for Africa in a conversation with this reporter advocated for a judicial overhaul of the electoral code. Dr Arrey observed that only “ELECAM has the prerogative of publishing election results and only ELECAM-published results will be acceptable. It should also be pointed out that in the event of any election disputes; only the Constitutional Council has the right to address such issues. Once more, it is the President’s constitutional right to appoint the president and members of the Constitutional Council. Except Mr. Biya and his people completely lose their minds, there will never be any accident in this regard.”

“The country’s political opposition will never win an election if the current political dispensation is not reformed to reduce the ruling party’s grip on the country” Dr Arrey Furthered.

In addition to economic problems and crises, the human rights situation in Cameroon has turned into a disaster. The government’s execution machine and repression are never silent.  Biya is currently sacrificing his Beti Bulu political elites to save himself from internal crises.

The eruption of war in Southern Cameroons remains part of the destructive policies adopted by Biya and his government. Biya and his gang fantastically believed that igniting this war would bring them significant benefits. The outcome of the current war in Southern Cameroons increasingly demonstrates the strategic failure of the regime.

There are many parameters that the regime cannot overcome the numerous crises in Cameroon.  They include the government’s empty coffers and massive printing of banknotes that have severely depreciated the FCFA currency and also led to inflation and staggering price hikes.

Observing the current goings-on in the government, Biya’s deteriorating health and widespread and systematic corruption, it is evidently clear that the situation in Yaoundé is more critical for the dictator.

Biya, his family members and his CPDM criminals must now prepare themselves to deal with very challenging conditions. Can they navigate these crises with the current situation? The realities show that Biya has reached the final phase, from which it is impossible to escape this whirlpool.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman and Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord Group

Dublin: Simon Harris pledges ‘new ideas, energy’ after becoming Ireland’s youngest PM

9, April 2024

Dublin: Simon Harris pledges ‘new ideas, energy’ after becoming Ireland’s youngest PM 0

Lawmaker Simon Harris was elected Ireland’s prime minister by a vote in parliament Tuesday, becoming at 37 the country’s youngest-ever leader.

Harris takes over as head of Ireland’s three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise resignation last month. Harris, who served as higher education minister in Varadkar’s government, was the only candidate to replace him as head of the center-right Fine Gael party.

Lawmakers in the Dáil, the lower house of Ireland’s parliament, confirmed Harris as taoiseach, or prime minister, by a 88-69 vote.

He was formally appointed to the post by President Michael D. Higgins in a ceremony at the president’s official residence in Dublin.

Harris was first elected to parliament at 24 and has been nicknamed the “TikTok taoiseach” – pronounced TEA-shock – because of his fondness for communicating on social media. He faces challenges including a strained health service, soaring housing costs and an exodus of Fine Gael lawmakers, more than 10 of whom have said they will not run for reelection.

“I commit to doing everything that I can to honor the trust that you have placed in me today,” Harris said. “As taoiseach I want to bring new ideas, a new energy and a new empathy to public life.”

Varadkar was the previous youngest-ever premier when first elected at age 38, as well as Ireland’s first openly gay prime minister. Varadkar, whose mother is Irish and father is Indian, was also Ireland’s first biracial taoiseach.

Varadkar, 45, has had two spells as taoiseach – between 2017 and 2020 and again since December 2022 as part of a job-share with Micheál Martin, the head of Fianna Fáil.

Varadkar officially stepped down on Monday when he handed in his letter of resignation to the president.

Varadkar told the Dáil on Tuesday that his time in politics had been the “most fulfilling and rewarding time” of his life.

“But today is the beginning of a new era for my party, a new chapter in my life and a new phase for this coalition government,” he said.

Harris has said he plans to keep the Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Green Party coalition government going until March 2025, when an election must be held.

Opposition parties argued that the Irish public deserves an early election.

“Another Fine Gael taoiseach is the last thing the people need,” said Mary Lou McDonald, leader of left-wing party Sinn Fein. “We need a change of leadership, we need a change of government.”

Source: AP

Yaoundé: opposition says Senegal is example for fair elections, ousting entrenched leader

1, April 2024

Yaoundé: opposition says Senegal is example for fair elections, ousting entrenched leader 0

Members of Cameroon’s opposition parties are encouraging citizens to learn from Senegal, where a 44-year-old politician was elected last week as the youngest leader on the African continent. They say it’s time for change in Cameroon, where President Paul Biya, now in his 90s, has ruled for more than four decades and is preparing to run for re-election.

Nothing has generated debates on the streets, in offices, within political parties and in Cameroon’s media organs so much as Senegal’s March 24 elections.

Participants in a debate program aired by Equinox Television said civilians in central African countries, especially Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, Congo and Gabon should emulate the example from Senegal and democratically oust leaders who keep a tight grip on power and rule with an iron fist.

Njamnsi Theodore is a 35-year-old teacher who hopes Cameroonians will get inspired by what just happened in Senegal.

“The results of the presidential election in Senegal and the entire process sends a very clear message to Cameroonians especially the youths,” he said. “Register and vote. If you don’t register, you wouldn’t vote and if you don’t vote you wouldn’t have that chance of getting the leaders that you really want, so register, that is the clear message, that is the lesson we get from the Senegalese situation.”

Opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye is now Senegal’s president-elect after winning a first-round victory fueled largely by young voters.

In Cameroon, opposition and civil society groups say voter apathy is high because elections are always marred by fraud.

Ninety-one-year-old President Paul Biya has won all presidential elections since the return of multiparty politics in Cameroon in 1990 and is preparing to run again next year.

The opposition says Senegal’s election shows it is possible to stop leaders from clinging to power. Senegal’s President Macky Sall attempted to postpone this year’s election but backed down after widespread protests.

Mbang Boniface is a member of Cameroon’s Renaissance Movement Party. He says youth can remove Biya from power if they register as voters, choose their candidate, vote and defend their votes if necessary after the polls.

He says Senegal’s youths massively voted for Bassirou Diomaye Faye because they believe only young people can effect changes needed on a continent where leaders are generally old and out of touch with the views and aspirations of the population.

“Of course, Senegal is sending a very strong message to Cameroon,” he said. “The Senegalese president is 44 years [old], meaning he is young and able to understand the problems of the youth. Here in Cameroon, we have a president who is 91 years. He started ruling when Faye was just born. Faye is able to understand the problems of the youths unlike here in Cameroon, where the youths will have to sort their problems by themselves.”

But Samson Websi, political analyst at Cameroon’s National Institute of Management and Technology says it will be difficult to oust Biya in an election.

He says unlike in Senegal where government institutions are independent, Biya has loyalists planted throughout the government.

“Senegal stands out as an example to what happens in Cameroon, where democracy is suffering from military involvement in politics,” he said. “Parliament in Cameroon is virtually at the beck and call of the executive. The judiciary in Cameroon is not independent. The president of the republic [Biya] is the head of the judiciary. He is the one who guarantees the independence of the judiciary, which means that democracy is in trouble.”

Cameroon’s government insists that its institutions are independent, while Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement Party say the president has fairly won all elections.

They say Biya enables young people to participate in decision-making through bodies such as Cameroon’s National Youth Council. However, the opposition says Biya appoints only youths loyal to him to head the council.

Cameroon’s presidential elections are set for next year. President Biya will set the date.

Source: VOA

DR Congo appoints Judith Suminwa Tuluka as its first female prime minister

1, April 2024

DR Congo appoints Judith Suminwa Tuluka as its first female prime minister 0

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s planning minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka was Monday appointed as the African nation’s first woman prime minister, state television announced.

An economist, she takes over as prime minister from Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, following President Felix Tshisekedi’s sweeping re-election on December 20.

Tshisekedi officially triumphed with 73.47 percent and the vote passed largely peacefully in a country long torn by violence and instability.

The opposition branded the ballot a sham.

Voting was officially extended by a day due to logistical snarls and polls were open for days after in remote areas.

Parties supporting Tshisekedi garnered more than 90 percent of the seats in parliament, allowing him to legislate with ease.

The new prime minister will be tasked with pushing the president’s declared priorities of employment, youth, women and national cohesion for the nation of about 100 million people.

He first became president in 2019 promising to improve living conditions in the DR Congo—which boasts mineral riches but has a largely impoverished population—and put an end to 25 years of bloodshed in the east.

Tshisekedi failed to keep those promises but campaigned for a second term on his achievements such as free primary medication, asking for another mandate to “consolidate” the progress.

According to the United Nations, some seven million people have been internally displaced by conflict in the DR Congo, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The security situation has worsened in North Kivu province where a Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has seized swathes of territory over the last two years.

Source: AFP

Two First Ladies at presidential palace in a Senegal first

1, April 2024

Two First Ladies at presidential palace in a Senegal first 0

In the closing moments of the electoral campaign, Senegal’s president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye stepped onto the stage holding the hands of both his wives Marie and Absa.

It was an unprecedented sight in the national politics of the West African country and a clear choice by the first-round winner who promises radical change.

Polygamy is a traditional and religious practice firmly anchored in the culture of Senegal where the overwhelming majority is Muslim.

Marie Khone, who until now had never been in the spotlight, comes from the same village as 44-year-old Faye. They married 15 years ago and have four children.

He married his second wife Absa just over a year ago.

“It’s the ultimate recognition of the tradition of polygamy at the top of the state, with a situation that will reflect Senegalese reality,” sociologist Djiby Diakhate said.

Many men praise the practice while women tend to remain “mistrustful”, he added.

Polygamy has long stirred controversy and the public appearance by BDF, as he is known, with his two wives at his side cheered on by thousands of his supporters has made it a top talking point in the media, online and at home, sparking diverse reaction.

“Being a second wife suits me better than being a first,” well-known singer Mia Guisse said proudly in a video that recently went viral.

Reputed sociologist Fatou Sow Sarr said on X, formerly Twitter, that “polygamy, monogamy, polyandry are matrimonial models determined by the history of every nation”.

“These models are now in competition with homosexual marriage,” he added, in a country where homosexuality is punishable by between one and five years in jail.

“I really think that the West has no legitimacy to judge our cultures,” Sarr added in a follow-up message on X.

Nevertheless, many Senegalese women say they find polygamy hypocritical and unfair, while the UN Human Rights Committee said in a 2022 report that it amounted to discrimination against women and should be ended.

‘Totally new’ situation

In her 1979 novel “So Long a Letter”, Senegalese author Mariama Ba was fiercely critical of polygamy, depicting the pain and loneliness of a woman after her husband took a second, younger wife.

Many popular TV series in recent years, like “Mistress of a Married Man” or “Polygamy”, have explored the ups and downs of family life in polygamous households.

Former culture minister and history professor Penda Mbow said the matrimonial situation at the presidential palace now is “totally new”.

“Until now, there was only one First Lady. This means the entire protocol must be reviewed,” he added.

Polygamy is widespread in Senegal particularly in rural areas and is considered a way of widening one’s family.

Islam permits men to take up to four wives providing they have the financial means. In such a case, it calls for equal, alternating time spent with the wives, of between two and three days.

‘Strong signal’

Many marriages are not registered in Senegal, making it difficult to say exactly how many are polygamous.

But according to a 2013 report by the national statistics and demographics agency, 32.5 percent of married Senegalese people were in a polygamous union.

The average age of the women at the time of their marriage was 40.4 years old and 52.9 for men, the report said.

Diakhate, the sociologist, said Faye had sent a “strong signal so that other men also accept their polgygamy and so that they demonstrate transparency like him”.

He said there was “undoubtedly a will” to end hidden polygamy — known in the Wolof language as Takou Souf — which he added would be “a good thing for the economy of the country and for the matrimonial situation”.

In response to detractors, the incoming president, who won 54.28 percent in the March 24 vote, shows nothing but pride in his family situation.

“I have beautiful children because I have wonderful wives. They are very beautiful. I give thanks to God they are always fully behind me,” he said during the presidential race.

Source:  AFP

Senegal: Macky Sall holds ‘courteous’ meeting with president-elect Faye

28, March 2024

Senegal: Macky Sall holds ‘courteous’ meeting with president-elect Faye 0

Senegal’s anti-establishment leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whose weekend election victory could be officially confirmed within days, was welcomed at the presidential palace Thursday by outgoing leader Macky Sall.

The meeting, which came after weeks of crisis surrounding the vote, suggested a swift and peaceful handover in the West African nation that prides itself on democratic stability in a coup-hit region.

Faye, 44, was only freed from prison 10 days before the election, along with his mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running following a criminal conviction he says was politically motivated.

The outgoing president received both men in what his office called “a courteous meeting where they discussed at length the major issues for the state, as well as the inauguration ceremony”.

According to provisional results, Faye won the first round of the vote outright with 54.3 percent, far ahead of Sall’s hand-picked candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba.

He came second with 35.8 percent of the vote.

Senegal’s Constitutional Court could declare Faye the official winner before the weekend, which would make a handover possible before April 2, the official end of Sall’s term.

Sall provoked a political crisis in February by suspending the presidential election just days before polls were to open, citing security concerns.

The move sparked protests and clashes that left four people dead, before the Constitutional Court ordered him to set the date for March 24.

Faye, who has never held elected office, is set to become the fifth president of the West African country of around 18 million people.

He has promised to restore national “sovereignty” and implement a programme of “left-wing pan-Africanism”.

Source: AFP

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Philémon Yang on his way to the presidency of the UN General Assembly

28, March 2024

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Philémon Yang on his way to the presidency of the UN General Assembly 0

Philémon Yang, former Prime Minister of Cameroon, is set to become the president of the 79th United Nations General Assembly next June.

Aged 76, he will succeed Denis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago. His candidacy, supported by President Paul Biya, received strong support from the Central Africa region, making him Africa’s only candidate for this prestigious position.

Paul Biya played a crucial role in Yang’s candidacy, publicly supporting him and mobilizing ambassadors in Yaoundé in his favor.

Despite his replacement in 2019, Yang remained active in power circles, holding senior positions. His integrity and discretion, as well as his record of not being involved in controversial matters, strengthened his candidacy.

Philémon Yang, a seasoned diplomat, has a long career marked by key positions and above all benefits from a reputation for integrity. His future presidency at the UN will see him engage in resolving global crises, far from the tumult of Cameroonian politics.

Source: Le Journaldelafrique

South Africa: Jacob Zuma barred from running in May general election

28, March 2024

South Africa: Jacob Zuma barred from running in May general election 0

Former President Jacob Zuma has been barred from running in South Africa’s general election in May.

The country’s electoral commission, or IEC, has not given a reason.

However, his 2021 conviction, and jailing, for contempt of court would appear to disqualify him.

His backing of the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party has been seen as a possible threat to the governing African National Congress (ANC), which has suspended Mr Zuma.

The 81-year-old served as president from 2009 until 2018, when he had to step down because of corruption allegations.

Mr Zuma’s new party is named after the ANC’s former military wing, and he sees himself as the true heir to the governing party’s revolutionary roots.

The ANC had wanted South Africa’s electoral body to deregister MK but this request was rejected on Tuesday.

Mr Zuma has been leading the MK party’s campaign and was the first name on their candidate list, but the electoral commission received objections to him potentially becoming a member of the National Assembly.

Rather than voting directly for a president, South Africans elect members of the National Assembly. The head of whichever party gains a majority then becomes the country’s leader.

“In the case of former President Zuma, yes, we did receive an objection, which has been upheld,” said electoral commission head Mosotho Moepya on Thursday.

“The party that has nominated him has been informed,” Mr Moepya told journalists.

Mr Zuma has until 2 April to appeal against the decision.

The former president received a 15-month prison sentence in 2021 for contempt of court and the constitution says anyone who has had a prison sentence of longer than 12 months is not eligible to run for election.

Mr Zuma is also facing charges of corruption over a multi-billion dollar arms deal from the 1990s, when he was vice-president.

The IEC said that the ruling did not prevent the MK party from taking part in the 29 May poll, News24 reports.

For the first time since the start of the democratic era in 1994, the ANC’s vote share could fall below 50%, according to several opinion polls. The MK party is seen as popular in Mr Zuma’s home region of KwaZulu-Natal.

Source: BBC

US: Joe Lieberman, former vice presidential candidate, dies at 82

27, March 2024

US: Joe Lieberman, former vice presidential candidate, dies at 82 0

Former US Senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman has died at 82.

The cause was complications from a fall, according to a family statement obtained by CBS News, The BBC’s US partner.

The centrist represented the state of Connecticut in the Senate for nearly a quarter of a century.

Mr Lieberman became the first Jewish person to join a major party US presidential ticket in 2000 when Al Gore selected him as his running mate.

Source: BBC

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