Cameroon is not an ideal place for journalists to thrive in the line of duty due to laws that constantly threaten their freedom and independence, a recent report by a media rights group has said.

The 2018 Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders said Cameroonian authorities have imposed a climate of fear and self-censorship on media practitioners.

The index showed that the central African country had made a slight progress from 2017 moving from 130th spot to 129th this year. That notwithstanding, journalists face huge hurdles some of which led to exorbitant fines and in some cases jail terms.

What RSF said about Cameroon: Constant threat to media outlets

The communication minister said in September 2017 that press freedom was guaranteed in Cameroon “as long as it is consonant with the defense of institutions.” The authorities have imposed a climate of fear and self-censorship.

At the same time, the government has withheld final legal certification from many radio stations in order to keep them under permanent threat of closure.

Another commonly implemented practice is bringing defamation prosecutions against journalists without notifying them. This often leads to exorbitant fines or lengthy prison terms without the ability defend oneself in court.

The 2014 terrorism law that provides for trial by military court has been used to keep a Radio France Internationale correspondent in detention for nearly two and a half years.

Other journalists were arrested during the crackdown on protests in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, where the Internet was disconnected for several months from January 2017 onwards.

African outlook for 2018 RSF Index

Africa failed to make the top twenty of the annual ranking with the continent’s freest nation being Ghana at 23rd spot of the 180 country ranking. The country beat Namibia who until now were the best.

Namibia came in 26th, South Africa came in 28th followed in 29th spot by Cape Verde. Burkina Faso completed the top 5 spot for Africa at 43rd spot.

Unfortunately, the continent also made a strong showing at the tail of the list. Eritrea had the worst media freedom placing 179th only behind North Korea. Africa had three other countries in the last 10. Equatorial Guinea at 171st.

Djibouti and Sudan at the 173rd and 174th spots respectively. Other worst performing African nations included Burundi, Egypt, Libya and Somalia at the 159th, 161st, 162nd and 168th slots respectively.

Culled from Africa News

The Commanding Officer

Manyu Ghost Warriors Battalion

Subject: The Eyumojock 18/04/2018 Attack

Category: Unclassified

Following the publishing of a gruesome video on social media in which the thugs of LRC paraded the corpses of 3 young men they claimed were part of the MG Restoration forces, we launched a thorough investigation and want to officially inform the public of the following findings:

➢ There was no MG Battalion mission planned for Eyumojock on the 14th April 2018

➢ The Eyumojock attack was a brazen act of robbery carried out by unidentified elements against a popular beer parlor owned by a certain Mr. Ojang Stephen.

➢ These bandits held the Sales girl and other customers captive at gun point and stole an unknown amount of money

➢ They then moved to other localities towards the Eyumojock Gendarmerie post with the intent of carrying out further acts of vandalism and banditry.

➢ These thieves were ambushed and killed by the Gendarmes

➢ Their bodies were then displayed in Public and labelled as Restoration forces

We want the public to know that while we regret the waste of human lives put on display like some trophy to boost the ego of the LRC thugs, we equally take this opportunity to assure you that the gory video you watched was pure propaganda by the LRC thugs. The intention was to shock public opinion into losing faith in the capability of the Manyu Ghost Warriors to protect its people.

We want to assure the public that this piece of cheap LRC designed propaganda video had nothing to do with the brave and well trained Manyu Ghost Warriors who operate under the very strict supervision of professional Commanders.

Finally, we want to assure the public that we have performed a head count of all the boys in our MG battalions and none of them is missing.

As Commander of the 2nd Brigade of ASC, I am sending this as the official report received so far from one of the defense units partially operating in that brigade. I am still waiting for reports from other defense units.

Brigade Commander

Ekri Kak

An ambush on a joint French Cameroun army and Gendarmerie patrol has left several soldiers dead, a Biya regime official has said, as fears increase that the Southern Cameroons crisis is transforming into a full scale war.  Three Anglophone troops were among the dead, according to a Cameroon Concord News file citing Cameroon military officials.

The Francophone dominated army confirmed in a poorly worded statement that a mine explosion claimed the lives of two of its servicemen. But it said nothing about casualties, adding the governor of the South West region and security chiefs are working to confirm details of the ambush. This is not the first time that the presence of Manyu Odeshi fighters has been confirmed in the Ekok and Eyumojock area, which has become unstable due to many attacks attributed to troops loyal to the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime.

Cameroon Intelligence Report sources inside the Manyu Diaspora Advisory Committee revealed that the attack, which took place in the Eyumojock and Ekok, close to the Nigeria border, also claimed the lives of several soldiers. The ambush was “probably a terrorist attack”, a Cameroon government official said. One armored car and 3 Hilux were reportedly destroyed.

By Judith Fon in Mamfe

At least 18 French Cameroun government soldiers were killed in separate clashes with the Southern Cameroons self defense forces in Azi, Lebialem County, reports said. A member of the Red Dragons of Lebialem noted that the offensives in the Lebialem County were launched to counter what he described as “intensifying” French Cameroun military attacks.

Our source in Menji said Bisong Cyril Agbor who hails from the Manyu County but serving in La Republique du Cameroun was among those killed in Azi.  Representatives of the Interim Government in Lebialem have written to the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Dr Samuel Sako and complained about alleged threats from French soldiers who are demanding information about the Red Dragons.

The so-called state authority has virtually collapsed in the Lebialem and Manyu Counties.  The attack on French Cameroun forces were carried out in the night after the Southern Cameroons liberation forces destroyed a small generator that electrified the building occupied by government forces.

The Francophone governor ordered the deployment of 30 more soldiers from Menji to Azi late yesterday.

By Judith Fon

Sixteen government employees have been detained in Cameroon for allegedly leaking official documents on social media since the start of the year.

In an increasingly common phenomenon, the texts of President Paul Biya’s two most recent nationwide addresses were circulating before he even delivered them.

And in March, a confidential presidential memo began circulating on the country’s social media sites. The memo instructed security agencies to restrict travel for about two dozen senior state workers accused of stealing state funds.

Three police officers are now behind bars awaiting trial in connection with that leak.

In April, another confidential presidential order surfaced online. This one increased the allowances of soldiers deployed to the turbulent English-speaking regions. Two defense ministry staffers were called up for questioning.

Rights groups have long criticized Cameroon and other African governments, for being overly opaque.

Cameroon-born analyst Tem Fuh Mbuh, with the Dakar-based Open Society Initiative for West Africa, said the crackdown is part of a broader campaign against dissent.

“It is not only about those who are leaking official information, but there has been [a] systematic crackdown against all those who try to dissent in Cameroon,” he said. “So it’s a very alarming situation, and civic space in Cameroon has been closing very considerably in the last few years.”

Mbuh said this is particularly concerning ahead of the country’s elections in the later part of 2018.

Transparency vs. stability

Often, the response from African governments is that transparency must take a back seat to stability.

In March, Cameroon’s Prime Minister Philomen Yang said leaking sensitive official documents threatens both the Biya administration and national security. His office declined VOA’s request for an interview.

Lawyers for state employees detained over alleged leaks declined to comment to VOA as the cases are ongoing.

But at a documentation center in Yaounde, VOA found several government workers either printing or typing documents from their offices. They say they lacked the necessary computer equipment or had run short of ink.

Information technology specialist, Peter Suife, said state workers need education on dealing with sensitive information electronically.

“You have government offices that have computers, the operators of these computers don’t know how to probably store some documents in their files,” he said. “When they type, they take the key to a documentation center for printing. After printing, they are supposed to cancel what they have printed in that documentation, rather than allow it in the machine. Tomorrow, you see the documents already on streets before the state ever makes a statement.”

The law in Cameroon says government employees must protect classified and confidential materials. Failure to do so could lead to dismissal, as well as penalties ranging from a $10 (5000 CFA) fine to as much as one year’s imprisonment.

Source: VOA

In Cameroon, officials say eight villages in the English-speaking northwest have been torched and hundreds of residents have fled amid clashes this week between security forces and separatist rebels.

Terence Fukah, a 33-year-old pig farmer, told VOA he fled his village of Ajin on Tuesday as the military responded to an attack by armed men.

“It was around five o’clock in the morning. I saw dead people lying down. I had to cross on top of them and run for my dear life,” Fukah said.

“I don’t even know where my children are. I don’t even know where my wife is. I don’t know how the pigs are doing, how many have died. I don’t know if my own house has been burned. I am crying, crying for the government to do something.”

The military says armed separatist rebels torched at least eight villages in northwest Cameroon; however, residents told VOA the fires were set by the military after the attackers had fled.

“We heard gunshots. We did not know exactly what to do. Everybody was running up and down,” said Thomas Tuboh, a maize farmer from the village of Anyajua. “It was the burning that made us to know our lives were at stake, so I decided to run away from Anyajua. When the military people invaded the area, the bridges were blocked and they decided to put them down with flames.”

He said his village is now nearly completely deserted.

“You see it is a farming area that helps the whole division and the region at large. I don’t know how we are going to cope if this persists,” Tuboh said.

General Agha Robinson, who is commanding troops in the northwest region, said his soldiers were not responsible for the burning.

The crisis began in November 2016 with a strike by Anglophone lawyers and teachers, who were demanding reforms to address what they say is the marginalization of the country’s English-speaking minority by French-speakers.

The situation spiraled into all-out conflict as separatists demanded independence for the two English-speaking regions.

Thirty-eight members of the military and hundreds of rebels have been killed in the fighting, according to Cameroon’s ministry of defense. The U.N. refugee agency says tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, with at least 20,000 crossing over to neighboring Nigeria in search of safety.

There appears to be little hope for dialogue. Separatists say they will not budge on secession. Meanwhile, Cameroon has refused to release dozens of detained separatist leaders, and President Paul Biya says he will entertain no talks that threaten national unity.

Source: VOA

Law enforcement officials in Cameroon say investigations continue following a large discovery of illegal wildlife products hidden in shipping containers bound for China. At least 1,000 kilograms of pangolin scales and several hundred elephant tusks were found April 6, in containers of cocoa that were to be transported to China from the Douala international airport.

Officials have not yet determined the country of origin for the contraband. Poaching of elephants and pangolins remains a problem in Cameroon; however, the country has also served as a regional hub for smugglers. Didier Ngono, an official from the wildlife department, told VOA that three Chinese nationals have been arrested and will help police with their investigation.

Ngono says that under the law, the penalties for smuggling include fines ranging from $6,000 to $20,000 and prison sentences of between one and three years.

Cameroon has intercepted and destroyed at least two other large shipments of pangolin scales bound for Asian countries in the past two years. Eric Kaba Tah, an official with The Last Great Ape, a nongovernmental organization that helps Cameroon enforce wildlife laws, says enforcement mechanisms remain weak.

“In 2016, two Chinese traffickers were arrested with five tons of pangolin scales that were about to be illegally exported from the country to China,” Tah said. “They were given three months’ imprisonment from … the one-year minimum imprisonment they were supposed to get, and this is why we are very dissatisfied. They should be given punishment that is commensurate to their crimes.”

Both pangolins and elephants are considered critically endangered. International trade in pangolin and ivory is banned, yet consumer demand remains high in Asian countries, fueling the illegal market. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy and the scales are used in traditional medicine.

Source: VOA

Localities in Cameroon’s southwest region experienced heavy gunfire exchanges between the state security forces and suspected separatists elements leading to the death of a soldier on Thursday.

Governor of the restive region, Bernard Okalia Bilai told the Anadolu news agency that the separatist elements had mounted road blocks in parts of the region, when the army went to clear them, the hostilities ensued.

“Armed gangs of “Ambazonia” (a terrorist group according to government) barricaded several roads in the region and when soldiers went down to clear the tracks, these terrorists attacked our forces,” he said.

The exchanges left residents stranded, some caught in the crossfire had to flee into the bushes whiles others also fled for fear of reprisals from the army, as has usually been reported.

While some officials have reported a death in the regular army, all day yesterday no official report was made public.

Civilians have borne the brunt of these armed confrontations in Cameroon’s minority Anglophone region. “Soldiers go from house to house and arrest young people suspected of belonging to the Ambazonia Defense Force (ADF). Those arrested are sequestrated, beaten and their homes burned,“said John Ngu, one of the villagers, adding that several villages have been deserted in the last 24 hours.

The allegations of security highhandedness has been dismissed severally by the army. Colonel Didier Badjeck, spokesman for the army insisted that “the army does its job professionally and with respect for human rights.”

About 40 security personnel – soldiers, police, gendarmes – and more than 500 civilians have been killed in English-speaking areas since the outbreak of the so-called Anglophone crisis in late 2016, according to the Network of Human Rights Defenders of Central Africa (REDHAC).

In addition, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 7,000 people have reportedly fled to Nigeria’s Cross River State. The Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) refers to the figure of 28,000.

Source: Africa News

Justice Martin Mbeng, a onetime senior Southern Cameroons judge was kidnapped when gunmen stormed the funeral service of his late mother in Ewelle village in Eyumojock Sub constituency in the Manyu County. Cameroon Intelligence Report has been reliably informed that the armed men fired bullets in the air and at the vehicle that the retired justice ferried to the village.

Our senior intelligence officer revealed that retired justice Mbeng Martin made a dramatic u-turn in his long held position of benevolent neutrality and launched a negative campaign against President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, when the regime in Yaoundé informed him that President Biya had plans to appoint his younger brother Martin Mbeng Jr, French Cameroun’s current ambassador to Brazil as Prime Minister and Head of Government but that the Sisiku Ayuk Tabe issue was serving as a stone wall.

We understand the retired judge started a campaign of personal destruction that was aimed at President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe. A source in Ewelle hinted that the elders sounded a note of caution to him to stay clear of the Southern Cameroons revolution and to bear in mind that many people have been killed in Ewelle village by troops loyal to the regime in Yaoundé. His anti-revolution stance including actions against his own kinsman, the President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia attracted the abduction action from the revolutionary guards protecting Ewelle village.

The former chairman of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, Barrister Agbor Balla in a statement that sparked outrage strongly condemned the targeting of prominent Southern Cameroonians by the Ambazonian freedom fighters and demanded that those responsible for these acts be brought to justice.

Nearly 240 French Cameroun soldiers have been killed in the Manyu County that includes Akwaya, Eyumojock, Upper Banyang and Mamfe Central ever since the Ambazonia revolution started a year ago and spiraled into an armed conflict following the abduction of the President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe in Abuja, Nigeria.

Thousands of Southern Cameroons have been killed in the war initially fought between troops loyal to President Biya, against Ambazonia forces in Manyu known as the “Odeshi Boys.” Violence has spread throughout Southern Cameroons and now involves most of the nation’s English speaking groups.The United Nations has not commented on the deteriorating situation in West Cameroon.

The French Cameroun government forces stand accused of targeting Southern Cameroons population including women and children and sometimes deliberately shooting at innocent civilians. Cameroon Concord News Group Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai has called for the release of Justice Martin Mbeng and any other Southern Cameroonian detained by the Ambazonian freedom fighters.

A prominent figure of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate from Kendem village, Rose Arongagbor was detained recently but later on released.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from Rita Akana and Sama Ernest

Cameroon Concord News has learned that another bomb exploded today in the Lebialem County in Southern Cameroons.  We understand the installation ceremony for the new DO for Lebialem was slated for today Monday in Menji, the headquarters of the Division.  Our correspondent in the Ambazonia constituency reported that the DO arrived Alou in the morning from Dschang in a military convoy.

The DO and his French Cameroun military entourage came under attack around Nchobenyae. We gathered that 7 soldiers were killed and several others were seriously wounded.  The remains of the troops were transported to Menji and later to Dschang. The wounded are currently receiving treatment at MHA Hospital in Nveh.  The DO’s car managed to escape the attack.

Earlier on Saturday a military truck transporting soldiers from Mamfe to reinforce the deployment in Azi was also attacked by the Lebialem Dragons. The soldiers reportedly screamed and begged for help. In Alou, a military truck on patrol came under fire but no casualties were recorded. Today’s explosion in Lebialem is the 4th in Just 3 Days. An explosion at Beluah last Friday killed 9, and injured several other soldiers.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from Menji