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16, September 2018

SOBA UK President given a hero’s welcome in Ireland,Says UK Convention will be at Hilton, St. George’s Park ⁰

Several members of the Sasse Old Boys Association in the Irish Republic queued at the Dublin International Airport and gave a hero’s welcome on Saturday to the veteran leader of SOBA UK and members of his delegation. The Dublin airport reception was a display of SOBA Ireland’s support, independence and alumni culture to the responsible leadership of SOBA UK.

A key figure in the Soban community in the Diaspora, Akoh Arrey, has spent more than a decade building SOBA UK including solid partnerships with SOBA Germany, Ireland and the United States. He was elected president of the association in 2014 and he is credited with helping to develop a welfare scheme that has been beneficial to all Sobans in the UK.

Addressing members of the SOBA Ireland family on Saturday the 15^th of September, President Akoh Arrey said ,”We are delighted to announce the SOBA UK Residential Convention which will take place from the 21st to 23rd September 2018. The Gala night will be on Saturday 22nd September 2018 at The Hilton, St George’s Park in Burton Upon Trent. Last year, we had a very successful Convention at Dunchurch Park, Rugby, Warwickshire which continued to set high standards for SOBA UK.”

The SOBA UK leader added that “This year we are going to the splendid venue at The Hilton, St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trend. This is the Home of England National Teams befitting of a World Cup year, which saw the England National Football Team make it to the last 4 teams in the World Cup football tournament. We believe that Sobans, their families and guests will have a fantastic time in such a wonderful venue.”

Cameroon Concord News Group understands that the theme of this year’s SOBA UK Convention is “Together We Succeed“, a reflection on the difficult year the association and people have had both in the UK and Cameroon. The focus will also be on the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions in Cameroon which has led to thousands of people being displaced and significant loss of lives. SOBA UK will be looking to assist where possible and will also be seeking support from the public.

For his part, President Charles Eyombo thanked Akoh Arrey for his support to SOBA Ireland over the years and assured SOBA UK of SOBA Ireland’s participation in the up coming Residential Convention. SOBA UK President was accompanied to Dublin by Chief Batey the current Financial Secretary and the much respected SOBA UK patron in the person of Hon. Francis Suppo.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai in Dublin

16, September 2018

Yaounde:Media Regulators Demand End to Hate Language Before Presidential Poll ⁰

Media in Cameroon have accused the country’s National Communication Council (NCC) of censorship ahead of October’s presidential election after it issued a stern warning accusing the media of propagating hate language that can deepen fighting in the central African state.

One supposed offenders – Amplitude FM, a radio station in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, which told potential voters to be ready for carnage that will spread all over the central African state should its president, Paul Biya, be reelected October 7. The broadcaster says that after 36 years as head of state, Biya should peacefully hand over power – and if he doesn’t – be forced to do so.

The radio station’s program in question is called Polimetre. Less than a month ago, its host, Dieudonne Mbah, anchored another political program called Polifocus that was suspended by Cameroon’s NCC, the country’s media regulator, for spreading hate language. He simply changed the name of the program.

Mbah says his program, like 12 others, was targeted because it takes a strong stance against Biya’s long stay in power. He says if he should be punished for asking people to vote for change, so, too, should other journalists for asking potential voters to take a tougher stand against those who oppose Biya.

“Some media houses like the state-run CRTV, television stations which are owned or backed by government ministers, seem untouched even when their journalists are known to have broken the same rules which other journalists and other media organs have been punished for, but they go unpunished. So I think that the NCC still needs to rise to that occasion where they can discipline any media houses irrespective of the name or irrespective of who owns it,” Mbah said.

FILE - Residents wait for transportation under a campaign poster for Cameroon President Paul Biya in Doula, Cameroon, Oct. 6, 2011. — FILE – Residents wait for transportation under a campaign poster for Cameroon President Paul Biya in Doula, Cameroon, Oct. 6, 2011.

Jude Kiven, president of the Yaounde chapter of the Association of English-Speaking Journalists, says politicians have manipulated many journalists who now no longer practice their profession, but take sides with some candidates. Jude says many producers of programs suspended by the NCC simply change their names or the names of the media organ.

“It is important for the National Communication Council to sanction anyone or any media house that is guilty of hate speech, yet the National Communication Council can take decisions and sanctions that can be ignored by the journalist or the media house. Government did not give the National Communication Council enough powers to be able to enforce their decisions,” Kiven said.

Last month, a court in Yaounde asked the president of the NCC, Peter Essoka, to pay a fine of $30,000 as damages to Vision 4, a TV station in Cameroon. Essoka had suspended some of the station’s programs, saying they could be compared with those of Radio Mille-Collines, the media outlet that was at the heart of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Essoka acted after journalists from from Vision 4 said all English speakers in the bilingual country where French also is an official language should be held responsible and punished for the crisis rocking the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions.

Private media outlets in Cameroon also defied a ban on political programs imposed by the National Communication Council, which insisted political debates may cause conflict ahead of senatorial elections on March 25.

In 2017, the NCC suspended 35 journalists and media outlets, accusing them of failing to respect professional norms and ethics. Some of those punished had criticized the government’s handling of the crisis in the English-speaking regions. Others criticized senior state functionaries about the use of public funds.

“It has been so insulting, abusive; it is becoming rampant, developing into a hate society,” Essoka said. “We cannot permit that some people destroy the state of the nation under the pretext that they are free. Freedom or liberty has its limits, and we shall insist on that limit. Part of the crisis in our country is based on the things that people say.”

Essoka said the NCC is committed to cleaning up the media landscape in Cameroon, but it doesn’t not have a way to enforce decisions and must rely on administrative and security officials who very often refuse to collaborate.

Essoka said he regrets that media rights group Reporters Without Borders thinks the NCC is taking a tougher line toward journalists and media.

Cameroon was ranked 126 out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2016 World Press Freedom Index.

Cameroon has more than 500 newspapers and 100 radio and TV stations which express divergent views about the presidential election.

VOA

16, September 2018

Bundes: Kenya’s Kipchoge breaks marathon world record in Berlin ⁰

Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has set a new marathon world record, winning the Berlin race in 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds on Sunday.

The Kenyan defended his title in the German capital, pulling ahead of his competitors early on amid perfect running conditions.

He broke the previous world record set in Berlin by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014 by 1 minute and 18 seconds. Race organizers initially timed Kipchoge a second slower, but later corrected the time.

Berlin debutant Amos Kipruto came second in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 23 seconds, followed by a third Kenyan, former world-record holder Wilson Kipsang, who was 25 seconds behind.

“I lack words to describe this day,” Kipchoge said after winning the race.

“They say you miss two times but you can’t miss the third time,” he said in reference to his two previous failed attempts to break the world record in Berlin.

Shogo Nakamura of Japan narrowly missed setting a new national record with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

Gladys Cherono won the women’s race in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 11 seconds, a new women’s record for the Berlin marathon. The Kenyan finished ahead of Ethiopians Rutia Aga and Tirunesh Dibaba.

(AP)

16, September 2018

Pope Francis expels Chilean priest under probe ⁰

Pope Francis has removed a Chilean priest under investigation in a case involving the sexual abuse of children.

The Archdiocese of Santiago said the Pope had decided to defrock Reverend Cristian Precht, local daily El Mercurio reported on Saturday.

Precht was a former head of the Church’s Vicariate of Solidarity human rights group, which in the 1980s challenged ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet to end the practice of torture in Chile.

The Chilean religious leader has since been accused of sexual abuse as part of an investigation into allegations against members of the Marist Brothers religious community.

Precht has previously denied the charges.

The Catholic Church worldwide is reeling from crises involving the sexual abuse of minors, deeply damaging confidence in the Holy See.

The scandals have been the most serious in Chile, the United States, Australia, and Ireland.

Chile’s Santiago Archbishop

Cases of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests have led to many investigations, trials, and convictions.

There have been numerous allegations of attempts by Church authorities to cover up abuse.

Pope Francis has formerly expressed “shame and sorrow” over the matter.

Addressing an event in Ireland, attended by some victims of such sexual abuses, the pontiff admitted that the Church had failed to address the “crimes.”

Pope Francis has said he has a zero tolerance policy toward the sexual abuse of minors in the Church, but he has also been accused of ignoring warnings on the matter.

16, September 2018

African Development Bank releases new tool to assess resilience and fragility in countries ⁰

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has created and refined a new tool to diagnose fragility in countries, taking into account their capacities and pressures they may be under.

Called the Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA), the tool offers a completely new method of assessing resilience and fragility using seven key criteria: political inclusiveness, safety and security, justice, the economy, social cohesion, the regional contagion effect, and climate change.

“The creation of the CRFA represents a significant advance in the assessment of fragility, which is a reality that it is not always easy to pin down or discern. By introducing, for the first time, the concepts of ‘capacities’ and ‘pressures’, this new tool brings much more rigour and effectiveness to the assessment of resilience and fragility, especially since it takes greater account of the national context,” explained Sibry Tapsoba, Director of the Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS) .

Simple, reliable and effective

Before its approval by the Bank Board on 11 September, the CRFA, was subjected to a range of checks for reliability and effectiveness, conducted under the supervision of the Transition States Coordination Office, with support from the Bank’s statistics and resource mobilization departments.

In addition to assessing resilience and fragility, the new tool should also be useful for advocacy and communication and improving and strengthening dialogue between the Bank and its regional members. It should also help to anticipate crises, thanks to an early warning system.

“What we have here is an assessment tool of unquestionable rigour. It is easy to use, it is reliable and it is accessible to all. It brings an undeniable added value to existing techniques for the assessment of resilience and fragility,” said Riadh Ben Messaoud, from the Bank’s Resource Mobilization department.

The creation of a new fragility and resilience assessment tool is an important contribution to research efforts for greater effectiveness in the Bank’s work.

The CRFA provides better insight into every dimension of fragility, including the less obvious, making it possible to offer the most appropriate responses in terms of building a country’s capacity and resilience.

16, September 2018

Orange reinforces its connectivity on the West African Coast through a major investment in the MainOne submarine Cable ⁰

Orange and MainOne Cable Company are pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement allowing for a major investment by Orange in the West Africa submarine cable system, MainOne. Through this partnership Orange will acquire additional capacity, thereby reinforcing its position in the African telecommunications ecosystem.

MainOne’s current cable system comprises a 7,000km submarine cable, which was launched in 2010 and has landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal. The partnership between Orange and MainOne Company will provide for the construction and installation of two new branches and stations. These will connect the cable to Dakar in Senegal and Abidjan in the Côte d’Ivoire by mid-2019. Orange will be the owner of the cable station in Dakar. Orange’s investment represents a major milestone for this project.

Orange Marine, a 100% subsidiary of the Orange Group, has been chosen to manage the installation of these two new branches.

Connectivity, capacity & growth opportunities

Thanks to this new cable connection, local populations will benefit from better connectivity, lower prices and access to new services. Orange will benefit from multiple Terabits per second of additional bandwidth for the development of fixed and mobile data in Africa. More specifically, this cable extension is an opportunity to improve connectivity and offer a broader range of services for both Orange Côte d’Ivoire & Sonatel. In addition, MainOne offers an alternative route that guarantees the protection of voice and data traffic passing through the other cables in the area – SAT3 WASC SAFE and ACE.

A key asset of the Group’s broadband network in Africa

Through this new partnership, Orange confirms its position as a leading player in the submarine cable market. In this role, the Group aims to develop the quality of service of its worldwide networks and facilitate the use of new digital services for end-users.

Orange has a strong commitment to the African continent, which has been at the heart of the Group’s strategy for the last few decades. The Group is investing heavily in building infrastructure and providing access to communication services over the long-term.

“Orange’s ambition on international networks is both to meet the needs of our affiliates in their interconnection with the Internet world and to increase our leadership on the international data services wholesale market. This partnership with MainOne will allow us to strengthen our presence, with new significant assets in West Africa,” said Jérome Barré, Chief Executive Officer of Wholesale and International Networks.

“The development of new digital services in Africa has fostered huge social and economic developments over the past few years. As barriers to access continue to fall with improved networks and more affordable equipment, Orange, as part of its multi-service strategy, is seeking to position itself as an important partner in the continent’s digital transformation Through this new partnership, Orange is set to secure and improve direct access to high-speed broadband services in two of its most important countries, Senegal and the Côte d’Ivoire,” said Alioune Ndiaye, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Middle East and Africa.

In her comments, MainOne’s Chief Executive Officer Funke Opeke reiterated the company’s vision for a connected West Africa: “MainOne continues to lead the digital transformation of our sub-region by investing in affordable connectivity to drive economic development. Our objective is to bridge the digital divide between and within West Africa and the rest of the world. We are committed to deepening broadband penetration across West Africa and believe our investments in technologically advanced subsea infrastructure will continue to liberalize the international bandwidth market, further support Orange and other wholesale customers, and ultimately result in improved digital services in the region”.

Orange is present in 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has 119 million customers (at 30 June 2018). With 5 billion euros of revenues in 2017, this zone is a strategic priority for the Group. Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has 38 million customers. Orange, a multi-services operator and key partner of the continent’s digital transformation, provides its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.

15, September 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Governor begs “dogs” not to leave the region ⁰

The South West governor, Okala Bilai, who once called the people of his region “dogs”, has been pleading with them not to leave the region. Over the last week, residents of the two English-speaking regions have been leaving the place following threats by Southern Cameroonian fighters to implement a strict movement of goods and persons within the region from September 16, 2018 to October 7, 2018.

Campaigns for presidential elections scheduled for October 7, are currently underway and Southern Cameroonians fighters have vowed to disrupt an election they consider as foreign. While other candidates are on the ground canvassing for votes, the incumbent, Paul Biya, is in a Swiss hospital seeking better healthcare. It is generally held that Mr. Biya, considered by the ruling crime syndicate as its natural candidate, will not campaign but will emerge as the winner in an election that has already been rigged.

Mr. Biya’s heart and prostate have been an issue to the 86-year-old who still wants to rule the country for the next seven years. Known as the “monarch”, Mr. Biya was in China recently for the China-Africa Summit where he thought he could cajole Chinese to lend him some money.

But things are not working out well for the ailing monarch. The Chinese are skeptical about lending money to a dying man and the hold that after presiding of his country’s destiny for 36 years, Mr. Biya has nothing to show for his long ruler ship.

There are no world-class hospitals in his country, no good roads, and the country’s railway system has simply collapsed. For more than three decades, the narcissistic monarch has been using his country’s treasury as his personal ATM.

When traveling abroad, Mr. Biya always has more than 50 persons in his entourage and all of these people are lodged in five-star hotels. Besides, members of his entourage, the monarch also uses expensive escort services when he is abroad. His love for young girls is costing the country an arm and a leg.

He has a Ghanaian doctor in Geneva who screens all the young ladies he uses to satisfy his carnal desires. It is alleged that he dislikes preservatives, which is why the ladies are thoroughly screened for HIV and other communicable diseases.

Worst of all, the monarch, noted for his incompetence and manipulation, has plunged his country into a deep economic crisis and a long civil war that has already resulted in the killing of some 4,000 Cameroonians, including young army soldiers.

The Southern Cameroons crisis that started as a demonstration by teachers and lawyers has taken a turn for the worse. The adverse impact of the conflict is now spilling over into East Cameroon and this is a nightmare to government officials who are scared of a general revolt in East Cameroon.

Food and housing prices have gone up and many cities that are receiving these displaced persons do not have the proper infrastructure to deal with such a situation. According to a Douala City Hall official, the migration of Southern Cameroonians to the city of Douala is not only costly; it is also a major risk.

He pointed out that among the displaced could the fierce fighters who may use the situation to wreak havoc on innocent citizens in the city. He regretted that the government was letting this situation to spiral out of control, adding that if immediate action was not taken, the entire country could become a war zone.

By Kingsley Betek in Buea

15, September 2018

Governor Okala attempts to downplay genocide in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The Francophone governor of the so-called South West region, Okala Bilai whose military has killed, maimed, tortured, and detained thousands of Southern Cameroonians, has sought to downplay the atrocities, which the Ambazonian Acting President Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako and the International Crisis Group have conclusively said constitute genocide.

In a surprise visit today at Mile 17 Buea, Governor Okala Bilai said, “There are of course ways in which, the Cameroon government could’ve handled better the Anglophone problem.” The governor who addressed Southern Cameroonians recently as “dogs” was quick to sound even softer about the nasty activities of the Francophone dominated army.

The Francophone governor pleaded with Ambazonians not to flee Buea the capital city of the Southern Zone to Douala and Yaounde in French Cameroun. More than three thousands Southern Cameroonians have been killed by troops loyal to the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé and scores injured, arbitrarily arrested, or raped by the French Cameroun army and Minister Paul Atanga Nji militia.

Governor Bilai has both failed to stop the genocide in the Southern Zone and has always spoken in defense of the Cameroon government military. The Ambazonian Communications Secretary, Chris Anu stated late last month that Governor Bilai himself was complicit in the genocide in Southern Cameroons.

The plight of Southern Cameroons long suffering in Francophone-majority La Republique du Cameroun, has attracted international attention only recently. Southern Cameroonians — who have lived in a vicious political setting with French Cameroun for generations are branded “enemies dans la maisons” “biafrais” “anglobami” “Opposants” and now are blackmailed and targeted on account of their ethnicity or valid claims for self determination.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in Buea

15, September 2018

EU to scrap seasonal clock changes in 2019 ⁰

The European Union will scrap the twice-yearly seasonal clock change across the bloc from October 2019, leaving member states to decide by April whether they will stick permanently to summer or winter time, the European Commission says.

Since 1996, EU law has required all EU countries to move forward by an hour on the last Sunday of March and back by an hour on the final Sunday in October.

“There will be no more seasonal clock changes as of the end of October 2019,” Commissioner Violeta Bulc told a news conference on Friday, acknowledging that this relied on others following the Commission’s “ambitious” schedule.

The proposal follows an EU survey drawing in a record 4.6 million responses and showing 84 percent of them opposed to seasonal clock changes.

The Commission also says seasonal time switches are outdated, implemented during World War One and Two and the 1970s oil crisis to save energy.

“Newer studies confirm that the energy savings are nowadays marginal,” Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said. “We are clearly heading towards smart cities, smart buildings and smart solutions which will bring much more savings than changes of the clock.”

Critics of the twice-yearly clock changes say it can cause long-term health problems, especially among young children and elderly people. Others argue that making the switch to give extra morning daylight in winter and evening light in summer can help reduce traffic accidents and save energy.

The European Parliament and the 28 national governments will need to find common positions by the end of the year, the Commission said. Both bodies need to back the proposal, a process that can often take up to two years.

The Commission said it was meeting its promise to act on big issues, but leave EU countries to take decisions where they are best placed to do so.

“Either we will stay with summer time or those countries that decide to go to winter time, they will switch to winter time in October (2019) and that will be it,” Bulc said.

Among those to back the proposal to scrap the clock changes are Spain and Finland, which has the most northerly EU national capital.

(Source: Reuters)

15, September 2018

Rwanda to free jailed opposition leader Ingabire ⁰

Rwanda has decided to immediately free Victoire Ingabire, an opposition leader jailed for 15 years, after President Paul Kagame exercised his power to grant mercy, the justice minister said on Saturday.

Ingabire, who leads the unregistered FDU-Inkingi opposition party, will be freed along with other prisoners, including singer Kizito Mihigo, jailed in 2015 for plotting to kill President Paul Kagame, the justice ministry said in a statement.

“There is nothing political about her release, there is nothing political about her imprisonment,” Justice Minister Johnston Businge told Reuters by telephone, downplaying the significance of Ingabire’s release.

“The president has granted mercy, and under the constitution, he is allowed to do that,” he said, when asked for comment, adding that she had asked for mercy two times in the past, including last June.

The precise time of Ingabire’s release was not immediately clear but officials and lawyers said it would be on Saturday. Kagame is lauded for Rwanda’s economic recovery after the 1994 genocide but critics say he has muzzled free media and dissenting voices.

His office was not immediately available for comment. Ingabire was jailed for 15 years in 2012 for conspiring to form an armed group to undermine the government and for seeking to minimize the 1994 genocide.

She returned from exile in the Netherlands to contest a presidential election in January 2010, but was barred from standing after being accused of genocide denial.

Her lawyer welcomed the decision to free her. “Since the beginning of the trial we have been requesting her release and now that she is going to be free, we are all happy,” Gatera Gashabana told Reuters.

More than 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda when an ethnic Hutu-led government and ethnic militias went on a 100-day massacre.

Afterwards, Kagame, who won a third term in August last year, was lauded for bringing about economic improvements, but he has faced increasing accusations of human rights abuses, suppression of the opposition and reining in the media.

(REUTERS)