About soter

Posts by :

13, September 2018

France-Afrique: Macron admits systematic use of torture in Algeria war ⁰

France has admitted that it instigated a “system” that led to torture during Algeria’s independence war in the 1950s and 1960s as it comes to grips with its long-suppressed legacy of colonial crimes.

President Emmanuel Macron will also announce “the opening of archives on the subject of disappeared civilians and soldiers, both French and Algerian,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Thursday.

“A general dispensation, by ministerial decree, will be granted so that everyone — historians, families, associations — can consult the archives for all those who disappeared in Algeria,” the statement read. “We’re putting the issue of the missing in the center.”

According to the statement, Macron will formally acknowledge that mathematician Maurice Audin who disappeared in 1957 “died under torture stemming from the system instigated while Algeria was part of France.”

Audin was 25 when he was arrested at his home by French paratroopers on accusations of harboring armed members of the Algerian Communist Party.

Audin, an assistant professor at the University of Algiers, was tortured repeatedly in a villa in the Algiers neighborhood of El Biar. His widow Josette was told 10 days later that the mathematician had escaped while being transferred between jails.

This remained the official version of events until 2014, when Macron’s predecessor Francois Hollande acknowledged that Audin died in detention.

Macron sparked controversy on the campaign trail last year by declaring that France’s colonization of Algeria was a “crime against humanity”. He later walked back the comments, calling for “neither denial nor repentance” over France’s colonial history.

“We cannot remain trapped in the past,” he said.

Macron has shown a rare willingness to wade into the memory of Algeria, arguably the most sensitive chapter in the French experience of the 20th century.

Reacting to the latest development, historian Sylvie Thenault wrote on the Conversation news website that the French state’s acknowledgement that Audin’s death resulted from a “system” pointed to a broader recognition of wrongdoing.

“Through recognition of the state’s responsibilities in the disappearance of Maurice Audin, have the state’s responsibilities in all disappearances in Algiers in 1957 not been recognized?”

During the 1954-62 war, French forces brutally cracked down on independence fighters in the colony ruled by Paris for 130 years, which claimed some 1.5 million Algerian lives.

The French state has never previously admitted that its military forces routinely used torture during the war.

Algerians each year remember May 8, 1945 as a day France initiated a campaign of carnage, known as Setif massacres.

They marked French police firing on a parade celebrating the end of the war. Ensuing riots left 140 French colonists killed, provoking a hugely disproportionate response.

A two-week spree of murder, rape and mutilation and the bombing of Algerian towns led to the deaths of tens of thousands people, according to some accounts.

Conquered by France in 1837, Algeria was a colony. By the 1950s, it was home to millions of French settlers.

In 2014, former President Hollande formally apologized for a similar massacre in Senegal.

Source: Presstv

13, September 2018

Gunman kills five in ‘new normal’ shootings in California ⁰

A gunman in the US state of California shot and killed six people, including himself and his wife, in a mass shooting that police say has become the “new normal” across the country.

The unidentified man went with his wife to a trucking company in Bakersfield, California, where he shot and killed a man and then turned his gun on his spouse, killing her, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood told a news conference on Wednesday.

He then chased another man from the trucking company before he shot and killed him in front of a nearby sports store.

The gunman then went to a home where he shot and killed a man and a woman, the sheriff said.

He killed himself shortly afterwards after being confronted by a sheriff’s deputy, Youngblood said.

“This is the new normal, if you look across this country,” Youngblood said, describing the incident as a mass shooting.

“Obviously, these are not random shootings,” he added. “Six people lost their lives in a very short period of time.”

Authorities were working to determine “why this started and why so many players were involved and the connection because obviously these are not random shootings,” Youngblood said.

The United States loses around 33,000 people to gun violence every year. Additionally, more than 100,000 people are shot each year in the country at a total cost of $45 billion, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs.

Amnesty International said in a scathing report Wednesday that the gun violence situation in the United States has grown into a full blown “human rights crisis” amid inaction from the US government.

The report said “all aspects of American life have been compromised in some way by the unfettered access to guns, with no attempts at meaningful national regulation.”

“The US government is prioritizing gun ownership over basic human rights. While many solutions have been offered, there has been a stunning lack of political will to save lives,” said Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

“Our government has allowed gun violence to become a human rights crisis,” she said.

The issue of gun violence has become all the more polarizing under President Donald Trump, a Republican whose presidential campaign was funded partially by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Trump has been reluctant to address the growing issue in his speeches and following several high-profile mass shootings in the country.

Source: Presstv

13, September 2018

African Development Bank’s Board approves Policy on Non-Sovereign Operations ⁰

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved the Bank’s Policy on Non-sovereign Operations (NSO). The document provides the framework within which the Bank through its private sector lending window may provide financing or investment without sovereign guarantees to private and public entities that meet specific eligibility requirements on non-concessional terms.

Non-sovereign Operations (NSOs) refers to financing and investment operations that are not guaranteed by a State, covering mostly private sector transactions. They also cover non-sovereign guaranteed financing of eligible public sector enterprises, as well as financing of regional development finance institutions.

The approval of the Policy comes at a critical moment when the Bank is seeking to accelerate inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and crowd in more private sector funding for strong and inclusive growth to drive economic transformation and sustainable development in its Regional Member Countries (RMCs).

The NSO Policy will complement the Bank’s overarching 2013 Private Sector Development policy framework, notably, by defining what the Bank will do in the area of non-sovereign lending. Within this context, the objective of the Bank’s non-sovereign operations is to help accelerate the continent’s transformation through various financial support mechanisms and products including loans, lines of credit, guarantees, blended finance, equity investments and trade finance. This would enable the Bank to contribute to the sustainable economic growth and inclusive social development of its RMCs individually and jointly, in fulfilment of the Bank’s mandate.

More specifically, the Bank’s engagement in its selected non-sovereign operations will aim to maximise the catalytic impact of its limited resources, while seeking to promote inclusive growth and the gradual transition to ‘green growth’ in its RMCs. It will also help scale up financing in the Bank’s High 5 priority areas of intervention.

Under this NSO Policy, the Bank would provide financing to non-sovereign operations subject to four conditions: (i) the borrower is a private enterprise or an eligible public sector enterprise; (ii) the operations are financially sound; (iii) the operations should result in satisfactory development outcomes, including supporting or creating opportunities for private sector development; and (iv) the Bank brings additionally, which could be either financial or non-financial.

The Policy would ensure that NSOs: (i) are well-prepared with clear value added/additionally brought by the Bank; (ii) are technically, economically and financially sound, and diligently managed, adhering to high ethical norms; (iii) are environmentally and socially sustainable; and (iv) have solid prospects of generating significant development results in the RMCs in which they are implemented.

The NSO Policy does not apply to the Bank’s sovereign loans and sovereign-guaranteed loans. Such operations will continue to be governed by the relevant policies that guide the Bank Group’s public sector operations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

13, September 2018

Nigeria’s 2019 polls: Buhari submits party forms, slams PDP’s 16 years ⁰

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has submitted party nomination forms seeking as he officially kick starts a bid to secure a second and final term in charge of Africa’s most-populous nation.

Buhari was at the Abuja headquarters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to file his nomination papers. The party has yet to slate a date for the contest to become flag-bearer even though Buhari is expected to be retained unopposed.

The septuagenarian in 2015 became the first opposition candidate in Nigerian history to defeat a current president. Buhari beat the then incumbent Goodluck Jonathan in his fourth shot at the presidency.

He had on Tuesday received nomination forms which were bought for him by some benevolent Nigerians. He tasked the APC members to eschew complacency and do all it takes to retain power come February 2019.

“Today I put my name forward to my party, the All Progressives Congress, seeking nomination to contest the Presidential Elections next year. I assure party members and all Nigerians that, if nominated and if elected, I shall continue to serve you to the best of my ability.

“Let me today appeal to party members not to be complacent but to prepare, strategize and win in 2019 elections. We must not allow those who brought the country to its knees from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back,” he wrote on Twitter.

Buhari was elected on a promise to defeat Boko Haram, resuscitate a slumping economy and fight corruption.

His scorecard remains mixed as security continues to be a headache especially against insurgent group Boko Haram. A mid-year spate of communal killings have also all but subsided.

A proportion of Nigerians still suffering from the repercussions of the 2015 economic recession remain disenchanted. His first term was also marked by a serious illness, not revealed to the general public, which forced him to spend months in London for treatment.

His opponents accuse him of having autocratic tendencies.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Senate Leader Bukola Saraki who both defected from the APC to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have declared interest to unseat Buhari.

Source: Africa News

13, September 2018

Yaounde: Biya Francophone regime orders arrest/kidnap of Ambazonian leaders abroad ⁰

Ambazonian Acting President Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako, Communications Secretary Chris Anu including the former leaders of the Southern Cameroons struggle Mark Bareta, Tapang Ivo, and John Mbah Akuroh, are amongst those targeted by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé.

According to a facsimile of an unverifiable order purportedly issued by the National Police boss, Mbarga Nguele, Cameroon ambassadors in the countries concerned have been directed to leverage support of the international police (INTERPOL) to enforce the directive with the utmost urgency and secrecy; suggesting, some activists might be secretly kidnapped where possible or summarily executed by hit men paid by the regime.

“The press release appears to be an act of desperation, but if Biya thinks western countries are Banana republics like Nigeria, then he is mistaken. Any attempt to arrest, kidnap let alone assassinate any Ambazonia activists abroad, without due process, will obviously spark the beginning of the end of the regime” noted our contributing editor in the USA.

The Diaspora has been financing the war and the fighters on the ground have been giving the government a run for its money. So far, more than 1,000 army soldiers have been killed while it is estimated that some 3,000 civilians have been murdered by French Cameroun government troops.

The government’s strategy of collective punishment and the burning of home have not produced the desired results. On the contrary, they have been counterproductive. Many moderate Southern Cameroonians have been radicalized by the government’s strategy and this is making it hard for the soldiers to wrap up things militarily.

In a desperate move, the government has issued a warrant of arrest for many members of the Interim Government, including Dr. Sako Ikome and Mr. Chris Anu. The warrant, signed by the country’s national security chief, Martin Mbarga Nguele, urges all Cameroon embassies abroad to take appropriate measures and if possible kill those whose names feature on the warrant. The government seems to have been cornered. It is fighting with its back to the wall. A war it thought it could wrap up in a few weeks is unfortunately taking too long.

By Chi Prudence Asong and Kingsley Betek

12, September 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Effects spill over into East Cameroon ⁰

The Southern Cameroons crisis which started as a demonstration by teachers and lawyers in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions is finally migrating to East Cameroon, as thousands flee Southern Cameroons following threats from Southern Cameroonian fighters to stage sporadic attacks on soldiers and punish civilians who have been cooperating with the Yaoundé government.

All major cities in Southern Cameroons have become beehives as helpless civilians struggle to find a safe place before the expiry of the deadline given by the fighters. Buea, Mamfe, Limbe, Bamenda and Kumba have all witnessed huge crowds struggling to leave, following warnings from Southern Cameroonian fighters that from September 16, 2018, all roads will be blocked and there will be no movement in the region.

More than half a million people have, on Wednesday, been seeking ways to leave the region as presidential elections scheduled for next month approach. Southern Cameroonian fighters have warned civilians in the two English-speaking regions not to participate in the elections as they are considered foreign and illegal.

It should be pointed out that Cameroon will be holding presidential elections next month and the incumbent is widely expected to win. Many analysts hold that much will not change in the country and the conflict tearing the country apart may only get worse if Mr. Biya wins the elections.

So far, the government has not issued any statements to reassure the fear-stricken population and local officials have been tight-lipped over the displacement of over half a million people in the region. Meanwhile, the fighting between restoration forces and army soldiers has intensified.

Over the last week, more than 200 civilians have been killed in the region, while some 50 army soldiers have been sent to an early grave by restoration forces. The government has been struggling to localize the Southern Cameroons crisis, but as the fighting intensifies, many people are seeking refuge in the French-speaking region of the country.

The mass movement of Southern Cameroonians into other parts of the country has resulted in escalating food and housing prices. The high living cost is keeping government officials in cities such as Yaoundé and Douala awake all night, as they fear that the increasing pressure might cause the cash-strapped Francophone population to rebel against the government.

The Southern Cameroons crisis has taken its toll on the country’s economy, with state corporations such CDC, the country’s second largest employer, laying off many of its workers. For the country’s lone oil refinery, SONARA, the times are getting tougher by the day. Southern Cameroonian fighters have their eyes on this corporation which they accuse of shipping their oil wealth to East Cameroon.

They also hold that the corporation is being managed by French-speaking Cameroonians whom they accuse of treating Southern Cameroonians with disdain. This has been one of the many sticking points in this conflict that will have a long lasting impact on the country for many decades.

The hardest hit is PAMOL. The palm oil producing company located in Ndian Division, has simply shut down operations and more than three thousand workers have been sent home, following disruption and threats by Southern Cameroonian fighters.

The country’s economy has taken a nosedive due to the disruption of economic activities in the two English-speaking regions of the country. It is estimated that the economy is losing more than CFAF 6 billion a day and the government needs more than CFAF 10 billion a day to prosecute the war that is not going to end anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the government is frustrated with what is happening in the northwest and southwest regions of the country. All attempts to bring things under control have failed. Its divide and rule tactics have failed and even money has not been able to douse the fire.

Earlier in the year, the government had thought that kidnapping and repatriating Southern Cameroonian leaders to Yaoundé would help weaken the rebellion that has successfully given the country a bad name. Though some 47 Southern Cameroonian leaders, including Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, are in jail in Yaoundé, the insurgency has grown by leaps and bounds.

In a desperate move, the government has issued a warrant of arrest for many members of the Interim Government, including Dr. Sako Ikome and Mr. Chris Anu. The warrant, signed by the country’s national security boss, Martin Mbarga Nguele, urges all Cameroon embassies abroad to take appropriate measures and if possible kill those whose names feature on the warrant. The government seems to have been cornered. It is fighting with its back to the wall. A war it thought it could wrap up in a few weeks is unfortunately taking too long.

Cameroon is in a tight spot. The world cannot continue to play spectator to this unfortunate situation. Many lives have been ruined and the end is not in sight. While the country is bleeding, its leader, Paul Biya, is clearly missing in action. His incompetence, tribalism and nepotism have reduced a once prosperous economy to a living hell for many Cameroonians.

Mr. Biya who is the architect of the civil war spends most of his time out of the country due to his failing health. For 36 years he has not been able to build a state-of-the art hospital in Cameroon.

He is currently in China. Since going to China for the China-Africa Summit, Mr. Biya has not returned to a country whose economy is begging for an extreme makeover. The days ahead will be challenging for the country. The upcoming election may tip the country into political chaos. Mr. Biya is very unpopular, but he is intent on ruling the country again for seven more years.

Cameroonians are tired of Mr. Biya and his old cabinet. They know elections will not address the issues. Mr. Biya has never won an election and it is clear that he will rig the election to stay in power and this does not augur well for the country.

A victory for Mr. Biya will imply Cameroonians will have to put up with a civil war, unemployment and a rising wave of internally displaced persons. The world has to step in. Cameroon needs help. The killing has to stop, but it will not stop if Mr. Biya and his cohort continue to lord it over their people.

By Kingsley Betek

12, September 2018

Is Clarence Seedorf doomed to fail with La Republique? ⁰

When Cameroon appointed Clarence Seedorf on August 4, it appeared like a decision driven primarily by glamour and status rather than by practical on-field reasons.

Certainly, the 42-year-old enjoyed the kind of playing career that would be the envy of the vast majority of his peers, winning four Champions League titles and five major leagues, yet his coaching career has done little to inspire confidence.

Stints with AC Milan, Shenzhen FC and Deportivo La Coruna, the last of whom were relegated under his watch, were as brief as they were muddled, and the Dutch great has done little to suggest that he can translate his playing qualities to the dugout.

Had he been taking over an African national team without internal ruptures, a recent track record of underachievement, or the pressure of a major tournament on home soil, he’d have been a questionable pick.

However, Cameroon—considering their challenging condition—represent a mammoth challenge for a young coach with no notable managerial track record and no prior experience of African football.

Cameroon Germany Wilmar Roldan Confederations Cup 2017

He’s walking into a particularly tough job, even if reigning champions Cameroon—for now at least—are guaranteed a spot at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Their Nations Cup success in Gabon in 2017 represents something of an isolated island of achievement after two underwhelming World Cup campaigns—in 2010 and 2014—in which they were the first team eliminated.

The side imploded in Brazil, hinting at the ongoing problems of governance and structure, and then missed out on qualification for the 2018 tournament – the first time they’ve not made it since 1986.

This failure, coupled with a sub-par showing at the Fifa Confederations Cup, prompted the dismissal of Afcon-winning coach Hugo Broos in early December, and interim manager Alexandre Belinga held the fort until Seedorf’s appointment.

His opening match, Saturday’s game away in lowly Comoros—ranked 149th in the world—represented, on paper, a relatively straightforward assignment for the Central African giants.

Cameroon fans

However, it proved to be anything but, with the synthetic turf and a furious atmosphere at the Stade Said Mohamed Chiekh in Mitsamiouli giving the hosts the kind of lift they needed to believe that they could trouble the five-time African champions.

Comoros took the lead through El Fardou Ben Nabouhane’s 15th-minute effort, and Cameroon appeared on course for a famous defeat until Stephane Bahoken levelled 10 minutes from time after the hosts’ captain—Abdou Nadjim—missed a defensive header.

It was a major let-off for Seedorf, and while other continental heavyweights struggled this weekend—Algeria, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal all failing to beat ‘lesser’ opponents—he ought to be concerned about the performance of his new charges.

Of primary concern for the coach and Cameroon fans will be their lethargy and apparent complacency.

There was little urgency or focus about this Lions side—Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting perhaps the only exception—and they appeared to underestimate their opponents.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

Yaya Banana’s Franz Beckenbauer-esque attempted slalom through the heart of the Comorian midfield—from centre-back—was an early sign of things to come, while the team grew frenetic and panicked when the prospect of defeat loomed, rather than intense and ruthless.

To those who questioned whether Seedorf’s lack of experience of the African game would make him a risky pick as Cameroon coach, this was fuel for the fire.

Without Sebastien Siani and Arnaud Djoum, two of several high-profile players cut from the squad, a midfield of Frank-Andre Zambo Anguissa and Georges Mandjeck floundered, failing to take a handle on the match or protect their defence.

Further forward, while Choupo Moting caught the eye in a forward line that was mobile, Karl Toko Ekambi struggled in place of injured Vincent Aboubakar, who has three goals in his last four for FC Porto.

His team selections also raised some question marks, with Seedorf seemingly redeeming his earlier error to start Gaetan Bong ahead of Ambroise Oyongo by introducing the latter late on.

It was Montpellier’s Oyongo who ultimately provided the assist for Bahoken’s equalier, while Bong had endured a torrid time—representing a nervous presence when under pressure and offering little going forward.

Once again, Cameroon’s showing served a reminder of how Seedorf should be making efforts to recall some of the squad’s ostracised stars.

Cameroon Absentees

He questionably cut Benjamin Moukandjo, Christian Bassogog and Siani from his maiden squad—denying the team of three key figures they could ill-afford to lose—and opted to start with Banana and Collins Fai in defence.

Panionios’s Banana perhaps deserves more than the handful of caps he has to date, but he’s an inferior prospect to Joel Matip or Nicolas N’Koulou, and Seedorf must make major efforts to ensure that both are dragged back to the fold.

Similarly, Seedorf can justify doing without arguably the Lions’ two best players—Moukandjo and Bassogog—if Cameroon are blowing away teams like Comoros, who were beaten 3-0 by Mozambique less than four months ago.

If they’re not, his hardline decision—opting to overlook players playing in China or the Middle East—becomes a rod to beat him with.

Ultimately, the coach didn’t seem too fazed by Cameroon’s struggles, and indeed was impressed with some of the things he saw from his side.

Benjamin Moukandjo of Cameroon

“It was obviously difficult conditions,” he said, as per the Cameroonian Football Federation, “but the team spirit, the fighting spirit to try to escape with the victory was there.

“I do not think another team would come here to have an easy day,” he added. “I am absolutely not disappointed, but happy with the spirit we have shown.

“I finally got to know the players,” Seedorf concluded. “This first step of this cycle has been very positive.”

If the Dutchman can imbue this squad of players with team spirit—as Broos did ahead of the triumphant Afcon campaign—then he may just be on the right track.

However, his lack of experience in the continental game, his scant success as a manager and the significant absentees—several now caused by the coach—leave him with a mountain to climb.

Culled from Goal.com

12, September 2018

Francophone media, political elites accuse France and the US of plot to kill Biya ⁰

Some pro Biya comedians passing for opinion leaders and a group of CPDM media houses have reported that there is too much Western interference and diabolic harsh ploy to destabilise Cameroon.

With less than a month to the presidential election scheduled for October 7 in French Cameroun, several Biya regime media houses have made public what they described as maneuvers by the United States government and the European Union for the destabilisation of Cameroon.

In some of the reports, the Cameroon government media gurus observed that the US State Department recently convened a meeting in Washington grouping some presidential candidates and gave the party leaders instructions on how to combat the 85 year-old dictator who has been in power since 1982.

Prominent journalists of the state owned CRTV have also hinted that the Washington forum was expected to chose a single opposition candidate and fund popular uprisings in case the opposition fails to win on October 7.

The US and EU conspiracy against Cameroon has also been evoked by some opinion leaders in the opposition, like Franck Hubert Ateba, co-founder of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), who accused last April the European Union of financing the popular uprising in Cameroon. Franck Hubert revealed that he was approached several times by a colonel of the French police serving with the French diplomatic mission in Yaoundé. According to Franck Hubert, the French officer met him several times in order to participate in the destabilization of Cameroon and assassinate President Biya.

Like many French Cameroun corrupt media organizations owned by the CPDM crime syndicate, the state radio and television is an important tool of blackmail, misinformation and Paul Biya’s image laundering used by pro Biya comedians like Paul Atanga Nji.

CRTV like Cameroon Tribune are used to perpetrate crimes against Southern Cameroonians far worse than the genocide in Rwanda. They are instruments of mass mobilization through falsehood, corruption of the popular conscience and the deification of the 85 year old dictator who has finally destroyed the tribal tolerance miraculously put in place by the late President Ahidjo. CRTV was and is the conduit through which egregious violations and crimes of unimaginable magnitude are perpetrated against Southern Cameroonians.

CRTV is the conduit through which fraud is celebrated and the flames of the North West/ South West divide are fanned and Francophones soldiers are incited to take up arms against innocent Southern Cameroons civilians. These media organizations remain the voice of hate, sycophancy and intimidation. The question one may ask, is, who benefits from these crimes? The answer points to Paul Biya. This does not absolve Paul Atanga Nji for the crimes he perpetrated or for accepting to perpetrate or oversee the use of CRTV to perpetrate crimes against Southern Cameroonians in which alleged “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

12, September 2018

‘Monster’ Hurricane Florence takes aim at US Southeast ⁰

Hurricane Florence, on track to become the first Category 4 storm to make a direct hit on North Carolina in six decades, howled closer to shore on Wednesday, threatening to unleash pounding surf, days of torrential rain and severe flooding.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225 km per hour), Florence’s trajectory showed its center most likely to strike the southern coast of North Carolina by Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is expected to bring tropical storm-force winds, life-threatening storm surges of seawater and 35 inches (89 cm) of rain to parts of the Carolinas and Virginia, where intense inland flooding was expected, the center said.

“This is a life-threatening situation,” the center said in an early morning bulletin. “Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property.”

People line up to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in North Carolina, on September 11, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

More than 1 million residents have been ordered to evacuate the coastline of the three states, while university campuses, schools and factories were being shuttered.

To hasten evacuations from coastal South Carolina, officials reversed the flow of traffic on some highways so all major roads led away from shore.

“This storm is a monster,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. He cited forecasts showing Florence was likely to stall over North Carolina, “bringing days and days of rain.”

Fierce winds and massive waves are expected to lash the coasts of North and South Carolina and Virginia even before Florence makes landfall bringing a storm surge as much as 13 feet (4 meters), the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned. Catastrophic floods could follow if the storm stalls inland, it said.

The storm, a Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, was expected to grow stronger and larger over the next few days, the NHC said.

The last Category 4 hurricane to plow directly into North Carolina was Hazel in 1954, a devastating storm that killed 19 people.

Communities could lose electricity for weeks, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long said.

US President Donald Trump (L) speaks while meeting with FEMA Administrator Brock Long (C) and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (R) in the Oval Office, September 11, 2018, in Washington, DC, about Hurricane Florence. (Photo by AFP)

Crews also prepared 16 nuclear reactors in the three-state region for the storm.

The American Red Cross said more than 700 workers were headed to the region while shelters were set up to house those unable to flee.

The US Coast Guard closed ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, North Carolina and Hampton Roads, Virginia to inbound vessels greater than 500 tons and was requiring vessels of that size to leave if they did not have permission to be in the ports.

Residents prepared by boarding up their homes and stocking up on food, water and other essentials, stripping grocery store shelves of merchandise. Many gasoline stations were running low on fuel.

(Source: Reuters)

12, September 2018

EU-AU partnership to create 10 million jobs ⁰

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday the continent’s regional bloc will propose a new alliance with Africa, that will create up to 10 million jobs. Juncker, who was delivering his annual state of the union speech to the European Parliament said a framework will be set up to attract more investment into Africa.

‘‘Today, we are proposing a new Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs between Europe and Africa, that would help create up to 10 million jobs in Africa in the next 5 years alone,’‘ Juncker said.

While he will be stepping down from his role in a year’s time, Juncker indicated that in the future, the EU would seek to take advantage of Africa’s efforts to forge a free trade area within the continent by offering a continent-to-continent free trade agreement.

‘‘I believe we should develop the numerous EU-African trade agreements into a continent-to-continent free trade agreement, as an economic partnership between equals.”

Nigeria, Eritrea and Guinea Bissau are the only three African countries that are yet to make any commitment to the African Union’s Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), signed in March this year.

Among various proposals for EU action to bolster prosperity in the world’s poorest continent and Europe’s close neighbour, the Commission chief would call for a more equal partnership and investment rather than aid, as Europeans look for ways to stem an economic divide driving Africans to try to migrate northward.

‘‘Africa does not need charity, it needs true and fair partnership. And we, Europeans need this partnership just as much,’‘ Juncker said.

The EU has previously said they will be shifting from an aid-centered approach to a real partnership with Africa, as a means to manage migration and prevent radicalisation of Africa’s young people.

Africa News