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26, September 2018

Disgraced TV icon Bill Cosby sentenced to prison for sexual assault ⁰

Bill Cosby was marched out of court in handcuffs on Tuesday after being sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison for sexual assault, capping the downfall of the once-beloved comedian known as “America’s Dad.”

Cosby, 81, was found guilty in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for the drugging and sexual assault of his one-time friend Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

The sentence ensures that Cosby will spend no less than three years in a Pennsylvania prison before he becomes eligible for supervised release, though he could end up staying behind bars for as much as a decade.

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill ordered Cosby, who had been out on bail since his conviction, to be jailed immediately. He was escorted out a back door of the courtroom with his hands and feet shackled and driven away in a black sport utility vehicle.

Minutes earlier, Constand left court with her arms folded, a smile spreading across her face as other women who have accused Cosby came to hug her.

Several of those women spoke to reporters in the rain outside the courtroom. “I wanted 30 years, but I’m very happy to know Mr. Cosby will do time in prison,” Chelan Lasha said.

Cosby was the first celebrity to be convicted of sexual abuse since the start of the #MeToo movement, the national reckoning with misconduct that has brought down dozens of powerful men in entertainment, politics and other fields.

O’Neill also fined Cosby $25,000 and ordered him to pay the costs of the prosecution, calling Cosby’s crime “very serious.” There was no visible reaction from the disgraced entertainer.

“Equal justice under the law does not allow different treatment because of who he is or who he was,” O’Neill said.

After the sentencing, Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s spokesman, read a statement in which he said the entertainer had been subjected to “the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States.”

Before handing down the prison sentence, O’Neill also decided to designate Cosby a “sexually violent predator” under Pennsylvania law.

Under that designation, Cosby will have to undergo monthly counseling and register as a sex offender with police for the rest of his life. Neighbors and schools will be notified of his address and crimes.

Cosby’s lawyers have already said they planned to appeal his conviction, and he has denied any wrongdoing. Asked if he wanted to address the court with a statement before sentencing, Cosby declined through his lawyers.

More than 50 other women also have accused Cosby of sexual abuse going back decades, with most complaints too old to prosecute. The Constand case was the only allegation that led to criminal charges.

On Monday, the first day of the sentencing hearing, Constand said in a written statement submitted to the court that the attack had turned her into a woman who was “stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward.”

“Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it,” she wrote. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum prison sentence of between five and 10 years, citing the nature of Cosby’s crime as well as his alleged history of misconduct.

Citing Cosby’s frailty and blindness, Cosby’s lawyers had asked for house arrest rather than prison time.

Cosby’s first trial in 2017 ended in a mistrial when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. Soon after that proceeding, a series of women began leveling sexual misconduct allegations against influential men, launching the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have encouraged victims to speak up about their experiences.

Prison officials will process Cosby at the nearby state prison in Schwenksville before determining in which of Pennsylvania’s 22 male prisons he will serve his sentence, prison spokeswoman Amy Worden wrote in an email.

He will be one of 86 inmates over age 80 held by Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections, where the two oldest inmates are both 91, Worden said.

(REUTERS)

26, September 2018

France’s ex-PM Manuel Valls declares candidacy for Barcelona mayor ⁰

France’s former prime minister Manuel Valls announced his candidacy for mayor of Barcelona on Tuesday, ending months of speculation over his intentions to enter the race.

Valls – who has dual French and Spanish citizenship – has made regular trips to the Catalonian capital throughout the summer.

On one of his most recent visits, he took part in an event to promote Anatomia del Proces, a book examining the challenges of Catalonian independence that he wrote the preface to. He has also joined the faculty at the city’s ESADE law school for the 2018-2019 academic calendar as a professor of “Migratory Processes and Urban Geography”.

Valls’ growing presence in Barcelona – and his increasingly outspoken views against Catalonian independence – set rumours swirling that he would run in the next mayoral election in May 2019. After months of teasing his interest, Valls officially announced his intention to run on Tuesday.

“Say what you will. But only one thing matters to me, how I will be perceived in Barcelona,” Valls told French newspaper L’Express in early September.

Political woes

Reports that Valls – who served as interior minister and then prime minister under former French president François Hollande – was seeking to reinvent his political career in Barcelona first emerged in April in the Spanish media.

He has watched his political fortunes steadily wane in France ever since resigning as prime minister to run in the country’s 2017 presidential election. After a strong start, he was forced to end his campaign after losing the left-wing primaries to fellow Socialist Benoît Hamon.

Valls, however, refused to endorse Hamon for the presidency. He instead gave his support to independent candidate Emmanuel Macron, who thanked Valls but ruled out bringing him into his future government.

His presidential dreams dashed, Valls mounted a campaign to run in the country’s June 2017 parliamentary elections as a representative for the Essone region, just south of Paris. He quickly sought to join Macron’s Republic on the Move (La République en Marche or LREM) party, which was set to win a sweeping majority.

But he was left humiliated and party-less after LREM ruled that he did not “fit the criteria” to run under its banner. He was eventually allowed to campaign as a LREM “aligned” candidate, narrowly winning his circumscription by 139 votes.

‘I want to give back to Catalonia and Spain’

After a year of bitter disappointment at home, Valls refocused his attention on Spain, wading into the debate on Catalonian independence. He confirmed that he was seriously “studying” the possibility of running for Barcelona mayor in an interview with Spanish television TVE.

“I implicated myself in this debate because I was born in Barcelona,” Valls said. “I want to give back to Catalonia and Spain everything they have given me.”

The same month, he also announced his separation from his wife of eight years, French violinist Anne Gravoin. He has since been photographed with Susana Gallardo, a Catalonia native and heiress to the Almirall pharmaceutical company. The pair recently appeared on the cover of Paris Match, prompting Valls to sue the magazine for invasion of privacy.

Valls will face an uphill battle in his run for Barcelona mayor. Despite being born there he grew up in France and wasn’t naturalised as a Spanish citizen until he was 20. He will have to convince voters that his campaign is more than a last-ditch attempt to save his political career – a point his rivals have already tried to exploit.

“He failed in France so he’s coming here,” incumbent Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau told French newspaper Le Parisien.

France 24

26, September 2018

Thousands Flee in Southern Cameroons as Separatists Battle for New Nation ⁰

Bullets flew constantly in her hometown. Her two young children haven’t attended school in two years. She abandoned the shop she owns after soldiers arrived and started shooting. One day she saw the corpses of seven of her neighbors.

Now, Pamela Njoke, 38, is among the thousands of people fleeing the English-speaking areas of Cameroon, where separatists are battling to form a new nation and the population is bracing for a surge in violence before a presidential election next month.

“People are dying everywhere,” said Ms. Njoke, who waited four hours recently amid a crush of people seeking space on a packed bus to take her and her children, ages 5 and 9, out of Bamenda, her hometown, to the safety of the capital, Yaoundé.

“In short, it’s horrible,” she said.

Fighters who want to form a new country called Ambazonia in the Anglophone area of Cameroon have been locked in bloody battles with the military for months, with accusations of horrific violence on both sides. The fighting has claimed an estimated 400 lives and displaced thousands.

The flood of people out of English-speaking regions may be problematic for President Paul Biya, 85, who is seeking re-election in October. Mr. Biya has been president since 1982 and already is notorious for being one of the continent’s longest-serving leaders.

His administration may have trouble convincing the electorate that the outcome is credible if few people vote in Anglophone areas, which make up a fifth of the population, and if officials who would normally oversee the vote have themselves fled. Government officials in more than a dozen localities there are thought to have abandoned their posts. Cho Ayaba, commander in chief of one group of separatists, said he considered the elections illegal within Anglophone areas.

“I have made it clear that they are banned,” said Mr. Ayaba, who delivers orders from his home abroad. “Any attempt to violate this ban will result in military enforcement,” meaning action from the Ambazonian Defense Forces faction of separatists he leads.

When asked if separatists intended to disrupt elections in Yaoundé, he said, “We have no business with activities within a foreign capital except when they have direct bearings with the security of our people.”

The conflict in Cameroon has steadily worsened in the two years since lawyers and teachers in English-speaking areas began protesting the nation’s Francophone leaders, who dominate the federal government. Those in English-speaking areas have accused the Francophone leaders of sending judges and teachers who do not speak English well to their courts and schools.

Cameroon’s two official languages, French and English, are a remnant of the post-World War I era when the League of Nations appointed France and England as joint trustees of what was then German Kamerun. Colonialists pushed their own cultures on each region.

During his six terms in office, President Biya has concentrated power in favor of French speakers.

The secession movement quickly picked up steam in a population that has increasingly felt marginalized since independence in the 1960s, when a referendum limited options for English-speaking areas to become a separate nation.

Separatists in Anglophone regions have been trying to form a new nation through peaceful channels for decades. The movement turned violent last year in the months after security forces fired on unarmed protesters.

It has spread to involve Cameroonians living abroad who have tried to convince United States lawmakers and United Nations officials that the government was guilty of genocide, a charge the government and many neutral observers deny. Mr. Biya’s supporters point to the English speakers fleeing to the French-speaking capital for safety as evidence.

Last year, the government blocked the internet for months in the English-speaking areas.

The separatists’ pursuit has put them up against a military known for human rights abuses, particularly in areas in the Far North of the country, where soldiers are battling fighters from Boko Haram. Some of the abuses have been broadcast on the internet, and social media posts in general have fueled anger on both sides.

Ambazonian separatists have seized on videos of military abuse filmed in past years during operations against Boko Haram, an entirely separate conflict far away from Anglophone areas, as evidence of why they are fighting the government.

People at the food market in Bamenda last year, after a homemade bomb exploded overnight

One video shows soldiers shooting to death two women apparently suspected of ties to Boko Haram, along with their two young children. The government initially called the video “fake news,” then later said the soldiers responsible for the killings had been arrested.

In another video released recently, a man’s toes are cut off by what appears to be a soldier. The man is then shot to death.

Old military abuse videos from the Boko Haram battle have been sometimes falsely presented as recent episodes in English-speaking areas. One video of a house fire in the United States, in Colorado, was falsely labeled as showing soldiers burning Anglophone villages.

On the other side, government officials have cited a clip of body parts being stirred in a pot and eaten as evidence of the brutality of separatists. That clip, which circulated several weeks ago, was found to be of actors on the set of a Nollywood movie, not separatists in the bush as the officials had claimed.

Yet videos that misrepresent violence pass as believable because so much horrible violence is real in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions.

In their hunt for fighters, the military has burned numerous villages and shot unarmed protesters. Separatists have been accused of attacking soldiers at checkpoints and of gruesome killings of security forces. Last week Amnesty International said it had authenticated a video showing a man who identified as a separatist alongside the decapitated head of a policeman.

“The situation in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon is becoming increasingly desperate with no one spared from the violence,” Samira Daoud, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for West and Central Africa, said in a recent news release.

About one week ago, soldiers arrived in a village outside Bamenda and opened fire, residents there said. They burned three homes and killed two people, all seemingly at random.

Separatists had blocked the road leading to the village, preventing more soldiers from arriving in armed vehicles and allowing time for villagers to flee. One resident, who did not want his name published for safety reasons, said the actions of separatists most likely saved more civilian lives.

He added that he, like others in the village, now supported the Ambazonians.

Escaping the Anglophone region is not an option for everyone. Blocked roads meant to thwart soldiers also prevent citizens from fleeing.

Some citizens have reported that the government in some areas has begun requiring anyone getting on buses to register their names and those of the person receiving them, outraging civil rights activists.

This month, two dozen public buses were attacked by separatists as they were leaving Anglophone areas. Videos filmed by passengers showed crumpled buses and flames shooting from a bulldozer that apparently had been used to dig a deep ditch to block roads.

The Cameroon Inter-Employer Group, a local organization, reported that the areas affected by the crisis have lost up to $600 million in revenue and nearly 6,500 jobs. These have been mostly in the agriculture sector, including a major palm oil production facility, a large banana plantation and a rubber-making operation.

Separatists have urged shops and schools to close to demonstrate the region’s economic importance to the country. Some people who do not cooperate have been kidnapped, threatened and killed.

Many people just want the violence to end. The scene at a crowded bus station in Yaoundé this week was chaotic as hundreds of tired and anxious people running away from Anglophone areas disembarked with suitcases, backpacks, mattresses and other belongings.

Mama Dora, a fruit seller from English-speaking Bamenda, was waiting at the station to greet friends fleeing the city. Ms. Dora herself had arrived only on Saturday so she could enroll her four children in school. Even if schools were open in her hometown, she would not send her children.

“Let me ask you,” she said. “Can you allow your children to go to school with soldiers all over the place and people being shot dead like chickens?”

Source: The New York Times

25, September 2018

UN chief warns of ‘increasingly chaotic’ world order ⁰

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has issued a stark warning of growing chaos and confusion as the rules-based global order comes under a threat of breaking down.

Guterres told the 193-member UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday that trust in the global order and among states was “at a breaking point” and international cooperation was becoming more difficult.

“Today, world order is increasingly chaotic. Power relations are less clear,” said the UN chief.

“Today, with shifts in the balance of power, the risk of confrontation may increase,” warned Guterres while addressing the opening session of the UNGA.

“But it runs deeper … As guardians of the common good, we also have a duty to promote and support a reformed, reinvigorated and strengthened multilateral system,” Guterres said as he opened the world’s largest diplomatic gathering.

Guterres did not single out a country for criticism. But the remarks came ahead of US President Donald Trump’s speech at the assembly.

The US president later opened his speech by touting his domestic policies, including tax cuts and his push to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, before addressing his foreign policy priorities.

Trump boasted that his administration had accomplished “more than almost any” other in US history. The remark drew laughter from the audience of world leaders.

There are fears among UN diplomats that the world is being carved up into spheres of influence and a return to great power rivalry.

Since Trump took office last year, Washington has violated numerous international treaties and conventions. Trump has scrapped the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Paris climate agreement and cut funding to the UN.

“Those who see their neighbors as dangerous may cause a threat where there was none. Those who close their borders to regular migration only fuel the work of traffickers,” Guterres said. “And those who ignore human rights in combating terrorism tend to breed the very extremism they are trying to end.”

“And those who ignore human rights in combating terrorism tend to breed the very extremism they are trying to end.”

Guterres acknowledged that peace efforts were failing and that respect for international humanitarian norms was unraveling. “The Rohingya people remain exiled, traumatized and in misery, still yearning for safety and justice.”

The so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become “more and more distant” while the nuclear threat “has not eased”, the UN chief said.

Trump’s recognition of occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” has already led Palestinian leaders to cut off contact with the White House.

“There is outrage at our inability to end the wars in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere,” he said.

Guterres also urged leaders to tackle climate change with a greater sense of ambition and urgency. “If we do not change course in the next two years, we risk runaway climate change.”

The Trump administration withdrew from a global accord to reduce emissions last year.

Source: Presstv

25, September 2018

Revealed: Biya to head to Maroua and to Buea ⁰

Cameroon’s monarch, Paul Biya, will be in Maroua on Saturday, September 29, 2018, to help give his sluggish presidential election campaign a shot in the arm. Mr. Biya, who has ruled the country for 36 years, is running for reelection against a backdrop of a declining economy and total dissatisfaction with his performance across the country.

The Far North region remains one of the poorest regions of the country, with huge numbers of illiterates and highest disease load. The entire northern region lacks good hospitals and maternal and child deaths are among the highest in the country. The region is bereft of infrastructure and many people in the region are simply scraping a living.

Mr. Biya dismal economic performance is working against him and the abuses of his soldiers in that part of country when it comes to counter-terrorism are things that might likely put off the people of Maroua. It should be recalled that numerous videos have emerged of Cameroon soldiers killing women and children or even killing all able-bodied young men in certain villages in the Far north region.

From Maroua, the Monarch will be heading to Buea where he will be facing some of the toughest challenges. The Southern Cameroons crisis that is into its second year has radicalized almost all Southern Cameroonians and Mr. Biya’s snobbish attitude has put off all the people in the two English speaking regions.

The Southern Cameroons crisis which is into its second year has intensified with government troops stationed all over the two English-speaking regions. Buea, the Southwest regional capital, is awash with soldiers and gendarmes who have been deployed to scare any Southern Cameroonian fighters who may want to disrupt preparations for the arrival of the country’s president, Paul Biya, who is also known as the monarch presiding over a criminal syndicate that has ruled the country for more than three decades.

Yesterday, two young men returning from work in Buea were gunned down by army soldiers who have unfortunately become trigger-happy. The two young were responding to calls by the region’s governor for people to go about their businesses without fear.

Similarly, a popular taxi driver in Buea was also gunned down by a soldier. It has become systematic for soldiers to kill able-bodied young men in order to intimidate the local population. Other killings have also been reported in Kumba, Bali and Bafut and this is becoming a daily affair. Most of these killings are committed by army soldiers following instructions by the Defense Minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, and Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji.

Mr. Biya, who has not visited the region in years, will be heading to Buea before Election Day on October 7, 2018. The visit will be within the framework of presidential campaigns that are underway in the country. While other candidates are busy canvassing for support, Mr. Biya has been hiding at the country’s presidential palace in Yaoundé, encouraging his surrogates to act on his behalf as his performance over the last three decades is dismal.

Since 1992, Mr. Biya and his party have never won any election and it is rumored that results of the upcoming election are already known. The country’s election body and the Constitutional Council that releases the results are dominated by Mr. Biya’s loyalists.

By Kingsley Betek and Asu Vera Eyere

25, September 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Writer urges Senators and MPs to play their roles ⁰

Southern Cameroonian writer and peace advocate, Dr. Joachim Arrey, has called on CPDM Anglophone senators and parliamentarians to use their influence to bring about an end to the carnage that is playing out in Southern Cameroons.

In a letter to the senators and parliamentarians, Dr. Arrey urged the people’s representatives to play their roles, adding that belonging to the ruling party did not imply that they could not discuss an issue facing their constituents.

See full letter below

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have been very reluctant to write to you, hoping that somewhere your consciences will kick in to remind you of your political responsibilities towards your constituents.

But for two years now, ever since the crisis started, none of you, not even old and experienced senators like Chief Victor Mukete and Achidi Achu whose time here on earth is almost over, have been able to express regrets for what is happening in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Many around the world have been wondering if the numerous lives, that are being cut short, right in front of you, do not bring any feelings of regrets. Like you, I am not for a secession, but this does not imply that you cannot use your influence to call the government to order. Are you that too hungry and blind not to see the destruction of human life that is taking place in your constituencies?

How do you then consider yourselves as representatives of this people who are being mowed down indiscriminately by government forces? Does it imply that politics has robbed you of human feelings just because you need to earn a salary?

How heartless can you be when your own grandchildren are being mowed down by army soldiers who have been sent on a special mission to kill young, able-bodied Cameroonians who are your constituents?

The country is currently in campaign mode as the date for presidential elections approaches. As usual, you are expected to go and campaign for your candidate in your constituencies. What messages will you be carrying to these people whose loved ones have been murdered and their houses burnt?

Are you going to tell them that their misfortune is an act of God and that they should accept it without question? I thought as the people’s representatives, you would intercede between them and the government. You are supposed to negotiate when there are conflicts. But for two years, you have been silent and your silence, in this case, has been interpreted as an endorsement of the killing that has left the people of Southern Cameroons in a permanent state of bereavement.

The senate and parliament are supposed to be the ultimate places where political issues are supposed to be debated with a view to seeking long-lasting solutions. While a few opposition members of parliament have sought to table this issue, you of the ruling party have been working hard to scuttle any effort aimed at seeking a peaceful and constitutional solution to an issue that has been around for decades and which is threatening our country’s territorial integrity.

How can you be comfortable in your mansions when your people are dying in their numbers? How can you be so silent when our young soldiers are being killed on a daily basis by angry fighters? Your silence is tantamount to complicity and history will be very harsh on you. You have accepted responsibilities you cannot handle and today you have exposed your constituents to the wolves.

I am writing as a concerned citizen and I accept any consequences that might come as a result of this letter. You have decided to be on the wrong side of history and you should be prepared to face the consequences. You have allowed our country to go down the drain. Your silence over this carnage is testimony to the fact that you were never really voted by this people whose only crime has been complaining about a system that is hurting them.

You had all the time to meet with your constituents when the crisis started in order to defuse the situation, but you decided to barricade yourselves in your ivory towers. You are supposed to be the medium through which the people’s complaints can reach the executive branch of government. But from every indication, you have sold your souls to the devil for miserable pieces of silver. You even celebrate when your own constituents are being gunned down. How inhuman could you be?

How many more people have to die for you to know that you have a role to play in this? In two years, we have lost some 4,000 Cameroonians, including young innocent soldiers who are simply following orders. Did we really have to go through this to keep Cameroon one and indivisible? What happened to the negotiating table that is believed to hold many solutions to any conflict? Why have you not pushed for the inclusive dialogue that the world has been calling for? Why have you failed to learn from the errors of other countries?

Though many lives have been lost, you can still make amends for your errors. The upcoming presidential election is a golden opportunity which you can seize to bring about peace in our troubled country. Your party’s presidential candidate is still seeking your votes. Why don’t you tell him that for those votes to come, the killing must stop? Can angry and grieving constituents actually give you their votes when the blood is still flowing? The answer is yours. You owe your people a duty. You are supposed to protect your people’s interest. Your failure to put their interest above yours will haunt you forever. Use this election to right some of your wrongs.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Joachim Arrey

About the Author: The author of this letter has served as a translator, technical writer, journalist and editor for several international organizations and corporations across the globe. He studied communication at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and technical writing in George Brown College, Toronto, Canada. He also studied translation at the Advanced School of translators and Interpreters (ASTI) in Buea, as well as Languages and Linguistics at the University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. He holds a Ph.D.

25, September 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Killings intensify as Biya plans trip to Buea ⁰

Similarly, a popular taxi driver in Buea was also gunned down by a soldier. It has become systematic for soldiers to kill able-bodied young men in order to intimidate the local population. Other killings have also been reported in Kumba, Bali and Bafut and this is becoming a daily affair. Most of these killings are committed by army soldiers following instructions by the Defense Minister, Joseph Beti Assoumo, and Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji.

Mr. Biya, who has not visited the region in years will be heading to Buea before Election Day on October 7, 2018. The visit will be within the framework of presidential campaigns that are underway in the country. While other candidates are busy canvassing for support, Mr. Biya has been hiding at the country’s presidential palace in Yaounde, encouraging his surrogates to act on his behalf as his performance over the last three decades is dismal.

According to a source close to the Unity Palace, the president would like to talk to Southern Cameroonians and he would like to use this campaign period to share his perspective on a number of things. He needs their votes and he wants to make sure he gets directly in touch with the local population.

“The chairman of our party wants to reconnect with the people. He wants to talk with Southern Cameroonians so that they can understand he has their interest at heart,” he said in a telephone conversation.

Meanwhile, a senior member of the opposition who is also aware of the president’s intention to visit Southern Cameroons has indicated that the president seems to be provoking Southern Cameroonians.

“This man is heartless. After having instructed his soldiers to kill and maim our people, he is now planning to come and talk to those who are still suffering because of the pain he has inflicted on them.”

“Is he not aware that our people have left the region because of intimidation by his forces? After having chased them out, he is now coming to talk to trees and birds just to deceive the internationals community. How bad can a man be?” he quipped.

He added that “Cameroonians have been dying and the man who is supposed to protect and reassure them has been silent for two years and he now wants to give us the impression that he cares? He does not care. He just wants to be in power even when he has not got the capacity to do so. How devilish can a man be? With a lot of blood flowing, he has been indifferent to the plight of the people.”

“Just take a look at the atrocities taking place in the country. Who is that man who can have such a heart if he is not inhabited by the devil? Yesterday, I saw videos of army soldiers forcing Sacred Heart College students to perform pornographic dances in their school. Our country has become a dangerous place even for our own children. The government has been encouraging parents to send their kids to school, but when on their way to school, the soldiers kill them. When in school, the perverts he considers as soldiers force them to perform lewd acts just to satisfy their carnal desires. Why can Mr. Biya not try to see others as human beings?” he quipped.

Since the crisis started, the country’s president has not shown any interest in settling the issues raised by Southern Cameroonians. He has never addressed the people of the region directly. On the contrary, he and his collaborators consider all English-speaking Cameroonians as terrorists.

Instead of addressing the issue, the country’s president instead declared war on the English-speaking population in January 2018 upon arrival from one of his numerous trips abroad.

While Cameroonians are dying, Mr. Biya, has been spending more time abroad because of his failing health. He has just returned from a trip abroad which took him to China and Switzerland where he stopped for a quick health fix.

Mr. Biya travelled to China some two weeks ago for the Africa-China Summit where he was supposed to persuade Chinese businesses and investors to come and invest in his war-ravaged country.

In recent years, he has also been sucking up to the Chinese government, hoping that it will grant it some loans and grants. But the Chinese are not ready to pour their money into a dry hole.

The Biya government is noted for its recklessness and even the Chinese hold that it would be foolhardy to give huge amounts of money to a government that has constantly proven that it is incapable of managing its own affairs. While in China, Mr. Biya and his entourage toured a plane manufacturing company and even signed an agreement for the purchase of a presidential jet.

But this jet will not be delivered anytime soon. Cameroon has not got the resources to make a huge down payment as requested by the Chinese. Cameroon is cash-strapped and with its economy bleeding money on a daily basis, it will be hard for the government to find the resources to meet its commitments vis-a-vis the Chinese.

The country’s traditional business partners are hastily pulling out of the country due to a brutal civil war in the two English-speaking regions which account for more than 60% of the country’s wealth. Mr. Biya and his government have been running the country like a private farm and he has been using the national treasury like his personal piggy bank. The conflict in his country has taken a turn for the worse, with many citizens fleeing the war zone.

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 as presidential elections approach.

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 be the fierce fighters who may use the situation to wreak havoc on innocent citizens in the city.

The country is in a deep political and military crisis that is costing the country an arm and a leg. Cameroon needs lots of money to overcome this challenge. After having been mired in a tough military, economic and social battle for two years, the Yaoundé government is now facing serious economic and financial crisis and this is keeping the country’s officials awake all night.

The crisis pitting Southern Cameroonian separatists against the Yaoundé government has seriously eroded the government’s financial base. The fighting is expensive and it has taken a huge bite out of the government’s fragile finances.

This is weighing on the government and the operation of heavy military equipment in the jungles of Southern Cameroons is costing the government an arm and a leg. This has been compounded by the economic sabotage that Southern Cameroonian fighters have engaged in.

Over the last six months, some of the country’s major state corporations which are great money spinners have had to deal with the angst of Southern Cameroonian fighters who are determined to bring the country’s economy to its knees.

Corporations such as PAMOL and CDC all require a shot in the arm, but the cash-strapped government of Yaoundé is incapable of providing the much-needed infusion. Priming the pump of these corporations will require huge amounts of money. PAMOL has completely shot down due to increased disruption by Southern Cameroonian fighters.

Some 3,000 PAMOL workers have been rendered jobless and the corporation’s equipment is gradually rotting. Some of the palm oil production corporation’s facilities have been burned down and threats from Southern Cameroonian fighters actually made some of the workers to throw in the towel even before the corporation announced its bankruptcy.

For the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), its operation capacity has been diminished over the last seven months. Ghost town operations and violence against its workers have made it hard for the country’s second largest employer to operate at full capacity.

The separatists’ economic sabotage is actually producing the desired effect as the government has seen some of its revenue streams diminishing. With many workers laid off from these two large corporations, the government has also witnessed a huge tax base erosion. The loss of more than 3,000 workers from these two corporations implies that income taxes paid to the government have diminished.

But the collapsing of these two corporations is not the worst news the Yaoundé government will be hearing. Southern Cameroonian separatists have their eyes set on the country’s lone refinery, SONARA, which is located in the southwest port city of Limbe.

They strongly believe that if they can successfully bring down SONARA, then they will be able to force the government to the negotiating table where some of the divorce issues can be discussed and addressed.

Mr. Biya’s coming to Buea may be big news for the crime syndicate he manages. For the people of Southern Cameroons, his presence will not change anything. His wickedness has resulted in the killing of thousands of Cameroonians. Cameroonians are sick and tired of him mismanaging the country. They just want to see him out. If he is smart, he should quit while he still has some respect. Cameroon needs to take a new and different direction and Mr. Biya is certainly not the right person to steer the country into the right direction.

By Kingsley Betek in Yaounde

A Cameroon Concord News Group Production

…

25, September 2018

World Leaders Recommit to Peace in Honor of Mandela ⁰

World leaders Monday recommitted themselves to the search for peace as they gathered for a United Nations summit marking the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth.

The session was being held ahead of Tuesday’s start of the annual debate of the U.N. General Assembly, where most of the world’s leaders are gathered this week.

“Today, we remember a man of great wisdom, quiet dignity and towering achievement, who worked tirelessly for peace and human dignity for people everywhere,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday at the summit’s opening. “This is our organization’s purpose, and as leaders, it is our responsibility.”

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau addresses the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, Sept. 24, 2018.

South Africa also gifted the U.N. with a life-sized bronze statue of Mandela — smiling, with arms raised — which South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled just before the summit.

“He would come to represent the hopes of millions of South Africans who dreamt of a life unshackled from a system that would limit their potential and stifle their possibilities based merely on the shade of their skin,” Ramaphosa said later at the summit.

The African Union declared 2014-2024 the Nelson Mandela Decade for Reconciliation in Africa. On July 18, 1918, the man affectionately known as “Madiba” was born in the South African village of Mvezo. Mandela died five years ago. In 1994, he was elected South Africa’s first black president.

Leaders and ministers from nearly 160 countries honored Mandela’s commitment to peace and democracy and his tremendous personal sacrifices to end apartheid in his country.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, spoke of how Mandela would react to the many challenges facing the world today.

“He would have certainly have said not to be fatalistic. He would have told us certainly not to abandon our struggle for life,” Faki said. “Neither would he have told us to resolve conflicts through fire and blood, nor through hatred, exclusion, repression and oppression of the other. He would have invited us to redouble our efforts — to dare to fight, to dare to win.”

Graca Machel, member of The Elders, speaks at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit during the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 24, 2018.

During his lifetime, Mandela founded an organization known as The Elders, which mobilizes former leaders to work together for peace and human rights.

Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, who co-founded the group, declared, “It is time to say, ‘Enough is enough!'” She told leaders, “Do not let this just be another summit of statements. Bold unprecedented action must follow.”

She urged them to address root causes that fuel conflicts and put aside ego-driven decision-making and inflexible political beliefs.

“You have a moral imperative and the ability to bring the death and destruction we witness on a daily basis to an end,” Machal added. “Humankind will hold you accountable should you allow suffering to continue on your watch.”

VOA

25, September 2018

Buea: Civilians killed in French Cameroun army attack ⁰

Three teenagers, including 6 women, were killed in a Cameroon government attack on Fako County in Southern Cameroons, witnesses told Cameroon Concord News on Monday. A council worker at the local mortuary in Buea reported seeing 14 dead bodies, including the three young boys and six women.

Several Southern Cameroonians were injured in the attack as forces loyal to the Biya regime in Yaounde continued to massacre innocent Ambazonian civilians. The Fako County is under siege from the Cameroon government forces blamed for thousands of civilian deaths over the past 2 years.

The Francophone dominated army surprise attack happened in the streets of Buea. The three teenagers were killed while traveling from their car wash. According to several witness accounts, the attack started when the ruling CPDM crime syndicate announced that the 85 year-old President Biya will kick off his campaign in Buea. Heavy and light caliber gunfire was heard for several hours.

The French Cameroun military targeted areas near the University of Buea and Mile 17 in Muea that is the trading settlement of several hundred Southern Cameroons inhabitants.

By Asu Vera Eyere and Sama Ernest

25, September 2018

Trump and Macron seek to smooth over differences ahead of UN General Assembly ⁰

Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump sought common ground on points of contention when they met Monday evening in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, France’s Elysée Palace said.

Meeting for almost an hour, the French and US presidents discussed a range of topics including Syria, Iran and disagreements over trade.

Trump said before the conversation that the two men have had “some very good experiences” but acknowledged, “On occasion not so good, but 99 percent very good.”

With US Vice President Mike Pence and the countries’ respective diplomacy chiefs looking on, the French and American leaders shook hands twice before the cameras, the gestures noticeably less effusive on this occasion than they have been during past encounters between the two presidents.

“We are here to obtain results,” said Macron, citing areas including security, the fight against terrorism and the Middle East.

A source close to the French presidency told Agence France-Presse that there are “differing points of view” between Washington and Paris on certain issues “but more on the approach and the method than on the objectives”. The source noted that “there are no new issues of confrontation” compared to last year’s annual United Nations gathering.

Trump is expected to visit France in November to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I. Macron and Trump will each address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning in New York.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)