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Southern Cameroons War: Defense Minister Beti Assomo convoy comes under attack

13, July 2018

Southern Cameroons War: Defense Minister Beti Assomo convoy comes under attack 0

At least five persons were injured on Thursday following an attack by separatist fighters on the convoy of Cameroon’s Defense Minister along the Kumba-Ekondo-Titi road in the South West Region of the country, sources have confirmed.

According to credible reports, four soldiers and a journalist working for state -run newspaper Cameroun Tribune who were all part of the Minister’s convoy heading to a military camp in Small Ekombe along the Kumba-Ekondo Titi road were all injured in a shoot out that ensued between the military and separatist fighters.

Army spokesperson Colonel Didier Badjeck who was also part of the convoy said six “secessionists were neutralised” in the course of the shootout.

According Grégoire Djarmaila, the journalist, one of the embedded journalists who sustained an injury, their convoy met stiff resistance from the fighters who were stationed on both sides of the road after erecting barricades.

The convoy succeeded to reach its destination but once again under fierce attack on their way back with the attackers targeting the armored car in which the Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo was found.

In the course of the shootout, a shattered glass particle caught me on the jaw and I started bleeding,” Grégoire Djarmaila, the injured Cameroun Tribune journalist said.

However, they succeeded to get to Kumba safely before being air-lifted to Douala where the other injured four soldiers were given medical attention.

Thursday’s events followed days of fierce fighting in Kumba, Buea and other parts of the North West and South West Regions in Cameroon with several casualties recorded on both sides.

Culled from Journal du Cameroun


Fighting in Southern Cameroons claims more lives

13, July 2018

Fighting in Southern Cameroons claims more lives 0

Clashes between army and anglophone separatists have claimed several lives in the town of Kumba in Cameroon’s troubled Southwest Region, sources said Thursday. “Several people, including civilians, have been killed in Kumba since Monday,” a source close to the town’s medical services told AFP, confirming witness accounts. “These people died during various army operations” after Kumba’s police superintendent was killed on Sunday, the source said.

The murder has been blamed on separatists who want secession from the French-speaking bulk of Cameroon. “There were exchanges of gunfire for much of (Wednesday) night,” one witness said. “I heard gunshots all night long. Things have quietened down, but people are beginning to leave town,” said a teacher who asked not be named.

The security situation has been tense for days in Southwest Region, which along with the Northwest Region was once under British rule before joining francophone Cameroon in 1961 after independence. At least three police officers have been killed since Sunday, at Kumba and in the regional capital Buea. For the first time since anglophone protest over perceived neglect by the central government erupted at the end of 2016, fighting took place on Monday in Buea, a city of more than 100,000 people patrolled by a large military force.

Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo was paying an official visit on Thursday to the Southwest Region, where the separatist crisis became an armed struggle by radical foes of President Paul Biya’s regime late in 2017. In addition to targeting police and troops, the separatists have carried out arson attacks on perceived symbols of the state such as schools. They have also kidnapped civil servants, police officers, businessmen and sometimes foreigners. At the beginning of 2018, most of the conflict took place in the Northwest Region, but the epicentre of violence has gradually shifted south to a rural area between the towns of Kumba, Mamfe and the border with Nigeria. Clashes take place almost every day in both regions.

www.vanguardngr.com


Credible evidence that French Cameroun army responsible for shocking extrajudicial executions caught on video

13, July 2018

Credible evidence that French Cameroun army responsible for shocking extrajudicial executions caught on video 0

An investigation by Amnesty International experts has gathered credible evidence that it was Cameroonian soldiers depicted in a video carrying out the horrific extrajudicial executions of two women and two young children. While an investigation has now been announced, the Ministry of Communication earlier dismissed video footage of the killings as “fake news”.

Extensive analysis of the weapons, dialogue and uniforms that feature in the video, paired with digital verification techniques and testimonies taken from the ground, all strongly suggest that the perpetrators of the executions are Cameroonian soldiers.

The Cameroonian authorities’ initial claim that this shocking video is fake simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Samira Daoud, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s West Africa office

“The Cameroonian authorities’ initial claim that this shocking video is fake simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. We can provide credible evidence to the contrary. Given the gravity of these horrific acts – the cold blooded and calculated slaughter of women and young children – these hasty and dismissive denials cast serious doubt over whether any investigation will be genuine,” said Samira Daoud, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s West Africa office.

“It is imperative that a proper, impartial investigation is undertaken and those responsible for these abhorrent acts are brought to justice.”

While all the elements analyzed so far by Amnesty International strongly suggest the authenticity of the video, the date at which it was taken remains unclear.

The video shows the soldiers using either a Galil or a Zastava M21, in addition to Kalashnikov-style rifles. While AK-type weapons are common, the weapon we strongly believe was used in the execution – either a Galil or the very similar Zastava M21 – is comparatively rare. The Small Arms Survey lists the Galil as only “occasional” in sub-Saharan Africa among governments, and as unknown among non-state actors. The only force in the area carrying Galil’s are a small subset of the Cameroon Army. The Zastava M21 is not specifically reported in the Small Arms Survey online database.

Both the weapons and uniforms of the soldiers in the video are indicative of the Cameroon army, and display patterns consistent with a number of possible units, including regular infantry and the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), the special forces of the Cameroonian army.

The person filming the video specifically identifies two members of the group as soldiers. The first is a second-rank soldier (soldat de deuxième grade) who he names as “Cobra”, the second a Master Corporal (caporal chef) who is named as “Tchotcho”. These names mean that the group can be identified.

The evidence we have provided forms a firm basis for strongly suggesting that the individuals committing these atrocities are members of Cameroon’s armed forces
Samira Daoud, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s West Africa office

The Master Corporal’s uniform is a tiger stripe pattern that is standard among Cameroon regular army. The other soldiers are wearing black shirts and green-and-black woodland pants. While the Ministry of Communication claims that the mixed and casual nature of the uniforms indicates a lack of authenticity, Amnesty investigators have found the opposite. Mixed and partial uniforms are common among army personnel, especially in remote areas where this incident took place. Soldiers in the Far North region wearing casual flip flops and T-shirts, as well as a mix of tiger stripe print and woodland print, can be clearly seen in videos previously verified by Amnesty International.

The soldiers are followed by about 10 people whom the sources consulted said are most likely members of the local vigilantes’ committee (because they carry light weapons such as clubs and machetes) from the nearby village.

According to Amnesty International’s analysts, the video was likely filmed in the Mayo Tsanaga area in the Far North region of Cameroon. The vegetation is generally consistent and matches other footage from the area. Terrace cultivations, as visible in the video, are found in Mayo Tsanaga. The rocks, the mountains and the low-growing shrubs (locally known as “tchaski”) can also be found in Mayo Tsanaga. There is a military base located in Mozogo in this region.

“The evidence we have provided forms a firm basis for strongly suggesting that the individuals committing these atrocities are members of Cameroon’s armed forces. Some individuals are clearly identifiable and cannot be allowed to get away with such a heinous act with impunity,” said Samira Daoud.

“While the crimes under international law, including war crimes, and human rights violations committed by Boko Haram in Cameroon are despicable, absolutely nothing can justify the crimes being committed by some members of the armed forces.”

Amnesty International is calling for those suspected of criminal responsibility for these crimes under international law, including superiors who knew or should have known that subordinates were committing the extrajudicial executions, to be brought to justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts.

Background

Amnesty International has documented crimes under international law, some amounting to war crimes, as well as human rights violations by members of the Cameroonian security forces in their fight against the armed group Boko Haram in the Far North region of the country.

This includes the widespread use of torture to extract ‘confessions’ from hundreds of people accused – often with little or no evidence – of being affiliated with Boko Haram.

Source: Amnesty International


US President saddened by Africa’s vicious and violent conflicts

12, July 2018

US President saddened by Africa’s vicious and violent conflicts 0

President of the United States, Donald Trump, says he is on a mission to achieve global peace especially peace on the African continent.

In comments made to journalists on the sidelines of a North America Treaty Organization (Nato) summit in Brussels, Trump stressed that Africa’s problems were so complicated that only few people could understand it.

Trump said in part: “Africa right now has got problems like few people would understand. They have got things going on there that nobody could believe in this room.

“If you saw some of the things that I see through intelligence – what’s going on in Africa – it is so sad, it is so vicious and violent – and we want peace. We want peace for Africa. We want peace all over the world.

The U.S. is a strong partner to governments across Africa in several areas of cooperation. Washington’s diplomacy is by far the strongest on the continent. It also has strong ties in the area of economic, anti-terrorism and humanitarian endeavours.

“That’s my number one goal – peace all over the world and we are building up a tremendous military because I really believe through strength you get peace. We are going to have a military like we never had before,” he added.

The U.S. is estimated to have thousands of troops and over thirty military bases across Africa. Security watchers have also averred that it has other facilities that remain secret. The most recent loss the army suffered was when four special forces were killed in an ambush in Niger last year.

Source: Africa News


ELECAM says Southern Cameroons to partake in presidential polls

12, July 2018

ELECAM says Southern Cameroons to partake in presidential polls 0

Cameroon’s Anglophone regions will participate in presidential polls slated for October 7, 2018. This is according to the country’s electoral organizing body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM).

The said regions – North West and South West – have been restive for months now amid armed exchanges between government forces and secessionists under the banner of the so-called Ambazonia Republic.

The elections organizer assured that elections will take place in the regions stressing that the issue of security for all stakeholders in the process was the responsibility of the government.

ELECAM’s Assistant Director, Abdoul Karimou is quoted as saying, “Elections will hold in the North West and South West regions but ensuring security is the responsibility of the State.”

The government recently announced an October 7 date for the presidential elections. Political and security watchers have expressed worry over the worsening situation in the region and averred that peaceful polls could not hold in the affected areas.

The presidential poll is the biggest contest for a busy election year. Voters have already elected other legislative representatives earlier this year.

There were security challenges in the Anglophone regions during some of the polls. These challenges were also present during a national examination – there was heavy security presence at exam centers but some centers were burnt down by suspected separatists.

Source: Africa News


Municipal elections in Cameroon latest to be postponed

12, July 2018

Municipal elections in Cameroon latest to be postponed 0

Local elections in Cameroon have been pushed back a year without explanation, according to a statement read out on state radio on Wednesday.
“The mandate of municipal councillors has been extended for a period of 12 months from October 15, 2018,” said the decree signed by President Paul Biya, who has been in power for 35 years.

The elections were supposed to be held before the end of the year, in parallel with presidential and legislative elections. No reason was given for the delay.

Legislative elections were also postponed earlier this month after Biya said that holding all three votes in the same period would be “difficult” due to “overlapping electoral operations”.

One of Africa’s longest serving leaders, the 85-year-old Biya could run for yet another presidential term in an election scheduled for October.

The presidential election will take place amid ongoing Boko Haram attacks in the far north of the country and unrest in its two English-speaking regions.

Source: AFP



SOBA UK clarifies its management team and says Professor Ephraim Ngwafor has no legitimacy

12, July 2018

SOBA UK clarifies its management team and says Professor Ephraim Ngwafor has no legitimacy 0

SOBA UK Press Statement No. 3

12th July, 2018

Fellow Sobans,

SOBA UK wishes to confirm that the recent elections organised by the UK Splinter group members instructed by Professor Ephraim Ngwafor in Cameroon had nothing to do with the legitimate SOBA UK entity that has been operating for the past 48 years in the United Kingdom.

We also wish to confirm that no registered members of SOBA UK (over 80 strong members) took part in these elections following;

  1. the General Assembly resolution of the 24th of February 2018 to reject calls for such elections from overseas, which undermine the integrity and autonomy of SOBA UK
  2. the failure to uphold the provisions set out in Article 28 of the SOBA UK Constitution which stipulates the requirements for voters and candidates in any legitimate elections in SOBA UK

Therefore, the outcome of the elections organised by the Splinter group and under the unprecedented orders of an overseas person(s) has no UK constitutional backing. SOBA UK is confirming that these recent elections and Professor Ephraim Ngwafor’s dubious endorsement of the results as a means to rebuild his own shattered legitimacy in SOBA is null and void. We have noted that Professor Ephraim Ngwafor’s legitimacy as president general ended on 4th March 2018 when a Revival General Assembly held as a result of his failure to hold a general assembly meeting in 4 years or to render financial accountability and other issues raised. These issues remain unresolved to date.

SOBA UK is advising members of the public and Sobans worldwide to disregard any individuals purporting to be the Executive of SOBA UK who are not listed herein. For the avoidance of doubt, we confirm that SOBA UK’s Executive remains as follows:

Ayuk Akoh-Arrey -President

Bime Lafon -Vice President

John Bawak- Secretary General

Babangida Usamatu- Assistant SecretaryGeneral

BateyTako- Financial Secretary

Dennis Angafor- Assistant Financial Secretary

Franklin Egbe – Executive Treasurer

The SOBA UK Executive wishes to clarify that the SOBA UK programme for the rest of 2018 continues as planned.  The SOBA UK Events team are delighted to announce that the Annual Residential Convention will be held on 21st to 23rd September 2018 at one of Britain’s most prestigious venues. The next SOBA UK General Assembly meeting will be held on Saturday 22nd September 2018 from 10am. The formal launch of the Convention and full details will be announced shortly. We are very mindful of the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon which has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Anglophones and significant loss of lives, as well as the worsening situation. This is a theme that will be picked up at this year’s convention.

Over the past 5 years the SOBA UK Conventions have been well attended by many Cameroonian families in the UK as well as for those looking to network with the Cameroonian community. SOBA UK enjoys significant goodwill support from our community for what we are, the examples we set and the opportunities that we bring to the community. There is also a symbiotic relationship between SOBA UK and other alumni groups in the UK. For example, registered members of SOBA UK made a contribution of £2,300 on 5th May 2018 to OPSA UK at their annual convention to support their “Education of a Girl” programme. This level of support to another alumni group shows the goodwill of our members which can be harnessed for the education of our children in Cameroon.

A key part of what we do is to collaborate and empower Sobans around the world. In the last 12 months alone SOBA UK has been represented by our president Mr Ayuk Akoh-Arrey (FIA) and other members to conventions at SOBA America, SOBA Foundation (in Germany), and SOBA Ireland. Also, in the past 4 out of 5 years SOBA UK has been represented at SOBA America conventions including at Montreal Canada in 2015. In 2014 SOBA UK made a contribution of £2,600 to support the 75th Anniversary celebrations in Cameroon and many members attended the event at St Joseph’s College, Sasse.

The alma mater, St Joseph’s College Sasse remains dear to Sobans in the UK and that is why the Sasse Sick Bay project was initiated and implemented by SOBA UK with nearly £18,000 spent from the coffers of SOBA UK. An MOU was put in place in December of 2014 between SOBA UK and the Bishop of the Diocese of Buea, which would have allowed significant funds tobe injected to complete the projectbut was sabotaged by Professor Ephraim Ngwafor. In 2016, the SOBA UK General Assembly regrettably voted to withdraw from the Sickbay project, which has since then collapsed with Professor Ngwafor failing to either show the merits of his actions on the MOU or complete the project. SOBA UK remains open to showing goodwill to the alma mater.

In respect of our UK membership, SOBA UK continues to lead the way in terms of what our fraternity should be about. In the last 15 months alone 7 of our registered members lost a parent in an unprecedented spate of losses never seen before in the history of SOBA UK. Thankfully, the goodwill of our members and the association enabled significant financial support of over £14,000 to be provided to those bereaved, as well as emotional support.The strength and diligence of what we have built in SOBA UK has seen us through such a difficult year and may the souls of those who have departed rest in peace.

Kind regards,

Mr John Bawak

SG SOBA UK

On behalf of the Executive Team

 

Counter Signed

Mr Ayuk Akoh-Arrey,

President SOBA UK


“France is a key partner of Yaounde military aggression in Southern Cameroons”

12, July 2018

“France is a key partner of Yaounde military aggression in Southern Cameroons” 0

Ambazonian Communication Secretary, Hon. Chris Anu has confirmed that France is a key partner of French Cameroun military aggression against and partial occupation of Southern Cameroons. In an audio broadcast released today Thursday the 12th of July 2018, Chris Anu also pointed out that soldiers from Chad and French Cameroun government forces have been killing innocent Southern Cameroonians and many are undergoing torture at a network of clandestine prisons in French Cameroun.

The Interim Government statement of hope further revealed that large numbers of Southern Cameroons young men and women have been subjected to enforced disappearance after being arbitrarily arrested by troops loyal to the regime in Yaoundé.

Chris Anu observed that Ambazonian families find themselves in an endless nightmare where their loved ones are being killed on a daily basis. The Ambazonian Government spokesman said through an investigation conducted by the Interim Government, the Southern Cameroons resistance is very much alive and active in the Southern and Northern zones of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Chris Anu also stated that the French and Chadian troops operating in shadowy conditions in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, appears to have created a parallel security structure outside Ambazonia and French Cameroun laws, where egregious violations continue to go unchecked.

85 year old President Biya launched a brutal war against the people of Southern Cameroons in an attempt to prevent a secession bid by Anglophone Cameroonians. The offensive initially consisted of helicopter attacks but was later coupled with machines guns and the deployment of ground forces into Southern Cameroons. The UN is yet to discuss the war and the killings ever since the crisis started two years ago.

The UN announced in a statement that the war has displaced 161,000 Southern Cameroons civilians. The war is slowly but surely causing famine across Southern Cameroons. The Yaounde-led aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the Southern Cameroons’s infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories run by the CDC. The UN has said that a record 21,000 Southern Cameroonians have been registered as refugees in Nigeria.

Several Western countries, the United States and France in particular, supply the Biya regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.

By Chi Prudence Asong


Protesters prepare for US President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain

12, July 2018

Protesters prepare for US President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain 0

Anti-Trump placards are being prepared ahead of US president Donald Trump’s visit to Britain, and a high security metal fence has been erected outside the US ambassador’s residence Winfield House in London, where Trump will stay overnight.

Trump arrives in Britain on Thursday after a NATO summit and thousands of protesters are expected to join demonstrations during his visit, including plans to fly a blimp over parliament portraying Trump as an orange, snarling baby.

(Source: Reuters)


Yaounde to investigate viral video of soldiers summarily executing women and children

12, July 2018

Yaounde to investigate viral video of soldiers summarily executing women and children 0

The government of Cameroon has opened an investigation into the authenticity of a video circulating on social media platforms which shows armed men, presumed Cameroonian soldiers, executing two women and their children, accused of being accomplices of the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.

In the video, published Tuesday and seen thousands of times on social networks, we see men wearing military uniforms similar to those of some units of the Cameroonian army executing two women and their two children, on their knees.

Shocking scenes

The two uniformed men are seen harrassing the women; slapping one of the women and saying ‘You are going to die you BH’. BH in Cameroon refers to the Islamist group Boko Haram.

The video which looks like it was filmed on a mobile phone has someone commenting on the shocking scenes, explaining that the women were captured during an assault on Boko Haram.

The two women are led up a small hill, blindfolded, before all four are shot in the back. The cold blooded military men fire close to twenty bullets, including close-up shots on the corpses of the women and the littele children.

The videos have shocked the nation, including the authorities, who say an investigation has been opened to authenticate the video.

Government says its ‘fake news’

Governmenet spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary explained that since the Cameroonian army has been cited in the shocking video, government will investigate.

He was however quick to add that in this era of ‘fake news’, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that enemies of the government could use such a ploy to frame the authorities.

‘‘We haven’t authenticated yet, but I draw your attention to what we call fake news. Do not be peremptory in the attribution of this video to the Cameroonian army. Because the enemy is always able to slip into our defence and security forces to attribute to us such heinous crimes,’‘ Bakary said.

However, two Cameroonian security sources told AFP that the video may have been filmed in a mountainous area in the Far North region of Cameroon, bordering some Nigerian strongholds in Boko Haram.

The Cameroonian army is engaged there to counter the frequent incursions of fighters of the jihadist group.

The broadcast of this very violent video provoked controversy and outrage on social networks.

A local NGO, the Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa (Rhedac), claimed to have “cross-checked” the information contained in the video, claiming to be able to attest to its “authenticity”.

The Cameroonian army is regularly accused by NGOs of perpetrating abuses against persons suspected of belonging to the Boko Haram group, which it has always denied.

Source: Africa News


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