Moscow has deployed a new regiment of its advanced S-400 air defense missile system to Crimea amid simmering tensions with Kiev over the security situation in the Black Sea Peninsula.

The new division of the S-400 surface-to-air missiles was stationed in Crimea on Saturday, according to Russian media, the second such deployment on the peninsula after a first one in the spring of 2017 near the port town of Fedosia.

Russia’s RIA news agency had reported earlier that the new division would be based next to the town of Sevastopol and would control the airspace over the border with Ukraine.

“Starting today, the entire Crimean air defense group has been provided with the latest S-400 air defense missile system, which has no analogues in the world,” Lieutenant General Viktor Sevostyanov, the commander of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Forces, said on Saturday.

The Russian Defense Ministry says S-400 missile systems, known as “Triumph,” are capable of destroying airborne targets at a range of 400 kilometers and ballistic missiles at a range of 60 kilometers. The systems were first introduced to the Russian military’s arsenal in 2007, according to the ministry.

Crimea voted for unification with Russia in March 2014. The West brands the development as Moscow’s “annexation” of the territory.

An armed conflict erupted shortly afterwards in Ukraine’s eastern regions, collectively known as the Donbass. The US and its allies in Europe accuse Russia of having a hand in that conflict, an allegation denied by Moscow.

The fighting has left over 10,000 people dead and more than a million others displaced, according to the United Nations.

The warring sides have so far inked two ceasefire deals, dubbed Minsk l and II; however, fighting has continued almost regularly, and both parties have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire.

Source:Presstv

Cameroon Concord News Abuja city reporter who went to Nera Hotels was refused CCTV footage of the DSS action and assault on the leader of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. Betek Kingsley of the political desk met the manager and the designated premises supervisor at The Nera Hotels in Abuja on Saturday the 13^th of January 2018.

We also heard that the hotel refused to hand over the CCTV hard drive to the legal team representing the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. The management of the hotel pleaded to us that they have been dragged into the Ambazonian crisis for letting Atam Millan out of the hotel.  A journalist with a sister publication, Cameroon Intelligence Report  who contributed to this report revealed that Atam Millan successfully left Nigerian territory by road and he is now en route to South Africa.

A very flippant but reliable source also hinted Camcordnews that members of the DSS were lifted to the CCTV camera and they removed the hard drive.  A cleaner at the hotel was heard murmuring privately that the manager was told to get rid of the CCTV.

All attempts by Cameroon Concord News at getting to the licensing officer in Abuja met with a stone wall. “The Buhari administration was between a rock and a hard place,” noted a receptionist at the hotel.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai  with files from Betek Kingsley and Rita Akana

The chairman of the House of Representatives committee on IDPs, Refugees and Initiatives on North East, Sani Zorro, has condemned the arrest of Cameroonian separatist leaders by the Nigerian government.

The group leads a movement for an independent English-speaking Ambazonia State, which seeks to break away from the domination of the French-speaking Cameroon.

The men were arrested by security operatives in Abuja and have been held incommunicado, a lawyer representing other members of the group said.

The decision of the government to arrest them has drawn condemnations, with Amnesty International warning against extraditing the activists.

Mr. Zorro said the arrested officials are asylum seekers, and should not be deported because their lives would be in danger. “Deporting them is illegal and it contravenes section 33 of the United Nations Geneva convention under treatment of refugees,” Mr. Zoro told PREMIUM TIMES.

“Nigeria will be committing a major illegality if it deports them back to Cameroon.” He said Section 33 of the Geneva convention prohibits forceful deportation of asylum seekers to where their lives are in danger. He said there is a need for Nigeria to benefit from the policies and best practices of the United Nations as well as countries that have also experienced this kind of crisis.

He added that some of the refugees are less than 2km away from the Cameroonian boarders and Cameroonian soldiers cross their borders in pursuit of these refugees, which is illegal. “They cross Nigerian territories to go to the camp where they are and arrest some of them on allegations of the refugees bearing arms,” he said.

He said the implications are that hostilities can break up between Nigeria and Cameroon. Cameroon has witnessed months of unrest as the push for the independent state intensifies, resulting in clashes between protesters and the police which has led to the death of many nationals.

Anglophone Cameroonians say they have been marginalised for years by the central government and the country’s majority French-speaking population. The agitation for secession heightened in October 2017 when the “Ambazonians” declared an autonomy over their region during the anniversary of their union with the French-speaking side.

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All African member states of the United Nations have blasted US President Donald Trump’s “outrageous” and “xenophobic” remarks about immigrants, calling on him to apologize for the vulgar comments.

In a statement issued on Friday, a group of 55 African countries demanded a “retraction and an apology” from Trump after the US president referred to countries such as El Salvador, Haiti and certain African nations as “shithole” countries.

The American head of state further urged lawmakers at a White House meeting to make efforts to stop immigrants from those countries entering the US, and instead accept immigrants from wealthy and overwhelmingly white countries such as Norway.

The African Group of UN ambassadors further said in the statement that it was “extremely appalled at, and strongly condemns the outrageous, racist and xenophobic remarks by the president of the United States of America as widely reported by the media.”

The group also stressed that it was “concerned at the continuing and growing trend from the US administration toward Africa and people of African descent to denigrate the continent and people of color.”

Angered by Trump’s comments, Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary general of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress said, “Ours is not a shithole country and neither is Haiti or any other country in distress.”

“We would not deign to make comments as derogatory as that about any country that has any kind of socio-economic or other difficulties,” he said, adding that much like their African counterparts, millions of US citizens were affected by problems such as unemployment.

The United Nations also denounced the remarks made by the US president as “shocking,” “shameful,” and racist.”

During the 2016 presidential race, Trump campaigned for “a total and complete shutdown” of US borders on those he deemed as undesirable.

Last week, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 260,000 immigrants from El Salvador, forcing them to gradually leave the US.

The US president also angered Muslims worldwide by imposing travel ban on citizens of six Muslim-majority nations.

US President Donald Trump has admitted to using “tough” language while commenting on immigrants during a private meeting with lawmakers on Thursday.

During the meeting, in which he rejected a bipartisan deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, he reportedly asked why “people from shithole countries come to” the United States.

His contemptuous comments, which were about immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti and African countries, have provoked sever criticism in the US and abroad.

However, in a series of Friday morning tweets, Trump said that “the language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used.”

“What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made – a big setback for DACA.”

He also denied saying that Haitians must be removed from negotiations about protected status for people from certain countries.

“Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said ‘take them out.’ Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings – unfortunately, no trust!”

However, Senator Dick Durbin, the only Democrat in the room disputed the president’s account.

“He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly,” Durbin said. “When the question was asked about Haitians … he said, ‘Haitians? Do we need more Haitians?’”

Also, Arizona Senator Jeff Flake tweeted that “the words used by the President, as related to me directly following the meeting by those in attendance, were not ‘tough,’ they were abhorrent and repulsive.”

“I think it was stupid and irresponsible and childish,” said Republican Mike Simpson. “He’s president of the United States. That’s not how a president behaves.”

African countries expressed disbelief and disgust at the president’s remarks. The United Nations human rights office also denounced as “racist” Trump’s remarks.

During the 2016 presidential race, Trump campaigned for “a total and complete shutdown” of US borders on those he deemed as undesirable.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 260,000 immigrants from El Salvador, forcing them to gradually leave the US.

Source: Presstv

Ten leaders of the independence movement in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon could be at risk of torture and unfair trials if extradited from Nigeria, where they have been arrested and detained in secret for one week, Amnesty International said today.

On 5 January, armed men in plain clothes stormed a hotel in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja where the pro- independence activists were meeting, and arrested them without presenting a warrant or providing an explanation. They are being held incommunicado, without any access to a lawyer, in contravention of Nigerian law which demands they must be seen by a judge within 48 hours. Human rights lawyers in Nigeria have said that an extradition request has been made by the Cameroonian government, but no details have been made public.

“Efforts to tackle the Anglophone crisis should always respect the law, and avoid restricting freedom of expression. Authorities in Nigeria should immediately disclose the activists’ whereabouts, allow them access to a lawyer, and unless they have sufficient evidence to charge them with a recognizable crime, release them immediately”.

The pro-independence activists said that they were meeting in Nigeria to discuss the influx of thousands of asylum seekers following protests in October, in which more than 20 civilians were killed by security forces. In recent months, more than 10 members of security forces have also been killed by more radical pro-independence groups. They have always claimed to pursue their aim of independence for the Anglophone regions through peaceful means.

All those arrested were legally living in Nigeria, and some had been granted political asylum. Under Nigerian law, it would be illegal to extradite the activists for political crimes, or if they faced the risk of torture or an unfair trial.

In Cameroon, those charged with crimes related to national security are prosecuted by military courts without respect for due process, and Amnesty International has documented a widespread pattern of torture by security forces and intelligence agencies. In July 2017 the organization published a report documenting more than 100 cases of torture of people accused without evidence of supporting Boko Haram.

By

Miriam Metchane Ewang