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20, November 2017

Zimbabwe: Mugabe defies own party, refuses to resign ⁰

Speaking while under house arrest, Zimbabwe’s embattled President Robert Mugabe has shocked the nation by making no mention of resignation despite a military takeover and a looming noon deadline set by his own party for him to cede power.

The 93-year old president delivered a 20-minute address Sunday on live television, hours after his Zanu-PF Party sacked him and urged the leader to step down by noon (1000 GMT) on Monday or face impeachment.

Zimbabweans, who widely expected Mugabe to announce his resignation in the address, had gathered in public places across the capital, Harare, to watch the speech.

However, much to their disbelief, Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for nearly four decades, offered no concessions to his opponents, and even pledged to preside over a special Zanu-PF congress scheduled for next month.

The president acknowledged criticism from Zanu-PF, the military and public, but said the events of last week were not “a challenge to my authority as head of state and government.”

A video grab from footage shows military commanders stand next to Mugabe as he was delivering a speech on live TV address in capital Harare on November 19, 2017. (Via AFP)

“Whatever the pros and cons of how they [the army] went about their operation, I, as commander-in-chief, do acknowledge their concerns,” he said.

The long-running president stressed the need to return normality to the African state, but made no mention of demands from the public and from his own party, to resign as president.

Angered by the speech, Chris Mutsvangwa, head of the influential war veterans’ association, said plans to impeach Mugabe in parliament would now go ahead, and that there would be mass protests on Wednesday.

“That speech has nothing to do with realities,” he said, calling on people to go back to the streets.

Both houses of Zimbabwe’s parliament are due to convene on Tuesday for a debate over the impeachment bid, which would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers.

The political crisis began in the South African county after Mugabe sacked his vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, two weeks ago.

People attend a prayer meeting after Mugabe was dismissed as party leader of the ruling ZANU-PF’s central committee in Harare on November 19, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

The sudden move angered army commanders and led to the military takeover last week. The commanders considered Mugabe’s sudden decision as an attempt to position his wife, Grace Mugabe, as his successor.

She has not been seen since the takeover.

It was thought that the army had managed to take power in a “bloodless transition” coup, but it insists that it has no intention of taking permanent control of government and that it is an operation to root out “criminals around (Mugabe) who are committing crimes.”

Mnangagwa, who was appointed interim leader of the Zanu-PF, is widely expected to take over from Mugabe as president.

Culled from Presstv

20, November 2017

“Robert Mugabe has no intention of leaving the scene” ⁰

The world sat in front of hundreds of millions of TV screens yesterday and watched Robert Mugabe make a speech regarding his future and that of Zimbabwe. The expectations from east to west, north to south were the same. Reuters, long believed to be the leader in news scoops had fed the other leading news agencies including Cameroon Concord News Group that the old fox was about to announce his exit from the international and political scene with dignity. We were all fooled.

It seems to be a familiar pattern on the world scene that news agencies these days get their predictions utterly erroneous. The election of Trump and Brexit were predicted inaccurately and incorrectly reported. As I watched the TV screens and spoke to Cameroon Concord News Group Southern Africa Editor live from Harare, nothing could have prepared me for what I was witnessing.

I witnessed a fragile old man, 93 years of age ramble; ramble on and on and on. At some stages of his speech, he sounded like someone who had suffered and was recovering from a stroke. Earlier in the day, the political party which he founded, and has led for 37 years, the ZANU-PF had dismissed him as leader. He had been given till today noon by the party to step down as the president of Zimbabwe or face the degradation of impeachment. His speech to the nation was seen as a platform for the old fox to announce his submission and ensuing peaceful retirement.

We waited for the punch line announcing his resignation which never came. We have now been reliably informed that the generals who led the move to remove him from office were told he was going to make a speech announcing his resignation but Mugabe refused to show them a copy of his speech. Cameroon Concord News understands from our Southern Africa editor in Harare that the Generals asked to see his speech but Mugabe emphatically refused.

As I watched the speech, I noticed like the hundreds of millions who did the same around the world that he was too old and in many occasions couldn’t follow the pages coherently. It was a pity and an embarrassment for someone who was once a great leader. I wondered what drives him to believe that if he didn’t have the mental coordination to read a written speech, he had all the faculties in place to run a nation. He appeared just too ancient and incapable.

The party which he founded has now disowned him. The overwhelming majority of his people don’t want him to continue as leader after almost four decades. Based on what we saw yesterday, Mugabe hasn’t got the mental ability and dynamism to make day to day decisions as a leader but he insist on carrying on as the president of his country.

We thought we had seen the last chapter of this drama, but it looks like Comrade Robert Mugabe has no intension of making that happen. Those close to him say bushiness is what took him to the top. The big question now is if that is what will bring him down spectacularly.

By Asu Ashu

Cameroon Concord News

London

20, November 2017

Kenya: Opposition leader Odinga calls for international intervention ⁰

Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has urged international community to intervene in what he has called his country’s “election crisis” as sporadic clashes between police and protesters keeps claiming more lives.

Odinga said Sunday that at least 31 people had been killed since he returned from overseas trip on Friday, adding that the situation needed an urgent “international intervention” to stop government from trampling on rights of opposition members.

“This is state-sponsored thuggery,” Odinga said, adding that his country was being pushed to the precipice”.

The opposition leader, who protested his loss in the August presidential election and then boycotted a rerun last month, said people who had lined up the roads Friday to welcome him home from engagements in the US and Britain were confronted by police and 18 were shot dead.

His remarks also came after residents of a Nairobi slum protested the killing of at least 13 people in an overnight attack by unknown gunmen. Police has put the death toll of the clashes at four, but people attending the mortuary said 13 bodies bearing bullet wounds had been brought in. police said that five people had been killed in the Friday stampede before Odinga’s arrival. But mortuary records corroborated 18 people were dead.

Tensions remain high in Kenya, a major ally of the West and a an economic powerhouse in the Horn of Africa region, since a Supreme Court ruling in September which nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta victory in original votes. Civil society activists and a politician are again challenging Kenyatta’s win in October repeat of the election. A decision by the court is expected on Monday as Odinga insists that irregularities that led to the nullification of the first round remained the rerun.

Culled from Presstv

19, November 2017

Southern Cameroons: Statement on nominations into the cabinet ⁰

London, 19th November 2017

Fellow Compatriots,

There comes a time when a people have to take their destiny into their own hands or let the opportunity slip past them forever. We have taken the leap of faith and cannot let doubt hold us back. Our people have been holding their breath and even getting impatient as they await the nomination of the Cabinet of the Ambazonia Interim Government. Thank you for your patience. It is not easy selecting fourteen individuals out of a population of eight million. It is even harder when one is working with a wonderful and experienced group of people scattered all over the world and has to select a few to help steer our restoration train to its final destination.

Over the past weeks I have consulted far and wide, and listened to the wisdom of some of our best minds. At the end of the process, the responsibility and accountability of the decisions I take remain entirely mine. I must emphasize that these decisions are taken with the best interest of our people and our nation at heart with RESOLVE, UNITY and DISCIPLINE being the guideposts.

When we attended the first Conclave in February this year, extra effort was made to ensure that all our frontline leaders participate in the founding of a United Front. With the Successes of the first Conclave, the second Conclave went an extra mile to ensure that this unity was cemented and saw the participation of all our frontline movements including: –

Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC),
Southern Cameroons People’s Organization (SCAPO),
The Consortium,
Republic of Ambazonia (RoA),
Southern Cameroons Youth League (SCYL),
Ambazonia Governing Council (AGC),
Movement for the Restoration of the Independence of Southern Cameroons (MoRISC).

At the end of the second conclave, a new leadership was born. Ever since, our movement and the struggle for the restoration of our Independence has seen several positive changes which culminated in the establishment of an Interim Government at the 4th Conclave earlier this month.

The United Front has not been without its problems. Over time, some movements have lost their membership. Today, we have passed the point where we should be working as separate factions and groupings. The time for politicking will come. For now, we need to close ranks and operate as one people with a single ambition which is to liberate our country. When we all get to Buea, we shall give the chance for those who want to play politics. But not NOW!

Immediately after my election as Chairman of the Governing Council, I reached out to all the known leaders of our movements in a bid to find common ground. During our Meet the People Tour, we made every effort to meet every of our leaders and to build the much-needed cohesion. In the build-up to the fourth Conclave, I made sure to invite our frontline leaders with the hope of finding common ground and work as one unit. Unfortunately, all these efforts have not always met with great success. In spite of these shortcomings and disappointments, I am still convinced that we are stronger together. Therefore, I have decided that in the constitution of the cabinet for our Interim Government, I will make one last effort to ensure that our compatriots and leaders of frontline movements should be part of our United leadership. We must also recognize that a significant ratio of the 8 million Southern Cameroonians are not members of any of the frontline movements. Many of our people have joined the struggle as patriots, as concerned citizens and as members of a community without ties to any movement. Many people play key roles in advancing this struggle to the point where it is today. The bulk of support, both financial and material, that we are getting as an Interim Government is coming through the leadership of Country Coordinators and Heads of Departments. Most of them hold no movement allegiance. We must also recognize and respect them for their work. For that reason, the leadership that we seek to build must be inclusive in accordance with the role played by all involved. It is for that reason that we took the decision at the 4th Conclave to dissolve SCACUF. This is because we believe that we now need a different kind of entity to take our revolution to its logical end. That entity can only be one which allows us, while maintaining our personal and group affiliations, to embrace a common platform that belongs to all of us together.

I must caution that revolutions do not succeed in the midst of disunity and indiscipline, where every individual and group does as they please. This revolution is no exception. We must have unity of purpose, unity in our actions and be disciplined in whatever we do. It is therefore my hope that everyone will see the importance of working together. We must put aside our personal egos and ambitions, for the common good of the eight million people that we are privilege to lead. Should we encounter any further resistance in this quest for unity, I want to signal very strongly that we have to accept that the train does not have to wait for every traveler before it leaves the station. We are in the process of building a Coalition of the Willing and only those who are willing will be admitted on board. While I do my very best to be inclusive, if obligated, I would not hesitate to exclude any individual or group that seeks self-aggrandizement over our common interest. This will be my last attempt at bringing our leaders together to work under one banner. We must make this clear, we will not allow for anarchy and chaos which, in some countries, has allowed individuals, groups or tribal affiliations to put selfish priorities before the common good of all our people.

We have heard some talk of whoever takes us to Buea will decide. Be rest assured that such selfish ambitions will not be tolerated and will be nipped in the bud. We shall not limit our condemnation to those who espouse such philosophy but their supporters and sponsors as well. I therefore ask all our citizens to be vigilant and to report any such activities geared at hampering our God-ordained struggle. In a while we shall publish the names of those who have been selected to serve our people. I will ask everyone to serve with humility in whatever role they will be assigned. I am sending letters inviting various leaders to join me in serving and leading our people. I hope to hear from each person within 48 hours of dispatch of my letter. We have a list of great individuals in the struggle ready to serve. Should any of the leaders turn down the invitation to serve as part of the UNITY PLATFORM, he/she will be replaced. Your interim government will be made public as soon as I hear from the leaders.

All of us as leaders must either choose to work together for the good of our people and our country or accept being rejected by our people. We have gone past the activism stage of our struggle. We are now at the nation-building stage. The real business of Unity starts now and I invite all to be part of this Coalition of the Willing!

Sisiku AyukTabe

President, Interim Government

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

19, November 2017

Yaounde: Hand-Over to Cameroon of U.S.G. Funded Quality Assurance Center ⁰

U.S. Government, through CDC/PEPFAR, invests over CFA 2,364,000,000 ($ 4 million) in both the renovation and equipment of a Cameroon state-of-the-art National Public Health Laboratory.

The keys of the Quality Assurance Centre were handed over to Minister of Public Health André Mama Fouda by Chargé d’Affaires Matthew Smith on November 09th, 2017.

Culled from the US embassy in Yaounde

19, November 2017

Professor Monekosso dies aged 84 ⁰

The former Minister of Public Health between 1997 and 2000 who also moonlighted as Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa, Professor Gottlieb Lobe Monekosso is no more. He died in the early hours of Sunday, November 19, 2017 at the General Hospital in Douala after a long illness at the age of 84 years.

The emblematic figure of medicine in Africa was appointed by President Paul Biya, Minister of Public Health in the government of 07 December 1997 and was removed from office three years later, precisely during the reshuffle of March 18, 2000.

He received several awards both at home and beyond. Five years ago in Yaoundé at the fiftieth anniversary of the WHO, the British Ambassador presented to Professor Monekosso, on behalf of the Queen of England, the Queen Elizabeth II medal in recognition of his works in the field of public health.

By Sama Ernest with files from CIN

19, November 2017

Zimbabwe: Mugabe fired as leader of the ruling party ⁰

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has been fired as the leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party, less than a week after the military seized power in the African country, party sources say.

According to ZANU-PF sources on Sunday, former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was sacked by Mugabe this month, has been appointed as new party leader.

The announcement came following an emergency meeting of the ruling party after which one of the delegates told Reuters, “He has been expelled,” adding, “Mnangagwa is our new leader.”

Leader of Zimbabwe war veterans, Mutsvangwa, has also confirmed that ZANU-PF has replaced Mugabe with Mnangagwa as leader.

Mutsvangwa added that ZANU-PF has starting the process to remove Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe.

Source: Presstv

19, November 2017

Zimbabwe’s Political Crisis: Is Cameroon the next? ⁰

For the past few days, Zimbabwe has been in the spotlight for the wrong reason. The country’s former president, Robert Mugabe, who thought he would die in power, is now caught in tough negotiations just to spare himself the humiliation that has been the fate of many dethroned dictators on the continent. The negotiations are going on behind the scenes to persuade Mr. Mugabe to kiss Zimbabwe goodbye so as to avert a situation wherein he would be reduced to a villain. From every indication, the man who transformed Zimbabwe from a “bread basket” into a basket case is insisting that he would not exit honourably as that will legitimise the coup. The military has, however, been saying that its action is not a coup as it is seeking constitutional means to put an end to Mr. Mugabe’s dictatorial rule that has thrust the country into a tough political crisis.

After having served the country for thirty-seven years, the liberation struggle hero felt he could spin any and everybody around his little finger. He has always thought that he would die in power and nobody born of a woman could change that. Under his wife’s influence, the man who had transformed Zimbabweans into “poor millionaires” as the country’s currency, the Zimbabwe dollar, took a nosedive and lost its entire value, had even started purging ZANU-PF, his political party, of the very people who had brought him into the presidency. He simply failed to understand that only a fool challenges his god after having eaten to his fill. He had successfully fired many of his fellow comrades from the party, but the dismissal of his vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, to make way for his wife, Grace Mugabe alias Gucci Grace, to succeed him as the country’s next president was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Mr. Mugabe had clearly crossed the red line and the military had to stop him before he could implement his ill-advised plot.

Grace Mugabe who had thought she would be the next president of Zimbabwe has seen her dream shatter into pieces. She has been hiding ever since the military stepped in to put an end to her husband’s comedy that has cost the country its economy and image. Her arrogant public pronouncements had angered the military and made her feel that she was untouchable. But this could not continue indefinitely. When nature wants to destroy you, it gives you madness. Grace Mugabe had tasted power and it had gotten to her head. She could no longer control herself. She failed to understand that management and governance are not sexually transmissible. Being upgraded from a typist to a first lady did not imply she had all what was necessary for her to run a country like Zimbabwe. If she had any doubt about how difficult it was for her to rule the country, she has now figured out that she will never be a president in Zimbabwe and not even in her native South Africa.

While Mr. Mugabe is still dragging his feet, the military is working hard to make sure he stays in the past where he clearly belongs. Mr. Mugabe must understand that time is not on his side and when a monkey has to die; all trees will be very slippery. His gimmicks will surely come to nothing as even the youth wing of his party is gradually gravitating towards the military. The pouring of thousands of Zimbabwean onto the streets of the country’s capital on Saturday to demonstrate the people’s support to the military looked like a well-choreographed exercise designed to lend legitimacy to the political transition that is being discussed by the military and politicians. The size of the crowd was a clear demonstration that Mr. Mugabe’s support base hadcollapsed and his chances of returning to power were indeed very slim. His fellow independence war veterans, who have always stood by him for thirty-seven years, are also walking away from Mr. Mugabe who has become more and more isolated.

But the most devastating blow to Mr. Mugabe and his ego will surely come on Sunday, November 19, 2017, when the central committee of his ruling Zanu-PFparty meets to recommend his dismissal as their party chairman. Though Mr. Mugabe looked unfazed on Friday during a graduation event he presided over, it was clear that the 93-year-old had lost his arrogance and tough language during the event. He spent a good part of his time at the event sleeping and reflecting on the unfortunate fate that has become his. He has been demystified and his arrogant wife has been cut down to normal human proportions. Mr. Mugabe has seen the writing on the wall, but the fighter and trickster still believes that he can still pull a fast one. He fails to understand that times have changed and that the attractive aura he had about him when he came to power in 1980 has worn out and nothing will be good enough to restore that aura to its pristine state.

While the Mugabe saga is bringing smiles to many Zimbabwean faces, the drama playing out in this beautiful country seems to be robbing many people in Cameroon of their sleep, especially the country’s president who has been in power for thirty-five years. The country’s authorities have been displaying an air of indifference to what is happening to Mr. Mugabe. For more than three days now, the country’s national TV channel, CRTV, has not discussed the Zimbabwean situation and no pictures of the incident have been shown on the channel. According to a source at the country’s presidency, the network director, Charles Ndongo, has been given firm instructions to ensure that nothing relating to Zimbabwe is shown on the network. The source added that Cameroon’s leader, Paul Biya, on Friday, November 17, 2017, had a secret meeting with the country’s top military brass at the presidency where he thanked the generals for their support during the numerous crises that have brought the country and its economy to their knees.

He urged them to continue supporting the government, adding that it was only by working together that the country would be able to roll back Boko Haram and Anglophone secessionists who have robbed him of a good night’s sleep and ruined his health. The octogenarian, according to our source, was visibly disturbed, as he is conscious of the fact that he is as popularly unpopular in Cameroon like Mugabe was in Zimbabwe. Mr. Biya is scared that history might repeat itself on the continent, but this time, not in Zimbabwe, but in Cameroon where his thirty-five years of mismanagement and corruption have angered many and sent millions into voluntary exile.

It should be recalled that like Mr. Mugabe, Mr. Biya came to power on a wave of popularity, with many Cameroonians holding that he was the right man to transform their country into an El-dorado by virtue of his education and experience, but after thirty-five years, Mr. Biya has been a disappointment to many. Unemployment is unbearably high and many university graduates have been reduced to beggars. Many of these graduates are still living with their poor parents who have spent their fortunes just to give their children the education that can help them become financially independent. Besides, being unemployed, it is increasingly hard for these students, especially those from poor backgrounds and whose parents are not in the ruling party, to have access to some of the higher institutions of learning, popularly known in French as “GrandesEcoles”. Many Cameroonians hold that in order to gain admission into the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM), the school that trains magistrates and administrators in Cameroon, candidates are expected to unofficially pay about USD 10,000; an amount that is well beyond the reach of many Cameroonians.

Also, after thirty-five years, the country’s economy is on life support. High taxes are crippling many businesses and corrupt tax and customs officials have transformed the country’s treasury into their ATM where they can withdraw money whenever they want. Mr. Biya and his ministers have been cited in many cases of corruption. It should be pointed out that many of his former ministers are currently in jail, including a former prime minister, two former secretaries-general at the presidency and thousands of middle level collaborators.

Regarding infrastructure, Cameroon is completely bereft of modern infrastructure. The country’s roads have become death traps, killing more people than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. In 2017 alone, the country’s roads have already killed more than 20,000 people and the government is doing little or nothing to improve upon things.

Besides the country’s roads, its hospitals have been reduced to consultation clinics where many Cameroonians are sent to an early grave. Medical doctors and nurses have entered into an unholy alliance where they are ripping the sick just to make themselves rich. It is normal for patients to be turned away by nurses and doctors if they do not have money to pay for any services, regardless of their health situation. A few years back, a lady had to operate upon her pregnant sister to get out the fetus when officials of a prestigious government hospital in Douala, Laquintini, refused to attend to the lady who was in travail. The negligence of these officials resulted in the death of the lady and her fetus; a situation that shocked the entire country, but strangely, no one was held accountable and no heads rolled.

While Cameroonians have been losing their lives due to poor healthcare, the president has made it a duty to head to Switzerland for treatment even when he has malaria. Recently, he spent almost thirty days in Geneva with a staff of about 50 persons where he had been admitted for a failing heart and a devastating prostate cancer. After such a long period abroad, the country had to disburse some USD 2 million to pay for Mr. Biya’s health and hotel bills, while the common man has continued to die of curable and preventable diseases due to lack of resources.

From every indication, all the ingredients that have resulted in Mr. Mugabe’s ouster are also in place in Cameroon. Personality cult, corruption, embezzlement, mismanagement and authoritarian rule are blighting the lives of Cameroonians just like they did to Zimbabweans during Mr. Mugabe’s time. This has caused many Cameroonians to start asking if Cameroon will be the next. Mr. Biya has been in power for thirty-five years and he holds that he has been ordained by God to lord it over his people. The same flawed thinking Mr. Mugabe had. Mr. Biya’s wife, Chantal Biya, who is noted for her flaming red hair, is also noted for her love for shopping. A crime Mrs. Mugabe was charged with by the people and something that earned her the title “Gucci Grace”.

If Mr. Biya has to spare himself the embarrassment that has come Mr. Mugabe’s way, he has to start thinking of handing over. Cameroonians are sick and tired of the corruption and mismanagement he has imported into the country. He might be thinking that he has the support of the military, but he must also know that palace coups are always staged by people you trust. After thirty-five years in power, Mr. Biya should be bidding goodbye to his people. He has to stop listening to the bunch of criminals around him. They are there to serve their interest and will never tell him the truth. There is some time for him to see the writing on the wall. It is time for him to leave when the ovation is still loud. Cameroonians are really looking forward to the day he will leave or the day the Lord will recall him. He has inflicted a lot of pain on his people. He must not wait for popular anger to spill onto the streets of Yaounde for him to know how popularly unpopular he is. Zimbabwe is a good lesson for him and his party members. However, will they take time to learn the lesson?

A Cameroon Concord News Group Production

19, November 2017

News of Libya ‘slave market’ stirs controversy ⁰

News of black men being put on sale at a Libyan “slave market” has drawn outrage from the African Union (AU) and triggered violent protests in Paris.

Guinean President Alpha Conde, who is also the chairman of the AU, demanded on Friday that the “despicable trade” be stopped, the slaves be set free, and the perpetrators be put on trial.

The outrage was sparked by a CNN report showing footage of a live auction in Libya where black youths were being sold for hundreds of dollars to buyers as farmhands.

“These modern slavery practices must end, and the African Union will use all the tools at its disposal,” Conde said.

The black youths on sale in Libya are generally African asylum seekers from nations such as Guinea, Senegal, the Gambia, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger. Media reports say many of the asylum seekers end up in the wrong places and lose their freedom to gangs that are either led or are in cahoots with human traffickers.

The asylum seekers-turned-slaves had sought to cross through the country and travel over the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, where they sought to ultimately settle.

Libya has opened an investigation into the slavery report, saying it would free the slaves, according to the CNN.

This image shows asylum seekers at a naval base in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on October 17, 2017, after they were found in a rubber boat by coastguards off the Libyan coast. (By AFP)

“A high-level committee has been convened encompassing representatives from all the security apparatus to oversee this investigation,” said Anes Alazabi, an official with the internationally-recognized government of Libya’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency.

“Priorities of the investigation are not only to convict those responsible for these inhumane acts, but also to identify the location of those who have been sold in order to bring them to safety and return them to their countries of origin,” said the Libyan official.

Libya has been in a state of near chaos since 2011, when its long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, was ousted, and rival militia groups and factions started vying for power and territory.

Protest in Paris

In related news, protesters carrying signs reading “No to slavery in Libya,” gathered in front of the Libyan Embassy in Paris on Saturday to protest the practice of slavery.

Culled from Presstv

19, November 2017

After Catalan: Uproar begins in another Spanish region ⁰

Tens of thousands of people have staged a protest rally in the Spanish city of Valencia, calling on the central government in Madrid to allocate more funding to the autonomous community of the same name.

More than 60,000 demonstrators took to the main streets of the city on Saturday, expressing discontent with what they called the unfair distribution of budget to Valencia.

Waving Valencia’s regional flags, the protesters demanded that the Spanish government revise the country’s financial system in order for a fairer distribution of funding to autonomous communities.

“We came to this demonstration to ask and to demand that the financial distribution to the autonomous communities become fairer and more balanced with the population and with the investments we have,” said Cloti Iborra, a participant at the peaceful rally.

“We are an autonomous region that… [is] underfunded; we pay more than what we receive. We pay as a rich community, when in reality we are poor; we have higher unemployment, lower wages,” she added.

An image grab from a video by Ruptly shows protesters in the Spanish city of Valencia on November 18, 2017.

The Saturday demonstration enjoyed the support of all political parties in Spain except the ruling conservative People’s Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The Spanish prime minister’s government has already had to cope with a secession bid in Catalonia, which is also an autonomous region and which neighbors Valencia in northeastern Spain.

Madrid has had to sack the regional government in Catalonia over its defiant bid to gain independence from Spain following a referendum that was held illegally on October 1.

Anti-government sentiments still run deep in Catalonia as people favoring independence stage back-to-back rallies on the streets and urge Madrid to free jailed leaders and activists.

Source: Presstv