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24, September 2017

Germany: Merkel wins 4th term in office ⁰

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has clinched a fourth term in office through general elections, while the hard-right AfD party has also won its first seats in parliament.

According to latest results from Sunday general elections, Merkel has won around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, AFP reported.

Merkel was followed by the Social Democrats and their candidate, Martin Schulz, who ended second by scoring about 20-21 percent of the vote. Schulz announced after elections that his party will serve as the opposition following Sunday’s general elections.

Exit polls also showed that in a surprising turn of events the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) has captured around 13 percent of the vote, which made it the country’s third biggest political party and enabled it to enter Germany’s parliament for the first time.

Martin Schulz, the leader of Germany’s Social Democratic (SPD) Party and candidate for chancellor, gives a speech during an electoral meeting on the eve of general elections, in Aachen, western Germany, on September 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

A recent poll, conducted by the INSA institute for the local Bild daily, showed sliding support for CDU by two percentage points to 34 percent, and the SPD, down by one point to 21 percent. The hard-right AfD rose by two percentage points to 13 percent.

The 63-year-old Merkel saw a decline in her approval ratings over the past two years, mainly due to a decision at the beginning of 2015 to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany. However, her success in controlling the refugee inflow and her message that the German economy needs to be rendered fit for the future by investing in digital technologies seem to have won hearts in the run-up to the parliamentary elections.

The AfD, a nationalist, anti-Islam party, has hugely capitalized on Merkel’s fall in several states.

24, September 2017

Explosion in Mali kills 3 UN soldiers from Bangladesh ⁰

Three United Nations soldiers from Bangladesh were killed by an explosive device that detonated as they were escorting a convoy in northern Mali on Sunday, the West African country’s peacekeeping mission and Bangladesh’s military said.

Attacks on peacekeepers in Mali, where extremist groups continue to operate in the vast desert in the north of the country, have made the UN mission there, MINUSMA, the organization’s deadliest.

Another five UN troops were seriously wounded in Sunday’s explosion, which occurred at around 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) on the main road between the towns of Anefis and Gao, MINUSMA said in a statement.

“Our thoughts go firstly to the families and loved ones. We pledge our complete support to them during this painful ordeal,” the head of MINUSMA, Koen Davidse, said. “The mission will use all means to ensure that justice is rendered.”

The UN did not immediately release the nationalities of the soldiers. But the Bangladesh military’s media department confirmed that three of its soldiers had died by an improvised explosive device during an encounter with militants, adding that four other Bangladeshi peacekeepers were injured in the attack.

West Africa’s arid Sahel region has in recent years become a breeding ground for militant groups — some linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh — that European countries, particularly France, fear could threaten Europe if left unchecked.

Militants of the CMFPR2 (La Coordination des mouvements et Front patriotique de resistance) take position to prevent the interim authorities to convene at the Regional Assembly in Gao on February 28, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Despite a 2013 French-led military operation that drove back militants who had seized control of Mali’s north, the area remains home to groups that have staged assaults on high-profile targets in the capital Bamako, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.

MINUSMA, established in the wake of the French intervention, has struggled to quell the unrest.

The UN Security Council established a sanctions regime this month that allows the body to blacklist anyone who violates or obstructs a fragile 2015 peace deal signed by Mali’s government and separatist groups.

Anyone who attacks peacekeepers, hinders the delivery of aid, commits human rights abuses or recruits child soldiers could also face sanctions, including a global travel ban or asset freeze.

(Source: Reuters)

24, September 2017

Germany: General elections begin, Merkel’s party poised to win ⁰

People in Germany have started heading to the polls in national elections that are likely to see Angela Merkel winning a fourth term as chancellor and a right-wing party entering parliament for the first time in 60 years.

Polling stations opened across the European country at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Sunday and will be open until 18:00, with some 61.5 million people eligible to vote.

The German chancellor is seeking a fourth term and tries to retain her Christian Democratic (CDU) Party’s status as the largest group in the German national parliament, the Bundestag.

Merkel is pitted against Martin Schulz, who is the leader of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and a former president of the European Parliament.

Among other competing parties, the far-right and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) appears set to win seats in the national parliament for the first time in 60 years and may even emerge as the country’s third-largest party.

The AfD, a nationalist, anti-Islam party, has hugely capitalized on Merkel’s fall in several states.

Source: Presstv

24, September 2017

“Southern Cameroons has become a place of slavery under the regime of Paul Biya” Mbah Ndam ⁰

Hon. Joseph Mbah Ndam of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) has said that President Biya and his gang of French Cameroun political elites have pushed Southern Cameroonians to the wall. The Deputy Speaker of the French Cameroun National Assembly, received at his residence on Friday some Southern Cameroons demonstrators and at the reception, the SDF MP appreciated the Southern Cameroons popular uprising.

Speaking in his native tongue and pidgin, Joseph Mbah Ndam told the demonstrators that September 22, 2017 is a date chosen by God himself for the liberation of Southern Cameroons. “Democracy and freedom do not happen, they are snatched up,” said the SDF leader to his many admirers.

“Southern Cameroons has become a place of slavery under the regime of Paul Biya,” he said, adding that “if Cameroon splits into two, Paul Biya is the only culprit.” The MP feels that the anglophone crisis is the result of frustration. “The anglophones were pushed back to the wall and here are the results,” says Mbah Ndam. The member of the SDF indicated that if there is another protest march, he will take part because the President has refused to dialogue with Southern Cameroonians.

Since the beginning of the Southern Cameroons crisis, Mbah Ndam has supported the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the Southern Cameroons Governing Council. He has always challenged the jurisdiction of the Yaounde Military Court to try those arrested in Southern Cameroons in the context of the Anglophone crisis.

By Rita Akana, CCN

23, September 2017

Mass Arrests Happening in Mamfe County ⁰

French Cameroun police have arrested dozens of people in the Mamfe County late today. The Chairman of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council has signed off on these arrests and he isn’t playing around. Rumors indicate that the Francophone governor of the Buea Province gave the Manyu SDO permission to rough up those who were protesting.

23, September 2017

Southern Cameroons crisis has turned violent with bombings ⁰

The long-simmering crisis in Southern Cameroons has taken a dangerous turn with small explosions targeting local security officials, even as ongoing protests become increasingly vociferous.

Renewed mass protests broke out early morning on Sept. 22, (Friday), in major towns and villages across the north west and south west. The aggrieved population took to the streets with placards, whistles and flags of Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia; a country they clamor to create when they secede from the present day Republic of Cameroon.

Security forces responded with bullets and teargas, injuring some protesters in Santa and Ekona in the North West and South West Regions. However, by press time, the reprisals had not deterred protesters as they moved to public places, hoisting blue-white flags and seeking to meet with administrative and traditional authorities.

The protesters poured out on the streets hours to the time president Paul Biya was scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly. Other Anglophone protesters put up similar shows at the UN headquarters in New York. The civil disobedience call was made by the Ambazonia Governing Council and amplified by Anglophone activists in the diaspora, as a build up to Oct. 1, the day the pro-secessionist groups intend to restore their independence.

The crisis is escalating after president Biya granted amnesty to some Anglophones who were arrested and detained for months in connection to violence in the country’s English speaking regions. But many, including Mancho Bibixy still remain incarcerated. This provoked calls for the unconditional release of all detainees and further radicalsed agitators.

Fontem Aforteka'a Neba (3rd L) and Felix Agbor Balla (2nd R) two Anglophone activists leaders prepare to sign a document during their release at the prison of Yaounde, Cameroon — Cameroonian Anglophone activist leaders prepare to leave prison in Yaounde, on, Sept. 1.(Reuters/Stringer)

But, as predicted by the International Crisis Group in August, the crisis took a different twist in early September as arms became involved.

The latest of the bombings was on Wednesday morning Sept. 21, when an IED controlled from a mobile phone was activated at Hospital Roundabout in Bamenda. Three police officers were seriously injured. Another failed explosion was recorded at a petroleum depot in the major city of Douala. On Sept. 11, improvised explosive device targeting security agents on patrol was activated at Mobil Nkwen in the city of Bamenda. Five days later, another IED damaged a dormitory at Sacred Heart College Mankon, still in Bamenda, but no human loss was recorded.

Though it is yet to be established whether it is connected to the Anglophone crisis. The Ambazonia Defense Forces, the armed faction of a group of secessionist movements, has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks.

The latest incident has been described as “an act of terrorism” by a government spokesperson. Cameroon’s current difficulties stem back to its pre-independence history when it was formed by combining a region that was colonized by the British with the larger region run by the French. The country’s government, education, and legal systems are dominated by the larger French-speaking region. But in recent years tensions have mounted as people from the Anglophone regions have complained about being marginalized by the Francophone-led establishment. The Anglophone regions account for just under 20% of the Cameroon’s 23 million population.

Culled from Quartz Media

23, September 2017

Buea: Francophone Governor says Southern Cameroonians are dogs ⁰

The Francophone governor of the Buea Province has described Southern Cameroons protesters as “dogs”. Bernard Okalia Bilai made the declaration on the microphone of the Cameroon Radio and Television,CRTV-radio yesterday September the 22nd. The Biya appointee also accused Southern Cameroons peaceful demonstrators of having attacked La Republique’s forces of law and order.

In a report broadcast Friday, September 22, 2017 at 5 pm on the National Post of the CRTV, Bernard Okalia Bilai opined that “Very early in the morning there were groups of people walking on the streets, going to public buildings to attack them, the offices of DOs, SDOs, the gendarmerie and police stations all came under attack. They tore up the flags of the Republic to hoist pieces of cloth that they brandished as flags of what!! I do not know. The security forces intervened and suffered a lot of violence, a lot of attacks by these assailants. ”

The so-called governor of the South West region warned elites and community leaders. “We will not continue to tolerate huge protest. If the dogs continue to go to the streets to bite, that is destroy, they will meet the security forces.”

By Eyong Johnson, CCN

23, September 2017

Dramatic moment Mayor Ekema force back angry Southern Cameroons protesters ⁰

The residence of CPDM Mayor Ekema Patrick came under attack from angry Southern Cameroons protesters yesterday Friday the 22nd of September 2017. The Southern Cameroonians vandalised his convoy of cars including his beautiful villa and the mayor caught here on camera with a rifle, reportedly shot and killed one of the demonstrators.

There are conflicting reports on the incident with some claiming Mayor Ekema Patrick opened fire only after his home was attacked. The Francophone Senior Divisional Officer for the Manyu County and the DO of Buea also killed two Southern Cameroonians in Mamfe and Buea counties.

After he was recently exposed as an academic fraud by an investigative commission led by Barrister Tambe Tiku, the Buea County mayor’s wealth has also come under Southern Cameroons scrutiny. Many are now questioning the source of the money he used in constructing the many villas he now owns and the fleet of expensive cars parked in his home mindful of the fact that he earns a net salary of 150,000fcfa a month.

Written for CCN By Fritz Misodi Oponde

23, September 2017

USA: Southern Cameroons leader gets endorsements from Manyu title holders ⁰

During his recent visit to Houston, Texas USA, the Chairman of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council was received at the Houston airport by traditional leaders from Southern Cameroon based in Texas, including those from Manyu, Lebialem, Mezam and Momo counties. As a traditional leader himself, the Chairman felt very much at ease with other leaders who had come to receive him at the Houston airport.

The Ekpe group led by Sisikou Dr Mathias Egbe, had the spotlight by decorating Chairman Sisikou Julius Ayuk Tabe, who is one of their own, with symbols befitting his title. During an informal discussion with the Chairman, Mr. Thomas Tabenyang, a fervent activist and former SDF Provincial Chairman vehemently condemned the deployment of Epke to intimidate and harass the population of Manyu County.

Mr Tabenyang was referring to the recent desperate attempts by some Manyu elites, whom he refered to as creepy hypocrites, parasites and opportunists to use Ekpe to force schools to resume in Manyu County.

The scheme failed and Chief Tabetando and Minister Mengot, where put to shame when schools failed to resume September 4th 2017. The group in Houston not only endorsed the Chairman, but also pledged their support and unflinching loyalty to his leadership in the struggle for the restoration of the independence of Southern Cameroons.

By Eveline Ncho, CCN USA

22, September 2017

Anglophone Crisis: The writing is on the wall ⁰

It is heart-rending to see Cameroon go down the path of chaos and conflict. Many African countries have walked this path and their experience has been anything but pleasant. Their different experiences indicate that it is not an honorable path that any responsible government should design for itself. Cameroon has been the oasis of peace in a desert of chaos for many decades, but things are gradually spiraling out of control as Anglophones are increasingly becoming restive in a union that has felt more like a prison to many of them than a smooth family relationship. Injustice, disrespect, discrimination and outright government-orchestrated marginalization have pushed the Anglophone minority over the edge. They now feel they are on a wire without a safety net. Their anger derives from many reasons and they hold that no matter how hard they try, they will never cohabit peacefully with Francophones whose perspective of life is diametrically different.

They point to injustice, arguing that the errors of the past have been intentional. They argue that no Anglophone has ever been appointed to head the ministries finance, defense, territorial administration, communication and foreign affairs and this cannot be considered an error after fifty-six years. They also argue that Francophone ministers such as Fame Ndongo, Laurent Esso and IssaTchiroma are clearly to blame for the escalation of the problem. Their public declarations have given Anglophones the feeling that they do not belong to Cameroon. They hold that Anglophone Cameroon accounts for more than 60% of the country’s wealth and the citizens of this region should be treated with respect like their Francophone counterparts. It should be recalled that Cameroon’s oil and gold fields are lodged in the country’s Anglophone region, precisely in Ndian division, where poverty – that which dehumanizes and robs people of their dignity – has taken root. But the most vexing issue is the fact that 95% of staff at the country’s lone oil refinery, SONARA, are Francophones who have the nasty habit of treating the locals with disdain and this has fueled the anger that is currently boiling over.

To many Anglophones, the time has come for a rethink of the union. It is time to come out of the 56-year jail term; a period during which the government has reduced them to second-class citizens. Years of complaints have never really resulted in any improvement as the Francophone-dominated government has always argued that there is no Anglophone problem and any Anglophoneswho talk of an Anglophone problem are immediatelyconsidered as a handful of trouble-makers who need to be taught a lesson, using outdated and intimidating laws. To them, Cameroon is one and indivisible, but the country’s indivisibility has been tested over the last year. Only the blind cannot see the cracks on the wall. Anglophones are honestly not part of that Cameroon that is one and indivisible and they have clearly demonstrated that over the last year.

Friday’s (September 22, 2017) demonstrations in almost every Anglophone city are confirming that the foundation on which that one and indivisible Cameroon is built is not solid. The demonstrations are unfortunately throwing up a grim reality that will be hard for the indolent Francophone-dominated government in Yaounde to handle. The government has clearly lost its authority over the English-speaking minority. Friday’s demonstrations have taken place in the presence of the police and gendarmes and the massive attendance clearly points to the fact that the wall of fear has collapsed. The people want to take charge of their own destiny, as the government has failed to deliver prosperity and opportunities to the ever growing and increasingly demanding youths of the Anglophone region.

The trend towards statehood appears to be irreversible. Southern Cameroons’ flag is all over the place though the government had proscribed its use. This is testimony to the fact that there is a limit to what a people can take. Anglophones are defying the government and they are ready for any consequences. Years of marginalization have not only sent two million of them out of the country, they have also emboldened those who have been taking the brunt. Anglophones are sick and tired of the government’s lies and manipulation. Thirty-five years of Mr. Biya’s ineffective rule and his presidence over a permanently ailing economy have left many young Anglophones desperate and hopeless. To many of them, the best option is for them to head out of the country, but in the absence of such a possibility, they are prepared to lay down their lives to make sure future generations do not have to walk down the same path of desperation, hopelessness and unemployment.

The writing is clearly on the wall, of course, in both English and French. Only the blind will not see how Cameroon is slowly, but surely heading to the brink after years of mismanagement and marginalization. The current crisis calls for a total overhaul of the system and a change in management style. The leaders who are supposed to be social engineers should start thinking of reengineering the country. The old model has failed. Continuing to pursue failed policies and tricks of the past will only go a long way in radicalizing Anglophones who are gradually coming to terms with the fact that their only option is independence. Though many are yet to agree to the name of their new country, that is, if it will ever see the light of day, there is a plethora of names being floated out there – Ambaland, Ambazonia, Southern Cameroons, West Cameroon and others that are still in the closet.

Despite the variance as to how their country will be called, they all agree that the union with East Cameroon has been anything but pleasant. They are gradually coming up with structures and symbols that will enable them to run their country whenever it comes to being. Their flag is floating all over the country and a governing council has been set up with its interim leader, Ayuk Julius Tabe, crisscrossing the globe to drum up support for an independent Southern Cameroons. In the minds of young Anglophones, their independence will be declared on October 1, 2017. This is certainly not an illusion. Friday’s demonstrations should inform the government that Anglophones abroad and at home are working hand in glove to achieve their goal.

After a year of demonstrations and a long battle of wills between the country’s president and Anglophones, things are on the decline, with independentists gradually winning the war on all fronts. The government’s indifference has given them a lot of time to persuade Anglophones who have been sitting on the fence. Today, they clearly hold sway over the population, especially as many members of the Diaspora are those who are running things in their families financially. While there are still a few diehard federalists among Anglophones, the government’s refusal to listen to advice and its inability to sincerely call for a national debate on the issue of reforms is pushing federalists onto the side of independentists.

The Anglophone crisis will surely not be addressed through any cosmetic reforms. The issues are real and the people are determined to change the status quo ante. It will be foolhardy and preposterous to think that sending a few self-seeking politicians to the region will help calm tempers. There is a disconnect between these self-seeking politicians and the people they claim they represent.

Anglophones have clearly rejected their so-called leaders. Peter Mafany Musonge, AtangaNji, Yang Philemon, AchidiAchu, Tabetando, Victor Mengot, Benjamin Itoe, Dion Ngute, Ako Edward and others hold no sway over the Anglophone population. Keeping themwithin the corridors of power will certainly not address any issues. They clearly belong to the past and it will be hard to resuscitate them politically. This also applies to people such as Shey Jones and Fai Yengo Francis who are being rumored to be part of a government that will soon be announced. These people have no constituency and it will not be in the interest of the country and the Anglophone population in particular, to bring back these people who have never displayed any sympathy with the people’s cause.

While Mr. Biya himself has over-stayed his welcome, it could be said that he had been voted and could be given the benefit of the doubt to finish his term. His failure to address key issues such as infrastructure development and unemployment will forever haunt him. He has reduced the country to an open air landfill wherein the ordinary Cameroonian has been reduced to a sorry spectator of events in his country. He should see the writing on the wall and should make the honorable decision – that of not running in 2018.

Cameroon has been pushed to the brink. The country has been caught in a downward spiral. To pull the country out of this quagmire will be a tough job. Using those who have driven this country to the brink to pull it out will be the wrong decision. If Cameroon has to stay one and indivisible, then there must be a change of mentality. The current unitary system has shown its limits. It has brought untold hardship to the people. Anglophones may be bitter but they will surely want to negotiate and they insist that such a negotiation should take place in the presence of a neutral, third party like the UN or the African Union. The writing is on the wall. The country’s authorities should make an effort to see it before it is too late.

The Editorial Desk

Cameroon Concord News Group