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22, April 2017

One million displaced in DR Congo’s Kasai due to violence ⁰

Deadly violence between government forces and tribal militias in DR Congo’s central Kasai region has forced more than a million people from their homes over the past eight months, the UN said Friday. The fighting erupted after government troops last August killed tribal chief Jean Pierre Mpandi, also known as Kamwina Nsapu, who had launched an uprising against President Joseph Kabila.

Yvon Edoumou of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it had registered 1.09 million internally displaced people in the region as of April 1. Violence in other areas of the country, including the North and South Kivu provinces, has forced an additional two million to flee their homes, he told AFP.

“These people are mainly fleeing clashes between the FARDC (DR Congo’s armed forces) and armed groups, or between armed groups,” he said, adding that about 40 local and international aid groups were helping to cope with the crisis.

The UN has accused the Nsapu rebellion of using child soldiers and committing several atrocities, while also denouncing the disproportionate use of force by the military. The UN has reported finding 40 mass graves in the Kasai region, and the bodies of two UN researchers investigating the violence were found in a grave 16 days after they were abducted last month.

Presstv

22, April 2017

Southern Cameroons: UN Special Representative calls on Biya to promote dialogue and appeasement ⁰

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General has reacted to the Biya decision to order the restoration of internet in Southern Cameroons. A statement from the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) said Mr. François Louncény Fall, has learnt of the decision by the 84 year old dictator instructing that internet services be fully restored in West Cameroon.

The Special Representative welcomed the measure and hope that the decision will go a long way to help reduce tension and to create conditions conducive for the resolution of the Anglophone crisis.

The Head of UNOCA called on the Biya Francophone government to continue to promote appeasement and dialogue, and to take all other appropriate measures for a speedy and lasting resolution of the crisis in order to strengthen unity, stability and prosperity in the region.

By Fru James

Cameroon Concord News Group

21, April 2017

Anglophone Problem: Government Buckles under Pressure ⁰

The government of Cameroon yesterday restored Internet connection in the Country’s Anglophone region following pressure from the International community that has clearly frowned upon the government’s decision to roll back the English-speaking minority into the dark ages. The Internet disconnection which lasted some one hundred days, has brought untold hardship and pain to companies and citizens of the affected regions. The South-west region’s Silicon Mountain, modelled on the American Silicon Valley, has died a natural death as many of the start-ups have simply relocated to other parts of Cameroon where there was Internet connection during the crisis and nobody is so sure about their return to Buea; a city that offers some of the best facilities and infrastructure for start-ups. Banks, micro-finance institutions and money transfer agencies have been the greatest victims in this battle of wills that is still playing out. It should be recalled that Internet was disconnected in January 2017 when West Cameroonians decided to draw the international community’s attention to the Kafkaesque oppression and marginalization they have suffered for more than five decades.

Things came to a head when videos of the government’s ferocious brutality on innocent and armless striking lawyers and students made their way to the global arena. The world was shocked to see that a government could react to peaceful protests with such brutality in an era wherein social media can capture and broadcast everything in real time. The government’s response simply qualified the country for the global hall of shame and, ever since, the world has been seeing Cameroon and its leaders in a different light. The country’s image has been terribly dented and its leaders have gone down in everybody’s estimation. However, this is not the first time Cameroon has been dragged, screaming and kicking, to the global hall of shame by its own leaders. Under former Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge, Cameroon was dragged to this same hall of shame following its election as the most corrupt nation in the world for two years running.

The international community has been very critical of Cameroon because of the atrocities committed in West Cameroon since the commencement of the contention between the government and the English-speaking minority, especially as the region was disconnected from the rest of the world because of the government’s decision to pull off the Internet plug. Speaking recently after a visit to Cameroon, the UN Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative, François Loucény Fall, decried the terrible conditions in which Anglophones had been subjected. “This is a deplorable situation,” he said on April 13, 2017, after a four-day visit, adding that “…I am convinced that this important tool for development, communication and collective development will be gradually re-established throughout Cameroon.” Mr. Fall, who also heads the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), reviewed the state of affairs in the country and assessed the impact of recent measures taken by the Government to address the concerns of English-speaking lawyers and teachers.

“I had fruitful and hopeful exchanges with all the stakeholders,” the Special Representative said at a press conference in Yaoundé on April 12. He met with Government officials, members of civil society, opposition leaders, members of the diplomatic corps and the UN system.He also met with people wrongfully arrested and detained in connection with the situation in the north-west and south-west regions, including Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla and radio broadcaster,Mancho Bibixy. He encouraged the Cameroonian Government to take all the measures it deemed appropriate, as soon as possible, and within the framework of the law, in order to create conditions conducive to building the confidence needed to end the crisis.

The government’s decision to restore the Internet is, for sure, the outcome of the meeting between Mr. Fall and government officials. It should also be recalled that the Vatican has not been indifferent to the plight of West Cameroonians. The Anglophone problem was at the centre of discussions between Mr. Biya and the Pope during Mr. Biya’s visit to the Holy See. The Anglophone problem is a real millstone around the government’s neck and it is doing all it can to rid itself of it. But its bad faith of the last five decades has caught up with it. Anglophones are skeptical of whatever measures the government is taking. They have, on many occasions, been victims of the government’s deceit and this has caused them to throw confidence to the wind.

While the government’s decision to restore the Internet has been hailed by many people around the world, many observers still hold that the government can still do more to appease the marginalized people of West Cameroon. The country’s English-speaking minority has made its mind known and its willingness to resist any further marginalization has been clearly communicated to the government. Restoring the Internet is one move that could imply the government might be willing to dialogue. But there are still many obstacles in the way of genuine dialogue.

Federalism and the imprisonment of Anglophone leaders are still sticking points which need to be addressed before any serious dialogue can take place. Anglophones do not trust the government and despite explanations by some government surrogates that some of these issues could only be addressed over the long term, Anglophones hold that such tales should be told to the marines. They have heard a lot of promises and many, if not all, have been broken by a government they believe does not deserve their respect and attention.

Anglophones hold that the government likes speaking from both sides of its mouth and that if earlier measures taken by the government do not get implemented, they will continue to defy government authority. They point to earlier promises made by the government, arguing that it has reneged on many of its promises before, many of which are always designed to score political points and ensure the status quo does not change. Over the last six months, the government has used a battery of policy options and measures to ensure schools resume in the Anglophone zone, but the English-speaking minority has remained firm in its peaceful civil disobedience and this is a huge challenge to a government that is not used to dialogue. It’s militarization of the Anglophone region and imprisonment of Anglophone leaders after dialogue with them failed to produce the results the government expected are clear testimonies to the allegations Anglophones are leveling against the government.

It should be noted that Cameroonians will be going to the polls in 2018 to elect a new president and parliamentarians. The government is very concerned about its popularity in the Anglophone region. The current conflict has dealt a devastating blow to the ruling party that has been in power for more than five decades with no real development results to show for it. Anglophones have made up their minds and they are seriously calling for a renewal of the Anglophone leadership. Many Anglophone leaders are either too old or ineffective to represent their people. Yang Philemon and Peter Mafany Musonge have run the country as Prime ministers during tough times, but their handling of the Anglophone crisis clearly tells the world that they belong to the past. Anglophones no longer respect them and they are taking their cue from outside and not from people who have done their best to betray their confidence. For officials such as IssaTchiroma, Fame Ndongo and Laurent Esso, they are simply wishing for this problem to be over. They have been having huge nightmares and the fear of being cut out of government has been stalking them like a stubborn shadow. They are those who caused the problem to escalate with their rhetoric that only inflamed Anglophones.

Denying the existence of an Anglophone problem did not cause the issue to go away. Today, they are quick to recognize that Anglophones have problems and they claim they are working hard to address some of them. If they had been a little wiser, they would have understood that since humans are sometimes made to eat their own words, it is always good to keep those words soft and sweet. All of them have been eating giant humble pies ever since they found out that the Anglophone problem will not go away anytime soon.

Anglophones are today enjoying the Internet they have been asking for, but that does not imply they are happy with the government that has killed and maimed their brothers who did not commit any crime. They were simply calling for a federal system that would protect their culture and guarantee their rights in a united, but federal Cameroon. Freedom of speech, they hold, is their inalienable right enshrined in the country’s constitution. While there is room for forgiveness, Anglophones hold that anything short of a federation will be a betrayal of their brothers who have lost their lives just to bring a better life to all Cameroonians. They argue that the pressure on the government must continue until all those arrested are released unconditionally. The Diaspora is still active and the government needs to understand the great role the Diaspora has played in this situation that has left it with a black eye. True dialogue cannot take place without the Diaspora taking its place at the table. If the government fails to recognize this, then it will continue to flog a dead horse as the civil disobedience will continue.

Dr. Joachim Arrey

Contributing Editor

Cameroon Concord News Group

21, April 2017

Anglophone Crisis: The Preaching Bishop addresses Christians in the Mamfe Diocese ⁰

MESSAGE TO ALL PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN, MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S LAY FAITHFUL AND PEOPLE OF GOODWILL IN THE DIOCESE OF MAMFE

DIRECT SUMMONS TO THE BISHOPS OF BUEA, MAMFE AND KUMBA TO APPEAR IN THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE IN BUEA OVER CRIMINAL CHARGES

Dear Rev. Fathers,

Rev. Brothers and Sisters,

All Christ’s Lay Faithful,

People of Goodwill in Mamfe Diocese;

The Lord is risen Alleluia – Yes he is truly risen Alleluia.

On Monday the 17th of April, 2017, while We, of the Diocese of Mamfe, were celebrating our Priestly Ordinations and basking in our quiet enjoyment in Manyu Division, some people totally unkown to us from Fako Division, namely, Dr. John Lyonga Efande, Ikome Williams Ligange and Alianto Ngala, through their Legal Counsel, Barrister Achu Julius Ngu Tabe, dragged us to the Court of First Instance in Buea, Fako Division and caused the State Counsel of the same Fako to summon the Bishops of Buea, Mamfe and Kumba to appear in Court on Monday the 24th of April, 2017 at 9 am prompt. The seven charges against the Bishops could be summarized in that the Bishops have refused to reopen the Catholic schools and thus supporting the illegal strike of the Anglophone Teachers. These people are requesting that the Bishops be convicted and imprisoned and pay damages of 150 Billion CFA.

Coming at the splash of the Easter Joy, I can only see an attempt to spread the reign of darkness and get the prince of this world attempt to spoil our Easter Graces. But as you all know, the devil is a liar and we shall not give him the opportunity. I can only talk to you at this kind of trying moment in the words of Jesus who said to his Apostles, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me”(Jn.14:1).

As the Bishop of Mamfe, I stand by the Communiqué which all the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province wrote saying that “We have never closed schools and our doors remain open”. The Bishop of Mamfe does not live in Fako, nor does he own schools in Fako and this makes me worried that anybody can sit down in any part of the country and decide that I am a criminal and I have to go to court to prove that I am not. It is all a calculated attempt by some forces of darkness, that we shall get to know sooner than later, to humiliate, intimidate and incriminate the Church and rub the bishops in mud with wanton disregard and disrespect for God, whom these men in spite their human weaknesses, represent. They may end up discovering that they are fighting against God himself(Acts 5:39). It is the reign of the anti-Christ and this is not new. It is a struggle between light and darkness, it is a battle between good and evil, it is a wrestle between sin and righteousness and a confrontation of truth and lies. This is exactly what happened to my Boss who is the Son of a carpenter, Jesus Christ. He was blackmailed and dragged from Annas the High priest to Caiphas and then finally put before Pontius Pilate who unjustly condemned him to death. Shame to death! On the third day he rose again from the dead – Alleluia. Now he lives to die no more. Jesus told us to expect this when he said; “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me”(Jn.15:18-21).

As a true and law abiding son of this country, I will respect the call of the law of the state and appear before the court of Frist Instance in Buea on Monday, 24th April, 2017 at 9.am prompt. I will not waste Diocesan money, which we don’t have, to hire a lawyer and I will not prepare any defense because I believe in Christ who said : “Watch out! Men will hand you over to the local courts. They will whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings because of me. You will be witnesses to them and to those who aren’t Jews. “But when they arrest you, don’t worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the right words to say. It will not be you speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.”(Mtt.10:17-20).

I therefore call on all Christians of Mamfe to do the following:

Stay calm and restrain from any acts of violence, be it verbal, physical or even psychological, that will only make the situation worse. This is a call I made to all the Motor Bike Riders on the 31st of December, 2016 and to all the Youth of the Diocese during the World Youth Day on the 9th of April, 2017 and I am repeating to all Christians of Mamfe today.

Done on the 22nd of April 2017, which is the 25th Anniversary of my ordination to the Sacred Priesthood

His Lordship Bishop Andrew Nkea

21, April 2017

Southern Cameroons: Biya will release Agbor Balla, Neba Fontem soon ⁰

President Paul Biya has ordered the restoration of internet services to the crisis-hit North West and South West regions in a move widely seen as a step towards unlocking the Anglophone crisis deadlock.

The presidential instructions given on Thursday April 20, 2017 come 93 days after the regions were deprived of what the U.N. calls an important tool for development, communication and collective development. The government ordered the disconnection of internet services to the region in January protests by the minority English speakers over alleged marginalisation by majority French speaking Yaounde regime.

Besides the internet freeze, the government arrested leaders of the now outlawed Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) which has been coordinating the teachers and lawyers’ strike that spiraled into violence. CACSC president, Barrister Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla and secretary-general, Dr Fontem Neba as well as Mancho Bibixy are now facing a death sentence at the Yaounde military court on charges of terrorism.

About 100 other detainees including opposition political leaders and journalists arrested in relation to the crisis are yet to be charged. The government has been under heavy pressure from the national and international community to restore the internet and release all detainees of the crisis for dialogue to take its course. During a four-day official visit to the country recently, the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Central Africa, François Louncény Fall urged government to restore the internet and release all detainees of the crisis.

The U.N envoy told a press conference in Yaounde last week that he had “fruitful and hopeful” exchanges with all the stakeholders in the crisis. He said he met with Government officials, members of civil society, opposition leaders, members of the diplomatic corps and the UN system as well as people arrested and detained in connection with the situation in the North West and South West, including Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla and radio broadcaster Mancho Bibixy. Like the restoration of the internet, observers say President Biya could also order the release of all detainees of the crisis in the coming days.

Source: Cameroun Info.Net

21, April 2017

Biya’s King of the Castle: Inside Antoine Félix Samba ⁰

The images of the home of Antoine Félix Samba have been buzzing on the web for several days now. Internet users think the luxury of his castle is outrageous for a Cameroonian civil servant with 27 years experience. A lot of tongues have been wagging about illicit enrichment, because until March 2017, Antoine Félix Samba was the Director General of the Budget at the Ministry of Finance.

Currently, he holds the position of Inspector General in the same ministry. According to his biography published by the Ministry of Finance, in 1999, he was appointed Director of General Affairs at the Ministry of Transport. Four years later, he was promoted to Technical Adviser n ° 2 in 2005 within the same ministry. He later became Director of Corporate Affairs at the Ministry of Mines and Mayor of Minta before assuming his current duties. Antoine Félix Samba is Knight of the National Order of Valor.

Antoine Félix Samba was born in 1961 and is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC). He has had quite an ordinary public service career, which does not permit him to own such an expensive castle. Prior to joining the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM), at the age of 24, he was head of the accounting office of the Cameroon Press and Publishing Company (SOPECAM) Then Chief Financial Officer and Accountant.

He held his first post as an official in the Ministry of Public Service upon graduating from ENAM in 1989 devoted to the processing of integration files in the personnel sub-directorate. In 1990, he was assigned to the Secretariat of State for Internal Security, currently General Delegation for National Security (DGSN). His kinsmen now say he has also been an entrepreneur with the agricultural fiber, which help him to develop large farms in Minta, his home town in the department of the Upper Sanaga, Central region.

By Sama Ernest

Cameroon Concord News

21, April 2017

What effects did internet sanctions have on Southern Cameroons ⁰

The Biya Francophone regime now has the record for the longest Internet shut down on the African continent. Southern Cameroonians were deprived of internet for 93 days following a decision by the Yaoundé regime on the 17^th of January 2017. The Francophone political elites wanted to prevent the circulation of images showing army and police brutality against lawyers and students in the Anglophone section of the country demonstrating since November 2016.

The 84 year old butcher of Yaoundé lifted the internet ban on Thursday the 20th of April 2017 after fingers were raised in the United Nations, Internet Without Borders including an action from the famous American computer scientist, Edward Snowden. The decision to shut down the internet demonstrated a frightful and unloving attitude towards the Anglophone community who are now seeking an independent state of Southern Cameroons.

The disconnection caused enormous disturbances and pains and will of course have far reaching political consequences for Cameroon as a nation. Anglophones clustered on the Moungo Bridge because at that point smart phones were able to connect to internet signals that came from French Cameroon. The same situation was visible at Mbounda in the West region.

Economically, the losses have been enormous and companies based in these two regions of the country have been completely and totally destroyed. “We came back to the Stone Age. In the absence of the connection, we were obliged to physically transport our data on CD or USB stick. One of the executives of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) lamented.

The banks whose servers were mostly installed in Douala and Yaoundé were the most hit. Some of them did introduce new procedures including the use of the telephone while others invested in the acquisition of V-Sat- a means of satellite communication. So many young start ups including Silicon Mountain all witnessed three months of inactivity.

The inevitable decline in business turnover has also inevitably impacted on the taxation department. These large contributors to the Yaoundé regime’s budgetary revenues had paid CFAF 617 billion of taxes and duties over the period 2010-2014. With the introduction of a new tax on telephone communications and internet services in 2016, the government was planning to increase this pool. The poor handling of the Anglophone crisis and the internet shut down is likely to thwart these expectations.

By Rita Akana and Fru James

Cameroon Concord News

20, April 2017

Cameroon to restore internet services cut off in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The 84 year Cameroonian dictator, Paul Biya has instructed the Francophone Minister of Post and Telecommunications to restore internet services to predominantly English-speaking parts of the country which were cut off in an appalling violation of Anglophone right to freedom of expression.

Biya made the decision following pressure from the United Nations and other international bodies. Cameroonians in the northwest and southwest regions, which are predominantly English speaking, have been unable to connect to the internet since 17 January amid widespread protests against the Francophone government policies which have reportedly marginalized the country’s English-speaking population.

Southern Cameroonians have long reported that they face discrimination and marginalization and are excluded from top civil service positions and public services. They also complain their access to justice is limited because the majority of legislation and judicial proceedings are in French. A network shutdown of the Southern Cameroons scale violated international law.

By Chi Prudence Asong

20, April 2017

Libreville: Goodluck meets President Ali Bongo ⁰

Former Nigerian Head of State, Goodluck Jonathan has met with the Gabonese leader, Ali Bongo. Accompanied by two of his advisers; Ali Illiasso Dicko and His Majesty A.L. Turner, the former president of Nigeria exchanged views on the multi-sectoral cooperation between Gabon and Nigeria and on current African affairs.

The Tuesday meeting that held at the Seaside Palace in Libreville came on the eve of the announcement of the composition of the four joint committees and the rapporteurs for the first plenary of the political phase of dialogue in Gabon.

For almost a month now, President Ali Bongo has engaged in reconciliation with opposition groups in his country. Committees composed of equal members of the opposition and the government – will work on specific issues related to the themes chosen for the Dialogue.

In all, 176 representatives of the opposition and the presidential majority were divided into four commissions: “reform of institutions and consolidation of the rule of law”, “electoral reform”, “modernization of public life” and consolidation Peace and national cohesion “.

By Chi Prudence Asong

20, April 2017

UN investigators unearth 17 mass graves in Congo ⁰

The United Nations says its investigators have discovered 17 mass graves in the central Democratic Republic of the Congo, increasing the number to 40 documented in an area that witnessed clashes between the army and a local militia. The UN said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the graves were reportedly dug by Congolese army after fighting with Kamuina Nsapu militia in Kasai Central province in late March.

“At least 74 people, including 30 children, were reported to have been killed by soldiers as a result of these clashes,” the statement added. The government has not commented on the report, but it has previously rejected the notion that soldiers have used disproportionate force against militia fighters and claimed the militia had dug the sites.

The Kamuina Nsapu uprising has become the most serious threat to President Joseph Kabila, whose refusal to step down following a defeat in the latest polls stoked chaos in the vast central African country. Kabila’s presidential term expired on December 19, 2016, but ruling officials have effectively prolonged his mandate until 2018, claiming that the government would not be able to arrange elections before then.

The government of Kabila reportedly reached an agreement with opposition parties to end the political crisis in the country over his decision to stay in power. Under the accord struck on December 30, 2016, by political parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kabila will leave office following elections due to be held by the end of 2017. The fighting between Congolese troops and militia has escalated after government forces killed their chief tribal leader, Kamuina Nsapu, in late August 2016. More than 400 people have been killed since then.

Source: Presstv