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Malaria kills 150 in Zimbabwe after heavy rains

28, March 2017

Malaria kills 150 in Zimbabwe after heavy rains 0

At least 150 people have died of malaria in Zimbabwe over the past two months, with nearly 90,000 infections recorded, a government official said Monday, blaming the upsurge on intense rains. “We have seen increased cases of malaria due to the more rains received this year that increased the breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” Joseph Mberikunashe, the malaria director in the ministry of health, told AFP.

Mberikunashe said 151 deaths and 89,261 malaria cases had been recorded in the past two months following heavy rains that also caused deadly floods. He said that while a rise in malaria cases was expected after the rains, some of the deaths may have been caused by delays in seeking medical care.

 “The deaths are caused by lack of access to health facilities,” he said. The most affected regions of the country are in the south where floods cut off access to health clinics. Heavy rains battered the southern African country from December until the end of February, leaving 246 people dead and at least 2,000 people homeless across the country while homes and schools were damaged and several dams burst. The government has issued an international appeal for aid.

Ex-cashier of Credit Foncier Buea accused of manipulating client accounts

28, March 2017

Ex-cashier of Credit Foncier Buea accused of manipulating client accounts 0

Credit Foncier du Cameroun (CFC) has sued a former employee for alleged misappropriation of the sum of 157 million FCFA. The money in dispute was reportedly siphoned from the Buea branch in the South West region by Rose Ngala Mokate, who until March 2015 held the position of cashier.

Lawyers representing the bank revealed that two years ago, Rose Ngala Mokate requested for permission from her hierarchy to stay away for a week in order to attend the funeral of her late sister. During her absence, an interim cashier discovered that money paid in by certain customers shown on the booklets, did not correspond with the figures which recorded by the computers.

An in-house investigation was ordered and it found out that there was a cash deficit that amounted to the sum of 17 million FCFA. Madam Rose Ngala Mokate was told to provide an explanation upon her return from leave. She did acknowledge the alleged offense and Credit Foncier sources say her paid the back the disputed sum. Unfortunately, a second audit team that re-examined the files from the 3rd to 10th of  March 2015, announced to the management that more than 157 million FCFA had disappeared during Rose Ngala’s time as cashier.  She was dismissed and legal proceedings opened against her.

State prosecutors at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde are now of the opinion that the accused could not have succeeded in mounting such a scheme without having a few complicities. Four former colleagues of Rose Ngala Mokate have already been questioned at the Special Criminal Court. The next hearing is scheduled for the 7th of April 2017. However, since her dismissal from the bank, nothing has been heard about Rose Ngala Mokate.

By Sonne Peter with cables from CIN

When the Pope receives a President like Paul Biya who is 84 years old, has been in power for almost 35 years— what does he say?

28, March 2017

When the Pope receives a President like Paul Biya who is 84 years old, has been in power for almost 35 years— what does he say? 0

Ludovic

Rev. Father Ludovic Lado has condemned the Rectors Conference of Italian Universities and the Vatican for the red carpet treatment accorded the evil butcher of Yaoundé, President Paul Biya. In a strongly worded academic article entitled “Diplomacy as Hypocrisy: the Biya system in Rome and the Vatican”, the Cameroonian prelate expressed his disapproval of the honors granted to Mr. Biya during his last visit to Italy and the Vatican observing that both the Vatican and the Italian government are aware that the system Biya has been embodying for nearly 35 years continues to crush and repress the Cameroonian people.

Father Ludovic pointed out that the Gold Medal awarded to Paul Biya by the Rectors’ Conference of Italian Universities (CRUI) for his achievements in the field of higher education is more like a mockery to the millions of poor Cameroonians. The much respected Revered Father Ludovic Lado also opined that the Biya visit to Rome and the Vatican was nothing but “diplomacy of hypocrisy punctuated by compromises and silences accomplices and guilt.”

On the visit of Paul Biya to the Vatican, Father Ludovic wonders what the Pope and the President of Cameroon could well say. “When I learn that President Biya will be received by Pope Francis, the Head of the Roman Catholic Church, I cannot help but think of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate during his passion. Jesus who said to Pilate: “I was born and I came into the world to bear witness to the truth. Whoever is of the truth hears my voice. And Pilate said unto him, what is truth? (Jn 18: 37-38). I then wondered whether the dialogue between President Biya and the Pope will be centered on truth, the one that will liberate Mr Biya and his people (Jn 8:32).

Father Ludovic regretted that the Church is moving away from its own teachings in the name of diplomacy. Diplomacy is a system whose very essence is hypocrisy and it is a game of masks and images that overshadows the truth and feeds on human lives.

By Sama Ernest with files from Cameroun Info.Net

SDF accepts federalism

27, March 2017

SDF accepts federalism 0

The so-called main opposition party in Cameroon, the Social Democratic Front declared over the weekend that the party was in favor of federalism-a demand formulated by the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. The SDF declaration was made during a National Executive Committee meeting that held on Saturday in Nkolfoulou in Soa in the outskirts of the nation’s capital.

The SDF believes that federalism could allow the country to emerge from the serious socio-political crisis in which it has been plunged since November 2016, the date of the beginning of the Southern Cameroons uprising led by teachers and lawyers in Anglophone Cameroon.

Under the guidance of Chairman John Fru Ndi, the SDF had advocated for federalism ever since 1997. The leadership has also proposed the opening of a frank dialogue as the only way forward towards resolving the Anglophone crisis.  The Social Democratic Front stated in the Nkolfoulou resolution that the Biya Francophone regime should release the detained leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and follow with the immediate restoration of the Internet, whose cut has paralyzed activities in West Cameroon.

The idea of federalism has been rejected by the consortium of criminal gangs running the country. In a speech to the nation, Paul Biya, pointed out that the idea of federalism was divisive. For Biya, Cameroon is “One and Indivisible and will remain so.”

By Sama Ernest

25 Southern Cameroonians involved in trial of the century

27, March 2017

25 Southern Cameroonians involved in trial of the century 0

Some 25 innocent Southern Cameroonian citizens accused of hostility against the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime were made to appear last week at the Yaounde Military Tribunal alongside the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

The 25 Southern Cameroon youths were arrested in connection with the demonstrations linked to the Anglophone crisis and have been charged with hostility against the homeland, degradation of public property, looting, terrorism and financing of terrorism.

The second trial of Barrister Agbor Balla, Dr. Neba Fontem and BBC Mancho ended up in fiasco as the chief clerk of the Yaounde Military Tribunal decided to listen to the 25 new accused cases simultaneously with that of the detained Consortium leaders

The Francophone Judge of the tribunal, who identified the 25 new suspects, wanted the trial of the three Anglophone leaders and the latter to become a single case. The Attorney-General’s Office had indeed stated that there was some connectivity between the acts of the first three and the 25.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

Revealed: Many Judges believe arrest of Lord Justice Ayah Paul is an insult to the judiciary

27, March 2017

Revealed: Many Judges believe arrest of Lord Justice Ayah Paul is an insult to the judiciary 5

It has emerged many Judges believe the arrest and detention of an Advocate General of the Supreme Court of Cameroon is an insult, but do not dare to make their opinion public. Lord Justice Paul Ayah Abine, advocate general at the Supreme Court was arrested in his home as part of a government crackdown on the Anglophone community.

A Francophone Judge last week blatantly refused to release him from detention as demanded by his lawyers who stated that his arrest violated Cameroon’s criminal proceedings.  According to article 629 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: when a magistrate of the judicial order is liable to be charged with an offense, the competent public prosecutor submits an application to the president of the Supreme Court who appoints a magistrate to examine the case and three others, at least at the same level as the accused, with a view to the possible trial of the case in the first instance.

The deliberate silence maintained by the Judges of the Supreme Court of Cameroon on the detention of Lord Justice Paul Ayah Abine is worrying. The magistrates have been saying privately that they are very unhappy about what is happening. But are subject to a certain law of silence and therefore, cannot express themselves publicly about their discontent.  Local media reports say there is an urgent need for the establishment of a magistrates ‘union, as is the case in the Republic of Chad.

One of the magistrates who spoke to us and sued for anonymity observed that “In a system such as ours where the Head of State appoints the magistrates and he can sanction them, transfer them as he pleases and where everyone is trying to preserve his advantages or his post. They cannot complain publicly. But it is rather striking that the magistrates remained absolutely silent before the cavalier arrest of one of their own.”

The silence of Cameroonian Magistrates and Judges is surprising when one considers that Lord Justice Ayah Paul is a very high magistrate who has been the subject of an arrest and lengthy police custody.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Joe Biden says he could have easily defeated Donald Trump

27, March 2017

Joe Biden says he could have easily defeated Donald Trump 0

Former US Vice President Joe Biden is remorseful about his decision not to run in last year’s presidential election, claiming that he could have easily defeated Donald Trump. During a speech at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, Biden said he only needed to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination in order to win.

“I had planned on running for president and although it would have been a very difficult primary, I think I could have won,” he said. “I don’t know, maybe not. But I thought I could have won.” “I had a lot of data and I was fairly confident that if I were the Democratic Party’s nominee, I had a better than even chance of being president,” Biden continued.

“But do I regret not being president? Yes,” he said. “I was the best qualified.” Biden, a favorite for the 2016 Democratic nomination, announced his decision to not run for the White House in October 2015, cementing former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s standing as the front-runner.

The popular vice president, who lost his son Beau to cancer in May 2015, said back then that he was not emotionally prepared to take on the battle and that it was too late for him to enter the race. Trump proceeded to pull off a historic victory against Clinton last November. Biden has famously criticized Trump for posing a “threat to our democratic process.”

He once said that the billionaire Republican “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth that he’s now choking on because his foot’s in his mouth along with the spoon.” Biden made the headlines again last October, when he invited Trump to a high school-style fight. “The press always asks me don’t I wish I were debating him,” Biden said of Trump back then. “No, I wish we were in high school—I could take him behind the gym. That’s what I wish.”

Presstv

Fru Ndi says he will not support Hon. Joseph Wirba

26, March 2017

Fru Ndi says he will not support Hon. Joseph Wirba 3

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, SDF has said he will not support fleeing Hon Joseph Wirba. Speaking at the opening of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at his Nkolfolou residence on the outskirts of Yaounde on Saturday March 25, Ni John Fru Ndi said Hon Wirba’s famous intervention in parliament on the Anglophone problem was the MP’s personal point of view.

“When he talked in parliament the way he did I congratulated him and told him he talked more on a personal point of view; using I not we,” the SDF chairman said about Hon ‘Joe’ Wirba. Fru Ndi disclosed that he cautioned the SDF Member of Parliament for Jakiri Special Constituency and told him that in the future when he’s talking, he should make sure that he’s talking as an SDF member.

“But he went and organized a rally in Nso, his other colleague MPs were not there, the Mayor of Kumbo was not there, the SDF electoral district chairman for Kumbo was not there, the divisional coordinator of the party for Bui never attended that rally. And so when all this is done, you want me to make a statement, what statement?” the SDF chairman said in relation to an appeal for support by the escapee SDF MP.

“When somebody does something and does not involve the party, should I just jump in and start supporting?  Is the SDF a place for opportunism where you come and start your own thing, running in your own direction or it is a place where we can sit down, discuss and agree that we are going in this direction and we find ourselves going?” Fru Ndi questioned further.

It should be recalled that Hon Wirba is on the run following a warrant of arrest for him. In a message on social media page, he has vowed to continue to the fight till the Biya regime recognizes and respects the rights of Anglophones in the country.

Cameroun Info.Net

Anglophone Crisis: State Defense Secretariat to interrogate Fon Echekiye

26, March 2017

Anglophone Crisis: State Defense Secretariat to interrogate Fon Echekiye 0

Ace CRTV’s Sport Journalist, Deputy Director in charge of coordinating new Television Channels has been summoned to appear before investigators at the State Defense Secretariat of the National Gendarmerie. The sports commentator is expected to appear before at SED on Tuesday March 28, 2017 by 9 am local time.

Though the reasons for his convocation is not made known in the summon served him upon instructions from ‘hierarchy’, it however revealed that it is related to treason according to the criminal Procedure Code. Other sources say he will also be questioned on what the regime has painted as his “special relations with the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Cameroon Concord News Group, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai and the accreditation of a CRTV crew  for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

If he is apprehended, he will become the 9th Journalists to be arrested since the start of the Anglophone problem. His appearance will be the second in one week after Barrister Akere Muna was previously heard at the same institution in relation to the Anglophone crisis. Fon Echekiye writes on his facebook page that “Bracing up For unusual chat Tuesday.”

Echikeye

By Rita Akana with cables from Cameroun Info.Net

Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Clash in the award of contracts in Garoua gets ugly

25, March 2017

Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Clash in the award of contracts in Garoua gets ugly 2

Projects planned in Garoua, the regional capital of the North, including the rehabilitation of the Roumdé Adja stadium and the construction of a 4-star hotel, in view of the next African Cup of Nations that Cameroon will host in 2019 have not started.

Unlike other cities, such as Douala (Littoral), Yaoundé (Center), Limbe (South-West) chosen to host the teams that will qualify for the next Can 2019, Garoua in the North is not yet at the award stage of public contracts. Cameroon Concord News has gathered that violent clashes erupted deep within the Biya administration with top political elites from the North Region  pointing an accusing finger at Paul Bell, Assistant Director of Sports Facilities and Equipment at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. Paul Bell is also a cousin to Bidoung Mpkatt, who is the current Minister in charge of Sports and Physical Education.

In the commission dedicated to the awarding of contracts for the construction of the infrastructures of the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 to be hosted in Cameroon, the voices of Minister Bidoung Mpkatt and his relatives in the ministry are preponderant. Our source in Yaoundé hinted that the presidency of the republic cannot award a contract without a favorable opinion of Bidoung Mpkatt and his gang. Aware of this situation, Paul Bell is calling the shots which have culminated to an unacceptable delay in the award and execution of contracts in the North.

With Issa Hayatou voted out, Cameroon is only 5 months away from the visit of the inspectors of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for a first evaluation mission. What miracle will the Francophone political elites perform for the North region to succeed in the feat of hosting a single pool of the competition? The Adamaoua, North and Far North regions therefore appears to be  on the wrong footing in comparison with other regions to accommodate the various delegations of the competition, whether in hotel infrastructures or stadiums. Paul Bell will not succumb to any pressure and simply wants his own share from the contractors of the Northern regions.

By Sama Ernest

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