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11, February 2017

Cameroon road deaths up in 2016 ⁰

The 21^st assembly of Cameroon Road National Council, CONAROUTE has revealed that 3,088 accidents and 1,102 deaths were officially registered in 2016 in the country. The information was made public during a working session of the body in Yaoundé, the nation’s capital.

Cameroonian authorities have long announced road safety measures without implementing them. According to the experts, the corrupt nature of security agents and poor road traffic prevention schemes, partly explains the laxity on Cameroonian roads, where one can easily encounter vehicles that have not had technical visits for decades or drivers without a driving license.

Many Cameroonians are clandestinely engaged in the transport sector against a few banknotes slipped into the hands of the controlling security agents. By 2014, the UN had classified the 240 km Douala-Yaounde axis as one of the most dangerous highways in the world.

By Sama Ernest

11, February 2017

Renewed crackdown on press freedom in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Security sources in Buea have hinted that the two independent journalists arrested in connection to the ongoing crisis rocking the Anglophone regions have been tossed to Yaounde. “It’s not clear where they are detained at the moment, but they are most likely to be at SED,” a staff of The Guardian Post where Amos Fofung works said.

The two men were bundled from the Molyko and ferried to the 3rd Police District where they spent the night in custody before their transfer to Yaounde. The duo’s Buea colleagues recounted that they were picked up by the police in connection with a bag that contained ‘anti 11 February tracks’ purportedly dropped by the Publisher of Voice of the Voiceless from Bamenda.

Same sources explained police had already arrested the visiting Bamenda publisher and were in search of his bag that was dropped at the Molyko residence of Amos Fofung. At the time police came to search the house, Atia Tilarious was with Amos and the armed uniform men bundled all of them. According to Elah Geoffrey, Editor of The Sun Newspaper, the arrested journalists were interrogated by investigators at the Judicial Police in Buea on Friday prior to their overnight transfer.

Cameroun Info.Net

11, February 2017

Anglophone Crisis: CAMASEJ says harassment of journalists and closing down of radio stations not acceptable ²

The Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ), has condemned the increasing arrest of journalists “and their continuous incarceration without judgment” in the country. In a statement issued on Friday February 11, the National President of the association, Simon Lyonga notes that since a protest erupted in the English speaking regions of the country late last year, many press officials have been harassed and radio stations closed.

Friday’s statement followed the apprehension of two English speaking journalists in Buea in the South West region a day earlier. Atia Tilarious, political desk editor of The Sun newspaper and Amos Fofung, Buea bureau correspondent of The Guardian Post were whisked from the latter’s Molyko domicile and conveyed to the third police district of Buea where they’ve since been in custody.

“This comes to increase the number of journalists held in custody this day by state authorities,” the CAMASEJ release noted citing another journalist, Tim Finnian arrested in Bamenda last month and ferried to the Secretariat of State for Defense (SED) in the nation’s capital.

The association has called for their immediate and unconditional release. “While calling for their immediate release, we are calling on all our members and pressmen to remain calm and most of all professional in the discharge of their duties. For professionalism is the only but strongest weapon placed in the hands of a journalist,” Simon Lyonga stated in the statement.

The CAMASEJ president called on authorities to regard journalists in the country as partners reminding the latter that Cameroon is signatory to the United Nations charter that promotes freedom of speech.

“Also the 1990 law on social Communication in Cameroon enables its citizens; talk less of journalists to express their views freely,” Simon Lyonga said wondering why media men and women should be prevented from carrying out their missions.

Cameroun Info.Net

11, February 2017

Biya’s empty speech on the 51st Edition of the so-called National Youth Day ¹

My dear young compatriots,

In recent years, I have continually urged you to spare no effort to overcome the obstacles that could stand in your way. I also encouraged you to use your resourcefulness, your creativity and your courage, to secure your future.

I think I have been understood by many of you, like our dear INDOMITABLE LIONS, whose remarkable victory at the recent Africa Cup of Nations brought great jubilation to our people.

The new feat achieved by the Indomitable Lions barely a few weeks after the equally remarkable performance of our Women’s National Football Team in a similar competition, confirms the vitality of our youth and demonstrates to the world that “impossible is un-Cameroonian”.

During these two competitions, we all admired the talent, courage and patriotic commitment of our young footballers, as well as their capacity to unite in order to defend the national flag.

This determination to serve the Republic is also celebrated day by day among our defense and security forces, as well as vigilante groups which are fighting in unison to protect our country from the Boko Haram terrorist sect.

My dear young compatriots,

Your enthusiasm to join the defence and security forces at this moment bears eloquent testimony to your attachment to the peace and stability of our country, as well as your burning desire to serve your fatherland.

You demonstrate similar commitment in your various activities which contribute to our country’s inexorable march towards emergence.

I would like to congratulate you on that.

My dear young compatriots,

As we prepare to celebrate your Day, I cannot fail to mention the challenges faced by your brothers and sisters in the North-West and South-West Regions.

Due to the strike actions initiated by some trade unions, classes have been disrupted in these regions for several weeks now. I ordered a constructive dialogue between the Government and the trade unions concerned in order to find consensual solutions to the problems raised. These negotiations, which took place within the framework of the ad hoc committees set up to that end, helped to define the issues and determine ways and means to address them.

The Government has already taken some actions to implement the recommendations made by the committees I have just mentioned. Other actions will follow soon. These efforts notwithstanding, there have been lingering difficulties, especially owing to the emergence of political demands by extremist and separatist organizations. Preaching hate and violence, these organizations have committed or caused serious atrocities against citizens and damaged their property, as well as public buildings and utilities. They have embarked on a campaign of intimidation, threats and violence to disrupt the normal conduct of business and school activities.

Faced with this situation, the Government had to take measures to maintain order, protect citizens and their property and hand over to the judicial authorities those who committed or were suspected of committing these criminal acts. This necessary action will continue, in compliance with the laws and regulations of the Republic.

Obviously, the Government will continue, in a methodical and orderly manner, to work towards finding appropriate solutions to the justice and education concerns raised by trade unions of English-speaking lawyers and teachers.

Together, we will also continue to work towards finding solutions to maintain peace, consolidate our country’s unity and strengthen our desire to live together and our day-to-day experience of togetherness, in compliance with our Constitution.

In fulfillment of my commitment to that end, I have set up the National Commission on the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism. Its members will be appointed soon and I expect the youth to play an active role therein.

My dear young compatriots,

The Government’s readiness to dialogue with the trade union organizations and, with them, seek common solutions to the problems raised, recently led to the signing of a declaration by some of them, calling off the strike action. I congratulate them on that.

Efforts in that connection will continue. As I have said before, every citizen has the right to express his opinion on any issue of national life and to take part in a peaceful strike.

Conversely, it is unacceptable to use threats, intimidation or violence to compel anybody to heed a call for strike action. It is also unacceptable to hold the education and future of our children hostage, in the vain hope of pushing through political demands.

While the right to strike is legitimate, the right to education is even more so. It is a fundamental right. Like their brothers and sisters in the other regions, the pupils and students of the North-West and South-West regions have a right to education. They have the right to prepare their future in peace. Therefore, the Government will take all the necessary measures to ensure that this right is respected.

My dear young compatriots,

In the twenty-first century, our bilingualism is a major asset which we must leverage. By providing us a window on the world, these two languages constitute for our youth and ourselves an invaluable asset which only needs to be used. They are a precious communication tool. Therefore, they should not become a bone of contention between Cameroonians.

My dear young compatriots,

Each of you is a star in our sky. You are the ones who light up Cameroon. You represent the positive values of a radiant and winning Cameroon.

This is why the Government is not relenting in its efforts to ensure that you play your rightful role in shaping the future of our country. Once more, I encourage you to be daring, to be courageous and to take initiatives. The Government will do everything to assist you.

In this respect, I am pleased that the implementation of the CFAF 102 billion “Special Youth” three-year plan has started. It will support one and a half million young people aged between 15 years and 35 years, at a rate of five hundred thousand youths annually, in various areas of interest such as agriculture and digital economy.

Regarding the digital sector specifically, the National Youth Observatory will soon have a platform for meetings and discussions. Guides will be developed to assist and support youths seeking entrepreneurship training, vocational qualification, employment or self-employment.

My dear young compatriots,

The current difficulties notwithstanding, your future remains foremost among our concerns. Look around you. Look at the hydro-electric dams under construction, the roads, the ports, the motorways being constructed, the factories and the stadiums being built. They provide employment and various opportunities for our youth.

Our country is undergoing transformation and development. Be part of this wonderful and extraordinary adventure.

Feel proud to be Cameroonians! Continue to be daring in creative activities, to be courageous in your work, and to hone your different skills in your respective fields of endeavour.

Together, we will continue to move from victory to victory.

Together, we will continue to be a strong nation.

Happy YOUTH DAY to you all!

Long Live Cameroonian youth!

Long Live Cameroon

11, February 2017

US: Trump considering ‘brand new order’ on immigration ⁰

US President Donald Trump says he is considering signing a “brand new order” on immigration, following a court ruling that blocked his executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim countries from entering the United States. Trump made the remarks on Friday aboard Air Force One on his way to Florida, after his administration suggested it would not ask the Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court decision that keeps the travel ban frozen.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, California, ruled on Thursday that a nationwide restraining order against the president’s travel ban may continue while a federal judge considers a lawsuit over the immigration policy. The Trump administration can appeal to the Supreme Court to immediately intervene, or wait until a ruling on the preliminary injunction order. But Trump told reporters on Friday, “We also have a lot of other options, including just filing a brand new order.”

Asked if he is planning to issue a new executive order, Trump said, “It very well could be. We need speed for reasons of security, so it very well could be.” He said that he might take action on Monday or Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Trump said that he will introduce new measures as early as next week to keep the country safe against threats, indicating a new executive order is coming.

Presstv

10, February 2017

Reports: Anglophone religious leaders say internet shut down and continuous arrest are not security guarantees for schools to resume ²

Cameroon Concord News has been reliably informed that the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, the Anglophone Roman Catholic Bishops and the Baptist authorities have signed a joint communique declaring themselves not fit to call off the teachers’ strike.

The Anglophone religious leaders say those who announced recently that the strikes have been suspended did not consult them and that internet shut down and continuous arrest are not security guarantees for classes to resume.

This item is still developing

10, February 2017

Ghost town in Mamfe: Angry youths burn down mayor’s car ³

Some angry Southern Cameroon youths in Mamfe, the chief town in Manyu Division have reportedly burnt down a vehicle belonging to the mayor, John Ayuk Takunchong. The youth were protesting against the mayor’s hostile stance towards the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

Sources in Manyu say the mayor drove out early this morning with a gang of pro CPDM militants to prepare the grand stand for the outlawed 11 February celebrations when the population decided that they had gotten enough of his provocative actions.

We gathered that Ayuk Takuchong had long been cautioned and told to listen only to the interim leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. The mayor who himself had been a victim of Francophone marginalization following three attempts at joining the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun but was rejected on grounds that he lacked a mastery of the French language remains an ally of one popular Manyu traditional ruler, Chief Tabetando of Bachuo Ntai on whose command he is sabotaging the people’s revolution.

The angry youth are threatening to set his house and office ablaze after torching his car. The Manyu administration has however not conformed the news.

By Ebai Kenneth

10, February 2017

Trial of Consortium leaders to be met with massive ghost town in Southern Cameroons ¹

Various Southern Cameroons grassroots groups and prominent Anglophone activists are preparing for a massive ghost town operation on the 13^th of February 2017 to signal West Cameroonians disapproval of the arrest and trial of the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. The trial of Barrister Agbor Nkongho Felix and Dr Fontem Neba will be met with a massive civil disobedience campaign, Cameroon Concord News has learnt.

The Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime may have won a battle by arresting and torturing hundreds of Southern Cameroonians, but if the throngs of demonstrators across the Anglophone regions who oppose any dealing with La Republique du Cameroun have their way, Cameroon will be partitioned. Southern Cameroons has been fraught with disruption and massive civil unrest with the regime in Yaounde maintaining a kind of deliberate silence.

Working under the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, many grass root groups are already planning on a series of decentralized direct actions that will shut down the entire La Republique system in West Cameroon and paralyze Yaoundé itself. According to their call-to-action, ghost town operations will be observed today and tomorrow the 11^th of February 2017. The interim leaders of the Consortium have announced that the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium will no longer tolerate betrayals from any Southern Cameroon citizen.

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, Ni John Fru Ndi recently observed that the Biya administration handling of the Anglophone crisis has been a disaster. Day-by-day, the resistance is growing from strength to strength and Southern Cameroonians are taking to the streets and protesting. In areas such as Ndop, Kembong in Eyumojock Sub Division and Ekodo Titi, Southern Cameroonians have blockade, disrupt, intervene, sit in, walk out, rise up, and made more noise and good trouble than the Biya Francophone establishment can bear. Slowly but surely, the Anglophone uprising is delegitimizing President Biya and all his administrative authorities.

An operations manager of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium noted to our Muyuka informant that “We don’t ask permission from any Francophone SDO or DO or put our faith in the CPDM political elites from the South West or North West, instead, we use our bodies to stop the smooth operation of the system we oppose.” Another coordinator of the Consortium in Kumbo was quoted as saying “If there is going to be a positive change in the Southern Cameroons society, we have to make it ourselves, together, through direct action.”

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

10, February 2017

Consortium makes public conditions for dialogue with Archbishop Samuel Kleda ⁴

The President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya addresses the youths today. The Consortium has received a tip-off that he may acknowledge mistakes in the handling of our struggle. We are told the acknowledgement would not be sincere, but meant to fool us once more; a thing we should have become used to by now.

Secondly, we have read from the French Language Daily- “Le Messager” that the President has designated the Archbishop of Douala, His Grace Samuel Kleda as mediator in this struggle. We respect the man of God, who has demonstrated always that he is honest and has a personable character. But we must point out that in as much as we are ready for dialogue at any time, we abhor diversion.

Let it be known that all those leaders the people of Southern Cameroons put their trust in to negotiate on their behalf are either in jail or on the run. They must be found and brought to pilot any negotiations that shall engage the responsibility of the people; no government appointee shall speak for us, the people of the two regions have very resoundingly rejected those regime stooges.

Furthermore, the Consortium re-iterates that any discussions with government that shall not be based on one agenda only; the practical modalities for the putting in place of a two-state federation, and in the presence of representatives of the United Nations, and the UK shall be a waste of time.

While we maintain our struggle as a non violent movement for the liberation of our people, we want to strongly condemn the continuous provocation by forces of law and order against peaceful and unarmed citizens. We particularly deplore the actions of gendarmes who raped students in a boarding school in Kumba last Wednesday night; reason we keep asking parents to keep their children at home.

The excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and torture on our people is pushing many to begin wondering whether federalism is even an option anymore!

God is with us!

On behalf of the Consortium,

Tassang Wilfred, Tapang Ivo, Mark Bara

10, February 2017

Biya’s French acolyte to face trial over fraud ⁰

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been summoned to stand trial over allegations of illegally financing his doomed 2012 re-election campaign. The prosecution case against Sarkozy claims that the former president extensively exceeded a spending limit of $24 million by using false billing from a public relations company named Bygmalion, an informed source told AFP on Tuesday.

On February 3, Serge Tournaire, one of two judges in charge of the case, referred the case to the court after Sarkozy’s legal efforts to refute the allegations failed in December, the source said. Instead of billing Sarkozy himself, Bygmalion is said to have charged $19.7 to the former president’s right wing Republican Party – called UMP at the time. The trial will focus on whether Sarkozy himself was aware of the fraud, as Bygmalion’s executives have already acknowledged the existence of fraud and false accounting.

During a questioning session by the police in September 2015, Sarkozy passed the entire blame on Bygmalion and the UMP and slammed the allegations against himself as a “farce.” He claims that he did not remember ever being warned about the accounting. Apart from the Bygmalion case, Sarkozy has been fighting several other legal challenges since losing the 2012 polls to President Francois Hollande.

After a period of retirement, Sarkozy returned to politics to take the helm of the Republicans and sought the nomination to run for president in the upcoming elections in April and May 2017. However, he lost the nomination to his rivals in the Republican Party, former Prime Minister Alain Juppe and ultimate winner Francois Fillon, in November.

Presstv