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19, December 2023

Uncertainty to Cameroon’s power supply: Eneo’s debt standoff threatens prolonged blackouts ⁰

As of September 2023, Eneo reveals receivables from the public sector, including the government and other public entities, totaling CFA234.5 billion, based on an internal document read by Business in Cameroon. Although CFA43.1 billion has been paid this year, CFA 131.7 billion is still owed by the central government, CFA55 billion by public enterprises, and CFA47.8 billion by other public entities.

Eneo claims that the amounts owed by the Cameroonian government have increased by CFA38.5 billion since the letter sent on April 14 to the Cameroonian Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, by Actis, the majority shareholder of Eneo (51% of the shares). In this letter signed by David Grylls, a partner at Actis, the British investment fund estimated the debt of the public sector to its local subsidiary at CFA186 billion.

The Cameroonian government promptly contested this sum, leading to the establishment of commissions to determine the public sector’s debt to Eneo. However, according to the communiqué released after the electricity company’s board meeting on December 7, 2023, in Yaoundé, this process remains unfinished several months later. The communiqué states, “Management has been urged to persist in dialog with the regulator to address outstanding matters, including the acknowledgment of Eneo’s investments, tariff compensation, and public lighting.”

Compensation and public lighting billing have always been the subject of fierce negotiations between Actis’ subsidiary and the government. To better understand, it should be noted that tariff compensation (consumer subsidy supported by the state, representing the difference between the actual cost of the kilowatt-hour and what the consumer pays) depends on several factors, including the level of investment made by Eneo, the evaluation of which is still the subject of lengthy negotiations with the government. Moreover, in cities without a modern public lighting network, consumption is estimated based on the number of identified street lamps. However, municipalities and Eneo still struggle to agree on the number of functional street lamps over a given period, often requiring counter-expertise.

Year-end celebrations with power cuts

Eneo estimates tariff compensation as of the end of September 2023, at CFA75 billion and the public lighting bill at CFA68.8 billion. This means that out of the CFA234.5 billion claimed by the electricity company from its reference shareholder (44% of the shares), only CFA90.7 billion is already consolidated. Uncertainty continues to weigh on an amount of CFA143.8 billion, or more than 61.3% of the total amount.

For several months, discussions between Eneo and the government have been ongoing to settle part of the public debt owed to the electricity company. The issue, presented as an “emergency,” was at the center of the board meeting on December 7. “The directors were assured of the government’s full support in finding rapid solutions to the sector’s urgent payments,” reads the press release signed by Séraphin Magloire Fouda, Chairman of Eneo’s Board of Directors.

But, according to our information, nothing concrete has been achieved to date on this issue. The structuring of an operation to monetize part of the state’s debt to Eneo is mentioned to allow the company to settle part of its debt to its suppliers. Especially since “nothing concrete on the amount and timing of the monetization operation is determined,” independent power producer Globeleq, which claims up to CFA107.7 billion from Eneo, has stopped its 304 MW installed capacity plants for the second time since December 1, 2023, causing power cuts lasting more than six hours.

The financing of the monetization operation is one of the sticking points that is blocking the operation. The Actis subsidiary, which has borne these charges representing between 7 and 8% of the amount to be raised, now refuses to do so. And on its side, the state does not seem willing to bear them either. Hence the deadlock, which should maintain tension in the country’s electricity supply during the year-end celebrations. Sources close to the matter revealed that the situation will worsen during the dry season. For example, at the peak of the low-water period, the Memve’ele hydroelectric plant, with an installed capacity of 211 MW, often produces zero watt-hours at certain times of the day, due to the lack of water flow to turn its turbines.

Source: Business in Cameroon

18, December 2023

Paramilitaries seize town as fighting rages in Sudan’s second city ⁰

Sudanese paramilitaries on Monday pressed deeper into the former safe haven of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira state where they also seized the town of Rufaa, witnesses said.

It came a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces set up a base in Wad Madani, where their offensive has sent thousands fleeing Sudan’s second city and former aid hub, many of them already displaced.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “took control of Rufaa”, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Wad Madani, the witnesses told AFP.

They said the RSF took over “the army headquarters, the police office, and the hospital after a clash that lasted for one hour” in the town.

Since fighting broke out on April 15 between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the city of Wad Madani, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Khartoum, became a haven for thousands of displaced people during the conflict.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement that the city’s population had reached 700,000, after more than half a million people took shelter there, among them 270,000 who “need humanitarian assistance”.

The RSF announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that they “seized control of the SAF (army) First Infantry Division in Wad Madani”.

It said its “operation included the liberation of the central reserve camp and the strategic Hantoob Bridge from the eastern side”.

On Sunday, the army reported in a statement that the RSF attempted to capture Wad Madani.

“The security situation in Al-Jazira state has stabilised,” the army said, adding, “we call on our people not to leave their homes.”

The RSF had on Sunday “set up bases in the Al-Malikiyah neighbourhood, east of the city of Wad Madani,” an AFP correspondent said.

The Norwegian Refugee Committee and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) East African bloc expressed concern over the spiralling violence in Al-Jazira state.

The American embassy warned on Sunday in a statement that “the continued advance of the Rapid Support Forces threatens massive civilian casualties and significant disruption to humanitarian assistance efforts”.

It said the advance of Daglo’s forces “has already caused large-scale displacement of civilians from Al-Jazira State… and the closure of markets in Wad Madani that many depend on.”

Bombing in Nyala

In the western Darfur region, an army source told AFP that the air force struck military buildings, over which the RSF had announced its control in October, and the airport in Nyala, the state capital of South Darfur.

The source said “the RSF’s Al-Zurq base, which is the main centre for supplies, was bombed”.

The “Emergency Lawyers” advocacy group said in a statement on Monday that the bombardment “hit populated neighbourhoods at dawn today, and last Thursday the city witnessed bombing with explosive barrels that killed 10 civilians and left 37 injured”.

The war between the army and the RSF has killed 12,190 people, according to conservative estimates by the Armed Conflict Locations and Events Data project.

It has displaced 5.4 million people inside the country, according to the UN, and sent over 1.3 million fleeing abroad.

Both sides in the conflict have been accused of indiscriminately bombing residential areas, using human shields, and robbing and harassing civilians.

Source: AFP

18, December 2023

Deadly explosion at fuel depot rocks Guinea capital Conakry ⁰

At least eight people were killed and 84 injured following a blast at an oil terminal in Guinea’s capital Conakry early on Monday, a senior police officer said.

The officer said the toll was provisional, adding that the blaze was being contained.

The blast at the West African nation’s only oil terminal, rocked the Kaloum administrative district in downtown Conakry, blowing out the windows of several nearby homes and forcing hundreds to flee the area, according to a Reuters witness.

A huge fire and billowing black smoke could be seen from miles away as firefighters rushed to the area, while several tanker trucks left the depot, escorted by soldiers and police.

A spokesman for the government of Guinea did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: Reuters

18, December 2023

Champions League last 16: Man City handed tie with Copenhagen, PSG to face Real Sociedad ⁰

Holders Manchester City were handed a tie against FC Copenhagen in Monday’s draw for the Champions League last 16, while French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were paired with Spain’s Real Sociedad.

Pep Guardiola’s City, who are looking to retain the title they won in Istanbul last June, will be expected to comfortably get the better of the Danish side, who qualified from their group at the expense of Manchester United after beating the Red Devils 4-3 at home.

PSG, who have gone out in the last 16 in each of the last two seasons and in five of the last seven campaigns, were braced for a tough draw having come second in their group behind Borussia Dortmund.

They will therefore be relieved at being handed a tie against Real Sociedad, who topped their section above Inter Milan but are appearing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time since 2003/04, when they were knocked out by Lyon.

Inter, the Serie A leaders, were one of the teams to avoid after finishing second in their group and their meeting with Atletico will see Diego Simeone, the coach of the Spanish club, come up against a team with whom he spent two years as a player in the late 1990s.

Barcelona’s meeting with Italian champions Napoli is another standout tie, while Arsenal will be expected to get the better of Porto. Bayern Munich will be strong favourites against Lazio and record 14-time European champions Real Madrid will also be heavily fancied against RB Leipzig.

The remaining tie sees Dortmund come up against PSV Eindhoven, who are coached by former Borussia manager Peter Bosz and are through to the last 16 for the first time in eight years.

The first legs will take place in mid-February with the return matches in March. This season’s Champions League final will be staged at Wembley in London on June 1.

Source: AFP

17, December 2023

Ireland: Historic launch of Dóchas by Tina Kembo brings Cameroonian writers to world stage ⁰

Dóchas, meaning Hope, is a collection of poems about the beauty, suffering and restoration of humanity. The first chapter focuses on the beauty and good things that exist in the world. The second chapter speaks of the suffering that humanity experiences and the third is on the restoration that comes after.

The event was a huge success and was graced with the presence of prominent Cameroonian and African dignitaries including important guests such as the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Cameroon Concord News Group, the Right Hon. Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai and his beautiful wife Odette Agbaw-Ebai, the renowned property developer Chief Tang Welensky, members of the Open Arms Church Newbridge, one of the lead Pentecostal voices in Ireland Paul Adenle and Eric Njolai a senior Anglophone Cameroon elite to mention a few.

An opening prayer was said and the author, Tina Kembo stepped forward and gave a brilliant remark about the background of the book and expressed gratitude for the support and participation of everyone present. She noted that “to everyone in a dark place, facing a difficult time, experiencing loss, grief, pain, sickness, there is hope for the future. There are good things and people in our world but evil and suffering exists too.”

Afterwards, Tina read out excerpts from the book and the book was launched by her wonderful parents, Anastine Kembo and Edwin Njeta with her dad moonlighting as her Chief Launcher. Her dad described her work as a well-written book with potential for great impact.

Tina Kembo was born in Bamenda, the chief city in the North West region of Cameroon in 1997.

By Njaringi Agbaw-Ebai in Newbridge, Ireland

17, December 2023

Chad votes for referendum on new constitution in step towards civilian rule ⁰

Chad voters go to the polls on Sunday for a referendum on a new constitution, in a key step towards elections and the return of civilian rule promised, but postponed, by the ruling military junta.

A large section of the opposition and civil society in the central African country are calling for a boycott.

They argue the plebiscite is designed to pave the way for the election of the current transitional president, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, and the continuation of a “dynasty” begun by his late father 33 years ago following a coup.

The “yes” camp seems assured of victory after a well-financed campaign by the ruling junta against a divided opposition, which has faced arrest, intimidation and threats for more than a year.

The capital N’Djamena has been plastered with posters championing a “yes” vote to bring in a constitution for a “unitary and decentralised state”.

It is not very different from the constitution that the military repealed in 2021, enshrining a regime in which most of the power is concentrated in the head of state.

The opposition, which advocates federalism, backs the “no” vote.

The “yes” camp retorts that a unitary state is the only way to preserve unity, while federalism would encourage “separatism” and “chaos”.

Provisional results are scheduled to be published in late December, with the Supreme Court due to validate them four days later.

‘Deby dynasty’

The two main platforms of parties and civil society organisations hostile to the junta have called for a boycott, hoping a low turnout will delegitimise a leader whom they accuse of perpetuating a 33-year “Deby dynasty”.

Where they can find space, they have put up posters with the words “Stop the referendum” and a big red cross.

They are hoping a low turnout will undermine the credibility of the referendum, which is “purely and simply legitimising the dynasty that they want to impose on us”, said Max Loalngar, coordinator of one of the groups, Wakit Tamma.

He was speaking to AFP by telephone from a country of exile that he declined to name.

Some advocates of a boycott were dismissive of both sides.

“They’re all the same, whether they’re campaigning for ‘yes’ or ‘no’. They’ve shared the money out between themselves,” Badono Daigou for the GCAP opposition platform told a rally.

“The result is a foregone conclusion. The ‘yes’ vote will win.”

Mahamat Deby, 37, was proclaimed transitional president by the army in April 2021, following the death of his father Idriss Deby Itno, who was killed by rebels on his way to the front line of the fighting.

Deby senior had ruled Chad, the second least developed country in the world according to the United Nations, with an iron fist for more than 30 years.

When he took power, his son promised elections after a transition period of 18 months and made a commitment to the African Union not to stand in them.

But 18 months later, his regime extended the transition by two years and authorised him to run in the presidential election, now scheduled for the end of 2024.

Opposition repressed

On the anniversary of the 18-month transition – October 20, 2022 – between 100 and 300 young men and teenagers were shot dead in N’Djamena by police and military, according to the opposition and national and international NGOs.

They had been peacefully demonstrating against the two-year extension of the transitional government.

More than 1,000 others were imprisoned before being pardoned, while dozens more were tortured or disappeared, according to NGOs and the opposition.

Most were supporters of prominent opposition figure Succes Masra, a longtime opponent of the Deby dynasty.

Yet in late October, Masra signed a reconciliation agreement with the regime and went into exile, from where he has been encouraging his followers to vote “yes” on Sunday.

Since what has come to be known as the “Black Thursday” crackdown, demonstrations have been systematically banned and many opposition leaders have fled Chad in fear of their lives.

“For there to be any legitimacy, the opposition parties and their activists must feel free to meet and campaign,” the Human Rights Watch group said in October.

“Otherwise, there is a risk that the referendum will be seen as a means of transforming the transitional government into a permanent one.”

Source: AFP

17, December 2023

Eto’o luring Yann Bisseck to Indomitable Lions ⁰

Former Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o is reportedly working on luring Yann Bisseck to Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations.

The 42-year-old played for the Nerazzurri between 2009 and 2011, forming a deadly attacking partnership with Diego Milito. He won the historic treble during his maiden campaign at Appiano Gentile.

Today, the Barcelona legend serves as the head of the Cameroonian Football Federation.

Therefore, the retired striker will be looking to bolster his national team’s ranks ahead of the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

AFCON 2023 will take place in the Ivory Coast between January 13th and February 11th.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via FcInterNews24, Eto’o has contacted Bisseck asking him to join the Indomitable Lions.

The former Nerazzurri star even called the club to inquire about the player’s qualities.

The 23-year-old was born in Koln and has been representing the German national team through various age ranks. He currently plays for Germany U21.

But since he has yet to make his senior debut, he can still change his international allegiance and join his country of origin.

Source: sempreinter

16, December 2023

Tiko: Six killed in road accident ⁰

At least six people were killed and several others injured in a road accident in the Southwest region, according to local police and authorities.

The accident occurred early Thursday in the Tiko locality of the region. Local police said a commercial motorcyclist accidentally ran into a truck that was parked along the road. As some of his colleagues gathered to rescue him, another vehicle ran over them, killing five on the spot. Another person died in the hospital.

The police have launched formal inquiries into the tragedy.

According to the police, fatal accidents are common in Cameroon due to reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, drunk driving, and poor state of the road.

The Ministry of Transport estimates that 1,500 people die in road accidents each year in Cameroon.

Source: Xinhuanet

15, December 2023

Cocoa price surge boosts incomes of Cameroon’s farmers ⁰

A sharp rise in the price paid for cocoa beans has boosted the incomes of farmers in Cameroon as top global producers Ivory Coast and Ghana suffer a supply shortage this season.

Several farmers told Reuters that they have been selling their beans at prices ranging from 2,000 to 2,200 CFA francs ($3.67) per kilogram, up from 750 to 1,290 CFA francs/kg last season.

New York cocoa futures rose to a 46-year high on Monday as crop problems in West Africa tightened global supplies. Ghana cocoa port arrivals are down around 50% year-on-year so far this season, while Ivory Coast’s are down more than 35%.

Cameroon is not expecting a similar drop in production. It targets around 300,000 metric tons of cocoa annually, making it the world’s fourth biggest producer in recent years.

“I have made much more money from cocoa sales, which has enabled me to clear an overdue loan,” said Susan Itoe, a cocoa farmer near Konye in the South West region.

Cameroon’s guaranteed cocoa farmgate price for the 2023/24 season was set at 1,500 CFA francs/kg. But the actual prices paid to farmers are flexible depending on the market and have risen even higher.

In Ivory Coast and Ghana, by contrast, prices are fixed for the entire season.

“Cameroon is benefiting from the malaise of Ghana and Ivory Coast following flooding and cocoa swollen shoot virus,” said Epie Promise Ngolepie, a cocoa consultant at agri-tech company Help Farmers Cameroon, who told Reuters that prices were expected to fall by 2025 as production picks up again in West Africa.

The high cost of inputs and high cost of transporting the produce due to bad roads were, however, eroding the gains, he added.

“Price has always been our problem… So this increase is well appreciated especially as we have improved the quality of our cocoa,” said Esapa Patrick Enyong, president of the South West Farmers’ Cooperative Union, which groups thousands of farmers in the country’s largest cocoa production basin.

Cameroon was recently added to Annex ‘C’ of the International Cocoa Agreement, which places it on the list of countries producing fine flavoured cocoa.

The liberalisation of the country’s cocoa trade since the 1990s has also contributed to the higher prices, said Michael Ndoping, General Manager of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB).

“All these factors put together make the cocoa trade these days very encouraging and we hope this will last for some time,” Ndoping said.

Source: Reuters

15, December 2023

UK: Prince Harry wins 15 claims in phone-hacking case against Mirror publisher ⁰

Prince Harry has won 15 claims in his case accusing Mirror Group Newspapers of unlawfully gathering information for stories published about him.

A judge has ruled in his favour on almost half of the sample of 33 stories used in his claims of phone hacking and other methods.

A High Court ruling found evidence of “widespread and habitual” use of phone hacking at the Mirror newspapers.

Prince Harry described it as a “great day for truth” and accountability.

He was awarded £140,600 in damages and in a statement read out on the Duke of Sussex’s behalf outside the High Court, his lawyer David Sherborne called the ruling “vindicating and affirming”.

“This case is not just about hacking – it is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behaviour, followed by cover ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings,” he said.

“I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned. But in light of today’s victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a free and honest press – it’s a worthwhile price to pay,” Prince Harry’s statement said.

He also called on the police and prosecuting authorities to “investigate bringing charges against the company and those who have broken the law”.

The stakes have also been high for the Mirror newspapers – the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People – with estimates that £100m has already been spent on damages and legal costs over previous hacking cases.

Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that unlawful information gathering had been “widespread” at all three of the Mirror titles and had become “habitual”.

In response a Mirror Group Newspapers spokeswoman said: “We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.

“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.”

The landmark ruling follows Prince Harry’s appearance at the High Court in June, where he became the first senior royal of modern times to give such extensive evidence in court in person.

Over two days, he was grilled about his claims that the group’s newspapers had published many stories about him, over several years, based on phone hacking and other unlawful ways of obtaining information.

Source: BBC