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30, January 2026

South Africa and Israel expel envoys in deepening feud ⁰

South Africa ordered Israel’s top diplomat to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, citing a “series of violations” and prompting the Israeli government to expel Pretoria’s own diplomatic representative.

Several protests have taken place in South Africa against Israel’s actions in Gaza, with some calling for the embassy in Pretoria to be closed

Ties between the nations are already strained by South Africa’s case before the United Nations top court in 2023 to argue that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

The South African foreign ministry said it had informed Israel that its charge d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, was “persona non grata” and “required to depart from the Republic within 72 hours”.

“This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,” it said.

Breaches included “the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on President Cyril Ramaphosa, the statement said.

The foreign ministry also accused the embassy of a “deliberate failure” to inform South Africa of visits by senior Israeli officials.

The Israeli foreign ministry swiftly responded that South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative, Shaun Byneveldt, “is persona non grata and must leave Israel within 72 hours”.

South Africa laid a case before the United Nations top court in 2023 to argue that Israel’s war on Gaza amounted to genocide, which it denies.

In a statement on X, it accused Pretoria of “false attacks against Israel in the international arena” and described Seidman’s expulsion as a “unilateral, baseless step”.

Seidman was Israel’s most senior representative in South Africa after Tel Aviv recalled its ambassador in 2023.

‘Abuse of privilege’

South African officials were angered by a tweet from the Israeli embassy in November that commented: “A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.”

The post was in reaction to a news story citing Ramaphosa as saying “boycott politics doesn’t work”, in reference to US President Donald Trump’s decision to not attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Source: France 24

30, January 2026

US: Former CNN host Don Lemon arrested after anti-ICE protests ⁰

Former CNN host Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and filmed anti-immigration enforcement protesters as they disrupted a service.

Lemon, now an independent journalist, was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday night while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to a statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell.

“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” the attorney said. Lemon, 59, is due to appear in federal court in LA on Friday.

He went into the Cities Church in St Paul on 18 January with a group of protesters who said one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said in a statement posted to his client’s Instagram account on Friday.

The lawyer added: “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.”

In his own defence, Lemon said in a recent video: “Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it.”

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday that federal agents also arrested three others: Trahern Jeen Crews, local independent journalist Georgia Fort and Jamael Lydell Lundy.

She accused them and Lemon of participating in a “coordinated attack” on the church. The exact charges the government will bring against Lemon is unclear. The BBC has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.

Source: BBC

30, January 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Norway extends detention of Ayaba Cho ⁰

Norwegian courts extended the pretrial detention of Ayaba Cho Lucas by eight weeks in December 2025, pushing the deadline to Feb. 9, 2026. Authorities arrested the Cameroonian-born separatist leader in Oslo in September 2024. The decision places Ayaba Cho into his second consecutive year of provisional detention following a series of extensions.

Ayaba Cho Lucas, whose legal name is Cho Lucas Yabah, faces suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Norwegian investigators accuse him of directing massacre and assassination operations from Norway in Cameroon’s crisis-hit North-West and South-West regions.

Judge Bendik Bang Pedersen justified the continued detention by citing risks of evidence tampering and witness interference if authorities released the suspect. The court argued that these risks remained substantial given the nature and scope of the alleged offenses.

Since December, Norwegian judicial authorities have also expressed concerns over a possible escape attempt, according to Emmanuel Nsalai. Nsalai, an American lawyer of Cameroonian origin, initiated the legal proceedings.

Nsalai said prosecutors could indict Ayaba Cho by Jan. 31, 2026. He added that authorities could base the charges on complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and or acts of terrorism. A trial could open later this year if prosecutors move forward.

Source: Sbbc

27, January 2026

Victoria United Vs PWD Bamenda: FECAFOOT suspends five match officials over controversial refereeing ⁰

Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) has suspended four referees and a match inspector following contentious refereeing decisions during a game in the country’s flagship football tournament, the MTN Elite One Championship.

In a statement, FECAFOOT said the match, which was played on the opening day of the championship between Victoria United and PWD of Bamenda, was “marred by clearly questionable refereeing decisions”.

The match, hosted by Victoria United on Sunday, saw four yellow cards shown to PWD Bamenda, two PWD goals disallowed, and three penalties awarded to Victoria United.

“The refereeing quartet and the match inspector who officiated during the said match have been provisionally suspended from all activity pending the conclusion of the ongoing disciplinary procedures,” FECAFOOT said in the statement Monday night.

FECAFOOT said it was also investigating “serious suspicions of match-fixing” in the Dynamo Douala vs AS Fortuna match, played on the same day.

Match-fixing in Cameroonian football has come under the spotlight in recent times, with stakeholders alarmed by the increasing cases of alleged manipulation of results in the country’s MTN Elite One Championship and lower tiers.

“FECAFOOT reaffirms its unwavering commitment to integrity, transparency in competitions, and fair play-values essential to the development of national football. It reiterates that only the outcome on the pitch should be decided,” the statement said.

Source: Xinhuanet

27, January 2026

Dollar Bonds: The biggest risk is what Cameroon looks like post Biya ⁰

Cameroon became the second African nation in less than a week to sell dollar bonds, as frontier markets take advantage of risk-on sentiment to raise funds.

The central African nation priced a $750 million five-year bond at a yield of 10.125%, according to a person familiar with the matter. That compares with a yield of 10.75% on a seven-year dollar note it issued in 2024, when the country last went to market.

Cameroon is rated B-, six levels into junk, by S&P Global Ratings — the same as Nigeria, Pakistan and Angola.

Emerging markets are benefiting from investors shunning the US as geopolitical tensions rise and the independence of the Federal Reserve remains a concern. Risk premia of African frontier markets from Mozambique to Gabon have narrowed to levels below 1,000 basis points over US Treasuries in recent days, prompting nations on the continent and elsewhere to raise foreign-currency-denominated debt.

With conditions having shifted since the last time it came to market, Cameroon should have been in a “position to issue in the single digits,” according to Leo Morawiecki, an emerging-markets analyst at Abrdn Investments in London.

“The biggest risk is what Cameroon looks like post Biya,” he said in reference to the nation’s 92-year-old leader Paul Biya, who won an eighth term in October. “And its very difficult to price that into the bonds as getting a grip on Cameroonian politics is extremely difficult.”

The nation’s $550 million dollar bond due 2031 added 0.27 cents on the dollar Tuesday to 100.80 cents, pushing the yield lower by 6 basis points to 9.31%.

Benin last week sold a $500 million seven-year note at a yield of about 6.2% and an inaugural dollar-denominated sukuk. Ecuador sold $4 billion of bonds on Monday, its largest-ever issuance, in a return to global credit markets after restructuring its debt in 2020. The Democratic Republic of Congo plans a debut $750 million offering in April, the country’s finance minister told Bloomberg last week.

Seasoned eurobond issuers in Africa, such as Ivory Coast and Benin, are unlikely to care that other countries are coming to market given their years of experience, Morawiecki said. “But it likely does have a bigger impact on inaugural issuers such as DRC that look for signs of investor confidence in Africa.”

The continent’s average sovereign-risk premium over US Treasuries fell to the lowest since 2018 this month, and stood at 326 basis points on a closing basis on Monday, according to a a JPMorgan Chase & Co. index.

Source: Bloomberg

26, January 2026

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Coach Sacked by Eto’o receives salary, AFCON bonus ⁰

Drama continues to be witnessed in Cameroon as Belgian coach is reportedly still being paid and even received an AFCON bonus when he was removed before the tournament kicked off.

The power struggle within Cameroon football continues after it emerged that Belgian coach Marc Brys is still getting paid even after he was removed just before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Brys was removed by the Samuel Eto’o-led FECAFOOT, the country’s football federation, on the eve of AFCON 2025 with David Pagou installed ahead of the tournament.

Pagou led the Indomitable Lions at AFCON 2025, reaching the quarter-final, where they were eliminated by hosts Morocco.

Cameroon Football Federation Raises Concerns Over CAF Disciplinary Procedures Involving Samuel Eto’o

However, according to Sport News Africa, Pagou’s appointment did not have the approval of the Sports Ministry, who hires and pays the national team coach, and as such, he is yet to be paid for his duties.

Meanwhile, Brys, who was hired by the Ministry but was rejected by FECAFOOT, is still getting paid and is reported to have even received an AFCON bonus despite not leading the team at the tournament.

How Much Was ‘Sacked’ Coach Paid?

This is because his contract was not terminated by the appointing authority (Sports Ministry) who still consider him the national team coach.

“The state never officially terminated Mr Brys’s contract,” a source told Sport News Africa. “Whether we like it or not, the administration cannot unilaterally suspend a contract without a legal basis.”

Brys was reportedly paid a bonus of 20 million CFA francs, or approximately €30,500 (Ksh4.6 million) in relation to Cameroon’s performance at AFCON, based on the contractual agreement signed when he was hired, while he is earning a monthly salary believed to be between €44,000 (Ksh6.6 million) and €60,000 (Ksh9 million), which includes dues to his assistant and video analyst.

The Belgian coach has repeatedly maintained that he still considers himself the Cameroon coach as he has never been formally terminated while Eto’o has never recognised him.

With the drama, Pagou is left in between as the Sports Ministry has allegedly refused to pay him as they do not recognise him while Eto’o insists it’s the government’s duty to pay the national team coach.

Source: Pulsesports

26, January 2026

Football: Senegalese national killed in Morocco after AFCON final ⁰

A Senegalese national has been killed in Morocco following the Africa Cup of Nations final, according to a report by Senegalese journalist Lala Rassoul, prompting shock and calls for justice within the Senegalese community.

The journalist said the victim, identified as Charles Diouf, was attacked by unknown individuals after the conclusion of the final match.

He sustained multiple stab wounds from a bladed weapon and later died from his injuries. No further details were immediately available about the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Lala Rassoul explained that the incident took place under conditions that remain unclear and are now the subject of official investigations.

The competent authorities are expected to determine how the events unfolded and to identify those responsible for the killing.

The death has cast a shadow over the aftermath of the Africa Cup of Nations final, which had drawn large crowds and intense emotions.

While celebrations and gatherings followed the match, the reported killing has shifted focus to concerns over safety and accountability.

Members of the Senegalese community expressed deep sadness and disbelief at the news.

Many have called for a thorough and transparent investigation, urging authorities to establish the facts and ensure that those involved are brought to justice.

The case has resonated widely among Senegalese supporters and expatriates, who described the incident as a devastating loss.

The journalist’s account underscored the uncertainty that continues to surround the case, noting that official findings will be crucial in clarifying what happened.

Until investigators conclude their work, questions remain about the motive for the attack and the identity of the assailants.

As the investigation proceeds, the incident has highlighted the profound impact such acts can have beyond the immediate tragedy, affecting communities already processing the emotional intensity of a major sporting event.

For many Senegalese, the focus has shifted from the outcome of the final to mourning a compatriot and seeking answers.

Authorities have yet to release further information, and no arrests have been announced.

The Senegalese community continues to await developments, emphasizing the need for clarity, justice and accountability in the wake of the reported killing.

Source: Africa Soccer

26, January 2026

Football: Mbeumo hails Manchester United manager Michael Carrick ⁰

Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo has shed lights on Manchester United dressing room following the appointment of club legend Michael Carrick as head coach, stressing his arrival has brought a noticeable shift in energy and approach.

After the departure of head coach Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils turned to Carrick to steady the ship, handing the former midfielder interim responsibility for the first team. Carrick’s return to the dugout has already made an impact, both in results and in atmosphere, according to those within the squad.

The new era began in emphatic fashion, as United claimed a convincing 2–0 victory over rivals Manchester City in Carrick’s first match in charge. Mbeumo played a starring role in that derby triumph, getting his name on the scoresheet and helping United assert control against their neighbors.

Reflecting on the changes since Carrick’s appointment, Mbeumo highlighted the difference he has felt on the training ground and beyond. He said:

“Training is different. The mentality is different. The manager is a legend here so everyone wants to do their best.”

The winger’s comments underline the renewed motivation within the squad, with Carrick’s status and understanding of the club seemingly inspiring players to raise their levels during a crucial phase of the season.

Despite the turbulence earlier in the campaign, Manchester United remains firmly in the hunt near the top end of the table. After 23 Premier League matches, the club crushed leaders Arsenal and the early signs under Carrick suggest a group eager to push forward and rediscover consistency under familiar leadership.

Source: Africa Soccer

23, January 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: UN situation report ⁰

Between January and December 2025, at least 269 access constraints were documented in the North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions, with two humanitarian workers injured during this period.

Humanitarian activities are not possible on Mondays, which are declared “ghost town” days, and during lockdowns imposed by non-State armed groups (NSAGs). NSAGs enforced several lockdowns across the NWSW regions, including one to disrupt National Day celebrations on 20 May, another to obstruct the start of the school year in September, and a third aimed at disrupting the October elections. Additionally, in July, localized lockdowns in Ngo-Ketunjia, Donga-Mantung, and Bui fur ther restricted humanitarian access to these divisions.

Particularly in the SW, humanitarian partners faced bureaucratic impediments, resulting in operational delays and some denials to implement humanitarian activities in cer tain areas. The most affected divisions remained Lebialem and Ndian.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) continued to be used by NSAGs, especially in the North-West (in particular in Bui and Momo), primarily to attack State security forces. Although humanitarian workers were not a direct target, the use of IEDs in highly populated areas and on main roads posed a risk for all civilians. At least 131 IED-related incidents were recorded, 97 in the NW and 34 in the SW.

Regarding attacks against education, 62 incidents were recorded in the NW and 19 in the SW. As for healthcare, 19 incidents were documented in the NW and one in the SW. Education-related incidents in the North-West remained consistently high throughout the year compared to the South-West, peaking sharply in the fourth quarter. In contrast, the South-West experienced fewer incidents overall, with occurrences more evenly distributed across all quarters.

A major challenge impacting the NWSW regions was persistent underfunding. This financial gap severely restricted the scale of humanitarian operations, hindering efforts to pre-position critical supplies, maintain sufficient staffing, and invest in the logistical and security measures required to overcome access constraints.

Culled from reliefweb

23, January 2026

Iran chief commander says ‘hands on trigger’ against any US and Israel miscalculation ⁰

The chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned enemies against any miscalculation, stressing that his forces have “their hands on the trigger” to implement the orders of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

“We warn the criminal, evil, and anti-human enemies, particularly the United States and the fake and racist Zionist regime, to learn from historical experience and what they sustained in the 12-day imposed war [in June] to avoid any miscalculation,” said Major General Mohammad Pakpour in a message on Thursday.

If they commit any miscalculation, they will face a “more painful and regret-inducing” fate, he added.

He emphasized that the IRGC forces have more firmly than ever beefed up the nation’s defensive power and the country’s security against the American-Zionist animosity and malicious acts.

In late December, Iran saw sporadic economic protests that were quickly hijacked by rioters incited by US and Israeli leaders and aided by their spy operatives on the ground.

US President Donald Trump openly and publicly encouraged violence by calling on armed rioters to take over state institutions and threatening military action against Iran if they were confronted.

In an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Trump’s threats against Iran served as a direct incentive for terrorist cells to pursue a strategy of “maximum bloodshed” to drag the US into another war on behalf of Israel.

Source: Presstv