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30, August 2022

Menchum: Fears of another lake explosion haunt communities ⁰

Another lake in Menchum Division is threatening to blow up and residents of the region have been packing up and leaving, fearing that what Lake Nyos did in 1986 could also happen in that small locality.

Despite a serious plea by the residents, the Yaoundé government has remained indifferent.

For now, the residents have left their homes and only show up from time to time to harvest their crops when they feel they can do so.

This item is developing

30, August 2022

Cameroon after Biya: The dirty games are under way ⁰

When Emmanuel Macron, the young French President, visited Cameroon a few months ago, many suspected that he was up to no good.

For many months now, there have been secret discussions at the Unity Palace on who should succeed Paul Biya, Cameroon’s ailing and desperately old President who has been in power for 40 years but has nothing to show for his long stay in power.

As Mr. Biya’s health continues its relentless march towards the tubes, his inner circle is working closely with the French government on the possibility of making Franck Biya, the ruthless dictator’s eldest son, the country’s next president.

According to a source at the Unity Palace who elected anonymity, the plan to hand over power to Franck Biya is almost complete and the French have put their seal of approval on the plan they fear could trigger a civil war in the country.

However, Cameroonians both at home and abroad are not waiting for this vile plan to be put in place before they can start scrambling desperately for a solution.

In Paris, the country’s Diaspora descended on the French National Assembly today in a bid to nip the plan in the bud.

In a video, which has been trending on social media, thousands of Cameroonians could be heard singing “non au pouvoir gré à gre au Cameroun” which translates as “no to a negotiated transfer of power in Cameroon.”

This situation is embarrassing to the French and many of the country’s lawmakers are calling on their government to distance itself from a collapsing dictatorship which is costing the country tons of money and opportunities.

The French know that in the event of a free and fair election in Cameroon, the country’s population will overtly reject any French leaning government and this could cost the French their vast economic interest.

This is a developing story and more will be yours.

By Chi Prudence Asong

30, August 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Three BIR soldiers killed in Bafut blast ⁰

At least three Cameroonian soldiers were killed Sunday in an attack by separatist fighters in the war-torn Anglophone region of Northwest, security and local sources said Monday.

The attack took place Sunday night in the Bafut area of the region. A military vehicle carrying three soldiers ran on an improvised explosive device planted along a road by separatist fighters, and the explosion killed the three soldiers instantly, according to an army officer in the region.

Separatists also fired a rocket at a military vehicle in the region in an attack over the weekend, with several soldiers wounded, according to an army statement.

Also in the Southwest region, another English-speaking region, the army repelled an attack by separatist fighters on a gendarmerie brigade in Eyumojock, according to security reports.

In the past week, separatist fighters stepped up attacks on military positions in the two Anglophone regions where they attempt to establish an independent state.

Source: Xinhuanet

30, August 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Biya regime says schools shut down by Amba fighters have reopened ⁰

Education officials in Cameroon say improved security in its western regions have allowed more than 200 schools that had been shut by separatist threats since 2017 to reopen for the new school year. But critics note officials said the same thing last year only to see scores of schools shut down again following rebel attacks. School officials Monday assured schoolchildren, parents, and teachers that their safety is assured despite ongoing rebel threats against schools that reopen.

Cameron Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said that top military and security officials met Monday to assess the security situation in the country’s western regions ahead of the new school year that begins September 5.

Assomo assured teachers and students that their safety in all western schools opened by education officials will be protected by government troops.

Ngwang Roland Yuven is the government official in charge of secondary education in the Northwest region.

Yuven says several hundred teachers have not yet reported to their respective schools.

“We expect all the school administrators and all the teachers to be where their schools are located,” he said. “Now if we have some communities where the issue of insecurity is at such a terrible level, it would not even be the teacher or the principal telling us, because all of us would see the realities on the ground. I have always reminded my collaborators, my teachers and principals that whatever difficulty that you have, the problems should be reported so that necessary action is taken.”

Bernard Okalia Bilai, the governor of Cameroon’s English-speaking Southwest region, says the government decided to open the schools in towns and villages where peace has returned. He says he is pleading with civilians who have kept children out of school for a long time to make sure their children have an education which is a fundamental human right.

“The situation being under control does not mean that we have seized all the guns circulating in some remote areas. But that is banditry. All the activities are resuming, life is coming back to normalcy, people are moving freely, but we must remain vigilant behind the government for schools to resume all over in the two{western} regions concerned and all over the republic [Cameroon],” he said.

The government says it has ordered its military to shut down community schools that do not respect the official academic calendar and curriculum prepared by the central government in Yaounde.

Separatists in English-speaking western Cameroon launched their rebellion in 2016 after what they said was years of discrimination by the country’s French-speaking majority. The rebellion degenerated into an armed conflict in 2017 when fighters ordered the closing down of schools and transformed some into separatist training camps.

The conflict has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced more than a half-million according to the U.N.

Source: VOA

30, August 2022

MOHWA Worldwide: Leading Manyu’s development efforts ⁰

The Manyu women’s development and cultural group, MOHWA, has clearly taken the driver’s seat in efforts aimed at driving development in Manyu Division. In conventions which took place in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, the women’s unity group is proving that there is strength in numbers.

Over the weekend, MOHWA United States raised some USD 80,000, the equivalent of CFAF 50 million and some of their enthusiastic members are saying that this is just the beginning. The money raised will be sent home for water projects in Manyu Division and for the rebuilding of the Mamfe District Hospital which was burnt down a few months ago. The figures for MOHWA UK and Canada are not yet in but there is a determined effort to change things in Manyu Division.

Speaking about the demonstration of strength by Manyu women worldwide, we had a chat with Dr. Joachim Arrey of the Global Think Tank For Africa who had nothing but praises for these women who are now clearly demonstrating that theirs is also a development-oriented association.

“I have been reliably informed that MOHWA worldwide is changing the narrative. For long, many people thought that these women were just there to show-off their dresses and jewelry, but what happened in Maryland last week has clearly demonstrated that we, the people of Manyu, can count on our women when it comes to developing our Division. I have seen the videos and they speak volumes. The efforts in the UK, Canada and the United States speak for the women’s determination to bring much-needed help to the people of Manyu Division,” he said.

“I have nothing but praises for them. They even liaised with their men to make their effort bigger and better. The results are in, and we must support these women so that they can continue leading us into a new era. Past criticism of this group could have helped to jolt its members into action. I consider those criticisms as a shock therapy. The women are doing well, and I hope Manyu ladies in other parts of the world will join the effort. The women deserve my respect, and I will urge them to keep it up. There is nothing that can defeat a bunch of determined, hard-working and beautiful women if they join forces to achieve something meaningful. I doff my hat to them,” he said.

“However, when organizing such major events, they should also liaise with the media so that their stories can be told. The media can also help to galvanize more support for such a women’s group which has a clear vision and strategy to achieve its goals,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, in Mamfe, many people are talking about the new MOHWA which is now pro-poor and pro-action. Many people in Manyu Division are looking forward to seeing those MOHWA-financed projects string out of the ground. The people are full of praises for the women and are very grateful to those who engineered the idea of bringing Manyu women in a massive structure which is enabling them to demonstrate their strength.

Cameroon Concord News also spoke to a Manyu politician in Yaoundé who elected anonymity and he said that he was aware of what was happening in America and that he was very happy that the women have finally decided to take the bull by the horn. He called on Manyu leaders, chiefs, and administrative officials to come up with a Manyu development structure which should be able to drive development on the ground.

“If the Diaspora has decided to give a helping hand to development efforts in Manyu, those of us here in Cameroon should be working with the Diaspora to ensure that our collective goals are realized. We cannot continue to be indifferent to changes taking place around us. The Diaspora is a key development force, and we should use this moment to change the Manyu development rhetoric,” he said.

“I am also urging the men, especially those of EKPE, to demonstrate that EKPE is not just a drinking and eating organization. The number of EKPE members in Cameroon and abroad should help us raise significant amounts of money towards the rebuilding of that hospital,” the politician said.

By Briyan Tambe Ashu

30, August 2022

Soldiers storm PCC Kumba Church service and arrest worshippers ⁰

Soldiers from the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) were called by Pastor Mary Wose to a PCC Kumba church service to arrest some worshippers as they clamoured for the resignation of Moderator Fonki Samuel.

The incident saw a team of Francophone BIR soldiers storming into the church premises to arrest Christians.

A local police officer attending the service at the church filmed the moment and shared the clip with Cameroon Concord News.

In the video, Protestants were heard shouting that “We are at church right now and Francophone soldiers called by Pastor Mary Wose just showed up and they are now arresting some Christians, so please pray for us right now.” The BIR army soldiers entered PCC Kumba and stopped the service.

The commander of the BIR elements reportedly walked to the altar and informed the congregation that they received a phone call from the Pastor.

Some of the worshippers were arrested and others asked to leave the church, to pray and worship at home and to wait for a decision from the Moderator who is currently in Germany heading a 5-man delegation to Karlsruhe.

Some of the Christians led a protest march to the paramount leader of the Bafaws Chief Ekoko Mukete.

A church member claimed they are not law-breaking people as he complained to the Bafaw monarch.

By Rita Akana

30, August 2022

Southern Cameroons man killed by Francophone soldier gunfire ahead of daughter’s wedding ⁰

A Southern Cameroonian man has succumbed to the gunshot wounds he suffered after Cameroon government army soldiers shot him in Weh, Menchum Division just a week before his daughter’s wedding ceremony.

Cameroon Concord News correspondent in Wum, the chief town in Menchum Division reported that the yet to be identified man was shot by Francophone soldiers in the head as he was walking to the local market near his home in Weh.

The Ambazonia Interim Government confirmed in a communiqué that the 47-year-old suffered a critical injury in the head and succumbed to his wounds as he was being rushed to a hospital in Wum.

The exiled Ambazonian leader Dabney Yerima has been quoted as saying that the 47-year-old was unarmed and was simply heading to the Weh market before being shot.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that the father of three had sent out invitations to his daughter’s wedding, scheduled to be held this coming week.

Vice President Dabney Yerima condemned the killing, saying the Biya French Cameroun regime would persist with its acts of terrorism as long as the international community allows Yaoundé to continue to act with impunity.

Professor Carlson Anyangwe also condemned the killing and said, “La Republique du Cameroun seeks to continue with its policy of marginalization and occupation through repeated attacks on Southern Cameroonians and the daily killings of Ambazonia citizens, without being held accountable by the international community.”

According to the Ambazonian Interim Government, the French Cameroun regime has claimed the lives of some 45, 000 Southern Cameroonians since the start of the war in 2016.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

29, August 2022

Angola president secures second term in tense election ⁰

Angola’s MPLA party was on Monday declared the winner of a closely fought election, extending its decades long rule in the oil-rich country and handing President Joao Lourenco a second term.

He promised to be the “president of all Angolans” and to open dialogue after the electoral commission announced the results, which saw the opposition make large gains.

“This is a victory for Angola and Angolans in general,” Lourenco, 68, said in his inaugural address shortly after the unveiling of the result of the August 24 ballot.

“This vote was a vote of confidence, which gives us the immense responsibility of promoting dialogue and social consultation”.

The National Electoral Commission (CNE) reported the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola won 51.17 percent of the ballots against 43.95 percent for the main challenger, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

Despite the victory, the outcome — the tightest in Angola’s history — marked a record low for the MPLA and might yet end up in court after UNITA had earlier rejected provisional results.

Several members of the electoral commission did not sign off on the final tally, poll officials said on Monday.

The MPLA has traditionally wielded control over the electoral process as well as state media, and opposition and civic groups had raised fears of voter tampering.

UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Junior, 60, last week called for an international panel to review the count.

International observers have raised some concerns including questions over the electoral roll and biased reporting by state-owned television, but most said voting was peaceful and well organised.

Lowered majority

The MPLA, a former Marxist liberation movement, has ruled Angola for nearly half a century since independence from Portugal in 1975.

But it has seen a steady decline in support over recent elections.

While it romped to victory with 71.84 percent of the vote in 2012, it only garnered 61 percent five years later.

UNITA scored 26.67 percent in 2017 elections and contested the official count.

Alex Vines, of the UK-based think tank Chatham House, said that while UNITA was likely to challenge the count also this time, the former rebel movement had reasons to be happy.

“It’s an amazing result for UNITA when you think that 20 years ago, they were defeated on the battlefield,” he said.

“Politics will have to change in Angola now. There’s going to have to be the politics of compromise,” he said.

The results gave the MPLA 124 of the 220 parliamentary seats up for grabs while UNITA won 90.

Turnout was low, with only about 45 percent of those registered casting their ballots, which pointed to a growing disillusionment with politics, said Vines.

The United States on Monday called on all parties “to express themselves peacefully and to resolve any grievances in accordance with applicable legal processes”.

“We will continue to closely follow the electoral process,” the State Department said in a statement before the final results were announced.

Second term

The latest election has been overshadowed by a struggling economy, inflation, poverty, drought and the death of Lourenco’s predecessor Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Dos Santos was buried in Luanda at a solemn funeral on Sunday.

The opposition has proved popular in urban areas, winning in the capital Luanda and among youth disaffected with the ruling party.

Angola is Africa’s second largest crude producer, but the oil bonanza has been accompanied by corruption and nepotism.

Lourenco, a former general educated in the Soviet Union, was first elected in 2017.

He is credited with far-reaching reforms since taking power, including boosting financial transparency, tackling graft, and promoting business-friendly policies to lure foreign investors.

But critics say his anti-graft crusade has been one-sided and aimed at settling political scores, targeting children and cronies of dos Santos.

His economic reforms have also so far failed to translate into better living conditions for most Angolans, critics say.

“With this vote of confidence, it is time to continue the reforms necessary to make Angola a more prosperous and more developed country,” Lourenco said, promising to pay particular attention “to the expectations of young people”.

Source: AFP

29, August 2022

The Paul Pogba Affair: A family conflict, extortion claims and a witch doctor ⁰

A police investigation has been opened after claims by French football star Paul Pogba that he is the victim of a multi-million euro blackmail plot that includes his brother Mathias.

AFP looks into an affair involving a family conflict and a witch doctor, and which comes less than three months before the Juventus star is expected to help France defend their World Cup crown.

Who is Mathias Pogba?

Mathias, 32, is the elder brother of Paul (29) and the twin brother of Florentin. All three are professional footballers. Mathias, who was born in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, has had a journeyman career which has taken him to Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia. Much of his career has been spent in the United Kingdom, including spells at Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra and Partick Thistle. Last year he played 12 matches for Belfort in the French fourth tier. Mathias Pogba has also appeared on television in France as a pundit.

Until recently, the Pogba brothers appeared close-knit. Mathias, Florentin and their mother, Yeo Moriba, have regularly been seen attending France matches in which Paul has played. Paul Pogba is also one of the main donors to 48 H POUR, a charity established by Mathias to help provide drinking water and education for children in Guinea.

What has Mathias Pogba said?

On Saturday, Mathias Pogba published a video on Instagram in which he promised “great revelations” about Paul and the Juventus player’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta. In the video, Mathias Pogba says the “whole world, as well as my brother’s fans, and even more so the French team and Juventus, my brother’s team-mates and his sponsors deserve to know certain things”.

“All this is likely to be explosive,” he concluded without adding any substance to his “revelations”.

How has Paul Pogba responded?

A statement released on Sunday, and signed by Paul Pogba’s lawyers, his mother Yeo Moriba and agent Pimenta, said that the videos published on Saturday night “are unfortunately no surprise”.

“They are in addition to threats and extortion attempts by an organised gang against Paul Pogba,” read the statement. They added that “competent bodies in Italy and France were informed a month ago”.

France Info radio reported that Paul Pogba told investigators he had been threatened by “childhood friends and two hooded men armed with assault rifles”. They are demanding 13 million euros ($13m) from him for “services provided”, he said, adding that one person close to him had withdrawn 200,000 euros using his credit card.

How far along is the investigation?

Paris prosecutors confirmed to AFP that an investigation was opened on August 3 into allegations of extortion and attempted extortion by an organised gang. According to France Info reports confirmed to AFP by a source with knowledge of the case, Paul Pogba told investigators that he had been threatened by “childhood friends and two hooded men armed with assault rifles” who blamed him for not having helped them financially.

Paul Pogba also told investigators that he had been threatened on several occasions in Manchester, during his time playing for Manchester United, and in Turin, where he currently plays for Juventus. He said he recognised his brother Mathias from among the suspects.

What does Kylian Mbappe have to do with this?

The Paris Saint-Germain striker, and France teammate of Paul Pogba, appears reluctantly in the affair. Paul Pogba told investigators that his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on Mbappe, which Pogba denies.

In a series of tweets published on Sunday, Mathias Pogba appeals directly to Mbappe, saying: “Kylian, do you understand now? I have nothing against you, what I am saying is for your good, everything is true and known, the witch doctor is known! Sorry for this brother, a so-called Muslim up to his neck in witchcraft.”

How could this affect the France team?

The revelation of the affair is badly-timed for the French national team, coming less than three months before they defend their World Cup crown in Qatar. Paul Pogba is currently sidelined with a knee injury and faces a battle to be fully fit, but he remains a key player in the France team, for whom he has won 91 caps and was influential in the run to glory at the 2018 World Cup.

Like the 2016 blackmail affair involving Karim Benzema, Mathieu Valbuena and a sextape, there is a danger that this affair could negatively impact morale within the squad. It could also impact Paul Pogba’s relationship with Mbappe. Speaking to RMC Sport, French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet said he hoped the affair “does not call into question” Pogba’s place in the team. “At this stage these are just rumours,” he added.

Source: AFP

29, August 2022

Moderator Fonki Samuel is sleeping with so many women in the PCC ⁰

While her husband (the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon) never takes her for his trips abroad or away from Buea, there are now allegations that Pastor Fonki Samuel continues to have sexual encounters with several ladies in the church.

Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from very reliable sources deep within the PCC hierarchy that Rev Dr Perpetual Fonki is aware of the social crimes of her moderator husband and how the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon uses the Church house as a sexual cave and painting his behaviour as a divine command.

Moderator Samuel Fonki is a known pastor who is not really a believer in Jesus Christ. He reportedly bribed to be elected to the position of Moderator and many Protestants were deceived into believing in him and believing in his work.

His counseling sessions mostly in expensive hotels in Douala are administered in privacy with women and in the absence of Dr Perpetual Fonki, the so-called Communications Secretary of the PCC in Cameroon.

“Apparently, there are many women who have complete access to the Moderator’s libido with the most prominent being Rev Mary Wose of the PCC Kumba” a member of the Presbyterian Church who asked not to be named told Cameroon Intelligence Report.

“The Moderator has been having sexual intercourse with many women in the PCC! Having sex in his office and the women are more than we can count. He has slept with almost all the women in the PCC” a retired Pastor tearfully hinted Cameroon Intelligence Report.

Our London Bureau Chief Isong Asu is currently investigating claims that Moderator Fonki Samuel may have slept with even minors.

A chartered member of PCC Mulheim in Germany was heard murmuring privately that “Moderator Fonki makes these desperate women think it’s all a spiritual direction from God. He appoints them to top positions in the PCC and employs some of them to teach in Presbyterian primary and secondary schools. He never attends any official function with his wife and even travels abroad with his mistresses and in some cases he has women kept for him by his acolytes upon arrival.”

His corrupt Synod feels boldly strong about his atrocious activities. No one in the current PCC hierarchy sees anything wrong with Moderator Fonki. It is like Presbyterians are giving what belongs to Caesar to Caesar.

Moderator Samuel Forba Fonki is having his fair share of free sex and there is never a day without a mention about the PCC Moderator’s keeping of multiple sexual partners and using his corrupt influence to elevate them into influential positions such as female Pastors, Chairperson of congregations, CWF leaders, Accountants or members of the Synod.

Today, women constitute 90% of the members of the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon- majority of who are likely his sex slaves.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands, Moderator Fonki uses church money for the upkeep of his ladies. Mr. Fonki has friends in Europe and USA who make sure that during his fake Pastoral visits the PCC Moderator has multiple women during his stay in expensive hotels paid with funds from the congregations. During his foreign trips, these women take turns in cooking and serving him at his hotel.

We of the Cameroon Concord News Group have never ever seen the Moderator and with his wife in public. There is no photo in our archives where you will see the Moderator in any public event with his wife and children.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai