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UK: Past, present and future on display as Charles steps up

10, May 2022

UK: Past, present and future on display as Charles steps up 0

The pomp and pageantry of the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London traditionally takes longer than the speech itself.

But for nine short minutes on Tuesday, Britons were given a glimpse of their future without Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.

Ill health and old age forced the 96-year-old monarch to withdraw from outlining her government’s legislative agenda for only the third time since her reign began in 1952.

Instead it fell to her eldest son Prince Charles, 73, to deputise, in the most important state engagement yet in his record-breaking time as her heir.

When his mother dies, he will be king and opening parliament for a new session will be one of his most important constitutional duties as head of state.

Other than the last-minute change of personnel, there was little to distinguish the ceremony from previous ones in the putative “mother of all parliaments”.

Two mounted divisions of the Household Cavalry regiment formed a “secure passage” for the limousine carrying Charles and his wife Camilla from Buckingham Palace.

The red-coated Queen’s Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard — the “Beefeaters” — kept watch. Liveried parliamentary and government officials processed.

A ceremonial search of the cellars of parliament was conducted — a throwback to when a gunpowder plot was foiled before the opening of 1605.

The door of the House of Commons was slammed shut in the path of Black Rod, an official from the unelected upper House of Lords, to symbolise the independence of the elected lower chamber from the monarchy.

One member of parliament was held “hostage” at Buckingham Palace to ensure the safe return of the monarch, another throwback to more troubled times.

Elected members of parliament from the House of Commons are invited to the unelected upper chamber House of Lords to listen to the Queen’s Speech

Elected members of parliament from the House of Commons are invited to the unelected upper chamber House of Lords to listen to the Queen’s Speech Aaron Chown POOL/AFP

Then MPs filed into the Lords, their daywear in contrast to the peers in red and white ermine robes, to listen to the speech.

‘God save the Queen’

Charles, dressed in the ceremonial uniform of admiral of the fleet, complete with a sheathed sword, arrived to a trumpet fanfare.

The Prince of Wales has had a lifetime to prepare, showing no sign of nerves, smiling and occasionally stopping to chat as he made his way to the chamber and the platform bearing the consort’s throne.

Camilla sat to his left and his eldest son, Prince William, 39, to his right, getting his first taste of an occasion he will also have to perform one day.

The raised golden throne of the monarch, who was said to be watching on television from home, was removed. In its place was the crown on a velvet cushion.

At 11:34 am (1034 GMT), Charles began reading his mother’s words, written for her by the government.

“My Government’s priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families,” he read.

“My Government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work.

“My Ministers will continue to support the police to make the streets safer, and fund the National Health Service to reduce the COVID backlogs.

Queen Elizabeth II, who has been head of state since 1952, was said to have watched the ceremony on television from home.

“In these challenging times, my Government will play a leading role in defending democracy and freedom across the world, including continuing to support the people of Ukraine.”

At 11:43 am it was over. As he left, a military band played the national anthem, “God Save the Queen”.

Source: AFP

French Cameroun: Villagers Protest Renewed Boko Haram Violence

10, May 2022

French Cameroun: Villagers Protest Renewed Boko Haram Violence 0

Villagers along Cameroon’s northern border with Chad and Nigeria have been holding daily protests in front of government offices demanding that the military intervene and deploy troops in areas where attacks by Boko Haram have increased. Protesters say in the past three weeks alone, at least 35 villagers were killed after an alleged attack by the Islamist militant group

Village leaders blame Islamist fighters with the terrorist group Boko Haram for killing at least 35 people in the past three weeks and stealing livestock and food. They raised money for villagers to travel to the regional capital, Maroua to seek help from authorities.

Pastor Joseph Bayoha of the Evangelical Church of Cameroon in Tourou, a village on the border with Nigeria, said villagers came to tell the governor that a day hardly goes by without reports of Boko Haram fighters abusing or killing civilians and stealing their food and cattle.

Bayoha said villagers in Cameroon’s north want the government to immediately deploy troops to protect them and their property and bring back peace, adding they feel abandoned by Cameroon’s military and government to face Boko Haram alone.

Village leaders said Boko Haram infiltrated the northern towns of Kolofata and Amchide and the villages of Tourou, Gambarou and Kumshe.

Midjiyawa Bakari, Governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, told state broadcaster Cameroon Radio Television villagers have not been abandoned by the military as they claim.

He said Cameroon President Paul Biya considers the pleas for more troop deployments legitimate, and should be ready to collaborate with troops that are already on their way to reinforce the military’s presence along the border.

Bakari added that Biya ordered financial and material assistance to village militias that collaborate with troops in fighting the terrorist group Boko Haram. He did not give details on the assistance or how much money the militias would receive.

Bakari said many young people who defected from Boko Haram after the death of its leader, Abubakar Shekau, last year may be rejoining the group for lack of jobs.

He pleaded with them to be patient and said the government intends to provide subsidies to militants who surrender so they could do farming instead.

Cameroon’s military on Saturday dismissed local media reports claiming troops meant for the Far North were sent instead to fight rebels in the western regions.

The military said troops were on standby to protect civilians wherever and whenever the need arises.

Source: VOA

Amba and Military: two sides of the same coin

9, May 2022

Amba and Military: two sides of the same coin 0

When the Southern Cameroons crisis started in 2016, nobody ever thought Amba fighters who proclaimed that they would protect the population against all odds would be the ones kidnapping and killing their own people.

When the crisis morphed into an armed conflict, many in Southern Cameroons knew the enemy and, indeed, the guilty party regarding the killing of civilians was the alcohol-inflamed, sex-starved and trigger-happy military.

The Cameroon army was desperate to demonstrate that it was winning the war and this pushed its desperate soldiers into firing at innocent and armless civilians even in the centers of the cities, resulting in thousands of senseless deaths.

The military had a point to prove and it resorted to all criminal and unconventional means to achieve its despicable goal.

Houses were burnt and, in many cases, whole villages were burn down.  Sometimes, the elderly who could not seek refuge in the bushes were roasted in their own homes.

The atrocities committed by the military were indeed despicable. Many people will forever remember Kwa-Kwa in the Southwest region where an elderly lady was incinerated by the military in her home.

In the Northwest region, the military put its inhumanity on display when children and pregnant women were killed in Ngarbuh, a remote locality far from the Northwest regional capital of Bamenda.

Thanks to International pressure and investigations conducted by international human rights groups, the government yielded, admitting that its forces had operated in Ngarbuh  and that those atrocities were the handiwork of a desperate military that was seeking to give Amba fighters a very bad name.

But over the last three years, Amba fighters who had been considered as saviors have been a millstone around the neck of the Southern Cameroonian population.

These reckless criminals who pass off as Amba fighters have been killing and maiming civilians for money, creating a state of general terror in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Even responsible people who have helped the Amba course like Barrister Paddy Yong who has served as a lead lawyer for Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and his entourage have been kidnapped and taken to the jungle.

The so-called fighters have now become a terror on their own people. Once you get kidnapped, they ask for huge sums of money as if millions are easy to come by in any part of the world.

In Barrister Paddy Yong’s case, the ruthless and criminal elements who took him to the jungle asked for CFAF 1.7 million, a sum he could not give. His crime was that he was not supporting the struggle but there is no rule which states that every Southern Cameroonian must openly display his support for the course and there is no database wherein it could be verified if someone had actually supported the course.

Thanks to pressure from the Diaspora, especially Southern Cameroonians living in America, Barrister Yong was released but not before he received days of inhuman torture in the hands of the Amba criminals. Today, he is suffering from all types of illnesses and nightmares.

These days, many people living out of Southern Cameroons do not venture into the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon because of the violence Amba fighters are wreaking on their own people.

Southern Cameroonians living in the Diaspora do not even think of going home now because they know they have two major enemies – the military and Amba fighters – who are equally dangerous.

Even those who lose their loved ones dare not go home. The military may accuse them of funding the struggle while reckless Amba fighters will kidnap them for a ransom.

The Diaspora has been caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The irresponsible fighters have been created by the very Diaspora which feels threatened today and the military is still mad at the Diaspora for enabling the fighters to put up a good fight for five years.

The Diaspora cannot even go home to give its dead a decent burial. Amba fighters are a big issue. What used to be as luscious as locust is today as bitter as coloquintida.

Amba fighters are now criminals who must be tried in the same courts as the military. All their financiers must be identified and taken to court for legal action.

While it is unquestionable that Southern Cameroonians have suffered a lot of discrimination in a highly centralized and dictatorial Republic of Cameroon, there is just no justification for Amba fighters to make the fate of Southern Cameroonians worse by kidnapping them and spreading fear and death in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai and Asu Isong

Prince Charles to stand in for Queen at UK parliament opening

9, May 2022

Prince Charles to stand in for Queen at UK parliament opening 0

Prince Charles will replace his 96-year-old mother Queen Elizabeth II at Tuesday’s ceremonial opening of the UK parliament, Buckingham Palace said Monday, citing the monarch’s ongoing mobility issues.

“The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems, and in consultation with her doctors has reluctantly decided that she will not attend the State Opening of Parliament,” the palace said in a statement on the eve of the pomp-filled event.

“At Her Majesty’s request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities, The Prince of Wales will read the Queen’s Speech on Her Majesty’s behalf,” it added, referring to her eldest son and heir to the throne, Charles.

The palace added that the Queen’s eldest grandson, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and next in the line of succession, would also attend the elaborate State Opening of Parliament ceremony.

As head of state, the Queen usually presides over the annual event, reading out her government’s legislative programme in an address from a gilded throne in the House of Lords.

But Buckingham Palace had not confirmed her attendance in the run-up to this year’s spectacle, which culminates in the so-called Queen’s Speech at around 11:30 am (1030 GMT) on Tuesday.

The monarch has rarely been seen in public since spending an unscheduled night in hospital in October last year, and has complained of difficulties standing and working, as well as a bout of Covid.

She has missed only two state openings during her record-breaking 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and then Prince Edward.

She has cut back on numerous public appearances in recent months, and last week the palace announced she will not attend this summer’s royal garden parties, usually a regular feature in her yearly diary.

The monarch recently returned to Windsor Castle after a week-long break on her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, where she marked her 96th birthday in private on April 21.

Royal tradition since the 18th century has also seen the monarch have a second, official birthday, typically celebrated in warmer weather in June.

This year’s official birthday coincides with her Platinum Jubilee, and four days of public events from June 2 to 5 to mark her record-breaking 70th year on the throne.

Source: AFP

Yerima calls for urgent international intervention after Francophone troops fatally shoot two in Bamenda

9, May 2022

Yerima calls for urgent international intervention after Francophone troops fatally shoot two in Bamenda 0

Vice President Dabney Yerima has called for the international community’s immediate intervention in the crisis in Southern Cameroons after Francophone army soldiers fatally shot two young Ambazonians in Bamenda, further pushing tensions towards a large-scale eruption.

“The crimes committed by Francophone troops deployed to our homeland by the French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé against our people require immediate intervention by the UN and the European Union” Yerima said late on Sunday.

The Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government stressed that the tyranny of French Cameroun political elites will not impact the Southern Cameroons people’s resolve whatsoever.

“The people of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia are insistent on protecting their homeland no matter what great sacrifices they would be obliged to make,” Dabney Yerima furthered.

The exiled Southern Cameroons leader went on to say that the French Cameroun regime under President Paul Biya practice the policy of intentional and arbitrary killings of Southern Cameroons youths.

Yerima held Biya fully responsible for the ongoing killings in Southern Cameroons, the latest of which was the fatal shooting of two Southern Cameroonians in Bamenda.

The Francophone dominated army claimed earlier that the two were armed Amba fighters.

By Rita Akana

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Operation No 20th May kicks off in Bamenda

9, May 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Operation No 20th May kicks off in Bamenda 0

Troops loyal to the Biya Francophone regime say they have intercepted a sea of Ambazonia attacks in Bamenda the chief city in the North West region.

Elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion conducted a joint operation against Mankon Warriors at Mile 7 beside GBHS and on the Bali Motorway after Amba fighters raided a snack bar known as China Town located towards Santa Market and fired shots in the air aimed at sabotaging May 20 Independence Day Celebration.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that Ambazonia Self Defense Groups are planning to detonate explosives in the largest city in the Northern Zone during the so-called national day celebration.

Sporadic gun battle was reported at Nitop 1 behind the regional hospital. Three Ambazonia fighters were killed and two AK47 recovered from Amba possession.

Gendarmes and government paramilitary forces are waging a campaign against Ambazonia fighters and criminal gangs in Southern Cameroons.

By Fon Lawrence

War in Ukraine: Putin says Russian troops ‘fighting for the Motherland’

9, May 2022

War in Ukraine: Putin says Russian troops ‘fighting for the Motherland’ 0

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, saying it was necessary as the West was preparing to invade Russia.

Putin made the remarks at the annual Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Monday, marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Russian president said the West was “preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea,” and the military operation was a preemptive move to ward off aggression.

“NATO is actively pursuing our territory. That is absolutely unacceptable to us. We are talking about neo-Nazis in Ukraine that the US and its partners are working with,” he asserted.

Putin further said the decision for this “special military operation” was forced on Moscow, calling it the “only correct decision” as Ukraine was receiving the most modern weaponry from the NATO military bloc.

“We heard how Kiev was talking about requiring nuclear weapons,” he said. “We had to do this and it was the only right thing to do,” Putin said of what he has repeatedly dubbed “special military operation”.

He asserted that Russia was fighting for “its people in Donbas”, saying Moscow “urged Europe to find a fair compromise, but they didn’t want to hear us.”

“You are fighting for your motherland, for its future, so no one will forget the lessons of the Second World War,” Putin told his troops at the impressive parade, before observing a minute of silence.

“The death of every soldier and the officer is painful for us,” the Russian president stated. “The state will do everything to take care of these families.”

Around 11,000 soldiers participated in the parade on Moscow’s Red Square. Military parades also took place in Vladivostok and Novosibirsk.

“Glory to our armed forces, hooray to Russia,” troops yelled as they cheered Putin during the parade, as the country’s national anthem played in the background and cannons were fired in celebration.

Since 2008, Victory Day events in Russia have been used to honor the sacrifices of a previous generation, and to portray an image of post-Communist Russia restored to its former glory.

In 2008, under Putin, mechanized units took part in the Victory Day parade for the first time since 1991, and the ceremony also saw a fly-past of fighting planes for the first time in any parade on Red Square since 1957, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

The parade was broadcast live to a worldwide audience, through Russia’s RT channel.

Asked on Friday whether the parade would be overshadowed by the conflict, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it a “sacred day” for all Russians.

“Victory Day for all Russian citizens, for all Russians, for almost all residents of the former territory of the Soviet Union, is a sacred day … filled with a sense of pain for the sacrifices that we have suffered, and a sense of pride for our country and for our victory. And nothing will overshadow it,” he said.

“From the point of view of national pride, the significance of this holiday cannot be overestimated.”

The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people in World War II, more than any other country.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in late February, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and Moscow’s recognition of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Putin said one of the goals of the military operation was to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.

Source: Presstv

US Senate Confirms Cameroonian Virologist, John Nkengasong, as Global AIDS Coordinator

8, May 2022

US Senate Confirms Cameroonian Virologist, John Nkengasong, as Global AIDS Coordinator 0

Cameroonian virologist and director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC), Dr. John Nkengasong, has been confirmed by the US Senate as the country’s Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally.

The US Department of State confirmed the development in a statement yesterday.

The statement says Nkengasong will “lead, manage, and oversee the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US government’s multilateral engagements with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) through the US State Department’s Office of the US Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy.” 

“In this role, Ambassador Nkengasong will continue to work across the US government, together with partner governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, and other partners to accelerate progress on the global HIV/AIDS response, sustain epidemic impact, and contribute to broader global health diplomacy and security for the future,” the statement adds.

Commenting on his appointment, Nkengasong tweeted, “So humbled to have been confirmed by US Senate to lead PEPFAR – a hugely impactful program in saving million of lives with strong bipartisan support in 20 years! Thank you @POTUS and Secretary @ABlinken for the opportunity to serve. HIV/AIDS remains a serious threat globally!”

Source: Newsmakerslive

FIFA rejects Algeria’s appeal for play-off replay against Indomitable Lions

8, May 2022

FIFA rejects Algeria’s appeal for play-off replay against Indomitable Lions 0

FIFA has rejected Algeria’s desperate bid to have their World Cup play-off with Cameroon replayed, saying on Saturday “they consider the dossier closed”.

Algeria won the first leg of the play-off 1-0 in March but lost the return leg 2-1 at home after extra time to miss out on one of the five berths at the finals for African nations.

“FIFA can confirm that the Algerian Football Federation submitted a complaint to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee in relation to the FIFA World Cup qualifier Algeria vs Cameroon played on 29 March 2022, and subsequently FAF also requested to have FIFA’s Referee Committee feedback,” a FIFA spokesperson told AFP on Saturday.

The committee itself said in a report that “all the incidents that occurred during the match were carefully examined by the two video referees, in accordance with the Laws of the Game and the protocol of video assistance to the referee”.

After 90 minutes in Blida, Cameroon led 1-0. In the 28th minute of extra time, Ahmed Touba scored a goal that would have put Algeria through, but Karl Toko Ekambi replied in the fourth minute of added time at the end of extra time.

The Algerian federation said the refereeing of the second leg by Gambian Bakary Gassama was “scandalous”.

Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi repeatedly blasted the refereeing in the match and in Africa in general.

Algerian fans have demonstrated outside FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich.

Source: AFP

Biya criminal gang, European Investment Bank sign agreement on funding railway line

8, May 2022

Biya criminal gang, European Investment Bank sign agreement on funding railway line 0

Cameroon and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on Thursday signed an agreement on funding the railway line between Belabo and Ngaoundere in the eastern part of the Central African nation.

Vice President of the EIB Thomas Ostros began a working visit in Cameroon Thursday, hoping to explore further avenues of economic cooperation between the EU and the Central African nation. During his stay, Ostros met with the country’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and other senior government officials in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, and discussed the prospects for increasing investment.

It is believed that the signing of the agreement during his visit will involve an investment of 80 billion XAF (about 129 million U.S. dollars).

“We see this as a ground-breaking project. It is about connecting people but also for business and job opportunities. It fits also with our ambition to invest in sustainable transport. Actually, the biggest investment that we have made in sustainable transport in Sub-Saharan Africa ever,” Ostros, who signed on behalf of the EIB, told reporters in Yaounde.

Alamine Ousmane Mey, the minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, who signed on behalf of the Cameroonian government, expressed confidence that European investors would increasingly look at the favorable opportunities available in the country in the context of the positive steps taken by the government to create an investor friendly climate.

“This cooperation has led to a portfolio of projects amounting to roughly 880 million euros. This has made it possible to cover priority areas such as infrastructure, energy, industrial development and agriculture. This certainly is going to help Cameroon accelerate its development process,” Mey said.

Source: Xinhuanet

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