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13, September 2021

Nigeria: Gunmen kill 12 in raid on military base ⁰

Gunmen have killed 12 Nigerian security forces in a raid on a military base in northwest Zamfara state, before stealing weapons and torching buildings.

The perpetrators of the Saturday attack in Mutumji still remain unidentified. However, telecommunications have been cut in Zamfara to prevent armed groups from communicating and planning further attacks, two security sources told AFP on Monday.

Furthermore, the army is engaged in several military operations against armed criminal gangs in Northwest Nigeria.

Criminal gangs known as bandits are blamed for a series of mass abductions in recent months.

At least 12 people were killed when several hundred members of a criminal gang on motorbikes stormed Duba village in Katsina state last month.

Such attacks have added to security challenges in Nigeria, which is struggling to contain insurgencies in the northern part of the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fire for the worsening security situation in several regions of Nigeria.

Nigerian troops are fighting a 12-year militancy by the Boko Haram terrorist group in the northeast, herder-farmer tensions and banditry in the northwest, and separatist agitations in the southeast.

Source: Presstv

13, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Amba fighters kill 7 Cameroon gov’t army soldiers ⁰

Ambazonia Restoration Forces attacked several Cameroon government military positions late on Sunday September 12, 2021 in the North West.

At least seven Cameroon government army soldiers were killed by the fighters, Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from military sources in Bamenda.

A source in the governor’s office hinted CIR that the attacks were carried out simultaneously on several military posts in the North West region.

We understand a total of three army posts were targeted, notably in the localities of Nkambe, Noni and Ndu. The seven soldiers killed have been identified as Corporal Betsou, Tetang Amade, Alima Ngono, Beldou Dankreo and Koyang Paul.

On Friday, two other soldiers were killed in a similar attack in the locality of Chouame. Yaoundé is maintaining a kind of silence of the lamb as all focus is now on the Africa Cup of Nations.

Since the beginning of the conflict, official figures indicate that some 1,200 soldiers have died in Southern Cameroons. But independent sources put the figure at 3000. The conflict has also cost the lives of more than 35,500 people and forced more than 700,000 others to flee their homes.

By Fon Lawrence in Bamenda

12, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Yaoundé military operations will never shatter will of Amba fighters ⁰

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government says the 88-year-old Biya and the French Cameroun military will never be able to break the will of the Ambazonian people by intensifying aggression and destruction of British Southern Cameroons towns and villages.

Vice President Dabney Yerima said in a statement on Sunday that the regime in La Republique du Cameroun is neither able to shatter the will of Southern Cameroonians nor capable of weakening the Ambazonian resistance fighters across Southern Cameroons towns and villages by committing crimes and acts of aggression.

“The escalation of Biya regime attacks on both the Catholic and Presbyterian Churches is part of Yaounde’s continued aggression against the Southern Cameroons people and a desperate attempt to divert attention from the internal political crises in French Cameroun” Dabney Yerima said in the Sunday statement.

Why the people of Ambazonia are fighting

Self-determination under international law: The people of Ambazonia are fighting to vindicate their unquestionable and inalienable right of self-determination. They will continue to fight until self-determination is achieved. The right of self-determination is a norm of jus cogens. It is fortified by the internationally-secured territorial framework of the territory of Ambazonia, a framework standing firmly on two territorial treaty-based pillars.

Legitimate rejection of colonialism in any form, shape or manifestation: The fight of the people of Ambazonia also represents a strong and unyielding rejection of colonialism in any form, shape or manifestation. The rejection is consistent with international law which gives colonized people struggling for their liberation the right to the assistance of third parties.

Territory secured by boundary treaties: The territory of Ambazonia is safeguarded by international treaties. Ambazonia’s international boundary to the north and to the west down to the Bakassi Peninsula is well defined by, and is now demarcated on the basis of, the Anglo-German treaty of 1913 specifying the boundary between the British territory of Nigeria and the German territory of Kamerun. Ambazonia’s international boundary to the east is defined and demarcated on the basis ofthe Anglo-French treaty of 1916. The boundary alignment wasendorsed in 1919 at the Treaties of Versailles, confirmed by the League of Nations in 1922, and reconfirmed by the Anglo-French treaty of 1931 respecting the boundary between the British Cameroons and French Cameroun. The territorial integrity of Ambazonia is thus firmly secured under international law.

Title to territory and the principle of utipossidetisjuris: Sovereign title to the territory of Ambazonia belongs to the people of Ambazonia, and not to any other people. The people of Ambazonia are entitled to the integrity of their territory. And this means Republique du Cameroun, which achieved its independence from France on 1 January 1960, must respect the integrity of its own territory, respect the AU core principle of intangibility of African borders as obtained on the day of achievement of independence, and abandons its pursuit of the internationally wrongful conduct of territorial expansionism.

Historical parallels

There are illustrative historical parallels to the darkness that has befallen Ambazonia. The parallels are: Morocco’s occupation and attempt to annex the Western Sahara; Imperial Ethiopia’s occupation and attempt to annex Eritrea; Indonesia’s occupation and attempt to annex East Timor; and apartheid South Africa’s occupation, refusal to leave Namibia and attempt to annex it. Predictably, all these cases led to wars of national liberation. And in all of them each latter-day colonial occupier/oppressor lost.

By Isong Asu with additional reporting from Soter Agbaw-Ebai

12, September 2021

Tennis: UK’s Raducanu wins US Open women’s title ⁰

Emma Raducanu fell asleep as a little girl to visions of running through the stands to celebrate a Grand Slam title and lived the moment Saturday after capturing the US Open title.

The British 18-year-old beat 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 to become the first qualifier to win a Slam title, rolling through 20 sets without loss to hoist the trophy.

“It’s an absolute dream. You just have visions of yourself going up to the box, hugging everyone, celebrating,” she said. “For that moment to actually happen, I’m just so grateful.”

Her childhood visions returned as her epic run pushed her to becoming the youngest Grand Slam champion in 17 years and the youngest US Open winner since 17-year-old Serena Williams in 1999.

“Going to celebrate with your team, trying to find your way up to the box, just seeing them after the match, that has been playing in my head a couple nights. I’ve fallen asleep to that,” she said.

“To have the belief I did and actually executing, winning a Grand Slam, I can’t believe it.”

Raducanu has adopted a nothing-to-lose attitude and Slam success ensures it won’t change any time soon.

“I don’t feel absolutely any pressure,” Raducanu said. “I’m still only 18 years old. I’m just having a free swing as anything that comes my way. That’s how I faced every match here in the States.

“It got me this trophy so I don’t think I should change anything.”

Raducanu never dropped more than five games in any set and that happened only once, in qualifying, although she insisted every win had its challenges.

“I faced a lot of adversity in every single one of my matches,” she said. “What I did very well this tournament was press in the moments that I really needed to.”

While she may have faced adversity, she has not faced reality, setting aside her cell phone and the world outside to focus upon the US Open.

“I still haven’t checked my phone. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on outside of the little world that we’re in here,” Raducanu said.

“The biggest triumph for me is how I managed to just not think of absolutely anything else except for my game plan, what I’m going to execute. I just completely zoned in and focused on my craft.

“I think that’s definitely the biggest thing that’s probably helped me to win this title.”

So when it comes to things like how her US Open title will change her life, she hasn’t given it a thought. She can’t even say what’s up next week.

“I haven’t thought of any of that,” Raducanu said. “I have no idea when I’m going home. I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow. I’m just really trying to embrace the moment, take it all in.

“I definitely think it’s the time to just switch off from any future thoughts or any plans, any schedule. I’ve got absolutely no clue. Right now, no care in the world, I’m just loving life.”

Bloody good finish

After failing to convert two match points on Fernandez’s serve, Raducanu scraped her left knee sliding on the court in the final game and opened a bloody cut, forcing play to halt while a trainer bandaged the wound.

“My knee cut pretty bad,” she said. “I didn’t actually want to stop because I thought it would disrupt my rhythm.

“But I couldn’t play on. I wasn’t allowed to because my knee was gushing with blood. The chair umpire said I needed to get it treated right away.”

She returned to face a break point in a pivotal moment, but saved it.

“Facing a breakpoint after a two-, three-minute disruption isn’t easy,” she said. “I managed for sure to really pull off the clutch plays when I needed to.”

That included match point a few moments later when she blasted her third ace.

“I don’t think I made one serve that wide in the whole match,” she said.

“I literally drove my legs up to that ball toss like never before. I landed it. (Then) just disbelief, trying to take everything in, all the moment.”

Source: AFP

12, September 2021

Bundes: Dr Merkel’s candidate seeks to turn tide in election debate ⁰

A televised election debate on Sunday marks one of the last chances for Germany’s struggling chancellor candidate Armin Laschet, from Angela Merkel’s conservative camp, to close the gap with his centre-left rival.

Two weeks before voters head to the polls, gaffe-prone Laschet will face off against Finance Minister Olaf Scholz from the Social Democrats (SPD) and Annalena Baerbock from the left-leaning Greens in the second of three primetime debates.

The first general election of the post-Merkel era has become an unexpected nailbiter in Europe’s top economy.

Angela Merkel's long political career — Angela Merkel’s long political career AFP

Surveys show support for Merkel’s centre-right CDU/CSU bloc plummeting to historic lows of around 20 percent while the SPD has come from behind to lead at around 26 percent.

With the Greens polling at 15 percent, a number of coalition outcomes are possible — but observers say the chances of one-time frontrunner Laschet taking the crown are fading fast.

Bild newspaper said the debate could be make-or-break for Laschet.

“To turn the tide, he needs a clear success,” it wrote.

Viewers were left unconvinced by Laschet’s performance in the first debate last month, when Scholz was declared the winner.

– ‘Historic debacle’ –

Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia state, has been on a downward spiral following a series of missteps, including being caught on camera laughing during a tribute to victims of Germany’s deadly floods in July.

Scholz meanwhile, although often described as wooden and uncharismatic, has run an error-free campaign.

Olaf Scholz, although often described as wooden and uncharismatic, has run an error-free campaign Tobias SCHWARZ AFP/File

As vice-chancellor and guardian of the nation’s finances, the 63-year-old has positioned himself as the continuity candidate and the natural heir to Merkel’s legacy — despite hailing from a rival party.

The CDU/CSU alliance that has dominated Germany’s post-war politics now faces a “historic debacle” on September 26, Der Spiegel weekly news magazine wrote.

In a sign of growing nervousness, conservatives have gone on the attack against Scholz, accusing him of riding on Merkel’s coat-tails and of trying to steer Germany to the left.

Even Merkel, who is bowing out after 16 years in power and had vowed to stay out of the election battle, has joined the fray.

She visited a flood-hit region with Laschet and used a speech in parliament this week to cast him as the best choice to succeed her, saying he stood for “stability” and “centrism”.

– Comeback king? –

The still immensely popular chancellor also distanced herself from Scholz, criticising him for not unequivocally ruling out a coalition with the radical-left Linke party, which wants to disband NATO.

The Linke is currently polling at six percent and could theoretically be part of a three-way coalition with the SPD and the Greens.

Addressing a congress of the CSU on Saturday, Laschet said such a coalition would lead to “less security” and endanger Germany’s economic growth through higher taxes and more bureaucracy.

Laschet, 60, also courted controversy by saying that the Social Democrats were “on the wrong side” at key moments in Germany’s post-war history.

The remark drew an immediate rebuke from the SPD, which said it revealed Laschet’s “panic” at his slump in the polls.

SPD general-secretary Lars Klingbeil said the CDU/CSU alliance had “lost its dignity under Laschet”, adding: “It belongs in the opposition.”

Laschet has played down the importance of Sunday’s debate, saying the battle for the chancellery would be fought until polling day.

But Laschet’s fate could be sealed sooner, with record numbers expected to vote by post because of the pandemic.

Although Laschet has a track record of snatching unexpected last-minute victories, Spiegel said a typical Laschet comeback “is looking unlikely”.

Source: AFP

12, September 2021

La Republique: Western Region Faces Snow ⁰

It has snowed in the western part of Cameroon, according to media reports.

According to the CRTV broadcaster, the hail and snow were registered in the settlements of Bana and Bakou.

The snow damaged several roofs and plantations, as well as disrupted the traffic.

According to the mayor of Bana, the snow, which is a highly rare phenomenon for this part of Africa, is a sign of climate change.

Source: UrduPoint News

12, September 2021

French Cameroun: Atanga Nji condemns rising attacks on police officers ⁰

Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji has condemned a wave of violent attacks on police officers by civilians in the central African nation.

“Insulting or assaulting a police officer on duty or refusing to obey instructions is unacceptable,” Nji told a press conference in the capital, Yaounde on Friday.

His remarks came after videos of civilians brawling with police officers because of misunderstanding at police check points and other places in various parts of the country went viral.

The minister said the police are the backbone of the force safeguarding public security and rule of law.

“Irresponsible” citizens who disrespect or attack security officers shall be sanctioned as provided for by the law, Nji said, adding that the punishment ranges from one year imprisonment to death sentence depending on the offence.

Source: Xinhuanet

12, September 2021

French Cameroun: Opposition detainees face ‘arbitrary’ justice ⁰

A group of lawyers in Cameroon said on Thursday they won’t mount a defence for around 100 detained opposition members, charging that they would face “arbitrary” justice.

The supporters of main opposition figure Maurice Kamto – Head of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) and runner-up to in a 2018 presidential election – have been held for nearly a year.

They were taking part, along with members of other opposition parties, in demonstrations calling for the resignation of long-ruling President Paul Biya.

Biya, 88, has ruled the central African country with an iron fist for nearly 40 years.

More than 500 members of Kamto’s party were arrested in a crackdown on September 22 last year.

Many were released, but 124 remain in detention, according to the MRC.

On Thursday, a group of around 50 lawyers who were defending them said they were abandoning the effort.

“The collective said it cannot associate itself with arbitrariness and illegality, taking the heavy and delicate decision of withdrawing from the (legal) procedures that are under way,” they said in a statement.

They said they could not count on “fair justice from an impartial and independent court”.

Source: AFP

10, September 2021

Football: King Pele in ICU, feeling ‘a little better’ ⁰

Brazilian football legend Pele remains in intensive care but is making a satisfactory recovery after undergoing surgery for a suspected colon tumor, his doctors said Friday.

Pele’s medical team at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement that he was “actively conversing and displaying vital signs within normal range.”

Pele, 80, took to Instagram to reassure his fans.

“My friends, with each passing day I feel a little better. I’m looking forward to playing again, but I’m still going to recover for a few more days,” he said.

“While I’m here, I take the opportunity to talk a lot with my family and to rest. Thanks again for all the loving messages. We’ll be together again soon!”

The suspected tumor was detected during routine tests, according to the hospital, where Pele has been undergoing treatment since August 31.

Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele’s real name, has been in poor health in recent years, and has had various stints in the hospital.

The only player in history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970), Pele burst onto the global stage at just 17 with dazzling goals, including two in the final against hosts Sweden, as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in 1958.

“O Rei” (The King) went on to have one of the most storied careers in sport, scoring more than 1,000 goals before retiring in 1977.

Source: AFP

10, September 2021

Morocco: King names businessman Aziz Akhannouch to lead new government ⁰

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Friday appointed Aziz Akhannouch of the liberal RNI party as prime minister and asked him to form a government, state news agency MAP reported.

The king appointed Akhannouch “head of the government and tasked him with forming a new government”, following Wednesday’s polls, a statement from the palace said.

RNI emerged as the biggest party in Wednesday’s parliamentary election, taking 102 of the 395 seats while the former largest party, the moderate Islamist PJD, collapsed to take only 13 seats.

Akhannouch, a former agriculture minister, is one of Morocco’s richest men with a fortune estimated at about $2 billion. He has led the liberal RNI party since 2016.

Under reforms introduced in 2011, the king picks the prime minister from the largest party in parliament but retains veto power over cabinet members. In recent years he has taken back more powers within the palace walls, analysts say.

RNI is seen as close to the royal establishment and Akhannouch said in a speech after the election results were declared that he would “implement his majesty’s vision.”

Akhannouch, whose holding company operates in the fuel and gas distribution business, and was targeted by a consumer boycott campaign in 2018 over prices, has pushed RNI as a champion of social and economic reforms.

It must now build a governing coalition that can command a parliamentary majority of at least 198 seats.

The next-largest party after Wednesday’s vote was PAM, which is also liberal and pro-establishment, with 86 seats.

The PJD, whose leader Saad Dine El Otmani had been prime minister since 2017, has complained of violations in the election including what it said was vote buying by rivals.

However, after securing only 13 seats compared to 125 in 2016 it has said it will go into opposition and not seek to join the next governing coalition. Otmani and some other senior members have resigned their party posts.

Source: AFP and REUTERS