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14, June 2021

Dion Ngute shedding ‘crocodile tears’ on Ambazonia reconstruction ⁰

A senior aide to the Southern Cameroons Vice President says Chief Dr Dion Ngute as a prominent Ambazonian is shedding “crocodile tears” over the so-called Cameroon government plans to rebuild Southern Cameroons while he continues to chair cabinet meetings that are fostering murderous crimes on the people of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia.

Dr Patrick Ayuk made the remarks on Saturday, two day after Cameroon Concord News released names of Cameroon government officials targeted by the US visa restriction program.

“Ngute is talking about reconstruction but his French Cameroun army is still carrying out unlawful & murderous crimes in Southern Cameroons. No need for Ngute’s crocodile tears when his French Cameroun military is busy killing innocent women and children in Southern Cameroons” Dr Patrick Ayuk told Camcordnews.

The Dabney Yerima senior adviser also called on the President Biden administration to place additional sanctions on the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaounde.

Ambazonia is the indigenous name of the former United Nations trust territory of the Southern Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration for close to half a century, excluding the period of British connection with the territory from 1843 to 1887. When Republique du Cameroun took control of the territory, it split it into two parts and designated them as “northwest and southwest provinces/regions of Republique du Cameroun.” This was rejected and continues to be rejected by the people of the former British Southern Cameroons. The people of the territory insist on the indigenous name of their Homeland which is Ambazonia. This is consistent with a 1978 recommendation of UNESCO that African countries should call their countries by the name they wish to be known.

By Isong Asu in London

14, June 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: More Aghem families in Menchum hit by Atanga Nji Boys atrocities ⁰

The latest Atanga Nji Boys onslaught on the main road linking Bamenda to Wum, the chief town in Menchum is creating a tragic humanitarian aspect as the fighting in Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia continue to unfold further day by day.

Most people in Wum predominantly from the Aghem extraction are in need of medicine. Pattern medicine shops in Wum are all empty and several people are dying. The heavy deployment of Francophone troops around the main market and in Naikom Overside is making matters worse.

Several innocent Southern Cameroonians including women and children have been killed in Cameroon government military attacks in Wum, Esu and Weh ever since the conflict began four years ago. Cameroon government army soldiers have also brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Menchum County.

Ambazonia Restoration Forces defending the Menchum constituency say the French Cameroun aggression has not undermined their will to stand against the occupation crime syndicate in Yaoundé. They say, despite their suffering, they will remain steadfast and fight for until Southern Cameroons is free.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files

13, June 2021

Israel parliament votes in Naftali Bennett as PM, ending Netanyahu’s long rule ⁰

A motley alliance of Israeli parties on Sunday ousted Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, and formed a new government in a seismic shift in the country’s turbulent politics.

Naftali Bennett, a right-wing Jewish nationalist and former tech millionaire, was to take over at the helm of the eight-party bloc, united only by their shared disdain for the hawkish right-wing leader known as Bibi.

Netanyahu, 71, in typically combative style, vowed shortly before his defeat that “if it’s our destiny to be in the opposition, we’ll do so with our heads high until we take down this bad government and return to lead the country our way”.

Beloved as “King Bibi” by his right-wing supporters and condemned as the “crime minister” by his critics, Netanyahu has long been the dominant, and increasingly divisive, figure in Israeli politics.

But on Sunday, a vote in the Knesset legislature following weeks of intense political drama ended his government with a razor-thin majority of 60 to 59 in the 120-seat chamber.

In Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, Netanyahu’s opponents broke out in cheers and launched into an evening of joyous celebrations, having rallied in recent days with “Bye bye Bibi” placards.

One of the demonstrators, Tal Surkis, 19, confessed to “mixed feelings” about the incoming change coalition, but said “it’s something Israel needs”.

Bennett, 49, in a Knesset speech before the vote, promised the new government, a coalition of ideologically divergent parties, “represents all of Israel”.

He said the country, after four inconclusive elections in under two years, had been thrown “into a maelstrom of hatred and in-fighting”.

“The time has come for different leaders, from all parts of the population, to stop, to stop this madness”, he said, to angry shouts of “liar” and “criminal” from right-wing opponents.

Fragile coalition

Netanyahu, who is battling corruption charges in an ongoing trial he dismisses as a conspiracy, has been the dominant Israeli politician of his generation, having also served a previous three-year term in the 1990s.

His supporters have hailed him as a strong defender of Israel who has been tough on arch foe Iran, but also struck a series of historic normalisation deals with several Arab nations last year.

Being ousted from the top job will leave Netanyahu more exposed to his legal woes, because it denies him the chance to push through parliament changes to basic laws that could give him immunity.

Bennett, a former defence minister under Netanyahu, vowed to keep Israel safe from Iran, promising that “Israel won’t let Iran have nuclear weapons” — a goal the Islamic republic denies pursuing.

Netanyahu, true to his reputation as Israel’s “Mr Security”, charged that “Iran is celebrating” the launch of what he charged would be a “dangerous” and weak left-wing government.

The diverse anti-Netanyahu bloc was cobbled together by the secular centrist Yair Lapid, a former TV presenter.

It spans the political spectrum, including three right-wing, two centrist and two left-wing parties, along with an Arab Islamic conservative party.

Lapid, 57, is to serve as foreign minister for the next two years before taking over from Bennett.

‘Scorched earth’

The improbable alliance emerged weeks after an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, and following inter-communal violence in Israeli cities with significant Arab populations.

Netanyahu, who long ago earned a reputation as Israel’s ultimate political survivor, in his final days in office tried to peel off defectors, hoping to deprive the nascent coalition of its wafer-thin legislative majority, to no avail.

He accused Bennett of “fraud” for siding with rivals, and angry rallies by the premier’s Likud party supporters resulted in security being bolstered for some lawmakers.

Netanyahu’s opponents accused him and his allies of stoking tensions in a “scorched-earth” campaign.

Netanyahu’s bombastic remarks as he saw his grip on power slip drew parallels at home and abroad to former US president Donald Trump, who described his election loss last year as the result of a rigged vote.

Sunday’s vote came at a time of heightened tensions in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which has grown more bitter in the Netanyahu years, in part due to the expansion of settlements considered illegal under international law in the occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, right-wing anger has grown in Israel over last week’s postponement of a controversial Jewish nationalist march through flashpoint areas of east Jerusalem.

The “March of the Flags” is now slated for Tuesday, and the agitation surrounding it could represent a key initial test for a new coalition government.

Gaza’s rulers Hamas said that the political developments in Jerusalem wouldn’t change its relationship with Israel.

“The form the Israeli government takes doesn’t change the nature of our relationship,” said the group’s spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.

“It’s still a colonising and occupying power that we must resist.”

(AFP)

13, June 2021

Football: Inter Milan doctor says Eriksen showed ‘no hint of health problem’ ⁰

Denmark international Christian Eriksen showed no hint of any underlying health condition, Inter Milan’s team doctor said Sunday, after the midfielder’s collapse in Copenhagen.

Midfielder Eriksen, 29, remained in hospital but is in a “stable” condition as he undergoes further tests after his dramatic collapse during a Euro 2020 game against Finland on Saturday.

“We had a bad time, not just me, but the whole family of our club,” Piero Volpi told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“In the next few days he will be subjected to in-depth examinations.

“The important thing is that he is well, but there had never been any episode that even remotely hinted at a problem when he was at Tottenham nor at Inter. In Italy there are very strict controls.”

The Inter Milan star suddenly fell to the turf in the 43rd minute of Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 game, laying motionless as medical personnel administered CPR.

He laid on the field for about 15 minutes before being carried off the pitch and rushed to hospital.

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta said that Eriksen had sent a message on the team chat reassuring them: “I’m fine, I hope to be back soon.”

“Those harsh images foreshadowed dramatic things, but luckily it wasn’t so thanks to the doctors,” said Marotta.

“Thanks to everyone, opponents and friends, because they stayed close to us. He never had Covid and he has never been vaccinated, we don’t want to be intrusive because it’s right for the player to be calm.

“He is a champion, we want to hold onto him for a long time and hope he can resolve these health problems.”

Source: AFP

13, June 2021

Thousands in Spain protest plans to pardon Catalan separatist leaders ⁰

Thousands of people in Madrid are protesting the Spanish government’s plan to issue pardons to a dozen separatist leaders who were convicted for their roles in a failed push for the Catalonia region’s independence, the biggest challenge to the country’s unity in recent history.

The demonstration on Sunday was organized by a civil society group to promote a united Spain and took place at a central square that has become a symbol for far-right political rallies.

Leaders of the center to far-right political opposition to Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez planned to join the protest at Colón Square, which boasts one of Spain’s largest national flags.

Sánchez hasn’t announced pardons for the 12 political and civil society leaders who in October 2017 pushed ahead with a banned referendum on Catalonia breaking away from Spain and then declared the northeastern region’s independence based on the vote.

But the prime minister has defended taking such a move as a way to bring Catalans and Spaniards closer together after the divisive prosecutions that put most of the Catalan leaders behind bars.

Sánchez is also facing criticism in his own Socialist camp, where the potential pardons are seen as a risky political gamble. While more than 60% of Spaniards oppose the pardons and only 29.5% back them, according to a recent poll for El Mundo newspaper, surveys conducted in Catalonia show support of 60% to 70%.

Detractors say the separatists have not shown any remorse for their defiance of the Spanish Constitution and that Sánchez is making concessions to them in exchange for support from Catalan lawmakers in the national parliament.

Tensions over secession grew in earnest a decade ago amid the economic hardship of the Great Recession and discontent over Spain’s opposition to more autonomy for the Catalan-speaking region of 7.5 million people.

The issue has also dominated the political debate at the national level and contributed to the rise of the nationalist Vox party, which has become the third-largest political force in the Spanish Congress.

Source: AP

13, June 2021

Brazil favourites to win Copa America, as Covid-19 strikes rival teams ⁰

Brazil’s international players were reluctant to play in the Copa America on home soil. Now that they’re committed, they’re favourites to win it.

Argentina still looms as a threat to Brazil’s title defence, but now as a visiting team.

Argentina and Colombia were dropped as tournament co-hosts before Brazil contentiously stepped in late to stage the continental championship.

Being away from home takes some pressure off Lionel Messi and his Argentina team.

The Copa America will kick off Sunday with defending champion Brazil against Venezuela at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia. The final will be on July 10 at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, one of the Covid-19 epicentres in Brazil, where more than 480,000 have died from the coronavirus.

Eleven players have already tested positive for Covid-19 upon arriving in Brazil. Eight are Venezuelans and three Bolivians, football bodies of the two countries said on Saturday.

Bolivia’s first match in the tournament will be on Monday against Paraguay.

South American football body CONMEBOL stressed in a statement that “the matches will be played as scheduled”.

Brazil health minister Marcelo Queiroga said Venezuela players who have the virus will return only after they test negative. He said there’s no reason for the Brazil match not to take place on Sunday.

No spectators will be allowed to attend any Copa America matches because of restrictions in place for the pandemic, which has already delayed the tournament by a year.

No boycott

Brazil players ended speculation about a potential boycott by issuing a unified statement on Wednesday saying they are “unsatisfied” with the decision to move the tournament to their country, but it wouldn’t stop them representing their national team.

And if South American World Cup qualifiers are anything to go by, the Copa America title is Brazil’s to lose. Brazil has won all six of its games and is six points clear of second place Argentina. With the likes of Neymar on board, coach Tite expects not only to defend the title lifted in 2019, but also use the next 30 days to prepare for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Many tests are expected. Alisson is no longer the team’s unchallenged goalkeeper, with Ederson getting more chances to start.

Captain Casemiro is yet to find out whether he will play as defensive midfielder next to Douglas Luiz, Fred or Lucas Paqueta. And four options appear up front to work with Neymar: Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino, Richarlison and Gabriel Barbosa.

Argentina placed third in the 2019 Copa America, but the team has improved under coach Lionel Scaloni.

Defender Cristian Romero, and midfielders Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso are now trusted to break the opponents’ lines. Up front, Lautaro Martínez and Sergio Agüero bring the same respect.

And that means Messi, who turns 34 later this month, doesn’t need to be part of every play for Argentina to win.

“Argentina always dominates, sometimes in a very vertical way,” Scaloni said. “If you look at all our matches in qualifiers, we deserved to win. But at soccer, deserving doesn’t count.”

Argentina hasn’t won a major title since the 1993 Copa America.

An improved Colombia

Colombia has improved since the return of coach Reinaldo Rueda. It trashed Peru 3-0 in Lima and got a late equaliser to force a 2-2 draw after being two goals down against Argentina. Copa America could further enhance the team, which will not have midfielder James Rodríguez because of fitness problems.

Uruguay has struggled despite counting on Luis Suárez and Edison Cavani, who will return to the team after a two-match suspension in World Cup qualifiers. Uruguay hasn’t won any of its three latest matches on the road to Qatar.

“We have to be aware there’s things to improve as always and get ready for something that gives us a lot of aspiration,” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabárez said after Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Venezuela.

Peru, the 2019 Copa America runner-up, is struggling in World Cup qualifying but hoping a 2-1 win at Ecuador earlier this week might spark a change in momentum. Coach Ricardo Garca decided not to bring in striker Paolo Guerrero, who is returning from injury. He will be relying instead on Santiago Ormeño, who plays at Mexico’s León.

Chile coach Martín Lasarte has decided to use an inexperienced squad in Copa America, making it more of a priority to qualify for the next World Cup.

“We will use it as a tool to strengthen younger players,” he said. Chile is currently in sixth place in qualifying.

The tournament will be divided into two groups of five. Group A includes Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay. Brazil is in Group B with Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. The four best of each group advance to the knockout stage.

Quarterfinals will take place on July 2 at the Nilton Santos and Goiania’s Olimpico stadium, and July 3 at Olimpico stadium and Brasilia’s Mané Garrincha.

The semifinals will be at the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio on July 5 and in Brasilia the next day.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

13, June 2021

Three Ivory Coast military killed after their vehicle ran over explosive device ⁰

Two soldiers and a police officer were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device in northeast Ivory Coast near the border with Burkina Faso, the military said Sunday.

Army chief of staff General Lassina Doumbia said that at around 7:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Saturday a reconnaissance patrol “was the subject of a complex attack” in the restive region.

“It was an ambush using an improvised explosive device which caused one of the vehicles to blow up,” he said in a statement.

“The detachment’s response were able to secure the area and provide assistance to the injured,” he said, adding that three people were killed and four injured.

The chief of staff also reassured the population that defence and security forces would “continue to act for their protection” and called on them to cooperate.

A security source had earlier told AFP that three were killed in the ambush, which came a week after another attack by suspected jihadists killed an Ivorian soldier in Tougbo town a few kilometres (miles) from the border.

It also comes just two days after Ivory Coast and France inaugurated a counter-terrorism academy near Abidjan intended to ramp up the Sahel region’s ability to counter a widespread jihadist threat.

Security experts have warned that the area’s bloody jihadist insurgency could spread southwards to countries on the Gulf of Guinea.

It was the fourth attack in the west African region in just over two months.

The latest spate of assaults dates back to March, when dozens of suspected Islamists killed three members of the Ivorian security forces in a twin raid on army positions near the border with Burkina.

“Three terrorists” were killed and four were arrested, the army said.

These attacks have been blamed on jihadists who are active in Burkina Faso, as well as neighbouring Mali and Niger.

French drawdown

The Sahel insurgency sprang up in northern Mali in 2012 before advancing into Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Ivory Coast was first hit in a jihadist attack in March 2016, when 19 people died in a raid on Grand-Bassam, a seaside resort near Abidjan.

In June 2020, 14 soldiers were killed in an attack on Kafolo.

“Northern Ivory Coast along the border with Burkina Faso is coming under the heel of jihadist groups. This region constitutes an important security aspect for the Ivorian state,” Ivorian anti-terrorism expert Lassina Diarra told AFP recently.

On Thursday, Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian attended the formal inauguration of the International Academy for the Fight Against Terrorism just outside Abidjan.

Ivorian Defence Minister Tene Birahima Ouattara said the academy would be “a focal point of regional competence in the anti-terror fight to benefit the stability of our states and the security of our populations.”

Former colonial power France already plays a strategic role in the region with a 5,100-strong military presence at the head of Operation Barkhane.

But French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced a troop drawdown and a new international task force, promising “a profound transformation of our military presence in the Sahel”.

Details of the pullback have yet to be made public, but Macron said several hundred French troops would remain in the region as part of the so-called Takuba international task force.

Source: AFP

12, June 2021

Dabney Yerima: French Cameroun killing of Ambazonians is state terrorism ⁰

Southern Cameroons Vice President Dabney Yerima has denounced as an act of state terrorism the fatal shooting of more than ten children, including three elderly women by Cameroon government forces in the North West region.

The Southern Cameroons Broadcasting Cooperation (SCBC) cited Yerima as saying in a press statement that the killing in the North West region now being denied by the French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé was an act of organized state terror and would have serious consequences for the occupying French Cameroun troops.

The Ambazonia Interim Government (IG) announced late on Friday that pro French Cameroun armed militias known as Atanga Nji Boys have blocked the main road linking Bamenda to Wum preventing the flow of food and medicine. The IG also said the Atanga Nji Boys were harassing the sick and the elderly and putting the blame on Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

Several Southern Cameroons activists have also reported that the Bafut passage that links Bamenda to Menchum Division is now under the control of the Atanga Nji Boys with support from Yaoundé.

Vice President Yerima described the latest deadly violence in the Northern Zone of Southern Cameroons as an attempt by the 88-year-old corrupt French Cameroun leader Paul Biya to elicit reactions that would enable him to transfer power to his ill equip and poorly educated son Franck Biya in his final days of his grip on power in French Cameroun.

The exiled Southern Cameroons leader called for an urgent intervention of the United States and the European Union to stop the killings going on in Southern Cameroons and to condemn the French Cameroun genocidal campaign.

Dabney Yerima also offered his condolences to all suffering Southern Cameroons families and wished a speedy recovery for the wounded Amba fighters.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from Fon Lawrence

12, June 2021

Italy launches Euro 2021 with commanding win over lacklustre Turkey ⁰

Italy kicked off the European Championship in emphatic style on Friday as they delivered a commanding performance to sweep past toothless Turkey 3-0 in the Stadio Olimpico and stamp their early authority on Group A.

After a goalless first half, an own goal and strikes by Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne were just reward for the home side, who played with relentless positivity from the start.

Their dispiriting failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup looked a distant memory as they stretched their unbeaten run to 28 matches in a buoyant atmosphere.

They were helped by a flat display from Turkey, who lost their fifth consecutive opening match of a European Championship finals and barely mustered a worthwhile attack all night.

“It was important to start well here in Rome and it is a joy for us and for all the Italians,” said coach Roberto Mancini.

“We produced a good performance and I think we satisfied everyone, for the fans and all the Italians watching. (But) there are six games to go and there are a lot of good teams.”

Switzerland and Wales, who meet in the group’s second game in Baku on Saturday, always knew Italy were the group favourites but the size of their task has suddenly looked somewhat bigger.

Strong start

After a build-up featuring a spine-tingling rendition of Nessun Dorma by opera singer Andrea Bocelli – channelling thoughts of Italia ’90 – a spectacular fireworks display and a typically raucous rendition of Italy’s national anthem, the 16,000-strong crowd was in fine voice by kick-off. They were given plenty to cheer too as Italy made all the early running against a Turkish team happy to sit deep and invite pressure. However, Mancini’s side were left frustrated in their efforts to break through the wall of red shirts.

Giorgio Chiellini had a header tipped over with a spectacular one-handed save by Ugurcan Cakir and Immobile nodded a cross wide as Italy went in at the break with 14 attempts to none from Turkey – but without a goal.

They kept probing and their patience was rewarded when Berardi fired a cross into the six-yard box where Demiral chested the ball into the net – the first time in a European Championship that the tournament’s opening goal was an own goal.

The ever-dangerous Leonardo Spinazzola had a shot beaten away and Manuel Locatelli’s low effort was palmed wide before Immobile doubled Italy’s lead by pouncing on Cakir’s parry from another Spinazzola effort to neatly knock in the rebound.

The Azzurri’s dominance was rewarded again when Immobile threaded a pass to Insigne, who placed a precise finish into the bottom corner with 11 minutes remaining.

It marked the first time Italy had scored three goals in a match at the Euros at their 39th attempt and capped a perfect start.

Mancini had told his players they should enjoy themselves and seek to entertain and that was exactly what they did for a jubilant home crowd.

There was only gloom in the visiting camp as veteran coach Senol Gunes, who led Turkey to third place at the 2002 World Cup, apologised for the performance.

“I was expecting a better game, and I am disappointed and we are sorry,” he said. “Italy totally controlled the game.”

On June 16, Italy face Switzerland in Rome and Turkey take on Wales in Baku in the second round of Group A games.

Source: REUTERS

12, June 2021

Macron will reset relations with UK if Johnson ‘keeps his word’ on Brexit ⁰

French President Emmanuel Macron offered on Saturday to reset relations with Britain as long as Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands by the Brexit divorce deal he signed with the European Union.

Since Britain completed its exit from the EU late last year, relations with the bloc and particularly France have soured, with Macron becoming the most vocal critic of London’s refusal to honour the terms of part of its Brexit deal.

At a meeting at the Group of Seven rich nations in southwestern England, Macron told Johnson the two countries had common interests, but that ties could improve only if Johnson kept his word on Brexit, a source said.

“The president told Boris Johnson there needed to be a reset of the Franco-British relationship,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

“This can happen provided that he keeps his word with the Europeans,” the source said, adding that Macron spoke in English to Johnson.

‘Shared approach’

The Elysee Palace said that France and Britain shared a common vision and common interests on many global issues and “a shared approach to transatlantic policy”.

Johnson will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Saturday, where she could also raise the dispute over a part of the EU divorce deal that is called the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The British leader, who is hosting the G7 meeting, wants the summit to focus on global issues, but has stood his ground on trade with Northern Ireland, calling on the EU to be more flexible in its approach to easing trade to the province from Britain.

The protocol aims to keep the province, which borders EU member Ireland, in both the United Kingdom’s customs territory and the EU’s single market. But London says the protocol is unsustainable in its current form because of the disruption it has caused to supplies of everyday goods to Northern Ireland.

Source: REUTERS