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30, April 2020

More than 679,000 people have been displaced in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Armed groups are fighting for a separate state in English-speaking parts of Cameroon and government forces are hitting back with brute force.

Caught in the crossfire, civilians are trying to stay alive in a deadly conflict the world knows little about.

In 2016, as lawyers, students and teachers in the English-speaking parts of Cameroon began protesting what they saw as their cultural marginalisation and under-representation in the central government, security forces hit back.

Several armed separatist groups emerged and self-declared their independence from Cameroon on October 1, 2017, calling their new country “Ambazonia”. Members of armed groups are known to locals as “the boys”.

Since then, atrocities have been committed by both sides and the escalating conflict has forced more than 730,000 people to flee. Many have been killed, tortured, raped, assaulted and kidnapped. Those who manage to survive watched helplessly as their villages burned to the ground and their children were left with no access to school.

Because of fears of repercussions if caught speaking out, the voices of those affected are rarely heard. In addition, there is limited access available for independent journalists to report on the crisis.

The lack of international attention, support and diplomacy have left Cameroon a neglected crisis with no end in sight for more than one million people in need.

'I want to ask them: 'You guys, you are fighting for separation, but instead you demand money from your brothers? How will we all live together in a new country when you do this?'.' said Kelly. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — ‘I want to ask them: ‘You guys, you are fighting for separation, but instead you demand money from your brothers? How will we all live together in a new country when you do this?’.’ said Kelly. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

Heavily pregnant Alliance went into labour and gave birth to twins during the violence. 'I asked God: How could you give me twins in these times of conflict?' I did not know I could live like this, even for a week,' the 36-year-old said. She was not able to breastfeed at night with the lights on as that would be dangerous as warring parties were fighting outside. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — Heavily pregnant Alliance went into labour and gave birth to twins during the violence. ‘I asked God: How could you give me twins in these times of conflict?’ I did not know I could live like this, even for a week,’ the 36-year-old said. She was not able to breastfeed at night with the lights on as that would be dangerous as warring parties were fighting outside. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

'When we fled I managed to bring with me some mesh and hair extensions. I thought it would be useful so I could work in Bamenda as well. But when we arrived here we had nothing to protect us from the cold concrete floors, so I had to use them for my twins to sleep on. They were damaged by baby pee,' Alliance said. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — ‘When we fled I managed to bring with me some mesh and hair extensions. I thought it would be useful so I could work in Bamenda as well. But when we arrived here we had nothing to protect us from the cold concrete floors, so I had to use them for my twins to sleep on. They were damaged by baby pee,’ Alliance said. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

The scars of war are deep in Alliance's young children. 'When my children hear gunshots, they start to cry and run inside the house and they wet themselves. I lift them up and I carry them, I tell them it will be over soon,' she said. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — The scars of war are deep in Alliance’s young children. ‘When my children hear gunshots, they start to cry and run inside the house and they wet themselves. I lift them up and I carry them, I tell them it will be over soon,’ she said. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

It was May 2018 when 71-year-old Celine escaped her village with her bedridden son, her frail mother, daughter and her three grandchildren. 'On the day we fled, there were heavy clashes and people ran into the bush to hide from the shooting. I could not run with them. My son is bedridden. My mother is nearly 100 years old. I had to stay behind. The army entered our house and asked me: 'Why are you still here?'. I showed them my son and my mother.' [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — It was May 2018 when 71-year-old Celine escaped her village with her bedridden son, her frail mother, daughter and her three grandchildren. ‘On the day we fled, there were heavy clashes and people ran into the bush to hide from the shooting. I could not run with them. My son is bedridden. My mother is nearly 100 years old. I had to stay behind. The army entered our house and asked me: ‘Why are you still here?’. I showed them my son and my mother.’ **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

Two years ago, life changed forever for 28-year-old Alpha when the conflict reached her village of Belo and took the life of her husband. 'One day the shooting got really close and our neighbours told us to quickly lock the house and hide. We did, but men in khakis broke in and dragged my husband out of the house and took him away. My kids and I ran for our lives. The next day someone found my husband dead along the roadside and asked us to come and collect him. When we dared to go back to the house, we found it burnt down to the ground. We lost everything. All our ID cards. Everything.' [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — Two years ago, life changed forever for 28-year-old Alpha when the conflict reached her village of Belo and took the life of her husband. ‘One day the shooting got really close and our neighbours told us to quickly lock the house and hide. We did, but men in khakis broke in and dragged my husband out of the house and took him away. My kids and I ran for our lives. The next day someone found my husband dead along the roadside and asked us to come and collect him. When we dared to go back to the house, we found it burnt down to the ground. We lost everything. All our ID cards. Everything.’ **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

Family members Carine, Happiness and Larissa are making the local speciality 'puff-puffs'. The women will sell these at the local market to get some income for the full family of 15 persons. After being displaced by violence, they all share one room that they rent in Bamenda. 'They killed nine people in the market square that morning we fled. I managed to bring with me a bucket of tomatoes and crayfish that I sold the next morning to get some money. I also brought some clothes, our IDs and my family photos. The military burned down our house and my shop,' Happiness said. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — Family members Carine, Happiness and Larissa are making the local speciality ‘puff-puffs’. The women will sell these at the local market to get some income for the full family of 15 persons. After being displaced by violence, they all share one room that they rent in Bamenda. ‘They killed nine people in the market square that morning we fled. I managed to bring with me a bucket of tomatoes and crayfish that I sold the next morning to get some money. I also brought some clothes, our IDs and my family photos. The military burned down our house and my shop,’ Happiness said. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

'Life is not going anywhere,' says Glory, 28. She fled intense fighting in Ndu in January last year with her four children, her younger brother and her husband. With the daily shootings and burning of houses, life was no longer bearable in her village. As far as she knows, their house is still among those standing, but it is too unsafe to go back. So they rent a room in Bamenda with seven family members sharing one mattress. Back in the village, Glory used to roast fish and sell it along the road. Her husband worked as a driver. With barely any income, she finds it difficult to start up a business again. Most of the money they earn goes to rent and food, and most days, they go to bed hungry. School fees are too high to be able to afford them. 'It is really very difficult here,' she said. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — ‘Life is not going anywhere,’ says Glory, 28. She fled intense fighting in Ndu in January last year with her four children, her younger brother and her husband. With the daily shootings and burning of houses, life was no longer bearable in her village. As far as she knows, their house is still among those standing, but it is too unsafe to go back. So they rent a room in Bamenda with seven family members sharing one mattress. Back in the village, Glory used to roast fish and sell it along the road. Her husband worked as a driver. With barely any income, she finds it difficult to start up a business again. Most of the money they earn goes to rent and food, and most days, they go to bed hungry. School fees are too high to be able to afford them. ‘It is really very difficult here,’ she said. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

The road leading from the small airport outside Bamenda into the city has been the site of intense fighting and the area is mostly abandoned. Burned-out cars and destroyed houses are peppered everywhere. In the two English-speaking regions, more than 250 villages have been burned down and are now fully or partially deserted. [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — The road leading from the small airport outside Bamenda into the city has been the site of intense fighting and the area is mostly abandoned. Burned-out cars and destroyed houses are peppered everywhere. In the two English-speaking regions, more than 250 villages have been burned down and are now fully or partially deserted. **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

''The boys, sometimes they want money, sometimes they just want to kill those they suspect do not support their cause,' says Reverend Mokake in the Cameroon Baptist Convention in Bamenda. 'It has been a hard year. We lost five pastors the last years as a result of the escalation of the conflict.' [Ingebjorg Karstad/NRC] — ”The boys, sometimes they want money, sometimes they just want to kill those they suspect do not support their cause,’ says Reverend Mokake in the Cameroon Baptist Convention in Bamenda. ‘It has been a hard year. We lost five pastors the last years as a result of the escalation of the conflict.’ **INGEBJORG KARSTAD/NRC**

Source Aljazeera

30, April 2020

Germany designates Hezbollah as terrorist group, conducts raids on suspects ⁰

Germany has banned Iran-backed Hezbollah activity on its soil and designated it a terrorist organisation, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Police conducted early morning raids in Germany to detain suspected members of the group. Security officials believe up to 1,050 people in Germany are part of Hezbollah’s extremist wing.

“Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned the Shiite terrorist organisation Hezbollah in Germany,” tweeted a ministry spokesman.

“Even in times of crisis, the rule of law is capable of acting,” he added.

Germany had previously distinguished between Hezbollah’s political arm and its military units, which have fought alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s army in Syria.

Israel and the United States had been pushing Germany to ban the organisation.

German parliament had also urged ban

Last December, Germany’s parliament approved a motion urging Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to ban all activities by Hezbollah on German soil, citing its “terrorist activities” especially in Syria.

A heavily armed Shiite Islamist group already designated a terrorist organisation by the United States, Hezbollah is also a significant backer of the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, which took office in January.

On a trip to Berlin last year, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped Germany would follow Britain in banning Hezbollah. Britain introduced legislation in February of last year that classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.

Officials raided four mosque associations in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Berlin which they believe are close to Hezbollah.

(REUTERS)

30, April 2020

UK has second-highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe, new figures show ⁰

The United Kingdom now has Europe’s second-highest official death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to new figures on Wednesday that cover fatalities in all settings, including in nursing homes.

Some 26,097 people died after testing positive for the novel coronavirus as of April 28 at 1600 GMT, Public Health England (PHE) said. That means the United Kingdom has had more COVID-19 deaths than France and Spain have reported.

“These more complete data will give us a fuller and more up to date picture of deaths in England and will inform the government’s approach as we continue to protect the public,” Yvonne Doyle, medical director at PHE, said.

Although international comparisons are difficult, the new figures confirm Britain’s place among the European countries worst hit hardest by the pandemic.

Italy said on Wednesday that 27,682 people had died after testing positive for coronavirus. Like Britain, its figures are based on deaths following positive coronavirus tests, in all settings.

(REUTERS)

30, April 2020

Why attempts to end the Southern Cameroons Crisis have failed- and how Francophones and Ambazonians can live together “separately” ⁰

Cameroon government army soldiers are moving throughout Southern Cameroons committing what has been described by human rights organizations as crimes against humanity and war crimes as thousands of Ambazonian civilians continue to escape in to Nigeria. Hundreds of Southern Cameroonians are moving further into areas held by Ambazonia Restoration Forces with fighting reportedly slowing down due to the outbreak of the coronvirus. The war in Southern Cameroons is a geopolitical and humanitarian crisis that is threatening the Federal Republic of Nigeria and increasing crime rate in states such as Benue and Cross River.

Hundreds of poorly armed Southern Cameroonian criminal fleeing the conflict have also migrated into French Cameroun towns and cities such as Dschang, Bafoussam, Douala and Mbounda, creating the possibility of another Francophone and Anglophone confrontation deep inside French Cameroun territory. Cameroon government army soldiers dedicated to President Paul Biya of French Cameroun and abetted by French government military aid say they are in the final stages of attempting to take control of the entire British Southern Cameroons occupied by a number of Ambazonian Resistance groups. From every indication, the Buhari administration in Nigeria does not want to become involved in the Southern Cameroons war. Yet as hostilities move inside Nigerian territory and as an estimated 50,000 Southern Cameroons refugees inundate border settlements in Nigeria, Abuja could be drawn in.

The Southern Cameroons war has become a war in which the French, the British and the Chinese are exploiting to get whatever oil, gas and mining deals they had long for from the failed French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé. In a country already fractured in two, it was evidently clear that from the abduction of the Southern Cameroons leaders in Abuja and their forced extradition to Yaoundé, Southern Cameroons independence was no longer in doubt but was now linked to Biya’s continued stay in power.

The Southern Cameroons crisis has indeed spawned many arguments about humanitarian interventions with the UN coming across as a toothless bulldog that can bark but cannot bite. Under the UN’s watchful eyes, thousands of innocent Southern Cameroons civilians including women and children have been killed by the Francophone dominated Cameroon government army soldiers as they flee attacks in both the Northern and Southern Zones of Southern Cameroons. The renowned Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group have both described the situation in Southern Cameroons a total meltdown of humanity. The recent attack in Bafut carried out by the Cameroon government army is yet another humanitarian disaster in Southern Cameroons – and the Ambazonia Interim Government and its current Vice President Dabney Yerima are calling on the international community to intervene.

The Marginalization of Southern Cameroons: When facts don’t lie

Lying is a sin that was committed by five Francophone Ministers who told the world at a press conference that there is no Anglophone problem in Cameroon. The integrity deficit associated with lying about the Anglophone problem is a travesty that insults and diminishes every Cameroonian and must stop.

The point must therefore be made, and with emphasis, that there is an Anglophone problem but the problem is deeply embedded in the asymmetrical political structure of the country, which has led to institutional paralysis engendered by leadership failure. Anglophones are divided over the Anglophone problem, just as Francophones are united in their bellicosity and belligerence towards Anglophones whom they cast as treasonable felons and secessionists who cannot be trusted. Francophones have used this self-fulfilling fallacy as an excuse to exclude Anglophones from the commanding heights of decision-making and treat them as second class citizens. But facts don’t lie.

Consider this: over 58 years after independence and re-unification, there has never been an Anglophone President or an Anglophone Secretary General or Director of Civil Cabinet at the Presidency. Nor has an Anglophone ever held the strategic ministerial portfolio of Defense, Finance, Communication, External Relations or even in charge of the Police, Gendarmerie, the Army and Intelligence services; not even ambassadors to English-speaking countries like the USA and Nigeria.

For a region that represents about 20% of the population, accounting for over 60% of GDP, the fact that the lone oil refinery named in French (SONARA) is in Anglophone Cameroon, yet has been run by Francophone general managers with a predominantly Francophone workforce since its creation is unacceptable. It just cannot be that there are no competent Anglophones to occupy these positions.

As if that was not enough, higher institutions like the National Polytechnic, ENAM, IRIC, ESSTIC, INJS, IFORD, CUSS, Public Works, ENSPT, IRAD, are heavily laden with French courses; another way of saying, Anglophones need not apply. Although Cameroon is officially a bilingual country where both English and French are equal, when has the president ever made an official address to the nation in English? All official correspondences are in French, even when directed to Anglophones. French is the language used in the administration, police, gendarmerie, army and the courts. Anglophones have to seek translators at their own expense. All road signs are in French and there is not a single word in English on the FCFA currency in circulation; is this constitutional?

The facts and figures of Anglophone marginalization under President Biya are staggering. Of the 292 ministers appointed since Biya took office in 1982, only 76 (10.8%) have been Anglophones. In the last 63-member cabinet before Southern Cameroonians started the uprising, there were only six Anglophones (9%) and only, Philip Ngole Ngwese (2%) out of the 38 Ministers had a cabinet portfolio. There are four Anglophone Secretary Generals (10%) and three Anglophone DAGs (7%) in the central administration. In state corporations, there are less than 15 Anglophones (11%) out of over 130 general managers. Of the over 130 Board chairmen of state corporations, there are only 10 Anglophones (7%). only three of the nation’s 33 generals in the Armed Forces are Anglophones.

The picture in the judiciary is even more pathetic and scandalous with Francophones occupying all key positions in the Supreme Court – President of the Supreme Court; Attorney General; Head of Judicial Division; Head of Administrative Division; Head of audit Division; Head of Special Criminal Court; Special Attorney Special Criminal Court; Director of Military Justice; Registrar-In-Chief Supreme Court and Secretary General Supreme Court. 58 (39%) of the 148 magistrates in the Southwest are Francophones while 54 (61%) of the 89 magistrates in the legal department in the Southwest are Francophones. Of the 50 magistrates working in Buea (Bench & Legal Department), 20 (40%) are Francophones while 20 (71%) of the 28 magistrates in the legal department in Buea are Francophones. Of the 30 new bailiffs that were appointed in January 2014 in the Southwest, 28 of them (93%) are Francophones.

The situation in the Northwest region is even worse. Of the 128 magistrates in the Northwest, there are 67 Francophones (52 %). Of the 97 magistrates of the legal departments, 64 of them are Francophones, (65.9%); 22 (48.9%) of the 45 magistrates in Bamenda are Francophones. There are 27 magistrates in the legal department in Bamenda of which 21, (77.8%) are Francophones. All the 21 new bailiffs (100%) appointed in January 2014 to the Northwest are Francophones. Comparatively, of the 119 magistrates in Douala, only two (1.7%) are Anglophones. Likewise, only two (1.9%) of the 107 magistrates in Yaoundé are Anglophones. These are very disturbing statistics in a bilingual country with two legal systems!

There is no reference hospital and no functional airport or seaport in Anglophone Cameroon. It is worth recalling that preliminary studies by the consortium charged with the construction of the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline had established that the project will be cost-effective if the pipeline was built from Doba in Southern Chad to Limbe, which has a natural deep seaport. According to documents from the World Bank and the Washington-based Environmental Defence Fund, the then Secretary General at the Presidency, Joseph Owona re-routed the project to his native Kribi; taking the pipeline through ecologically sensitive areas and increasing the distance by 90 miles and the cost by $2 billion. Owona warned the investors that Limbe was risky because Anglophones might one day agitate for secession and the pipeline will be exposed to sabotage and vandalism.

To add insult to injury, the government has made it a point to assign Francophones who neither speak nor understand English to Anglophone regions. A Francophone DO in Oku, Kamdem Andre once called a meeting with traditional rulers and started speaking in French. Not understanding what he was saying, the Fons started dozing. Feeling snubbed, the angry DO ordered his bodyguards to wake-up the Fons with a slap each and the meeting ended in chaos.

DO Kamdem is not an isolated case. Francophones disrespect Anglophones in positions of authority, even the prime minister, head of government. Francophone ministers either ignore cabinet meetings called by the PM or come late, in breach of standard protocol. When then prime minister, Achidi Achu appointed Raymond Gwanyalla as Director of Customs, the then Finance Minister; a Francophone openly challenged the PM in a flagrant display of insubordination. The Minister not only refused to preside at Gwanyalla’s installation, but ordered a boycott of the event which was heeded by all Francophone Directors in the Ministry of Finance. Surely, nothing like this happens in any country worthy of respect.

As Prime Minister, Peter Mafany Musonge was humiliated by the paymaster general in Yaoundé. Musonge was dealing with a crisis after a timber truck derailed killing dozens, mostly roadside hawkers in the hotbed of Mutengene. Anger was boiling on the streets when President Biya ordered that FCFA 200 million be given to the PM to go help the victims and deceased families. A voucher was established to this effect; with the “visa” of the Finance Minister and the PM’s office and sent to the Yaoundé central treasury, but then paymaster general, Etogo Mbezele refused to pay, ostensibly because the director of the treasury had not “visa” the voucher.

The treasury director was vacationing in France and traveled abroad with his “visa.” Informed of Mbezele’s decision, an exasperated Musonge could not help but exclaim in anger and frustration: “Oh these Frogs!” It must be stated in no ambiguous terms that Musonge spoke from the heart. His spontaneous outburst speaks to a deep-seated Anglophone frustration with an erratic system of government, with its consequent value misplacement, the like of which should never be countenanced in any civilized nation.

There are countless instances where Francophones are appointed to boss better educated and qualified Anglophones. It is a tragedy that after fifty-five years of independence and re-unification, we are still talking of Anglophones and Francophones, but that is the sad reality of Cameroon. Anglophones have been treated shabbily; they are asking whether they made the right choice in 1961, since only they were asked if they wanted reunification with Francophones.

Despite that fact that East Cameroun was deeply embroiled in a bloody insurgency and terrorism, Anglophones closed their eyes and voted with their hearts. Fifty-five years after that vote, all Anglophones are asking is to be given the opportunity to manage their own affairs but they are being called secessionists and enemies from within, Biafrans, and even asked to go back to Nigeria.

This in itself is demeaning and outlandish. Our strength as a nation lies in our diversity. The bridge towards our future will be built on lessons from the past; hence the government must refrain from assuming that anyone calling for restructuring of the present structure wants to breakup the country. It is not Anglophones who threaten national unity; rather, it is the politics of exclusion and marginalization of Anglophones that poses a threat to peace and stability. Those who see Anglophones as a conquered people should look at these unsettling statistics and learn the right lessons because the mood is very scary.

What Could Be Done?

To stop the genocidal campaign going on in Southern Cameroons, there must be regime change in Yaoundé. The West should design a plan for the 87 year old French Cameroun monarch to abdicate immediately. Correspondingly, France and the United States should stop supplying Yaoundé with weapons on lame and ridiculous reasons that the Biya regime is fighting the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

Southern Cameroonians should channel their financial resources to the Ambazonia exiled government represented by its Vice President Dabney Yerima instead of chosen from the many obscure resistance groups such as the ADF and the Sako-IG. All other regional participants – the Buhari administration in Nigeria, President Obiang of Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Chad should be required to depart.

Persuading the jailed Southern Cameroons leader, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to accept and enforce a cease-fire will be a complex process, but could save hundreds of lives both in Ambazonia and deep within the French Cameroun army.

The provision of humanitarian aid by the UN and other aid agencies to displaced Southern Cameroonians must become a priority at the negotiating table while an independent international fact-finding mission with a UN Security Council mandate should be deployed to Southern Cameroons.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with additional reporting from Valerian Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

30, April 2020

Creation of the Manyu Liberation Council: A bold step in the right direction ⁰

Cameroon Concord News Group applauds the creation of the Manyu Liberation Council (MLC) as an institution to change the momentum of the Ambazonia revolution in the Manyu County. The need for change in Ambazonia was urgent and imperative but the creation of this innovative council goes beyond the expectation of all people of goodwill and aptitude. Analyzing the draft document during the presentation, it is clear why the elites in this revolution have cheered this Council as a guiding light to dispel the darkness that has covered the Ambazonia struggle for the last 11 months. A once promising struggle runs the risk of stagnation as a result of incompetence and gross management.

Cameroon Concord News Group believes that the creation of a lean structure with three arms: Finance, Self-defense and Humanitarian is shrewd and offers an intelligent alternative to the comical Congress, Senate and Governor childishness. We should be clear on one thing; the existing system was designed by some US based comedians and it has brought failure to this struggle as well as delight to the enemy. Impatience to see an end to a clumsy administrative experiment during a war is understandable and we believe that the Manyu Liberation Council is the answer to Manyu and the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

One of the most underachieving constituent in the Ambazonia war is the humanitarian sector. With over 95,000 refugees living in squalid conditions in Nigeria and in desperate need for medicines and food supply, the existing Manyu County structure failed woefully to offer any hope and resources. The MLC’s creation of an independent humanitarian arm is astute and a relief to all the refugees in need for support. Cameroon Concord News Group is therefore emphasizing that the humanitarian wing of this new structure must get to work without delay to raise the funds needed to support our refugees in Nigeria.

For a long time now, men and women with vision have warned against sending Ambazonia self-defense forces to the frontline without adequate tools. The Manyu Liberation Council’s commitment to deliver appropriate resistance equipment is sensible. The visionary architects of the MLC document expressed valid boredom with the lack of stamina and vision that now permeates our revolution. From federal to county level, Sako Ikome and his gang have destroyed the structures that were put in place before him but we of the Concord Group believe and fervently too that his day out in an Ambazonia court in Buea shall certainly come.

The decision of the courageous sons and daughters of Ambazonia who crafted the MLC document to bring real change is one that this media outlet approves strongly. In the wise and beautifully constructed document detailing its vision for the Ambazonia struggle, the MLC seeks to bring forces around Manyu under one umbrella in a move that will improve discipline within the all Restoration Forces. We are going to push all the counties to emulate the Manyu example.

There are thousands of Ambazonian citizens living in the forests and hundreds of thousands struggling to put food on the table in the war ravaged territory but there is a social media Senate and Congress in Manyu that could only raise $ 3700 in ten months-to fight an enemy that has total control of the oil and gas fields of the Bakassi Peninsular. To question the mental health of some of these US based comedians isn’t unfair and unreasonable. For them, like Chris Anu and Barrister Fru John Nsoh, the Ambazonian struggle has become a game and some social media contest to display their unemployed selves and unemployable skills.

The role of the diaspora in the Ambazonia struggle is fundraising and diplomacy. Period! The idea that the funds aren’t trickling in is treasonous and Sako, Chris Anu and their crime syndicate must take full responsibility for their theft and lack of foresight. They must be held accountable to the Ambazonia people. The idea that ruffians can conspire to take us backwards in this struggle is unacceptable.

Sons and daughters of Manyu, you now have a liberation council; we of the Cameroon Concord News Group are challenging you to keep it. Some of us in the Concord Group may not get to Buea with you but it is abundantly clear Ambazonians will get to Buea soonest.

By Isong Asu

29, April 2020

Coronavirus patients respond positively to remdesivir in major US trial ⁰

Gilead Science’s remdesivir, one of the most highly anticipated drugs being tested against the new coronavirus, showed positive results in a large-scale US government trial, the company said Wednesday.

“We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing,” the company said.

Though it is difficult to precisely quantify the finding in the absence of results, it represents the first time any drug has been shown to improve outcomes against the COVID-19 illness, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives globally and brought the world economy to a grinding halt.

There have been mixed results for the intravenous antiviral in recent weeks. A summary of results posted on the website of the World Health Organization showed it failed in a smaller Chinese trial, but days before that, Stat reported it had shown significant efficacy at a Chicago hospital.

However, this trial, begun in late February and overseen by the US government, is the largest and technically most robust.

According to a data sheet, its estimated enrollment was 800 patients, a portion of whom received the drug while the rest received a placebo.

Neither the patients nor their physicians were aware of which group they belonged to, in order to eliminate unconscious bias.

It is a Phase 3 trial, the final stage before any medication can receive regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Remdesivir, which previously failed in trials against Ebola, belongs to a class of drugs that act on the virus directly — as opposed to controlling the abnormal and often lethal autoimmune response it causes.

It mimics one of the four building blocks of RNA and DNA and gets absorbed into the virus’s genome, which in turn stops the pathogen from replicating.

The antimalarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are also being widely used against COVID-19 on a so-called “compassionate basis” pending results from large trials, with early studies decidedly mixed.

Other therapies that are being studied include collecting antibodies from COVID-19 survivors and injecting them in patients, or harvesting antibodies from genetically-engineered mice that were deliberately infected.

Source: AFP

29, April 2020

Man Utd given permission to trial safe standing at Old Trafford ⁰

Manchester United have been granted permission to install 1,500 safe-standing seats for use in a trial when Old Trafford is opened again to supporters.

The use of barrier seating has been approved following a change in regulations and a feasibility study carried out by the club.

Fans are not expected to be permitted to attend matches for at least a number of months with English football indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Even when matches do return, they will likely take place behind closed doors for the forseeable future.

However, United insist work can be carried out on the project whilst respecting social distancing guidelines to ensure it is ready for when fans can return.

“It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background,” said United’s managing director Richard Arnold.

“This announcement is the latest step in what has been a long journey with our fans.

“We have listened to their feedback, in particular, the representations made by MUST (Manchester United Supporters’ Trust), and worked with Trafford Council to develop and approve this proposal.”

Arnold added that the barrier seats can enhance spectator safety in areas of the ground where fans persistently stand anyway and that the trial could be extended to other areas of the stadium.

“We will now move on to develop the installation, compliance and licensing plan for the trial, with a view to having the new seats installed for when we can welcome our supporters back to Old Trafford,” said Arnold.

All-seater stadiums have been mandatory in the top two tiers of English football since 1994/95, following recommendations on stadium safety made in the Taylor Report, which was commissioned after 96 people died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

But there has been a renewed push in recent years for safe standing to be brought into the top levels of English football with United set to follow fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham and Wolves in installing rail seating.

Source: AFP

29, April 2020

Biya Acolyte: Grand Master of the Order of Malta Dies in Rome ⁰

The Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, died in Rome at the age of 75. This is reported by the press service of the order.

“This is unfortunate news, especially since the great master actively worked until very recently,” RIA Novosti quotes the representative of the order.

April 28, it became known about the hospitalization of Dalla Torre in critical condition.

According to an agency source in the leadership of the Order of Malta, the master died due to cancer.

Dalla Torre was elected Grand Master of the Order of Malta in May 2018.

Source: russiart

29, April 2020

Ivory Coast presidential candidate Soro hit with 20-year jail term ⁰

Guillaume Soro, the former rebel leader running for president in Ivory Coast, was convicted in absentia on Tuesday of embezzlement and sentenced to 20 years in prison for embezzlement. The former prime minister, who is in exile in France, has denied the charges claiming they are politically motivated.

The verdict, announced after a trial in Ivory Coast that lasted only a few hours and was boycotted by Soro’s lawyers, is likely to exclude Soro from October’s election, when President Alassane Ouattara is due to step down.

Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Soro in December for allegedly plotting a coup against his former ally Ouattara’s government and stealing public funds.

Soro, who has been living in Europe, diverted his plane in the air instead of returning home in December to Ivory Coast — where he planned to launch his campaign — when it became clear that Ivorian authorities had issued an arrest warrant for him.

Soro has denied the charges, which he says are intended to prevent him from challenging Ouattara’s preferred successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, in the election.

In an interview with a French weekly in December, Soro vowed to lead the “resistance” from abroad “like de Gaulle,” referring to the French wartime resistance leader.

‘Thunderbolt in the sky of Ivorian corruption’

The Abidjan court fined him nearly seven million euros ($7.6 million), ordered the confiscation of his Abidjan home and barred him from civic duties for five years.

The court issued a fresh arrest warrant against him, in effect barring him from contesting elections, and ordered him to pay three million euros in damages and interest to the state.

Soro helped Ouattara to power in 2010 amid political violence that cost 3,000 lives, later serving as premier and then parliamentary speaker.

After falling out with Ouattara, he launched an unsuccessful bid to become president last year.

Government lawyer Ben Meite Abdoulaye dismissed suggestions the verdict was political, calling it a “thunderbolt in the sky of Ivorian corruption”.

“This decision is the start of a new era in Ivory Coast. We must hunt down corruption wherever it is found,” he said.

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights had recently ordered Ivory Coast to suspend an arrest warrant against Soro, who had taken his case to a Tanzania-based court last month.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

29, April 2020

US Vice President tours hospital without Covid-19 mask despite being told to wear one ⁰

US Vice President Mike Pence did not wear a face mask during a Tuesday visit to the Mayo Clinic, violating the prestigious medical center’s policy despite his team being warned in advance.

Video showed Pence visiting staff and a patient in a crowded hospital room without wearing a mask.

The Minnesota-based center’s policy states: “Part of our protocol for ensuring your safety is to require all patients, visitors and staff to wear a face covering or mask while at Mayo Clinic to guard against transmission of COVID-19.”

The clinic said in a statement that it had “shared the masking policy with the VP’s office.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its advice to recommend that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where it is difficult to maintain adequate physical distance at all times, such as in grocery stores and pharmacies.

This is because a very high proportion of people infected with the coronavirus are believed to be asymptomatic and because recent research has shown that it may in certain circumstances be possible to infect others through normal speaking and breathing.

Pence, President Donald Trump, and other senior White House officials have pointedly ignored the advice, leading to speculation it is a coordinated decision to downplay the severity of the crisis.

The vice president said he did not wear a mask because the CDC guidelines suggest that masks help prevent the spread of the virus by those who are infected — and he is not.

“Since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you,” he said.

Source: AFP