22, July 2019
Panic in Yaounde: Biya’s health situation hits his collaborators like a ton of bricks!! Stay tuned for details 0
Panic in Yaounde: Biya’s health situation hits his collaborators like a ton of bricks!! Stay tuned for details
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22, July 2019
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano passes away at 72 0
UN nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano has passed away, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Monday.
“The Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency regrets to inform with deepest sadness of the passing away of Director General Yukiya Amano,” the IAEA secretariat said in a note to member states.
Last week, the agency said that Amano’s health problems had forced him to plan an early end to his term, which was originally set to expire in December 2021.
“The director general is in contact with members of the board of governors regarding his future plans,” the agency’s press office said in a statement then. “He will make a formal communication to the board at an appropriate time.”
Amano, who was in charge of the international body inspecting Iran’s nuclear program, has time and again reaffirmed Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under a 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Source: Presstv
22, July 2019
Ambazonia Interim Gov’t urges ICC probe into French Cameroun crimes 0
Ambazonia Secretary for Communications, Hon. Milton Taka has called upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into French Cameroun crimes in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
The Southern Cameroons Communications new strongman, in a statement released on Sunday to Cameroon Concord News Group said Vice President Dabney Yerima will be meeting senior officials of The Hague-based tribunal to push for an official investigation into the genocide in Southern Cameroons.
The statement also condemned the continues detention of the Ambazonia leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides in the Kondengui High Security Prison in Yaoundé including hundreds of Ambazonian in other French Cameroun detention centers.
Meanwhile, scores of Southern Cameroons civilians were killed over the week end in Bui, Ndop, Bekora, Weh and Bali by French Cameroun troops.
By Rita Akana
22, July 2019
French Cameroun soldiers are setting houses on fire in Southern Cameroons 0
Troops loyal to the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime have reportedly been destroying villages in both Menchum and Manyu Counties in Southern Cameroons despite claims by the Swiss government that it was seeking ways to end the Ambazonia conflict.
There has not been any strong international condemnation and protests from the AU, EU including the UN. Elements of the French Cameroun Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR deployed in Wum in Menchum and Akwaya in Manyu recently stormed villages in the outskirts of the chief towns and set several houses on fire. These constituencies have been declared a military zone and news reporters have also been banned from entering the areas.
In Agborkem German and Dadi in Akwaya sub constituency including Weh in Menchum, French Cameroun soldiers have been forcing Southern Cameroons civilians to leave their villages and the army soldiers are using explosives in destroying buildings.
A Roman Catholic priest, who confirmed the news to us late last night but sued for anonymity, criticized the French Cameroun army actions as a war crime.
Cameroon Concord News Group understands that the Southern Cameroons Interim Government will be drawing the attention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into the genocide presently going on in Southern Cameroons.
A senior adviser to the Ambazonia Vice President Dabney Yerima explained that the so-called Swiss mediation talks were simply providing cover and protection to the occupier’s crimes and violations. “Biya regime’s continuation of this policy undermines prospect for a lasting peace between French and Southern Cameroons” he added.
By Sama Ernest
21, July 2019
Ambazonia Interim Gov’t Hails Leader’s Decision To Evacuate Muyuka Family 0
Ambazonia Vice President Dabney Yerima and members of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government have thrown their weight behind President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s decision to move the Muyuka family whose baby was killed recently into an undisclosed neighboring country.
As of Friday noon, Vice President Dabney Yerima including the Secretary for Communications, Milton Taka had signed up on a declaration of support for the leader’s decision.
Our Yaoundé city reporter observed that the declaration of support has also been acclaimed by senior commanders in Ground Zero.
The office of the Ambazonia Vice President said in a statement issued to Cameroon Concord News Group that recent weeks had witnessed suspicious acts of sabotage of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government by a gang of shameless Ambazonia activists residing in the USA.
By Chi Prundence Asong in London
21, July 2019
Medical plane evacuating Biya to Luxemburg 0
A medical plane from Luxemburg has landed in Yaounde to airlift an important authority. It is rumored that the plane has been brought into the country by the Presidency of the Republic.
Sources at the presidency have hinted that the ‘Monarch’ may be down again, but cannot head to Switzerland where he is no longer welcome.
Our senior international correspondent Kingsley Betek is monitoring the situation and will be providing a complete report.
Be the first to know!! Stay with Cameroon Concord News Group
21, July 2019
Real Madrid ready to offload Gareth Bale 0
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane says the La Liga giants are poised to offload Welsh star Gareth Bale in the coming days.
Bale was left off Real Madrid’s roster for Saturday’s 3-1 exhibition loss to Bayern Munich at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
“He wasn’t included in the squad because the club is working on his departure and that’s why he didn’t play,” Zidane said. “We’ll have to see what happens in the coming days.
“We’ll have to see if it goes through tomorrow, if it does then all the better. Let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that it happens soon.”
Zidane insists the 30-year-old forward is not a good fit for his squad. While Bale would be welcome at a host of marquee clubs, his big salary may prove to be an obstacle for all but the richest teams.
“It’s nothing personal,” Zidane added. “There comes a time when things are done because they need to be done. I’ve not got anything against him. We have to make decisions and change things, that’s all there is to it.
“I don’t know if this will happen in 24 or 48 hours’ time. The situation will change and it’s for the best for everyone.”
Bale joined Real Madrid six seasons ago, arriving to much fanfare and a blockbuster transfer fee. He has three seasons left on his deal and has been linked to Tottenham, Manchester United and Bayern.
AFP
21, July 2019
South Africa: President Ramaphosa accused of misleading Parliament 0
A South African watchdog on Friday said President Cyril Ramaphosa “deliberately misled” Parliament about a campaign contribution, a setback for a leader who has vowed to address sprawling graft allegations that forced his predecessor from office.
The report was released as that former president, Jacob Zuma, abandoned his testimony to a high-profile state commission probing wide-ranging allegations of graft in government and state-owned companies. Zuma, who denies the allegations against him, asserted he was being treated unfairly. But a deal was quickly reached for him to return at some point in the future.
The outcry over years of alleged corruption during Zuma’s stay in office has shaken both the economy of South Africa, the most developed in sub-Saharan Africa, and public support for the ruling African National Congress. The party has been in power since the end of the harsh system of racial segregation known as apartheid 25 years ago.
Now the ANC faces an internal struggle between allies of Ramaphosa and Zuma, who led South Africa from 2009 to 2018 when he resigned under party pressure and was replaced by former deputy Ramaphosa.
The current president has repeatedly vowed to fight corruption and win back public confidence.
Friday’s report by South Africa’s public protector, a constitutionally created office that probes alleged misconduct in state affairs, said Ramaphosa “deliberately misled” lawmakers late last year about a 500,000-rand ($34,000) campaign contribution from the CEO of a local company, Africa Global Operations, formerly Bosasa. The report called on the national director of public prosecutions to investigate further.
In response, a statement posted by Ramaphosa’s office asserted that he was not guilty of the accusations and calls on the public protector to allow the president a hearing.
A political analyst and researcher at the University of the Western Cape, Ralph Mathekga, said Ramaphosa should be careful about how he handles the watchdog’s report, saying it might hurt the president further if he loses at court.
“This report gives a lot of ammunition not only to his detractors within the ANC but to the Economic Freedom Fighters as well, as they will exploit it to take him on,” Mathekga said, referring to a populist opposition party that along with the leading opposition Democratic Alliance had filed complaints alleging wrongdoing.
Separately on Friday, Zuma abruptly cut short his appearance at the state inquiry and his lawyers said the former president would no longer participate. But soon afterward the commission chair, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, said an agreement had been reached to allow Zuma to return at a later stage.
The commission has no power to prosecute but other authorities could follow up on its findings.
Zuma began his nationally televised testimony this week by calling the graft allegations part of an international intelligence conspiracy that began more than 25 years ago to assassinate his character. On Friday he threatened to expose “spies” if the pressure on him went too far.
Zuma has been questioned about his close relationship with the wealthy Gupta family and allegations that they exerted influence over cabinet appointments and the awarding of lucrative state contracts.
A defiant Zuma told supporters on Friday that he had been the target of many assassination attempts because he has a lot of information about spies who infiltrated the ANC during apartheid. He was once the ANC’s intelligence chief.
“I know a lot about spies, that was my job,” he said. “I have never played around with that information. But if people now want me to uproot them, I will.”
(AP)
20, July 2019
Algeria claim second Afcon title after Bounedjah’s lucky strike sinks Senegal 0
The record books may not show exactly how Algeria won their first Africa Cup of Nations since 1990 and, in any case, it is probably best left to the imagination. Their performances over the past month merit the accolade and that much cannot be denied; the pity was that they dropped any pretensions towards making this final a footballing spectacle after going ahead through Baghdad Bounedjah’s heavily deflected early goal, the result being a tedious encounter that grabbed the attention only during those few episodes when it seemed Senegal might punish their voracious lust for attrition.
It all amounted to a colossal riding of their luck but also a personal triumph for Djamel Belmadi, their impressive coach, who took the job only last August but has delivered a continental title where none was expected. He celebrated with his players, who raced towards a delirious 15,000-strong travelling support at full-time, while his childhood friend Aliou Cissé held a lengthy on-pitch debrief after narrowly failing to deliver Senegal a first title of their own.
Senegal 0-1 Algeria: Africa Cup of Nations 2019 final – as it happened
Cissé might have had better fortune if the referee, Neant Alioum, had not reversed a second-half penalty award, given when the ball struck Adlene Guedioura’s right arm, after a VAR consultation. Spot kicks have certainly been awarded for less in major finals this year. But ultimately Senegal ran into too many of the traps Algeria set for them and the moments when Sadio Mané, as well as the rest of a vaunted front line, could influence proceedings were vanishingly rare.
“I’m so happy for my people, who have waited for such a long time,” Belmadi said. “We have won the cup outside our country for the first time. If you look at where we came from, I took a team that faced difficulties. To achieve what we have achieved, to finish on top of Africa, I have to say it is excellent.”
Despite the deeply frustrating fare they produced, this was indisputably a meeting of the tournament’s two best teams. In the end Algeria capitalised on the slight edge they held.
They had beaten Senegal by a single goal in the group stage and repeated the trick through their one attempt of the game, a moment that briefly confused the stadium into silence.
Boundejah’s burst down the inside-left channel past Lamine Gassama oozed menace but the shot he produced after cutting inside, which looped high into the air off Salif Sané, seemed destined for the athletics track behind the goal. But it spun downwards sharply, eventually dropping into the far corner, and the dawning realisation took a few moments to morph into unbridled delight.
Sané, injured earlier in the tournament, had returned to the starting lineup in place of the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly and Senegal’s weakness had been highlighted in the unluckiest fashion.
It did not take a doctorate in Algerian football ethics to divine that, from there, Belmadi’s side might seek to niggle this all the way out. They have played some fine attacking football in Egypt and such a grim final does not erase any of that. But few have quite as firm a handle on the dark arts and they successfully squeezed the air out of what followed.
“They say you don’t play finals, you win them,” Belmadi said. “I don’t really believe that. We prepared and wanted to play against this talented team, Senegal. It wasn’t our best match. We didn’t have ball possession nor impose our play.”
Algeria deserved their Afcon triumph but a shame they decided to win ugly
In fairness it made some sense to cede the initiative to Senegal, for whom guile has long been an achilles heel. If their opponents began to get too clever, Algeria simply stuck spokes in the works. Aissa Mandi felled Mané with a crude challenge led from the knee and Ismaïla Sarr found himself on the end of a hack from Ramy Bensebaini. Sofiane Feghouli collapsed near the goalline before dusting himself down when sympathy proved in short supply. When tempers briefly flared on the half-time whistle, their substitute goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja took a dramatic tumble while Cissé and Mandi argued their way down the tunnel.
The break felt like a relief from the sheer cynicism of it all but the game did open up enough for Senegal to believe they had found a way back. Sarr, their best attacker on the day, made excellent ground down the right before seeing his cross hit Guedioura inside the area. It recalled Mané’s slice of fortune for Liverpool in Madrid two months previously but this time, after a delay of around a minute, Alioum opted to restart with a drop ball.
“We played well and had our chances over the course of the match but against this aggressive bloc we couldn’t find a solution,” Cissé said. Mbaye Niang, from a tight angle after rounding Rais Mbolhi, and Sarr did spurn opportunities to make Algeria regret stalling to such an extreme degree. By the conclusion, though, their dirty work had been done to a strange, unsatisfactory perfection.
Source: The Guardian
22, July 2019
Biya’s Health: Panic in Yaounde 0
There is panic in Yaounde as the disturbing news of the country’s president, Paul Biya, gradually makes its way to the public.
Mr. Biya also known as the “monarch” has been a colony of diseases for many years now. He has been suffering from a failing heart, a failed prostrate and loss of memory which makes it hard for him to carry out his duties as a head of state and this bad news is hitting his collaborators like a ton of bricks.
Recently, the country’s Secretary-General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, was given total powers to sign all documents on Mr. Biya’s behalf, an action which serves as further proof that the 87-year-old monarch, who has been in diapers over the last seven years, is incapable of performing his duties.
Over the last two months, Mr. Biya’s health has been a huge concern to his closest collaborators, but his behavior during the May 20 celebration was a clear indication that things were really falling apart. The monarch is suffering and power seems to slipping through his fingers.
The monarch, known for his epicurean taste and love of nice wines, is gradually losing his mind. For many months now, it is his wife, Chantal Biya, who is also suffering from an aggressive leukemia, who has been pulling the strings behind the scenes. Mr. Biya seems to have drunk himself into Alzheimer’s disease.
On May 20, Mr. Biya’s failing memory was put on display for all to see. He could not even wave at the crowd his ruling CPDM had hastily mobilized for the occasion. It was Mrs. Biya, noted for her flaming red hair, who had to raise his hands for him to wave to the crowd. This was a huge embarrassment to his collaborators who have been scrambling to hide the man’s numerous diseases.
Mr. Biya, the once popular president of the most corrupt nation in the world, is now having a tough fight with Alzheimer’s disease and other life threatening ailments and as his situation deteriorates, his collaborators who, are already fighting against each other, are becoming more desperate.
To them, the end of their era is in the offing. The signs are very clear. Biya is gradually exiting the world and his greatest frustration is that his fellow citizens now see him as the most corrupt and most incompetent leader Africa has ever produced.
Last month, he was hastily repatriated from Switzerland as the Brigade Anti Sardinard (BAS), a Diaspora opposition movement, put into action its plan to give the monarch a very bad name.
Demonstrations in front of the Hotel Intercontinental, the hotel Mr. Biya has literally transformed into his home, obliged the Swiss government to declare Mr. Biya persona non grata in Switzerland. This is a real bloodshot eye for a regime that is struggling to clean up its bad image abroad.
Since his repatriation to Cameroon, his family and his collaborators have been struggling to find a new country that will accept him as an inconveniencing visitor. Luxemburg appears to be his new destination and this is hurting the BAS.
However, the BAS is already at work. The opposition group has already dispatched its undercover agents to Luxemburg to find out if the beleaguered president is hiding in the little European Kingdom.
“We are going to fish him out. We are prepared to make life hard for Mr. Biya who has transformed Cameroon into a living hell. For 37 years in office, he has not been able to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Cameroon to cater to the needs of cancer patients. Under his watch, Cameroon’s health facilities have declined and most of them have been reduced to consultation clinics or mortuaries. Why must he be enjoying better health care out of the country while our parents are dying of preventable diseases back home?,” the BAS agent quipped.
Yesterday, a source at the Presidency of the Republic reliably informed the Cameroon Concord News Group that the monarch was struggling again. According to the source which elected anonymity, Mr. Biya was having serious breathing problems and that his health was failing.
The source added that a medical plane from Luxemburg had landed in Yaoundé to secretly airlift Mr. Biya to the small European kingdom of Luxemburg where it is believed he will have quality care comparable to what he has been receiving in Switzerland.
The air ambulance was secretly brought into the country by the Presidency of the Republic. Sources at the presidency have hinted that the monarch may be very seriously sick as his collaborators have decided not to say anything about his health.
“Everybody who is close to the ailing dictator has suddenly become tight-lipped. But from their appearances, it is easy to figure out that something is amiss. Biya is on his way out and this is bad news to his people who are already fighting. The knife is actually turning inwards and if care is not taken Cameroon will be plunged into chaos once Mr. Biya kicks the bucket,” our source said.
“Many of Mr. Biya’s ministers are not even aware that the monarch is out of the country. Everything is under wraps. Many government officials depend on newspapers to get information about the man they serve. The entire system is being manipulated by a few people and Mrs. Biya is actually the person pulling the strings,” he said.
He added that “she has become a puppet master and anybody who does not comply with or play by her rules gets elbowed out of the corridors of power. Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o, a former cabinet minister, has been the latest victim and his arrest is generating a lot of division within the government.”
“Cameroon is in for serious trouble. There are many scenes that will only play out when Mr. Biya will bow to the inevitable. His days are numbered, but before he leaves, he will dump the country into a pretty mess. There is no control these days. Ministers are just conducting business as they wish, especially those of Beti extraction. Something needs to be done to save this country,” our source stressed.
While Mr. Biya is battling for his life, using the country’s vast resources, the ordinary citizens are continuing to die like animals as the quality of care in the country is questionable. Mr. Biya and his family have transformed the country’s treasury into their ATM and they are doing a great job at emptying the machine as fast as they can. For them, time is running out and the anger on the streets tells them that if the population could have its way, it would address the issue in a manner that will be far from being pleasant.
By Kingsley Betek in Yaounde, Bamba Gaossou in Limbe and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai at the Cameroon Concord News Group’s global headquarters in the UK