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MRC says no to Biya dialogue until Kamto is released

20, September 2019

MRC says no to Biya dialogue until Kamto is released 0

The opposition Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC) party says it will not participate in the much-touted national dialogue to end the country’s Anglophone crisis unless the government first releases its imprisoned leader, Maurice Kamto.

The MRC issued a statement Wednesday, warning that the dialogue proposed by President Paul Biya in a televised speech last week won’t include them without Kamto and his allied political leaders and MRC activists, among them people who, like Kamto, have been detained for seven months. They faced rebellion, incitement to insurrection and other serious charges, some of which carry the death penalty.

Further, the MRC said its president called for national dialogue as early as December 2016 during a meeting in Ngaoundéré, as the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon began to escalate and the first protesters were rounded up or killed. The MRC believed that dialogue alone was “likely to prevent the outbreak of a civil war,” the party said in its statement.

That wasn’t what happened in Cameroon, as a peaceful movement to address grievances in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions – led by lawyers, teachers and doctors – was met with Biya’s iron fist and escalated in some areas into a full-blown armed secession.

Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, who is set to lead the proposed dialogue, has said no plan for a separate Ambazonia state is on the table.

In addition to demanding the prisoner release, the MRC has a list of action items and concerns that includes Ngute’s role because, they say, his government and party affiliation cast doubt on his impartiality and will lead to an “unbalanced” dialogue.

“The direct involvement of the defense and security forces, on the one hand, and the armed groups, on the other hand, poses a particular problem,” the MRC added, noting that it sends a dangerous message for armed forces to engage in political processes.

Source: Africa Times

Ambazonia Interim Gov’t calls on the UN and the AU to support the creation of an International Fact Finding Mission

19, September 2019

Ambazonia Interim Gov’t calls on the UN and the AU to support the creation of an International Fact Finding Mission 0

Fellow Southern Cameroonians and allies throughout the world,

As many of you know, President Paul Biya of La République du Cameroun addressed his people on Tuesday the 10th of September, 2019 — and in so doing confirmed the widely held perception of his total lack of interest in finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Ambazonia.

For the millions of our people and foreign observers who do not know what to make of the situation — in the face of constant bombardment with sleek, well packaged propaganda driven by thinly veiled neo-colonial interests — I want to tell you today with full confidence: fret not! and do not be confused by the noise from some quarters about this being the end of our revolution.

Here are your two signposts for understanding how these things shall proceed:

  1. President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and our leaders behind bars are the LEADERS OF OUR NEGOTIATIONS TEAM. If anyone holds consultations about negotiating, mediation, negotiation capacity building, negotiation testing, or whatever else related to negotiation in any way form or shape, they will have to take it up with President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his team behind bars or it will amount to NOTHING.
  2. The standard framework for building trust to end all modern conflicts is accountability as expressed by the parties allowing for an International Independent Fact Finding Mission, to establish a single set of facts on which the said conflict resolution will be centered. Mr. António Guterres of the UN and Moussa Faki Mahamat of the African Union should promote credible dialogue in this conflict by using their offices to publicly call for the United Nations to establish an International Independent Fact Finding Mission for this conflict.

Anything that ignores these two fundamental pillars for us, as President Sisiku AyukTabe and our leaders behind bars so succinctly put, “is a non-event and a non-starter.”

As far as the Southern Cameroonians – Ambazonian people are concerned, this time it shall be “Total Independence or Resistance Forever!”

God Bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Dabney Yerima Vice President

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

Mourinho says Samuel Eto’o should have won Ballon d’Or

19, September 2019

Mourinho says Samuel Eto’o should have won Ballon d’Or 0

Veteran football coach Jose Mourinho says Cameroon’s legendary footballer, Samuel Eto’o should have won the prestigious Ballon d’Or at least once in his illustrious career.

The 38-year-old former Barcelona and Inter Milan star retired from football this month, posting on his social media; “The end. Towards a new challenge. Thank you all, big love.”

Mourinho who coached Eto’o at Inter Milan in Italy, and Chelsea in England, told Cameroon Radio, that the country’s all-time record goalscorer ‘was the best striker in the world for several years’.

“It’s difficult to understand how Samuel Eto’o never won the Ballon d’Or with the impressive career he had,’‘ Mourinho said.

“He played three champions league finals, winning two with Barcelona and scoring in both finals. He also won one champions league at Inter and won many league titles.

Eto’o‘s accolades

Gold at the 2000 Olympics
Africa Cup of Nations winner in 2000, 2002
African Player of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
UEFA Champions League winner in 2005, 2009, 2010

The closest Eto’o came to being crowned the world’s best player was in 2005, when he finished third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year.

Liberian football star and current head of state, George Weah, is the only African player to have been named FIFA World Player of the Year and win the Ballon d’Or.

Source: Africa News

“Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and his aides are not terrorists but freedom fighters”

19, September 2019

“Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and his aides are not terrorists but freedom fighters” 0

Cameroon is going through the toughest moment of its life and the future looks bleak as the Central African country deals with multiple crises. The country’s economy is facing tough times and the level of employment is very high. But it is the Anglophone crisis that is the government’s toughest challenge. The country’s president, Paul Biya, recently addressed the nation and called for a national dialogue that should help the country heal. After the address, staff lady Chi Prudence Asong spoke with Dr. Joachim Arrey, a writer, who has continued writing on how the government could proceed to end the crisis that has resulted in the deaths of many people and he had this to say.

Cameroon Concord News: What is your impression about the president’s address to the nation?

Dr Arrey Jaochim: I think it was an opportunity to reassure Cameroonians. The address comes a bit too late, but better late than never. The president should have done this a lot earlier to spare the country and the international community the horror movie that has been playing out in the country’s two English-speaking regions for almost three years. The country’s economy has been hurt, many people have been displaced and thousands have lost their lives in a conflict that could have been prevented. However, I think we should be forward-looking. Many mistakes have been made, but I think the call for dialogue is an opportunity for Cameroonians to take a long and hard look at their country’s past to figure out how to address those issues that have brought untold hardship on the people. It is also an opportunity to address the Southern Cameroonian issue once and for all.

Cameroon Concord News: The dialogue has already begun as the Prime Minister has been receiving many delegations to obtain their views. It has been announced that the main event will start on 30 September. What do you think about the government’s approach?

Dr Arrey Joachim: I think the government is doing something, but the population is simply not happy with what it is doing. It is a good idea to receive opinions from political parties and traditional leaders, but it should be pointed out that Southern Cameroonians who have triggered this dialogue do no longer trust their politicians and traditional leaders, most of whom have escaped to East Cameroon as a result of the conflict. This conflict is born out of frustration and marginalization and the government should understand that certain measures need to be taken now to instil confidence in the English-speaking minority if it wants its dialogue not to end up as a deadlock.  The truth is that those who have financed this revolution are living abroad and the best the government can do is to head to those countries and try to negotiate. The government itself has lost credibility and those living abroad will never take it seriously. The government needs to seek a mediator who must be impartial and objective to ensure that the country does not end up with a deadlock on its hand. That is why many people around the round still express fear and doubts as to the government’s sincerity in organizing a dialogue. The government seems to be playing the role of a judge and jury at the same time.  I would advise that the United Nations be given a chance to play an important role so that Southern Cameroonians can feel that there is a neutral third party involved. If Mr. Biya really wants peace to return to Cameroon, then he must yield a lot of ground and must yield to calls for an international mediator.

Cameroon Concord News: But the president did also say that there was nobody to discuss with and that has been the issue facing the government for all these years.

Dr Arrey Joachim: I think Mr. Biya is frozen in time. He is of the opinion that he knows it all and the other Cameroonians are not smart enough to generate any good idea. If he had listened to many people just when the crisis started, we would not be where we are today. If he had addressed the nation using the right words at the beginning of the crisis, more than 2,000 lives would have been spared. Saying that he cannot find someone to dialogue with only makes him sound ridiculous. He seems to be looking for a solution that is already in his bedroom. As far as Southern Cameroonians are concerned, Julius Ayuk Tabe is their president and a poster boy of the rebellion. Besides Julius Ayuk Tabe, there are many other leaders in jail. If ?r: Biya were serious about this dialogue which I am considering as a deadlock, he would grant general amnesty to all those arrested during the crisis as well as people living abroad who have been directly or indirectly linked to the crisis. This will not only be a goodwill gesture, but a clear signal that he wants things to return to normal. History is littered with stories of people who have negotiated for their groups while in jail. Nelson Mandela did it for South Africans and Julius Ayuk Tabe can also do it for Southern Cameroonians.

Cameroon Concord News: But it is held that Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe and Co. are terrorists because of their role in the rebellion.

Dr Arrey Joachim: I think it is time to change the rhetoric. If the government continues to use the anti-terrorism law to eliminate its opponents, nobody will ever have confidence in it. Julius Ayuk Tabe and others arrested in the context of this conflict are not terrorists. They are freedom fighters who truly hold that the Yaounde system needs to change. They hold that Southern Cameroonians have been marginalized for too long and despite all the peaceful means used over the last four decades to draw the attention of the government to the sorry plight of the people of Southern Cameroons, the Yaounde government has continued to argue that there is no marginalization in Cameroon. The best any reasonable person can do is to listen to those who are complaining. Killing and jailing them will not cause the problem to go away.  The anti-terrorism law should not be used by the government to push the country into conflicts that are sapping its economy of its vitality. For real development to take place in Cameroon, there must be peace. The government of Cameroon must live up to the expectations of its people. It must sow the seeds of peace and must understand that a government is not chosen for it to oppress its people, but to create the right conditions for its citizens to prosper and live life in a peaceful environment.

Cameroon Concord News: Will you attend the national dialogue in Yaounde?

Dr Arrey Joachim: Personally, I do not need to be physically present in Yaounde for me to contribute my ideas. I have been writing for decades to let the government know that something is broken and needs to be fixed. My role as a writer is to inform and admonish, where necessary. It is also up to the government to accept what I say or write. But it now knows that failure to listen could lead to the type of disaster the country has witnessed over the last three years. As far as I am concerned, the government should ensure that the Diaspora is properly represented. However, I don’t know how that will happen as Mr. Biya and his government are still threatening the Diaspora with arrests. The Yaounde government needs to fix its relationship with the Diaspora. The Diaspora has the resources to destabilize Cameroon for a long time. If the government really wants to succeed, then it must send delegations to London, Washington and Toronto to meet with those who can help Cameroon return to the path of peace. I know you will be surprised that I have mentioned Toronto and not Ottawa, but I would be quick to add that Toronto is where the money has been coming from. If you need to address the right crowd, then the Greater Toronto Area is where you should be, as many successful Cameroonians have settled in places like Brampton, Mississauga and Ajax which constitute the Greater Toronto Area and most of them are in the private sector and have the resources to keep Yaounde politicians awake all night.

Cameroon Concord News: Which other group of people would you recommend for the national dialogue?

Dr Arrey Joachim: I would recommend religious leaders and activists. These groups of people can make or mar the national dialogue. Religious leaders are much respected in Southern Cameroons. Their views should be taken seriously. Activists also have a huge following.  If the government wants them to change their perspective and their rhetoric, then it must stretch a hand of friendship to journalists and activists. When you need peace, you must bend over backwards to have it.

Cameroon Concord News: Will you be willing to work for the government so that you can share your views with the authorities?

Dr Arrey Joachim: I will continue to use all the platforms available to me to share my perspective. I do not need to work for the government for my views to be known. I have been writing and will continue to do so for a long time. As a writer, my role is to inform and not to be a bureaucrat. There are other Cameroonians who can deliver more than me. I prefer to be on the sidelines to draw the government’s attention to mistakes that may cause our country to implode, but I will always do so in all objectivity and honesty.  That is my role and I love to play it.

Cameroon Concord News: Thank you Dr. Joachim Arrey for sharing your thoughts with us.

Liberia: 26 students, two teachers killed in school fire

19, September 2019

Liberia: 26 students, two teachers killed in school fire 0

A huge fire at a Liberian Koranic school killed at least 26 pupils and two teachers on Wednesday when flames engulfed their dormitory, in one of the worst disasters of its kind for the West African nation.

The boys were sleeping at the school when the overnight fire began, said police spokesman Moses Carter, adding that an electrical fault could have caused the blaze.

President George Weah visited the site in Paynesville, on the outskirts of the capital, Monrovia, and said the cause was still unknown.

“We are here to encourage parents of the victims to have strength, because it is painful to lose your kids in this manner,” Weah told reporters at the scene.

The president’s office said 26 pupils between the ages of 10 and 20 died along with two teachers. The police spokesman said 27 students had been killed.

On Wednesday evening, the president of neighboring Guinea, Alpha Conde, said several of his country’s nationals died in the blaze.

In a statement, he expressed “great emotion” over the deaths and gave his “deepest condolences to the Liberian people and the Guinean community in Liberia,” adding that he was following the investigation closely.

“We extend our sympathy to the bereaved families. We don’t know the cause of the fire yet, but we will encourage our investigators to find how it happened,” he added.

A man reacts as a burial team and rescue workers prepare to take the bodies of pupils and two teacher, who were killed in an overnight fire at a Koranic school, to the burial site, in Monrovia, Liberia, on September 18, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Rescuers in white masks and surgical gloves carried the children’s bodies in bags from the burnt-out building as crowds of people and relatives pressed together outside.

“Our team is investigating the cause of the fire,” the police spokesman said. “It may be electrical,” he added, while refusing to rule out the possibility that the fire was a criminal act.

The children were asleep

“I was sleeping when I heard noise outside. My wife opened the back door and we saw smoke coming from the front. We came out and saw fire at the back,” said local resident Zazay Ballah, who said they had helped in the rescue efforts.

“We went for water, trying to put it out… When the fire fighters came, the fire was already going down.”

The victims were buried swiftly in a collective ceremony, in the Muslim tradition.

In an earlier tweet, Weah offered condolences to the families of those affected.

“My prayers go out to the families of the children that died last night in Paynesville City as a result of a deadly fire that engulfed their school building,” he wrote.

“This is a tough time for the families of the victims and all of Liberia.”

The Liberian authorities are all too familiar with deadly fires, often caused by malfunctioning generators, though “not on this scale,” the presidential spokesman said.

The majority of Liberians are Christian but there is a sizeable minority of Muslims among the 4.5-million population.

Liberia is one of the least developed nations in the world, and its recent history has been blighted by civil wars and the deadly Ebola virus.

(Source: AFP)

Schools struggle as Southern Cameroons conflict drags on

19, September 2019

Schools struggle as Southern Cameroons conflict drags on 0

It’s back to school day in Cameroon’s economic capital Douala and 19-year-old Pricilla Ngum Che is getting ready to go to class — for the first time in two years.

Pricilla lives in this small windowless room, that she shares with her two younger siblings.

She and her siblings live by themselves and are supported by their parents who sends them money to tend to their other needs.

With only their clothe on their backs, Pricilla and her brothers fled their home town of Kumba, the second largest English speaking city in Cameroon, were separatist have been fighting to establish a breakaway state.

Cameroon has been gripped by violence since November 2016, when government forces crushed a movement of Anglophone teachers and lawyers protesting against their perceived marginalization by the country’s French-speaking majority.

The protests morphed into an insurgency of separatists seeking independence for the Anglophone southwest and northwest regions, which were controlled by Britain during colonialism.

The deteriorating security has led to the closure of hundreds of schools and left thousands of children like Pricilla without no access to education, leading many families to move to French speaking towns so that their children could go to school.

“I decided to come here to come and complete my education. Because schools there are not functioning that way. So, I decided to come here to complete my secondary education, yeah, which is going to help me and my family,” Pricilla said.

Pricilla attends a private English college 20 minutes away form her home, which also has other displaced children who fled because of the crisis.

School administrator Ali Ousmalia says the influx of displaced children presents many challenges for the school authorities, and that the number of children coming from troubled Anglophone region has more than tripled this school year.

“The population that we are having that is really disturbing us now as I may say, It is all these our brothers and sisters from the north west (anglophones). Disturbing us in how? They are disturbing us that they come they don’t have documents to prove they were in school, they come they don’t have their birth certificate, they don’t have their report cards, so it is really heavy on us. Some are even coming… as you can see if you move in to classes now… we are forced to take them in class without uniforms, without any information like that just to make sure we educate Cameroonians,” he added.

Political blogger Tah Javis Mai has had a devastating impact on the education system in Cameroon’s anglophone region and its children.

“We have about 20 percent of effective resumption for North and South West regions. We have 600.000 kids out of school. We have 4000 schools down, either burned down or not open at all. Now we are talking about a school resumption especially where I come from, an area where we use to have 5000 students per school in GBHS Muea is shutdown. Looking at the other surrounding schools but come now to look at the effects. It’s going to create an increase in hate crime because we have kids who have not been able to school 3 years going to 4 years now all of them are in the bushes. Now their mentality now is different. They now see things differently,” he said.

For Pricilla, readjusting to school in a new town has not been easy, especially after missing out on two years of school, away from family and friends.

“I face a lot of challenges inn school in the fact that, my teachers back in south west, where stopped. So, I have come here so they are not in the same page with us, yeah. So, I face lots of challenges for that and it’s very difficult for me to pick up here. And then secondly, I face challenges in school… I don’t have friends. Am just there bored, alone, I don’t have anyone to talk to. Yes, so am very-very lonely in school,” she added.

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya announced in a rare public address last Tuesday the organization of a national dialogue to solve a separatist crisis in the country’s English-speaking regions.

Biya said the talks, led by the prime minister and starting from the end of September, would bring together a wide range of people to seek ways to end violence that has plagued the region in recent months.

In June, NGO Human Rights Watch said the prospects for talks between the government and separatist leaders were very thin.

Reuters

Prime Minister Dion Ngute stresses role of media, youth to end the Ambazonia conflict

19, September 2019

Prime Minister Dion Ngute stresses role of media, youth to end the Ambazonia conflict 0

Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on Tuesday underlined the “important role” of the media and youth in addressing the conflict in the country’s two restive English-speaking regions.

Ngute made the remarks in the capital city of Yaounde during consultative talks with the Cameroon National Youth Council (CNJC) and the Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ), which focused on a national dialogue to end the conflict in the restive regions in the southwest and northwest.

“We have expressed the wish to have youth representatives in every stage of this national dialogue. Cameroonian young people from all over the country will be involved, and we are also going to consult the diaspora to be part of this historic event,” Fatimatou Iyawa, CNJC’s president said after the meeting.

“For peace to be sustainable, the media has a very important role to play,” Martin Nkemngu, secretary general of the CUJ noted.

Ngute, who will chair the national dialogue, has been laying the groundwork for the event that is expected to be held by the end of September.

On Tuesday last week, Cameroonian President Paul Biya announced the national dialogue to facilitate a “return to normal life” in the two English-speaking regions.

Crisis has rocked the two regions for over two years after armed separatists declared the “independence” of the regions that constitute a minority in the largely French-speaking country.

Over 530,000 people have been displaced internally by the conflict, according to the United Nations.

Source: Xinhaunet

As Ambazonia crisis continues, national dialogue will focus on ‘bilingualism, cultural diversity and social cohesion’

19, September 2019

As Ambazonia crisis continues, national dialogue will focus on ‘bilingualism, cultural diversity and social cohesion’ 0

Cameroon’s leader Paul Biya, in an infrequent outing on Tuesday, September 10, announced talks to put to rest the crisis rocking the country’s English-speaking northwest and southwest regions – an impasse elapsing for the fourth year.

The conflict broke out in late 2016 when English-speaking Cameroonians began to protest the ongoing marginalization from the Francophone majority, who say the French-speaking majority government has consistently oppressed their language, culture and economies.

The protest movement, led mostly by teachers and lawyers, evolved into a militant separatist movement calling for the secession of English-speaking Cameroon. The government clamped down on Anglophone separatists and the conflict led to close to 2,000 people killed and over 500,000 displaced, according to the United Nations.

President Biya, who has been in power for 37 years, said the discussion would pull together people from a vast array of the country and will be chaired by Anglophone Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.

“The dialogue in question will mainly concern the situation in the northwest and southwest regions. The dialogue will, therefore, rally all the sons and daughters of our beloved and beautiful country, Cameroon, to reflect on values that are dear to us, namely: peace, security, national unity and progress,” President Biya said on public television CRTV.

Gina Sondo @GinaSondo

In view of the National Dialogue, #Cameroon’s PM Dion Ngute will meet the following…

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

However, there are concerns the dialogue may be limited and remote-controlled by the country’s leadership.

Agbor Nkongho, a human rights lawyer, who was part of the initial protests, wrote on Twitter on September 11, reacting to the President’s speech:

Agbor Nkongho@AgborNkonghoF

The call for an inclusive dialogue is very appreciated. I urge those who will be attending to call for the release of all those detained in connection with the crisis, the need for constitutional amendment and also to ensure that the form of the state is equally discussed.

The Anglophone crisis in context 

After World War I, Britain and France shared control over Cameroon. France ruled French Cameroon and Britain administered a territory then-called British Southern Cameroons.

French Cameroon gained independence in 1961 as La Republique du Cameroun while British Southern Cameroons voted to join La Republique du Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, made up of two states: West Cameroon (English-speaking) and East Cameroon (French-speaking).

However, the first president of Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, who held power from 1960-1982, abolished the federal system in 1972. Today, there are 10 regions in the United Republic of Cameroon, made of 8 French regions and 2 English regions.

Anglophone Cameroonians have long lamented suppression from Francophone Cameroonians, who have dominated the country’s leadership since inception.

In 1991, efforts made to incise the abscess of the Anglophone problem with a similar call for dialogue fell flat. The All Anglophone Conference in 1993 and 1994 also made no impact:

Dibussi Tande@dibussi

When Anglophone members of the Committee on Constitutional Reform, set up by @PR_Paul_BIYA in 1993, proposed an alternative Federal Constitution, the President instead convened a “Grand Debat National” to water down & sidestep Anglo demands #AnglophoneCrisis #AmbazoniaConflict

View image on Twitter

Nonetheless, President Biya recently announced a national dialogue to take place at the end of September, and several groups have already submitted proposals on how to resolve the crisis.

In one of them, the opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, led by vice-president Joshua Osih called for a neutral personality to chair the talks. Several Anglophone separatists are calling for the release of their leaders from prison after receiving life sentences.

Doubt, hope, fear ahead of talks

Netizens took to Twitter to express hope as well as doubt about the impact of the national dialogue plan. Solomon Amabo called for the need for a third-party presence to ensure transparency and inclusivity:

Solomon Amabo@solomon_amabo

Dialogue:’Who will I dialogue with?asked Mr Biya?He turns around and calls for National Dialogue,to dialogue with who then?Dialogue with ready-made resolutions-One and indivisible Cameroon?Only negotiations with 3rd party presence(UN,USA,etc)can be binding.We are not in 1961!

View image on Twitter

Peter Tah also worries about inclusivity and wonders how peace is possible without a clear ceasefire:

Peter Tah@TFomonyuy · 20hReplying to @TFomonyuy

It’s increasing clear that the national dialogue will focus on issues like bilingualism, social cohesion, cultural diversity, return of refugees, reintegration of ex-combatants & rebuilding of affected areas in the Northwest & Southwest regions of #Cameroon. #AnglophoneCrisis

Peter Tah@TFomonyuy

Looking at how predialogue talks are unfolding, it’s evident that this will be far from being inclusive. The regime seems to be picking & choosing those who would attend. Plus if this is dialogue on a crisis involving two parties, how come one party gets to draw up the agenda?

However, Biya clarified on Monday, September 16, that the national dialogues will focus on “bilingualism, cultural diversity and social cohesion, the reconstruction and development of conflict-affected areas, the return of refugees and displaced persons, the education and judicial system, but also decentralization and local development,” according to Cameroon Online.

The United Nations says it has taken in the resolve by Cameroon’s leader Paul Biya to settle the armed conflict in the country’s English-speaking regions.

The UN urged inclusive talks to end the conflict that has persisted for nearly four years:

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement made today by President Paul Biya on the launch of a national dialogue process in Cameroon. He encourages the government of Cameroon to ensure that the process is inclusive and addresses the challenges facing the country. He calls on all Cameroonian stakeholders, including the Diaspora, to participate in this effort.

Still, the September talks are announced amidst ongoing violence and a new surge of refugees fleeing insecure situations — including lockdowns and school closures for the last three years — in the northwest and southwest regions.

Culled from The Global Voice

Biya appoints Hayatou to salvage his AFCON plan

18, September 2019

Biya appoints Hayatou to salvage his AFCON plan 0

Former African soccer leader Issa Hayatou will help organize some of the continent’s top tournaments.

The Cameroon sports ministry says it has appointed Hayatou, who was FIFA’s interim president in 2015-16, as a special adviser to the organizers of competitions it will host, including the 2020 African Nations Championship and the 2021 African Cup of Nations.

Hayatou left top-level soccer when his 29-year presidency of the Confederation of African Football ended in 2017 with an election loss to Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar.

Cameroon was stripped of hosting this year’s African Cup by CAF, which cited poor preparations. The decision was widely seen as a riposte to Hayatou.

With CAF in turmoil and Ahmad implicated in financial corruption by French investigators, FIFA has sent secretary general Fatma Samoura from Zurich to run the Cairo-based organization.

The 73-year-old Hayatou has retained honorary membership of the International Olympic Committee and attended meetings in June in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Source: AFP

Indonesia: Cargo plane carrying four missing

18, September 2019

Indonesia: Cargo plane carrying four missing 0

An Indonesian cargo plane with four people on board lost contact with air traffic control , an official said, the latest incident to hit the country’s poor aviation record.

The Twin Otter DHC6-400, set off from the city of Timika on Wednesday at 10:39 am (0239 GMT) and was headed to Ilaga, a mountainous region in the remote eastern province of Papua and was scheduled to arrive 50 minutes after taking off.

“After 2.5 hours, there has been no information from the nearest airport on the plane’s whereabouts, we decided to announce the plane has lost contact,” local transportation agency head, Yan Purba told Metro TV .

The aircraft was carrying three crew members and one passenger as well as 1.7 tonnes of rice.

Search and rescue have been assembled for the missing plane which was flying in a good weather condition, Purba said.

Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands, but mountainous Papua is a particularly difficult area to reach.

The country has a poor aviation safety record and Papua is a particularly problematic place to fly due to its mountainous terrain and frequent poor weather.

In June, a military helicopter with 12 people on board lost contact just minutes after it took off from a remote Papua district Oksibil, to Sentani, also in Papua.

The remains of the aircraft have not been found to this day.

Earlier in 2016, a cargo plane carrying construction materials crashed in Ilaga, killing all four people on board.

(Source: AFP)

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