Headline News

16, September 2026

Martinez Zogo Trial: questions over missing phone linked to Amougou Belinga ⁰

The disappearance of a phone attributed to businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga returned to the center of the Martinez Zogo case on September 15, 2026. A senior gendarmerie official told the Yaoundé Military Court that investigators tried to recover the device because it could provide direct access to communications between Amougou Belinga and Justin Danwe, the former operations director of Cameroon’s external intelligence service.

Lieutenant Colonel Dieudonné Bialo, head of the National Gendarmerie’s Central Judicial Investigations Service (SCRJ), appeared as the prosecution’s 35th witness and detailed the efforts made to locate the phone. His testimony again brought the name of Melissa Amougou Belinga, the businessman’s wife, into the proceedings.

Phone and SIM Card Had Stopped Transmitting

According to Bialo, investigators established that both the phone and its SIM card had stopped transmitting signals on mobile networks.

“Our service reported that this phone had stopped transmitting, both through the SIM card and the phone’s IMEI,” he told the court. Under questioning from Félicité Zeifman, a lawyer representing Martinez Zogo’s beneficiaries, Bialo described the investigation into the device.

The search reportedly led investigators to a man described as close to a domestic employee of the Amougou Belinga household after his SIM card was found in the phone they were looking for. Investigators subsequently examined the employee’s role and Melissa Amougou Belinga’s alleged involvement in the device’s movements.

Investigators Sought Communications With Justin Danwe

Bialo said recovering the phone was particularly important because Danwe allegedly communicated with Amougou Belinga through the number associated with the device.

According to his testimony, investigators tracked the number to locations that corresponded with some of Danwe’s movements.

Bialo also recalled that Danwe had said he sent Amougou Belinga videos through the phone that showed violence inflicted on Zogo.

“Without being a fortune teller, and based on those statements, it was necessary for that phone to be handed over to investigators,” Bialo told the court.

The device could therefore have provided investigators with direct access to some of the communications attributed to Amougou Belinga. Its continued absence has prevented experts from examining that material directly.

Bialo Says Melissa Amougou Belinga Should Have Been Detained for Questioning

Asked what investigators should have done after efforts to recover the phone failed, Bialo said they should have requested Melissa Amougou Belinga’s detention for questioning. The missing device has surfaced repeatedly during the trial. In June 2026, cybercrime expert Georges Bell Bitjoka confirmed before the court that investigators had not recovered the phone attributed to Amougou Belinga and allegedly used for some exchanges with Danwe.

Investigators instead recovered some of the messages from Danwe’s devices. In July, Colonel Jean-Pierre Otoulou also testified about investigators’ unsuccessful search for an iPhone and the alleged involvement of people within Amougou Belinga’s family and household.

No Judicial Finding Against Melissa Amougou Belinga

Melissa Amougou Belinga, born Melissa Etoundi Nsoe, is the businessman’s third wife. She is the daughter of Colonel Raymond Etoundi Nsoe, a former commander of Cameroon’s Presidential Guard who was himself detained in February 2023 during the initial investigation into people close to Amougou Belinga.

The testimony presented in court does not establish that Melissa Amougou Belinga bears responsibility for the phone’s disappearance. That question has not been judicially determined.

The testimony instead provides further details about investigators’ efforts to locate a device they considered important to the case. Its absence continues to prevent experts from directly examining some of the communications attributed to Amougou Belinga.

Source: Sbbc

16, September 2026

Revealed: Colonel Danwe admits ordering Martinez Zogo operation ⁰

Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe has acknowledged that he led the operation against journalist Martinez Zogo and gave orders to the men involved, but he denies ordering his death. His defense also maintains that Danwe himself received instructions from higher levels within Cameroon’s external intelligence service, the DGRE.

That position was again presented before the Yaoundé Military Court on September 14, 2026, during the continued examination of Colonel Jean-Pierre Otoulou.

According to Jacques Mbuny, Danwe’s lawyer, the former director of operations at the Directorate General for External Research (DGRE) “fully accepted responsibility, in light of the mission assigned to his men.”

The defense therefore does not dispute that the men involved in the operation acted under Danwe’s authority. It draws a distinction, however, between the violence allegedly ordered against Zogo and the journalist’s death. At the same time, it seeks to establish whether responsibility for the operation extended further up the DGRE chain of command.

“As their superior, he said that his men acted under his orders,” Mbuny said. “Just as he gives orders as a superior and director of operations, he also receives orders.”

The case now centers partly on two separate questions: how far Danwe’s instructions to the commando went and from whom he says he received his own orders.

Danwe Denies Ordering Martinez Zogo’s Death

On the first question, Danwe’s defense has maintained its position that the operation was not intended to kill the journalist. “There was one part that he never accepted responsibility for,” Mbuny said. “Even his men have consistently stated that there was never any question […] of taking the life of the late Martinez Zogo.”

Under the defense’s account, the mission called for violence against Zogo, but some members of the group exceeded the instructions they had received. The court must weigh that argument against the circumstances of the journalist’s death and determine the individual responsibility of the commando members.

The defense has cited statements that some participants made during the investigation. Ebo’o Clément, identified in the case as one of the members of the group assigned to the “treatment” of Zogo, had described a mission to “rough him up” and inflict injuries.

Those statements do not resolve the central legal questions. The court must determine who ordered the violence, whether the acts that caused Zogo’s death fell within the original instructions and what criminal responsibility each defendant bears. No verdict has been issued.

Danwe Points to the DGRE Chain of Command

Danwe’s defense also argues that the operation was not his initiative alone and seeks to place it within the DGRE’s broader chain of command.

According to Mbuny, his client maintains that the operation was prepared within the intelligence service and that senior officials could not have been unaware of it. “He is also demanding […] that those above him accept their responsibilities,” the lawyer said.

During his exchange with Colonel Jean-Pierre Otoulou, Danwe said he had received an order for an operation against Zogo before his December 29, 2022 meeting with businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga.

That timeline forms an important part of his defense. It supports his argument that the decision to conduct an operation against Zogo preceded the meeting and did not originate from an initiative taken on that occasion.

Danwe also maintains that his superiors knew about the operation. Lawyers for Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, then director general of the DGRE and also a defendant in the case, dispute that account.

Mbuny has also cited testimony about where the operation was allegedly prepared. According to the lawyer, Otoulou indicated that the planning took place in the DGRE operations directorate’s “situation room.”

Danwe’s defense argues that the room was under video surveillance and that footage could be accessed from the director general’s office. His lawyers cite this point to challenge the idea that such an operation could have been planned inside the DGRE without senior officials’ knowledge.

That remains a defense argument, and the court must assess it alongside other testimony and evidence in the case.

Calvin Job, a lawyer for Zogo’s family, takes a different view of the testimony presented during the hearings. He argues that statements from commando members support the civil party’s position that the operation had been organized in advance rather than carried out as an improvised or isolated initiative.

According to Job, testimony before the court supports the view that the operation was “planned” and “organized.” The parties continue to disagree over what the evidence establishes about Eko Eko and other officials implicated in the case. The Yaoundé Military Court has yet to determine the criminal responsibility of each defendant.

Otoulou’s examination, which has extended across several hearings, has therefore brought the chain of command to the center of the proceedings. Beyond identifying those who physically participated in the operation against Zogo, the court must determine who authorized it, who knew about it and what instructions were given to those who carried it out.

Source: Sbbc

16, September 2026

Archbishop Nkea to battle decade of war with new peace Catechism ⁰

Archbishop Nkea is preparing a unique catechism on peace aimed at rebuilding a generation scarred by a decade of violence – after thousands were killed and up to a million people displaced in the north-west.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya said the project, inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s message of peace, will consist of 100 questions and answers designed to teach young people of all faiths the values of human dignity, reconciliation and respect for life.

With support from Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the archbishop hopes to print and distribute the catechism widely among children and young people in north-west Cameroon, where conflict between separatist groups and government forces has raged since 2016.

He said: “During these ten years of suffering, our young people have grown up surrounded by violence.”

The crisis has left deep wounds across Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. According to figures cited by Archbishop Nkea, between 8,000 and 10,000 people have been killed, although he believes the true number could be higher, while between 800,000 and one million people have been forced to flee their homes.

The impact on children, who make up around 60 percent of the population, has been especially severe.

“The war has created a new generation deeply marked by conflict,” the archbishop said.

For around five years, many children were unable to attend school because of insecurity and attacks linked to the conflict. When some schools eventually reopened, many pupils had become too old to return to primary education.

The violence has also affected the Church, with priests, religious and bishops kidnapped during the unrest.

In one of the worst-hit areas of the archdiocese, abductions became so frequent that Archbishop Nkea took the dramatic decision to close parishes and withdraw clergy until their safety could be guaranteed.

What troubled him most, however, was that many of those involved were not strangers to the Church.

He said: “They were young people from the community itself. Many of their parents were Christians, and some of them also considered themselves Christians. They could attend Mass on Sunday and shortly afterwards kidnap a priest.”

Faced with the escalating violence, the archbishop rejected any suggestion of retaliation.

He stressed: “We are not going to fight anyone.”

The Church suspending its presence in some areas, prompted an unexpected response from local communities.

According to Archbishop Nkea, mothers began confronting their sons, warning them that the loss of churches, schools and hospitals would have serious consequences.

“They told them: ‘We cannot live without Mass.’ ‘If the bishop closes the Church hospitals, where will we go when we are sick?'”

Gradually, local residents became involved in efforts to secure the release of kidnapped clergy.

Determined not to lose the services provided by the Church, community leaders pressured armed groups and negotiated for the release of their captives.

For Archbishop Nkea, the experience highlighted the urgent need to address the damage done to a generation raised amid bloodshed and instability.

“They have witnessed killings. They have witnessed kidnappings. They have seen respect for human life and human dignity decline,” he said.

He believes the answer lies not only in ending violence but also in teaching a new way of thinking.

“We want to build a new culture. A culture based on respect for the human person, the value of life, reconciliation and peace.”

That conviction led to the creation of the peace catechism, inspired by a visit to Bamenda by Pope Leo XIV, who left what the archbishop described as “a very powerful message of peace” that shouldn’t be squandered.

Around 15,000 pupils attend Catholic schools across the archdiocese, including Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religions. As a result, the text will focus not on Catholic doctrine but on universal values such as forgiveness, peaceful coexistence, respect for human dignity and the sanctity of life.

“It will be a text based on the Holy Father’s message of peace. This catechism will not be intended only for Catholics. We believe it is a concrete way of sowing peace among the younger generations,” Archbishop Nkea said.

With ACN’s support, he hopes the catechism can be distributed widely and introduced to children from an early age.

After ten years in which many young Cameroonians have known little except conflict, the Church in Bamenda hopes the initiative will help cultivate a different future rooted in reconciliation, respect and peace.

Culled from Independent Catholic News

16, September 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 7 kidnapped by suspected Amba fighters in Bangourain ⁰

Seven people were kidnapped by suspected separatist fighters in Cameroon’s West region, residents and security sources said Monday.

The abduction took place Sunday night in Bangourain, a locality in the Noun division of the West region, when armed men stormed a family compound.

“Those who were kidnapped are members of the same family,” a security source in the region said. “The Ambazonia fighters invaded their compound while they were asleep and took them away at gunpoint. We have launched a manhunt to rescue the hostages and capture the fighters.”

Cameroon’s West region shares a border with the English-speaking Northwest region, where an armed separatist conflict is ongoing. Ambazonia Restoration Forces regularly target civilians and soldiers in the neighboring French-speaking regions.

A separatist war has been raging in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest, where separatists seek to create an independent nation known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

By Fon Lawrence with files

15, September 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 3 killed, 2 injured in bar shooting in Bamenda ⁰

At least three people were killed and two others injured when gunmen opened fire at a bar in Bamenda on Monday, witnesses and security sources said.

The attack in the chief city of the North West region was reportedly carried out by armed men who arrived on motorcycles and fired on the bar patrons.

“The gunmen arrived on motorcycles and started shooting at people who were drinking at the bar. They killed a woman and two men,” a resident, who requested anonymity after witnessing the incident, said.

Security sources said two people were killed on the spot, while a third victim later died from his injuries.

The shooting comes as clashes have escalated in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, where Ambazonia fighters are seeking to enforce a weeklong lockdown that began Monday, Sept. 7.

Police security reports indicate at least 10 people, including civilians, separatist fighters and soldiers, have been killed since the lockdown started.

Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions have been gripped by an armed separatist conflict since 2017, with armed groups seeking to establish an independent state.

By Fon Lawrence with files

15, September 2026

US military nearing ‘breakdown’ amid sustained Iranian attacks ⁰

The Islamic Republic of Iran is pushing the US military to the brink of a “breakdown” through sustained attacks on American bases and warships across West Asia, according to US officials familiar with military operations in the region.

Citing two US officials familiar with military operations, The Intercept reported on Tuesday that sustained Iranian retaliatory attacks on US bases and warships had severely strained American military readiness.

One of the officials cautioned that the mounting pressure could eventually lead to a “breakdown” in the military’s ability to effectively sustain the war on Iran.

The officials pointed to depleted stocks of defensive munitions, mounting casualties, maintenance problems, prolonged troop deployments and increasingly difficult logistics as signs of the growing pressure on US forces.

The report said the mounting pressures had further intensified concerns over the Pentagon’s already strained budget, casting doubt on repeated assurances by the Trump administration about the strength and readiness of the US military.

The report added that Iran’s ability to overwhelm US air defenses in the region with drones and advanced ballistic missiles had left the US military in a precarious position.

One official said the Trump administration had failed to properly assess Iran’s military capabilities, while the other pointed to Washington’s “complete lack of planning” for the war.

One of the officials said Iran’s recent attacks on US warships with ballistic missiles represented a “go for broke” strategy aimed at increasing economic pressure on Washington ahead of the US midterm elections.

The officials also pointed to damage inflicted on key US military facilities across the region.

15, September 2026

The Cameroonian army must put its conscience to the test ⁰

For more than four decades and with the full backing of the military, Cameroon has been governed under the shadow of one political system and one presidency. A nation that was once presented as a project of stability has become for millions of Cameroonians a story of stagnation, impunity and the concentration of political and economic power in the hands of a privileged few-that privileged few are members of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate and top military barons.

The time has come for the Cameroonian army leadership to ask themselves a question that can no longer be postponed: What kind of country do we want to leave to the next generation?

The governing establishment has long invoked the language of rigour and moralization. But what moralization means to an ordinary Cameroonian is very different from what it appears to mean within the corridors of power in Yaoundé.

When citizens struggle with unemployment, inadequate hospitals, failing infrastructure, poor public services and the rising cost of living while those in power and those close to power appear to accumulate extraordinary wealth and privilege, the government’s rhetoric begins to sound less like a moral standard and more like an insult.

A nation cannot be reduced to a marketplace for political insiders. The Unity Palace is not a family business. Public office is not private property. The resources of Cameroon belong to the Cameroonian people and not to a president, a political party, a network of associates or a privileged class deep within the Cameroonian army.

This is why the question facing Cameroon today is bigger than Paul Biya as an individual. It is about a political culture that has allowed power to become entrenched, accountability to become optional and citizens to become spectators in the governance of their own country.

For too long, too many Cameroonians have been told to wait! Wait for development! Wait for better institutions! Wait for opportunity! Wait for reform! Wait for tomorrow!

But a nation cannot build its future indefinitely on promises of tomorrow. The responsibility now belongs to the Cameroonian army. Not through violence. Not through vengeance. Not through hatred but through conscience, courage and a strong action like we witnessed in Gabon, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Algeria.

Every senior army officer must ask: What have I accepted that I should never have accepted? What injustice have I normalized because challenging it seemed inconvenient or dangerous? What kind of Commander-In-Chief am I willing to tolerate as a soldier? And what responsibility do I have for the Cameroon my children will inherit? These are not uncomfortable questions. They are necessary ones.

A functioning nation requires more than elections. It requires citizens who refuse to surrender their political agency. It requires institutions capable of scrutinizing those in power. It requires independent courts, a free press, transparent public finances and genuine consequences for corruption and abuse of office. Most importantly, it requires a security service including the army that understands that political power ultimately derives its legitimacy from the people. Cameroonian army soldiers should therefore put their consciences to the test.

Innocent Cameroonian citizens have died demanding transparency. Hundreds have been killed for demanding accountability. Thousands are in jail for demanding credible institutions. And thousands are living in exile for demanding an end to impunity. The Cameroonian army has been helping in stifling any political competition geared towards putting an end to the idea that Biya and his ruling CPDM party do not own the state of Cameroon. The military is now the only constituency in Cameroon that can bring about change.

The objective of the Cameroonian army should not be to replace one group of beneficiaries with another. Cameroon does not need a new generation of political predators wearing different colors. It needs a new political ethic—one in which public service actually means service to the public.

Cameroon has enormous human potential. Its young people have ideas, ambition and energy. Its entrepreneurs create businesses despite enormous obstacles. Its teachers, doctors, engineers, farmers, workers and professionals keep the country functioning despite circumstances that would break the spirit of many societies.

Cameroon does not lack capable people. It lacks a political system willing to put the interests of its people first. That can change if the military leaders sit back, think and rethink things. Change will not come from Biya and his gang. It will not come from worshipping cabinet ministers in Yaoundé. And it will not come from pretending that the status quo is sustainable simply because it has lasted for so long.

The age of political fatalism must end. The leadership of the National Police Force, the National Gendarmerie and army must now commit to the idea that government exists to serve citizens—not the other way around. The military in every nation on earth is a constituency and so as a constituency the Cameroonian army too must reclaim their right to ask difficult questions, scrutinize those who govern them and participate in getting better commander-in-chief.

The fundamental choice before all the security apparatus of the state of Cameroon is therefore not simply between one politician and another. It is between impunity and accountability. Between stagnation and renewal. Between political entitlement and public service. Between accepting the status quo and exercising the will of the Cameroonian people.

The Cameroonian military leadership should remember that history will eventually judge every generation of the men and women in uniform by what they did when they had the opportunity to change their country’s direction. General Charles De Gaulle changed France. General Franco built Spain. Cameroon is at such a moment.

Let every Cameroonian army soldier put their conscience to the test. Let them decide what kind of nation they want. And let them use every strategic means available to bring about the political renewal Cameroon desperately needs.

The country belongs to its people. It is time for its politics to reflect that truth.

To this I put my name

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

14, September 2026

Dangote refinery launches continent’s biggest IPO ⁰

The Lagos-based refinery, which began operations in 2024, has a capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, exceeding domestic demand in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.

It began exporting its fuel abroad a few months ago and has become the largest supplier of jet fuel to Europe, the company says.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery aims to raise funds to double its capacity to 1.4 million barrels a day by 2028, which would make it the world’s largest refinery, surpassing Jamnagar in India.

Listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, the IPO is targeting up to 10 million shareholders across Africa.

Describing it as an “historic day”, Dangote said that the IPO was “not simply about listing a company. It is about listing a new possibility for Nigeria, and for Africa”.

Investors can buy as few as 10 shares at 525 naira each, potentially raising 2.15 trillion naira ($1.6 billion) in a move Dangote hopes will give ordinary people a chance for a stake in a long-term asset.

He has said the offering, which closes October 13, will be the biggest IPO in African history and has encouraged participation by small investors, including people on lower incomes, such as domestic workers and drivers.

“We believe that an asset of this magnitude should not create value for only very few people, it should create value for millions of people,” said Dangote.

Dangote draws parallels with US giant Amazon and Microsoft whose early shareholders saw the value of their investments grow dramatically.

Monday’s opening saw a surge in interest with several investment platforms such as Bamboo reporting on X that it was experiencing “a much higher than expected traffic trying to get into the Dangote IPO”.

Another investment site, Cowrywise, said it was “seeing more traffic than usual” on its app during the first few hours of the offer going live.

In July, the mega-refinery secured $2.5 billion in investment from private investors.

Located outside Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, the refinery has become a major part of Dangote’s business empire, which spans cement and sugar, to fertiliser production.

Africa currently imports more than 70 percent of its refined fuel, according to an Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) report in April.

Source: AFP

14, September 2026

Norway joins 11 other states to criminalize trade with West Bank settlements ⁰

Norway and 10 other European countries, plus Canada, are pushing for landmark legislation that would impose prison sentences on individuals and organizations trading goods from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Individuals or businesses discovered engaging in trade with Israeli settlements may be subject to a prison sentence of up to three years, according to the proposed Norwegian trade restrictions bill.

Norway’s Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, expressed optimism that the law would be passed by parliament this coming autumn.

Eide told the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that “Lawmakers are facing increasing pressure to respond to the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories.”

He added that numerous other nations are adopting measures similar to those which the Oslo government has already proposed with the bill.

Eide said he believed that Israel has grown excessively accustomed to intimidating Western nations by accusing them of anti-Semitism whenever they criticize Israel for its abuses and breaches of international law.

On September 8, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden announced plans to implement trade restrictions on products sourced from Israeli settlements.

About 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 156 illegal settlements and 360 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds. They routinely carry out attacks aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians, according to Palestinian figures.

The UN regards these settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions because they are built on occupied land. The UN Security Council has banned Israel’s settlement activity in several resolutions.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds. Those rulings, like so many before them, have remained mere words.

14, September 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 3 civilians, one Amba fighter killed in Ekona ⁰

Four people, including three civilians and an Ambazonia fighter, were killed as violence escalated in Southern Cameroons, security sources said Sunday.

Ambazonia Restoration Forces opened fire on a vehicle on a highway in Ekona, a locality in the Southwest Region, on Saturday, killing the driver and two passengers, a security official in the region said.

“They were driving to Kumba when the Amba forces killed them. The Southern Cameroons liberation force said they disrespected a lockdown order,” a pro Yaoundé government official reportedly said and sued for anonymity.

Government forces pursued the fighters after the shooting, leading to a clash that left one separatist fighter dead and several others injured, the official said.

Fighting has intensified in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions since Monday, after separatists declared a week-long lockdown to disrupt the reopening of schools.

Separatist groups have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent state in the two regions.

By Rita Akana with files