Headline News

SONARA loses final UK appeal over CFA42.8 billion Sahara Energy claim

11, September 2026

SONARA loses final UK appeal over CFA42.8 billion Sahara Energy claim 0

Cameroon’s state-owned refinery Sonara has lost its final attempt before the UK Supreme Court to challenge a $76.97 million claim, or about CFA42.8 billion, awarded to Sahara Energy Resource Ltd and Sahara Energy Resource DMCC.

On June 29, 2026, the UK’s highest court refused Sonara permission to appeal, leaving in place a Feb. 6 Court of Appeal ruling in favor of Sahara Energy.

In case UKSC/2026/0046, Lord Briggs, Lord Burrows and Lord Doherty found that Sonara’s application did not raise a point of law of general public importance. The Supreme Court therefore did not reconsider the merits of the dispute.

Sonara had challenged the interpretation of a joint report it signed with Sahara Energy in September 2019. It also raised its financial dependence on the Cameroonian government and the absence of a specific repayment schedule in the document.

The refusal ends Sonara’s attempt to overturn the Court of Appeal decision before the Supreme Court. That ruling had reversed an earlier High Court judgment in favor of the Cameroonian refinery.

$76.97 Million Recognized in a 2019 Agreement

The dispute stems from crude oil cargoes that Sahara supplied to Sonara between 2013 and 2016. The refinery paid the principal amounts on the invoices and contractual interest after legal proceedings began.

Three categories of claims remained unresolved: additional interest tied to Sahara’s financing costs with its banks, foreign-exchange losses, and bank penalties associated with letters of credit used to finance the cargoes.

The companies reviewed those claims during a reconciliation meeting at the Limbé refinery on Sept. 4 and 5, 2019.

The “Joint Report” signed after the meeting classified the additional interest and foreign-exchange losses as “Undisputed Claims,” for a combined $76,967,673.97. Bank penalties totaling $50,760,089.41 were classified as “Disputed Claims.”

The interpretation of that distinction ultimately determined the outcome of the case.

Initial Victory Overturned on Appeal

On Dec. 9, 2024, London’s High Court initially sided with Sonara. It found that the Joint Report constituted a legally binding agreement for some claims, but not for the additional interest and foreign-exchange losses. Sahara’s remaining claims were therefore dismissed.

Sahara appealed and secured a reversal on Feb. 6, 2026.

In its [2026] EWCA Civ 54 judgment, the Court of Appeal found that “Undisputed Claims” should carry its ordinary meaning: the claims in question were no longer contested.

The judges also found that nothing in the Joint Report made Sonara’s commitment conditional on prior approval from the Cameroonian government. According to the court, the fact that the parties still had to discuss a repayment schedule or flexible payment arrangements did not alter their existing agreement on the validity and amount of the claims.

The Court of Appeal therefore ruled in Sahara’s favor on the $76.97 million in additional interest and foreign-exchange losses.

Sahara Loses Additional $50.76 Million Claim

The oil trader’s victory was only partial. The Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal of its $50.76 million claim for bank penalties and charges, finding that an indemnity provision in the 2013 contract did not allow Sahara to pass those costs on to Sonara.

Sahara Energy also sought to challenge that part of the ruling before the Supreme Court. Its application for permission to appeal, filed as UKSC/2026/0047, was also rejected on June 29, 2026.

The judges found that Sahara’s application raised neither an arguable legal issue that warranted Supreme Court intervention nor a point of law of general public importance.

Both companies therefore failed to overturn the portions of the Court of Appeal judgment they challenged. Sonara remains bound by the ruling on the $76.97 million claim, while Sahara cannot recover the additional $50.76 million it sought in bank penalties.

Payment of CFA42.8 Billion Not Established

The Supreme Court’s refusal does not constitute a new financial award. It leaves the Court of Appeal judgment in place.

The public court documents reviewed establish Sahara Energy’s recognized $76.97 million claim. They do not, however, establish that Sonara has already paid the amount, equivalent to about CFA42.8 billion.

Judicial recognition of the debt and its payment are separate matters. At this stage, no identified public information establishes that Sonara has paid the amount in full.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen celebrates 5th Anniversary, reaches out to widows affected by Anglophone Crisis

9, September 2026

Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen celebrates 5th Anniversary, reaches out to widows affected by Anglophone Crisis 0

Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen, a Cameroonian women’s organisation dedicated to fostering unity, cooperation and solidarity among Cameroonian women living in Antwerpen, is set to celebrate five years of existence with a special fundraising gala night on Saturday, September 12, 2026.

The anniversary celebration, which will take place at Kerkhofstraatblommenstraat 1, 2170 Antwerpen, beginning at 8:00 p.m., is expected to bring together Cameroonians, Africans, friends and well-wishers for an evening of entertainment, fellowship and humanitarian solidarity.

What makes this year’s celebration particularly significant is the decision by Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen to use the occasion not only to celebrate its remarkable five-year journey, but also to raise funds to support widows affected by the ongoing crisis in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

The initiative is a commendable demonstration of compassion and social responsibility. At a time when many families in conflict-affected communities continue to struggle with loss, displacement and economic hardship, remembering widows and vulnerable families is a powerful expression of solidarity.

By dedicating part of its anniversary celebration to such a humanitarian cause, Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen has demonstrated that community organisations can go beyond social gatherings to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people facing difficult circumstances back home.

The organisation deserves special commendation for keeping alive the spirit of community and extending its solidarity across borders. Its initiative is a reminder that celebrating success becomes even more meaningful when it is accompanied by an effort to uplift those in need.

Speaking about the event, Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen President Lady Lia Eleanor Ndi appealed to Cameroonians and Africans in Antwerpen and beyond to turn out in large numbers and make the anniversary gala a memorable occasion.

The evening will also feature entertainment from renowned DJ Patcoole, promising guests an atmosphere of music, dancing, celebration and conviviality.

As Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen reaches this important five-year milestone, its members deserve congratulations for their commitment to unity, cooperation and community building. Five years of existence is a significant achievement and the organisation’s decision to mark the occasion with a humanitarian fundraising initiative makes the milestone even more worthy of celebration.

The September 12 gala is therefore more than an anniversary party. It is an opportunity for the Cameroonian and wider African community in Antwerpen to come together, celebrate an organisation that has served its community for five years, and extend a helping hand to widows whose lives have been profoundly affected by conflict.

Cameroonians, Africans, friends of Cameroon and well-wishers are encouraged to attend the gala massively, support the fundraising effort and make their presence count.

As Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen celebrates five years of sisterhood and solidarity, the organisation has shown that true celebration is not only about looking back at achievements, but also about reaching out to those who need a helping hand.

Happy 5th Anniversary to Club 40 Solidarity Antwerpen and congratulations for turning celebration into an opportunity for compassion and humanitarian support.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Football: Real Madrid edge Inter Milan in Champions League opener

9, September 2026

Football: Real Madrid edge Inter Milan in Champions League opener 0

 

Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid secured a narrow 2-1 victory over his former side Inter Milan in a high-octane Champions League opener on Tuesday.

The record 15-time European champions took a two-goal lead through Kylian Mbappe and Fede Valverde thanks to two Inter errors in the first half.

Carlos Augusto smashed home for Cristian Chivu’s team in the second half but they could not find an equaliser at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid coach Mourinho led the Italian side to Champions League glory in 2010 at the same stadium, the last time either they or he managed to lift the trophy, a few days before joining Los Blancos for his first stint at the helm.

After two seasons without a major trophy and enduring early European exits, Madrid president Florentino Perez brought back the Portuguese veteran to try and stop the rot, and Mourinho got the team off to both a triumphant and entertaining start to the league phase.

Mourinho’s side bounced back from a first defeat of the season at Real Betis in La Liga on Friday, although goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several smart saves and Inter were wasteful.

The Italians started energetically in attack but were destabilised by two grievous errors at the back. Madrid stopper Courtois denied Marcus Thuram and then Lautaro Martinez as the visitors probed.

However, in the 14th minute Curtis Jones’s poor pass put Yann Bisseck under pressure and Brahim Diaz poked the ball through to Mbappe, who swiftly fired home.

Madrid’s second was gobbled up by Valverde when Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez dallied on the ball despite the Uruguay international charging straight for him.

When the Spanish stopper realised, it was too late and as he tried to turn Valverde pried the ball away from him and into the net.

Mourinho’s side should have added another before half-time but Martinez made amends for his mistake with a sensational save to thwart Jude Bellingham.

Madrid hold on

Mbappe blazed past Inter’s defence and Martinez saved his low shot before somehow blocking Bellingham’s effort from point-blank range.

Bellingham missed another golden chance before the hour mark after Diaz cleverly worked his way into the area and crossed for him.

The England international might have headed home straight away but chose to control the ball and gave goalkeeper Martinez time to fly across his line and save the eventual shot.

Courtois added to his collection of impressive saves by pushing away Alessandro Bastoni’s low drive as Inter tried to find a foothold.

Madrid carved Inter open but could not put the game to bed, with Martinez saving from Mbappe and Diaz then sliding narrowly wide.

Carlos Augusto blasted past Courtois from Lautaro Martinez’s cross in the 77th minute to give Madrid a nervy ending to the game.

Madrid fans were upset when Alvaro Carreras was made to wait for a minute on the sidelines before he could come on as a substitute, because Vinicius Junior took too long to come off when he was replaced.

Courtois beat away a deflected Henrikh Mkhitaryan effort to ensure his team took all three points.

Source: AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Police commissioner killed, 6 teachers abducted in Wum

8, September 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Police commissioner killed, 6 teachers abducted in Wum 0

A police commissioner was killed and six teachers were abducted Tuesday in an ambush in Cameroon’s conflict-hit Anglophone Northwest region, security sources and local residents said.

The victim was identified as Police Commissioner Mbah Tobie Damase. He was traveling in a convoy in Wum, the chief town of Menchum division, when suspected separatist fighters ambushed the team, a security official in the region said.

The official, who requested anonymity, said the convoy comprised administrative officials and security forces who were touring schools to monitor the effective resumption of classes for the new academic year.

“They abducted six teachers from the Government Technical Teachers’ Training College in Wum. Our forces are pursuing the attackers,” the official said.

The incident comes amid renewed clashes in Cameroon’s two English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions. Since Monday, separatist fighters have attempted to enforce a weeklong lockdown to disrupt the start of the school year.

Armed conflict has persisted in both regions since 2017, when separatists began fighting to create an independent state they call Ambazonia.

Bishop George Nkuo marks 20 years of Episcopal Ministry

8, September 2026

Bishop George Nkuo marks 20 years of Episcopal Ministry 0

Bishop George Nkuo of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Kumbo has marked the 20th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination with thanksgiving, reflecting on the journey of his Priestly and Episcopal ministry and asking for the grace to continue serving God’s people with hope, compassion and perseverance.

Speaking during a Thanksgiving Mass marking the anniversary on Tuesday, September 8, Bishop Nkuo thanked members of the St. Augustine’s College (SAC) community who joined him in prayer, saying the occasion offered him an opportunity to look back on the two decades since he was ordained a Bishop.

He reminded those gathered that while the occasion marked a personal milestone, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist must remain centered on Jesus Christ.

“It’s Christ who is the center of our celebration. So let us not shift our attention from Christ to the Bishop. It’s Christ Himself who is present with us,” he said.

The Local Ordinary of Kumbo shared a personal prayer inspired by his reflection earlier in the day on the Blessed Virgin Mary, inviting the faithful to pray with him as he renewed his entrustment of his Priestly ministry to the Mother of Jesus.

“Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, I entrust my Priesthood to you again,” he said.

Reflecting on two images of Mary — holding the infant Jesus at Bethlehem and standing with Christ in the mystery of His suffering and redemption — the Catholic Bishop asked for the grace to make his ministry one of liberation and service.

“I ask for intercession that my Priestly ministry will always be one of redeeming the people I serve from whatever holds them back from becoming more than the human being God wants them to be. This is my vocation. This is my work. This is my life,” he said.

The Local Ordinary of Kumbo, since September 2006 asked Mary to help him treasure in his heart the blessings God has bestowed upon him and to develop a more positive outlook in the face of difficulties and disappointments.

Bishop Nkuo acknowledged that ministers of the Church can sometimes become overly focused on what goes wrong, the suffering people experience and the disappointments encountered in life.

He said he had prayed for the grace to look beyond suffering and failure and to recognize the hope offered by Christ’s Resurrection.

“I need you to have a more positive outlook. That’s my prayer this morning, and I know you can help me,” he said.

The Catholic Bishop then expressed one of the central reflections of his anniversary prayer: “I want to be able to look at the crucifix and see Easter.”

Bishop Nkuo said he wanted to learn to see failure and rejection not as reasons for despair but as opportunities to learn and improve.

“I want to treat failure and rejection as information about how I can do better. I know from experience that I have a chance. I can dwell on negative outcomes or on positive projections. Help me to choose the latter,” he said.

The Bishop of Kumbo said a more positive attitude would enable him to approach those entrusted to his pastoral care with greater hope.

“With a more positive attitude, Mary my Mother, I can approach the people I am serving with greater hope. And this is certainly what they need,” he said.

Reflecting on his ministry as a preacher of the Gospel, Bishop Nkuo noted that many people who come to Church carry the burdens of difficult experiences from their daily lives.

“When I stand at the pulpit on the weekend, I need to realize the people before me have come from a week of hardships, difficulties, disappointments, tensions, and heartaches. And they are looking to me to give them a reason to go back into their daily lives and try again to persevere,” he said.

He therefore asked Mary, whom he described as one who persevered through the different stages of her Son’s public ministry and stood at the foot of the Cross, to help him nourish God’s people with the Gospel.

“You know what people need, and you can help me to feed them the solid food of the Gospel to nourish them in their perseverance,” he implored.

The Bishop also asked for the grace to empathize with those facing difficulties even when he himself needs encouragement and support.

“Help me, Mother of Joy and Mother of Sorrow, to bring reinforcement into the people’s lives and to empathize with people’s problems even while I myself am looking for understanding and support,” he said.

Bishop Nkuo, who was ordained a Priest for the Diocese of Buea in April 1981, expressed his desire to remain rooted in the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation, suffering, death and Resurrection.

He prayed for the grace to “kneel before the King of Bethlehem” and to remain faithful at the Cross of Calvary, believing that the Risen Christ continues to accompany and strengthen him.

He asked Mary to help him remain convinced “with all my heart that the Son now risen is always with me and within me, strengthening me with the resurrection power to persevere.”

Culled from aciafrica

Yaoundé: Papal Nuncio says ‘preventing children from going to school is diabolical’

8, September 2026

Yaoundé: Papal Nuncio says ‘preventing children from going to school is diabolical’ 0

At the start of the 2026/2027 academic year in Cameroon, the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon, Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt, warns against the forced boycott of schools in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

For the past ten years, the North West and South West regions have been reeling from a separatist crisis, with the boycott of schools a cornerstone of the separatist strategy.

The statistics have been stark. According to UNICEF, the crisis has forced the closure of more than 6,000 schools, affecting more than 800,000 children.

A report by Save the Children indicates that, on average, children in the North West region have lost three and a half years of schooling due to the crisis, and that the number of teenage pregnancies in the North West region has increased by 45 percent because of the crisis.

In addition, thousands of teachers have fled the region, with the World Bank reporting that absenteeism rates in both regions are as high as 50  percent.

According to Human Rights Watch, armed groups have attacked at least 75 schools and abducted over 150 education personnel since 2016.

Bettencourt says children have become the ultimate victims of these developments.

With schools opening their doors on September 7 for the start of the 2026/27 academic year, the Portuguese-Canadian prelate warns that forcing kids out of school is “utterly diabolical.”

“As the new school year begins, our thoughts go to the most vulnerable members of our community, the children,” the archbishop said.

“Preventing children from going to school is wrong,” the nuncio said in a video message published on September 1.

“Violence is never acceptable. Let that be quite clear,” he added.

Bishop George Nkuo of Kumbo in the North West Region has issued a similar call, telling Crux Now that children’s right to education must not be negotiable.

“Ask me what can be the greatest gift that can be given to children, especially the underprivileged, in a community plagued by sociopolitical unrest, and I will remind you of what men of old used to say: that the man who turns his back to education invites poverty into his household,” Nkuo said.

Kumbo has been the epicenter of separatist violence, and the impact on society has been incalculable.

“Kidnappings and torture — both physical and psychological — have tragically become common in Kumbo over the past few years. I have witnessed thousands of children of all ages leaving Kumbo out of fear,” Nkuo told Crux Now.

“The population is on edge; they are terrified of the lockdowns and the chaos that rules the streets,” he added.

“We have seen so many people flee Kumbo because they have been targeted, and the number of victims is staggering. I have seen people begging for food just to feed their children,” the bishop explained.

“Confused and lost, they face military checkpoints and heavy separatist controls on the roads where we are all advised to stay away. So many people have been kidnapped — victims of a senseless cycle of abduction,” Nkuo told Crux Now.

On Aug. 30, the bishop celebrated Mass for a male-dominated Church group in the diocese known as the Samba Action Group. It’s an annual Mass usually celebrated at the start of each school year.

Given the crisis’s impact on education, the group has initiated what it calls “Giving Someone a Future,” with the overarching aim of supporting the bishop in sponsoring underprivileged children in school.

Nkuo said he was glad that, despite the ongoing socio-political crisis, the group has continued to encourage children to pursue an education.

“This resilience is remarkable given that kidnappings and torture, both physical and psychological, have been all too common in Kumbo in recent years,” the bishop said.

Describing the members of the Samba Action Group as modeling the Christian values of parenthood, he noted that “even those [members] who may not have had the educational opportunities they desired understand that education is indispensable for any society hoping for a bright future.”

“Is this, then, not an initiative worthy of emulation and support by all?” Nkuo said.

Meanwhile, various separatist factions, historically united in calling for a boycott of schools in the two regions, have been sending mixed signals ahead of the start of the new school year.

The Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC), the largest separatist faction, has urged parents to facilitate the unconditional return of children to school.

The Interim Government (IG) has also said it is open to allowing kids to resume school.

John Mbah Akuroh, who leads The Consortium, a civil society group advocating for the independence of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, told Crux Now that separatist groups had ended the era of school boycotts.

“We don’t do school boycotts anymore,” he said.

“We need our children back in school, and we are doing everything to ensure that children go to school in a very conducive environment,” Akuroh told Crux Now.

Culled from Crux

Iran seizes cutting-edge US unmanned submersible in Strait of Hormuz

8, September 2026

Iran seizes cutting-edge US unmanned submersible in Strait of Hormuz 0

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that it has successfully intercepted and captured a highly advanced, unmanned American underwater vehicle at the entrance of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the IRGC Navy stated that the seizure was carried out in the early hours of the day following a “complex intelligence and operational action.”

The unmanned submersible incorporates some of the world’s most advanced underwater technology and was delivered to the US terrorist military in 2025, the statement said.

The IRGC announced that photographic evidence and detailed footage of the captured US asset would be released in the coming hours.

Iranian news agency Tasnim identified the captured system as a Dive-LD, an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle developed by US defense technology company Anduril Industries and first delivered to the US Navy’s Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group 1 in 2025.

The vehicle is approximately 5.8 meters long, has a diameter of about 1.2 meters and weighs roughly 2.7 tonnes.

Its published specifications include an endurance of up to 10 days underwater and a maximum operating depth of around 6,000 meters.

Designed as a modular autonomous platform, the Dive-LD can be configured for missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, seabed mapping, infrastructure inspection and mine-countermeasure operations.

The capture comes amid a sharp escalation between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints.

The waterway has increasingly become a key arena in the US war on Iran, prompting Tehran to assert greater control over maritime activity in and around the strait.

Recent military exchanges have included US strikes on Iranian oil tankers and Iranian missile attacks targeting US naval forces.

On September 6, Iran said it had struck a US unmanned vessel attempting to enter a restricted area near Hormuz.

The capture of the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) marks the latest in a long history of Iran intercepting and seizing advanced Western military technology.

Over the past decade, Iranian forces have successfully downed or captured numerous high-value US assets, including the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and various underwater gliders and surface vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Reverse-engineering these captured technologies have historically played a significant role in accelerating Iran’s domestic drone and unmanned naval programs.

Douala spends CFA7 billion on waste but 900 tons still go uncollected each day

8, September 2026

Douala spends CFA7 billion on waste but 900 tons still go uncollected each day 0

Douala has budgeted CFA7 billion for waste management in 2026, yet an estimated 900 tons of household garbage still go uncollected each day, underscoring the limits of a new appeal for residents to package their waste in sealed bags.

The Douala City Council (CUD) urged residents on September 2 to place household waste in properly sealed garbage bags before taking it to designated disposal points. The city says the practice makes collection easier, prevents garbage from spreading through streets and helps protect the urban environment.

The recommendation is simple, but it comes with a direct cost for households: garbage bags have to be purchased. For families that generate waste every day, regular use represents another recurring household expense. The burden can vary considerably depending on household size, the volume of waste produced and the type of bags purchased.

Some households still use repurposed packaging, buckets or other containers to store waste before disposal, reflecting the different financial circumstances of residents across the city.

The larger challenge, however, extends well beyond the price of a garbage bag.

Douala generates about 2,700 tons of household waste every day, according to figures from the city council. Waste management company Hysacam says it collects about 1,800 tons daily, or close to 70% of the estimated total. That leaves roughly 900 tons outside the collection system each day.

Accessibility problems in some neighborhoods, along with constraints in pre-collection and transportation, further complicate waste management.

Properly sealed bags can make a difference. They prevent some garbage from scattering, reduce certain nuisances and make waste easier for collection workers to handle. They can also help keep garbage out of drainage channels, an important concern in a city that regularly faces flooding.

But packaging is only one step. It works only if an effective collection system takes over afterward.

Household Costs Meet Collection Constraints

For residents, regular use of dedicated garbage bags means an additional expense whose size depends on the household and the amount of waste it generates. The issue is not whether bags are useful: properly packaged garbage is clearly easier to handle than waste dumped directly onto the ground.

The challenge is to make the practice accessible to as many households as possible without imposing a disproportionate burden on lower-income residents.

Garbage bags also cannot substitute for collection. A sealed bag left on a sidewalk, vacant lot or beside a drain remains improperly managed waste. Packaging only works when households have appropriate disposal points and the waste is subsequently collected.

Douala’s waste management chain involves several stages, from household storage to pre-collection, collection, transportation, transfer and treatment. A breakdown at any stage can weaken the entire system.

In hard-to-reach neighborhoods, pre-collection helps move garbage toward the main collection network. Elsewhere, the frequency of garbage truck services and the availability of suitable disposal points largely determine whether the system works effectively.

That means urban sanitation cannot depend solely on residents’ behavior. Households have a role to play by avoiding illegal dumping, following designated disposal locations and schedules, properly packaging waste and keeping garbage out of public spaces.

But individual efforts also depend on a functioning public service. Suitable bins, accessible collection points, organized pre-collection services and regular waste removal remain essential.

CFA7 Billion for Waste Management in 2026

Waste management also represents a substantial expense for the city. Douala has allocated CFA7 billion to garbage management in its 2026 budget.

The city government has also announced CFA100 million for district councils. The funding is intended in part to help associations and small and medium-sized businesses acquire garbage bins and bags for pre-collection services that move household waste to collection points.

Those figures put the household garbage bag into a broader financial context. The bag itself represents only a small part of a system that requires spending on equipment, workers, fuel, vehicles, maintenance, transportation and treatment.

Poorly managed waste also carries indirect costs through clogged drains, unsanitary neighborhoods, disruption for residents and additional cleanup operations.

The CUD’s appeal therefore highlights the role households can play in keeping Douala clean, but garbage bags alone cannot address the scale of the city’s waste challenge. Their usefulness ultimately depends on what happens before and after households use them: residents’ practices, pre-collection services, accessible disposal points, regular collection and the resources available to remove and process the waste.

The question for Douala is therefore not simply whether residents can put their garbage in bags, but whether the city’s waste system can ensure those bags ultimately reach their proper destination.

Source: Sbbc

Yaoundé: gov’t orders investigation after 15 underage girls were found in Essos apartment

7, September 2026

Yaoundé: gov’t orders investigation after 15 underage girls were found in Essos apartment 0

Cameroonian authorities have opened an investigation after 15 underage girls were found in a home in Yaoundé’s Essos district on September 2, while the government has ordered protection and psychosocial support for the children as investigators work to establish why they were there.

In a statement issued on September 4, Social Affairs Minister Pauline Irène Nguene condemned “any act likely to harm the physical or moral integrity of children” and announced that the relevant government services had taken responsibility for their care.

According to the Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS), authorities intervened after receiving an anonymous report. The circumstances that brought the children to the house on Rue des Pavés remain unclear. The ministry said they “may have been held by individuals” and that investigations are underway to establish the facts and determine any potential responsibility.

MINAS services, alongside other relevant government agencies, have been mobilized to protect the minors, ensure their safety and provide psychosocial support. Nguene also urged the public to report missing or vulnerable children, or suspected cases of trafficking, exploitation or violence, through the 1503 hotline.

According to Cameroon Tribune, 15 underage girls were found at the property on September 2. Two women who were at the scene were also taken to Yaoundé’s Central Police Station No. 4. Authorities have not officially established that a child-trafficking network was involved, nor have they explained why the girls were being kept at the house.

Anne Féconde Noah Calls for Severe Penalties

Anne Féconde Noah, vice president of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN), praised the intervention by law enforcement and residents who helped with the operation. She called for investigators to identify everyone who may have been involved.

The opposition official also demanded particularly severe penalties for anyone ultimately found guilty. If investigators establish that the children suffered abuse, Noah wants the death penalty imposed on the perpetrators, accomplices and others who participated in the acts.

If no physical abuse is established, she has called for life imprisonment without the possibility of a pardon, along with strict limits on prison visits. Her demands come before investigators have established the precise conditions in which the children were living, where they came from or the responsibility of the people detained.

Source: Sbbc

Douala: US firm Cybastion plans $75 Million AI data center and power plant

7, September 2026

Douala: US firm Cybastion plans $75 Million AI data center and power plant 0

US company Cybastion plans to invest $75 million, about CFA42.25 billion, in a data center in Douala designed in part for artificial intelligence applications and supported by dedicated power generation capacity.

The project was among the investment proposals presented at the first Cameroon-US Economic and Commercial Dialogue, held in Yaoundé on August 27, 2026. Cybastion describes the planned facility as a “sovereign data center” that would provide computing capacity, storage and other digital services locally. Several critical specifications, however, remain undisclosed. The company has provided no details on the data center’s computing capacity, the size of the planned power plant or the technology that would generate its electricity.

The construction schedule, exact location in Douala and financing structure for the $75 million investment have also not been disclosed. At this stage, the project therefore remains an investment proposal rather than a fully secured financing commitment.

Dedicated Power Generation Capacity

The inclusion of dedicated power generation is one of the project’s distinguishing features. Data centers require a continuous and stable electricity supply for servers, cooling systems and other equipment, while infrastructure designed to support AI applications can require even greater amounts of power.

The issue reflects concerns already identified in Cameroon. A study by the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies Development (CENADI) on the competitiveness and viability of data centers examined their business models and operating constraints.

Cybastion would not, however, enter a market without existing infrastructure. CAMTEL already operates a Tier III-certified data center in Zamengoé, near Yaoundé. In Douala, ST Digital also operates a private data center equipped with infrastructure dedicated to artificial intelligence. Posts and Telecommunications Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng visited the facility in July 2025.

Cybastion’s project would therefore need to distinguish itself through factors such as capacity, customers, hosting costs and available power. Those details have yet to be disclosed.

A $66 Million Precedent in Côte d’Ivoire

Cybastion already has a comparable project in West Africa. In August 2025, the Export-Import Bank of the United States approved a $66.14 million guarantee to support construction of Côte d’Ivoire’s national data center.

Under that financing structure, Côte d’Ivoire’s Finance Ministry is the borrower, Cybastion Institute of Technology is the exporter and Citibank is the lender covered by the US guarantee. In May 2026, EXIM named the transaction its “Industries of the Future Deal of the Year.”

No comparable financing arrangement has yet been announced for Cameroon. Cybastion’s proposed $75 million investment forms part of roughly $7 billion, or nearly CFA4 trillion, in US commercial and investment opportunities identified during the Yaoundé dialogue.

Cameroon’s Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), however, says the projects are at different stages of development and describes the announced amounts as investment intentions that still need to translate into concrete projects.

For Cybastion’s project, the next key developments will therefore include the identity of its financiers, the capacity of the data center and power plant, the choice of site, the construction timetable and any commitments made by the Cameroonian government.

Source: Business in Cameroon

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