Headline News

Unknown Ambazonian group chop off fingers of CDC plantation workers

4, November 2018

Unknown Ambazonian group chop off fingers of CDC plantation workers 0

Separatist militants attacked workers on a state-run rubber plantation in restive southwestern Cameroon, chopping off their fingers because the men had defied an order to stay away from the farms, authorities said Friday.

The attack is the second of its kind in less than a week by the militants, who have responded violently to a government crackdown on separatist activities in the English-speaking parts of the country.

David Epie, a 43-year-old worker at a rubber plantation, says armed men attacked him and three of his co-workers on Thursday evening.

“I do not know the fate of one of our workers who tried to escape and was shot on the leg,” said Epie, who lost several fingers. He bled as we fled when the attackers were leaving.”

South West governor Bernard Okalia Bilai said he has ordered the military to chase and arrest the separatists blamed for the two recent attacks on rubber plantation workers. On Monday, seven workers lost fingers when militants hacked them off at a plantation in the town of Tiko.

“We cannot allow groups of terrorists to continue to disturb the peace we badly need in this region,” he said. “They are going from farm to farm, terrorizing farmers and workers … they must pay for the crimes they are committing.”

Cameroon was once divided between British and French colonial powers. English speakers make up 20 percent of the population and have long complained of being marginalized by the French majority.

Those grievances erupted into conflict in 2016 when militant separatists took up arms following a series of protests by teachers and lawyers who cited discrimination in their fields of employment.

The militants have vowed to destabilize the English-speaking regions of Cameroon to win independence for the areas. Earlier this week an American missionary died in another restive part of the country after he was shot in the head amid fighting between armed separatists and soldiers in northwestern Cameroon.

The separatists consider the state-run banana, palm oil and rubber plantations in southwestern Cameroon to be legitimate targets. Vehicles, tractors, buildings and warehouses owned by the state’s Cameroon Development Corporation have been torched and some staff members have been kidnapped.

AP

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Ambazonia: Understanding President Ayuk Tabe’s first court appearance in months

4, November 2018

Ambazonia: Understanding President Ayuk Tabe’s first court appearance in months 0

A Cameroonian anglophone separatist leader was in court on Thursday, in his first public appearance since he was extradited from Nigeria in January, amid spiralling violence in English-speaking areas.

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, who wants Cameroon’s two anglophone regions to separate from the French-speaking part of the country and last year spearheaded a symbolic declaration of independence, appeared with nine other defendants at a brief hearing in the capital Yaounde.

“This day is a big day because all (ten) defendants were there,” lawyer Me John Feu Nsoh told reporters after the court appearance, which was about the group’s petition to be freed.

Ayuk Tabe, who pronounced himself the president of a new republic called “Ambazonia” in October 2017, was arrested with 46 others in Nigeria and extradited in January.

Cameroon has called the 47 “terrorists” and said they would “answer for their crimes”, as tensions mount in the Southwest and Northwest Regions, home to most of the country’s English-speakers.

Three lawyers filed a motion for the “immediate” release of ten of them in October, including Ayuk Tabe.

On leaving the courtroom the group waved at relatives held at a distance, before getting into a police bus, according to AFP.

English-speaking separatists complain of discrimination at the hands of the French-speaking majority in education, the justice system and the economy in the largely francophone central African nation.

In 2017 anglophone separatists took up arms, attacking security forces and torching symbols of the administration, such as schools.

The government has refused to engage in dialogue with separatists and has sent forces into the area to restore order.

The unrest has worsened this year, claiming the lives of more than 400 civilians and an unknown number of separatists in the year to September, according to the International Crisis Group think-tank.

More than 300 000 people have fled the violence, some to neighbouring Nigeria.

AFP

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Sisiku Ayuk Tabe Trial: The 36 others who did not appear in court have yet to be seen in public

4, November 2018

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe Trial: The 36 others who did not appear in court have yet to be seen in public 0

Julius Ayuk Tabe and nine other separatist leaders made their first public appearance Thursday since Nigeria extradited the men to Cameroon in January.

The men appeared tired as they were brought into a Court of Appeals in the capital under heavy military escort.

Nigerian authorities arrested Tabe and 46 of his followers in Abuja, where they were accused of remotely leading a rebellion in English-speaking parts of Cameroon.

The 36 others who did not appear in court have yet to be seen in public.

Separatist supporter Diana Awemo said she traveled from the English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda to see the men.

“We are happy. We can now confirm that ten of them are alive. We want to see the others that were kidnapped with them in Nigeria and brought back into Cameroon.” Awemo said.

Defense counsel John Nsoh said the accused were deprived of their right to meet their lawyers. He said they have filed a motion for their immediate release.

“This is the first opportunity for them to tell their story to a court. These people were arrested illegally, they were abducted, they were not even arrested, taken from a foreign country and brought into Cameroon and detained incommunicado for more than 10 months,” Nsoh said.

Cameroon’s government calls the separatist leaders terrorists and says those arrested will go before a military tribunal. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

Tabe in October last year declared himself the president of what he called the English-speaking republic of Ambazonia in Cameroon’s northwest and southwest.

Since Tabe’s arrest, armed separatists have launched sporadic attacks in the region on the military, markets and public buildings. At least a hundred schools have been torched and 300,000 people have fled to safer, French-speaking towns and neighboring Nigeria.

The government says more than 400 civilians, police and troops have been killed in the fighting.

In spite of the tensions and violence, Emmanuel Ngaibe, a relative of one of the arrested separatist leaders, expressed hope they will receive a fair trial.

“I hope that the court will be very, very independent and exercise justice and that politicians will not intervene in the matter,” Ngaibe said.

Violence erupted in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested alleged discrimination at the hands of the French-speaking majority.

The government responded with a crackdown that sparked a movement for an independent, English-speaking state.

Source: VOA

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Ambazonian Acting President says Commonwealth states and the US must end “deliberate silence” on French Cameroun’s cruelty

3, November 2018

Ambazonian Acting President says Commonwealth states and the US must end “deliberate silence” on French Cameroun’s cruelty 0

The leader of the Ambazonian Interim Government has called on Commonwealth member states and the United States government to break their silence on Yaoundé’s widening crackdown, led by the 85 year old dictator Paul Biya, against Southern Cameroons civilian population and intellectuals.

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News Group, Acting President Ikome Sako said “Commonwealth member states and the Trump administration must end their deliberate silence on French Cameroun and do their duty of scrutinising the genocide and cruelty against the Ambazonian people and to intervene and prevent further outrageous human rights violations.”

President Sako added that “The French Cameroun government’s long-standing repression and killing of innocent Southern Cameroons civilians , exemplified by the shooting to death of an American missionary in Bambui has until recently been wilfully ignored by the US and the Commonwealth of Nations.”

Dr Ikome Sako further observed that “The gruesome death of Charles Wesco Trumman has shown how far the French Cameroun political elites with the support of France will go in their repression and crackdown which has only intensified ever since the abduction of the exiled Ambazonian cabinet in Abuja, Nigeria.”

The Southern Cameroons acting leader also urged Commonwealth member states and Washington to show solid scrutiny and demonstrate strong action more than ever against Yaoundé.  “The EU, AU and the UN all have a duty to hold the Biya regime to account for its relentless genocidal campaign in Southern Cameroons.”

The International Crisis Group and Amnesty International have also appealed to European countries with considerable influence on the government in Yaoundé to do everything in their power to prevent further killings of Anglophone citizens. Human rights groups have also urged Yaoundé to dialogue with the Southern Cameroons leadership and proceed with the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, including Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and members of his cabinet.

The Biya Francophone regime launched a senseless devastating military campaign against Southern Cameroonians on lame and ridiculous reasons that it was fighting separatists and wanted to crush the Southern Cameroon’s popular Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. The French Cameroun war has so far claimed the lives of around 4000 Southern Cameroonians.

The President Biya war has also taken a heavy toll on Southern Cameroon’s infrastructure, destroying several towns and villages including hospitals and schools. The UN has already said that a record 50,000 Southern Cameroonians have fled to neighboring Nigeria and some 161,000 internally displaced are in dire need of food and medicine.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


French Cameroon opposition candidate calls for presidential vote recount

3, November 2018

French Cameroon opposition candidate calls for presidential vote recount 0

Cameroon opposition candidate Maurice Kamto has called for an independent recount of last month’s presidential poll, urging the international community to “assume its responsibilities.”

Kamto, who according to official results, came second with 14.23 percent of the vote behind incumbent Paul Biya, posted the appeal online in a video late on Friday.

He called for an independent, international committee accepted by all sides to carry out the recount and vowed to abide by its conclusions.

Kamto, who had claimed victory the day after the October 7 election some two weeks before the official results were in, has been denounced as an “outlaw” by the government.

But he insists that the count was marred by widespread fraud and that the Constitutional Council’s decision to declare Biya the victor was completely at odds with the true result.

“We will never accept the results proclaimed by a biased Constitutional Council,” he said, adding that he would campaign peacefully against the official result.

Kamto, a 64-year-old lawyer and leader of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC), called on other opposition leaders to join his campaign.

Kamto was one of seven candidates seeking to unseat President Paul Biya, who has ruled the West African country for 35 years.

According to official results, Biya was returned to power with 71.2 percent. He is due to be sworn in on Tuesday.

(Source: AFP)

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Indiana family to return home after missionary father shot, killed in S. Cameroons

3, November 2018

Indiana family to return home after missionary father shot, killed in S. Cameroons 0

The family of an American missionary who was shot and killed in front of his wife and son in Cameroon will travel back home to Indiana this week, a pastor told IndyStar on Thursday.

Charles Wesco, 44, was fatally wounded while sitting in a car in Bamenda, Cameroon on Tuesday, according to Dave Halyaman, an assistant pastor at Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana. The church sent the Wescos to do missionary work in the African nation.

Wesco’s wife, Stephanie, and his second oldest son were in the car when he was struck in the head, Halyaman said.

The U.S. State Department confirmed to IndyStar on Tuesday that a U.S. citizen died in Bamenda, but didn’t provide the person’s identity or further details on the person’s death.

The town where the Wescos were staying is in the nation’s English-speaking area, where armed separatists have been fighting to create an independent state, the Associated Press reported.

Wesco’s wife and their eight children have left the area and as of Thursday morning were headed to the Cameroon capital of Yaoundé, Halyaman said. They plan to fly back to the U.S. on Saturday, he said. The family is from Mishawaka, a city in northern Indiana. They traveled to Cameroon almost two weeks ago , Halyaman said.

Halyaman said the Wescos were aware of the dangers in the region.

“They knew there was fighting,” he told IndyStar. “They didn’t go into it blind.”

Halyaman said the body of Charles Wesco is expected to be flown back to the U.S. by the end of this week for a funeral in Warsaw.

Wesco’s brother is Indiana House Rep. Timothy Wesco. Gov. Holcomb released a statement on Tuesday, saying he and his wife “are thinking of Rep. Tim Wesco and his family as they grieve the death of his brother Charles.”

Halyaman said the church mourns Wesco’s death, but said they believe “God is in perfect control.” He described Wesco as a business owner — he ran a piano tuning service — who “loved God and loved service.”

“He was smart,” Halyaman said, “and he had a good heart, too.”

Source: Indy Star

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


The Power of Money: CAF/FIFA satisfied with Cameroon’s security for AFCON 2019

3, November 2018

The Power of Money: CAF/FIFA satisfied with Cameroon’s security for AFCON 2019 0

Cameroon has significantly beefed up national security ahead of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be hosted by the country, a joint security inspection mission of Confederation of African Football (CAF) and world football governing body FIFA told reporters here on Thursday.

The mission made the remarks after spending five days inspecting the security in airports, hotels, hospitals, stadiums and road infrastructures in the country.

“We have taken stock (of the security measures). We noticed that there is a great mobilization of the defense forces all over. For the moment, we have taken note,” Djibrilla Hima Hamidou, head of the mission and president of Niger Football Association, said at the close of the five-day visit.

“We have also noticed a few faults and advised that there should be adjustments.”

On Monday, Cameroon’s Minister of Defense assured the mission that “all necessary security measures” have been taken to ensure a hitch-free competition in the country next year.

AFCON 2019 will be held from June 15 to July 13, according to CAF. It will also be the first AFCON expanded from 16 to 24 teams.

Source: Xinhua

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Ambazonia Crisis: US urges peace efforts after citizen killed

3, November 2018

Ambazonia Crisis: US urges peace efforts after citizen killed 0

Cameroon on Wednesday blamed separatists over the killing of a US missionary, but Washington said its citizen was caught in crossfire and urged dialogue to end the African country’s conflict.

Charles Wesco, 44, was travelling with his wife, son and a driver in the restive English-speaking northwest region when militants attacked security forces and a university campus, Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said.

In a statement read on army radio, Beti Assomo said the American came under fire in an ambush by “a group of armed terrorists” in the town of Bambui and died later in a hospital in the regional capital Bamenda, 14km away.

The minister said that security forces then pursued the militants, killing four of them, with several others wounded including a soldier and a student.

His comments came amid speculation by separatist supporters on social media in the English-speaking regions – the site of an uprising by armed secessionists – that the Cameroon army was behind the killing.

But in Washington, State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino did not blame either side and said Cameroon had promised the United States a “full investigation” into Wesco’s death.

“We’ve been in touch with senior Cameroonian government security officials and we believe the victim was caught in the crossfire,” Palladino told reporters. Palladino urged the two sides to start “an immediate and broad-based dialogue without preconditions” to bring peace and resolve grievances.

“Both separatist fighters and government security forces have used violence against innocent civilians,” Palladino said.

“We call on both sides to view the tragic death of this American citizen as an opportunity to put an immediate stop to violence and to allow unhindered access for humanitarian aid workers and health care providers in the northwest and southwest regions,” he said.

Grievances by English speakers

English-speaking separatists argue that the French-language education system penalises anglophone students in the largely francophone central African nation.

The unrest has claimed the lives of more than 400 civilians and an unknown number of separatists in the year to September, according to the International Crisis Group think-tank.

On Thursday, gunmen killed a linguistics professor in the same area.

University staff said the murder of the academic, who was also in charge of administration, bore the hallmarks of the “Amba boys,” or separatists fighting for an independent English-speaking state called Ambazonia.

The government has refused to engage in dialogue with anglophone separatists it brands “terrorists” and has sent forces into the area to restore order.

More than 300 000 people have fled the violence, some to neighbouring Nigeria. The voter turnout during October’s presidential election was very low in both anglophone regions, although Paul Biya won more than two-thirds of the votes cast, according to official results.

Biya, 85, has been in power since 1982 and was re-elected for a seventh term with 71% of the votes nationwide.

AFP

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Saudi sport diplomacy under scrutiny after Khashoggi

2, November 2018

Saudi sport diplomacy under scrutiny after Khashoggi 0

The fallout of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has spread even to sport, drawing rare scrutiny on a soft power tool that Gulf monarchies have brandished with zeal.

Sport has become a strategic pillar of the House of Saud’s global PR mission. So it was only a matter of time before the pressure would extend to Saudi investments in sport. Football, an immensely popular game in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, was the first to experience the fallout of the Khashoggi scandal. Last weekend, Amnesty International called on two top Italian clubs, Juventus and AC Milan, to boycott the Italian Super Cup, set to take place in Saudi Arabia in January. The deal to allow the kingdom to host three of the next five editions of the star-studded Supercoppa was only agreed over the summer.

Amnesty’s appeal followed a similar plea from Italian former sports minister Luca Lotti. On his Facebook page, the Tuscany lawmaker urged Italian football authorities to reconsider their decision to play the games in the kingdom “to ensure that Italian football does not shy away from the defence of rights and values”.

Rescinding the arrangement with Saudi Arabia, however, would come with consequences for the Italians, not least financially. According to Italian media, the deal sealed in June is worth about €7 million.

While appeals to cancel sporting events in the wake of the Saudi journalist’s killing may have elicited public soul-searching among some of the athletes involved, they are likely to be balanced against economic imperatives. Exactly a month after Khashoggi’s brutal murder, the lucrative international events on the kingdom’s sporting calendar remain, for now, largely intact.

The debate has also spread to tennis. Superstars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic couldn’t escape questions about the controversy last weekend in Paris.

“Of course I’m aware of the situation. But I had a commitment since one year ago to play there. And my team is talking to them, to analyse things,” the Spaniard said in Paris. “It’s terrible that one journalist lost [his] life. I know something happened very bad inside there. So we are looking about how evolves the situation and I hope the things will clarify as soon as possible.”

Djokovic struck a similar tone. While insisting the commitment was made more than a year ago, the Serbian star allowed that the situation is “sad”. “My team right now is in touch with the people in Saudi Arabia as well as Rafa’s and of course we are all talking to understand the situation better,” he said. “We have to get more information on what’s happening so we can make a rational decision whether it’s good to go or not.”

Bowing out of the Jeddah clash would immediately deprive each player of his promised million-dollar bonus, not to mention any medium-term knock-on effects of reneging on the agreement.

Those two high-profile competitions may be just the tip of the iceberg. Although the Argentina-Brazil football friendly held last month in the Gulf state managed to escape controversy, other major events with long-term contracts are poised to go ahead in the weeks and months to come.

First up among those is the “Crown Jewel”, a professional wrestling show organised by the all-powerful World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in Riyadh went ahead Friday even as the organising body expressed a measure of regret in its statement confirming its participation.

The decision to go ahead with the Riyadh wrestling showcase has not been met with universal approval, however. Mention of the Crown Jewel even elicited boos from a WWE audience at an event in the US, as British comedian John Oliver pointed out to laughs on his US television show.

Moreover, two of the wrestling circuit’s stars pulled out of Friday’s show. John Cena and Daniel Bryan were written out of the scripted event’s storyline and replaced by other performers. Although neither has made his reasons for withdrawing explicit, Cena’s alleged misgivings about appearing in Riyadh had been widely reported.

Other sporting competitions have, too, ruled out reconsidering their calendars, for now. Golf’s European Tour this week confirmed the addition of a first Saudi International event to its schedule – at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City from January 31 to February 3 – the first event in a three-year commitment made last spring.

The same goes for motorsport in the kingdom, with Formula E due to hold its first Riyadh race, the electric racing championship’s season opener, on December 15. “Referring to the incident, we obviously have no comment to make,” Formula E chief Alejandro Agag told the Associated Press on October 15. “At this moment, there are no plans to change the Formula E calendar this season. Of course, we are monitoring [the situation].”

Source: France 24

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


Boko Haram militants kill 16 in raids on villages in northeast Nigeria

2, November 2018

Boko Haram militants kill 16 in raids on villages in northeast Nigeria 0

At least 16 civilians have been killed and several others injured after suspected Boko Haram terrorists staged multiple attacks on villages in northeastern Nigeria.

Militants in seven trucks attacked Bulaburin and Kofa villages as well as a camp in a village outside the Borno state capital of Maiduguri late on Wednesday, residents said Thursday.

“The terrorists attacked and completely burnt Bulaburin and Kofa villages and burnt half the Dalori two IDP (internally displaced persons) camp,” said militia leader Babakura Kolo.

In the village of Kofa, local residents counted five bodies burned inside the remains of their house.

A village chief in nearby Dalori said one person had been killed. Two residents of Bulaburin said nine people had died there.

Nigeria’s military said in a statement one civilian was found dead after militants had ransacked Dalori’s market, setting buildings ablaze and fleeing when soldiers approached.

Dalori, which is about 15 kilometers from Maiduguri, houses about 50,000 people in makeshift camps.

This file photo shows weapons allegedly belonging to a group of suspected Boko Haram militants displayed by the police in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, July 18, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

 

In January 2016, at least 85 people were killed when militants stormed and torched the Dalori village and tried to gain access to the camps.

Despite the Nigerian government’s statements since late 2015 that Boko Haram had largely been defeated, militants are still able to attack throughout much of the northeast.

In recent months, Boko Haram has carried out major attacks on military targets, killing dozens.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former general, came to power in 2015 on a platform to stamp out the Boko Haram militancy, but the militants continue to stage attacks targeting both civilians and military targets.

A Nigerian soldier with a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) patrols near the town of Damasak on April 25, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

 

Since 2009, the Boko Haram militancy has left at least 20,000 dead and made over 2.6 million others homeless.

The United Nations warned late last year that areas affected by the Boko Haram militancy face a humanitarian crisis.

Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in northeast Nigeria are the three states most affected by the Boko Haram militancy.

Now that you are here

The Cameroon Concord News Group Board wishes to inform its faithful readers that for more than a decade, it has been providing world-class reports of the situation in Southern Cameroons.  The Board has been priding itself on its reports which have helped the world to gain a greater understanding of the crisis playing out in Southern Cameroons. It hails its reporters who have also helped the readers to have a broader perspective of the political situation in Cameroon.

The Board wishes to thank its readers who have continued to trust Southern Cameroon’s leading news platform. It is therefore using this opportunity to state that its reporters are willing to provide more quality information to the readers.    However, due to the changing global financial context, the Board is urging its readers to play a significant role in the financing of the news organization.  It is therefore calling on its faithful readers to make whatever financial contribution they can to ensure they get the latest developments in their native Southern Cameroons, in particular, and Cameroon in general.

Bank transaction: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Banking IBAN: GB51 BARC 2049 1103 9130 15

Swift BIC BARC GB22XX

SORT CODE 20-49-11, ACCOUNT NUMBER – 03913015 Barclay PLC, UK

The Board looks forward to hearing from the readers.

Signed by the Group Chairman on behalf of the Board of Directors

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Email: soteragbawebai@gmail.com

 

 


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