For the first time in his life, Victor Obi believes that the only way to win freedom in Cameroon is with a gun.

“I don’t want to die, but the only future is our independence, and they will not give it to us,” said the student, whose name has been changed for his own safety.

The 25-year-old is camped out in a small Nigerian village just kilometres from his home in Cameroon where authorities have launched a crackdown on English-speaking separatists.

“They killed my sister and my brother,” said Obi, his voice heavy with hatred. “I have nothing to lose.”

In December, Obi says soldiers invaded his hometown of Kajifu and started shooting indiscriminately at suspected separatists, said to be running a major training camp in the thick equatorial forest surrounding the village.

Kajifu is located in one of Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions that have been pushing for independence from the French-speaking elite who rule the West African country.

On October 1, separatists declared the two regions as the self-proclaimed republic of “Ambazonia”, marking a turning point for the country’s English-speaking minority, which makes up around a fifth of the population.

Cameroon President Paul Biya dispatched troops, combat helicopters and armoured vehicles to root out the dissidents, forcing tens of thousands to flee to neighbouring Nigeria.

At least 26 soldiers have been killed in the violence, according to an AFP tally.

But the civilian death toll isn’t known, with non-governmental organisations and independent media barred from the area.

Though the original Ambazonia leaders have dissociated themselves from militant offshoots – they claim their struggle is peaceful – there are a growing number of attacks against the government.

‘Raise an army’ 

On Sunday, before a national youth day parade in Batibo, a town near the Nigerian border, a government official was kidnapped and his car was burnt in an attack claimed by separatists.

Lucas Cho Ayaba, leader of the Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF), took credit for the kidnapping, declaring: “You kill my people, we will chase you to the gates of hell.”

The ADF, along with three other militias, represent the main groups which count more than 300 fighters, according to an International Crisis Group (ICG) estimate. There are also 10 much smaller but violent factions engaged in the conflict.

Few claim attacks and it’s difficult to know exactly who is responsible, said ICG researcher Hans De Marie Heungoup.

“The main issue for Ambazonian groups is that they really lack finance,” he said.

“If they had money to buy weapons, train and feed their people, they could raise an army.”

But amidst the chaos, one thing seems certain: the crackdown has radicalised many English-speakers, among them the farmers and managers who have long felt marginalised by Yaounde but have never been interested in politics – until now.

‘They are angry’ 

English-speakers in Cameroon have been marginalised for too long, said Pastor John Mbe, one of more than 33,000 refugees in Cross River State, Nigeria.

“Many people have died already, we can’t go back home,” he said, “young people may not have guns and bullets, but I can tell you they’re angry.”

A source close to the militants says they have adopted the guerilla philosophy of freedom fighters in Eritrea as well as that of Nelson Mandela’s anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

In Manyu, a region at the epicentre of the conflict, separatists block roads with tyres and tree trunks to ambush and attack military bases.

The militants are armed mostly with homemade rifles, some Kalashnikovs, grenades and other improvised explosive devices.

The few sophisticated weapons they possess have been stolen from police stations.

As a result of the simmering violence, thousands of refugees are arriving in Ikom, a city just over the border in a Nigeria, raising fears that the conflict is spiralling out of control.

Black magic 

No formal fighter camp has been identified, but according to several witnesses interviewed by AFP, young refugees are performing black magic rituals to prepare for war.

They gather in small groups for “juju” ceremonies, during which they cut their foreheads and rub the bleeding wound with “magic potions” to make them invincible, said a Nigerian soldier who attended one of the ceremonies.

Their presence is a growing concern for Nigeria, an ally of Cameroon, which last month arrested and extradited 47 separatist leaders and deployed soldiers along the border.

Yet that hasn’t stopped the rebels from launching attacks from Nigerian territory in recent weeks, according to security sources.

At the end of January, suspected separatists detonated an explosive device at the Cameroon border post of Ekok, partially destroying an office.

“The truth is that many militants are hiding among the refugees, and they just cross the border at will through the forest,” said Lawrence Asuquo, head of immigration at Ikom.

“They launch attacks on the Cameroonian army and they run back to Nigeria. It’s almost impossible to track them.”

AFP

A Turkish court has sentenced six journalists to life in prison over accusation of involvement in the country’s 2016 failed coup.

On Friday, the court handed the life sentences to the six defendants for “seeking to overthrow the constitutional order by force,” the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

All six, three of whom have already been imprisoned for nearly 17 months, have denied the charges.

Prominent Turkish journalists Nazli Ilicak, Mehmet Altan and his brother Ahmet are among the defendants.

Turkey’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, had previously ordered the release of Mehmet Altan, saying the detention violates his rights, but the penal court dismissed the request.

The Altan brothers were accused of giving coded messages on a television talk show a day before the coup.

“Whatever the developments were that lead to military coups in Turkey, by making the same decisions, [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is paving the same path,” Ahmet Altan had said at the TV show.

On the same program, Mehmet Altan pointed to “another structure” within the government that was monitoring the political developments in the country to “take its hand out of the bag.”

Prosecutors say the comments were coded messages to followers of US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the putsch.

“This sets a devastating precedent for scores of other journalists charged with similarly groundless charges,” said Sarah Clarke of writers organization PEN International.

The lawyer for the Altan brothers, Ergin Cinmen, told Reuters that they would appeal against the verdict, saying, “This is a trial that wiped out freedom of thought.”

“This verdict will be definitely reversed. Turkey cannot go on with this verdict,” he added.

‘Unprecedented assault on freedom of expression’

The verdict drew fierce criticism from international organizations and rights groups, including the UN, which urged Turkey to reverse the ruling.

”These harsh sentences are an unacceptable and unprecedented assault on freedom of expression and on the media in Turkey,” the UN human rights office said in a statement.

During the botched putsch in July 2016, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.

Turkey, which remains in a state of emergency since the coup, has been engaged in suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected to have played a role in the failed coup.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the failed coup. Nearly 150,000 others, including military staff, civil servants and journalists, have been sacked or suspended from work over the same accusations.

The international community and rights groups have been highly critical of the Turkish president over the massive dismissals and the crackdown.

Source: Presstv

Florida Governor Rick Scott has asked the FBI director to resign after the bureau admitted it had ignored a warning about the perpetrator of the recent high school shooting in the state.

On Wednesday, Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people and injuring at least 14 others.

Following the tragedy, the FBI admitted it had received a tip-off about the gunman yet failed to stop him.

Apparently, a person close to Cruz had contacted an FBI tip line on Jan. 5, weeks before the shooting to report concerns about him, the FBI said in a statement.

“The caller provided information about Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting,” it said.

“The information then should have been forwarded to the FBI Miami field office, where appropriate investigative steps would have been taken,” the agency said, adding, “We have determined that these protocols were not followed.”

On Friday, Scott issued a statement, saying, “The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable,” adding, “The FBI Director needs to resign.”

“An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain,” he said.

Other Republicans including Florida Senator Marco Rubio also severely criticized the FBI.

Cruz, who has alleged ties to a white supremacist group, confessed Thursday to the shooting at his former high school.

Appearing before a judge, the troubled teen was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and was ordered to be held without bond.

Expelled from school for disciplinary reasons, Cruz was known to be fixated on firearms — and had reportedly been identified as a potential threat to his classmates.

The incident came as Americans reeled from the country’s worst school massacre since the horror at Sandy Hook six years ago which left dead 20 children between six and seven years old, as well as six adult staff members.

US President Donald Trump, who has defied calls to address gun control, went to Florida to meet with the victims of the shooting who are recovering at a hospital there.

However, some of the parents, survivors and others affected by the tragedy were more interested in firm action than a presidential visit.

“I don’t want Trump to come but we want more gun safety,” said 18-year-old Kevin Trejos, a senior at the school. “It’s a dream. It hasn’t hit me yet.”

Source: Presstv