Headline News

25, November 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Yerima reacts to Archbishop Nkea’s letter ⁰

We begin by expressing our appreciation for the release of the five Reverend fathers and sisters who were previously held. Their release is a welcome act of humanity and restraint, consistent with our values and the principles that guide our quest for justice, dignity, and self-determination.

However, we must address, with due seriousness, the recent letter from the Archbishop of Bamenda, paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3, calling for churches and schools to close and for followers to march to Baba to demand the release of Father Berinyuy. While we recognize the emotional weight of this call, we must equally point out the long-standing silence and selective activism of certain church leaders in the face of a brutal and ongoing genocide unleashed by the Biya regime against the people of Ambazonia.

For years, Ambazonian Catholic Christians and other Christians, men, women, catechists, youths, and even clergyhave been arbitrarily arrested, tortured, disappeared, and killed by the Cameroon military. Yet, we have not witnessed these bishops organizing a march to free their parishioners unjustly detained in Yaoundé, Buea, Bamenda, or Douala. We have not seen a call to action from them when entire villages were burned, children mutilated, and pregnant women murdered. We have not heard sermons dedicated to truth and justice when political prisoners, fathers, mothers, pastors, and teachers are languishing in jail for exercising their right to self-determination.

Instead, the Archdiocese of Bamenda has increasingly become entangled, willingly or unwillingly, in narratives that legitimize oppression, sanitize injustice, and indirectly uphold the machinery of a genocidal regime. Some within the church hierarchy have chosen the comfort of cooperation over the courage of conviction, prioritizing political positioning, financial incentives, and state approval over prophetic truth.

Let it also be known:

The Ambazonian struggle for self-determination is grounded in internationally recognized legal frameworks, including the African Charter, the UN Charter, and international humanitarian law. Our guiding principle is clear, we do not target religious institutions nor harm servants of God. The Biya regime has a history stained with the blood of murdered priests, pastors, and bishops, but we will never walk that dark path. Our Liberation Volunteers are instructed to uphold life, dignity, and the protection of all clergy, regardless of denomination.

We have consistently and unequivocally condemned kidnapping for ransom, and we do so again today. Whoever is holding Father Berinyuy must release him immediately and unconditionally. Our fight is not against the clergy, nor education, nor the church, it is against military occupation, systemic injustice, and the deliberate attempt to erase a people and their identity.

To the church, we say:

Your biblical mandate is to stand with the oppressed, defend the weak, and speak truth to power, not to collaborate with oppression. If the church has the moral strength to call for marches, let those marches be for peace and justice, for the release of innocent political prisoners, for truth, dialogue, and genuine reconciliation, not only when a cleric is involved.

We call on all clergy to live out their prophetic role. Do not be silent when your Christians are killed. Do not be quiet when children are burned alive. Do not close your eyes when the French Cameroun government commits crimes against humanity in Ambazonia.Let your voice be the voice of justice, not selective compassion.

Our message is clear:

We remain committed to a peaceful, lawful, and principled struggle for the freedom and dignity of our people. We will not tolerate crimes that stain our righteous cause, and we will not accept attempts to derail it through emotional manipulation, intimidation, or misinformation.

May truth prevail.May justice reign.May peace be built on the foundations of dignity, not silence.

For the Ambazonian People

Dabney Yerima

Vice President,

The Federal Republic of Ambazonia

25, November 2025

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff dies aged 81 ⁰

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican music legend and one of the pioneers of reggae, died due to a seizure followed by pneumonia, his wife said on Monday.

“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” his wife Latifa Chamber posted in a message on Instagram.

“I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career,” Chamber said.

“Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes. I hope you all can respect our privacy during these hard times. Further information will be provided at a later date. See you and we see you Legend,” said the message, which was also signed by their children Lilty and Aken.

Born in Jamaica in 1944 as James Chambers, he began writing songs at a young age before his father took him to the Jamaican capital Kingston, where he would take the stage name Jimmy Cliff.

He was one of just handful of musicians to be awarded the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

Cliff’s vast repertoire of hits included “Many Rivers to Cross”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want”, “I Can See Clearly Now” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People”.

‘I still have many rivers to cross’

In the course of a prolific musical career, Cliff recorded more than 30 albums and performed all over the world, including in Paris, in Brazil and at the World’s Fair, an international exhibition held in New York in 1964. The following year, Island Records’ Chris Blackwell, the producer who launched Bob Marley and the Wailers, invited Cliff to work in the UK with him.

Cliff later went into acting, starring in the 1972 classic film “The Harder They Come,” directed by Perry Henzell, which introduced an international audience to reggae music. The movie portrayed the grittier aspects of Jamaican life, redefining the island as more than a tourist playground of cocktails, beaches and waterfalls.

“When I’ve achieved all my ambitions, then I guess that I will have done it and I can just say ‘great’,” he said in a 2019 interview, as he was losing his sight.

“But I’m still hungry. I want it. I’ve still got the burning fire that burns brightly inside of me – like I just said to you. I still have many rivers to cross!”

Known in part for his hit singles as well as for his covers of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie “Cool Runnings,” and Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” Cliff was a prolific writer who weaved his humanitarian views into his songs.

Bob Dylan said Cliff’s “Vietnam” was the best protest song ever written.

The anti-establishment bent of Cliff’s music gave a voice not only to the hardships faced by Jamaicans, but to the spirit and joy that persevered in spite of poverty and oppression. Over the years, Cliff worked with the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox and Paul Simon.

In 2012, he won a Grammy Award for best reggae album for “Rebirth,” which was produced by punk band Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, and another Grammy in 1984 for “Cliff Hanger.”

Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Source: Reuters

24, November 2025

Archbishop Nkea attacks Amba fighters targeting priests ⁰

Catholic leaders in Cameroon’s restive North-West region have issued a scathing condemnation of the recent kidnapping of priests, stating that the targeting of religious figures is a clear sign that the separatist struggle has “lost focus” and devolved into pure criminality.

Their remarks follow the abduction of six priests and one member of the laity from the Archdiocese of Bamenda.

According to a release signed by the Archbishop of Bamenda, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya, gunmen abducted Father John Berinyuy Tatah, the parish priest of Babessi, and his assistant on Nov. 15, as they returned from the Mass inaugurating the PAX University Institute in Ndop.

On Nov. 18, four priests and one lay person went to negotiate with the gunmen for the release of the two priests but were also taken captive. While the group was later released, Tatah remains in captivity, with his captors demanding a ransom.

In a Nov. 23 release, Nkea declared the Church will not pay the ransom, setting a Wednesday deadline for the captors to free the priest. He warned that if the deadline passes, all Catholic institutions in the Ndop Deanery will be closed and religious personnel will withdraw.

“The frequent kidnapping of our priests and mission personnel has pushed us to the wall and we say that this should stop with immediate effect,” he added, noting that many lay Christians have also been tortured or killed.

The recent kidnappings are the latest crimes in the separatist conflict that has rocked Cameroon’s English-speaking North West and South West regions for nine years.

The crisis stems from the 1961 reunification of the former French and British Cameroons, creating a bilingual state where the English-speaking minority has long felt marginalized by the Francophone-dominated central government.

Tensions over the perceived erosion of the common law legal system and English-language education practiced in the English-speaking regions boiled over in 2016, leading to peaceful protests that were met with a harsh security crackdown. This response radicalized many in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, sparking an armed insurgency for an independent state called “Ambazonia.”

But what began as a genuine fight for identity has degenerated into criminality, Church leaders argue, and the kidnapping of priests is a testament to this decline.

“The focus has been lost because we cannot be fighting the church, a moral institution and its authority,” said Edith Tanyi, National President of the Catholic Women’s Association (CWA), expressing the disgust and frustration felt by many faithful.

Valentine Tameh, an executive member of the Catholic Men Association in the Bamenda archdiocese, questioned the spiritual legitimacy of a movement that attacks men of God.

“We have heard over and over that the struggle is God-ordained. But when such things begin to happen, then you ask, how can it be God-ordained when priests, pastors, bishops are being kidnapped?” he told Crux.

Tameh argued the conflict has shed any pretense of being a political movement.

“These kidnappings tell me that the ongoing struggle is not a rational struggle any longer,” he asserted. “I think I will not hesitate to call this criminality now… what progress has those huge, extorted sums brought to the people? Nothing at all. So, it’s more or less criminality now,” he said.

Pricillia Agendia, Director of Communication for the Archdiocese, highlighted the demoralizing effect on the community, noting that priests are now targeted “on average, weekly.” She warned that such tactics are undermining the separatists’ cause by alienating potential sympathizers.

“The kidnappings are not helping in any way in resolving the crisis because kidnappings are sending the wrong message about a crisis that drew sympathy at the beginning,” she told Crux.

In his release, Nkea also urged the military to be more professional and ethical—a veiled reference to abuses also committed by security forces. He called on all stakeholders “to do everything within their powers to dialogue and bring this crisis to an end.”

“The people of the North West and South West regions have suffered enough and they deserve to have a quiet life,” the archbishop said.

Source: Crux

24, November 2025

Pope Leo XIV appeals for release of hostages in Cameroon ⁰

In Cameroon earlier this month, a group of Catholic priests and lay faithful were kidnapped, as well.

According to a letter from the Archdiocese of Bamenda received by Crux and published to archdiocesan social media on Saturday, a parish priest and his assistant were taken by separatist Ambazonian fighters on Nov. 15.

For years, the separatists have been trying to establish an independent state in the English-speaking western reach of Cameroon on the border with Nigeria.

Four other priests and one layman, who had gone to plea for the parish priest’s release, were held by the fighters.

The letter from Bamenda’s archbishop, Andrew Nkea, says all but one of the hostages – Father John Berinyuy Tatah – have been released. Tatah, the letter states, is being held for ransom.

“We have made our position clear that the Church never gives ransoms,” the letter states.

The archbishop’s letter also calls on clergy and religious in the Ndop deanery of Baba 1 – the administrative division of the archdiocese in which the kidnappings took place – to close schools and churches if the hostage is not released by Wednesday, Nov. 26.

“If by Friday, 28th November 2025, Fr. John is still in captivity,” the letter states, “the Archbishop, all the priests, religious and members of Christ’s lay faithful will go to Baba 1 and march to the place where Fr. John is being held, and either bring him home, or remain there until he is released.”

The letter also calls on military personnel “to be professional and ethical in their relationship with the people,” noting that soldiers are “supposed to maintain law and order and ensure the security of the people,” rather than “exploit them by collecting money from them or torturing them in any way.”

Source: Crux

24, November 2025

President-elect Issa Tchiroma in Gambia after fleeing for his safety ⁰

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who is contesting the outcome of the presidential election, has fled to The Gambia for his safety, The Gambian government has said.

Tchiroma Bakary has insisted he is the legitimate winner of the 12 October election, alleging that the result was rigged to give President Paul Biya, 92, an eighth term.

The Gambian information ministry said on Sunday that Tchiroma Bakary arrived on 7 November and was allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds.

Cameroon’s government had threatened to put him on trial for allegedly inciting violent post-election demonstrations. He denied the allegation, and blamed the security forces for a crackdown on protesters.

The government put the number of people killed in post-election violence at 16, but other organisations have given a higher death toll.

Tchiroma Bakary has repeatedly promised to resist Biya’s government until his “victory” in the election is recognised.

Biya, the world’s oldest president, has been in power for 43 years, and was declared the winner with 53.7% of the vote amid allegations of fraud.

Tchiroma Bakary, who served in Biya’s government for many years, came second with 35.2%.

His resistance tactics have included calling for street protests and “ghost town” operations aimed at bringing cities and towns to a standstill.

Tchiroma Bakary: From government spin doctor to Cameroon president’s main rival

The 92-year-old president who never loses

Until The Gambian government confirmed his presence, his whereabouts had remained a mystery although there was speculation that he had fled to another country in the region.

“He is being hosted temporarily in The Gambia purely on humanitarian grounds in the spirit of African solidarity and for the purpose of ensuring his safety while discussions continue to pursue a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the post-electoral tensions in Cameroon,” The Gambian government said in a statement.

The Gambian authorities said the country would not be used as a “base for subversive activity against any state”.

The BBC has reached out to the Cameroonian government for comment.

Reacting to the announcement, The Gambia’s main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) criticised the government for withholding the announcement of Tchiroma Bakary’s arrival until Sunday.

It said it raised “serious questions about transparency, accountability, and respect for The Gambian people’s right to know what actions are taken in their name”.

However, the party said it was proud that Tchiroma Bakary could find “safe sanctuary” in The Gambia, adding that it was fully aware of how “despotism operates and how dissenters are treated”.

Source: BBC

21, November 2025

Yaoundé: Indonesia Intensifies Interactive Promotion Via Exhibition ⁰

Indonesia’s commitment to boosting its profile in Cameroon was solidified by Ambassador Agung Cahaya Sumirat, who used the “Discover Indonesia” exhibition as a key platform for promotion.

“We want to continue intensifying interactive and integrated promotion of Indonesia so that Indonesia’s profile gains more space in the hearts of the Cameroonian people,” said Ambassador Agung in a press release from the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Yaoundé in Jakarta, Wednesday, November 19, 2025, as quoted by Antara.

Ambassador Agung, who is also concurrently the Indonesian Ambassador to Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic, welcomed the high enthusiasm of the Cameroonian public for Indonesia’s various promotional activities.

KBRI Yaoundé presented the first-ever integrated exhibition themed “Discover Indonesia” at PlaYce Yaoundé from November 14–16, 2025. The exhibition featured information on Indonesia’s history and diplomacy, the diversity of Nusantara’s arts and culture, such as traditional musical instruments and regional clothing, as well as opportunities for higher education scholarships for Cameroonian students.

The event also served traditional Indonesian culinary items such as kue lumpur (mud cake), cassava chips, tahu isi (stuffed tofu), dadar gulung (rolled coconut pancake), and bakwan (vegetable fritters).

The atmosphere of the exhibition became more festive, according to the statement, when the Mandau Dance and mass dances were performed, accompanied by songs like Tabola Bale, Gemu Fa Mi Re, and Hioko Tobelo.

“Discover Indonesia,” which also served as a promotional event for the Trade Expo Indonesia and the Bali & Beyond Travel Fair 2026, included a business desk showcasing various authentic Indonesian products, ranging from processed snacks and cosmetics to helmets.

A number of business visitors showed interest in learning more about import opportunities, distribution, and potential collaborations with Indonesian entrepreneurs. A visitor named Youssouph admitted he was happy because he “got a new picture of Indonesia.”

Meanwhile, another visitor, Claudine Ngodem, who came with her family, appreciated the batik coloring activity, which she found interesting and educational for children. ***

Source: Radio Republic Indonesia

21, November 2025

Cameroon’s Critical Shortage of Incubators Puts Thousands of Newborns at Risk ⁰

Cameroon loses nearly 10,000 newborns every year due to a severe lack of incubators and trained paediatric staff. The problem is especially acute in conflict-affected regions like the Northwest, where hospitals such as Bamenda Regional Hospital operate far below required capacity—only six incubators for nearly 20 babies, many of whom are pre-term and vulnerable to infections when forced to share equipment.

Mission hospitals face similar shortages. Mbingo Baptist Hospital, one of the country’s top referral centers, runs on just four incubators, a situation worsened by the Anglophone Crisis and COVID-19, which drastically reduced patient access. Nationally, Cameroon records high child mortality: nearly 90,000 low-birth-weight babies are born annually, and about 10,000 die from preventable causes. The country’s under-five mortality rate remains far above global averages.

Experts say the crisis is driven by chronic underfunding. Cameroon allocates only around 4% of its national budget to health, far below the 15% Abuja Declaration benchmark. Despite incubators being relatively affordable, most hospitals lack them, and paediatric specialists are also in short supply—only about 200 paediatricians serve 15 million children, with many doctors leaving the country for better conditions.

Efforts to improve the situation are emerging. MP Peter Njume has launched a Parliamentary Caucus on Health Financing to push for increased domestic funding. Meanwhile, a coalition led by Professor Pius Tih and the African Children’s Healthcare Fund is working to build Cameroon’s first dedicated paediatric hospital, which would include modern neonatal care equipment and specialist staff.

With children making up nearly half of Cameroon’s population, experts warn that expanding paediatric services is urgent if the country hopes to reach universal health coverage by 2030.

Source: Trendsafrica

21, November 2025

Switzerland tests Cameroon’s openness with post-election mediation offer ⁰

Switzerland positioned itself once again as a potential mediation partner in Cameroon. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter sent a congratulatory message to President Paul Biya on 7 November, following his re-election, and released the message publicly on 19 November. She stated Switzerland’s readiness to mobilise its diplomatic and institutional expertise at a time when the post-election climate remains tense and contested. The offer places Yaoundé before a test of its willingness to pursue inclusive political dialogue.

“The Swiss Confederation follows the post-electoral situation in Cameroon closely,” Keller-Sutter wrote, calling on political actors to engage in “constructive dialogue” capable of producing political solutions that reflect the aspirations of the entire population, “notably those of youth and women.” By explicitly targeting these groups, Bern anchored its message in both political stability and social expectations beyond electoral litigation alone.

A Diplomatic Offer Grounded in Longstanding Partnership

Beyond protocol, the Swiss letter carries specific diplomatic weight. It reiterates Bern’s readiness to support Cameroon in designing inclusive political solutions. “As a long-standing partner to Cameroon, Switzerland stands ready to share its expertise in this field,” Keller-Sutter said. Switzerland’s expertise covers mediation, governance, political dialogue and peace processes—areas where Swiss diplomacy enjoys an established international reputation.

The offer aligns with Switzerland’s past involvement in the Anglophone crisis that has affected the North-West and South-West regions since late October 2016. In 2019, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said it had been “mandated” by a majority of stakeholders to facilitate negotiations between the Cameroonian government, political opposition and separatist actors.

This process, conducted with the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, produced several preparatory meetings in Switzerland. Despite initial optimism, disagreements among the parties slowed the initiative, which did not result in a formal dialogue. Still, this experience remains a reference for observers who view Switzerland as a credible interlocutor to support crisis resolution and to assess the willingness of actors to commit to negotiation.

Post-Election Tensions Raise Stakes for Dialogue

The 12 October 2025 presidential election also left behind a tense environment marked by disputes, opposition claims and accusations of irregularities. The Constitutional Council declared Paul Biya the winner with 53.66% of the vote, but the political landscape remains polarised. Against this backdrop, Switzerland’s initiative appears as a facilitation offer designed to prevent political escalation and encourage a return to consultation. It also tests the readiness of authorities and political forces to accept a structured mediation framework.

The Swiss message comes as Biya, inaugurated on 6 November, declared that youth and women would lie at the centre of his new seven-year term, emphasising reforms and stronger engagement with citizen expectations. Switzerland, consistent with its neutral mediation posture, now seeks to support institutional stability during Cameroon’s new political phase. How Yaoundé receives this offer will provide a critical indicator of the political system’s openness and its ability to manage medium-term destabilisation risks.

Source: Sbbc

21, November 2025

Joël Monefong’s Masterstroke: Douala Port signs landmark PPP to become Central Africa’s first true smart port ⁰

Renowned Central African infrastructure financier and port development expert Joël Daniel Monefong has secured one of the most ambitious contracts of his career by signing, through his company Innovendi Data Technologies and Communication Ltd, a far-reaching public-private partnership with the Port Authority of Douala (PAD) for the complete digital transformation of the Douala-Bonabéri port into Central Africa’s first fully operational Smart Port.

The agreement, signed on 17 November 2025, gives Innovendi the responsibility for the design, full financing, construction, operation, maintenance and future upgrading of a dedicated hybrid 4G/5G telecommunications infrastructure, coupled with a comprehensive suite of Smart Port digital services aimed at dramatically improving operational performance, slashing cargo and vessel dwell times, and restoring the port’s regional competitiveness.

According to the terms disclosed by the PAD, the entire project is 100 % financed by Innovendi and its financial partners, meaning the Cameroonian port authority will undertake this large-scale digital revolution at zero initial capital cost. The technological package includes a private hybrid 4G/5G network delivering ultra-high-speed, low-latency connectivity across the entire port zone; Internet of Things (IoT) platforms for real-time cargo tracking, predictive maintenance and equipment monitoring; edge-cloud infrastructure for on-site critical data processing; state-of-the-art cybersecurity systems; and intelligent digital interfaces to modernise access control, traffic management, video surveillance and overall cargo handling.

In exchange for these exclusive rights, Innovendi will pay the PAD an upfront entry fee, an annual fixed fee, a variable fee indexed to port traffic volumes, plus all applicable regulatory charges — thereby creating a new and recurring revenue stream for the public port authority.

Cyrus Ngo’o, Director-General of the PAD, declared that the convention is the culmination of several months of intense negotiations and announced that technical specifications will now be finalised urgently to allow work to begin in the coming weeks. He underlined that the new digital ecosystem will bring “considerable gains in operational fluidity, a sharp reduction in vessel and cargo waiting times, strengthened security and a drastic limitation of human error”.

For his part, Joël Monefong, CEO of Innovendi, described the project as “an extremely ambitious undertaking that will definitively position Douala-Bonabéri as the first truly accomplished Smart Port in Central Africa, with digitalisation acting as the primary growth and competitiveness driver”.

This landmark contract perfectly aligns with the PAD’s strategic objective of consolidating Douala’s historic role as the leading logistics hub of the Gulf of Guinea, at a time when the port is facing increasing competition from the more modern facilities at Kribi (Cameroon), Lomé (Togo), Tema (Ghana), Pointe-Noire (Congo) and Lagos (Nigeria). The expected efficiency gains are set to attract new shipping lines, improve service quality for shippers and freight forwarders, and enable the port to absorb the region’s fast-growing trade volumes.

Beyond its operational impact, the project is also presented as carrying major socioeconomic benefits: direct and indirect job creation, advanced training programmes for young Cameroonian engineers and technicians, systematic involvement of local SMEs in implementation, and a structured transfer of cutting-edge technological expertise throughout the duration of the partnership.

Although Innovendi Data Technologies and Communication Ltd remains a relatively young player with a still-limited public portfolio, the contract takes on an entirely different dimension when seen through the lens of its promoter. With this Douala Smart Port project, Joël Monefong — already a recognised heavyweight in African infrastructure finance who has personally structured multi-billion-dollar PPPs, advised presidents and port authorities across the continent (notably as Technical Advisor No.1 at Kribi and lead financial architect of the >USD 1 billion Banana deep-water port in DRC alongside DP World) — opens a new and highly strategic chapter, this time combining his financial engineering mastery with direct operational responsibility for one of the most emblematic digital transformation projects in sub-Saharan Africa today.

Culled from Business in Cameroon by Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

19, November 2025

Cristiano Ronaldo attends White House dinner alongside Saudi crown prince ⁰

Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo attended a White House black-tie dinner alongside the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.

Speaking ahead of the event, US President Donald Trump said it was an “honour” to host Ronaldo, whose starring role in the Saudi football league has seen him become a face of the country’s modernisation drive.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman wants to reduce the country’s dependence on oil revenues by diversifying into other areas including sports and tourism.

A White House official confirmed earlier in the day that Ronaldo would attend, but did not say if he was part of bin Salman’s official delegation.

Many critics claim Saudi’s investment is aimed at gaining legitimacy and deflecting attention from its human rights record and the environmental impact of its oil industry – a practice referred to as ‘sportswashing’.

Trump used his speech at the dinner to praise closer ties with Saudi Arabia, labelling the country a “major non-Nato ally”. Earlier in the day, Trump hosted the Saudi crown prince in the Oval Office.

Turning to the Portuguese soccer star, Trump told the gathered guests: “My son is a big fan of Ronaldo”.

“And Baron (Trump) got to meet him, and I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”

Also at the dinner was tech billionaire Elon Musk, who joined other influential business leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook. It is the first time Musk has been to the White House since stepping down as the head of the Trump administration’s Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) in April.

A dramatic feud between Trump and the Tesla tycoon played out publicly for months, and included Musk announcing that he would set up a new political party.

Ronaldo’s attendance at the White House, meanwhile, marks one of his first known visits to the US since 2016.

In the interim he has faced an allegation of sexual assault. Kathryn Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009, which he denied.

“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in,” he said in a statement in 2018.

In 2019, US prosecutors said Ronaldo would not face charges because the claims could not be proven.

In early 2023, Ronaldo made the jump to Saudi Arabia when he became the face of the Saudi Pro League and captain of Al Nassr – the football club owned by sovereign wealth fund PIF which is chaired by the crown prince.

‘Things happen’ – Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing

In an industry where players are paid extraordinary amounts of money, Ronaldo’s pay deal with Saudi Arabia was astronomical. The footballer was reportedly paid $200m (£152m) a year – or more than half a million dollars a day.

Then in June this year, he signed a new two-year deal for a reported total of $400m (£300m) and became football’s first billionaire player, according to Bloomberg, with a net worth of $1.4bn.

That’s a lot of money for a 40-year-old footballer in the twilight of his career.

But, according to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, Saudi Arabia has “invested heavily in high profile events and individuals to put the kingdom on the map” in terms of sports and tourism in its quest for modernism.

Ronaldo has referred to bin Salman as “our boss” in an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Earlier this month, he appeared at a Ministry of Tourism event in Riyadh where he talked up the kingdom’s development projects and his hopes for the 2034 FIFA World Cup being held in Saudi Arabia.

Source: BBC