Headline News

19, December 2017

Southern Cameroons militants Kill 4 Gendarmes as Anglophone Crisis Worsens ⁰

Militants seeking independence for Cameroon’s English-speaking regions killed four gendarmes on Monday, the government said, as disputes with the Francophone-dominated government degenerate into open warfare.

Several separatists were killed by security forces in ensuing clashes, the government spokesman said.

Repression by President Paul Biya’s government against what began as peaceful protests a year ago by Anglophone activists over perceived social and economic marginalization has bolstered support for armed militants demanding a full break with Yaounde.

The separatists have launched a series of deadly raids on government police and soldiers in recent weeks, leading authorities to escalate a crackdown that has killed dozens of civilians.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon’s government spokesman, said the separatists had killed four gendarmes earlier Monday in the village of Kembong in Southwest region’s Manyu Division.

“The assailants, ensnared by the measures put in place by our defense and security forces, are now reduced to sporadic attacks carried out by hidden faces and using perfidy,” Tchiroma said.

A representative for the separatists could not be immediately reached for comment.

Manyu, with its dense equatorial forests along the Nigerian border, has become the center of the insurgency from which the separatists have launched a series of attacks on security forces in villages.

FILE – A still image taken from a video shot Oct. 1, 2017, shows protesters waving Ambazonian flags in front of road block in the English-speaking city of Bamenda, Cameroon.

The violence there has fueled a mounting refugee crisis. At least 7,500 people have crossed into Nigeria since Oct. 1, when the secessionists declared an independent state called Ambazonia, and the U.N. refugee agency says it is bracing itself for as many as 40,000.

Cameroon’s linguistic divide harks back to the end of World War I, when the German colony of Kamerun was carved up between allied French and British victors.

The English-speaking regions joined the French-speaking Republic of Cameroon the year after its independence in 1960. French speakers have dominated the country’s politics since.

Tensions have long simmered but the recent violence is the most serious to date and has emerged as a threat to Biya’s 35-year rule. The 84-year-old is expected to seek a new term in an election next year.

Source: VOA

19, December 2017

Albania: Opposition MPs throw smoke bombs in parliament ⁰

Opposition lawmakers in Albania have thrown smoke bombs inside parliament to disrupt a session for the appointment of an interim prosecutor general, which they said was unconstitutional.

Albanian opposition MPs on Monday threw smoke grenades into the parliament chamber to protest the election of Arta Marku with 69 votes out of 76 by the ruling Socialist Party.

The move to stop the election, however, was in vain as Marku was eventually sworn in as temporary prosecutor general.

Members of Albania’s parliament react as opposition MPs set off smoke bombs during a vote for a new, temporary general prosecutor on December 18, 2017 in Tirana. (Photo by AFP)

Opposition legislators claimed that parliament was not entitled to elect an interim prosecutor general and should wait for the creation of a permanent commission to do that.

They also argued that a prosecutor should be installed once some 800 judges and prosecutors are vetted and elected with three-fifths of votes in parliament.

Albania’s opposition lawmakers throw smoke bombs inside the Parliament during the election of the new prosecutor, in Albanian parliament in Tirana, on December 18, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

Rightwing opposition leader Lulzim Basha censured socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama before the Monday parliament session for appointing a “puppet” to follow his commands.

Basha said Marku’s appointment “is a constitutional violation and can lead to the destabilization of the country.”

Albania’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha (C) speaks to his supporters during a protest against the election of the new prosecutor, in front of parliament in Tirana, Albania, on December 18, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

During his speech in parliament, Basha also warned the Albanian prime minister against a constitutional “putsch” in an effort to protect corrupt officials, including his former interior minister.

“You have decided to violate the Constitution to protect your wealth. This is the last moment that I ask you in the name of the Constitution to withdraw. This is the command of the people. Obey it or face the consequences,” the opposition leader said.

Albanian opposition demonstrators clash with police in front of the parliament building in Tirana on December 18, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

While the 41-year-old prosecutor general was taking oath of office in front of the Albanian lawmakers, several thousand activists and supporters of opposition parties Democratic Party (DP) and Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) were protesting outside the cordoned-off parliament building.

Albanian police clashed with opposition supporters trying to force their way into the building, with local media reporting that a number of people had been injured.

Albanian opposition protesters clash with police in front of the parliament building in Tirana on December 18, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Marku is due to fill the vacant position of prosecutor general for the next two or three months until a new prosecution high council has been created.

Marku’s appointment is supported by the European Union and the US, as the move paves the way for judicial reforms needed for the country’s bid to launch EU membership negotiations.

Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to launch negotiations next year.

Source: Presstv

18, December 2017

The Ignored War: Biya and the Dadi Village Genocide ⁰

Women and children have disappeared in large numbers as the entire Dadi village was wiped out by the Francophone dominated Cameroon government armed forces. It was a larger scale campaign that involved three military helicopters and three task forces that swept into the village of Dadi immediately after President Biya declared war on the Anglophone communities in Cameroon.

Our military informant said that a French- supplied Hawker Hunter aircraft was used to drop grenades sending up large clouds of white smoke. No life is exiting in Dadi village in Akwaya Sub division widely believe to the stronghold of the ADF force as revealed in a video broadcast on social media by the ADF leader, Cho Ayaba.

We can now reveal that it was an extermination campaign on one of the most thickly populated Boki villages in Manyu Division and those who attempted to escape were shot from helicopters. “Dead bodies can be seen everywhere” noted our source.

An aide to the Manyu army commander who spoke to our undercover reporter said that some of villagers suspected of having prepared the bullet proof charm were captured and transported via helicopter to the army camp in Besongabang and ferried by car to a Gerdarmarie brigade in Mamfe. Since then, they have never been heard again.

By Judith Fon

18, December 2017

Former Boko Haram Fighters Wait for Rehabilitation Facility ⁰

The multinational joint task force fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria says it will hold some 200 former terrorists until Cameroon can construct a rehabilitation center where they will be socially integrated before returning to their communities. The ex-terrorists are currently at the barracks of the multinational joint task force in Mora, on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria.

Soldiers of the Mora camp of the Multinational Joint Task Force fighting Boko Haram sing what is now their regular song after a successful operation. They have just returned from the border with Nigeria with 12 fighters whom they say handed themselves over to the military. Among them is Soule Bupaga, a 22-year-old Nigerian.

He says his wish is to return to his village (at Sanda Wajiri, near Kerawa) in Nigeria and that he regrets all the killings even though they were forced to carry them out. He says what he did was not good.

There are nearly 200 former fighters detained in the camp. Some were arrested during fighting and others handed themselves over to the military. Cameroonian ex-fighter, 26-year old Gouma Wamwha, says he decided to report to the military after he escaped from a Boko Haram training camp in the Nigerian border town of Gambarou, but was barred from entering his village in the Cameroon town of Kolofata.

He says he escaped from a Boko Haram camp with a motorcycle he was given to monitor and report to his former superiors each time a suspected group of people or a strange vehicle was seen approaching.

Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of Cameroon’s far north region says the government will continue to protect the ex-fighters. He says they have secured land in the border town of Meme were all former fighters will be assisted in reintegrating to society.

He says the ex-fighters have committed to assisting the military in bringing back their peers who are still either hiding in the bush because they are afraid of the military or are still under Boko Haram control.

200 other former Boko Haram fighter are taken care of in the Mozogo local council by the government of Cameroon and UN agencies. Their relatives are not ready to accept them in their villages for fear they may once again be infiltrated by the terrorists. The population says some of them may be spies or have been brainwashed with Boko Haram ideology.

Culled from VOA

18, December 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Unconfirmed Reports “4 Troops Killed In Fierce Battle In Kembong” ⁰

Cameroon Concord News has been informed of a major attack in Kembong village in Eyumojock Sub Division. Our source say unknown gunmen men believe to be serving with the Ambazonia Defense Force reportedly staged an operation in the densely populated village killing 4 Cameroon government soldiers.

Our Mamfe correspondent has not been able to establish the correctness of this developing story. What we do know is that there was an attack on the Ebinsi check point that was repealed by government forces.

Gun shots were also heard throughout the night in Ayukaba village. At the time of filing this report, trucks loaded with military personnel were heading to Kembong from Mamfe. Our cream of reporters headed by Judith Fon is keeping a watchful eye on the happenings in Eyumojock and we will keep you posted as we get the news.

18, December 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 10 Regional Governors to discuss the challenges of living together ⁰

The 10 regional governors will be meeting today Monday, December 18, 2017 in Yaoundé for their second semiannual conference for the year 2017. The session that will be chaired by the Minister of Territorial Administration is expected to last three days.

The Biya Francophone regime has chosen the theme of the governor’s meeting as “administrative authority, change in security threats, the challenge of living together and the prospect of sub-regional integration “. Cameroon Concord News learnt that the debates will be coordinated by René Emmanuel Sadi, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.

The theme is undoubtedly inspired by hotbeds of socio-politico-security tensions in Southern Cameroons and security issues in the Eastern and Far-North Regions. The ten Biya appointed governors of the Region will present a situation report of their respective administrative units. As usual, Minister René Emmanuel Sadi will communicate to the governors at the end of this conference, the directives of the government with a view to a better preservation of the social peace and the living together.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

18, December 2017

Over 60 dead after days of violence in Ethiopia ⁰

At least 61 people have been killed in clashes between different ethnic groups in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region, officials said, the latest bout of violence to highlight increasing instability in a province racked by bloody protests in 2015 and 2016.

From Thursday, 29 ethnic Oromos were killed by ethnic Somali attackers in the region’s Hawi Gudina and Daro Lebu districts, regional spokesman Addisu Arega Kitessa said.

The violence triggered revenge attacks by ethnic Oromos in another district, resulting in the killing of 32 Somalis who were being sheltered in the area following a previous round of violence.

“The region is working to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The cause of the latest violence was not known, but it followed protests in Oromiya’s Celenko town where the region’s officials said 16 ethnic Oromos were shot dead on Tuesday by soldiers trying to disperse the crowd.

“We do not know who ordered the deployment of the military. This illegal act should be punished,” said Lema Megersa, the region’s president.

The clashes are likely to fuel fears about security in Ethiopia, the region’s biggest economy and a staunch Western ally.

Lema’s comments also illustrate growing friction within Ethiopia’s ruling EPRDF coalition, since unrest roiled the Oromiya region in 2015 and 2016, when hundreds of people were killed.

At that time, the violence forced the government to impose a nine-month state of emergency that was only lifted in August.

The unrest was provoked by a development scheme for the capital Addis Ababa that dissidents said amounted to land grabs and turned into broader anti-government demonstrations over political and human rights.

It included attacks on businesses, many of them foreign-owned, including farms growing flowers for export.

(Source: Reuters)

18, December 2017

South Africa: ANC votes to elect successor for party leader Zuma ⁰

Battle lines were drawn on Monday for South Africa’s ANC as voting began to elect a new leader to succeed President Jacob Zuma as head of a party that has ruled since the end of apartheid but faced scandals and corruption allegations.

The vote is perhaps the most pivotal moment for the ANC since it launched black-majority rule under Nelson Mandela’s leadership 23 years ago. With scandal and graft accusations having tainted Zuma’s presidency, the party is deeply divided.

Whoever emerges at the helm of the African National Congress, a 105-year-old liberation movement that dominates Africa’s most industrialized economy, is likely to become the country’s next president after elections in 2019.

A total of 4,776 delegates began casting their ballots in the early hours of Monday, the ANC said, to select between Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zuma’s preferred candidate, his ex-wife and former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa listen to delegates disputing votes at the NASREC Expo Centre during the 54th ANC national congress on December 17, 2017 in Johannesburg. (Photo by AFP)

Voting was still going on at 0530 GMT.

“Delegates are very exhausted,” an ANC source, who is a voting delegate, told Reuters. “I don’t know how they will run today’s sessions.”

Ramaphosa and Dlamini-Zuma were the only candidates nominated for the ANC leadership at a conference in Johannesburg on Sunday night.

In a boost to Ramaphosa, courts ruled that officials from some provinces seen as supporting Dlamini-Zuma had been elected illegally and were barred from the conference.

A winner had been expected to be announced on Sunday, but long delays led to the vote being pushed back repeatedly.

ANC spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni said voting was expected to be completed by midday and results announced later on Monday.

On Saturday, Zuma announced plans to raise subsidies for tertiary colleges and universities, a move analysts said was timed to appeal to the party’s more populist members allied to Dlamini-Zuma, the first woman nominated as an ANC presidential candidate.

Zuma has faced allegations of corruption since he became head of state in 2009 but has denied any wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader who became a businessman and is now one of the richest people in South Africa, has vowed to fight corruption and revitalize the economy, a message hailed by foreign investors.

Dlamini-Zuma pledged during her campaign to tackle the racial inequality that has persisted since the end of white-minority rule.

Ramaphosa drew the majority of nominations from party branches scattered across the country. But the complexity of the leadership race makes it uncertain he will win the final count.

(Source: Reuters)

17, December 2017

Mamfe: The Situation Report December 12 -December 17 ⁰

Mamfe the chief town in Manyu division has witnessed sporadic fighting between unknown gunmen believe to be members of the Ambazonian Defense Force and the Cameroonian army. Over the past week, several events have unfolded that has caused panic and generated a massive exodus from the area.

Tuesday 12th of December 4.3am: Fire ravaged the Mamfe Main Market and 16 stores were completely damage. The cause of the fire has not been established though the trader’s union is blaming the use of poor quality cables during the electrification process of the market. More than 20 businessmen and women have been rendered bankrupt loosing an estimated sum of approximately 50millions owing to the fact that most of them had stock their shops for the festive period. Cameroon Concord News understands the destruction should have been minimized if drivers were allowed to circulate early in the mornings by the military.

Thursday the 14^th of December 8.30: Unidentified gunmen attacked Cameroon soldiers on patrol. There was heavy exchange of artillery fire that claimed the lives of 7 civilians including 2 Malians and a Nigerian. The foreigners were killed at Tanjong Street far from the place of confrontation. The foreign nationals had gone to eat in a restaurant in Tanjong Street where they were reportedly shot by troops parading in pickup truck. The soldiers refused to identify the others and the 7 victims were buried in a mass grave behind the old council building.

Sunday the 17 of December 11 am: A majority of the Mamfe inhabitants have now yielded to the Senior Division Officer’s press release that urged them to relocate to safer zones. The people of Egbekaw have all moved out of their homeland. Manyus have moved to different towns and cities in Southern Cameroons. Bike riders have all left and the streets of Mamfe are empty. Consequently, schools have all been force to shut down.

The army launched a 3-day-attack on the Mamfe business community dealing in petrol commonly referred to as funge. A petrol dealer hinted Cameroon Concord News that fuel worth 30 million FCFA was destroyed.

By Judith Fon in Mamfe

17, December 2017

Brexit: Britons now back Remain over Leave by 10 points ⁰

More than half of the British people now want to stay in the European Union, according to a new poll that shows “Remainers” outnumbering “Leavers” by ten percentage points.

While 51 percent of Britons prefer to keep European Union membership, 41 percent want to leave the bloc, according to the BMG Research poll of 1,400 people conducted for The Independent.

According to The Independent, the lead for “Remain” over “Leave” was the biggest in any poll so far since the Brexit referendum in June 2016.

However, BMG Research head of polling cited a shift in opinion among those who chose not to vote last year as the reason for the change.

“The last time Leave polled ahead of Remain was in February 2017, and since then there has been a slow shift in top-line public opinion in favor of remaining in the EU,” said Michael Turner.

“However, readers should note that digging deeper into the data reveals that this shift has come predominantly from those who did not actually vote in the 2016 referendum, with around nine in ten Leave and Remain voters still unchanged in their view,” Turner added.

This comes as EU President Donald Tusk said EU leaders approved the opening of the next stage of Brexit talks Friday after reaching a deal on divorce terms with Britain.

At a meeting in Brussels, members of the bloc said there has been enough progress on key issues. The next phase will involve discussions over future relations and trade ties between the UK and the EU.

Negotiations on the transition period will resume in January.

But talks on trade will not begin until March as EU members need more clarity on the UK’s post-Brexit plans.

British Prime Minister Theresa May signed the divorce deal with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on December 8 after months of negotiations. The deal covers Britain’s exit bill, the future of the Irish border and the rights of EU expatriates in the UK.

Source: Presstv