About 950 gold miners were stuck underground in South Africa on Thursday after a power cut, the mine’s owner said, though the workers were not reported to be in immediate danger.

The Sibanye-Stillwater mining company said a massive power outage had prevented lifts from bringing the night shift to the surface at the Beatrix gold mine, near the city of Welkom.

“We sent rescue teams down, accounted for all the people and we obviously are trying to get them out of there as soon as possible,” James Wellsted, spokesman for Sibanye-Stillwater, told ENCA television.

“All employees appear to be fine. We are supplying food and water,” Wellsted added in a telephone message to AFP.

He said the depth where the miners were trapped was uncertain, but the mine has 23 levels, going down to about 1,000 meters (3280 feet) below ground.

About 65 people were rescued during the day, with 950 remaining trapped by early evening, the company said.

Wellsted said that engineers were struggling to get emergency generators to operate and re-start the lifts.

“We are having some issues — probably related to the power surge linked to the storm — in getting the winders working, so we are busy working on that issue at the moment,” he added.

“Last night there was a severe storm in the Free State that affected two different power cables… and cut off all electricity supply to the mine, so we were unable to bring the night shift up.”

One cable was restored during the day.

‘Serious concern’

The Beatrix mine is in Free State province, 290 kilometers (180 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.

AMCU, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, said that the workers stuck underground were facing major health and safety risks.

“AMCU views this incident as extreme due to the sheer number of workers involved,” it said in a statement.

“The incident raises serious concern regarding the lacking emergency contingency plans at the mine for alternative and back-up power generation.”

It said workers’ lives could be in danger from dehydration and lack of nutrition, especially if they were on medication.

Last August five mineworkers died after sections of a gold mine collapsed outside Johannesburg.

The country possesses rich mineral reserves and has some of the world’s deepest gold mines.

Gold was for many decades the backbone of South Africa’s economy, but production has declined sharply due to depletion of reserves.

(Story by AFP)

The fighting in Southern Cameroons has intensified since the extradition of the Ambazonian President, Julius Ayuk Tabe, on Monday, January 26, 2018, to Yaounde. Many young Southern Cameroonians have stepped up attacks on soldiers and gendarmes in a bid to express their frustration and anger.

Early today, two gendarmes – a man and a woman – were attacked in the North Western town of Mbingo by masked men, who shot the uniformed officers point blank, killing the male officer on the spot. The female officer is struggling for her life in the town’s main hospital.

In Bangem, a town in the Southwest region of the country, Amba Tigers have been fighting running battles with Cameroon’s military in the city’s downtown core. Unconfirmed reports indicate that more than four people have been killed in Bangem since the Tigers showed up to carry revenge attacks against army soldiers following the extradition of Mr. Ayuk Tabe who has become the incontestable poster child of the Southern Cameroons struggle.

It has also been reported that civilians in the town of Bangem are heading out of the town in large numbers to surrounding villages in a bid to seek refuge from army soldiers who have been attacking and killing unarmed and innocent civilians.

There have also been reports of violent clashes in Pinyin and Batibo which are small towns in the Northwestern region ever since Mr. Ayuk Tabe was taken to Yaounde where he and 46 others will soon be taken to court for their role in the escalating conflict in Southern Cameroons.

The increasing attacks had been predicted by many analysts and politicians who had posited that the arrest and extradition of Mr. Ayuk Tabe would only exacerbate things as more people would be radicalized. Most analysts based their thesis on the fact that the arrest of Mr. Mancho Bibixy, Barrister Felix Nkongho Agbor-Balla and Dr. Neba Fontem in January 2017 only made matters worse.

Many international observers are calling on the government of Cameroon to use this moment to smoke the pipe of peace as military violence and intimidation have not produced the results the government had expected. They contend that the government must change its strategy as the current one is gradually pulling the country towards a bloody civil war that is unnecessary.

It should be recalled that the government of Cameroon which is stuck in the past is using old tactics that had been employed in the 60s against French Cameroon freedom fighters popularly known as Maquisards in the pious hope that the Southern Cameroons population will submit to its will.

Critics point out that it has unfortunately failed to understand that times have changed. People are more educated today and the existence of the Internet have made it hard for such tactics to produce the desired results. Besides, with a huge and prosperous Southern Cameroons Diaspora, it will be hard for the government of Cameroon to obtain an outright victory.

The Diaspora is propping up efforts of the young and determined fighters who sincerely hold that with a little luck they can successfully bring the government of Cameroon to the negotiating table or get Southern Cameroons out of the mess in which short-sighted politicians like Muna and Foncha had dumped the region.

The Southern Cameroons Diaspora will continue to destabilize Cameroon for a long time if the government does not make permanent dialogue a way of life in a country that was hastily stitched together by the United Nations. The Southern Cameroons Diaspora is rich and it has successfully transformed marginalization into a huge opportunity.

The government therefore stands to gain if it changes its policies to recognize the Diaspora as a strategic partner in the country’s efforts to attain sustainable levels of development.

Mr. Biya and his government must now embrace dialogue as the ideal way to pull the country from the brink. From reactions obtained following the arrest and extradition of Mr. Ayuk Tabe, it is obvious that more blood will continue to flow, as Southern Cameroonians are determined to follow through with their threat of splitting the country.

Despite the disappointment their struggle has suffered, many Southern Cameroonians argue that the battle must continue as the revolution is bigger than any single individual. Speaking to a dejected Southern Cameroonian in WashingtonD.C. over the phone, our West African Bureau chief was advised that the revolution was an idea that would not be crushed through intimidation and military violence. The Southern Cameroonian, who elected anonymity, added that things only escalated when Felix Nkongh Agbor Balla, Fontem Neba and Macho Bibixy were arrested and that the current situation would only escalate attacks on the military.

He argued that Nelson Mandela was in jail for over three decades, but South Africans did not relent in their effort to unseat the racist bastion that had reduced them to second-class citizens in their own country. He said Southern Cameroonians would, over the coming days, designate their new leaders and would be informing the boys on ground on what steps to follow.

Also speaking from London, Sesekou Asu Isong, said that Southern Cameroonians should not believe that they could attain their objective without loss of life and imprisonment. He stressed that “freedom has never been attained through courteousness and gentlemanliness, adding that loss of life is and has always been part of such a struggle.”

He called on Southern Cameroonians to pour money and energy into the struggle. “As it is apparent that we are now in an armed struggle, we have a duty to pour money and energy into this cause. We have a duty to arm and train young determined fighters on the ground. If we don’t, the lives of the departed and those in incarceration would have been a waste,” he stressed.

Mr. Isong’s point of view ties in well with what is currently happening in many Southern Cameroons community across the globe. It is worth stressing that huge fundraising efforts are currently underway in most Western capitals. Southern Cameroonians across the globe are making significant financial contributions to support the tough Southern Cameroonian fighters who have become a nightmare to government forces in Southern Cameroons. In California alone, more than half a million dollars was raised last week to secure more aid and arms for the boys who are determined to roll back government forces that have been deployed across Southern Cameroons.

Also writing from Boston in the United States, Mr. EkinnehAgbaw-ebai, a graduate of the prestigious Harvard University, pointed out that “Irrespective of whatever anyone thinks, let it be said again with emphasis that Ambazonia will never die. Ambazonia is a spirit which animates our yearning for freedom and even if Biya kills all eight million Anglophones and raze all our villages, our ghosts shall rise from our graves to seek freedom and demand justice. Mandela was jailed, but the ANC continued until Apartheid was defeated. Bin Laden is dead, but that has not stopped Al Qaeda; rather ISIS was born. If Biya sincerely believes, as he claims, that a majority of Anglophones want to remain in bondage and servitude in a united Cameroon, let him organize a referendum. Voting should take place only in Anglophone regions under international supervision as was the case in 1961,” he pointed out angrily.

It should be noted that Sisiku Ayuk Tabe had said that the struggle was his life and that he was prepared and willing to lay down his life for the total liberation of Southern Cameroons, though he has always advocated non-violence. Many Southern Cameroonians are of that opinion and there are many meetings currently taking place across the globe to step up the pressure on the government.

By Sama Ernest with files from Kingsley Betek and Rita Akana

A train carrying dozens of GOP lawmakers to a Republican retreat has struck a truck in West Virginia, leaving one person dead.

The accident happened at about 11:15 am local time on Wednesday in the city of Crozet, according to Amtrak, the passenger railroad service carrying the lawmakers from both chambers of Congress.

The lawmakers were en route to the state of West Virginia for a three-day retreat featuring appearances by US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

“There is one confirmed fatality and one serious injury. There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

The front half of the truck was crushed in the accident.

“We’re fine, but our train hit a garbage truck. Members with medical training are assisting the drivers of the truck,” Greg Walden, a member of the US House of Representatives, wrote on Twitter.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a group of specialists to the scene of the accident.

Source: Presstv

Cameroonian authorities have become more concerned about the political and military conflict in the country as it continues to spill out of the control. Rumors making the rounds for some time now that young Francophone fighters are swelling the ranks of Anglophone fighters in Ndian Division are being confirmed by some senior political authorities in Cameroon.

Last week a Cameroon Concord News reporter was reliably informed that foreign fighters and trainers had joined the fray and this was making matters worse. This was corroborated by our source at the Secretariat of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the country’s leading opposition party.

It is now emerging that the issue is getting more complicated as thought. According to our source, Mr. Joshua Osih, the SDF presidential candidate in the upcoming 2018 presidential elections, has revealed that the ranks of the Southern Cameroonian fighters are being swelled by Francophones, many of whom are sick and tired of the way the country has been mismanaged over the last thirty-five years.

Our reporter on the ground in Ndian Division in the country’s southwest region reports that the Francophone fighters believe that the Southern Cameroons cause is a national cause and it is designed to stop the French-supported Yaounde government from taking the country hostage.

The fighters hold that elections alone will not be able to return the country to the path to decency as the Biya government is working tooth and nail to ensure the current system stays in place for a long time. They argue that the Biya regime has pauperized the people and transformed the entire nation into an Augean Stable where corruption has become the norm. They point to admissions into the National School of Administration and Magistracy where two of Mr. Biya’s children have been granted an undeserved admission into the school.

The fighters argue that after more than ten elections in the country, not much has change and change is not in the offing as the electoral code makes it hard to unseat the ruling CPDM widely known in Cameroon as a crime syndicate. The Francophone fighters have openly shown their admiration for Anglophones who have displayed great courage and determination for over a year and they believe that if Francophones joined the fray, the Biya regime would be dumped on the ash heap of history.

It should be recalled that for many months, there have been speculations that foreign fighters have been guiding and training young Southern Cameroonians, but the first serious confirmations only came when Mr.  Joshua Osih had to meet with them while taking his father’s remains to his native Ndian Division.

Mr. Osih, a respected SDF parliamentarian had to walk miles into the jungle where the Ambazonian fighters were lurking to seek permission and passage rights to his native village so as to give his late father a decent burial. He almost came under attack when he finally reached where the Southern Cameroons fighters were lying in wait for any government troops that might be heading to Ndian Division. Luckily for him, he was recognized by some of the zealous fighters who considered him a responsible and respected son of the South West region of the country. He was subjected to serious questioning and was asked if government officials would be attending the event.

He said none had been scheduled to be present at event. He was let go when he handed a huge wad of cash to the fighters who informed him that they would be keeping an eye on the event to ensure government agents did not infiltrate the location. The fighters later accosted my Osih at his residence in his village when they noticed that some government officials had made their way to the event. Mr. Osih had to explain himself and expressed his sincere apology, adding that he had not invited them, but they had shown up on their own.

Our source adds that Mr. Osih had promptly informed the Senior Divisional Officer of his encounter with the fighters to preempt any controversy that might emerge later as to whether he was financing a rebellion in Southern Cameroons.

Our reporter in Ndian Division has also confirmed that some white South African mercenaries are already on the ground to help structure the Amba Tigers and other groups and to provide short intensive training on hit-and-run tactics so as to enable the Francophone fighters to carry the war to the Francophone region.

Meanwhile, Southern Cameroonians are still reeling from the blow their struggle took to the head. The news that Mr. Ayuk Tabe and his collaborators had been extradited to Cameroon had hit them like a ton of bricks. They are now being consoled by the fact that the matter will play out in court and the fact that Mr. Ayuk Tabe will not be killed like a little stray dog. Many now argue that the world has evolved and the days when people could disappear without a trace have past. The international community is aware of the drama playing out in Cameroon and it will surely keep an eye on how things unfold, many argue, adding that the international community may not have a huge appetite for secession, but it will surely not countenance the government of Cameroon in its efforts to transform the country into a slaughter house.

In Manyu Division where Mr. Ayuk Tabe hails, it is openly said that he might have been arrested, but the Southern Cameroonian struggle might not be stopped. From the perspective, this struggle is bigger than an individual. Many Southern Cameroonian leaders have been arrested before, but instead of dousing the fire, the fire has been burning out of control.

“The struggle is like a hydra. When you cut its head, it develops another one. We are sure more leaders will soon be announced and we are looking forward to taking our cue from them,” one zealous supporter of the Ambazonian struggle who elected anonymity said in Mamfe. He added that “let them not forget that when they arrested Felix Nkongho Agbor-Balla and co. they thought the neck of the struggle had been broken, but things moved from bad to worse.”

“The struggle is an idea and it is the people’s struggle. It has little or nothing to do with an individual. We are no longer scared of jails. I am sure their jails should be bursting at the seams, as many Southern Cameroonians are now occupying the few jails they have. The government must learn how to negotiate. It must learn how to dialogue sincerely. Let it look into the mirror of history and it will find out in countries such as Colombia that the rebels only downed the weapons after thirty years of fighting and this only happened through the negotiating table,” he added.

Southern Cameroonians are already regrouping. A new leadership is being put in place and this new leaders will soon be announced in the coming days. Why the extradition offers an opportunity for the “presumed terrorists” to be tried, it also offers an opportunity for negotiations that can help spare the country the disaster that is staring it in the face.  The country’s leaders must therefore have to tamper their ways and look at how other countries have had to deal with similar situations in order to spare Cameroonians the agony and death that armed struggles bring to a people.

By Haggai Fung Achuo