Headline News

30, October 2017

Clashes in Central African Republic leave at least 2 dead, 10 wounded ⁰

Fighting between armed groups around the town of Batangafo in northern Central African Republic have left at least two dead and 10 wounded, aid workers said Monday.

Seven of the wounded were admitted to a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Batangafo and three were sent to a facility in Kabo, Sandra Smiley, with MSF in the capital Bangui, said.

UN sources said fighting broke out on October 24 between anti-Balaka militia — a group that says it is defending Christians — and another armed group, the Patriotic Movement for Central Africa (MPC).

At least two people died in the village of Saraghba, a few kilometers from Batangafo, but it was too dangerous to access the zone to get a complete toll, concurring sources said.

Batangafo is one of many hotspots in the violence that has gripped CAR over the past four years. In September, the death of a worker employed by a humanitarian group plunged the town into violence, leaving a confirmed death toll of six and 28,000 people without aid.

Mired in poverty but rich in diamonds and other minerals, CAR has been battered by a conflict between rival militias that began after then-president Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013.

Under a UN mandate, the former colonial power France intervened to push out the Muslim Seleka fighters who had taken over, and the UN launched a peacekeeping mission in 2014. But the country remains chronically prone to violence, with armed groups controlling most of the country.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who last week made a four-day visit to CAR, is calling for the UN Security Council to renew the mandate of the organization’s 10,000 peacekeepers when it expires on November 15, and add another 900 blue helmets.

(Source: AFP)

30, October 2017

Suspected Boko Haram raid kills 10 in Cameroon village ⁰

Suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 10 villagers in northern Cameroon on Sunday night in what army and local officials said was revenge for attacks by Cameroon’s army.

Cameroon’s semi-arid far North region has been a target of Boko Haram suicide bombings and raids for eight years as the Islamist insurgency spilled over the border from Nigeria, killing 20,000 and uprooting nearly three million in the Lake Chad region.

Cameroon forces have tried to beat back insurgents but have struggled to stop unpredictable attacks that have been the hallmark of Boko Haram’s bid to carve out an Islamic state. A senior army source said the attackers came to the village of Gouderi at 11 p.m. on Sunday and killed 11 people.

Two local officials told Reuters by phone that “about 10” had been killed. “It looks like revenge because the army killed Boko Haram members in this village and forced others to retreat to Nigeria,” the army source said.

Source: Vanguard

30, October 2017

Yaounde Military Court begins trial of Southern Cameroons suspects ⁰

A huge consignment of war equipment that was discovered in Mbengwi in the night of August 2nd to 3rd has been presented to the Chief state prosecutor at the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé. The equipment was presented alongside three of the six suspects arrested in connection to the discovery.

The group led by Dassi Alfred is in a French Cameroun court after the Biya regime claimed preliminary investigation had been carried out by security services. It also marks the start of a concocted legal proceedings against Southern Cameroonians accused of attempting to destabilize the country.

The weapons exhibited at the Yaoundé Military Tribunal included semi automatic fire arms, night vision equipments with laser rang finders, glasses and shielding fire episcope, bipods and tripods for precision weapons, explosives, detonator cords, chargers for sniper rifles, explosive charge containers and explosive device switches, timers.

The French Cameroun government revealed that these war arsenals were uncovered in Mbengwi, Momo State by security forces following a tipoff from intelligence services. The so-called government spokesman and Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary in a press conference granted September 2017, said the group was preparing to carry out attacks against defense, security and administrative authorities.

Source: CRTV

30, October 2017

Trump’s approval rating drops to lowest point of his presidency ⁰

Just 38 percent of Americans approve of Donald Trump’s performance as president, making the former businessman the least popular modern president at this stage of his tenure, according to a new poll.

More than half of respondents, 58 percent, disapprove of Trump’s job performance in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll released on Sunday.

The poll showed that Trump’s approval rating fell five percentage points since September to reach the lowest point of his presidency.

Similar polls found former President George W. Bush had 88 percent approval at this stage in his term, former President Barack Obama had 51 percent and former President Bill Clinton had 47 percent.

Trump has largely lost support among independent adults and white adults without a college degree.

The respondents cited the president’s handling of the NFL players’ protests, his failure to introduce health care reforms and his response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico as the reasons why they put Trump in a negative light.

“This is his worst showing of his young presidency so far,” Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates, who co-conducted the survey, told NBC News.

Trump is doing fairly better on the economy, with 42 percent of respondents approving and 37 percent disapproving of him in that regard.

Another poll has found that a majority of Americans believed that politics in the US have hit a “dangerous low point” under Trump.

Seventy-one percent of voters said the current political divisions were comparable to the Vietnam War era. A little more than half of the respondents thought Trump deserved “a lot” of blame for the current status.

The poll also found that dysfunction was rampant in Washington, with 70 percent deeming the Trump administration as dysfunctional and 80 percent holding a similar opinion about Congress.

Source: Presstv

30, October 2017

“Barrister Agbor Balla doesn’t state clearly whom he is talking for” ⁰

On the night of Saturday, October 28 to Sunday, October 29, 2017, unidentified people set fire on the home of Felix Agbor Balla’s parents in Manyu Division. Before fleeing, the arsonists also desecrated the grave of Balla’s late father. CIR’s Chi Prudence Asong in the following conversation with our chief political man, Soter Agbaw-Ebai examines the Barrister Agbor Balla factor in the Southern Cameroons struggle.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: The net is wash with criticisms of Barrister Agbor Balla’s stance on issues back in Southern Cameroons. As a trusted friend and brother, have you spoken to him?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: I have had several telephone conversations with him and I guess he is succeeding in his UK mission.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Many Southern Cameroonians seem to hold that he has played into the hands of the CPDM government, especially as he is calling for the resumption of schools.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: My dear Prudence, many Ambazonians believe school resumption is a good thing, but there must be preconditions. Southern Cameroonian critics are mad at Agbor Balla for not playing up the preconditions as stated by the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Maybe Barrister Agbor Felix Nkongho Balla is not aware of the position of the Governing Council.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: He is very much aware. I even got one of our senior editors to communicate that to him and in that correspondence to Barrister Agbor Balla, we stated some of the preconditions such as:

Release of Southern Cameroonians who are in jail across the country;
Granting of amnesty to those who are out of the country;
Holding of genuine dialogue with Southern Cameroonian groups, most of which are out of the country.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Many Southern Cameroonians still hold that separation is the ideal option

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: You should be saying this to Mr Agbor Balla not me. I hold that if there is genuine dialogue, the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime and the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council can find ways to narrow their differences and maybe find a long-lasting solution to the issues

Cameroon Intelligence Report: What did you say to Barrister Agbor Balla when he arrived the UK?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: I suggested to him to tone down his rhetoric on school resumption and place his focus on clear preconditions. As a media and public relations person, I can tell you without fear of contradiction that some of his interviews are instead hurting his credibility. I dedicated my whole life fighting against this Francophone issue of North West/South West Divide, I am sad to say that my own brother, who supported me in those bad days when the late Peter Agbor Tabi and John Ebong Ngole wanted my head, is now the one fanning the flames of North West/South West Divide. Balla’s action is indeed fanning the flames of the North West/South West Divide. I am very disappointed.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Some political commentators are saying Barrister Agbor Balla is offering something new out of the current situation

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: I understand he says he does not believe in extremism. But I tell you what? It’s getting harder for some of us in the media to sell his side of the story. He will surely have to come up with a new strategy that will make him more marketable. Southern Cameroonians have been counting on him and he must not forget that the freezing of schools was a strategy that was used to secure his release and many hold that its use will go a long way in helping those who are still languishing in the unpleasant jails in Cameroon to regain their freedom. Cameroon Concord News Group has hinted Barrister Agbor Balla that the majority of Southern Cameroonians are not buying into what he is selling.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Did you suggest anything new to him?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: I told you at the beginning of our conversation that I got our senior editor to write to him a letter. In that document, Cameroon Concord News Group suggested to Agbor Balla that he should refocus his mission and the main point should be the release of those jailed and the granting of amnesty to all those in exile. The other issues are being handled by the Governing Council.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: What was his take on the letter?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: He thanked our editor for the letter. However, you are aware that I am not a Barrister! I am only a news reporter. Someone somewhere should tell Barrister Agbor Balla again that the Southern Cameroons crisis is a reality and it will be unfortunate to let the public perceive him as a sellout.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Suggest to me what Barrister Balla can do now for the struggle

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: My team has made it clear to the Barrister that with the report of the International Crisis Group out, we think it is time for all Southern Cameroons groups to continue to work together to get the Biya regime to the negotiating table. We believe the pressure must continue as the international community’s ramped up rhetoric against the regime should be seen as fodder to the Southern Cameroons cannon. My team has told Balla that he can always count on our public relations expertise, provided he engages in actions that will make Southern Cameroons a better place than he met it.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Are you aware that Barrister Agbor Balla’s family home has been burnt down?

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: I have heard about it. He is even lucky they did not set fire on his late Dad’s grave!! The elders of the Manyu State advised him to be careful with public statements which may make him unpopular on all fronts. Let me tell you what Barrister Agbor Balla does not know and why he should listen to people like me! Anglophone elites in Government pose a greater threat to him because they think he is online to take over their positions. The problem with Balla is not because he advocates Federalism. Dr Munzu does and was invited to Atlanta and London by Southern Cameroonians to speak about it. The problem is that Balla said he advocated a United Cameroun implying the status quo. Critically he said there was no need for a UN intervention despite the fact that the UN and AU have insistently stated that they were prepared to facilitate dialogue. Taking a public stand against that position is troubling. Indeed the UN Secretary General Personal Representative for Central Africa had been involved in shuttle diplomacy in this regard. Finally Balla doesn’t state clearly whom he is talking for. It seems like he is pushing a personal agenda now. These are my observations. He seems to have burnt bridges on all sides but his immediate adversaries are the Southwest CPDM elite and Government operatives who may have been complicit in burning down his village. If not them who can go to his village undictated to torch his family house? The same village that honored him upon release from detention?

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Thank you Mr Chairman for your time

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai: Happy Bank Holiday to you Prudence
Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

29, October 2017

SOBA:UK Executive invites Sponsors, Celebrities to Rugby Annual Convention ⁰

Invitations to SOBA:UK Dinners are hard to come by, but there’s an easy way in: support heavily the interest and the brand of the Sasse Old Boys in the UK.

The President of SOBA:UK, Ayuk Akoh-Arrey released a list of expected attendees for the November 11^th SOBA:UK Convention hosting SASSE heavyweights including UK lawmakers, administration officials, journalists, and celebrities—as well as a healthy crop of SOBA:UK sponsors.

Top on the SOBA:UK guest catalogue invited to Rugby is our Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, the Right Honourable Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai placed alongside some of the VIP names on the list. Cameroonian celebrities and academics all are expected to attend. Below is the document sent to our Editorial desk today Sunday the 29^th of October 2017.

Invitation to SOBA:UK Convention

29th October, 2017

Dear Soter Agbaw-Ebai of Cameroon Concord News Group,

I am writing to formally invite you to the SOBA:UK Annual Convention on 11th November, 2017 at Dunchurch Park Hotel, Rugby, CV22 6QW, Warwickshire.

I would be most delighted if you can confirm your attendance to this event. The main event is on Saturday 11th, however on Friday night of the 10th we are organising a meet and greet, and networking with younger Sobans. There will be a buffet on the Friday night from 7 pm if you can make it.

The ticket to the event is complementary for you. Please let me know if you require any assistance with hotel rooms. There are very limited rooms still available at the actual venue, so if you would like to lodge there then please let me know as soon as possible.

For further information please check our website on: www.sobaintheuk.org, or promotional video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjqqTN0nv0g

I look forward to seeing you.

Yours sincerely,

Ayuk Akoh-Arrey

President SOBA:UK Tel: +447956311637 soba@sobaintheuk.org

29, October 2017

Ambazonia: Updates from the Conclave ⁰

The 4th conclave is on, most of the delegates have arrived and are gradually settling in. Some other delegates have already had their pre-conclave meetings.

There are rumors of some participants being left out of the conclave. Those are false rumours. For security reasons the Conclave is known only by some and members of the organizing committee.

The current information going out about the VC and some delegates being left out of the conclave is untrue.

All participants duly invited will be informed through proper channels and time.

For peace and security we want to caution that delegates should treat matters of the conclave as classified. Ambazonians would be duly informed at the appropriate times.

We want to inform you to be rest assured that due process is being followed and not everything will and can be reported on social media for reasons we all know.

Stay tuned for updates from the conclave through our official channels.

SCACUF

29, October 2017

Congo-Kinshasa: US tells Kabila to hold poll in 2018 ⁰

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has told Democratic Republic of Congo it must hold its delayed elections in 2018. Ms Haley warned that US support for the country was at stake if this was not adhered to:

“Elections must be held in 2018, (otherwise) the DRC should not count on the support of the United States and the international community,” the AFP news agency reports her as saying.

She made the comments after meeting Corneille Nangaa, head of the National Electoral Commission. Elections were originally scheduled for November 2016 – but the NEC cancelled the polls citing logistical and financial difficulties.

It said that among other security concerns the continuing unrest in the central Kasai region was making it difficult to register voters. The commision said two weeks ago that the earliest date it could organise the poll was April 2019.

Opposition protests have been held across the country against the perceived extension of President Joseph Kabila’s rule. Mr Kabila was to set to step down in December 2016 but in a deal brokered by the Catholic church it was agreed he would leave office at the end of 2017.

Ms Haley – who arrived in the country on Wednesday – also met the religious leaders who mediated the 2016 deal. She urged them to “get involved” in ending the deadlock. The ambassador also visited a displaced people’s camp at Kitchanga in the eastern region of the country.

She is scheduled to leave the country later on Friday. It is the first trip to Africa for Ms Haley, who is the most senior Trump administration official to visit the continent. She has also visited South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Culled from the BBC

29, October 2017

From Cameroon prince to NBA king ⁰

Houston Rockets basketballer Luc Mbah a Moute says he grew up as a son of a village chief in Cameroon, but tells BBC Sportsworld: “I never had a crown though”.

Moute was part of the Rockets team that beat reigning NBA champions the Golden State Warriors on the opening day of the season.

He also helps to find the next crop of African talent through training camps back home.

Source: BBC

29, October 2017

Kenya postpones presidential election in opposition strongholds ⁰

Kenya’s election board has indefinitely delayed the country’s re-run presidential poll in four opposition-dominated areas due to “risk of violence.”

The board’s Friday decision came two days after polling in the rest of the country, in an attempt to stem the violence in Homa Hay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya — all in the opposition stronghold of western Kenya.

In the wake of the re-run vote, residents of the opposition’s stronghold areas blocked roads and clashed with police.

Police officials have stressed that their response to the turmoil is proportionate.

So far, incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta has won over 97 percent of votes counted with turnout estimated below 35 percent.

The re-run election was held after the Kenyan Supreme Court annulled the previous election in August over procedural irregularities. Key opposition leader Raila Odinga pulled out of the contest, saying the contest against Kenyatta was not going to be fair.

Odinga won 44.7 percent of the vote in the previous round that saw a turnout of nearly 80 percent. In Thursday’s election, Kenyatta contested six minor candidates, none of whom won over 1 percent in August.

Kenyan policemen patrol during a rally by pro-opposition protesters of in Kawangware, on October 28, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

At least five people have been killed by gunshot wounds and beatings by police in the post-election violence since Thursday.

According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, at least 45 people died during a police crackdown on opposition supporters after the August vote.

The turmoil over the election has been polarizing the nation and hampering growth in East Africa’s most vibrant economy. Kenya is also considered a major regional trade hub and a key security ally for Western countries.

The European Union has called on Kenyan security forces to provide protection to all citizens and avoid the excessive use of force. A decade ago, some 1,200 Kenyans were killed in violence after another disputed poll.

Source: Presstv