Headline News

8, October 2024

Biya is alive, can we see him? ⁰

The government in Yaoundé has said that rumours of all kinds circulating through conventional media and social networks about President Biya’s condition are pure fantasy.

Biya has not been seen in public since attending a China-Africa forum in Beijing in early September. His failure to appear as scheduled at a summit in France last weekend stoked speculation that the dictator was unwell.

Cameroonians love their president and they want to see him. Biya has won every election since 1982 because he is the only popular candidate in the Francophone dominated country.

The country is well-managed. Can we see Biya? Can he talk to Cameroonians now at a time when Cameroonians are frustrated?

Escalating cost of living is killing Cameroonians. Where is the president? He is the only man with a magic wand.

What does it cost to see Biya, the only man who can rule Cameroon? Cameroonians are worried. Without Biya, Cameroon will dissolve. Please let Cameroonians see him. Seeing is believing!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

8, October 2024

CPDM government ministers offer reassurances on Biya’s health ⁰

Ministers Fame Ndongo and Gregoire Owona have reassured Cameroonians about the health of President Paul Biya, 91, and expressed anger at those who announced the demise of the ailing dictator, Cameroon Radio and Television reported on Tuesday after Prime Minister Dion Ngute reportedly cancelled the weekly cabinet meeting.

Cameroon Concord News reported that President Paul Biya had a prostate operation and the dictator is bedridden at the Percy Army Training Hospital known in French as the Hôpital National D’instruction Des Armées Percy located at 2 Rue Lieutenant Raoul, Batamy, 92140 Clamart, France.

Biya has been in power since 1982 and his Francophone dominated government has for years sought to quell speculation over his health.

Last week the presidency disclosed that he was sick and undergoing medical treatment in Paris or Geneva but no one deep within government circle is saying whether he has recovered.

Paul Biya has not been seen in public since leaving Beijing on 8 September after attending the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC).

His time as head of state has been marked by empty ambitious social and economic programs largely managed by corrupt political elites from his Beti-Bulu tribal extraction, many of whom are trying to position themselves as Cameroon’s next head of state.

For 42 years, Biya has also overseen an intense crackdown on dissent that analysts say has helped him consolidate power.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

8, October 2024

Biya regime issues new bonds to cover CFA12bn repayment ⁰

On October 2, Cameroon successfully issued CFA10 billion in treasury bonds on the Beac public securities market. The results of this loan have not yet been disclosed.

This issuance coincided with a scheduled repayment of CFA12 billion from the Cameroonian treasury, which was due on the same day. This repayment relates to a loan taken out 26 weeks earlier. This suggests that, as is customary, the Cameroonian government sought to secure the repayment by obtaining a new loan.

This practice has become common in the sub-regional public securities market, allowing Cameroon to avoid dipping into its cash reserves to meet obligations to BEAC market investors.

It is worth noting that since the launch of the BEAC public securities market in 2011, the Cameroonian treasury has never recorded a single payment default. This track record makes Cameroon one of the most creditworthy countries in the market for the past 13 years.

Source: Business in Cameroon

8, October 2024

Yaoundé says CFA1.7 trillion in suspicious financial flows in Cameroon in 2023 ⁰

Last year, CFA1,665.4 billion was recorded as suspicious financial flows in Cameroon. This figure represents an increase of 180% compared to the previous year, according to a report by the Anti-Graft Commission (Conac), which cited statistics from the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF). The result comes from analyzing 965 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) submitted to ANIF by banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators, money transfer companies, lawyers, notaries, and other public agencies.

The document found that “various fraud cases” were the most common, nearly tripling between 2022 and 2023. These cases represented over half (50.6%) of the reports made in 2023. The detected activities included tax fraud (60% of cases), customs fraud (40%), land transaction fraud (7%), and credit card fraud (5%). Common methods involved the illegal transfer of funds abroad using misused credit cards, hiding business revenues in third-party bank accounts, and illegal business operations by some economic actors. In addition to the relevant courts, information about tax and customs fraud has been shared with the General Tax Directorate (DGI) and the General Directorate of Customs (DGD).

The report emphasized that after “various frauds,” cases related to terrorism financing rose by 38% compared to 2022. These cases ranked second in terms of reports and accounted for 31.54% of submissions in 2023, totaling 141 cases. This rise may be attributed to security concerns, including the presence of Boko Haram in northern Cameroon and the activities of separatist movements in the Northwest and Southwest regions. Identified funding mechanisms involved internet scams, using fake identities to receive funds from abroad, as well as transfers through mobile money and money transfer companies.

Also, while the number of cases related to public fund embezzlement rose by 140% between 2022 and 2023, Conac noted that these cases represent only 2.68% of the reports submitted by ANIF to the authorities. However, they accounted for 4.3% (over CFA71 billion) of the total suspicious financial flows recorded by ANIF this year, compared to 94.7% (approximately CFA1,577 billion) for “various frauds.” Activities linked to terrorism financing accounted for only 0.14% of the suspicious financial flows reported, totaling around CFA2.3 billion.

Source: Business in Cameroon

7, October 2024

Biya family now living in a house guarded by French secret service in Paris ⁰

President Biya’s family is now living in a well guarded house in France, it has been claimed.

Aides to the dictator have moved his family and a select band of relatives to France late yesterday. The move is said to have come about after the 91-year-old leader disappeared from public view.

Intelligence sources told Cameroon Intelligence Report that the Biya family is now under the protection of the French government, which effectively amounts to political asylum.

Cameroon Intelligence Report was also told that Biya’s family fear of chaos in Yaoundé the capital is one of the reasons why they have moved to Paris.

France has remained an ally of the regime since Biya took office from the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo in 1982.

Biya has not been seen in public since leaving Beijing on 8 September after attending the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC).

Government sources say he is sick and undergoing medical treatment in Paris or Geneva.

We gathered that a bad prostate operation in France reportedly weakened the Cameroon strong man.

“It’s over now for Mr. Biya” our source said, adding that the Biya family may not return to Cameroon even with his remains.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with Intel files

7, October 2024

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Corruption cases cost the state 175 million euros in 2023 ⁰

In 2023, corruption cases in Cameroon’s public administration services cost the state over 114 billion CFA francs (more than 175 million euros). This is revealed in the economic report published by the National Anti-Corruption Authority (Conac), specifying that the phenomenon involves numerous sectors: taxation, customs, transport, police and gendarmerie, state property and land affairs, telecommunications, procurement and public works, among others. Published in English and French, the 454-page report highlights that the work is the result of the collaboration of 84 public and private entities, including 29 ministerial departments, 27 public establishments and companies, 14 jurisdictions and two civil society organizations.

The document takes into account the 7.548 complaints submitted to the Conac offices for the year 2023, which resulted in trials and investigations costing Yaoundé a total of 69 billion CFA francs (almost 106 million euros). In relation to the proceedings initiated, it should be noted, 23 sentences were issued, costing a total of 38,5 billion CFA francs (over 59 million euros). The cases of corruption detected in the public procurement sector led to the exclusion of 43 companies from tenders.

There are also cases of misappropriation of contributions intended for parents of students, the collection of salaries of deceased or immigrant people, a high number – 21,3 percent of the total reports – of misappropriations related to land disputes. There are also frequent cases of falsification in public employment and corruption during competitions, two aspects that represent 17,4 percent of the reports filed.

The report shows that the number of complaints filed in 2023 (7.548) is slightly higher than in 2022 (7.061). The 2024 Anti-Corruption Status Report will be presented next year.

Source: Nova News

6, October 2024

Paul Biya: The clouds are gathering and the news is getting out! ⁰

It is being reported in France and Switzerland that Cameroon’s President is no more.

The 91-year-old dictator, who undertook a long tiring journey to China, might not be returning to his country in front of the plane.

Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for almost 42 years, seems to have succumbed to the inevitable after a tough fight with prostate cancer which spread to other vital organs.

For many years, Mr. Biya has been a colony of diseases, with heart problems and memory failure stalking him like a stubborn shadow.

If this news gets confirmed, Mr. Biya will be remembered as a man who single-handedly destroyed a prosperous country handed over to him by the country’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo.

Once a buoyant nation, Cameroon is dealing with many development issues. The country’s economy has been in poor health for decades, causing many young Cameroonians to look outwards for opportunities.

Youth unemployment is very high and salaries are very low. Cameroonians have been transformed into “the roving Jews” of Africa by a man they thought would lead them to the land of promise when he took power in 1982.

Since taking over power in 1982, Mr. Biya has spent more time, money and energy just to maintain himself in power. The country has the worst roads on the continent and health care is unreliable.

Currently, there are reports of troop movement in Yaoundé. In the morning, helicopters could be seen and heard flying over the nation’s capital.

According to a military source, authorities in Yaoundé know that Mr. Biya’s time is over and the military might be preparing to take over or to ensure that chaos does not ensue when the news of the dictator’s death reaches Yaoundé.

Cameroon Concord News Group’s correspondent in France and Yaoundé are keeping an eye on the situation. Our Yaoundé city reporter who spoke to a senior military officer in the morning of Sunday said that the news was not good. Biya might be breathing his last and it is no surprise that the news of his death is already spreading.

Our Yaoundé correspondent also quoted the military source as saying that it was up to Cameroonians to urge the authorities to reveal the whereabouts of their president.

The senior military officer is also quoted as saying that people around the dictator were doing much to hide the truth and to intimidate the population.

This is a developing story.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

5, October 2024

Football: Pogba doping ban reduced to 18 months ⁰

Paul Pogba says his “nightmare is over” after a four-year ban for a doping offence was reduced to 18 months following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

Sources close to the 31-year-old Juventus midfielder told BBC Sport he can resume training in January 2025 and will be eligible to play again from March.

France international Pogba was suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) in February after a drugs test found elevated levels of testosterone – a hormone that increases endurance – in his system.

Cas director general Matthieu Reeb confirmed to Reuters the ban had been reduced to 18 months from 11 September, 2023.

In a statement, Pogba said: “Finally the nightmare is over. I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again.

“I always stated that I never knowingly breached World Anti-Doping Agency regulations when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor, which does not affect or enhance the performance of male athletes.

“I play with integrity and, although I must accept that this is a strict liability offence, I want to place on record my thanks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s judges who heard my explanation.

“This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Pogba took his case to Cas and gave evidence in person at a hearing earlier this summer.

He previously said he would “never knowingly or deliberately” dope and believed the verdict was “incorrect”.

Had the original ban stood, the 2018 World Cup winner would have been unable to play until 2027, when he will be 34.

Pogba was provisionally suspended in September 2023 after being randomly tested following Juventus’ first match of the 2023-24 season on 20 August.

The positive test was confirmed by Nado in a second sample in October, and the anti-doping prosecutor’s office requested a four-year suspension.

Speaking at the time of the initial suspension, Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said: “What is certain is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a rule.”

Juventus re-signed Pogba on a four-year deal in July 2022 after the player ran down his contract at Manchester United and left as a free agent following a six-year spell.

However, his return to Turin has been beset by persistent injury problems which also caused him to miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Pogba managed just 162 minutes across five appearances during the 2022-23 season and had played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute in the following campaign before his suspension.

Cas has been contacted by BBC Sport for comment.

Source: BBC

4, October 2024

Far North Flooding: Roman Catholic Bishops announce a collection for victims ⁰

The floods that have hit Cameroon in recent months have caused loss of life and enormous material damage. Those mostly affected by the deadly floods are in Mayo-Danay, a Far North Province of Cameroon. As Caritas Cameroon cannot respond to all requests for help, the Cameroon National Episcopal Conference has invited all parishes to organise a collection this Sunday, 6 October.

In a recent Statement, CENC president Archbishop Andrew Nkea recommended organising a special collection in all parishes of the country.

“We ask that a collection be organised on Sunday, 6 October, in all the parishes of our various dioceses,” he said.

Bishop Damase Zinga Atangana of Kribi Diocese and President of the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education urged Catholic schools to do the same during the first week of October.

Catholic Church’s long tradition of helping

Cameroon’s Catholic Bishops have thus invited all Catholics and people of goodwill to show generosity and charity towards the victims by making their contributions to the collection. Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala appealed for donations, reaffirming the Catholic Church’s long tradition of helping those in need. “These are Cameroonians who need serious help. It is Catholic tradition for the Church to contribute financially to help the poor and suffering,” said Archbishop Kleda.

Many homes and schools damaged

The current wave of floods in Cameroon follows heavy rains since July. The rains have left at least 20 people dead and more than 236,000 in the Far North of the country affected and in need of humanitarian assistance.

Many homes and schools in Mayo-Danay Province have been destroyed. Farmlands have also been washed away, setting up the region for acute food shortages.

Source: Vatican News

4, October 2024

Biya pinned down by spreading prostate cancer ⁰

The news from France is not good at all. Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, is fighting for his life. The 91-year-old Biya, who was expected to attend Friday’s opening session of the 2024 Francophone Summit, was indeed a no-show. (See group picture of heads of state and government)

The ailing president was represented by the country’s External Relations Minister, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, who was rushed into Paris when it became clear that Mr. Biya who has been away from Cameroon for 38 days now, would not be attending the summit as his prostate cancer is already spreading to some of the 91-year-old dictator’s internal and vital organs.

A source in France informed the Cameroon Concord News Group’s Paris correspondent that things were not looking well for the country, adding that the dictator was bedridden at the Percy Army Training Hospital known in French as the Hôpital National D’instruction Des Armées Percy located at 2 Rue Lieutenant Raoul, Batamy, 92140 Clamart, France.

It is reported that the Hôpital National D’instruction Des Armées Percy is where François Mitterrand, a former French President who died of prostate cancer at the age of 79, spent his last days.

Cameroon Concord News Group’s correspondent is keeping an eye on that health facility with a view to extracting information from medical practitioners working in that hospital.

Our correspondent has already reported that he has identified some members of the dying dictator’s entourage around the hospital premises and from their body language; there could be some bad news on the horizon.

Since leaving Cameroon in early September for China to attend the China-Africa Summit, Mr. Biya has been hiding in the French health facility where he is receiving world-class care.

Mr. Biya, who has presided over his country’s destiny for 42 years, has been unable to build a world-class hospital which can take care of his health needs.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai