Headline News

13, October 2017

Detained migrants in Libya ‘in disastrous conditions ⁰

Thousands of previously Europe-bound asylum seekers held in Libyan detention centers are said to be in dire conditions and in need of urgent medical help.

“The situation is very tragic… disastrous. There’s a lack of support,” Abdulhameed Muftah Frida, the head of the al-Hamra detention center in Gharyan, said on Thursday.

About 5,800 migrants have been transferred to the center since fighting broke out last month in the coastal city of Sabratha, a hub for human trafficking to Europe. About 2,000 people have already been sent from Gharyan to other centers in the capital, Tripoli.

A local armed group in a Libyan coastal city west of Tripoli has reportedly been halting refugee boats from setting out across the Mediterranean over the past months.

United Nations (UN) agencies have been trying to provide support for the thousands of mainly sub-Saharan African migrants now stranded.

Many have been taken to centers, some of which are notorious for widespread abuse and poor conditions.

Meanwhile, humanitarian workers have limited access to those centers.

Muftah said 70 percent of the migrants who are brought to his center are in need of medical attention and the center cannot to meet their needs.

Illegal immigrants are seen at a detention center in Zawiyah, 45 kilometers west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on June 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

“We appeal to all international organizations and the Libyan state to consider the humanitarian condition of these migrants,” Muftah added.

He further said there were many children and some pregnant women in the center, several of whom had gone into labor since arriving.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein, who visited Libya on Tuesday, raised the issue of the migrants with Libyan authorities.

Libya has turned into a scene of rampant militancy since the NATO military intervention of 2011, which came amid an uprising against longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Back in April, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) raised the alarm over the climbing number of refugees passing through Libya, who were being traded in so-called slave markets before being held for ransom and subjected to malnutrition and sexual abuse.

Culled from Presstv

13, October 2017

La Republique mistreating Southern Cameroons detainees- Amnesty International ⁰

Amnesty International on Friday accused Cameroon of detaining at least 500 people “like sardines” in overcrowded detention facilities following arbitrary arrests in two English-speaking regions.

The human rights watchdog said in a statement that the detainees were arrested when protesting in dozens of towns in Cameroon’s Anglophone North-West and South-West regions on October 1.

English speakers in the Central African nation have long complained that they are treated like second-class citizens and that the government makes less money available to them.

Amnesty alleged that Cameroon’s security forces, who killed more than 20 demonstrators that day, had used unnecessary or excessive force when making arrests, and most arrests were carried out without warrants.

According to Amnesty, many people who were injured during the protests were too scared of the security forces to seek medical treatment.

“This mass arrest of protesters, most of whom were acting peacefully, is not only a violation of human rights, but is also likely to be counter-productive,” said Amnesty researcher, Ilaria Allegrozzi.

Source: The Nation

13, October 2017

Davido to answer questions on the killing of Tagbo Umeike and 2 others ⁰

The popular Nigerian pop star Davido has been summoned by the Nigerian police in Lagos after the suspicious death of three of his acolytes. The Afrobeat star with his real name David Adeleke was summoned by the Nigerian police in Lagos to be heard about the fuzzy circumstances around the death of three of his relatives in the space of a week.

The latest death is that of Tagbo Umeike, 35, whose body was abandoned at the General Hospital in Lagos on the 3rd October in the early morning after a very alcoholic evening. According to local police, he had consumed 40 shots of Tequila, with friends, including singer Davido.

The girlfriend of the deceased young man, Caroline Danjuma, a Nollywood actress has accussed the singer of having fled after having abandoned her friend. For now, the singer denied any connection with the deaths.

The tragedy started when the bodies of two other Davido comrades were found on the 7^th of October in a BMW parked in a private residence in the chic Banana Island area in Lagos.

By Chi Prudence Asong, CCN

13, October 2017

Deadliest fires in California’s history kill 31, 100s still missing ⁰

Local US officials have confirmed that the death toll from this week’s wildfires in the state of California has climbed to 31, making it the deadliest series of blazes in the state’s history.

Fire officials said on Thursday the tally could rise further in the eight counties which have been affected by the fires.

In Sonoma County alone, where entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, hundreds of people are still unaccounted for.

The fires have swept through California’s wine country, leaving thousands of people homeless and burning over 190,000 acres (76,000 hectares) of land.

A California fire chief runs past burning grass during a firing operation while battling the Tubbs Fire on October 12, 2017 near Calistoga, California. (Photo by AFP)

Firefighters said gusty winds and dry conditions have hampered their efforts to contain the fires, which began on Sunday. Some 8,000 firefighters were battling 20 blazes as of Thursday.

“What this means is that our fires will continue to burn erratically,” California fire chief Ken Pimlott told a press conference. “They have the potential to shift in any direction at any time.

“We are a long way from being done with this catastrophe,” he said.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in California, releasing funding and resources to fight the catastrophe. Forest fires are common in the western United States during hot months, but few have claimed as many lives as this week’s blaze.

Source: Presstv

13, October 2017

Buea: Francophone Minister of Defense describes Southern Cameroonians as “terrorists” ⁰

Joseph Beti Assomo, the Francophone Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of defense has praised the army for the numerous killings currently going on in Southern Cameroons. The Biya acolyte remained firm at the end of the meeting that held yesterday in Buéa promising more raids and a continuation of the militarization of West Cameroon.

It took Mr Beti Assomo more than 5 hours of closed session to assess the security situation in Southern Cameroons. He told his French dominated security personnel that from the observation Cameroon is dealing with an insurrectional and terrorist movement pointing out that the defense and security forces of La Republique du Cameroun had to carry out the killings for the integrity of the territory. “Security, order and respect must be observed” said the Defense Minister.

The French Cameroun conclave also allowed the so-called governors of the Southern Cameroons regions, senior officials of the defense and security forces, to take stock of the demonstrations on 1 October. The Beti-Ewondo Minister was informed that during the October 1 Southern Cameroons celebrations, public buildings were destroyed and some soldiers and police officers on duty were injured.

Mr Beti Assomo told state radio and television that “The state through its defense and security forces oversee the territorial integrity of the country as a whole. For this, no square meter of territory was abandoned by the forces. It will be so to the end. We have a Republican army, defense and security forces have done their job responsibly without losing their head.”

By Rita Akana, CCN

12, October 2017

Trump seeks Obamacare dismantling with executive order ⁰

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that he claims will bring affordable health insurance to millions, taking his first concrete step in dismantling Obamacare.

The executive order would give “millions of Americans with Obamacare relief,” Trump said on Thursday.

The order, which tasks the administration with developing policies to increase health care quality and lower prices, is aimed at letting small businesses band together across the country to buy cheaper, less regulated health plans for their employees.

The new plan would “cost the United States government virtually nothing and people will have great great health care. And when I say people, I mean by the millions and millions,” Trump said.

Trump resorted to using presidential powers to dismantle Obamacare after fellow Republicans in Congress had failed to repeal the 2010 law.

During the last year election campaign, Trump promised to dismantle Obamacare, former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, accused Trump of using the executive order as a wrecking ball to single-highhandedly tear down and sabotage Obamacare after he failed to repeal the law in Congress.

“Having failed to repeal the #ACA in Congress, @POTUS is using a wrecking ball to singlehandedly rip apart & sabotage our healthcare system,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, tweeted.

Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act failed after analyses of the GOP replacement plans showed the number of Americans without insurance would increase by more than 20 million people, as compared to current law.

Culled from Presstv

12, October 2017

US to withdraw from UNESCO over ‘anti-Israel bias’ ⁰

The United States has announced that it will withdraw from the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), accusing the UN’s cultural organization of “anti-Israel bias.”

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday that Washington would establish an “observer mission” to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency.

“This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” the statement said.

“US withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2018. The United States will remain a full member of UNESCO until that time,” it added.

UNESCO, which has 195 member states, is known for designating world heritage sites such as Syria’s Palmyra, the Grand Canyon in the US state of Arizona and twenty-two sites in Iran.

The head of UNESCO Irina Bokova voiced “profound regret” over the US decision, calling it a “loss to multilateralism.”

“I wish to express profound regret at the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO,” Bokova said in a statement.

The US also withdrew from the organization in 1984 during the administration of former US President Ronald Regan, claiming it was biased in favor of the former Soviet Union.

Former US President George W. Bush rejoined UNESCO in 2002. The US stopped funding the body in 2011, after the organization accepted Palestine as a member.

US President Donald Trump is also reportedly considering withdrawing the United States from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which his administration accuses of being biased against Israel.

Source: Presstv

12, October 2017

Kofi Annan to brief UN Security Council on Myanmar ⁰

On Friday 13 October Mr Kofi Annan, Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, will brief UN Member States on the Advisory Commission’s main findings and recommendations for Myanmar’s troubled western state of Rakhine.

In his capacity as Chair of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Mr Annan presented the Commission’s report “Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine” in Yangon in August 2017. The report puts forward recommendations to surmount the political, socioeconomic and humanitarian challenges that have long existed in Rakhine State and have contributed to the current crisis.

The Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, which was disbanded following the completion of its mandate in September 2017, focused on long-term solutions for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine State. Its final report addresses many of the root causes that underlie the humanitarian crisis.

“Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine” and the recommendations it contains have been endorsed by the Government of Myanmar and widely welcomed by the international community.

In his briefing to Council Members and other Member States, Mr Annan will present the main recommendations of the report and discuss their implementation in the context of the violence and displacement that has taken place since the Commission’s report was published.

Mr Annan will urge stakeholders to use the report as a roadmap to peace and development in Rakhine State.

Mr Annan will stress the need to quickly end security operations, facilitate humanitarian access to affected populations and ensure protection of civilians.

The briefing will begin at 15:00 EST. It will be held under the Arria-formula to allow for participation from all United Nations Member States and accredited non-governmental organisations.

Mr. Annan’s statement will be made public at the time of the briefing.

About the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State

At the behest of the Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and in collaboration with the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State was established in September 2016 as a neutral and impartial body to propose concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine state. It was disbanded following the completion of its mandate in September 2017.

The Commission was composed of six local and three international experts and chaired by Kofi Annan. It released an interim report in March 2017 and its final report in August 2017. The reports considered and provided recommendations on humanitarian and developmental issues, access to basic services, legal questions including citizenship and the assurance of basic rights, security to all people in all communities and other issues central to building lasting peace.

Source: Kofi Annan Foundation

12, October 2017

Is Barrister Agbor Balla the new Judas Iscariot of Southern Cameroons? ⁰

The evidence is finally here: Agbor Balla Nkongho is actually working tirelessly to frustrate the struggle armed with staggering sums of money from LRC. At this very moment he is living large in Hotel des Deputes in Yaoundé after covering thousands of kilometres recruiting and bribing Southern Cameroonians to join his evil enterprise.

Meanwhile Dr Fontem Neba, a man who was jailed alongside with him has had his ID confiscated and bank account frozen. Fontem cannot travel while Balla has not only an ID but even a passport and the resources to travel abroad as evidenced by his most recent trip across Africa.

So why is Fontem being punished and Balla rewarded ?

Why are they refusing to return the ID of Fontem but Balla has an ID and a passport ? Why is Fontem’s account frozen while Balla is overflowing with cash ? What was the excuse given by Balla when the prison guards found 6.5 million cfa on him?

Is it even credible that someone would give an inmate 6.5 million to buy a vehicle when the inmate doesn’t even know when he will be released ? Why did one of the interrogators in Nkondengui tell Fontem that HE, Fontem was the ONLY hard nut to crack implying that Balla was more understanding?

Is the offer that was tabled to Balla, Fontem and the others still available ? Who are the people who came from the presidency 2 days ago to coerce Fontem in Buea? Why did they not make a similar move towards Balla?

Why is Fontem not ousting Balla even though it is clear that both men see things differently ? Is Fontem safe? What is Balla planning ? What has he told LRC about Fontem ? We are living in dangerous times…Agbor Balla must be stopped

NB: This write-up was sent to our editorial desk by an anonymous source. We decided to publish it for the simple fact that Barrister Agbor Balla is no longer talking about BBC Mancho and the many other Southern Cameroons detainees.