Headline News

20, April 2017

Detained Anglophone Lawyers distance themselves from Bar Council President ⁰

Detained Southern Cameroon Lawyers have distanced themselves from declarations made by the President of the Cameroon Bar Council on April 9,2017 in which he confirmed that after due consultations, Anglophone Lawyers have agreed to resume work on May 2.

In a Press Conference held in Yaoundé Tuesday April 18, 2017 the lead defense Counsel for the detainees, Barrister Bernard MUNA said his clients were not party to declarations coming from Barrister Jackson Ngnie Kamga and that the Batonnier did not consult those detained or their defense counsel and did not say what will happen to those imprisoned after courts reopen.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that the Biya Francophone regime has been wooing some young Anglophone lawyers in the South West who are suffering financially due to the strike action to resume work. Some of the legal minds in Limbe, Tiko and Buea are already flirting with the idea of getting back to court. However, one of the lawyers interviewed by our undercover reporter in Buea said Anglophone lawyers will only go back to court when certain conditions are met.

By Rita Akana

20, April 2017

La Republique: Inspector General at the Ministry of Finance owns a Qatari-type castle ⁰

The images of a castle reportedly belonging to Antoine Félix Samba, former Director General of Budget at the Ministry of Finance has ignited the web. It was an amateur photographer who captured the images of the house owned by Antoine Félix Samba currently serving as Inspector General in the same Ministry.

It is a residence made up of successive duplexes surmounted by dome roof and connected by suspended footbridges. Work has not even finished as there seem to be an extension as indicated in one of the videos posted. The whole house is bathed in an ostentatious luxury, with a recurrence of marble, gilding, precious wood, staff, glazing and wrought iron. The owner of the house has a taste for decoration, with a canvas depicting the Last Supper, where Jesus and his apostles took the last meal before the passion of Christ.

The owner also loves of art. A Bamileke mask is recognizable among many others, lions and goddesses are frozen in the marble of eternity in this environment that transpires the splendor. On one of the photos posted there is a swimming pool, the ultimate embellishment of a house that has nothing to envy the castles of Qatar emirs presented in documentaries dedicated to billionaires.

The estate built by Italian entrepreneurs, it is said to be located in the Nkolondom district in Yaoundé, on the flank of one of the seven hills of Yaoundé. The public now say Mr. Samba got the money as a result of bad governance, unfair distribution of wealth, laxity of our leaders and an irresponsible Cameroonian population.

19, April 2017

Former US President George H. W. Bush hospitalized again ⁰

Former US President George H.W. Bush has been re-admitted to a hospital in Houston, Texas, for a recurrence of a case of pneumonia. Bush, 92, has been at the Methodist Hospital since Friday, his spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement on Tuesday.

A source close to Bush said he will probably be kept at the hospital for several more days for medical observation. Bush has suffered from poor health in recent years. In January, he spent 16 days at the same hospital in Houston being treated for pneumonia. During that time, he was on a ventilator and was in ICU.

He was also hospitalized in 2015 after falling at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and breaking a bone in his neck. In 2014, he was hospitalized in Houston for about a week for shortness of breath. He also spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues. Bush has a form of Parkinson’s disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility.

The 41st president is also referred to as “Bush 41”, “Bush the Elder” and “George Bush Senior” to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who became the 43rd US president. Bush served as US president from 1989 to 1993, and was vice president from 1981 to 1989 during the 8-year administration of former President Ronald Reagan.

Presstv

19, April 2017

Daesh attack in Egypt’s Sinai kills 1 police officer, injures 4 ⁰

Armed men have attacked Egyptian security forces close to the St. Catherine Monastery in the country’s Sinai Peninsula, killing one police officer and wounding four more.

The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the Tuesday attack on the security checkpoint, which is situated some 800 meters from the monastery.

St. Catherine is one of the world’s most important Christian sites and was built in the late 6th century and is registered as a UNESCO world heritage site.

The incident comes just over one week after the Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for two deadly bombings on Christian churches in the country.

19, April 2017

Camair-Co to acquire 2 new Boeing A180 ⁰

Two new Boeing A180 aircraft will be acquired by Camair-Co for the purpose of strengthening its fleet. Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o, the Francophone Minister of Transport who has been hiding ever since the Eseka train disaster will today Wednesday in Yaoundé sign a contract with the partners of Cameroon, for the final acquisition of the two new aircraft, as part of the national airline’s recovery plan.

Since its creation, just over six years ago, the Camair-Co has been shaken by corruption, fraud and management problems that have paved the way for negotiations to adopt a recovery plan for the company. The numerous financial scandal that has rocked Camair-Co was debated in National Assembly during the last session.

Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o told parliamentarians that the state was ready to inject 60 billion FCFA for the re-launch of Camair-Co. In recent weeks, the airstrips of the Douala airport have been redesigned in view of the relaunch of the national airlines carrier.

19, April 2017

Doctors press on with strike as CPDM government plays hardball ⁰

The Syndicat des Médecins du Cameroun (SYMAC) has followed the example of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium by making public a situation report on its strike action that started on Monday throughout the national territory against the wishes of the Biya Francophone government. The trade union grouping medical doctors also say that the rate of disengagement in hospitals reached a satisfactory percentage.

Medical doctors in Cameroon were called to observe a strike call from Monday 17 April to Wednesday 19 April 2017 in all the hospitals of the country. The medics are clamoring for salary increment and the improvement of their working conditions. SYMEC members came to the conclusion during their Monday evaluation meeting that the strike was not fully followed but however announced that it was successful.

Below is a summary of the situation report in the hospitals at the end of yesterday strike action as revealed by Ndoudoumou Patrick Christian, General Secretary of SYMEC:

Maroua Regional Hospital: Consultation and appointments canceled

Garoua Regional Hospital: Consultations and Appointments canceled

Ngaoundere Regional Hospital: Ineffective strike

Bertoua Regional Hospital: 70% of doctors respected the strike

Yaounde Central Hospital: Strike in Maternity, Infectiology, Surgery, Diabetology, Neurology and Day Hospital Services

Yaounde General Hospital: Strike by all doctors except two external consultants

Yaounde CHU: Strike observed by all general practitioners

HGOPY: Strike observed by 50% of doctors

CURY: dedicated to emergencies therefore functional

Douala General Hospital: 60% of doctors on strike

Hôpital laquintinie: Several services including cardiology and pediatrics on strike

Bonassama District Hospital: Strike observed by all doctors

Nkongsamba District Hospital: Effective strike among all doctors

Ebolowa Regional Hospital: Strike observed by all doctors

Bamenda Regional Hospital: Strike observed by all doctors

Bafoussam Regional Hospital: Strike respected by 20% of doctors

Bagangté District Hospital: Strike respected by all doctors except the director

19, April 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Francophone regime targets Moderator Fonki Samuel ⁰

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, the Rt. Rev Fonki Samuel has been summoned to appear at the Buea High Court on Monday April 24, 2017 to answer charges which at Press time have not been mentioned. However, local media sources say the issue is related to the so-called Consortium of Parents created by the Biya Francophone regime and headed by senior army officers.

The Information has been confirmed by a close aid of the Moderator and by the Communication Secretary of the PCC, Rev.MOKOKO Mbue Thomas who however said he has not yet read the summons but was aware that his Superior will appear in Court next week.

The Moderator reportedly posted a message to Christians in which he observed, “Dear all, I have been summoned at the Buea High Court on Monday 24th of April 2017.The summons is in my name. We need your prayers. Moderator PCC.”

Last week some Christians had dispelled rumors that the Moderator had been ordered to appear in court. A sister publication, Cameroun Info.Net reported that observers hold the affair may be connected with the non resumption of classes by Presbyterian Schools.

The summons comes barely one week after Roman Catholic Bishops in Bamenda received a ‘Direct Summon’ form from the CPDM Consortium of Parents claiming damages amounting to the sum of 150.000.000 FCFA.

18, April 2017

Top French presidential hopefuls hold rallies in Paris ahead of vote ⁰

France’s ultra-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has highlighted themes such as immigration and national identity to excite her supporters at a Paris rally as she leads a tight race with her three top rivals.

The Monday rally came as the country’s unpredictable presidential campaign neared its finish just a week before the first-round polls will be held to narrow the field of 11 to a May 7 runoff vote between the top two vote getters.

Le Pen is competing with independent centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron for the lead in polls, while hard-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon and conservative Francois Fillon begin to close the gap.

French presidential candidate for the right-wing Les Republicains (LR) party Francois Fillon gestures as he delivers a speech during a campaign rally on April 17, 2017 in Nice, southeastern France. (Photo by AFP)

According to the latest polls, Macron and Le Pen currently lead polls with 22 and 23 percent respectively, while Melenchon and Fillon follow behind with 19 and 21 percent, meaning that they all have a chance to reach the runoff since as many as a third of eligible voters reportedly remain undecided.

During her speech at the rally, Le Pen — who claims France has been subjugated by the European Union and waves of immigration – described the upcoming vote as “historical.”

“What is being played next Sunday is an issue of civilization,” she said, vowing to end the borderless Schengen Treaty so France can control its frontiers and thus stop both immigration and “the terrorist threat.”

“We opened the door of the house of France to the mafia, to terrorists who quickly understood the benefits they could get from our incredible powerlessness and send their soldiers of hate among the migrant flows to hit our country in the heart,” Le pen said.

Presidential candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron raises his fists on stage as he delivers a speech during a campaign meeting on April 17, 2017 at the Bercy Arena in Paris. (Photo by AFP)

Clashes broke out between riot police and scores of opponents of Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Front Party ahead of her rally, delaying its start. Demonstrators also threw rocks at police forces, who in turn fired tear gas.

Macron, the former economy minister in the Socialist government and one-time investment banker, pledged an “open, confident, winning France” in contrast with his far-right and far-left rivals.

Melenchon, who is enjoying a late poll surge, also campaigned on a barge floating through the canals of Paris on Monday as conservative candidate Francois Fillon took his tough-on-security campaign to the southern French city of Nice, which suffered a bloody truck attack last year.

French presidential election candidate for the far-left coalition La France insoumise Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers a speech during a campaign meeting in Lille on April 12, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Meanwhile, Fillon’s austerity-focused campaign has been damaged by accusations that he misused taxpayer funds to pay his wife and children for government jobs that they allegedly did not perform. French investigators are probing the allegations as Fillon denies any wrongdoing.

The Socialists’ campaign has suffered from internal divisions as well as the dismal image of Socialist President Francois Hollande, who remains so unpopular that he is not seeking a second term.

France’s presidential race is being closely watched internationally as a key gauge of populist sentiment, mainly promoted by Le Pen, with her nationalist program presented under the slogan “In the Name of the People.”

Presstv

18, April 2017

US F-35s arrive in UK to deter ‘Russian aggression’ ⁰

The United States has deployed several of its F-35 aircraft to the UK on their first operational mission to Europe, as part of an initiative to protect the NATO military pact against what Washington and its allies call “Russian aggression.”

The advanced aircraft flew from Hill Air Force Base in Utah to Royal Air Force’s Lakenheath airfield over the weekend, British media reported Monday.

The Pentagon had announced earlier that the aircraft would partake in joint exercises with NATO forces and further demonstrate their “operational capabilities.”

“As we and our joint F-35 partners bring this aircraft into our inventories, it’s important that we train together to integrate into a seamless team capable of defending the sovereignty of allied nations,” said USAF General Tod Wolters, Commander of US Air Forces in Europe.

Culled from Presstv

18, April 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 3 Roman Catholic Bishops to stand trial ⁰

Three Roman Catholic Bishops will appear before a court in the Bamenda province of Southern Cameroons for not intervening to ask parents to send their children to school. The plaintiffs backed by the corrupt regime in Yaoundé are claiming the sum of 150 billion CFA francs in damages.

The spiritual leader of the Bamenda ecclesiastic province, Archbishop Cornelius Esua, his deputy, Bishop Michael and His Lordship Bishop George Nkou of the Kumbo Diocese were summoned to appear before a court in Bamenda on Friday April the 21^st for their possible role in the strike action orchestrated by the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. The summons was given to the Bishops a few days ago, during the Holy Week by a regime headed by a Roman Catholic Christian with good ties with the Vatican.

The civil parties constitute a group of parents whose children are enrolled in Catholic schools and they claim that the prelates have not done enough to ensure the resumption of classes in Catholic institutions ever since the Southern Cameroons crisis started last year.

The Southern Cameroons Bishops who are by extrapolation members of Pope Francis cabinet have argued that they have never closed any Roman Catholic academic establishment. Barrister Richard Nde who has opted to defend the Bishops told Radio France International that the trial is basically political. “There is nothing concrete. It is only the interest of money and the political aspect.”

In February, the West Cameroon Episcopal Conference stressed in a statement that the Anglophone crisis was symptomatic of a deep “socio-political” crisis. The bishops then argued that the numerous killings, arrests, torture , rapes and the shutdown of the Internet had aggravated the situation. Relations between the State and the Church remain strained even though President Paul Biya was received last month by the Holy Father Pope Francis at the Vatican.

By Chi Prudence Asong