Headline News

30, October 2024

Nigerian MP apologises after viral taxi slapping video ⁰

Nigerian MP Alex Ikwechegh has apologised after a video went viral of him slapping and verbally abusing a taxi driver who had come to deliver food to his house.

“I sincerely apologise for my words and actions during this incident… As a public servant, I understand the weight of my role and how my words can impact others,” said the politician who was questioned by police over the incident on Sunday evening.

Bolt driver Stephen Abuwatseya accepted a job to deliver some snails to Ikwechegh’s home in the capital, Abuja, and began recording their conversation after an argument started over payment.

The lawmaker had accused the driver of disrespecting him and went on to slap him in the clip.

What appeared to have angered the 44-year-old politician from Abia state in south-eastern Nigeria was the driver’s request that he come outside to collect the delivery.

“So, you think I will give you my money with the way you have spoken to me?” he asked in the video recording.

Mr Abuwatseya responded: “I did a job for you, and you have to pay me, sir.”

The MP then phoned the snail seller to complain about the driver’s behaviour: “How can this stupid idiot come to my house and tell me that I’m supposed to come and meet him in his car and pick up snail that I’m buying from you?

“Can you imagine this rat? I can make this man to disappear in the whole of Nigeria and nothing would happen.”

He then turned back to the driver and continued the argument, asking if he knew who he was, repeatedly saying: “How dare you?”

He continued: “I will beat you up. I will show you that I’m a big brother to you. I will slap the hell out of you, lie you down, and lock you in my generator house. How dare you?”

When Mr Abuwatseya later made it clear he was recording, the MP challenged him to call the police chief.

The recording stopped when it appears the MP grabbed at the phone. In a later clip the driver is seen bare-chested and alleges the politician tore his shirt off and had slapped him three times in total.

In a statement on Monday, the police said they were investigating the matter and urged people to refrain from using the inspector general of police’s name “to intimidate others”.

In his statement, released on Tuesday, Ikwechegh extended his “heartfelt apologies” to the police chief “ recognising the unintended disparagement my remarks may have caused to his person, his office, and the entire institution”.

He also apologised to the House of Representatives, which, according to local media, has since referred the matter to its ethics committee.

“This incident has been a humbling reminder of the necessity for restraint and self-control, especially in challenging circumstances,” the legislator said.

“I am committed to using this experience as an opportunity for growth, both as a citizen and as a more empathetic representative of the people.”

Ikwechegh said he and Mr Abuwatseya had “explored alternative dispute resolution methods” to sort out the issue and had reached a “respectful resolution”.

Source: BBC

29, October 2024

Race For Etoudi: Which Path for Maurice Kamto? ⁰

The Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) has given Maurice Kamto, its declared candidate for the 2025 presidential election, the freedom to decide how he will formally present his candidacy. However, Cameroon’s Constitution offers him three potential paths: securing an endorsement from the MRC, obtaining a nomination from another party, or running as an independent candidate.

This question arises due to the MRC’s boycott of the 2020 local elections, which left the party without elected officials. According to the Constitution, only parties with elected representatives can formally endorse a candidate. Although Kamto argues that elected officials have since joined the MRC—meaning the party could legally nominate him based on Cameroon’s lack of “binding mandates”—this interpretation is disputed. The Constitutional Council could potentially reject the MRC’s right to endorse a candidate under these circumstances.

Securing endorsement from a different party could be the safer route. Several parties within the Political Alliance for Change (APC), a coalition led by MP Jean-Michel Nintcheu, might be willing to endorse him, though the specific parties have not been named. If Kamto takes this route, he would likely choose a party open to an alliance with the MRC, allowing him to leverage the MRC’s political network for his campaign. The MRC has even allocated a confidential campaign budget to support Kamto’s run. “If Maurice Kamto goes left, we all go left. If it’s right, we go right,” a source within the MRC stated.

Running as an independent candidate is the last and most challenging option. This would require Kamto to gather 300 signatures from prominent individuals across Cameroon’s ten regions, including members of parliament, senators, municipal and regional councilors, and traditional chiefs. Since most of these figures are affiliated with the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), this task would be especially difficult.

The clock is ticking, and Maurice Kamto shows no signs of urgency. Remarkably, his colleagues have not imposed a deadline for his decision.

Source: Sbbc

29, October 2024

High Commissioner Philip Ngwesse says 50,000 Cameroonians live in Canada ⁰

There are around 50,000 Cameroonians living in Canada, the Cameroon’s High Commissioner to Canada, Ngole Philip Ngwesse, estimated as reported in the government daily. However, he cautioned that this figure could be imprecise, as many Cameroonians don’t register with the High Commission for consular cards. Without a reliable census, determining the exact number remains challenging.

The main hubs for Cameroonian immigrants in Canada are Quebec and Ontario, particularly Montreal and Toronto. Citing Quebec government statistics, Ngwesse noted that Cameroon was the second-largest source of permanent immigrants to the province in 2023, behind only France. Cameroon’s business association reported that 6,000 Cameroonians emigrated to Canada between January and April 2024.

This significant migration has raised concerns on both sides of the border. The Quebec government recently expressed plans to limit the intake of Cameroonian nurses, reflecting the impact of the migration on the healthcare sector and broader bilateral relations.

Source: Sbbc

28, October 2024

Football: Manchester United have sacked Erik ten Hag ⁰

The Dutchman has come under increased pressure in recent weeks and Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham proved to be the final straw for co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been placed in interim charge while United search for a new head coach.

Ten Hag leaves with United down in 14th place in the Premier League, seven points off the Champions League places after just three wins from their first nine games.

A Manchester United statement read: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.

“Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.

“Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”

Ten Hag leaves United after two and a half years in charge in which he won the 2023 Carabao Cup and the FA Cup last season.

Source: Evening Standard

26, October 2024

FECAFOOT denies any involvement in charity matches against Brazil ⁰

FECAFOOT has issued an official statement to clarify its position regarding two charity matches scheduled for December 2024. These matches, announced on social media, are set to feature former stars of the Indomitable Lions facing off against a selection of Brazilian legends.

The event, which has quickly garnered the interest of football enthusiasts and several prominent figures in Cameroon, has become the center of controversy. In light of the numerous inquiries it has received, the governing body of Cameroonian football has taken a stand to distance itself from the organization of these matches.

In its statement, the Federation clearly emphasizes that it is not involved in any way with the organization of these exhibition matches. This clarification extends to the president of Fecafoot, who is also not personally associated with the event.

This clarification raises questions about the actual organizers of these matches and their legitimacy. It also highlights the need for caution regarding the use of the image of former Cameroonian internationals in sports events.

The firm stance of Fecafoot urges supporters and the media to exercise caution regarding this event, as its organizational details remain unclear. The Federation implicitly reminds that any official event involving the image of Cameroonian football should normally receive its approval.

Source: Footboom

26, October 2024

Yaoundé: journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua detained on insult charges ⁰

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Cameroonian authorities to immediately release journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua, publishing director of the privately-owned Le Point Hebdo bimonthly newspaper, after he was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a report on the minister of housing’s alleged mismanagement, and to drop all charges against him.

“Journalist Thierry Patrick Ondoua’s troubling detention, as well as the continued imprisonment of five other journalists for their work, underscores the urgent need to reform the country’s laws to ensure journalism is not criminalized,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa Program, in New York. “Government officials should be able to respond to journalistic coverage and criticism without resorting to censorious legal proceedings. Ondoua and the other jailed journalists should be released immediately and not punished for doing their jobs.”

On Tuesday, October 22, the regional division of the judicial police (DRPJ) in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, summoned and arrested Ondoua on charges of false news, defamation, and insulting “constituted bodies,” which includes ministers, deputies and certain types of state officials, according to a CPJ review of the summons letters, and Prosper-Rémy Mimboé, the newspaper’s managing editor, who spoke to CPJ. The arrest followed a complaint filed by Célestine Ketcha Courtès, minister of Housing and Urban Development, and Ondoua is still waiting for arraignment in the Yaoundé court, according to those sources. He faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted.

Mimboé told CPJ that Ondoua’s arrest was in connection with several reports published by Le Point Hebdo criticizing Courtès’ management of housing policies, including one published on June 18, 2024, a copy of which CPJ reviewed.

Cameroon, which is preparing for a presidential election next year that could see the 91-year-old current president Paul Biya run for his eighth term, has seen numerous arrests and suspensions of media outlets and journalists in recent weeks related to the delay of parliamentary and local elections.

Cameroon was ranked as sub-Saharan Africa’s third-worst jailer of journalists in CPJ’s annual prison census, with six imprisoned as of December 1, 2023. One journalist, Stanislas Désiré Tchoua, was released on December 28 after serving a prison sentence for defamation and insult.

CPJ’s messages to Bangté Talamdio, a member of Courtès’ cabinet, and calls to the public listed number for Cameroon’s Ministry of Housing, DRPJ and Yaoundé court of first instance went unanswered.

Source: CPJ

25, October 2024

Archbishop Andrew Nkea re-elected to the Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops in Rome ⁰

Synod delegates have elected new members of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

At the 15th General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops on Wednesday, delegates elected the new members of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod.

Pope Francis made a modification to the current Instruction governing the Assembly’s work, increasing the total number of members to 17, according to a statement released by the Synod Secretariat.

Of these, twelve were elected in the afternoon from among the diocesan/eparchial bishops or equivalents who are part of the Assembly: 1 from the Eastern Catholic Churches, 1 from Oceania, and 2 each from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

In addition to these, the Pope will appoint 4 members, as well as, in due course, the head of the Dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for the theme of the next Synod.

As stated in the Apostolic Constitution Episcopalis Communio (n. 24, 1-3), the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat is responsible for preparing and implementing the Ordinary General Assembly.

Members of the Ordinary Council begin their term at the end of the Ordinary General Assembly that elected them, they are members of the next Ordinary General Assembly, and their mandate concludes when that Assembly is dissolved.

Chaired by the Holy Father, the Council is an essential part of the General Secretariat.

The new Ordinary Council will play a key role both in implementing this synodal process on synodality and in preparing for the next Synod.

Cardinal Mario Grech, in wishing the newly elected members well in their work, also expressed gratitude to the outgoing members for their valuable collaboration in bringing the current synodal process to fruition.

The elected members are:

From the EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCHES

His Beatitude Youssef ABSI, Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek Melkites, Head of the Synod of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church

From OCEANIA

His Excellency Most Rev. Msgr. Timothy John COSTELLOE, S.D.B., Archbishop of Perth (Australia)

From NORTH AMERICA

His Excellency Most Rev. Msgr. Daniel Ernest FLORES, Bishop of Brownsville (United States of America)

His Excellency Most Rev. Msgr. Alain FAUBERT, Bishop of Valleyfield (Canada)

From LATIN AMERICA

His Eminence Most Rev. Card. Luis José RUEDA APARICIO, Archbishop of Bogotá (Colombia)

His Excellency Most Rev. Msgr. José Luis AZUAJE AYALA, Archbishop of Maracaibo (Venezuela)

From EUROPE

His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Marc AVELINE, Archbishop of Marseille (France)

His Excellency Msgr Gintaras GRUŠAS, Archbishop of Vilnius (Lithuania)

From AFRICA

Cardinal Dieudonné NZAPALAINGA, C.S.Sp., Archbishop of Bangui (Central African Republic)

H.E. Msgr. Andrew FUANYA NKEA, Archbishop of Bamenda (Cameroon)

From ASIA

His Eminence Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião DO ROSÁRIO FERRÃO, Archbishop of Goa and Damão (India)

His Excellency Msgr. Pablo Virgilio S. DAVID, Bishop of Kalookan (Philippines)

To this list, Pope Francis will appoint 4 other members.

Source: Vatican News

24, October 2024

Longue Longue torture video sparks nationwide outrage ⁰

A video purportedly showing popular Cameroonian singer Simon Longkana Agno, widely known as Longue Longue, being tortured has led to widespread outrage in the country.

The artist, renowned for making hits about bad governance, colonialism and other social ills, said the video was taken after he was arrested in 2019, but this is the first time it has been seen by the public.

Longue Longue shared it himself, but it is unclear why it is only coming out now or how he obtained it.

The Cameroonian authorities said in a statement they have opened an investigation into the “unfortunate incident”.

In the video, Longue Longue’s hands are cuffed behind his back, and he is sitting on the floor in his underwear as the soles of his bare feet are beaten with a flat machete.

Despite his desperate pleas for the beating to stop, the men, alleged by Longue Longue to be security agents, continue.

The BBC has been unable to verify the video. We have tried to contact the singer without success.

On his Facebook page, he said he was arrested for his “freedom of thought”, and promised to file legal complaints in both Cameroon and France.

Longue Longue sitting on the floor in his underpants underneath a chair. A leg is standing on his knee — [Longue Longue]

He was arrested in 2019 after posting a video saying that long-time President Paul Biya had rigged the 2018 election.

The artist said opposition leader, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), was the rightful winner of the polls.

At the time, the Constitutional Council rejected Kamto’s demand for a re-run because of alleged rigging.

The opposition leader is among those to have denounced the apparent torture and called for an investigation into the incident.

“The CRM strongly condemns this state barbarity and demands the urgent opening of an enquiry to arrest and immediately bring before the courts the perpetrators of these inhuman acts,” Kamto said in a statement on X.

He added that the video was “reminiscent of the horrific treatment” opposition activists faced during the crackdown in 2019 when hundreds of his supporters were detained.

Renowned Cameroonian human rights lawyer Akere Muna said Longue Longue’s treatment was a “stark reminder of the depths of depravity to which humanity can descend”.

Rights groups have criticised the government for creating an atmosphere of impunity for members of the country’s security forces.

They have also accused the authorities of cracking down on dissent ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Source: BBC

24, October 2024

Biya orders dismissal of absentee state employees after 2018 census ⁰

Cameroonian President Paul Biya has directed the dismissal of all state employees who have been absent without justification or suspended from the payroll following the 2018 Physical Headcount of State Personnel (Coppe). This decision, outlined in a circular on October 23, is part of the preparations for the 2025 state budget.

In the circular, President Biya orders the completion of the contentious phase of the Coppe operation by 2025, which will involve permanently removing all identified personnel from the state payroll. These individuals have either been absent without justification, resigned without reporting it, or passed away without official notification. He also called for continued efforts to clean up the payroll system, including removing employees who have resigned and closing salary or pension accounts that were improperly collected.

The 2018 census exposed thousands of irregular cases within the public workforce. By the end of the operation, 8,766 state employees were found to be in violation of payroll rules. Despite multiple warnings and notifications from the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Service, only 601 of these employees responded to disciplinary hearings, according to a statement by Public Service Minister Joseph Lé on October 13, 2022.

As of early 2024, many employees still had not complied and remained suspended by their respective departments. Among them were 2,326 teachers who had been flagged for “irregular absence” following various reports, according to a January 17, 2024, statement by Secondary Education Minister Nalova Lyonga.

This latest directive from President Biya aims to finally resolve the issue by removing these non-compliant employees from the state payroll system.

Source: Business in Cameroon

24, October 2024

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Senate convenes November session despite president’s absence ⁰

Aboubakary Abdoulaye, the first vice-president of the Senate, signed a decree on October 23 calling for the Senate to meet in November. This is unusual, as it is typically the Senate president, Marcel Niat Njifenji, who signs such decrees.

“The president is once again getting medical treatment abroad,” a parliamentary source said.

The absence of the upper house president has sometimes affected how the Senate works. During the March session, the Senate’s leadership team couldn’t be renewed for several days because the outgoing president was away. Sources in the Senate said he was recovering abroad and could not run for reelection.

The decree signed by the first vice-president aims to prevent further delays. Aboubakary Abdoulaye, a senator appointed by the ruling party CPDM and the powerful lamido of Rey Bouba in the North region, has been leading Senate debates for several years. Marcel Niat Njifenji, also an appointed senator from the Western region, usually only oversees the opening sessions.

The November session is expected to focus mainly on reviewing and approving the 2025 budget proposal presented by the executive. It will feature a general policy speech by the Prime Minister, followed by oral questioning sessions for government members. This speech, a key moment of the November session, will provide an overview of the government’s socioeconomic and cultural actions over the past year and outline the main directions for the next fiscal year.

Source: Sbbc