Headline News

30, October 2023

Corrupt Boxing: Tyson Fury knocked down but beats Francis Ngannou ⁰

WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury beat former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou on a split decision in a non-title fight in Saudi Arabia.

WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury beat former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou on a split decision in a non-title fight in Saudi Arabia on Sunday that almost delivered one of boxing’s biggest upsets.

Fury, unbeaten holder of one of the sport’s most prestigious belts, narrowly avoided a first defeat at the hands of a 37-year-old opponent who had never boxed professionally before but went through the full 10 rounds with some swagger.

Ngannou dropped the Briton to the canvas in round three with a left hook and although the 35-year-old self-styled “Gypsy King” was able to see out the round he had no doubts about what he was up against.

“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” said Fury after two of the judges gave him the win 96-93 and 95-94. The third judge scored it 95-94 in favour of his Cameroon-French opponent.

“He’s a hell of a fighter and a hell of a lot better boxer than we thought he would be. He’s an awkward man and a good puncher and I respect him a lot.

“He’s given me one of my toughest fights of the last 10 years.”

Fury said there was no rematch clause but he would like to fight Ngannou again “down the line” and after an undisputed title fight with Ukraine’s IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA champion Oleksandr Usyk.

The pair are set to meet in Riyadh at a date yet to be announced officially but that both champions said will be Dec. 23.

Usyk, who was in Saudi Arabia to watch his future opponent, said he was ready.

Ngannou vacated his heavyweight belt after a contract dispute with UFC and exited as a free agent in January.

“My training camp was only three and a half months and I came into this with an injury. But I don’t want to give excuses. I will look at what I can do next to improve my game to come back even better,” he said.

“Now I know I can do this…, get ready. The wolf is in the house.”

Source: Hindustan Times

27, October 2023

Biya regime raises CFA50bn on the Beac market with higher rates ⁰

Cameroon’s Treasury raised a total of CFA49.8 billion on the Beac public securities market during the week of October 16 to 20, 2023, we learned. According to the operations report published by the central bank, these funds were raised through issues of 26-week fungible Treasury bills (BTA) (CFA39.8 billion raised out of CFA40 billion sought) and 52-week bills (the 10 billion sought were oversubscribed).

The weighted average interest rates for these transactions were 5.59% for 26-week BTAs and 5.85% for 52-week securities, for an overall average of 5.7%, well above the usual 3%. This rate is even slightly higher than the 5.67% average offered by the Cameroon Treasury on this market in September2023 but remains below the general market average, estimated at 6.29% that month.

Investor interest in Cameroonian bonds, which picked up again in September, continued in October, after the lack of interest seen at the start of the year. According to central bank data, the subscription rate for the 26-week BTAs was 99.80%, while 52-week securities were 140% oversubscribed. By way of comparison, the average subscription rates for this category of securities in Cameroon were 46.7% and 68.8% in June and August 2023 respectively.

Source: Business in Cameroon

27, October 2023

Francis Ngannou lands the mega-bout he always wanted ⁰

Francis Ngannou has recently struggled to sleep through the night even after some of the most grueling training sessions of his decade-long combat sports career.

Every once in a while, the former UFC heavyweight champion turned imminent professional boxer will wake up in his Las Vegas home thinking about the day’s work in the gym. He’ll particularly go over the coaching he’s receiving from his childhood idol, former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

“In the night, it’s like, ‘Am I tripping? Is it real?’ ” Ngannou explained at a recent press conference. “Then I walk around and realize, no, I’m not dreaming. This is real.”

Ngannou’s fighting dreams were born when he was a child working in the Cameroon sand mines and heard tales of Tyson knocking out opponents and winning title fights on the other side of the world. He didn’t even actually see Tyson box until a few years later when he saved up enough money to travel to the city and search for the superstar boxer on YouTube.

Ngannou eventually emigrated to France, on foot, with his sights set on becoming a professional boxer, but he was convinced to pursue mixed martial arts instead. But boxing never left his mind, so much so that when he first met Tyson four or five years ago before he won the UFC title, Ngannou said he had one question for him.

“One thing that I precisely requested from Mike Tyson was whenever I fight Tyson Fury, would he be in my corner,” Ngannou said. “At that time everybody was looking at me as a fool for even (thinking about) fighting Tyson Fury.”

On Saturday, October 28, in Riyadh, Saudi Arbaia, Ngannou (0-0 in boxing) will fight the lineal heavyweight champion Fury (33-0, 1 no contest) with Tyson in his corner.

“He thinks he’s in a dream? F*ckin’ hell, I’m definitely in a dream. I’m named after (Mike Tyson) and now I’m in the opposite corner to him (35) years later?” Fury said.

“I have to take my hat off to Francis for his story and where he’s come from and the fight, the grind, the determination and everything he’s put into it to get to where he is. He was just a young boy in Africa with a big dream and everybody probably laughed at him when he said he was going to go to Las Vegas and win the UFC heavyweight championship. And then, when he said he was fighting Tyson Fury, they still laughed at him, but I never laugh at anybody because I know the man’s struggle. I come from a place where anything is possible.”

Boxing pundits give the 37-year-old Ngannou little chance to defeat the 35-year-old Fury in his maiden boxing voyage, and betting odds imply only an 8% chance at victory. But he arguably just faced an even larger foe, albeit in a bout that took place outside the ring.

For the past several years, Ngannou had waged a war with the UFC. One of his many points of contention with the locally-based fighting promoter was that it wouldn’t sign off on outside opportunities like the upcoming boxing match with Fury.

Ngannou feels like he won after the UFC gave up on contract negotiations and waived its right to match a deal with another promotion. He wound up signing with the Professional Fighters League, which welcomed his intentions to try out boxing.

Ngannou is expected to return to mixed martial arts and make his PFL debut sometime next year after the Fury fight.

“I’m going to fight the best boxer in the world for my first boxing fight,” Ngannou said. “I always ask myself, ‘What is going to happen the moment that guy hits the floor and my hand is up? Are you the best boxer in the world now? What would that be?’ If you take out the No. 1, I think you are the No. 1 … but it’s really hard to think about. I think right now, I focus on taking him out and then I’ll figure out the rest later.”

Fury has all but guaranteed victory, saying he wouldn’t only defeat Ngannou in boxing but also in mixed martial arts “if the money was right.” Ngannou has the world record for hardest punch ever recorded, 129,161 units on a PowerKube unit, so even Fury has admitted his opponent has “a puncher’s chance.”

The long odds against him don’t bother Ngannou after he’s defied them every step of his life and career so far. Having Mike Tyson by his side is proof enough that anything is possible.

“Go back and watch this man’s story. If you doubt him now, you will be sorry come October 28,” Ngannou’s longtime agent Marquel Martin said. “This man will shock the world. He’s done it time and again. It’s destined to be.”

Source: Las Vegas Weekly

26, October 2023

Cameroon Intelligence undercover reporter describes beatings and threats in Buea prison ⁰

Toto Roland Motuba, who headed undercover operations for the Cameroon Intelligence Report in Buea says Anglophone prisoners have been subject to brutal physical abuse by Buea security personnel.

In a conversation with our London Bureau Chief Isong Asu on Monday, Toto Roland Motuba revealed that French speaking prison guards are using batons and physical force on a regular basis on Southern Cameroons detainees and when they attempt to inquire about the reason for their arrest, they respond with more baton strikes and beatings.

He said that security agents hit the late journalist Samuel Wazizi with blows on his head and face while his hands were bound behind his back.

“At one point, a female officer kicked Wazizi forcefully in the back, after which plain clothed men pushed him into a van along with other male and female detainees, many of whom were crying and transported them to Yaoundé” Toto Roland Motuba furthered.

Toto Roland described how Cameroon government security agents humiliated and insulted Anglophone women and girls detained in the Buea prison saying that they were kicking the women like football.

Toto Roland explained that several other British Southern Cameroons detainees were initially taken to a police station in Limbe before being transferred to the Buea prison, where they were subjected to more beatings and were threatened not to publicize their ordeal.

Toto Roland Motuba recounted that over 2000 detainees were mistreated in such a brutal way in Buea.

By Chi Prudence Asong

26, October 2023

Football: Man Utd report record Premier League revenues ⁰

Manchester United on Thursday reported a Premier League record revenue figure of £648.4 million ($784 million) for the year ending June 30.

The figure is 11 percent up from the previous year and beats the previous league record set by United in 2019.

The record earnings come despite the fact United played in the Europa League, rather than the more lucrative Champions League, last season.

The club have also predicted revenue for the 2023/24 period would be between £650 million and £680 million.

The announcement comes at a time when the founder of the INEOS chemicals company, Jim Ratcliffe, is reported to be close to securing a 25 percent stake in the club.

During the 2022/23 season, the period covered by the latest results, Manchester United men’s team finished third in the Premier League and won the League Cup.

The women’s team finished second in the Women’s Super League and were runners-up in the FA Cup.

The men’s team, who have not won the Premier League since 2013, are currently eighth in the table ahead of their clash against champions Manchester City on Sunday.

Source: AFP

25, October 2023

Eneo reports CFA75 billion losses in 5 years in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Cameroon’s power company Eneo just released its 2022 annual report, outlining the damages it has suffered in 5 years in the North-West and South-West regions where the Anglophone crisis rages.

According to the report, “Eneo has maintained its operations in the North-West and South-West, despite the particularly deteriorated security conditions, which have jeopardized its agents, equipment, deployment and finances. A commitment to continue providing electrical service, while recording losses of around CFA15 billion per year, or over CFA75 billion in unbilled distributed energy and unpaid billed energy over the last 5 years”.

Continuity of service in the face of insecurity has been maintained, thanks to the good condition of distribution lines and transformers. As of the end of 2022, the availability rate stood at 84% in the South-West region and 80% in the North-West.

However, as the company points out, the above-mentioned condition of the distribution network and transformers during the period under review contrasts with the deterioration of other electrical equipment installed in this part of Cameroon.

Vandalized equipment

Many out-of-service facilities are primarily concentrated in what are termed “red zones,” where approximately 50% of infrastructure in the South-West and 80% in the North-West are affected. These facilities have fallen victim to vandalism or natural deterioration. Efforts to rehabilitate these structures are underway, taking into consideration safety measures.

Eneo is working with both willing residents and the authorities. The risk to field teams is permanent. “It is in this context that network extension work (some twenty kilometers more in the Fako region) and the reconstruction of destroyed networks have been carried out”, the company said.

The Anglophone crisis has been a burden on businesses operating in the affected regions. Many of them have experienced vandalism of their equipment and have had their employees abducted, subjected to violence, and even killed. Faced with this climate of insecurity, numerous economic operators have had to relocate their activities. Others, like the CDC, a state-owned agro-industrial unit and the second-largest employer in the country after the central administration, had to temporarily suspend their operations. However, they have gradually resumed activities following an observed period of calm on the ground.

According to government estimates, the crisis led to a national loss of 0.8 percentage points of GDP growth in 2019 and 0.3 percentage points in 2020. “These growth point losses correspond to a cumulative real loss in national GDP of CFA421.3 billion between 2017 and 2020,” said the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Paul Tasong, while addressing the members of parliament on November 23, 2021. He was presenting the Reconstruction Plan for the North-West, South-West, and Far North regions. Similarly, due to this crisis, the value of trade between Cameroon and Nigeria between 2015 and 2019 decreased from CFA15.6 billion to CFA2.9 billion, representing an 81% decline. “These declines are observed in both exports (-68.9%) and imports (-85%),” Paul Tasong explained.

Source: Business in Cameroon

25, October 2023

Why the Southern Cameroons crisis is now being fought in Washington ⁰

On the evening of Oct. 4, two frightened-looking middle aged men in T-shirts were forced by armed men to sit on the ground in the middle of a village square in Guzang, in North West region of Cameroon, one of two main English-speaking regions in the predominantly Francophone Central African country.

The two men were alleged to have been spies for the national Francophone-led government. In a video seen by Semafor Africa, and shared widely on Cameroon social media in recent weeks, the men were lined up and executed by a firing squad in front of a small crowd of villagers. The execution has been claimed by the armed wing of the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC), a separatist group.

That moment of almost casual, coldblooded violence earlier this month is a dark reminder of one of Africa’s low profile but seemingly intractable armed conflicts taking place in Cameroon’s English-speaking North West and South West regions, which the separatists refer to as an independent state called Ambazonia.

The battle has also moved to Washington DC’s K Street, infamous for its expensive lobbying firms. Houston-based separatist leader Chris Anu confirmed to Semafor Africa that, on behalf of the “Federal Republic of Ambazonia,” he had contracted the lobby firm Scribe Strategies, led by veteran Washington player Joseph Szlavik, in a bid to make their case to key Africa watchers on Capitol Hill and at the United Nations.

“La Republique du Cameroun [government of Cameroon] is in the habit of saying that it doesn’t know who to talk to in Ambazonia,” Anu said. “By hiring a lobbyist, we are saying to LRC that they now know who to talk to and how to reach us.” He said the separatists will be speaking with “one voice” in conducting future negotiations or referendum matters via the firm.

Know More

Cameroon’s armed separatist conflict has claimed the lives of over 6,000 people, displaced 630,000 internally and a further 88,000 as refugees to next-door Nigeria. Its roots lie in Europe’s imperial past. In 1884, Germany annexed swathes of independent kingdoms in Central Africa to form a colony it named Kamerun but lost it after World War I to Britain and France which partitioned the territory.

In the 1960s, some in the British territory wanted independence by forming their own state, and not by joining neighbouring Nigeria or the already independent French Cameroun. However, they were not given that third option under a U.N.-organized referendum. This has bred frustration and secessionist agitations ever since. In 2016, protests against the imposition of French language officials in English-speaking schools and courts sparked protests and strike action by lawyers and teachers. But things turned violent the following year.

Amindeh’s view

For the past seven years, the lingering Anglophone crisis has attracted little global attention aside from the odd headline, presumably because it doesn’t significantly threaten the interest of major foreign powers.

Much of the battle is being fought on the ground and also on social media platforms with separatist activists and pro-government operators taking turns to spread propaganda.

It’s important to note both sides in the crisis have been spending in the U.S. to fund a lobby war. Since the conflict erupted, separatists told us they have contracted at least two lobby firms, Foley Hoagg and now Scribe Strategies & Advisors. The government for its part has used several lobby and PR firms on a variety of matters. They include Glover Park Group, Clout Public Affairs, Mercury Public Affair and Squire Patton Boggs.

It seems the conflict has descended into a stalemate with both sides hoping that the other will get exhausted and give up. As Arrey Elvis Ntui, a senior analyst for Cameroon at Brussels-based International Crisis Group, put it, the conflict has outlived narrow efforts made by the government and Anglophone separatist groups in the last seven years. “What could change the scenario is the parties doing what they have so far failed to do: discuss an end to hostilities and a political solution,” Ntui posited.

Room for Disagreement

Cameroon’s government insists that the socio-political upheaval in its North West and South West regions is an internal affair which it has under control. When the Canadian government announced early this year that Cameroon’s leaders had agreed to enter a peace process facilitated by Canada, Yaoundé was quick to issue a rebuttal. “It is first and foremost up to the Cameroonian people, to the institutions and leaders that have been freely chosen, to seek appropriate ways and means to address problems facing our country [Cameroon],” it said in a statement.

The View From Buea, South West Cameroon

Dr. Suh I Fru Norbert, a political scientist and conflict resolution expert at the University of Buea in the South West region, said nothing substantial had changed since the shock of the executions. “In a situation of asymmetric warfare, it is common for fighters to make sporadic appearances of the sort to remind the enemy they can still do something…However, what appears as a puzzle is to see such a mobilization at a market square in the day without the presence of conventional security forces,” Norbert told Semafor Africa.

Culled from News.Yahoo

25, October 2023

Amba fighters warn things will get out of control in December ⁰

Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups have once again warned the regime in Yaoundé and its great benefactor, President Biya of the inconceivable consequences of the continued military operations in Ground Zero.

In two separate audio messages aired by Amba commanders in both Manyu and Bui Divisions, the fighters were heard saying that the territory known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia is now a powder keg and continued French Cameroun military activities will have consequences for Francophone army soldiers.

In a hasty move last week the European Union announced that it was currently discussing the terms and conditions of military support for the Cameroonian army. That aid should amount to around €10m the EU hinted.

The EU gesture has been described by the Ambazonia Interim Government (IG) as unwise. Vice President Dabney Yerima has been quoted as saying that the EU is now defending a regime that is killing civilians and burning hospitals and villages.

Yerima said French Cameroonians will be the ones to suffer if things spiral out of control in Southern Cameroons.

Seven years into a deadly separatist conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, hopes of finding a negotiated settlement seem more distant than ever as both the government and secessionist rebels dig in, according to civil society activists.

It’s a conflict marked by spikes of extreme violence that invariably target civilians. The latest high-profile incident was last month, when government soldiers killed nine people in Missong village, in the anglophone Northwest region.

Rights groups accuse both the security forces and secessionist fighters of serious abuses that include extrajudicial killings, rape, kidnapping, and torture.

The root of the conflict is the central government’s historical marginalisation of the two English-speaking regions, the Northwest and Southwest, home to about 20 percent of the population.

But the dynamics of the violence have changed with the growth of a lucrative “war economy”, typically involving kidnapping and the broader extortion of the civilian population. The political and economic spoils of the war have reduced the incentive to find a negotiated settlement.

By Toto Roland Motuba

25, October 2023

US Politics: Republicans select fourth House speaker nominee in two weeks ⁰

Republicans on Tuesday made their fourth pick in just two weeks to replace the ousted speaker of the US House of Representatives, underlining the chaos engulfing the fragmented party after three previous nominees failed to win the gavel.

Louisiana’s Mike Johnson won an internal party vote just hours after previous nominee, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, buckled under a backlash led by former president Donald Trump and announced his withdrawal.

Congress has been at a standstill and unable to address multiple global crises, as well as the fast-approaching threat of a government shutdown, since McCarthy’s historic dismissal in a far-right rebellion on October 3.

“The dysfunction in the Republican Party right now seems to be saying we want to lose,” exasperated Kentucky Republican Andy Barr told CNN.

“That is crazy to me. We were elected as a majority to govern, and we are not doing that right now.”

Johnson — the vice chairman of the conference but a relative novice in politics — lost out to Emmer earlier in the day but quickly threw his hat back in the ring after his leadership colleague bowed out.

But all the indications are that Johnson will likely fall foul of the same internal divisions that have left the party incapable of uniting around any leader.

Tuesday’s disarray marked two weeks since the party’s first nominee to replace McCarthy, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, withdrew as it became clear he was nowhere near the 217 votes needed to be elected.

Hard-line Trump ally Jim Jordan, the next nominee, flopped three times on the House floor as successively larger tallies of Republican opponents joined the Democrats to reject him.

Growing desperation

Adding to the sense of growing desperation in Republican ranks, McCarthy was pitching what looked like a far-fetched plan ahead of the latest contest that would see him reinstalled as speaker with Jordan as his assistant.

If Johnson were to succeed where his colleagues have failed, he would be the least experienced speaker in more than a century, having never chaired a committee or held a top leadership role.

And he could find himself presiding over a government shutdown in three weeks unless he can cut a 2024 budget deal with much more seasoned negotiators in the White House that is acceptable to his party.

He would also be expected to lead the deeply fractured conference through upcoming fights over funding for Ukraine and Israel in their conflicts with Russia and Hamas.

Johnson moved up to the House from state-level politics in 2017.

He is best known as a driving force among more than 100 Republicans who signed on to a legal brief supporting a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 election results in four swing states won by Biden.

He can afford to lose just four Republicans and still claim the speakership if every Democrat votes against him, although the House adjourned until Wednesday with no election scheduled.

Only 128 of Johnson’s colleagues voted for him in the final round of balloting, according to US media — with 29 preferring his rival, Florida lawmaker Byron Donalds, and another 44 casting their votes for someone else entirely.

Like Johnson, Emmer had baselessly sown doubt over the validity of Biden’s 2020 election win over Trump, but supporters of the former president were angered by the majority whip voting to certify the result.

The writing was on the wall when Trump took to his Truth social website to brand Emmer a “globalist RINO” — short for “Republican in name only.”

Trump took credit for Emmer’s downfall as he spoke to reporters at his New York civil fraud trial.

“I assume it had a big impact,” he said of his statement.

Source: AFP

24, October 2023

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Camwater signs school-to-employment deal with NHPSD ⁰

Cameroon’s water utility, Camwater, entered into a partnership agreement on October 19th with the National Higher Polytechnic School of Douala (NHPSD) to facilitate the professional integration of graduates.

Under the agreement, NHPSD will provide its most qualified engineers to support the state-owned company. According to Camwater, NHPSD graduates will participate in specific projects conducted within the company, and Camwater will offer its support, to the best of its abilities and whenever feasible, for the training and organization of scientific and technological events at the University of Douala.

The state-owned company has additionally pledged to welcome interns from Polytech Douala and has been granted the privilege of retraining its staff at this vocational training school as part of their continuous professional development.

Source: Business in Cameroon