Headline News

17, November 2022

Congo-Kinshasa: M23 rebels advance in eastern region ⁰

The M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has pushed into fresh territory, officials said, after a regional bloc issued a call to lay down arms.

A resurgent group mostly drawn from Congolese Tutsis, the M23 has swept across North Kivu province, triggering a humanitarian crisis and a showdown between the DRC and Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of supporting the rebels.

In recent weeks, fighters have been edging closer towards Goma, an important commercial hub of one million people on the border with Rwanda.

But local residents and administrative officials told AFP that the armed group had also begun a push westwards into Masisi territory.

“The rebels are here,” a resident of Tongo, a town in wildlife haven Virunga National Park, which lies on the road leading to Masisi territory, said on Thursday.

An official in the local administration, who requested anonymity, also told AFP late Wednesday that M23 fighters had entered his office.

M23 fighters and Congolese troops were clashing this week in Kibumba, which is just 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Goma.

A security official, who declined to be named, said Thursday the M23 now controlled the settlement.

The DRC’s army has yet to communicate officially about the rebel advance.

On Wednesday, the head of the newly created East African Community (EAC) military force in eastern DR Congo, Jeff Nyagah, said that rebels that must pursue political negotiations and disarm.

“Those who fail or refuse to voluntarily disarm, then we’ll go for them,” the Kenyan general warned.

Nyagah also vowed that the EAC force would protect Goma.

Despite official denials from Kigali, an unpublished report for the United Nations seen by AFP in August pointed to Rwandan involvement with the M23.

The report also said the M23 plans to capture Goma in order to extract political concessions from the government in Kinshasa.

The M23 first leapt to prominence in 2012 when it captured Goma, before being driven out and going to ground.

But the rebel group re-emerged late last year, claiming that the DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate its fighters into the army, among other grievances.

Source: AFP

16, November 2022

Cameroon celebrates the legacy of cotton ⁰

A fashion week has kicked off in Yaoundé with an urban parade dedicated to the celebration of cotton.

Models opened the way to an impressive parade of dancers, performers, clowns and even giant puppets. The show was called “Cotton Pride, from seed to dress” .

“When you see a woman walking by in a beautiful dress or a man in beautiful cotton trousers, you can’t imagine the whole chain of work that goes into it. So in fact Cotton Pride is the pride of cotton work. It means that before you can wear this beautiful dress, there are people who cut, there are people who sew, there are people who spin the fibres, there are people who sow the seed, others who pick the flowers and others who transport these cotton flowers to the spinning mill. So in fact all these pictures show the different stages of cotton processing”, said show director, Nathalie Veuillet.

The show was a prelude to the Fashion and Design Forum.

The urban parade was an initiative of the Centre des Créateurs de Mode du Cameroun (CCMC), which is headed by Yves Eya’a .

“The theme of the designers’ collections is Let fashion express itself. And for us it was important that fashion went to the streets because today when we look at the streets, it’s all that inspires us as designers, as fashion, as fashionistas. And so it was important for us to be able to take to the streets to show the Cameroonian public the fashion that is expressed today in Cameroon”, added the CCMC promoter.

With its carnival atmosphere, Cotton Pride attracted many people.

“This show is really beautiful. It’s beautiful because it’s typically African, it’s beautiful, I love it so much,” said one onlooker.

Africanews reporter, Philippe Anatole Malong , added:

“Yaoundé’s Fashion Week features exhibitions, conferences, debates, fashion shows and other activities aimed at bringing fashion design closer to the Cameroonian public”.

Culled from iol.co.za

16, November 2022

Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says he will support Cameroon during world cup ⁰

Italian well-known goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said on Tuesday that he would back Cameroon during the 2022 World Cup.

The tournament is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 20th November till 18th December.

In statements to “Football Italy,” he said that he will back Cameroon team during the most-anticipated tournament.

“When Italy is out from World Cup, I try to support the team, which include my friends,” he said.

Cameroon have been drawn in Group G alongside Switzerland, Serbia, and Brazil.

Source: See.news

16, November 2022

Italy: Cameroonian medical doctor to quit after patient insults ⁰

A Cameroon-born GP is set to quit his practice in Varese after patients refused to be treated by him telling him to “go home and tend to your goats”, Italian media reported Tuesday.

Enock Rodrigue Emvolo, 48, moved to Italy from Cameroon almost 30 years ago and graduated in medicine from Rome’s Sapienza University.

He told the Italian press that he was fed up with insults from his clients, who call him “the Senegalese man”.

Source: ANSA

16, November 2022

Football: Cristiano Ronaldo enroute to Bayern Munich ⁰

Cristiano Ronaldo is on the way out of Old Trafford following his incendiary interview with Piers Morgan that is due to air on Wednesday.

Segments from the interview have filtered through social media since yesterday in which Ronaldo says he feels “betrayed” by Manchester United and Erik ten Hag.

He also says he feels he is being forced out of Old Trafford by certain powers-that-be at the club.

Now it has emerged that his agent Jorge Mendes and the player himself met with Bayern Munich chiefs last week to discuss a potential move in January.

Chelsea had been in the frame but it’s believed Graham Potter has no interest in bringing the Portugal star to Stamford Bridge despite the overtures of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.

Other clubs in the frame are Newcastle and Napoli, but Bayern is looking the most likely with CEO Oliver Kahn saying in July that they had considered a move for Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is eager to play in the Champions League and if he made the move to Bayern he could potentially line out against Lionel Messi in February when Bayern face PSG in the CL last-16 round.

Source: MSN

16, November 2022

Third World Politics: Donald Trump announces his run for presidency in 2024 ⁰

Donald Trump, who has mounted relentless attacks on the integrity of US voting since his 2020 election defeat, on Tuesday launched a bid to regain the presidency in 2024, aiming to pre-empt potential Republican rivals.

Seeking a potential rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump made his announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida a week after midterm elections in which Republicans failed to win as many seats in Congress as they had hoped.

In a speech lasting a little more than an hour and broadcast live on US television, Trump spoke to hundreds of supporters in a ballroom decorated with several chandeliers and lined with dozens of American flags.

“In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to a cheering, phone-waving crowd, which included family members, donors and former staffers.

Earlier in the day, aides filed paperwork with the US Federal Election Commission setting up a committee called “Donald J. Trump for President 2024.”

Trump steered clear of the name-calling that has marked other public appearances, opting instead for a critique of Biden’s presidency and a review of what Trump said were the policy achievements of his own time in office.

“Two years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again,” he said.

Trump laid out familiar dark themes from his playbook, denouncing migrants – “We’re being poisoned” – and portraying American cities as in the grip of a crime wave that has left them “cesspools of blood.”

He said he would push for the death penalty for drug dealers and term limits for lawmakers and rehire members of the military who had been dismissed for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Although he assailed the US election process, he did not use his speech to relive his false claims of massive voter fraud in 2020 and did not mention the Jan. 6, 2021 attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.

Trump predicted his campaign will be opposed by left-wing groups, the Washington establishment and the news media. “But we will not be intimidated. We will persevere. We will march forward into the torrent.”

Long road

There is a long road ahead before the Republican nominee is formally selected in the summer of 2024, with the first state-level contests more than a year away.

Trump’s announcement comes earlier than usual even in a country known for protracted presidential campaigns and signals his interest in discouraging other possible contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or his own former vice president, Mike Pence, from making a bid for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

DeSantis handily won re-election as governor during the midterms. Pence, while promoting his new book, has sought to distance himself from Trump.

Other potential Republican presidential hopefuls include Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump played an active role in the midterms, recruiting and promoting candidates who echoed his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud.

But many of his candidates in key battleground states lost, prompting some prominent Republicans to openly blame him for promoting weak candidates who derailed the party’s hopes of taking control of the Senate.

Control of the House of Representatives remains up in the air, but Republicans are on track to win a razor-thin majority.

Trump will seek his party’s nomination even as he faces trouble on several fronts, including a criminal investigation into his possession of government documents taken when he left office as well as a congressional subpoena related to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault.

Trump has called the various investigations he faces politically motivated and has denied wrongdoing.

Trump, 76, is seeking to become only the second US president in history to serve non-consecutive terms, after Grover Cleveland, whose second stint ended in 1897. Biden, 79, said last week he intends to run for re-election and will likely make a final decision by early next year.

In an Edison Research exit poll, seven out of 10 midterm voters expressed the view that Biden, who remains deeply unpopular, should not run again. In the same poll, six of 10 respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of Trump.

Trump’s presidency

During his turbulent 2017-2021 presidency, Trump defied democratic norms and promoted “America First” nationalism while presenting himself as a right-wing populist. He became the first US president to be impeached twice, though congressional Democrats failed in their attempts to remove him from office.

At a rally that preceded the Capitol attack, Trump urged supporters to “fight like hell” and march on Congress to “stop the steal,” but the mob that subsequently stormed the Capitol failed to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden’s election victory.

Even though court and state election officials rejected Trump’s false election claims, about two-thirds of Republican voters believe Biden’s victory was illegitimate, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Trump has elicited passionate support from many Americans, especially white men, Christian conservatives, rural residents and people without a college education. Critics accuse Trump of pursuing policies built around “white grievance” in a nation with a growing non-white population.

The political landscape has changed dramatically since he won the presidency in 2016 and some in his party, including major donors, are exhausted by the drama surrounding him.

His single term as president stands as one of the most contentious in US history.

He secured sweeping tax cuts, imposed curbs on immigration and orchestrated a rightward shift of the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.

He alienated US allies abroad, abandoned international agreements on trade and climate change, and praised authoritarian leaders abroad, including Putin.

The Democratic-led House impeached him in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after he pressed Ukraine’s leader to investigate Biden and his son on unsubstantiated corruption accusations. The Senate acquitted him, thanks to Republican support.

The House impeached Trump again a week before he left office, this time for incitement of insurrection. He was acquitted by the Senate after he left office, again thanks to Republican senators.

Source: REUTERS

15, November 2022

World Cup 2022: Bryan Mbeumo awaits ‘crazy’ emotions in Qatar ⁰

Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo says he will go “crazy inside” should he have the honour of starting a game for Cameroon at the World Cup.

The 23-year-old was called up for the finals in Qatar, where the Indomitable Lions face Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland, despite only making his debut in September.

Having called it a dream come true to contest football’s greatest event, Mbeumo would relish lining up for the anthems.

“I’ve always wanted to play a World Cup since I was young,” Mbeumo told BBC Sport Africa.

“Just to walk around the pitch with a big crowd and other stuff would be amazing. It’s going to be crazy inside me.”

Cameroon will play in the 40,000-capacity Al Janoub Stadium, twice, and the 80,000-capacity Lusail Iconic Stadium, which hosts the final itself on 18 December.

Mbeumo only recently chose to represent the central Africans after playing at various youth levels for France, where he was born, with his switch formalised just three months ago.

His father comes from Douala, where Mbeumo still has “a lot of family”, with other relatives in the capital Yaounde.

Douala is also the home city of four-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o, who has led the Cameroonian FA since late 2021 and who played a key role in enlisting Mbeumo.

Prior to the Avalon-born Mbeumo committing his future to the five-time African champions, the pair went out for dinner in Brentford’s home city London.

“It was an honour for me just to be face-to-face with him and talk to him because he was one of the best strikers in the world,” he explained.

“He told me about the project, what we can do and I enjoyed this moment. It’s a big thing for someone like him to want you in his team.”

Eto’o amassed four Champions League and two African titles during his distinguished playing career, and Mbeumo says the former Barcelona star is aiming high after Cameroon lost their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final on home soil against Egypt in February.

Family ties

France's forward Bryan Mbeumo controls the ball during the UEFA Under 21 Euro 2021 qualifying football match between Switzerland and France on November 19, 2019 at La Maladiere stadium in Neuchatel. — Mbeumo, who came through Troyes’ youth academy, represented France at U17, U20 and U21 level

Mbeumo describes the decision to discard his mother’s homeland for Cameroon as “hard and long”.

He grew up watching Nations Cup matches and says he knows Cameroon well, unlike some dual nationals who can have scant knowledge of their adopted nations.

“As I played for France in the youth team and grew up in France as well, it was hard but I have travelled to Cameroon many times,” said the softly-spoken Indomitable Lion.

“My dad is very proud, and very happy for me. I’m grateful to be part of this for him, and for my family, and he’s very happy.”

Mbeumo’s Cameroon debut came in a 2-0 defeat by Uzbekistan before a 1-0 loss against South Korea, with both games in Seoul.

“These were my first games in [senior] international football, so I learned a lot. It’s a different type of game.”

It is also a different dressing room for Mbeumo, who was playing second-tier French football as recently as 2019 for Troyes.

Accustomed to a buzzing Bees dressing room, he is enjoying his time with Cameroon’s squad, who often sing and dance en route to matches.

“In our dressing room, we love music as well and like dancing but in there, it’s unbelievable! So fun.”

There is serious music to be faced in Qatar though.

Despite impressing in their first two World Cups – unbeaten in 1982, prior to becoming the first Africans to reach the quarter-finals in 1990 – Cameroon’s recent record is poor.

In 15 matches dating back to the 1994 finals, they have won just once – a tight 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia (with Eto’o scoring) in 2002 – and lost 10, while conceding over 30 goals.

Fast start

For Mbeumo to boost their hopes, the gliding forward must speed-learn both international football and the playing styles of his new team-mates.

Cameroon have one final warm-up match, against Panama on 18 November in Abu Dhabi, prior to their Group G opener against Switzerland on 24 November, with clashes against Serbia (28 November) and Brazil (2 December) to follow.

The squad announced by former Liverpool defender Rigobert Song saw Nicolas Nkoulou recalled after a five-year absence and Mbeumo among 11 players with five caps or fewer.

“It’s difficult because you are meeting new players, yet you need to create links between each other,” said Mbeumo, who regularly provides chances at club level.

“It takes time and of course it’s going to be hard. I want good relations with my team-mates.”

He has joined Cameroon’s WhatsApp group to know the rest of the squad better, especially since only one other Indomitable Lion – Swansea City’s Olivier Ntcham – is based in the United Kingdom.

Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford celebrates his goal, alongside teammate Ivan Toney, in the 5-2 home win over Leeds United in September 02022. — Mbeumo and Ivan Toney drive Brentford’s attack, with the former laying on several of the latter’s 22 Premier League goals

While expecting tough games from Switzerland – “very good job in the Euros” – and Serbia – “very good, very consistent” – Mbeumo does not believe Cameroon need to have gathered all their points before the final Brazil clash.

“I don’t think that’s the aim. We have to aim big, dream big as we don’t just want to be part of this competition – we want to do something.”

His words amplify the targets of Eto’o, whose striking prowess returned 184 goals from 303 games for Barcelona and Inter Milan.

In contrast, Mbeumo’s finishing can be wayward, as emphasised by his hitting the post eight times last season, and he admits to asking Eto’o for tips.

Both will hope these sink in as Africa’s record eight-time World Cup qualifiers try to reach the knock-out stages for only the second time.

A more realistic chance of silverware comes in 2024 when Ivory Coast hosts the next Nations Cup, a tournament Mbeumo also cannot wait to savour.

“Playing the Nations Cup is something very big in Africa, so it’s going to be very nice – I’m excited.”

With two major finals looming in the next 14 months, it’s quite a start for this latest Indomitable Lion as he roams afresh in the African football savannah.

Culled from the BBC

15, November 2022

English-speaking children denied education in Cameroon’s anglophone crisis ⁰

Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Cameroonian Civil War, has been raging between the country’s government and Anglophone separatist parties in the north- and southwest since 2016. The separatist parties have been accused of kidnapping and attacking innocents, but the nation’s administration has also been heavily criticized, accused of human rights violations including torture and extrajudicial murder as well as employing disproportionate force against protestors and failing to adequately address the Anglophone minority’s concerns. There has been little progress in settling the war, which has displaced over 700,000 people and resulted in more than 2,000 deaths. Away from the front line, children, especially girls, are also among the casualties of this war.

The war has “wreaked havoc on the education of Cameroonian children,” UNICEF asserts. The English-speaking regions of Cameroon once had the best education in the country, the organization says, but now face “a permanent policy of non-schooling put in place by non-state armed groups.” Due to pressure from Anglophone civil society, certain separatist groups formally called off the school boycott in 2020, but attacks on schools continue unabated; “Children have been forced to evacuate their homes and several schools have been shut down,” UNICEF says, and those that stay open are frequently decrepit or overcrowded. Many teachers have “been compelled to leave the nation” and departed without being replaced. “This has left youngsters with little educational opportunities.”

Girls have been particularly negatively affected. Parents whose wages have decreased choose to send their sons to school while keeping their daughters at home to assist with chores or small trades. Families who can afford it are currently sending their children to schools in Cameroon’s Francophone regions, but others have simply fled, leaving their daughters to fend for themselves in the Anglophone sectors: unschooled and susceptible to recruitment for prostitution.

This lack of access to high-quality education exacerbates the already serious issues plaguing Cameroon’s Anglophone communities. Demonstrations by Anglophone attorneys and educators regarding the marginalization of the country’s English-speaking population were the initial tinderbox for the conflict in 2016. The separatist militias were only established after the Cameroonian military repressed demonstrators, turning peaceful protest into violent confrontation.

Instead of boycotting schools or threatening to close down voluntary learning centers, the parties in Cameroon’s conflict should utilize the beginning of the school year to alleviate children’s suffering in the Anglophone areas and develop trust with the local community. Separatist activists in Cameroon and elsewhere should cease all school boycotts immediately. If they do so, the Yaoundé administration should recognize the gesture as a de-escalation step. By keeping classrooms accessible and students safe, government and separatist leaders might offer a rare opportunity for dialogue and a lasting cease-fire.

In addition to increasing its assistance for the education system in Cameroon, the international community should assist the Cameroonian government in paying teachers’ salaries, renovating schools, and supplying educational materials. For such assistance to be sustainable, it must be needs-based, impartial, and inclusive of all Cameroonian areas and educational institutions.

The Anglophone Crisis is harming the futures of children who have not even begun to live. The conflict has had a severe impact on the education system as a whole, and both Cameroon and the world must take action. International allies dedicated to resolving the Anglophone crisis should promptly remind all parties of their responsibilities to protect civilians and safeguard children’s right to education.

Culled from The Organization for world peace

15, November 2022

Qatar 2022: England and Netherlands arrive in Qatar as Infantino calls for focus on football ⁰

England and the Netherlands will be the first World Cup heavyweights to arrive in Qatar on Tuesday as FIFA President Gianni Infantino again urged teams to focus on the football.

The pleas from football’s world governing body have struggled to be heard in some countries as the countdown to Sunday’s kick-off has intensified the focus on Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ community.

FIFA launched its “Football Unites the World” campaign with a video featuring star players including Neymar, Karim Benzema and Edouard Mendy.

Infantino said: “Although football is and should be our main focus, the FIFA World Cup is also about values and causes that extend far beyond the pitch and we are delighted that football stars past and present have joined us to promote and highlight these topics, which also unite the whole world.”

USA coach Gregg Berhalter explained why his team are displaying a rainbow logo at their training base in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

“We think it’s important, wherever we think that when we are on the world stage and in a venue like Qatar, to bring awareness to these issues,” he said.

“We recognise that Qatar has made major strides and there has been a ton of progress but there is some work to do.”

Infantino also called for a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine to mark the World Cup, saying sport could bring people together.

He told leaders of the Group of 20 major economies gathered in Bali that he was not “naive” enough to believe the World Cup could solve the world’s problems.

But he said the tournament offered a “unique platform”, with an estimated five billion people expected to watch on television.

Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup finals but FIFA barred the Russian team from the qualifying play-offs for Qatar in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

England jet in

Gareth Southgate’s England team, spearheaded by striker Harry Kane, head to Qatar seeking to go one better than four years ago when they lost in the semi-finals and end a 56-year wait to win the World Cup.

The Netherlands, whose outspoken coach Louis van Gaal has not hidden his opinion that Qatar should never have been allowed to host the World Cup, are also due to arrive.

Denmark’s coach Kasper Hjulmand said his team would focus on football once they arrive in the Gulf state on Tuesday, after FIFA rejected the country’s request to wear special jerseys advocating human rights at training.

Jakob Jensen, CEO of the Danish Football Association said: “The players are here to play football, they’re dreaming of winning the World Cup. They should be able to focus on playing.”

Qatar has rejected many of the accusations against its rights record as “racism”.

The country of barely three million people and one of the world’s biggest producers of natural gas, has spent lavishly to build stadiums and infrastructure since winning the shock vote in 2010.

New stadiums have cost more than $6.5 billion and a driverless metro system with a price tag of $36 billion serves five of the eight venues.

Some estimates put total infrastructure spending over the past decade at $200 billion.

Source: AFP

15, November 2022

Football: Man Utd ‘considering response’ to Ronaldo ‘betrayal’ claims ⁰

Manchester United said on Monday they were “considering their response” to an interview given by star forward Cristiano Ronaldo where he said he felt “betrayed” by the club.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been a peripheral figure on the field for United since Erik ten Hag took charge as manager in May.

Ronaldo was disciplined after refusing to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last month, but had returned to the side in recent weeks and even captained the Red Devils in a 3-1 loss at Aston Villa.

However, the 37-year-old was absent from the squad in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Fulham in United’s last match before a six-week break for the World Cup.

“I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me,” Ronaldo said of Ten Hag in an interview on Sunday with the Piers Morgan Uncensored TV show.

“Not only the coach, but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed.”

When quizzed again if senior club executives were trying to oust him, Ronaldo replied: “Yes, I felt betrayed and I felt like some people don’t want me here, not only this year but last year too.”

In a statement issued on Monday, the Old Trafford club said: “Manchester United notes the media coverage regarding an interview by Cristiano Ronaldo.

“The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established.

“Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans.”

Ronaldo returned to United in August 2021 from Juventus.

His first spell at Old Trafford had been a glorious one under the tutelage of Alex Ferguson, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the first of his Ballon d’Or crowns.

Despite his 24 goals in all competitions last season, United endured a terrible campaign as they finished sixth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Ronaldo then reportedly tried to engineer an exit before the start of this season, but no agreement could be found with another club.

“Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed,” said Ronaldo on what he found on his return to United. “I want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United.

“But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the top level as (Manchester) City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal… a club with this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and they are not unfortunately.”

United are fifth in the Premier League, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Source: AFP