Headline News

28, July 2026

Cameroon’s hydrocarbon imports rise to CFA274.3 billion ⁰

Cameroon spent CFA274.3 billion on hydrocarbon imports in the first quarter of 2026, a 2.5% increase from a year earlier, even as revenue from crude oil exports fell sharply, according to the National Economic and Financial Committee’s (CNEF) latest economic report.

Between January and March, crude oil exports generated CFA152.4 billion, down 14.4% from CFA178 billion during the same period in 2025. The figures underscore Cameroon’s energy paradox: although the country produces oil and natural gas, it remains heavily dependent on imported refined petroleum products to meet domestic demand.

Fuel imports totaled CFA267.7 billion in the first quarter of 2025. The additional CFA6.6 billion spent this year kept petroleum products as Cameroon’s largest import category, ahead of machinery and mechanical equipment worth CFA115 billion and vehicles valued at CFA82.8 billion.

Export Revenue Falls Despite Higher Oil Prices

The decline in crude oil export earnings came even as global energy prices strengthened. According to the World Bank, Brent crude averaged $103.7 per barrel in March 2026, up 42.8% from $72.6 a year earlier. European benchmark natural gas prices also rose 35.3% over the same period to $17.91 per million BTU.

The drop in Cameroon’s export revenue despite higher prices suggests lower export volumes or changes in the country’s export mix. However, the CNEF report does not provide enough data to determine the exact cause.

The first-quarter figures extend a longer-term decline. Crude oil export revenue, which peaked at CFA1.51 trillion in 2022, fell to CFA705.6 billion in 2025, a drop of more than 50% in three years. Liquefied natural gas exports have followed a similar trend, declining from CFA631.5 billion in 2022 to CFA363.3 billion in 2025, a 42.5% decrease.

Import Bill Remains High

Meanwhile, Cameroon’s spending on imported petroleum products remains structurally high. After reaching a record CFA1.15 trillion in 2022, hydrocarbon imports totaled CFA891.1 billion in 2025. The increase recorded during the first quarter suggests the country’s energy import bill will remain substantial this year. Petroleum imports alone were worth more than twice the value of machinery imports during the period.

The country’s dependence on imported fuels largely stems from the shutdown of the National Refining Company’s (Sonara) refinery following the fire that damaged part of its facilities. As a result, Cameroon exports crude oil while importing gasoline, diesel, kerosene and other refined petroleum products needed by households, businesses and public institutions.

That structure exposes the country to swings in global oil prices, shipping costs and exchange rate movements. It also puts pressure on foreign exchange reserves, the trade balance and public finances, particularly when the government subsidizes fuel prices to shield consumers from international market fluctuations.

BEAC Urges Faster Refinery Projects

The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) is urging Cameroon to accelerate the reconstruction of Sonara and move forward with the planned C-Star refinery in Kribi.

In its report on inflation trends in the CEMAC region through March 2026, the central bank said both projects are essential to reducing the country’s exposure to global oil price volatility and limiting its impact on domestic fuel prices. The government is no longer planning a simple repair of the Sonara refinery. Instead, it intends to completely rebuild and modernize the facility at an estimated cost of about CFA700 billion.

The project includes replacing facilities destroyed in the fire, which damaged four of the refinery’s 13 processing units and a crude oil storage tank. It also calls for adding new processing capacity, including a hydrocracker. The new equipment is expected to improve the refinery’s ability to process domestic crude and increase production of fuels for the local market.

Whether those investments move forward will play a key role in reducing Cameroon’s dependence on imported fuels. Without restoring domestic refining capacity, the country is likely to continue spending heavily on petroleum imports even as revenue from its own hydrocarbon exports continues to decline.

Source: Sbbc

28, July 2026

Netanyahu visits White House for first Trump talks during Iran war ⁰

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Tuesday for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, with the Israeli leader saying they discussed ensuring Tehran does not acquire nuclear arms.

The closed-door talks — which the White House described as “positive and productive” — lasted for about an hour and a half and came as Netanyahu and Trump sought to patch over public disagreements on the war.

Netanyahu said in a video message after the meeting that it was “one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with the president of the United States” and that it touched on “our common goal: ensuring that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.”

The Iran war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes but has seen a recent pause in the fighting, with Washington saying it wants to give negotiations a chance.

Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month as an April ceasefire collapsed.

The meeting was the eighth between the two leaders since Trump’s return to office in early 2025 and came ahead of key electoral tests later this year for both Netanyahu and the US president: national elections in Israel and midterm polls in the United States.

Netanyahu’s office said he attended a private memorial dinner in Washington on Monday evening in honor of the late senator Lindsey Graham.

He also went to a memorial service for Graham after the meeting with Trump on Tuesday.

Relations between Trump and Netanyahu reached a low point in April during negotiations on the ceasefire with Iran, with Trump unleashing profanity-laced tirades against his Israeli ally.

Trump later described Netanyahu in an interview as a “very difficult guy.”

Netanyahu downplayed the exchanges as “tactical disagreements,” saying they were aligned on the goals of the war.

On Tuesday, the leaders were expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose application on the ground has been challenging.

The talks were also expected to touch on Gaza, as diplomatic efforts to kick-start the devastated Palestinian territory’s reconstruction are at a standstill.

Nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, and Israel continues to regularly target people the military says are militants.

‘No break’ in ties

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that Netanyahu’s visit came at a “critical time for the Middle East,” with Iran continuing “to choose terrorism over negotiations” and blocking the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the primary aim of the visit was to dispel reports of a cooling in ties between the allies.

“I think that the main issue… is to show the world, to show Iran, and also even Lebanon and others… that there is no break or any kind of major disagreement between the United States and Israel,” he told AFP.

“There’s more in agreement between the two leaders than disagreement.”

For Freeman, any differences between Trump and Netanyahu concern the means — timeline, intensity, immediate objectives of operations — rather than the ends of the war.

He also suggested that Trump would mainly seek to focus on his two regional priorities, namely Iran and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, rather than on Gaza, which he sees as less of a priority.

The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered normalization agreements signed during Trump’s first term, under which Israel established formal diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the first time. Morocco later followed.

But other observers believe that the talks could address the possible easing of Israel’s military presence in the region, such as in Lebanon, Syria or Gaza.

Source: AFP

28, July 2026

Paul Biya’s 50 Days in Switzerland: The long goodbye to an era ⁰

For more than four decades, President Paul Biya has defied predictions of his political demise. He has outlasted rivals, survived crises and maintained an iron grip on Cameroon through a system built on centralized authority and carefully managed succession. Yet politics is often defined not by dramatic events, but by prolonged absences that expose uncomfortable realities. Biya’s record 50-day stay in Switzerland is one such moment.

Whether the official explanations are accepted or not by the people of Cameroon, the extraordinary length of Biya’s absence has inevitably fueled questions about his health, his ability to govern and the future of the Cameroonian state. In any functioning democracy, such questions would be answered with transparency. Instead, Cameroonians have been left with rumors, speculation and official denials from Biya acolytes that have done little to dispel uncertainty.

The issue is no longer simply where President Biya is. The issue is what his prolonged absence says about the state of power in Cameroon.

For decades, Biya’s authority rested on the perception that he alone embodied the state. That image becomes increasingly difficult to sustain when the country’s leader spends weeks away from the seat of government while critical national decisions continue to accumulate. Even if the machinery of government continues to function, prolonged physical absence inevitably raises doubts about who is truly making decisions and how power is being exercised behind closed doors.

History shows that the twilight of long-serving leaders is often marked not by a formal resignation, but by a gradual erosion of their political presence. Authority shifts quietly before power changes hands officially. Ministers become more cautious. Political allies begin calculating the future. Ambitious successors position themselves discreetly. The conversation moves from loyalty to succession. Cameroon increasingly appears to be entering that phase.

The government’s insistence that everything is normal has not prevented widespread speculation. If anything, the absence of clear communication has amplified it. In the age of instant information, silence rarely reassures. Instead, it creates space for competing narratives that undermine public confidence.

No one outside the president’s closest circle can state with certainty the full circumstances surrounding his stay in Switzerland. It is therefore important to distinguish between verified facts and speculation. But one fact is undeniable: a president who has remained away from his country for an unprecedented period inevitably invites questions about continuity, governance and succession.

For a leader who has ruled Cameroon for more than four decades, this may well be remembered as the moment when the country collectively began contemplating the post-Biya era—not because an official announcement was made but because events spoke louder than words.

Political endings rarely arrive with fanfare. They emerge gradually, as confidence fades, uncertainty grows and the symbolism of power begins to outweigh its exercise. Biya’s prolonged stay abroad has become more than a personal matter; it has become a national political event.

Whether President Paul Biya ultimately returns to Yaoundé or not, his record stay in Switzerland may come to symbolize the beginning of the end of one of Africa’s longest presidential tenures. The transition may not happen today or even this year, but the aura of permanence that once surrounded his rule appears increasingly fragile.

For Cameroon, the more pressing question is no longer whether the Biya era will end. It is whether the country is prepared for what comes after.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

28, July 2026

FIFA president asked to appear before US Congress over Trump ties ⁰

US House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin has launched an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino, requesting documents detailing the football governing body’s interactions with US President Donald Trump, his administration, and his family business.

In a letter sent on Sunday, Raskin asked Infantino to provide records and communications related to any gifts, payments or benefits provided to Trump and his associates. The request also seeks visitor logs for FIFA’s office in Trump Tower, which the organization opened after acquiring the space last year. Raskin additionally requested that Infantino appear for a transcribed interview.

The letter sets an August 9 deadline for FIFA to provide the requested documents and arrange the interview. However, Raskin cannot compel Infantino to testify because Democrats do not hold a majority in the House unless he secures Republican support.

Investigation cites transparency, ethics concerns

In the letter, Raskin linked the request to concerns over FIFA’s governance and its relationship with the Trump administration.

“Your election as FIFA president was supposed to mark a red-card break from a decades-long culture of corruption and scandals that dressed down world soccer’s reputation,” Raskin wrote.

“Instead, at the start of your tenure, you dismantled FIFA’s ethical guardrails and disabled the organization’s ethics committee by pushing out most of its members. This lack of transparency and oversight has since paved the way for you to ingratiate yourself with the Trump administration via tactics that a New York University law professor and one of your former ethics committeemen described as ‘legal bribery.’”

The letter also refers to the US Department of Justice’s decision to “dismiss the indictments” of defendants in US government investigations into corruption in global football, including the 2015 prosecution involving more than 20 senior FIFA officials and sports-marketing executives.

World Cup events drew renewed scrutiny

Infantino’s relationship with Trump received heightened attention before and during this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

At the World Cup draw in Washington in December, Trump received a newly created “FIFA peace prize” at the Kennedy Center, where renovations were reportedly rushed on the administration’s orders ahead of the event. FIFA also opened its office in Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan last July.

During the tournament, Trump made several calls to Infantino, urging a review of US striker Folarin Balogun’s controversial red-card suspension before the Americans’ round-of-16 match against Belgium. FIFA later reversed the suspension, a decision that drew criticism from teams and football associations.

Trump also joined Infantino, alongside the top officials of Canada and Mexico, for the World Cup trophy presentation after Spain defeated Argentina in the final. The pair watched the match together from a glass-enclosed luxury seating area before taking to the field, where they were met with boos from spectators at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Raskin’s letter also addresses FIFA’s World Cup ticketing policy, which is already under investigation by several US state attorneys general.

The use of dynamic pricing during the tournament prompted criticism after ticket prices surged, making matches unaffordable for many fans.

“The most recent quid pro quo that FIFA and President Trump orchestrated is not a victimless crime. It hurts Americans. FIFA has taken its newfound favored status in the Trump administration as a sign that it may rip off its consumers, most notably, by employing illegal price-gouging and fraudulent sales tactics for the World Cup,” Raskin wrote.

28, July 2026

Ambazonia war leaves 2.9 million still without adequate water services ⁰

More than 2.9 million people, including about 1.5 million children, still needed access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions during the first half of 2026, highlighting the continuing humanitarian impact of the country’s anglophone crisis.

The figures come from UNICEF’s humanitarian situation report for Cameroon, published on July 23. According to the UN agency, communities in the two English-speaking regions continue to face heightened risks related to health, protection and access to basic social services.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) remain among the most pressing challenges. UNICEF attributes the situation to a combination of prolonged insecurity, repeated population displacement, damaged water infrastructure, disease outbreaks and inadequate public facilities. More than 2.9 million people in the Northwest and Southwest, including approximately 1.5 million children, continued to require safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, the agency said.

Women and Girls Bear the Heaviest Burden

Limited access to water has consequences that extend well beyond household supply. According to UNICEF, women and girls are disproportionately affected because they are often responsible for collecting water. Long journeys to water points consume time that could otherwise be spent in school, at work or on income-generating activities.

Those trips also expose women and adolescent girls to greater risks of violence, assault and harassment when they travel through isolated or insecure areas.

Limited sanitation facilities further complicate menstrual hygiene management, contributing to school absenteeism among adolescent girls and reinforcing existing barriers to education.

Schools Continue to Face Major Infrastructure Gaps

Schools across the two regions also lack adequate sanitation infrastructure. UNICEF reported that one in four schools had no sanitation facilities, more than one-third lacked separate latrines for boys and girls, and many facilities remained inaccessible to children with disabilities.

The absence of functioning toilets and water points increases health risks for students and teachers while making schools less welcoming, particularly for girls.

The lack of gender-separated sanitation facilities disproportionately affects adolescent girls, while inaccessible infrastructure excludes many children with disabilities. These shortcomings illustrate how the water and sanitation crisis extends beyond households, undermining education in regions already affected by years of conflict.

Rehabilitation Projects Deliver Local Gains

Despite the challenges, UNICEF and its partners continued implementing water and sanitation projects during the first half of 2026.

In the Southwest region, rehabilitation of the Mile 4 gravity-fed water system in Limbe significantly improved access to safe drinking water for nearby communities. According to UNICEF, the time required to collect water fell from about four hours to roughly 30 minutes.

The reduction gives affected families more than three additional hours each day that can be devoted to education, income-generating activities, household responsibilities or rest. The project demonstrates how restoring water infrastructure can quickly improve living conditions.

Needs Still Far Outpace Assistance

While projects such as the one in Limbe show the benefits of targeted investments, they remain small compared with the scale of unmet needs. UNICEF said restoring water networks, installing secure water points and building sanitation facilities in schools will require sustained funding as well as reliable humanitarian access to conflict-affected communities.

In the most insecure areas, humanitarian teams continue to face difficulties reaching communities and maintaining existing infrastructure. Repeated population displacement also places additional pressure on newly built or rehabilitated facilities.

The Limbe project illustrates the immediate health, education, protection and economic benefits that improved water and sanitation services can provide. At the same time, it underscores the wide gap between progress in individual communities and the needs of millions of people across Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions.

Source: Sbbc

28, July 2026

Cameroon needs to update its anti-corruption policy-Rev. Dr Dieudonné Massi ⁰

The Chairman of Cameroon’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC), Rev. Dr Dieudonné Massi Gams, has called for the adoption of a dedicated anti-corruption law to strengthen the country’s legal and institutional response to corruption.

Massi Gams made the appeal in an interview with Cameroon Tribune following activities marking the 10th edition of African Anti-Corruption Day. He said the proposed legislation could address illicit enrichment, improve the protection of whistleblowers and strengthen the institutions involved in fighting corruption.

According to the CONAC chairman, Cameroon needs to update its anti-corruption policy to reflect current challenges and improve the effectiveness of enforcement. He also proposed granting CONAC prosecutorial powers, which would allow the commission to initiate proceedings after completing its investigations.

“At the level of CONAC, we strongly believe that an Anti-Corruption Law can address issues such as illicit enrichment, protection of whistleblowers and strengthen structures involved in the fight against corruption,” Massi Gams said.

He also called for faster implementation of the constitutional provisions requiring the declaration of assets and property. Although the requirement has been enshrined in Cameroon’s Constitution since 1996, the mechanisms needed to enforce it have yet to be fully implemented.

Reports of Suspected Corruption Rise

Separately, Massi Gams reported a sharp increase in the number of suspected corruption cases brought to CONAC’s attention. The commission received 10,520 reports in 2024, compared with 7,548 in 2023, an increase of 39.37%.

He interpreted the rise as evidence that more Cameroonians are willing to report suspected corruption and have greater confidence in CONAC’s intervention mechanisms. The reports were submitted through channels including the commission’s toll-free telephone line, administrative correspondence, email and WhatsApp.

The increase does not necessarily indicate that corruption itself rose by the same proportion, as the figures reflect reports received rather than confirmed cases. It may also point to greater public awareness of reporting mechanisms.

African Anti-Corruption Day was observed under the theme “Scaling up the promotion of integrity and anti-corruption actions across Africa.” Massi Gams said the occasion provided an opportunity to assess Cameroon’s progress in promoting integrity and identify obstacles that continue to hamper anti-corruption efforts.

He identified fear and greed as major drivers of corruption. While fear of prosecution or damage to personal integrity may discourage some people from engaging in corrupt practices, he said greed continues to push others toward such acts. He argued that Cameroon must promote a culture in which public resources and services are managed for the common good rather than personal gain.

Financial Losses Exceed CFAF4 Billion

Corruption also continues to have a measurable impact on Cameroon’s public finances. According to CONAC’s 2024 Anti-Corruption Status Report, corruption-related losses to the state exceeded CFAF4 billion during the year.

The report also indicated that more than CFAF8 billion was recovered through decisions by the Special Criminal Court and asset-recovery operations conducted by the Cameroon Debt Recovery Company. The number of state institutions carrying out activities under the National Anti-Corruption Strategy rose from 84 in 2023 to 105 in 2024.

Despite these developments, Cameroon continues to perform poorly in international governance assessments. The country scored 26 out of 100 in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index. The index evaluates perceived levels of public-sector corruption in 182 countries and territories on a scale ranging from zero, for highly corrupt, to 100, for very clean.

For Massi Gams, further progress will require a stronger legal framework, more effective enforcement institutions and broader public participation. The proposed anti-corruption law would form part of that response by addressing areas that are not adequately covered under the current system and giving the institutions responsible for combating corruption greater capacity to act.

Source: Business in Cameroon

27, July 2026

Cameroonian student killed in Ukrainian drone strike in Russia ⁰

A 29-year-old Cameroonian student, who had previously signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in Yaroslavl. Belibi Belibi Albert explained his decision to join the Russian army as religious: he claimed Jesus Christ commanded him to fight for Russia. He planned to return to his homeland and become president.

The deceased was 29 years old and a student at the Ural State Forestry University. After completing his military training, Belibi was assigned to serve in an air defense unit in Yaroslavl. There, he died during a drone attack.

The International Cooperation Department of the Ural State Forest Engineering University also confirmed the death. They reported that his wife, Krista, had already received notification from the military unit.

She lives in Cameroon with her three children. The document was sent to her in French.

It is still unclear when exactly Belibi died. Yaroslavl Region Governor Mikhail Evraev has made no announcements about the attack on the training ground.

There are media reports that Russian army since the beginning of the war successfully recruited almost 28 thousand foreigners.

Source: nemoskva.net

27, July 2026

Camtel opens 115 internship positions nationwide ⁰

Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) is offering 115 internship positions for university students and recent graduates across all 10 regions of the country under a new partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education (Minesup).

The program includes 105 academic internships and 10 professional internships, marking the first initiative of this scale between the state-owned telecommunications operator and the ministry.

The internships are being coordinated by the National Observatory of Higher Education Graduate Careers (OMDES), an agency under Minesup. The program stems from a partnership agreement signed on June 3 to better align university education with labor market needs.

Center and Littoral Receive Nearly Half of the Positions

Although the internships will be available nationwide, the Center and Littoral regions account for nearly half of the openings.

The Center region will receive 30 positions, while the Littoral region will receive 25, for a combined total of 55 internships. They are also the only two regions offering professional internships, with five positions each. The remaining placements in those regions are academic internships.

The West, Northwest, Southwest and North regions will each receive 10 academic internships. Adamawa, East, Far North and South will each receive five. By distributing internships across all regions, Camtel is expanding access to workplace experience beyond Yaoundé and Douala, where internship opportunities at large companies have traditionally been concentrated.

Positions Span Technology, Business and Legal Fields

The 10 professional internships are reserved for candidates holding a master’s degree. Camtel is seeking graduates in fields including auditing and accounting, computer science, business and management, and law.

The academic internships are open to a broader range of disciplines. The company is recruiting candidates with backgrounds in corporate law, public procurement, urban planning, cybersecurity, statistics, translation and human resources.

The range of profiles reflects the company’s operational needs beyond telecommunications, including infrastructure management, public procurement, commercial operations, legal compliance, finance and digital transformation. According to Minesup, the program is designed to improve graduate employability, strengthen the professional orientation of university programs and deepen collaboration between universities and businesses in Cameroon.

Professional Internships Will Be Paid

The internships are scheduled to begin on August 24. Academic internships will last three months, while professional internships will run for six months.

Only the professional internships will be paid. The academic placements are intended primarily to help students meet practical training requirements and gain experience within a large state-owned enterprise. According to the Ministry of Higher Education, the initiative will give students and graduates, particularly those from traditional academic faculties, practical exposure to the realities of the job market.

The program comes as Cameroon continues to face high graduate unemployment and persistent concerns that university training does not adequately match employers’ needs. While limited to 115 participants, it is the first initiative of its kind to cover all regions of the country.

Source: Business in Cameroon

27, July 2026

Israeli ex-army chief emerges as main rival to Netanyahu ahead of general election ⁰

As Israel heads into a fiercely contested general election on October 27, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Eisenkot’s rise comes at a pivotal moment in Israeli politics, with the election widely viewed as a referendum on the long-serving premier’s leadership in the violent aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

A recent Channel 12 poll put Eisenkot’s new party, Yashar (Hebrew for “Straight” or “Upright”), ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud, projecting 23 seats to Likud’s 22 in the 120-member Knesset.

The same survey found that 43 percent of respondents considered Eisenkot, 66, the most suitable candidate for prime minister, compared with 34 percent for Netanyahu.

Eisenkot – who has dismissed calls for a future Palestinian state as irrelevant after the October 7 attacks and pioneered Israel’s strategy of disproportionate military responses in Lebanon – has built his campaign around a 10-point platform that he says will restore Israel’s security, unity and democratic institutions.

Chief of staff of the Israeli military between 2015 and 2019, Eisenkot was among those credited with developing the “Dahiya Doctrine”, named after a Beirut suburb that is a Hezbollah stronghold.

Advanced on the premise that Hezbollah conceals fighters and weapons among civilian homes and infrastructure, the doctrine calls for a devastating Israeli response against enemy population centres when Israeli communities come under long-range attack.

At the top of his civilian manifesto is a pledge to establish a state commission of inquiry into Hamas’s bloody 2023 cross-border attack, which triggered the Gaza war and quickly expanded into a broader regional conflict, and which led to Netanyahu’s government being accused of overseeing an intelligence failure.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have repeatedly demonstrated in support of such an inquiry, but Netanyahu’s coalition has instead proposed a commission whose members would be chosen by politicians.

Eisenkot also promises a “new long-term national security doctrine” aimed at strengthening the military and reinforcing Israel’s borders.

A central plank of this is a “universal national service law” that would extend compulsory service to ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab citizens.

He has also pledged to “protect judicial independence, the rule of law, minority rights and a free press”.

“Through these steps, we will ensure that Israel is a Jewish, democratic, powerful, advanced and secure state,” Eisenkot’s campaign says.

His overall position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however, remains less clearly defined.

“The only signal that he sent was that Israel should be a state of law,” said Tal Elovits, a researcher at Israeli think tank Molad. “Therefore, illegal settlements and settlers’ violence will be dealt with.”

Relatively new to politics, Eisenkot has attracted widespread public sympathy after his son, Gal, and two nephews were killed fighting in Gaza.

Eisenkot’s call for universal military service has become a defining issue of his campaign, putting him at the forefront of opposition to Netanyahu’s alliance with ultra-Orthodox parties.

Eisenkot has repeatedly attacked Netanyahu’s agreement with his coalition partners to advance legislation exempting many Haredi men from military service.

“This is a government that chooses to weaken the army in the midst of a brutal war, while the finest sons and daughters of this nation are deployed across all fronts,” he wrote, in a social media post.

‘Different generation’

Unlike Netanyahu, who comes from one of Israel’s elite families, Eisenkot is the son of Moroccan immigrants and grew up on the country’s geographic periphery.

“In a political universe full of Netanyahu wannabes … Eisenkot reads as a man of a different generation, far more connected to the traditional security narratives of Zionism,” columnist Nadav Eyal wrote in a recent blog.

Eisenkot’s understated style could prove to be one of his strongest political assets, said Elovits.

“The middle class and upper middle class… look for someone that will look responsible, boring, and I think that Eisenkot has that appeal,” he said.

Although opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett remain in contention, current polling suggests neither is as well positioned as Eisenkot to defeat Netanyahu.

Lapid and Bennett governed together between 2021 and 2022 in a coalition that included an Arab party.

Strategic option

According to Elovits, many disillusioned right-wing voters still see that alliance as a “betrayal”, making them unlikely to return to Bennett.

“Many voters of the right wing who do not like what Netanyahu is doing… are looking for a home. And a reasonable house for them today is Gadi Eisenkot,” said Gayil Talshir, a political science professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

For liberal centrist voters, Eisenkot increasingly represents the opposition candidate with the strongest chance of unseating Netanyahu.

“Once Eisenkot began to rise above Bennett in the polls, the strategic voters of the liberal camp went with Eisenkot,” Talshir said.

Source: AFP

27, July 2026

From Aug. 1, Gabonese must apply for U.S. visas in Yaoundé ⁰

Beginning August 1, 2026, citizens and residents of Gabon will have to complete their routine U.S. visa procedures in Yaoundé, following a reorganization announced by the U.S. Department of State on July 15. The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon will become the regional processing hub, taking over most visa services previously handled in Libreville.

The change covers nonimmigrant visas, including tourism, business and petition-based categories, as well as immigrant visas for immediate relatives, family reunification and employment. It also includes fiancé(e) visas, adoptions, Diversity Visas and refugee and asylum family reunification cases.

Yaoundé Expands Its Regional Consular Role

The reorganization affects 25 U.S. diplomatic missions across Africa and is built around 20 regional visa hubs. For nonimmigrant visas, the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé will serve applicants from Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Chad and São Tomé and Príncipe. For immigrant visas, its jurisdiction will also extend to Equatorial Guinea, while the U.S. Embassy in Malabo will continue handling nonimmigrant visa applications. Applicants from the Republic of Congo will be redirected to Kinshasa.

Washington said the changes are intended to strengthen security and standardize visa processing across the continent. According to the State Department, the regional hub system is designed to promote more consistent screening, vetting and adjudication standards while improving operational efficiency.

The U.S. Embassy in Libreville will remain open, continuing to provide services to U.S. citizens and a limited range of nonimmigrant visa services. The State Department said the changes do not affect the operational status of any U.S. embassy or consulate.

Gabonese Applicants Face Higher Travel Costs

For Gabonese tourists, students, workers, families and business travelers, the new system adds transportation, accommodation and other travel expenses to the cost of obtaining a U.S. visa. Applicants may also have to return to Yaoundé for interviews or document collection.

The additional travel could benefit airlines, hotels, restaurants and other local businesses in Yaoundé. However, the scale of that impact remains impossible to measure because the U.S. government has not disclosed how many visa applications are being transferred from Libreville, the additional processing capacity in Yaoundé or the expected effect on processing times.

The change also gives Cameroon a larger regional consular role, while increasing the workload of the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé. Without data on staffing levels and appointment capacity, it remains unclear whether the consolidation will shorten waiting times or simply shift costs and queues from Libreville to Yaoundé.

Existing Applicants Should Check Their Appointments

Applicants who already have appointments scheduled in Libreville are advised to check their email for updated instructions. Those who have already paid the MRV visa application fee at a post that is reducing its services must schedule an appointment before July 31 or risk losing the fee, according to the State Department. Medical examinations for immigrant visas may be completed either in the applicant’s home country, if an approved panel physician is available, or at the designated regional hub.

Previously issued U.S. visas remain valid. Restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, nationality-based visa bond requirements and pauses affecting certain immigrant visa categories remain in effect.

Source: Sbbc