Headline News

20, June 2022

Eto’o handed 22-month suspended prison sentence after defrauding Spanish government of £3.3m ⁰

SAMUEL ETO’O has received a 22-month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to tax fraud.

The former Chelsea star, 41, admits defrauding the Public Treasury of £3.3million between 2006 and 2009, while he was at Barcelona.

Samuel Eto’o received a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion

Eto’o previously blamed his agent Jose Maria Mesalles for the tax evasion – who has also been given a one-year suspended prison sentence.

In court, Eto’o referred to Mesalles as a father figure, saying: “I admit the facts and I will pay, but let it be known that I was a child then and that I always did what my father asked me to do.”

Eto’o has partially repaid the fee he owes and has been ordered to pay a further £1.5m in fines, and Mesalles £776,000.

The Cameroonian failed to pay tax on the income he received from the transfer of his image rights from Puma to Barcelona between 2006 and 2009.

Instead, he taxed the image rights through two companies, one of which was based abroad in Hungary – so did not pay the full amount of Spanish tax required.

And Eto’o previously argued Mesalles was responsible as he looked after his finances.

Mesalles has previous form for fraud and was convicted on criminal charges of tax fraud, swindling and embezzlement after Eto’o brought a civil case against him.

The judge also ruled Mesalles had to pay Eto’o £15.4m in damages – but it was never paid.

Eto’o had a very successful period at the Nou Camp between 2004- 2009, scoring 130 goals in 199 games.

He won the Champions League twice and LaLiga three times. Eto’o was also named the African Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

Source: The Sun

20, June 2022

UN says over 77,000 Southern Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria ⁰

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged Nigerians to support, protect and care for the over 77,000 Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria.

Tesfaye Bekele, the head of the Ogoja sub-office of (UNHCR) in Cross River, appealed on Monday in Ogoja local government to commemorate the 2022 World Refugee Day.

“This year, UNHCR calls for greater support and protection of people forced to flee their homes, whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee,” stated Mr Bekele. “People forced to flee should be welcomed and not discriminated against. To get out of harm’s way, they might take a plane, a boat, or travel on foot. What remains universal is the right to seek safety.”

Speaking on the 2022 theme of World Refugee Day, ‘Whoever, Wherever, Whenever, everyone has the right to seek safety’, Mr Bekele explained that the day should serve as a reminder to the government to do more to prevent and resolve conflict and crises.

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, represented by Princewill Ayim, the director-general of Cross River Emergency Management Agency, commended UNHCR for supporting the refugees.

Mr Ayade noted that there was a need for government at all levels to show concerted efforts towards resolving all conflicts that lead to crises.

“We have done everything necessary to ensure that the refugees live in peace with the host communities in all the settlements that are in Ogoja local government area with adequate security,” he noted.

Andy Ubon, a representative of the National Commission for Refugees office, assured Cameroonian refugees of their safety, protection and care in the county.

The UN estimated that 77,000 Cameroonian refugee men, women, and children are registered in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Enugu, and Taraba.

Source: NAN

20, June 2022

Belgium returns Lumumba tooth to family ⁰

Belgium on Monday handed over the last remains of slain Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba — a tooth — to his family, turning a page on a grim chapter in its colonial past.

Chief prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw gave the relatives a small, bright blue box containing the tooth in a televised ceremony, and said legal action they had taken to receive the relic had delivered “justice”.

The tooth was placed in a casket that was then draped in the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which celebrates Lumumba, who was murdered by separatists and Belgian mercenaries in 1961, as an anti-colonial hero.

Lumumba’s assassination — and the brutal history of Belgian control of the Congo — have been enduring sources of pain between the two countries.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo reiterated that his country’s authorities bore a “moral responsibility” over the killing.

“I would like, in the presence of his family, to present in my turn the apologies of the Belgian government,” he said.

“A man was murdered for his political convictions, his words, his ideals.”

Lumumba’s son Francois told Belgium’s RTBF broadcaster that his relatives had been waiting “more than 60 years” for this event.

“I think it will provide solace for the family and the Congolese people,” he said.

“We are opening a new page in history.”

A fiery critic of Belgium’s rapacious rule, Lumumba became his country’s first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960.

But he fell out with the former colonial power and the United States and was ousted in a coup a few months after taking office.

He was executed on January 17 1961, aged just 35, in the southern region of Katanga, with the support of Belgian mercenaries.

His body was dissolved in acid and never found.

But the tooth was kept as a trophy by one of those involved, a Belgian police officer.

The tooth was seized by Belgian authorities in 2016 from the daughter of the policeman, Gerard Soete, after Lumumba’s family filed a complaint.

‘National mourning’

The casket containing the tooth is set to be flown back to the DRC where it will be officially laid to rest at a memorial site.

The country is set to hold three days of “national mourning” from 27 to 30 June — its 62nd anniversary of independence — to mark the burial ceremony.

Lumumba’s older son Francois filed a complaint in Belgium in 2011, pointing the finger of responsibility for his father’s killing at a dozen Belgian officials and diplomats.

The investigation for “war crimes” is still ongoing but only two of the targeted officials are still alive.

A Belgian parliamentary commission of enquiry in 2001 concluded that Belgium had “moral responsibility” for the assassination and the government presented the country’s “apologies” a year later.

De Croo said Belgian officials “chose not to see, chose not to act” to stop the killing, even if they had not directly intended it to happen.

Lumumba’s children were also received Monday by Belgium’s King Philippe, who this month travelled to DR Congo to express his “deepest regrets” over the colonial past.

Historians say that millions of people were killed, mutilated or died of disease as they were forced to collect rubber under Belgian rule. The land was also pillaged for its mineral wealth, timber and ivory.

Source: AFP

20, June 2022

MOHWA Senior Lady Accepts Cameroon Concord News Call to Action ⁰

A senior Manyu lady has written to the Cameroon Concord News Editor-in-Chief, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, to acknowledge the positive role the online news platform is playing to help bring attention to the destroyed hospital in Mamfe.

The senior lady, who elected anonymity, acknowledged that there were issues within MOHWA as an organization, adding that she would mobilize other influential Manyu women so that appropriate actions could be taken to ensure that MOHWA continued to play an important role in the Division’s development.

“Rest assured that things will be rectified in the days ahead. I can’t stand by any longer and see MOHWA destroyed,” the respected Manyu lady said, urging the editor-in-chief to “please keep advising.”

Rather than be angered by the articles published by the popular Cameroon online news platform, the senior lady demonstrated maturity and agreed that criticism was the shock therapy that would enable all Manyu women across the globe to wake up and participate in the Division’s development.

Other calls regarding the article also acknowledged that MOHWA had been slow at reacting and that the constant partying by MOHWA groups in North America and Europe was giving the organization a very bad name. A caller from Norway who also elected anonymity said that though the criticisms were biting, they were also helping to bring some sanity to an organization which was unfortunately losing its way.

“We have been slow at reacting, but we are brainstorming. We understand the anger and frustration of those who are criticizing us, but we are organizing ourselves to play the role many expect of us. The destroyed Mamfe hospital will have far reaching consequences and the first victims will be women and we owe it to those women who have been left without a place to obtain the care they need to act promptly and properly,” the soft-spoken lady said.

“I know there are many Manyu people around the world who are angry that your platform is very critical of Manyu people, but we must understand that in any developed society, the media must play its role. It will bite when things are falling apart, but it will also appreciate when things work out well. We should be thanking those who have already taken the initiative to raise funds. They are driven by a passion to see things done. It takes honesty and love of humanity to raise funds. People with compromised characters cannot publicly declare that they want to raise funds for their people,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, other Manyu organizations have informed the Cameroon Concord News that their organizations will also be active in the days ahead. A source close to MECA UK has said the organization will be meeting in Coventry in the UK, adding that the focus will be on the unfortunate event that has left many in Cameroon terribly shocked.

“We will be doing our best to raise some money. This is the only way we will demonstrate that we feel the pain of our people back home. We are not in the business of winning the argument of who burnt the hospital. We are more interested in how our people can have proper health care,” the source said.

“We are also urging more honest people to come out and work for our people in Mamfe. When people trust those who are leading the effort, the initiative succeeds. We are aware that Minister Mengot has launched his own fundraising initiative and many people are already lining up to contribute. This is what we like to see. This is the spirit that will help Manyu grow,” he stressed.

By Chi Prudence Asong in London

19, June 2022

French Cameroun: Eight abducted in North region ⁰

At least eight people have been kidnapped in Cameroon’s North region, according to local and security sources.

They were kidnapped overnight into Sunday in Baoudi, a locality in Mayo-Rey division of the region, a security official who opted for anonymity told Xinhua.

“Among those kidnapped were women. Gunmen raided the locality and rounded them up. The villagers were helpless and could not resist them,” the official said.

Mayo-Rey division has been plagued by rampant abductions in the last two months.

At least 30 people including women and children have been kidnapped in the locality since May, according to security reports.

Source: Xinhuanet

19, June 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: UN donates motorcycles, ambulance to aid Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria ⁰

United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) has donated four motorcycles and one ambulance to the Taraba State Government in Nigeria.

This is to assist the state in meeting the needs of over 19,000 Cameroonian refugees within its borders.

The separatist war taking place in the Republic of Cameroon has led to an influx of Refugees and is are taking its toll on Taraba state in Nigeria.

The state now plays host to over 19,000 refugees who fled the warring zones and have found safety in six local governments in the state which shares borders with Cameroon.

A delegation of United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) were in Taraba over the weekend to determine how the international body can to assist the state in meeting up with the needs of the Refugees.

The delegation, led by Rahmatu Abdallah presented an ambulance and four motorcycles to the state government.

Governor Darius Ishaku thanked the commission for the gesture, promising that his administration would not abandon the refugees and IDPs but would rather improve their life.

He informed the delegation that his administration had built schools and health facilities to cater for the needs of refugees in the state.

The commission’s visit is expected to result in more positive programs that will improve the lives of the state’s over 19,000 refugees.

Source: TVCNews

19, June 2022

Boxing: Usyk-Joshua heavyweight rematch set for August 20 in Saudi Arabia ⁰

World heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his titles in a rematch with Britain’s Anthony Joshua in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 20, promoters announced Sunday.

Ukraine’s Usyk defeated then WBA, IBF and WBO champion Joshua by a unanimous decision in London in September last year.

“Champion Oleksandr Usyk will put his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO world titles on the line against Anthony Joshua in the coastal city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday August 20,” said a statement issued by promoters Matchroom Boxing.

No sooner had Usyk defeated Joshua 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 on the judges’ scorecards in London then a rematch clause was activated.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, however, placed a question mark over when former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk would be back in the ring.

The 35-year-old returned to Ukraine to fight for his country but was given special exemption from military duty in order to prepare for this bout.

“I have a goal, with the help of the Lord I will complete my mission!”, said Usyk in Sunday’s statement from Matchroom.

Joshua, 32, has made changes to his coaching staff as he bids to be crowned world heavyweight champion for a third time.

Rob McCracken, the trainer who oversaw 2012 Olympic champion Joshua’s rise from the amateur ranks, is no longer a member of the team, with Robert Garcia added to the corner to work alongside the already-installed Angel Fernandez.

August’s fight will be Joshua’s second bout in Saudi Arabia after he regained his world titles with a points win over Andy Ruiz Jr in Riyadh in December 2019.

Joshua labelled his recent career as a “roller-coaster”, adding: “Fighting championship level back to back has had its pros and cons, but I decide every day to get stronger, to learn from my experiences and grow.

“A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and I am the happiest and most motivated I have been.”

Source: AFP

19, June 2022

UN peacekeeper killed in Mali mine blast ⁰

A UN peacekeeper was killed by a mine Sunday in restive northern Mali as he was participating in a patrol, the head of the UN’s MINUSMA Mali force El Ghassim Wane tweeted.

The peacekeeper was part of the Guinean contingent in MINUSMA, a MINUSMA official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “He was first wounded and died of his injuries at our hospital in Kidal,” he added.

The latest death comes amid tense negotiations on the renewal of MINUSMA’s mandate.

175 peacekeepers of MINUSMA have died so far

A total of 175 of its peacekeepers have died in hostile acts.

“Terrible news that adds to the long list of our colleagues who lost their lives during their service in Mali,” Wane wrote on Twitter.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of the jihadists’ weapons of choice against MINUSMA as well as Malian forces. They also regularly kill civilians.

Mali, a poor and landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, underwent military coups in August 2020 and May 2021.

The political crisis has gone hand in hand with a serious security crisis since 2012 and the outbreak of separatist and jihadist insurgencies in the north. The country is now ruled by a junta that has turned away from France and its partners, and turned to Russia to try to stem the jihadist threat that has spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

The violence has left thousands of civilians and soldiers dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Source: AFP

19, June 2022

Manyu Women: Transform your tears into concrete actions! ⁰

Videos of Manyu women crying in Yaoundé following the burning down of the Mamfe General hospital by unknown arsonists have been trending online and many people have been asking very serious questions about the rationale behind such an action when many in the Division need more than tears.

Crying is not always a bad thing. It is an expression of a feeling which could be positive or negative. That is why a famous philosopher said that “crying is the noble language of the eye.” The Manyu women in Yaoundé were, for sure, demonstrating their frustration and anger with whoever undertook the ignoble action of robbing more than 100,000 people of quality healthcare in a region which is already in the grip of multiple issues.

Mamfe has no lights. Its water system clearly belongs to the distant past. It is still a miracle that water-related illnesses have not yet popped up in the town, especially cholera which has wreaked havoc in Limbe and Buea, two towns whose water supply systems are by far better than what passes for a water system in Mamfe.

There is no doubt that Manyu women in Yaoundé and indeed across the world love their native Manyu whose capital is Mamfe but converging on a small town hall in Yaoundé to shed tears because of a massive disaster that needs more financial resources than tears is indeed mind-boggling.

The crowd in Yaoundé a few days ago was impressive. Many of the women showed up with some of the finest worsted fabric the world could boast of. The heels of their shoes were so long and beautiful that you could think they were designed for a purpose and by the goddess of beauty. Their expensive eyewear spoke volumes of their love for earthly things. There was no symptom of poverty on any of the women. The occasion seemed to have been an opportunity for some of them to display their wealth and their love for material things. Indeed, that was not the right attire for mourning women.

A lot of tears were shed, but what is baffling to many minds is the real objective of those tears. But since no human being is a god, these women can be given the benefit of the doubt. The world can cut them some slack, especially if they transform those tears into real concrete actions. The walls of the cultural center on which they converged had been transformed into wailing walls and many of the women wept and cursed those responsible for the heinous crime.

Their coming together clearly demonstrated that there was power in numbers and these women can use their numbers to breathe faith and hope into the desperate people of Mamfe. The Mamfe population needs help and tears alone will not solve their mounting health issues that are staring them in the face.

Manyu women across the globe can use their numbers to mobilize resources which could be used to alleviate the pain of their fellow women in Manyu Division. The damaged hospital was where many women were delivered of their babies. With this facility up in smoke, the future looks very bleak for young women who look forward to having their own families in Mamfe.

While rebuilding the damaged hospital may not be the responsibility of the people of Manyu Division, it must be remembered that the primary beneficiaries of the quality healthcare that was provided by the General Hospital was the local Manyu population. It certainly will take a lot of time for the burned hospital to be rebuilt, but the women of Manyu can come up with the finances that will help local women have access to healthcare – not by wearing expensive clothes and crying, but by make huge sacrifices.

They could mobilize resources to enhance the capacity of the Preventive hospital which has now been transformed into a full-fledged hospital without proper equipment. Arrangements could be made with the two local clinics in the town for pregnant women and nursing mothers to receive the care they need at affordable prices in those two clinics. This is not an impossibility, and it will not cost anybody an arm and a leg.

Manyu women organizations such as MOHWA, which have brought together thousands of women, could depart from their original goal of promoting the culture of the region to raising funds for a cause that will put smiles on many faces. It is always a pleasure to see women leaving the United Kingdom to the United States to attend a MOHWA occasion, but it is also disheartening to know that ever since the Mamfe General Hospital went up in smoke, MOHWA has not issued a statement, nor has it even tried to raise funds for other women whose future is in danger because of the disaster brought onto the population by some lawless and devilish persons.

MOHWA should not only be a place to show off. It should be a medium through which women can help other women, especially those who need medical attention in Manyu Division. In this unfortunate situation, every bit will go a long way in alleviating the pain of the residents of Mamfe. The Manyu women in Yaoundé just like their sisters in the Diaspora should be leading key resource mobilization efforts to reduce the pain brought about by the burning of the Mamfe General Hospital.

This is the time for Manyu women to demonstrate their sense of purpose. They can at least skip some of the parties organized by their groups just to help those who are at home. They can also forget about the long heels they want to buy and the expensive clothes and hairpieces just to bring joy to other people. They can cry if they so wish, but the ultimate way of demonstrating love and concern in this context will be to participate in fundraising efforts which will reduce the pain of those whose lives hang in the balance due to the massive fire which gutted the Mamfe General Hospital. Manyu women have to act now, if not, theirs will be the kingdom of tears for many years.

By Joachim Arrey, PhD

18, June 2022

Mamfe District Hospital Disaster: Where are the MOHWAs and MECAs? ⁰

For more than four decades, Chief Emmanuel Tabi Egbe, a true Manyu giant in every sense of the word, instilled upon the Manyus consciousness that the role of Manyu community associations was to bring development and delight to Manyu.

For decades, MECA, MOHWA and other Manyu associations around the world have supplied financial and human resources to schools, hospitals, and other community initiatives across the nation.

But over the last few years, legitimate questions have been asked if some of these Manyu associations in the Diaspora are still fit for purpose.

The torching of the Mamfe General hospital by sadists and arsonists on the 8th of June 2022 has brought new questions about two leading Manyu associations – MOHWA and MECA.

While renowned Manyu sons, Dr. Joachim Arrey of the Global Think Thank for Africa and Prince Julian Ebai of Manyu Solidarity Group UK are galvanizing global resources to support the poor and needy people of Manyu, MOHWA and MECA groups around the world have been loudly silent. And this is really disturbing.

MOHWA, in particular, is a gloomy, dismal and shameful case of a Manyu association. The group was conceived and sold to Manyu sons and daughters on the grounds that it would support the Manyu woman and child.

The burning of the Mamfe General Hospital should have, for once, brought MOHWA to the fore, leading a charge to raise funds for a good cause.

Strangely, MOHWA is gravely and deeply involved on both sides of the Atlantic in messy and avoidable disputes about patent rights on their wrapper which adds no real value to human life.

MOHWA in Europe is now profoundly entangled in social media mudslinging and has become the gossip hub and a marriage wrecking institution at a time when it should be leading a charge to help dying, desperate and impoverished people in Manyu.

MECAs in Europe and the USA have more cases of matrimonial impropriety among their members to resolve than the family law courts in Brazil.

MOHWA USA, Europe and MECA groups are now led by people who do not have Manyu at heart.

What MOHWA and MECA now have in common is a disdain for good causes, and they now pose a grave threat to the Manyu Diaspora, and we must say so.

This is the time for these organizations to come out and put smiles on many faces in Manyu Division. Time is of the essence! Manyu sons and daughters must start thinking differently.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai