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30, March 2022

A Cry for Ambazonians: How the United States Failed Southern Cameroons Refugees ⁰

As U.S. officials face continued criticism for the mistreatment and mass expulsions of Haitians who arrived at the U.S. southern border, with many given no chance to apply for asylum, the situation of another group of Black asylum seekers is now also in the spotlight. Dozens of Cameroonians who were denied asylum in the United States—many after especially problematic immigration court hearings—have experienced torture, persecution, and other harms following deportation to their central African country.

Cameroonians have been fleeing deadly violence by both government forces and armed separatist groups in the country’s two Anglophone regions since late 2016. Many of those deported by the United States between 2019 and 2021 have had credible persecution claims related to this crisis, which were rejected in often-unfair proceedings.

This represents a serious failure of the U.S. asylum system to protect those in dire need.

Among those rejected for asylum is a man who initially fled Cameroon in 2018 after authorities accused him of supporting the separatists—armed groups seeking independence for Cameroon’s Anglophone regions—and tortured him in detention for a week. An immigration judge in Louisiana denied the man asylum, calling his experience a “brief, isolated one-time incident that does not rise to the level of extreme conduct.” The man, who is not being named for his protection, was deported from the United States in October 2020 along with fifty-six other Cameroonians. Three months later, he was severely beaten in his home by Cameroonian soldiers.

This man’s experience in the U.S. immigration court system, as well as his return to harm, is not an isolated case. During a year-long Human Rights Watch investigation, I spoke to forty-one Cameroonians asylum seekers who were deported by U.S. authorities between 2019 and 2021, as well as their relatives, immigration lawyers, witnesses, and others. I also tracked down and analyzed their U.S. asylum documents and collected evidence from Cameroon.

What I found is damning. I documented problematic asylum case adjudications, mistreatment during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, an abusive deportation process, and the post-deportation harm many experienced in Cameroon, including arbitrary detention, torture, and rape. Cameroonian authorities harmed or detained at least forty people deported by the United States, twenty of whom I interviewed; dozens of others faced abuses such as extortion, threats, and confiscation of identification documents.

While in the United States, many of these asylum seekers had no lawyers, as they are not entitled to one under the U.S. system. Nevertheless, they faced lawyers representing the government in adversarial hearings. Many struggled to acquire evidence to support their cases while held in prolonged ICE detention. Many Cameroonian Pidgin English speakers also faced language barriers, as some asylum officers and immigration judges failed to adequately assess their need for an interpreter.

Multiple deportees and immigration lawyers described—and I corroborated from hearing transcripts—how U.S. immigration judges aggressively interrogated Cameroonians, intimidated them or spoke harshly, interrupted and would not let them explain or respond to alleged issues, and cherry-picked small inconsistencies or omissions to find their accounts “not credible.” In doing so, judges also disregarded the impacts of trauma on asylum seekers.

Though human rights conditions in Cameroon have not improved in recent years, the grant rate of asylum or other relief to Cameroonians by U.S. immigration courts dropped from 79 percent in fiscal year 2019 to 59 percent in 2020.

Despite protests by scores of activists, lawyers, and members of Congress, the Trump Administration deported an estimated eighty to ninety Cameroonians in two flights in October and November 2020, and at least one other flight in January 2021. Nearly everyone on those flights had sought and was denied asylum.

In eight U.S. asylum cases I reviewed, immigration judges said the past harm Cameroonians experienced did not rise to the level of persecution necessary to have an asylum claim approved. But many of those whom judges claimed “did not suffer enough harm” had been arbitrarily detained by Cameroonian authorities, some for lengthy periods, and beaten or tortured repeatedly, before fleeing to the United States.

The hearing transcript of one man shows that he testified that military personnel in Cameroon had detained him due to his membership in a political group supporting independence for the Anglophone regions, and that they had repeatedly beaten him with belts and kicked him, causing “injuries all over my leg” and “internal pains.” In his asylum application, he stated that he suffered “severe pains for about forty-five days” afterward. Yet the judge found the harm not “enough,” stating: “Respondent’s detention appears to be lengthy in duration, but Respondent was not subjected to severe beatings . . . .”

One judge, in four separate cases I examined, ruled that Cameroonians had not established past persecution due to insufficient harm, even though they testified to serious abuse or arbitrary, prolonged detention. One of the asylum seekers had testified to, as the judge summarized, beatings during arrest (“the police beat him with a hard . . . object in the head and leg . . . an unknown number of times . . . his right leg was broken”) and detention (beaten with a machete “on the soles of his feet”). Yet, “although the respondent suffered a broken leg, it does not appear he was otherwise seriously injured,” the judge concluded.

In another case, a man testified that he had been detained for ten weeks, beaten repeatedly, and “shocked with a cable” by Cameroonian authorities, who accused him of supporting the separatists. During his immigration court hearing, the U.S. government lawyer stated in apparent seriousness, “I don’t believe that the respondent’s two-month detention with only five beatings on the bottom of his feet . . . rises to the level of past persecution.” The judge agreed.

Our research highlights serious concerns with the apparent lack of impartiality of multiple immigration judges who decided Cameroonians’ cases. The majority of deported people I interviewed had judges with disproportionately high asylum denial rates, from 80 to 99 percent, compared to the national average of 66.7 percent during fiscal years 2015 to 2020.

The hearing transcript of one asylum seeker, who had no lawyer, reveals that the government lawyer and the judge both interrogated him so harshly that it bordered on cruelty. They repeated questions he had already answered, interrupted him, and repeatedly demanded approximations (such as the number of people in crowds) when he said he had not counted. When the government lawyer unfairly accused him of lying, the judge did not intervene. After he was deported in 2020, the man was detained by Cameroonian authorities in abusive conditions for two weeks. Upon provisional release, a military court official told the man he was still under investigation.

In a different case, a U.S. immigration judge declared a man’s asylum claim “abandoned” because his lawyer had mailed his application slightly late. After the man was deported in 2020, the Cameroonian military detained him for months, subjecting him to forced labor and violence.

In all, I documented thirteen cases of torture, physical or sexual violence, and assault committed by Cameroonian police, military, or other government personnel against people the United States deported. State agents raped three women and punched, kicked, and beat men and women with batons, belts, machetes, guns, and whips, according to survivors’ accounts.

“They said, ‘You left and thought we wouldn’t get you . . . you will die in this jail,’ ” said a man who was imprisoned for a month after his 2020 deportation. “They beat me . . . for fourteen days, every day . . . . They were making me feel that’s the end of my life.”

Cameroonian government forces have detained deported people in jails, prisons, military camps, and other facilities for periods ranging from days to months. They held most without due process or in extremely abusive conditions, with poor sanitation and little to no food or medical care.

The act of seeking asylum in the United States was itself the basis of a court summons for one deported man, who was charged with “having, in the United States, spread false news . . . by declaring to be a victim of abuses by the Cameroonian Government.”

By returning Cameroonians to persecution and other harm, the United States has violated the principle of non-refoulement under international refugee and human rights law. Many deportees remain in hiding in Cameroon or have fled again. “[It’s] like it just happened yesterday. I feel like I still have that trauma, like I’m still locked up,” said a man deported in 2020, whom I spoke with in January. “The trauma has been too much.”

The experiences of these Cameroonians underscore the need for reform of the U.S. immigration and asylum systems to eliminate barriers to asylum, due process violations, unnecessary immigration detention, and misconduct among U.S. immigration and asylum personnel.

Most urgently, the U.S. government should grant Cameroonian asylum seekers deported in 2020 and 2021 humanitarian parole to return to the United States for fair reassessments of their asylum claims.

Culled from Human Rights Watch

30, March 2022

World Cup African qualifiers roundup: Indomitable Lions sink Algeria, Ghana beat Nigeria and more ⁰

Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia have booked their places in the finals on a frantic night of play-off action.

Karl Toko Ekambi scored in the fourth minute of added time at the end of extra time to give Cameroon a dramatic 2-1 win over Algeria in Blida and qualification on away goals.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put eight-time qualifiers Cameroon ahead in the 22nd minute and they retained the lead until the 118th minute when Ahmed Touba equalised in the second leg of a play-off.

But with Algeria leading 2-1 overall having won the first leg 1-0 last Friday, and seemingly set for Qatar, Toko Ekambi struck.

Liverpool star Sadio Mane converted a shoot-out penalty on Tuesday to take African champions Senegal to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the expense of Egypt.

Senegal won the second leg of the African play-off 1-0 in Diamniadio thanks to a fourth-minute goal from Boulaye Dia and the teams finished level at 1-1 on aggregate after extra time.

As was the case in the Africa Cup of Nations final last month, Mane was entrusted with taking the crucial fifth Senegal kick and once again he made no mistake to give his side a 3-1 shoot-out victory.

Among the three Egyptians who failed to score in the shoot-out was Sane’s Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, who uncharacteristically blazed his kick over the crossbar.

Only four of the nine penalty takers were successful with captain Kalidou Koulibaly and Saliou Ciss missing for Senegal and Salah, ‘Zizo’ and Mostafa Mohamed for Egypt.

As Senegal celebrated a second straight qualification for the World Cup, Egypt were left to lament another dramatic loss to Senegal this year.

There were no goals in the Cup of Nations final that went to extra time in Yaounde last month, leading to a shoot-out which Senegal won 4-2 with Mane converting the fifth penalty for his side.

“It was important to get off to a good start, something we had not done in Cairo,” said Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.

“This team is better equipped (than the one which qualified for the 2018 finals). We (should have been) able to qualify in regular time given the chances we missed.”

Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz said: “There is not much to say – just nice words for the players for the game they played. Congratulations to Senegal.”

The drama in Diamniadio came soon after Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey scored the goal that took Ghana to the World Cup as they forced a 1-1 draw in Nigeria to win the play-off on away goals.

Partey struck after 10 minutes in Abuja and although another Premier League star, William Troost-Ekong, levelled from a 22nd-minute penalty, Nigeria failed to score again. The first leg ended goalless.

Public servants in the Nigerian capital were given a half-day and free transport was arranged from the suburbs to ensure a capacity 60,000 crowd cheered on the Super Eagles.

Goalkeeping howler

But the home team fell behind early on when Partey’s shot from outside the box slipped between the hands of goalkeeper Francis Uzoho and into the net.

Troost-Ekong was the calmest person in the cauldron of noise midway through the opening half as he sent Ghana goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott the wrong way from the penalty spot to equalise.

Napoli forward Victor Osimhen had the ball in the net for Nigeria soon after, but it was ruled offside after a VAR check.

Nigeria applied constant second-half pressure, but could not break down a Ghana defence marshalled by Leicester City centre-back Daniel Amartey.

Ghana started the two-leg tie as underdogs after a dismal showing at the Cup of Nations in January, with a loss to minnows the Comoros condemning them to a humiliating first-round exit.

Azzedine Ounahi scored twice as Morocco trounced the Democratic Republic of Congo 4-1 in Casablanca to reach the finals for a sixth time.

Tarik Tissoudali and Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi also netted for the Atlas Lions, who qualified 5-2 on aggregate after the first leg finished 1-1 in Kinshasa.

The outclassed Congolese Leopards trailed by four goals before Ben Malango snatched a consolation goal 13 minutes from time.

Tunisia secured their place in Qatar despite being held 0-0 at home by Mali in the second leg of a play-off.

A pre-match warning by Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri to his team that the return match would be even tougher than the first leg in Bamako last Friday proved spot on.

Having built a 1-0 lead in Mali through a Moussa Sissako own-goal, Tunisia were unable to build on their aggregate advantage and only scraped through.

Reported by AFP with additional editing from Camcordnews

29, March 2022

Gun attacks kill five near Tel Aviv ⁰

Five people were killed in gun attacks Tuesday near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, emergency responders said, in the third fatal gun or knife spree in the Jewish state in a week.

“We unfortunately have to note that five people have died,” said Eli Bin, the head of the Magen David Adom emergency responders, revising up a death toll of two from shootings in two locations of the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak.

Israeli police later confirmed that security forces had killed an assailant, but did not reveal his identity.

Residents of Bnei Brak and the neighbouring town of Ramat Gan reported that a man had driven around and opened fire at passers-by. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shootings.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he would convene an emergency meeting with top security officials to review the situation.

This marks the third deadly attack in Israel in the span of one week.

A shooting on Sunday killed two Israeli police officers — identified as Shirel Aboukrat, a French-Israeli citizen, and Yezen Falah — in the northern city of Hadera.

That attack was later claimed by the Islamic State group — the jihadists’ first claim of an attack on Israeli territory since 2017.

Israeli police had said that the two perpetrators of the Sunday attack were killed at the scene.

Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian movement that rules the Gaza Strip, praised Sunday’s attack as a “natural and legitimate response” to Israeli “crimes against our people”.

It was also welcomed by the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad militant group and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

The Sunday attack coincided with a landmark meeting bringing together Israel’s foreign minister with those of four Arab countries with ties to the Jewish state, as well as the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Last week, a convicted IS sympathiser killed four Israelis in a stabbing and car-ramming spree in the southern city of Beersheba.

The attacks on Tuesday come as Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz visits Jordan, where he met King Abdullah II in a bid to ensure calm ahead in the Palestinian territories during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Tensions flared last year during the fasting month, which starts in April, between Israeli forces and Palestinians visiting Al-Aqsa mosque in annexed east Jerusalem, feeding into 11 days of armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Source: AFP

29, March 2022

French Cameroun: An air of renationalisation hangs over the Douala port ⁰

The autonomous Douala port (PAD) is gradually taking over activities that were previously managed by foreign groups. Cyrus Ngo’o, the port authority’s boss, is in charge of dredging, weighing, security and managing the container terminal.

The Bolloré-Maersk consortium’s eviction from the container terminal in December 2020 and the ongoing litigation, which has been widely publicised, may lead one to believe that this disqualification of foreign operators was a one-off event.

However, a nationalist groundswell has indeed been sweeping through the Cameroonian economic capital’s port complex ever since Cyrus Ngo’o was made the head of the autonomous Douala port (PAD) five years ago. In October 2020, this trained civil administrator announced the return of the “state of Cameroon’s sovereignty over the main access route for goods and merchandise in the country.”

New agencies and companies

Under his leadership, a number of activities that were carried out by foreign companies – in line with the 1998 port reform which, among other things, established private operations – are now managed by local companies. Several of them are supervised by the port authorities. “As was the case before, when some activities were even directly operated by the former Office National des Ports du Cameroun [ONPC], the PAD’s ancestor,” says Lin Onana Ndoh, deputy director of the company in charge of towing and salvaging ships, which was established at the beginning of 2021 to replace the French company Boluda.

For the past two years, the delegated company has also been responsible for managing the container terminal, which was previously the responsibility of Douala International Terminal (DIT, a subsidiary of the French company Bolloré Transport & Logistics and the Dutch company APM Terminals), through the Régie du Terminal à Conteneurs (RTC). It has also taken over the dredging activities previously operated by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), as well as safety and security, for which a new entity has been created: Douala Port Security (DPS). This takeover was possible thanks to financial support from Afriland First Bank, which made lines of credit available to the port authorities to start their activities.

Another mechanism used was concession. This is the case for stevedoring, for which an agreement was signed last year with Fako Ship, one of the entities of the family group founded by Charles Namme Menyoli and established in Buea, in the South West region. It led to the creation of Douala Mooring Company (DMC), the project company in charge of the activity. The only exception to this rule is the concession for the timber yard’s management, which was concluded before Ngo’o’s arrival and remains a part of Bolloré group.

Countering multinationals’ blackmail

Public-private partnerships, including with foreign operators, are not excluded. For example, the Turkish company Erdem, financed by Afriland First Bank, will invest 15bn CFA francs [€22.87m] in the coming months to build 13 warehouses. Erdem has already created the Société de Gestion des Magasins Portuaires (SGMP) to ensure that these warehouses will be operational when the time comes.

For a long time, certain jobs were left to foreign operators who had the necessary tools, such as security – now entrusted to DPS – and weighing goods entering and leaving the port. This task has now been devolved to Douala Port Weighing Services (DPWS), which signed a 20-year operating agreement two years ago. “Since then, we have set up a network of weighbridges that are open to the public in the port area and capable of handling all the traffic,” says DPWS’ president Lucien Ndzomo Mviena.

In addition to the PAD’s stated intention, some renationalisations are the result of disagreements between the port authorities and the concessionaire regarding the specifications at the time of negotiations, which were supposed to lead to a contract renewal. “In this case, when the previous service provider could not convince the PAD of the need to reduce operating costs and maintain investments,” says Ndoh. According to Ngo’o, Cameroonising activities also makes it possible to counter “certain multinational companies’ persistent blackmail to stop work.”

Significant savings

The first impact of this PAD policy is the savings made across the port activity’s various segments. One of the best examples is the disappearance of head office costs, which the parent company charges to its subsidiaries and have an impact on the result, as well as better control over salary costs, resulting from expatriates’ departure.

Cameroonisation has also brought down costs. “Dredging represented 30% to 40% of the PAD’s operating costs, which is considerable. To dredge 3.7 million m³ of tailings, we were spending nearly 10bn CFA francs per year. We have reduced this cost to less than 4bn CFA francs per year for the same quantity treated,” says Idriss Beye, the dredging authority’s deputy director. Similarly, in terms of security, installing DPS and its video surveillance system has considerably reduced the number of larcenies suffered by the various operators. “This has prevented us from stealing fuel, which our predecessor deplored, and we have therefore been able to make significant savings,” says Ndoh.

Royalties

The dynamics set in motion have thus helped increase the PAD’s income and the resources needed to make the investments required to renovate the infrastructure and acquire new equipment. With a turnover of 56.8bn CFA francs for 2021 – up 14% from the previous financial year – the Régie du Terminal à Conteneurs (RTC) is expected to make a profit of more than 15bn CFA francs.

The net result of its more modest sister company specialising in towing is estimated at around CFAF 1bn, which translates to CFAF 4.3bn (up 23%) in revenue. Add to these resources a collection of fixed and variable royalties, which are increasing overall across the various businesses. In addition, the contract signed with the Swiss company Pukaly to reevaluate dredging residues guarantees an income of 45bn CFA francs for the next 15 years.

These initial satisfactory and promising results are already being replicated in the region’s other ports. For example, one of the dredgers that the PAD has recently acquired will leave in April to stay in the Congolese port of Pointe-Noire so that it can evacuate 1.7m tonnes of sand in order to facilitate maritime access. “We are even studying requests from Venezuela and Colombia,” says Beye.

Source: The Africa Report

29, March 2022

Chinese-built port, highway in Cameroon boost economy, regional trade ⁰

When the Chinese arrived in Cameroon in 2011 to begin building the first phase of Kribi Deep Seaport, the Central African nation was hopeful of having a new transport corridor that would link its vast southwestern coastal area and neighboring nations.

The main existing port in the commercial hub of Douala, some 150 km to the north of Kribi was virtually worn out by congestion. To increase transport capacity, the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) set out to construct the Kribi port, and in three years works were completed.

The new port has stimulated the country’s economy and provided relief for the harbor at Douala port, the country’s most populous city, while also providing dock space for larger ships, said Alain Patrick Mpila Ayissi, Manager of Land development and Environment department of Port Authority of Kribi.

“Since the construction works ended in 2014 and the start of port operations in 2018, there has been notable increase in economic growth. The first indicator is the hikes in the custom revenues as a result of the port. We left from 750 million XAF (US$1.26 million) to practically 150 billion XAF per annum,” said Ayissi.

As a cheap logistics mode, the port is a fundamental foundation of Cameroon’s industrialization process, said Xu Huajiang, general manager of China Harbour Central Africa Division of CHEC who oversaw the construction of the first phase of the port.

“So far, after Kribi (port) was founded, it has attracted a lot of external investment. For example, there is already a cocoa factory invested by Cote d’Ivoire. There are two cement plants under construction. Many logistics enterprises have settled in to build their own yards and warehouses. There are also some Chinese enterprises coming to discuss investment with them in this area,” Xu said.

Kribi port is located on the Atlantic coast some 285 km from the capital Yaounde. It is strategically positioned in the center of the Gulf of Guinea and is surrounded by the 262 square km Kribi Industrial Area, destined to host new industrial and logistical developments.

With Cameroon being a growing market, Kribi is expected to become a regional hub for the African Atlantic coast. Ship-owners will no longer run the risk of offloading part of their cargo elsewhere before docking in Cameroon, said Ayissi.

“With the coming of the Kribi port, Cameroon has once again placed herself as the port entry to the sub-region. This (the port) has added more value to certain industrial projects in Chad, Central African Republic and Congo,” he added.

As part of the project, CHEC also constructed the Kribi-Lolabe highway that will cater to the requirements of the port transportation and logistics and make a contribution to local prosperity.

The highway which includes the construction of 20 bridges, the total length of which is 2 km will serve as an important traffic artery in the Kribi region.

Currently, CHEC is busy constructing the Kribi Deep Sea Port Phase II. After the completion of the project, it is expected to become a large container transit port and comprehensive hub port in Central and West Africa.

Xu revealed that during the process of port and highway construction, over 1,000 jobs had been provided. Cameroonian workers employed by CHEC, including Eric Defo Fotso, Larissa Ekale Koule and Fran Mbofris told Xinhua that building their country’s largest port is an opportunity to update their own skills and contribute to the country’s industrialization.

“We have project coordinators with a lot of experience be it in administrative affairs, project management and I got to live the Chinese culture. We get to see different things from what we heard since childhood. Just working with them is like you traveled to China to learn about this (skills),” said Fotso, 32, who coordinates projects at the site.

“Every nation, like Cameroon aspires to emerge. So it’s an honor for us to have China and her expertise and who willingly accepted to share it with us,” added 26-year-old Koule whose main assignment is to ensure that all onsite workers are in good health and that there are no job-related illnesses.

“They (CHEC) have given us a great opportunity. Our livelihoods have improved significantly,” said Mbofris who spent seven years in China teaching the English language and now works as an interpreter with CHEC.

Ayissi said the Kribi port project is a glaring example of Cameroon’s participation in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, adding that the country is committed to unlocking the potential of interlinked production networks and value chains.

Source: Xinhua

29, March 2022

War in Ukraine: Latest developments ⁰

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Talks begin in Turkey

Russia and Ukraine begin their first face-to-face talks in weeks at Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul to try and end the nearly five-week-old war which has killed an estimated 20,000 people.

Welcoming the delegations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says “both parties have legitimate concerns” and urges them to “put an end to this tragedy”.

“The whole world is waiting for good news from you,” he says.

‘We don’t trade sovereignty’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the “demilitarisation” and “denazification” of Ukraine, that it become a neutral country and that Kyiv recognize the breakaway Donbas region and Russian-annexed Crimea peninsula as no longer part of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says the talks will focus on easing the humanitarian situation. He says there is little room for agreement on Putin’s territorial demands, saying “We do not trade people, land and sovereignty.”

– Evacuations resume –

Ukraine says it is resuming the evacuation of civilians from war-scarred regions after a one-day pause over what it called the threat of Russian attacks.

“Three humanitarian corridors were agreed for today,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says on Telegram.

Key Kyiv suburb recaptured

Ukrainian forces have “liberated” the much fought-over western Kyiv suburb of Irpin, the country’s interior minister says.

Ukraine says Russia is still trying to break through to Kyiv, despite Moscow saying it plans to focus on the Donbas region

But fighting appeared to be continuing around the area, from where Russian forces were attempting to advance towards the capital, AFP journalists report.

Ukraine says Russia is still trying to break through to Kyiv, despite signals from Moscow that it is planning to scale back its offensive to focus on the eastern Donbas region.

Mykolaiv government building hit

A Russian strike has hit the regional government building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, a key port that has been under heavy assault for weeks, the regional governor says.

Governor Vitaly Kim says most people inside the building “escaped miraculously” but several civilians and soldiers are unaccounted for.

– Poisoning report –

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators were targets of a suspected poison attack at peace talks earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

Ukrainian officials decline to confirm the incident, advising people to follow “only the official information” and warning about “various conspiracy theories”.

Abramovich and the negotiators reportedly developed symptoms including red eyes and peeling skin, though they later recovered.

Wagner group in Ukraine: UK

Britain’s defence ministry says Russia’s Wagner Group has deployed its mercenaries to eastern Ukraine, adding that more than 1,000 fighters are expected to participate in the war after Russian setbacks.

Biden continues damage limitation

US President Joe Biden is again forced to defend his remarks that Putin “cannot stay in power”, saying the comments did not signal a push for regime change but merely expressed his “moral outrage”.

The White House unveils budget plans, including $6.9 billion (6.3 billion euros) in funding for Ukraine and NATO, with another $1 billion towards countering Moscow’s influence.

5,000 dead in Mariupol

A senior Ukrainian official says at least 5,000 people have been buried in the besieged southern city of Mariupol since the invasion began, but that bodies have gone uncollected for the past 10 days amid continuing Russian shelling.

The foreign ministry describes the humanitarian situation in the city as “catastrophic”.

$565 billion hit

Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko says the invasion has cost her country an estimated $564.9 billion, including immediate damage and expected hits to trade and economic activity.

Source: AFP

28, March 2022

Indomitable Lions: Was the Rigobert Song appointment simply a gamble? ⁰

Rigobert Song is a legend in Cameroonian football.

The charismatic former Indomitable Lions captain has 137 appearances under his belt and is the most capped Cameroonian, having represented the country from 1993 to 2010.

Song is one of only three players in Africa to have played in four different AFCON finals—1994, 1998, 2002, and 2010.

He also featured at four different World Cup finals. His legendary status in Cameroon is undeniable.

That being said, that status might suffer irreversible damage.

The 45-year old was appointed head coach of the national team by the order of the country’s President, Paul Biya, shortly after the AFCON 2021 finals—a move that was ratified by Song’s friend, former teammate and now Cameroon Football Federation president, Samuel Eto’o.

Very few people questioned Song’s appointment considering his reputation in Cameroonian football, but the move was a surprise considering all that his predecessor, Antonio Conceicao had achieved with the country’s national team.

The Indomitable Lions finished third in the 33rd edition of the continental showpiece.

Conceicao not only led Cameroon to an AFCON bronze medal, but also to the World Cup qualifying play-offs.

Song was appointed just 24 days before Cameroon battled the Desert Foxes of Algeria in the decisive World Cup qualifier play off, with a place at the global spectacle in Qatar up for grabs.

It was simply a gamble, but one many felt was worth it.

Song’s mission was clear: to guide the Indomitable Lions to the World Cup finals.

They were beaten by Algeria in the first leg last night, with Islam Slimani’s solitary strike on the stroke of half-time being decisive at the Doulala Stadium.

That result sent the Cameroonian football fraternity into panic mode.

There are already conclusions that the Eto’o-led administration pressed the self-destruction button when they appointed Song.

Of course, some Cameroonians will call for patience, just as the Senegalese nation did with Aliou Cisse, but can that tolerance come at the expense of World Cup qualification?

If by any chance, Cameroon fails to overturn the first leg in Algiers next Tuesday, will Song’s reputation not suffer?

Source: Soccer 24

28, March 2022

Football: Canada qualify for first World Cup in 36 years ⁰

Canada qualified for the World Cup finals for just the second time on Sunday, beating Jamaica 4-0 to book their ticket to Qatar and end 36 years of failure and heartache.

While Canada celebrated, Mexico and the United States will have to wait to learn their fate despite picking up wins along with Costa Rica, who also kept their Qatar hopes alive.

The United States got a hat-trick from Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic as they romped to a 5-1 home win over Panama while Mexico needed a 70th minute goal from Edson Alvarez to win 1-0 and avoid a humiliating draw with winless Honduras.

The victory for Canada puts the leaders on 28 points in the CONCACAF qualifying group, three points ahead of the United States and Mexico, with Costa Rica, who beat El Salvador 2-1, a further three points back.

The top three teams earn automatic places in November’s World Cup with the fourth-place finisher facing an Oceania team in an intercontinental playoff for another berth.

Mexico will host El Salvador on Wednesday, the United States travel to San Jose to take on Costa Rica and Canada wrap up their campaign against Panama. Both Mexico and the United States require only a draw to seal an automatic berth.

After failing to clinch a finals spot with a 1-0 away loss to Costa Rica on Thursday, Canada returned home with renewed purpose and a chance to complete the job in front of a frenzied, red-clad, flag-waving, sold-out crowd of nearly 30,000 at BMO Field.

“I’m just so pleased we didn’t win in Costa Rica,” said Canada coach John Herdman. “This is how it was meant to be, I know why the football gods wouldn’t let us score, it was for tonight.

“We just qualified for the World Cup, this is a legit football country.”

There would be no blown second opportunity as Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan netted in the first half and Junior Hoilett added another after the break with Adrian Mariappa’s own goal rounding off the scoring.

Canada will play at the World Cup for the first time since 1986 in Mexico, where they lost all three games and failed to score a goal.

“I think this country never believed in us because we’ve given them nothing to believe in,” said Herdman. “They believe now.

“This is the time for everyone to get behind football and unite because we can be a powerhouse.”

It was a warm welcome home on a biting cold afternoon, making it the classic Canadian stage to take on a Jamaican side anchored near the bottom of the eight-team group in seventh, with one win and no hope of getting to Qatar.

There was a time during their 36-year quest to return to a World Cup finals that playing at home was no different than away for Canada, with as many fans supporting the visitors as the home side.

But there were no split allegiances on Sunday in a lopsided contest Canada dominated from start to finish.

Source: REUTERS

28, March 2022

German tennis legend Boris Becker ’embarrassed’ by bankruptcy ⁰

Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker told a London court he felt “shocked” and “embarrassed” after being declared bankrupt just days before the 2017 tournament at the All England Club.

The six-time Grand Slam winner said the negative publicity had damaged “brand Becker” and left him struggling to make enough money to pay off his debts.

Becker was declared bankrupt in June 2017 and is currently on trial accused of failing to hand over assets including nine trophies and medals from his glittering tennis career.

The 54-year-old German said he had been seeking to pay off a more than £3 million ($3.9 million) loan from private bank Arbuthnot Latham, including through the sale of his estate in Spain.

The court heard the bankruptcy decision came days before Wimbledon, where Becker was working for the BBC as well as Australian and Japanese television stations.

“As you can imagine, I was very shocked at the fact. Because it was all over world news, and I walked through the gate of Wimbledon and everyone knew. I was embarrassed because I was bankrupt,” Becker said.

He told jurors the bankruptcy was also in the midst of a “stressful time” with his then wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker, while they were living in “separate quarters” at his rented house in Wimbledon.

Describing an incident while he was commentating on the men’s quarter final involving Roger Federer, he said: “My son called me saying my wife was breaking down the house – the furniture, the windows. The police came… while I was on site.”

Becker, who arrived at court with his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, sat at the witness box on Monday to give evidence.

He said he faced damaging publicity “all around the world” but especially in Germany and the UK, which has affected his ability to earn.

“It is very difficult when you are bankrupt and in the headlines every week for it. It is very difficult to make a lot of money with my name,” he said.

The former world number one, who was occasionally helped to give evidence by a German translator, denies 24 charges under the Insolvency Act.

They include nine counts of failing to hand over trophies and other awards, seven of concealing property, five of failing to disclose estate, two of removal of property and one of concealing debt.

He is accused of failing to hand over nine trophies, including two of his three Wimbledon men’s singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, his 1991 and 1996 Australian Open trophies and his Davis Cup trophy and gold coin.

Source: AFP

28, March 2022

Biya responsible for ongoing conflicts in the two Cameroons ⁰

A high-ranking official from the Ambazonia Interim Government has held the Biya Francophone dominated regime primarily responsible for the creation and continuation of the crises in French and Southern Cameroons.

“Biya and his so-called French Cameroun political elites are behind the tragedies and instability in the Ambazonia homeland. Ever since the armed resistance started, Yaoundé has been creating conflicts among Southern Cameroons groups, carrying out attacks and backing Atanga Nji Boys,” Professor Carlson Anyangwe told Cameroon Concord News late on Sunday.

The senior aide to Vice President Dabney Yerima also blamed the Francophone community for supporting the corrupt regime in French Cameroun in igniting the war in Southern Cameroons.

“Yaoundé is responsible for the war in Southern Cameroons and all the repercussions it is now having on the Ambazonian people,” Carlson Anyangwe pointed out.

Anyangwe went on to denounce the disunity and unhealthy rivalry that rocked the Ambazonia Interim Government, stating that the measures taken by Vice President Dabney Yerima have helped in stabilizing the leadership issue.

“Dabney Yerima will never support corrupt front line leaders who pursue their interests and by extrapolation the interest of the occupying French Cameroun regime,” Professor Anyangwe concluded.

By Isong Asu