Headline News

21, June 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Ambazonia forces given new directives ⁰

Restoration Forces: Our Responsibility in Battle

My Dear Restoration Forces,

The people of Southern Cameroon and the Interim Government of Ambazonia salute your courage and resilience in defending our homeland from the invading and occupying forces of La Republique du Cameroun. For nearly five years, these forces have committed heinous atrocities on our people and property. They have burned over 521 of our villages, killed over 20,000 of our people, including women and children. Their day of reckoning is looming as your successes on the battlefield over the last weeks are demonstrating. Your resilience is proof that nothing will stop us from achieving our collective goal. This time, it is total independence of our homeland or resistance forever.

Self-defense is a right, and it is a core component of our liberation struggle. As you continue to discharge the enormous duty of protecting our people and reclaim our land, the Interim Government of Ambazonia wants to counsel that you must observe international law at all times. War is a dangerous undertaking, but it has rules of engagement. We must achieve our goals of freedom whilst staying on the right side of international law.

The support and adoration you have received thus far for your work are well earned. But recently, there have been disturbing videos, images and messages on social media from the conflict in our country. These are the hallmarks of a regime on its last legs. Local militias loyal to the regime in Yaoundé have been carrying out atrocities, and they intend to pin some of these criminalities on you. So, you must be vigilant and not duplicate their savagery and cruelty. The Interim Government condemns atrocities like beheadings, kidnappings, extrajudicial killings, and torture robustly. As self-defense and pro-independence forces, you must not engage in any of these activities. However, we must understand that there will be consequences for our actions one day. POWs must be treated humanely at all times as they have rights that are protected under international law.

The Interim Government wants to be very clear that our Country Sundays must remain in place till further notice. However, as you continue to make significant advances on the ground, your Interim Government will pursue diplomatic avenues to help achieve our goal. We call on the UN to commission a UN Security Council Mandated Fact-Finding Mission to investigate the atrocities during this conflict. Such a mission will curb the loss of lives and bring this war to an end.

To all in Ground Zero, the Interim Government of Ambazonia urges you to persevere, for victory is coming our way soon. Therefore, remain focused as soon, we will be free at last.

Thank You,

God bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia

Dabney Yerima

21, June 2021

The implications of French Cameroun’s huge debt burden for the Ambazonia struggle ⁰

The Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime recently revealed that $333 million of the money borrowed from China will go to the Israeli-trained Bridgade d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) known for its ruthlessness, inhumanity, and rank brutality in Southern Cameroons.

Cameroon Concord News understands that all the huge loans contracted from China have been channeled to three projects: seaport, electricity dam, and pipe water from Sanaga to Yaoundé) in French Cameroun which are all in Beti-Ewondo areas.

Our senior political man pointed out that the project allocation scheme strengthens the now public knowledge that the Betis are actively continuing to lay down the infrastructural foundation for their eventual Fang Republic secession. “One can see why they are so eager to keep President Paul Biya in power, even as a corpse. They need him there so that they complete all these projects” he added.

We of the Concord Group have taken interest in this Sino-Biya Affair because this massive loan has to be repaid. This begs the question but from which resources? The answer is simple: It can only be from resources of various kinds from Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia. Correspondingly, this also explains the reason for the war against the people of Southern Cameroons and why Biya and his French Cameroun political elites are not interested in any end to the war and negotiations.

The political and economic engineering of the Fang Republic has been designed to stifle both the Douala seaport and the Douala airport. Once the Kribi seaport is completed, ships will be diverted to Kribi and so too the Customs headquarters in Douala. Already, they are staging televised debate making the case that the Douala seaport is silting and does not allow big ships. The Douala seaport will gradually become redundant and die off. The Bamilekes will now import and export products from Kribi which of course will be more expensive for them and the business community in French Cameroun.

In the same way, Nsimalen will be decreed the main international airport. Flights to and from Douala will gradually reduce and eventually peter out. The airport is going to be allowed to fall into a state of disrepair, declared unsafe for international aviation, and abandoned to rot, and allowed only for occasional use by the military. The Bamis, the Sawas and Bassas are not seeing these entire Beti-Ewondo diabolic harsh ploy and they are still maintaining a kind of silence of the lamb instead of engaging in necessary counter activism.

About half of the population in Douala, the chief city in the Littoral region in French speaking Cameroun is threatened with famine; inflation is at 300% and Cameroon as a nation is effectively bankrupt.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

20, June 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: If only they had listened! ⁰

Nobody in the Cameroonian army had ever thought that the country’s military would be humiliated by a hastily assembled ragtag group of fighters when the Southern Cameroons crisis started.

The government, its sycophants and spin doctors had clearly said that the mission to the two English-speaking regions of the country would be swift and without casualties on the military’s side.

The government had floated the idea that the country’s military efforts would be bolstered by the Israeli-trained Bridgade d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) known for its ruthlessness, inhumanity, and rank brutality. All this propaganda was intended to strike fear into the minds of ordinary Southern Cameroonian citizens who simply wanted their government to listen to them.

Of course, it did not take long for the country’s military to get to work. Whole villages were burned down, sometimes with the elderly in them; young, unarmed men and women were killed in the centers of most towns in Southern Cameroons; many fighters who only had hunting rifles, were brought down by the bullets of well-trained snippers; and civilians were caught in the middle of a situation they knew nothing about, with many running into the nearest jungles to spare themselves the pain and agony that their own government was inflicting on them.

The population’s cry was so loud. Even the deaf could hear. The killing and maiming of ordinary civilians were really disheartening. Material destruction was revolting, and the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora could not be indifferent to the desperation and wailing of its people and this resulted in massive fund-raising campaigns across the globe for the purchase of arms. This was indeed the game changer and it brought much pain and premature death to many young army soldiers.

The country’s government was not listening despite calls from many governments and organizations around the world for a negotiated and peaceful resolution of a conflict that should have never existed.

Within the country, many people had called on the government to listen to the people and address the core issues that were causing the pain in the two English-speaking regions of the country. Honorable Joseph Wirba, a Member of Parliament for Kumbo at the time, had addressed the Parliament, highlighting the shortcomings of the current system of governance.

Instead of taking him seriously, he was treated as an outcast and many death threats were sent to him just to intimidate him. He had informed the government that if prompt action was not taken, when the lid will go off the pressure pot, the country will never be the same again. His prophecy is gradually taking shape.

Out of the country, the Pope called on the country’s president to prioritize peace over war. He invited the country’s president, Paul Biya, to the Vatican where he pleaded with the senile president to preempt a disastrous armed conflict, but Mr. Biya and his collaborators were already beating the drums of war and the Pope’s wise counsel fell on deaf ears.

The European Union, excluding France, urged the government of Cameroon to take an objective and peaceful approach to the issue, but their efforts did not pay off, even when the American Administration and Canadian government had added their voices to that of the European Union. Mr. Biya had prioritized war over peace and he felt only a swift and brutal military action could restore the country’s broken peace.

Today, the story is different. The pain is excruciating. Some 47,000 Cameroonians – both soldiers and civilians – have lost their lives in a war that could have been avoided if the Biya government had carefully listened to the voices of wisdom and to the English-speaking minority to gain a better understanding of the issues.

On the contrary, the government clogged its ears with arrogance, only listening to a bunch of desperate political sycophants whose mastery of the art and science of flattery and lies-telling is second to none.

The political sycophants are milking the country dry. They want to perpetuate their stay in the corridors of power. They understand that only lies-telling can keep them where they are. They love the perks that come with power and they will stop at nothing when it comes to manufacturing a beautiful lie for the Head of State, who himself, is completely and unfortunately out of touch with his country’s political and economic realities.

The fighting is already in its fourth year. The hunting rifles have been replaced with more sophisticated killing machines. The once formidable BIR has been demystified and many of its members are biting the dust in the jungles of Southern Cameroons.

More than 3,000 soldiers have been killed. More than 2,000 army soldiers have been maimed and over 1,000 cannot be accounted for by a regime that has not got the interest of its people at heart.

The last two months have been very challenging to the country’s military. It has lost many of its members, with their weapons falling into enemy hands. The use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) against the military has been very effective. Many soldiers have been killed, heavy equipment disabled, and thousands of soldiers demoralized.

Today, many soldiers are being killed like animals by Southern Cameroonian fighters who have adopted new and innovative strategies that are proving to be very effective. The military’s uniforms and protective gears are being used by these fighters, making it hard for government forces to make a difference between them and their enemies.

Last week, many soldiers were blown up in Otu in Manyu Division by Southern Cameroonian fighters and their protective gear and weapons fell into enemy hands. These weapons are being used today to kill more soldiers and maybe to harass ordinary civilians.

Yesterday in Bamali in the Northwest Region, officers of the Bridgade d’Intervention Rapide (BIR) were humiliated and killed in a disgraceful manner by determined Southern Cameroonian fighters who happily shared videos of their exploits with the world.

In Indian Division in the Southwest Region, angry Southern Cameroonian fighters beheaded a soldier and put his head and legs on display for all to see. Thousands of soldiers have disappeared, with many buried in the jungles of Southern Cameroons by heavily armed Southern Cameroonian fighters.

Cameroon has been caught in a spiral of self-destruction because of the arrogance of its leaders. In Cameroon, once you get appointed, it implies you are the most intelligent person and you immediately stop paying heed to wise counsel. Being a minister in Cameroon implies you are omniscient and omnipotent. You are, indeed, a repository of wisdom and nobody can advise you. This is a mentality of the past and this is what is breeding a real disaster in Cameroon.

If the government had listened, we would have saved so many lives. If the government had listened, Cameroon would not have become a stream of blood. If the government had listened, development dollars would not have been diverted to the purchase of arms. If only the government had listened, the peace Cameroon was known for would not have been shattered. If only they had listened!

Honorable Joseph Wirba and many others had advised them of the disaster ahead and they are now seeing it clearly. Many young soldiers are today leaving their lives in the artificial killing fields of Cameroon created by their own government. When will the government swallow its pride and call for a genuine negotiation so that the blood that is flowing in the two English-speaking regions of the country can be stopped?

As it stands, the government will never win this war. It must look for a way to safe its face. If it really wants to keep Cameroon one and indivisible, then it must stop coming up with cosmetic solutions for a situation that requires that the bitter truth be told, and a new future designed for a country that has been blessed with everything.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

20, June 2021

Southern Cameroons situation deteriorating as fighting rages ⁰

Explosions and heavy gunfire have rocked the entire Southern Cameroons as the humanitarian crisis worsens. More than 3,000 soldiers have also been killed and more than two thousands of them have been seriously injured.

The Biya regime has not been releasing the numbers and names of soldiers killed in battle for fear that such news could demoralize its military.

The humanitarian situation in Southern Cameroons is dire and deteriorating. Thousands of Southern Cameroonians continue to seek refuge in neighboring Nigeria and many more displaced in French speaking Cameroun as fighting between government and Ambazonia Restoration forces rages on.

The death toll is thought to be more than 40 000 lives, almost all of them civilian children, men and women, murdered by Cameroun government troops in a series of targeted killings, organized massacres, and killings by fire in over 400 villages burnt down to ashes across Southern Cameroons.

To be sure, over half a million people have been forcibly displaced as refugees living in various countries and especially in refugee camps in Ghana and Nigeria. Over another half a million people have become IDPs hiding in forests, caves and hills due to forced displacement. Additionally, over 1.5 million people are facing a humanitarian disaster.

Every Monday streets in Southern Cameroons are deserted except for people fleeing the ongoing clashes.

The clashes pit troops nominally loyal to the 88-year-old dictator, Paul Biya, against Ambazonia Restoration Forces theoretically commanded by the Ambazonia Interim Government of Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe who is now serving a life sentence in Yaoundé.

The Biya Francophone government is hiding the numbers of soldiers killed and, in certain cases, it tells the families of the troops that their children have simply defected or escaped from the military. More than 1,000 army soldiers cannot be accounted for by the military and there are no efforts by the government to establish the truth about their whereabouts.

The situation in Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia has deteriorated and there is random shooting and quite heavy mortar fire coming from both sides with locals not knowing who is responsible as both Cameroon government army soldiers and Ambazonia fighters are now dressed in the same military camouflage.

The Fighting appears to be escalating rapidly in the rural areas of Southern Cameroons with the Yaoundé government now deploying armor vehicles. Recent clashes in both the South West and North West have exposed several weaknesses in the Cameroon government military.

The US has announced visa restrictions against some senior government officials blocking the implementation of a peace deal. UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutterres has also been maintaining a kind of deliberate silence on the genocide going on in Southern Cameroons.

For the moment, the fighting appears to be spreading across the entire Southern Cameroons and it is threatening critical medical supplies for thousands of people in places such as Bui, Menchum, Ndian, Kupe Muanenguba, Akwaya, Meme and parts of Fako and Mezam.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

20, June 2021

Euro 2020: France and Spain draw with Hungary and Poland ⁰

In Group F clash in Budapest, France came back from a goal down to salvage a point against Hungary.

Didier Deschamps’ men fell behind on the verge of halftime, when Attila Fiola charged forward from the left and beat 3 defenders before sending himself and the home stands into a frenzy.

However, the 2018 World Cup champions found the equalizer in the 66th minute, when Kylian Mbappe’s cut back found its way to Antoine Griezmann after a poor clearance by the defender, and the Barcelona striker made no mistake to smash the ball into the back of the net. The draw puts France on 4 points heading into matchday 3, while Hungary pick up their first point so far.

Meanwhile in Group E, Spain were held to another home draw, after Robert Lewandowski scored his first goal of the tournament to rescue a point for Poland, and keep their hopes up for reaching the knockout-stage.

Alvaro Morata put La Roja in front with a precise shot from close range in the 25th minute. The goal had initially been ruled out for offside, but it was given after a VAR review.

However, the Poles who knew that a defeat would mean an early exit, moved into rhythm after the break, and finally found the equalizer, thanks to a masterful header by Lewandowski before the hour mark. After 2 disappointing draws so far, the Spaniards are 3rd behind Sweden and Slovakia, while Poland are at the Bottom.

Source: Presstv

20, June 2021

Iran: Ebrahim Raeisi wins presidential election by landslide ⁰

Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi has won Iran’s 2021 presidential election by a landslide, according to the final results by the Interior Ministry.

At a presser on Saturday, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli said out of a total of 28,933,004 votes cast in the presidential election, Raeisi garnered over 17.9 million votes, followed by Mohsen Rezaei who secured 3.4 million.

Nasser Hemmati garnered 2.4 million votes, and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi won almost one million votes.

Orf said he was not offering precise figures because vote counting was still ongoing and said he was merely providing preliminary updates.

Rouhani, Qalibaf meet Raeisi

Later in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf turned up at the campaign HQ of Raeisi to congratulate him in person.

Following the meetings, the three briefed reporters on the content of their talks.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) meets with President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi to congratulate him on his election win, June 19, 2021. (Photo by president.ir)

Rouhani thanked all those in charge of holding, overseeing and providing security to the election process.

The outgoing president said his team was fully ready to offer any cooperation or assistance to their successors.

Similarly, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf said the legislative branch stood fully ready to cooperate with the president-elect’s administration.

In turn, Raeisi pledged all-out efforts to resolve the country’s problems, especially those affecting the people’s livelihoods.

To achieve that goal, he said, he would consult with the outgoing administration, the parliament, and the elites.

Raeisi has been the chief of Iran’s Judiciary since 2019. The Muslim cleric has formerly held several other posts in Iran’s judicial branch since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Raeisi is associated with the Principlist camp, but he said he ran in the election this year as an independent when he announced his presidential bid last month.

He was campaigning with the slogan “Popular Administration, Strong Iran” on a platform of uprooting corruption in the executive branch, fighting poverty, creating jobs, containing inflation, and corruption.

Source: Presstv

19, June 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Seven soldiers killed in Ambush in Bamali ⁰

Seven soldiers have been killed in an ambush in Bambili in the northwest region of the country.

The soldiers were ambushed while on duty in the restive northwest region where a gruesome insurgency is currently unfolding.

The insurgency, which has displaced more than one million English-speaking Cameroonians, has already resulted in the killing of more than 7,000 Cameroonian civilians.

More than 3,000 soldiers have also been killed and more than two thousands of them have been seriously injured.

The government of Cameroon has not been releasing the numbers and names of soldiers killed in battle for fear that such news could demoralize its military.

Last week, some three army soldiers were hastily buried by their colleagues after Southern Cameroonian fighters ambush government soldiers in Otu in the Southwest region to hide the reality on the ground.

Sources close to the ministry of defense in Yaounde have disclosed that the government is hiding the numbers and, in certain cases, it tells the families of the soldiers that their children have simply defected or escaped from the military.

The sources add that more than 1,000 army soldiers cannot be accounted for by the military and there are no efforts by the government to establish the truth about their whereabouts.

More on the Bambili story will be yours as details come in.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

19, June 2021

French Cameroun: One year in jail for insulting 88-year-old President Paul Biya ⁰

A court in Cameroon has sentenced three plantation workers to 12 months in jail for insulting Africa’s oldest and second longest-serving president, Paul Biya, and members of his government.

The Mbanga Court in the Littoral region of the country on Thursday found Clement Ytembe Bonda, André Boris Wameni and Flavy Kamou Wouwe guilty of “contempt of the president of the republic” and “propagation of fake news via social media.”

A judge ruled that the trio, labourers at a banana plantation who are in their early 30’s, will each also pay a fine of FCFA 500,000 (about $922).

The convicts were arrested on June 10 after they were seen in a video raining insults on the 88-years-old leader and his top ministers. In the video, which went viral on social media, the main speaker, Bonda, used vulgar language to describe Biya and accused members of his government of siphoning FCFA 180 billion ($338 million).

In the clip, he said they labour at a banana plantation from 6am to 6pm, “under the rain and sun for a salary of $58.3 but ministers who loiter in the capital, Yaounde, go to their offices at 8am or 9am and turn around just for a few minutes and steal $338 million…All of you will go to hell.”

Two other convicts, who are accused of being Bonda’s accomplices, assisted in videotaping the young labourer’s outburst.

The video came after reports that Cameroon would be getting a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to aid the fight against Covid-19.

It also came after a preliminary report by the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court of Cameroon that showed there was glaring mismanagement and misappropriation of the $338 million coronavirus response special fund instituted in 2020.

The leaked report indicted several government officials of corruption, wasteful spending, improper accounting, unprocedural procurements, irregular allowances, conflict of interest and embezzlement of Covid-19 funds.

Barrister Fabien Kengne, lead counsel for the defendants, said he would appeal the ruling.

“It’s true…no one approves of the statements made, but we could have taken that as a rant. I found from my investigation that they do not have a criminal past. So these are honest citizens who were fed up,” the lawyer said.

Source: Daily Monitor

19, June 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 2 Cameroon gov’t soldiers killed in Amba Nguti attack ⁰

Ambazonia Restoration Forces overrun a Cameroon government army joint patrol in Nguti, Kupe Muanenguba Division in the South West killing two soldiers before pulling back in the face of reinforcement.

The Amba fighters were believed to belong to the Restoration Force defending the Nguti-Manyemen main road. They hit the Special Amphibious Battalion in Nguti convoy on Friday June 18 and Cameroon Concord News understands one Cameroon government soldier was seriously wounded.

Rising insecurity across Southern Cameroons has killed scores of soldiers and civilians this year. Just last week, 4 soldiers were killed in an attack in Otu in Eyumojock.

A Cameroon government military spokesman in Meme Division reached by phone said they would issue a statement on the incident but declined to comment further.

By Rita Akana in Kumba

19, June 2021

UN elects Guterres for second five-year term as secretary-general ⁰

The U.N. General Assembly unanimously elected Antonio Guterres to a second term as secretary-general on Friday, giving him another five years at the helm of the 193-member organization at a time a deeply divided world faces numerous conflicts, the growing impact of climate change, and a pandemic still circling the globe.

Ambassadors in the assembly chamber burst into applause as Assembly President Volkan Bozkir announced Guterres’ re-election by “acclamation,” without a vote. Just before the announcement, Estonia’s U.N. Ambassador Sven Jurgenson, the current Security Council president, read a resolution adopted by the 15-member council recommending Guterres for a second term.

Under the U.N. Charter, the General Assembly elects the secretary-general on the recommendation of the Security Council.

Guterres was the only candidate nominated by a U.N. member state, his home country Portugal where he previously served as prime minister, and the country’s current president was in the assembly chamber to watch the event.

Immediately after his re-election, Guterres took the oath of office and delivered an address urging U.N. member nations “to do everything we can to overcome current geostrategic divides and dysfunctional power relations.”

“There are too many asymmetrics and paradoxes,” he said. “They need to be addressed head on.”

Guterres expressed hope that “what we are living through today in terms of mistrust is, I hope, an aberration but it cannot become the norm.”

Traditionally, candidates for the U.N.’s top job have been nominated by a U.N. member state, but that is not a requirement in the U.N. Charter or in a resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 2015.

That measure made the previously largely secretive selection of the secretary-general more open and transparent, allowing member states for the first time to see basic information about all candidates, including their resumes, and to question them at open sessions.

Guterres, a former U.N. refugee chief, was elected by the assembly to succeed Ban Ki-moon after a hotly contested and transparent race in October 2016 that initially included 13 candidates — seven women and six men. Guterres took office on Jan. 1, 2017.

This year, seven individuals submitted applications to be secretary-general without backing from any government, including most recently former Ecuadorian President Rosalia Arteaga.

Source: AP