Headline News

15, April 2021

Biden announces Afghan withdrawal, says ‘time to end America’s longest war’ ⁰

US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday it’s “time to end” America’s longest war with the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, where they have spent two decades locked in a bloody stalemate with the Taliban.

Dubbed the “forever war”, the US military onslaught in Afghanistan began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

Now, 20 years later – after almost 2,400 US military and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths – Biden has named September 11 as the deadline by which the last US soldiers will have finally departed.

In a nationally televised address, Biden said the United States had “accomplished” its limited original mission of crushing the international jihadist groups behind the 9/11 attacks and that with every passing year the rationale for staying was “increasingly unclear”.

Biden insisted there would be no “hasty exit” but he was adamant about his decision.

“A horrific attack 20 years ago… cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021,” he said. “It’s time to end the forever war.”

The conflict is at best at a stalemate. The internationally backed government in Kabul has only tenuous control in swaths of the country, while the Taliban are growing in strength, with many predicting the insurgency will seek to regain total power once the government’s US military umbrella is removed.

Biden told Americans that it was time to accept the reality that there’s no alternative.

“We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result,” he said.

“I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” Biden added said. “I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth.”

Shortly after his address, America’s NATO allies said in a statement they agreed to also start their withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 1.

Biden’s decision is not a shock. The war is hugely unpopular among voters and Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump had committed to an even earlier exit of May 1.

“I applaud President Biden’s decision,” top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.

However, there was immediate criticism from some quarters that the United States is abandoning the Afghan government and encouraging jihadist insurgencies.

“We’re to help our adversaries ring in the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by gift wrapping the country, and handing it right back to them,” senior Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani insisted Wednesday after a phone call with Biden that his forces are “fully capable” of controlling the country.

And Biden said that Washington will continue to support the Afghan government, only not “militarily”.

He also said the United States will “hold the Taliban accountable” on promises to keep international jihadists from setting up base in Afghanistan. Pakistan, which has close links to the Taliban, should “do more” to support Afghanistan.

But the US exit will mark a profound shift in clout for the beleaguered Kabul government and its US and coalition-trained security forces.

The US president had earlier considered stationing a residual US force to strike at al Qaeda or other international jihadist groups in Afghanistan or making withdrawal contingent on progress on the ground or in slow-moving peace talks.

In the end, all conditions were dropped and only guards for installations like the US embassy in Kabul will stay.

The planned withdrawal comes as the Taliban are observing a truce with US troops and their allies but not with forces loyal to the Afghan government.

A threat assessment report published Tuesday by the director of US national intelligence said the Taliban “is confident it can achieve military victory”.

The looming upheaval raises big questions over the future of attempts to modernise Afghanistan, especially for Afghan women who have benefited from increased rights, like access to education.

The Taliban, who enforce an austere brand of Sunni Islam, banned women from schools, offices, music and most of daily life during their 1996-2001 rule over much of Afghanistan. Two decades later, 40 percent of schoolchildren are girls.

Turkey has said it will host a US-backed peace conference from April 24 to May 4 that would bring together the Afghan government, the Taliban and international partners.

But Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatar, said the insurgents will not participate in any conference on Afghanistan’s future “until all foreign forces completely withdraw”.

Source: AFP

14, April 2021

Ambazonia Interim Government slam silence on French Cameroun crimes ⁰

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Dabney Yerima has slammed the international community’s silence in the face of French Cameroun’s illegal acts in Ambazonia homeland.

During a recent trip to four Southern African states, the exiled Southern Cameroons leader echoed the position of President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, leader of the Ambazonian nation that Southern Cameroonians should be strong, determined, courageous and steadfast and that freedom and the independence of Southern Cameroons is priceless.

Vice President Yerima called for international action amid the continued detention of the Ambazonia leader and his top aides including thousands of innocent Southern Cameroonians in French Cameroun jails and detention facilities. Yerima also slammed the French government of President Emmanuel Macron as a key partner in exacerbating the suffering of millions of Southern Cameroonians.

In Namibia and Tanzania, Yerima told local MPs and civil rights leaders that La Republique du Cameroun’s military onslaught on Southern Cameroons has caused a severe shortage of basics, including fuel, food and water, leading to numerous deaths.

The mineral-rich but poverty-stricken Southern Cameroons territory has been unstable since the forced unification with French Cameroun.

Thousands of people have died since President Biya declared a war against the English speaking people four years ago and more than a quarter of the population have fled their homes. Of these, 75,000 are refugees in neighbouring Nigeria.

Even though bloodshed has receded in intensity over the last few months, violence remains chronic as Ambazonia Restoration Forces and militia groups hold sway over two-thirds of the rural areas.

By Chi Prudence Asong in London

14, April 2021

Biden urges Putin to show restraint in Ukraine amid troop build-up on border ⁰

US President Joe Biden has asked Vladmir #Putin to show restraint with #Ukraine, amid signs #Russia has mobilised thousands of troops in the border region in recent weeks.

In a phone call Tuesday, Biden urged his Russian counterpart to de-escalate tensions on the border, and invited him to an in-person summit.

14, April 2021

After Prince Philip: what next for Queen Elizabeth II? ⁰

Queen Elizabeth II faces the twilight of her record-breaking reign without her most trusted adviser and personal confidant — husband Prince Philip.

But his death last week aged 99 is not expected to change the monarch’s lifetime commitment to duty, as a new chapter beckons for Britain’s most famous family.

The Queen, who turns 95 next week, once described the Duke of Edinburgh as her “strength and stay”, in a rare moment of public candour.

He has been credited with the successful running of “The Firm”, cementing its position in national life, and helping it to weather crises and scandal.

“The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person,” said the couple’s second son, Prince Andrew, who has been under a shadow because of his links to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

“She described (the duke’s death) as having left a huge void in her life,” he told reporters, adding the family was “rallying round to make sure we’re there to support her”.

– Life of service –

A steady stream of close family members have visited the Queen since last week, including her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, Andrew, and youngest son, Edward.

Edward said his mother was “bearing up”, despite the understandable shock at the loss.

The Times reported on Tuesday that she is currently not being given her daily red boxes of government papers during the two weeks of official royal mourning.

But early signs are the Queen will remain faithful to the commitment she made in a radio address to the Commonwealth as a 21-year-old princess from Cape Town, South Africa, in 1947.

“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service,” she said.

Just a day after her husband’s death was announced, she had an audience with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to the Court Circular, which lists royal events and engagements.

On Tuesday, she hosted an event at Windsor Castle, west of London, to mark the retirement of the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer in the royal household.

She has links to more than 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organisations.

– Family support –

Prince Philip was almost ever-present at the Queen’s side since she acceded to the throne in 1952 but had been seen less after retiring from public duties in 2017.

It is expected she will now rely more heavily on Charles, his second wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as well as second-in-line Prince William and his wife at engagements, according to British media reports.

Charles, now 72, has already taken on more of her duties in recent years, including overseas, in preparation for his long-awaited succession.

He is expected to accompany his mother for the state opening of Parliament on May 11.

Younger royals have also accompanied her at events, including online over videoconference during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Times quoted royal sources as saying she will still carry out solo engagements.

The Queen’s apparent desire to get out and about is in stark contrast to Britain’s last female monarch, Queen Victoria, who wore black for four decades and barely made any public appearances after her husband Albert’s death in 1861.

Her seclusion led her to being called the “widow of Windsor” and increased the popularity of the republican movement.

– Step up –

Public sympathy for the Queen after her husband’s death is high, and she has consistently topped polls as the most popular royal.

Her presence and longevity as Britain’s longest-serving monarch have helped stave off republican sentiment, even as attitudes to the monarchy have changed over the years.

Charles has effectively taken over his father’s role as the most senior royal male, and if he follows in his footsteps, he has a series of pressing issues to deal with.

Andrew’s public reappearance last weekend caused outrage in some quarters, as US prosecutors still want to speak to him about his links to Epstein.

The palace is also dealing with the fall-out of Charles’ youngest son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s shock move to the United States last year — and their explosive claims of racism and treatment in the royal family.

Saturday’s funeral will also see Harry and elder brother William reunited, with widely-reported claims of a deep rift between the pair.

The brothers — once close after the death of their mother, princess Diana, in a Paris car crash in 1997 — pointedly issued separate tributes to their grandfather after his passing.

Source: AFP

14, April 2021

Benin’s Talon reelected president with 86 percent of vote ⁰

Benin’s President Patrice Talon was easily re-elected to a second term, provisional results showed Tuesday, after a weekend election critics said was already stacked in his favour following a crackdown on his opponents.

Talon, a cotton tycoon first elected to lead the West African state in 2016, faced two little-known rivals in Sunday’s vote with most of his key opponents in exile or disqualified from running.

Talon won 86.3 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said as it announced preliminary results, while his opponents Alassane Soumanou and Corentin Kohoue got 11.29 and 2.25 percent respectively.

Benin’s constitutional court must verify the final results.

Once praised as a vibrant multi-party democracy, critics say the former French colony has veered onto an authoritarian path under Talon with a steady campaign against his political foes.

Three international observer missions had already noted low turnout in the election, though they said the vote generally went ahead peacefully despite tensions and protests in the lead-up.

With the 62-year-old incumbent almost guaranteed victory, analysts had said voter turnout would be a key measure of his election success.

Turnout was 50.17 percent, the commission said.

Even before the announcement, for some Beninese the election results meant little.

“This election was just folklore,” said restaurant owner George Kpatchavi. “We are not waiting for the results because they were already known in advance. After the elections, everything will return to order.”

An association of civil society groups, which deployed more than 1,400 election observers, said in its preliminary statement Sunday that “attempts to pressurise, intimidate, threaten, corrupt or harass voters were observed across the entire country”.

Protests in north

Protests had blocked some routes in opposition strongholds in the centre and north of the country in the run-up to the election, leading to delays in the dispatch of electoral materials.

Two people were killed last week when troops fired live rounds into the air to break up an opposition protest blockading a major route in the central city of Save.

Benin has seen some economic successes under Talon, who promised a “KO” first-round win in Sunday’s election. Supporters have praised his projects to expand electricity and basic services.

But since Talon first came to power, critics say he has used a special economic crimes and terrorism court and electoral reforms as tools to disqualify the opposition.

Reckya Madougou, one opposition leader who was barred from running, was detained last month on accusations of plotting to disrupt the vote, a charge her lawyer said was politically motivated.

Earlier this month, a judge from the special court that ordered her detention said he had fled the country, denouncing political pressure to make rulings against Talon’s opponents.

Government officials dismissed claims the election was rigged to favour Talon and said exiled opposition leaders were trying to have the vote cancelled with a smear campaign.

Source: AFP

14, April 2021

Yaoundé: MPs to debate solution to the Southern Cameroons Crisis ⁰

In a bid to continue deceiving the people of Southern Cameroons that the Social Democratic Front party of Ni John Fru Ndi is still a force within the Biya Francophone political setting, Yaoundé has announced that the crisis in Southern Cameroons will be on the agenda of the next parliamentary session, four years after the conflict began.

The information was made public by the regime after secret service officers reported that ghost town operations put in place all over Southern Cameroons by the Ambazonia Interim Government is paralyzing the economies of many towns and cities including those in French Cameroun and hampering the flow of Ambazonia money into the French Cameroun treasury.

A highly placed official inside the Etoudi palace was quoted by Le Jour –a French Cameroun newspaper as saying “The crisis that is shaking the North-West and South-West regions will finally be put on the National Assembly’s agenda next June”.

Fru Ndi’s man in Yaoundé, Hon. Joshua Osih has reportedly confirmed the CPDM French Cameroun decision and told Le Jour that “We have always fought for a debate on the crisis in the North West and South West regions. This has been agreed and could be put on the agenda for the June session. I think we will come back to this issue in June and to the budgetary orientation debate. This session was dense. We are going home with the feeling that we have played our role well. It is important to know that the sessions follow each other and are not alike.”

SDF boycotted the opening of the November 2017 session, to force the Biya Francophone government to include the Southern Cameroons Crisis on the agenda for discussions. Nothing was done. Former SDF Member of Parliament Hon. Joseph Wirba, one of the first parliamentarians to raise this issue when the conflict was still in its infancy, ended up resigning from the assembly out of sheer exhaustion and threats to his life.

By Oke Akombi Ayukepi Akap in Glasgow with files from Rita Akana

13, April 2021

Yaoundé: CPDM Crime Syndicate launches COVID-19 vaccination campaign ⁰

Cameroon on Monday launched the vaccination campaign against COVID-19, a day after receiving its first batch of vaccines donated by China.

The campaign started at the Specialized Covid-19 Care Centre in the capital Yaounde, with the country’s Minister of Public Health Malachie Manaouda being the first to take the vaccine.

“I feel good. There is no problem,” Manaouda said shortly after he received the first shot with the presence of many local officials and health professionals.

“The vaccine is safe,” he added.

The vaccination campaign will prioritise health workers in the first round of the campaign, the minister said.

The vaccines should be “available all over the national territory by latest tomorrow,” he added.

The first batch of China’s Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Cameroon Sunday evening as the country is struggling with a new surge of COVID-19 infections.

It is the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines arriving from outside the central African country, where the pandemic broke out in March last year.

Source: Xinhuanet

13, April 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Senior Yerima adviser hopes La Republique military will get rid of Biya soonest ⁰

A senior adviser to the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Dr Patrick Ayuk said on Monday that it was evident the French Cameroun army will get rid of the 88-year-old President Biya as soon as possible and pave the way for intensive and productive dialogue between the two Cameroons.

The Southern Cameroons academic made the comments during a zoom presentation on how the Big Rubbergun Project will work to an audience in Dublin, Ireland and added that “Biya has been a trouble for La Republique du Cameroun and Southern Cameroons for more than four decades. With Biya and his gang still at the head of affairs in Yaounde, the two Cameroons are sailing through a very dangerous period amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ambazonia Interim Government has gotten intelligence that the French Cameroun military will get rid of Biya and his ruling CPDM party soonest” Dr Patrick Ayuk furthered.

Dr Patrick Ayuk also suggested that President Biya and his acolytes in Yaoundé should get mental checks and urged Southern Cameroonians in Ground Zero to be prepared to intensify ghost operations in the decisive months ahead.

Cameroon’s unwinnable war

At the heart of the crisis, which started in 2016, was a strike by teachers and lawyers, in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. The professionals, supported by citizens of their areas, protested the unfair use of the French language and unjustified appointments of French speakers in their territories. Cameroon has been passing for a bilingual country. By 2017, the situation had spiralled out of control and developed into a fully-fledged separatist war. Both government forces and separatists are now bogged down in a conflict that observers say, can only be resolved through dialogue.

By Asu Vera Eyere

13, April 2021

Football: Real Madrid skipper Ramos tests positive for coronavirus ⁰

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, who was already out of this week’s Champions League meeting with Liverpool because of a calf injury, has tested positive for Covid-19, the club announced on Tuesday.

“Our player Sergio Ramos tested positive in the last Covid-19 test he performed,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

Ramos is the second case of coronavirus detected in the Real Madrid squad in a week. French defender Raphael Varane tested positive last Tuesday.

Varane has not yet been given the green light to rejoin his teammates.

Ramos injured his left calf while with Spain during the international window but he has been a vocal presence on the sidelines since.

The positive test means he has to stay away from his teammates until he tests negative.

The 35-year-old defender is going through one of the most difficult seasons of his career — he underwent knee surgery in February and, after returning in mid-March, missed the Liga game against Celta Vigo on March 20 because of a shin injury.

Ramos has still revealed his plans once his contract with Real Madrid expires on June 30.

Source: AFP

13, April 2021

US: Second night of protests spark in Minneapolis after police shots dead Black man ⁰

For the second night running in the United States, protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis after a Black man was shot dead by a police officer.

The shooting occurred in the nearby suburb of Brooklyn Center, with local police chief saying Daunte Wright was killed after the officer meaning to use her taser mistakenly pulled out her gun instead.

Tension in the Midwestern city is already high as the trial of Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd, is still under way.