Headline News

French Cameroun: Fru Ndi to quit as SDF Chairman

14, February 2021

French Cameroun: Fru Ndi to quit as SDF Chairman 0

John Fru Ndi, the so-called charismatic leader of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) will no longer be chairman of the party he created in 1990.

At almost 80 years old, the Biya French Cameroun acolyte announced Thursday, February 11, 2021, his intention to no longer preside over the destiny of the SDF after 30 years at the head of the party.

As National Chairman and presidential candidate of the SDF since its creation on 26 May 1990, John Fru Ndi was for several decades passing as the main opponent of Paul Biya, Chairman and president of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate.

Fru Ndi was candidate in the presidential elections of 1992, 2004 and 2011 and was ranked second many times in his quest to occupy the Etoudi Palace.

In 1997, John Fru Ndi boycotted the presidential elections after secretly collected hundreds of millions of FCFA from the Biya regime in a channel that had the late John Ebong Ngole and former governor Enoh Abrahams as agents.

His performance in the 1992 presidential election against Biya remains his best result so far and in 2018 he handed over the right to contest presidential elections in his party to one Joshua Osih who reportedly obtained 3.5% and was ranked 4th.

So much goodwill was wasted on the SDF leader by both French and British Southern Cameroonians. From 43 Members of Parliament in 1997, 22 in 2002, 16 in 2007, and 18 in 2013, the SDF only got 5 seats in the French Cameroun dominated National Assembly in 2020. 

John Fru Ndi is leaving to join the list of Southern Cameroons unpopular leaders such as Muna, Foncha, Achidi Achi, Fonka Shang and Peter Musonge while his party is in a sharp decline and on the verge of extinction.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

Spain’s Catalonia holds regional election, testing separatists’ strength

14, February 2021

Spain’s Catalonia holds regional election, testing separatists’ strength 0

Catalonia goes to the polls Sunday for an election Madrid hopes will unseat the region’s ruling separatists more than three years after a failed bid to break away from Spain.

But the vote could see a high level of abstentions as Spain battles a third wave of the pandemic.

Regional authorities ramped up restrictions to slow soaring case numbers after the Christmas holidays and while the situation has slightly improved, the figures are still high.

When the polls open at 0800 GMT on Sunday, about 5.5 million voters will be eligible to cast their ballots.

But 35,600 of the 82,000 people assigned to help staff polling stations on the day have asked to be recused, despite pledges they will receive full protective suits.

The regional government has insisted that all necessary health and security measures are in place, providing antigen tests for election workers, as well as spacious, well-ventilated polling stations.

It has accepted only 23,300 of the requests.

Separatists eye majority

Turnout for the vote is not expected to exceed 60 percent — and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The vote has been overshadowed by a bitter split between the separatist factions following the failed 2017 independence bid that sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.

The Catalan government has been dominated by separatists since 2015, but Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is hoping this election, the fifth in a decade, could end their rule.

He himself came to lead Spain’s government in 2018 thanks in part to support from Catalan separatists. Even today, his minority government relies on them to pass legislation.

But Sanchez has not hidden his desire to remove them from power.

To that end, former health minister Salvador Illa is spearheading the Socialists’ bid to unseat the separatists in Sunday’s election. Sanchez has even taken part in some electoral meetings himself.

The polls put his PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia) neck-and-neck with the pro-independence parties.

Post-election deal-making

Even if the PSC comes out on top however, polls suggest none of the parties will win an outright majority of 68 in the 135-seat regional parliament.

And that means the eventual outcome will depend on deal-making.

Forming a government “will probably be quite challenging” and prospects of a repeat election cannot be ruled out, says Antonio Barroso, an analyst at political consultancy Teneo.

And while the separatist parties remain deeply divided, polls suggest the hardline JxC — “Together for Catalonia” — and the more moderate ERC could once again cobble together a ruling majority.

Both this week formally ruled out a coalition with the socialists.

The main question then is which of the two will come out stronger.

In the previous election in December 2017, JxC was ahead, forming a 70-seat coalition with ERC.

Should the tables be turned in ERC’s favour, it would likely ease tensions and help the tentative reconciliation Sanchez’s government has sought to broker since coming to power.

“An ERC executive would maintain the current ambiguous approach of criticising Madrid rhetorically but not adopting any unilateral measures,” said Barroso.

“In contrast, a government headed by JxC would probably lead to a more confrontational stance.”

(AFP)

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Why the bitterness will never end

14, February 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Why the bitterness will never end 0


For four long years, the Yaoundé government should have understood that violence only begets violence, but the authorities of this collapsing country seem to be on a diet of power and nothing, except a robust intervention of the international community can instil some sanity in the minds of those who rule Cameroon.

Violence seems to be the cornerstone of the government’s territorial administration strategy to the extent where the soldiers sent to the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon think that they have been given carte blanche to kill any and everybody.

These soldiers should have been properly trained to make the population their ally in their effort to end the insurgency that is really tearing the country apart.

The injustices that have triggered the discontent among the country’s English-speaking minority have been left unaddressed despite the loss of life, but new despicable situations are being generated everyday by the soldiers who think it is their divine right to treat the local population in the North West and South west regions as animals.

The Southern Cameroonian insurgency is a challenging and massive problem that requires a huge tool box, but the morally and ideologically bankrupt Yaoundé government has demonstrated that the only tool in its small tool box is brutality; a tool that has only made matters worse.

This government has no regard for human life and the manner with which army soldiers treat suspects in Southern Cameroons clearly underscores that winning hearts and minds is not a key thrust of the government’s conflict resolution strategy, that is, if it has a strategy.

The obvious abuse in a recent video wherein army soldiers are molesting an innocent civilian speaks to the government’s penchant for human rights violations. The fact that abusive government forces are never punished only encourages them to commit more atrocities.

What is more interesting is the happiness with which the soldiers themselves document their own atrocities. They are happy, relaxed and enthusiastic to commit murder with impunity.

Such images do not make room for reconciliation as both camps will be retaliating and even seeking to outdo each other.

However, while the ragtag military groups fighting for the total liberation of Southern Cameroons can be forgiven because of their ignorance and irresponsibility, government troops which engage in such gross human rights violations fail to understand that they belong to a state military which has responsibilities under the Geneva Convention.

The government which sends its troops to Southern Cameroons has a huge responsibility to ensure that Southern Cameroonian fighters who are caught are treated based on the requirements of the Geneva Convention.

The world is not without rules. There could be some chaos especially that caused by Donald Trump’s Administration as former president Donald Trump sought to withdraw the United States from many international organizations, but the Biden Administration has clearly stated that it will be filling its leadership role and human rights will be given pride of place on its agenda.

While the Yaoundé government might be protecting those who have committed atrocities in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, Southern Cameroonians must make it their duty to expose those human rights violations.

Southern Cameroonians living in exile in any part of the world must sink their differences if they really want to achieve something. They must alert the authorities of their host countries to the government- orchestrated massacre that is playing out in Southern Cameroons.

Instead of fighting each other, the various Southern Cameroonian groups must understand that unity is strength and that if they fail to make common cause, those on the ground will continue to pay a huge price.

The internecine conflicts within the various groups and the internal disagreements between the different factions have clearly robbed the insurgency of its vitality and this is giving the Yaoundé government the possibility of thinking that it can obtain a clear military victory in Southern Cameroons.

Today, there are many Southern Cameroonian groups abroad and most of these groups do not even collaborate to ensure that the Yaoundé government is given a good run for its money.

Each group now lays claim to legitimacy and recognition by the people of Southern Cameroons, but the truth is totally different.

No group is legitimate. No group is without its supporters. No group will represent the entire Southern Cameroons in the event of any negotiations. No group will fight alone to achieve the total liberation of Southern Cameroons and no group has the resources to prosecute this war.

The truth is that, as Southern Cameroonians continue to fight each other, they are unknowingly letting the Yaoundé government off the hook.

If the government has to feel any pressure, the different factions must bury their pride and ego to reach out to the other groups so that a new and formidable force, capable of becoming a nightmare to the government, can be created.

This struggle is far from over and if Southern Cameroonian groups do not make common cause, the Yaoundé government will continue to have an upper hand and its soldiers will continue to treat innocent civilians better than cattle.

All hopes are, however, not lost. Despite the numerous factions which have helped to weaken the unity of purpose that held Southern Cameroonians together, one fact remains.

Julius Ayuk Tabe is the poster boy of this struggle and many Southern Cameroonians still long for the days when he was a clear symbol of unity and determination.

Southern Cameroonians must come together. They have a common interest. The enemy is still strong and he is doing all he can to roll back the gains the insurgency has made over the last four years.

The disunity among Southern Cameroonians that is killing the insurgency needs to be brought to an end if the enemy must be brought to the negotiating table.

The violence which has become the government’s hallmark needs to be made known around the world and this must be done through concerted efforts. Going it alone will not deter the government from killing and maiming innocent individuals and children.

If the burning of a baby by government forces and the beating of an innocent man by BIR officials for no crime committed and the numerous atrocities that have shocked the world cannot speak to the leaders of the various factions, what then will speak to them for them to understand that making common cause is central to making the Yaoundé government to come to the negotiating table?

Time is of the essence. The government has ratcheted up its violence and brutality against the people of Southern Cameroons and this will not end if all the leaders of these factions do not come together to act as a single group.

The IG must immediately undertake diplomatic initiatives that will enable the world brand the Yaoundé government as a massive and merciless abuser.

The world has been caught in multiple crises and for it to pay attention to what is happening in Southern Cameroons, the various factions involved in this struggle must start working together. There is power in numbers and the world needs to know that Southern Cameroons has the right men and women who are capable of making a difference.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman, Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

Five people including a Capitol Police officer died: US Senate votes to acquit Trump of ‘incitement of insurrection’

13, February 2021

Five people including a Capitol Police officer died: US Senate votes to acquit Trump of ‘incitement of insurrection’ 0

The US Senate voted Saturday acquit former president Donald Trump of incitement of insurrection charges linked to the deadly January 6 invasion of the Capitol building.

Senate Democrats led by impeachment manager Jamie Raskin began laying out the case against Trump on Tuesday. In three days of testimony, they accused the former president of directly inciting the mob that left his January 6 rally near the White House and invaded the Capitol building to halt the certification of Electoral College votes giving Joe Biden the presidency. Democrats used dramatic video of the mob to underscore the dangers lawmakers faced that day, with Raskin stating bluntly that the trial is about “setting standards of conduct for the president of the United States so this never happens to us again”.

In counter arguments on Friday, Trump’s defense lawyers maintained that Trump’s statements on January 6 could not be directly linked to the storming of the Capitol hours later and urged the Senate to acquit. Defense lawyer Michael van der Veen told the chamber Trump’s exhortation to the crowd to “fight like hell” was merely “political rhetoric”, adding: “Countless politicians have spoken of ‘fighting’ for our principles.”

Five people including a Capitol Police officer died in the unrest. Two other officers who responded to the insurgency committed suicide in the days following.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on January 13, making him the only US president to be impeached twice. He is also the first to face trial after leaving office. 

Source: France 24

Nigeria police arrest #EndSARS protesters at tollgate

13, February 2021

Nigeria police arrest #EndSARS protesters at tollgate 0

Several protesters in Nigeria’s city of Lagos were arrested on Saturday after they tried to hold a peaceful rally against the reopening of the Lekki tollgate, where security forces shot at protesters in October, which became the epicentre of the #EndSARS movement.

“I’m not here with any weapon. I’m here for human rights. This is not done, everybody knows,” said arrested protester Jay D Boy, an artist who spoke from inside a police van.

“Even those police officers today, they know. They know that things are not going well in this country. Three of my friends were killed here last year. And we are not hearing anything about it, this is not a crime.”

Police bundled around 17 protesters into a black truck and some other people drove past shouting “End SARS”, referring to Nigeria’s police unit accused of committing the deadly abuses.

“Picked up because I was walking, in my country. Picked up because I was walking,” said Christopher Emmanuel Ogboji, another arrested protester,

#EndSARS

Many view the reopening of the tollgate as ill-timed and inconsiderate to victims of the Lekki shootings.

The huge highway tollgate became the centre of the protest movement against police brutality by the SARS unit, which has been disbanded.

The demonstrations ended abruptly after the shooting in Lagos and a wave of looting and unrest followed.

The government promised reforms in response.

An investigation into last year’s violence at Lekki has stalled with representatives of the armed forces failing to appear before the panel.

Security forces say they only used blank rounds to break up protesters who had defied a curfew, though Amnesty International said soldiers shot dead at least 10 people

Nigeria’s government this week had warned against holding new protests at Lekki, saying the rallies could descend into violence in the name of justice.

“We are calling on all Nigerian authorities to demonstrate commitment to protect the right to peaceful protest,” watchdog Amnesty International said on Twitter.

Source: Africa News

Southern Cameroons Crisis: British lawyer Karim Khan who defended Agbor Balla and Dr Fontem elected next ICC prosecutor

13, February 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: British lawyer Karim Khan who defended Agbor Balla and Dr Fontem elected next ICC prosecutor 0

More than 120 countries elected British lawyer Karim Khan on Friday as the next prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, one of the toughest jobs in international law because the tribunal seeks justice for the world’s worst atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

His election on the second secret ballot by the 123 parties to the Rome Statute that established the court ends a drawn-out and divisive process to replace Fatou Bensouda when her 9-year term expires in June.

Khan, who has specialized in international criminal law and international human rights law, was widely seen as the favourite to get the job. But neither he nor any of the other candidates garnered enough support to be appointed by consensus, prompting Friday’s election in the U.N. General Assembly Hall.

When Michal Mlynár, vice-president of the court’s Assembly of State Parties, announced that Khan had won, a smattering of applause broke out in the hall, where masked diplomats had voted one by one, putting ballots into spaced out boxes because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Khan received 72 votes, far more than the majority needed, Fergal Gaynor of Ireland was second with 42 votes followed by Spain’s Carlos Castresana Fernandez with 5 votes and Francesco Lo Voi of Italy with 3 votes. One member did not vote.

Khan currently leads a U.N. team set up to investigate allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Islamic State group in Iraq and has the rank of a U.N. assistant secretary-general. He has worked as a prosecutor at the tribunal prosecuting war crimes in former Yugoslavia and crimes against humanity and genocide in Rwanda.

Khan is no stranger to the International Criminal Court, known as the ICC, having acted as a defence lawyer for Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and persuading judges to throw out prosecution charges against his client. Gaynor acted as a legal representative for victims in the Ruto case, which focused on post-election violence.

Khan also served as counsel for Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who is still being sought by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.

“Karim Khan’s election as prosecutor is occurring at a time when the ICC is needed more than ever but has faced significant challenges and pressure on its role,” said Richard Dicker, international justice director at Human Rights Watch. “We will be looking to Mr. Khan to address shortcomings in the court’s performance, while demonstrating firm independence in seeking to hold even the most powerful rights abusers to account.”

The Rome Statute which established the court was adopted on July 17, 1998 and it entered into force on July 1, 2002, with a mandate to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide — but it only steps in when domestic courts fail to initiate their own investigations and prosecutions. Its 123 state parties are bound by its provisions, which include arresting all those sought by the court.

While the Security Council has used its power under the Rome Statute to refer conflicts in Sudan’s western Darfur region and in Libya to the ICC, calls for the U.N.’s most powerful body to refer Syria, and more recently Myanmar, to the tribunal have failed.

Dicker said in an interview that “the court in 18 years has established itself as the permanent address for accountability for the most egregious crimes.”

In the last several years, Bensouda has sought to broaden its reach beyond its early all-African focus including Afghanistan, Palestine, which is a party to the Rome Statute, and Georgia.

The ICC is needed more than ever, he said, “because of the proliferation of these horrific crimes,” but the court has faced “an existential threat” from former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

It slapped sanctions on Bensouda and one of her top aides last year for continuing to investigate war crimes allegations against Americans, although the court was often criticized in the past for its focus on African crimes.

Last week, ICC judges angered Israel by saying the court’s jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, potentially clearing the way for the prosecutor to open an investigation into Israeli military actions and the country’s construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision a “perversion of justice.”

Dicker said the ICC’s challenges include addressing some poor judicial decision-making and having a docket too large for its current staffing.”

The selection process for the prosecutor and the alleged failure by the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties to conduct stringent background checks on the candidates to ensure they met the requirement of “high moral character” has drawn criticism from civil society groups that work with the court.

A diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of closed meetings said the fact that many of the meetings to discuss possible successors to Bensouda took place virtually made it difficult for member nations to discuss concerns during informal “corridor” meetings.

Source: Canadian Press

CPDM Southern Cameroons elites have no regard for interests of Ambazonia, can’t be trusted

13, February 2021

CPDM Southern Cameroons elites have no regard for interests of Ambazonia, can’t be trusted 0

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Comrade Dabney Yerima has warned against putting trust in the so-called Southern Cameroons CPDM elites in Yaoundé saying they only care about their own interests in the two Cameroons, not those of the people of British Southern Cameroon.

Yerima made the remarks in a meeting grouping donors of the Interim Government on Thursday saying men like Elvis Ngolle, Paul Tasong, Paul Atanga Nji and Peter Mafany Musonge have consistently ignored U.S. Congress Resolution 684 which is critical of their actions in the conflict in Southern Cameroons and that their continued support of the Biya French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé is for the sake of their own benefits, thus they can never be trusted.

“Our 59 year history with La Republique du Cameroun has shown that it is wrong to trust the ruling CPDM Southern Cameroons elites because they do not…feel concerned about the people of Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia IDPs and our refugees in Nigeria,” he added, noting that their presence occasionally in Ground Zero only disrupts Southern Cameroons security.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the exiled Southern Cameroons leader said “What Ambazonians want…is the unity and solidarity of all Southern Cameroons Restoration groups. Any differences and divisions among Ambazonian factions are harmful and pave the way for the presence of these CPDM Southern Cameroons elites, French Cameroun army soldiers and enemies in Ground Zero.”

Vice President Dabney Yerima also said the Southern Cameroons diaspora would never forget the sacrifices being made by the Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces in Ground Zero.

By Chi Prudence Asong in London

EU health agency chief says Coronavirus likely here to stay

12, February 2021

EU health agency chief says Coronavirus likely here to stay 0

The coronavirus will probably continue to circulate long-term despite the roll-out of vaccines, the head of the EU’s ECDC health agency told AFP on Friday, urging Europe to keep its restrictions in place for now.

“It seems more likely that it would stay” than disappear, Andrea Ammon, the head of the Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, said in an interview.

“It seems very well adapted to humans. So we should be prepared that it will remain with us,” she added.

“It wouldn’t be the first virus that is with us forever, so it’s not an unusual feature for a virus.”

While vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of contracting the illness caused by Covid-19, scientists have not yet established with certainty whether they also reduce transmission of the virus.

So when will we know if they do?

“It will still take a few months. You need a certain amount of vaccinated people that you follow. Special studies are now being set up,” Ammon said.

There is particular concern that the vaccines may not be as effective against some variants of the virus, especially the South African and Brazilian ones.

– Running the last kilometres –

Ammon pointed out that vaccines for the seasonal flu have to be adapted annually as the virus that causes it changes.

“It might turn out that (the coronavirus) goes the same way, or that at one point it remains stable and we can use one vaccine for a longer period,” she told AFP.

Ammon called on EU countries to maintain their restrictions despite a decline in cases across much of Europe.

“It’s still a mixed picture… We are really not out of the woods,” she said, noting that all EU members, with the exception of Finland, were still in “an epidemiological situation of serious concern”, according to the ECDC’s criteria.

“Everybody’s fed up with the measures, but when you’re running a long distance course… (you) have to run the last kilometres,” she stressed.

The number of daily cases across Europe is currently around 150,000, compared to around 250,000 a month ago, according to official data compiled by AFP.

Any relaxing of measures has to be done gradually, one measure at a time, “and only when you observe that it’s either stable or further decreasing then you go to the next one.”

The European Union’s vaccination campaign, which began in late December, has gotten off to a rocky start, hampered by a lack of vaccines and delivery delays.

According to official data on Friday, only three percent of people in the EU had received at least one vaccine dose, and 1.4 percent two doses, with a total of 20 million doses administered.

“Everybody’s aiming for that, all the efforts are in that direction,” Ammon said when asked if the goal seemed realistic.

Source: AFP

The world silent on ongoing French Cameroun regime’s genocide in Southern Cameroons

12, February 2021

The world silent on ongoing French Cameroun regime’s genocide in Southern Cameroons 0

A prominent Southern Cameroons academic, Professor Carlson Anyangwe says La Republique du Cameroun and its supporters in Paris, France continue their genocide in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia without a word of protest from the European Union or the so-called human rights defenders.       

Addressing a Southern Cameroons Interim Government open session on Thursday, Prof Anyangwe said the French Cameroun criminal syndicate in Yaoundé launched its war on the Ambazonian people at a time when the Southern Cameroons Interim Government was trying to get the Federal Republic of Ambazonia out of an economic crisis caused by fifty-eight years of excruciating life under genocide, terror, economic terrorism, and all forms of international criminality imaginable.

The much respected Southern Cameroon elite said, “La Republique du Cameroun and other French vassal states in the so-called CEMAC region harboring France’s proxy army of occupation have been trying to carve up, exploit, and pauperize Southern Cameroons and its people for 59 years,” adding that both the late French Cameroun dictator Ahmadou Ahidjo and President Paul Biya have dutifully followed the French policy of assimilation programs until the people of Southern Cameroons now say they have gotten enough.

During the Thursday zoom meeting in the presence of the Ambazonia exiled leader, Dabney Yerima, Prof Carlson Anyangwe censured Europe’s double standards on human rights but did not say if the EU is complicit in crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the Biya French Cameroun regime against the people of British Southern Cameroons.

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 is 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.

On 8 September 2020, the Foreign Affairs Committee, of the United States Congress introduced Resolution 684 on the crisis in the Cameroonian regions of the North-West and South-West which was adopted on 1 January 2021.

The US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) did call on “the government of Cameroon and the separatist armed groups in the English-speaking regions of the North-West and South-West to put an end to all violence, to respect the human rights of all Cameroonians, and to pursue a truly inclusive dialogue with a view to resolving the ongoing civil conflict in English-speaking Cameroon”.

Resolution 684 condemned the abuses committed by state security forces and armed groups in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon, and affirms that the United States continues to hold the Government of Cameroon accountable for safeguarding the security and constitutional rights of all its citizens, regardless of region, religion, or political opinion. In addition, it urges all parties to the conflict in Cameroon, the Government of Cameroon, U.S. foreign relations entities, and members of the international community to take specific steps to resolve the ongoing civil conflict in Cameroon.

The U.S. Congress was also critical of France’s action in the conflict and Resolution 684 stated that   “…France maintains considerable interests in Cameroon, including significant economic and security cooperation, but has not sufficiently used its influence to stem atrocities committed in English-speaking regions or to support stronger international action to seek a resolution to the conflict.”

Prof Carlson Anyangwe noted that the French Cameroun aggressors have killed tens of thousands of Southern Cameroonians and committed brutal crimes with help from France and French speaking African countries in the Sub Saharan region.

France is the main supplier of weapons in La Republique du Cameroun’s aggression against Southern Cameroons.

According to independent estimates, the Biya French Cameroun war has claimed more than 5,000 lives.

The UN says more than two million English speaking Cameroonians are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including some 67, 000 thousand suffering from extreme levels of hunger in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Biya French Cameroun war has also taken a heavy toll on the British Southern Cameroons’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and businesses.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Club World Cup highlights challenges still in store for Qatar ahead of 2022

12, February 2021

Club World Cup highlights challenges still in store for Qatar ahead of 2022 0

Organisers would have wanted to use the Club World Cup as a demonstration of readiness for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, highlighting gleaming infrastructure and a soft touch with fans from abroad.

Instead foreign supporters were banned and all eyes were on strict coronavirus containment measures that followed high-profile outbreaks at the AFC Champions League and recent Australian Open qualifiers played in the Gulf state.

While the measures were lauded by FIFA as a success, Bayern Munich star Thomas Mueller tested positive for the virus and at least two members of the Al-Ahly delegation went down with Covid-19.

New coronavirus cases grew 18 percent nationwide in the eight days of the tournament compared to the same period the week before as health officials warned of a second wave.

A new lockdown could now be on the horizon, medical sources have told AFP.

However, confident authorities said ahead of the tournament that stringent testing requirements at a recent domestic cup final, similar to those in place for the Club World Cup, showed that the risk of the virus spreading at such an event could be contained.

– Measures still in place for World Cup? –

The day before the competition was due to get underway, Qatar announced a tightening of restrictions including a reduction of spectator capacity at stadiums to 20 percent.

However because the Club World Cup had secured approval to stage matches with stadiums at 30 percent capacity prior to the new rules, it was permitted to proceed with larger crowds, an official source told AFP.

“One hundred percent security never exists, but we can do whatever we can to go very close to this,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino told AFP in Doha during the tournament.

For the first time he also raised the prospect of coronavirus measures being enforced during the 2022 World Cup but insisted stadiums would be full.

The Club World Cup played out as Doha underwent a relative cold snap with temperatures in the evening, when matches were played, dipping below 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Next year the World Cup itself will be staged in November and December when conditions are likely to be similarly mild.

The two gleaming brand-new stadiums used for the Club World Cup — Education City and Ahmad bin Ali Stadium — also won plaudits from visiting players and managers.

So far Qatar has inaugurated three new venues and one refurbished ground with four still to open, most likely later this year. All of them boast state-of-the art air conditioning.

It was also revealed just ahead of the tournament that alcohol would be available at venues — albeit only in VIP hospitality suites pending a decision on general ticket holders’ access to drinks.

There was however no repeat of the boozy fan zones which proved popular with fans during the 2019 Club World Cup as all events away from matches were cancelled to stop the spread of Covid-19.

– Progress on human rights ‘limited’ –

While the large contingent of Al-Ahly fans who call Qatar home made stadiums feel more than 30 percent full, there was little else in Doha to suggest a major tournament was underway.

The limited number of fans attending matches also meant key aspects of Qatar’s 2022 infrastructure did not face an acid test.

The involvement of Bayern, both in the tournament and at previous training camps in Qatar, drew scrutiny from supporter groups and rights activists. Bayern have a shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.

In February 2020, labour activists Fair Square wrote to Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge urging the club to take a stand on workers’ rights issues.

Fair Square claimed that despite some progress, including reform pledges backed by the International Labour Organization, “progress has been limited in scope and as yet not effective in implementation”.

Qatari authorities stress that Amnesty International credits Qatar with meaningful labour reforms.

They include a new minimum wage due to begin this month, and scrapping requirements for managerial approval for staff changing companies.

Some migrant workers still complain of unpaid wages and being charged illegal recruitment fees.

Source: AFP

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