Headline News

Burkina Faso’s first COVID-19 death claims top lawmaker

18, March 2020

Burkina Faso’s first COVID-19 death claims top lawmaker 0

Burkina Faso has joined the list of African countries to have recorded corona-virus related death. Authorities announced the first COVID-19 death on Wednesday.

The country’s confirmed cases as at today Wednesday (March 18) are 26 with over 230 contacts being monitored. Other African countries that have reported fatalities include Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Sudan.

The authorities say the patient was a diabetic woman aged 62 years. Some reports on social media say it is a top lawmaker, Ms Rose Marie Compaore, who was the first-vice president of the parliament.

This is a very contagious illness that is potentially fatal and that for now has no treatment aside from prevention.

“This tragic event calls us all to recognise the scale and seriousness of the problem which confronts us all,” said Martial Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso’s COVID-19 response coordinator.

“This is a very contagious illness that is potentially fatal and that for now has no treatment aside from prevention,” he stressed.

 The West African country says the cases are concentrated in the capital Ouagadougou with Bobo-Dioulasso, the country’s second largest city, recording its first case recently.

Source: Africa News

Jazz legend Manu Dibango recovering from coronavirus

18, March 2020

Jazz legend Manu Dibango recovering from coronavirus 0

 86 year old mega star Manu Dibango the author of “Soul Makossa” has tested positive for the Coronavirus. However, according to his manager, the artist is recovering and is not in any danger.

In France, where the Cameroonian superstar lives, the Coronavirus epidemic has already caused the death of 175 people.

French public health officials also did announce that the European nation now has 7730 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Race for the White House: Biden strengthens lead over Sanders on virus-hit primary night

18, March 2020

Race for the White House: Biden strengthens lead over Sanders on virus-hit primary night 0

Joe Biden swept to victory in Florida, Illinois and Arizona on Tuesday, increasingly pulling away with a Democratic presidential primary upended by the coronavirus and building pressure on Bernie Sanders to abandon his campaign.

The former vice president’s third big night in as many weeks came amid tremendous uncertainty as the Democratic contest collides with efforts to slow the spread of the virus that has shut down large swaths of American life. Polls were shuttered in Ohio, and although balloting went ahead as scheduled in the three other states, election workers and voters reported problems.

Still, Biden’s quest for his party’s nomination now seems well within reach. His trio of wins doubled his delegate haul over Sanders, giving the former vice president a nearly insurmountable lead. Top Democratic leaders and donors have also increasingly lined up behind Biden as the best option to square off against President Donald Trump in November.

Using a livestream to address supporters from his home state of Delaware, Biden seemed ready to move past the primary. He paid tribute to the Vermont senator for advancing key issues like affordable health care and combating climate change.

“Sen. Sanders and his supporters have brought a remarkable passion and tenacity to all of these issues. Together they have shifted the fundamental conversation in this country,” Biden said. “So let me say, especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Sen. Sanders, I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do.”

Impact of coronavirus

With the exception of North Dakota and the Northern Mariana Islands, Sanders hasn’t scored a victory since Super Tuesday on March 3. He made no immediate move on Tuesday to contact Biden, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for the candidates. During remarks early in the night, Sanders said little about the future of the race and instead focused on the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump, meanwhile, formally clinched the Republican presidential nomination after facing minimal opposition.

But much of the action was on the Democratic side, where higher vote totals in some key states suggested enthusiasm that even the coronavirus couldn’t contain. Turnout in Florida’s Democratic primary surpassed the 1.7 million who cast ballots four years ago.

Sanders’ path to the nomination is quickly narrowing, and some Democrats are now calling on him to drop out in the name of party unity. Top advisers have said he’s considering whether the political landscape could look different as the virus continues to reshape life across the country.

Still, the race increasingly favors Biden. He maintained strength on Tuesday with African Americans and older voters who have been the hallmark of his campaign. He also appeared to chip away at Sanders’ previous advantage with Hispanics that helped him win Nevada and California early in the race.

In Florida, Latinos made up roughly 20% of Democratic primary voters, and they largely sided with Biden. The former vice president received the support of 62% of Puerto Rican voters and 57% of Cubans, according to AP VoteCast, a broad survey of primary voters.

The public health and economic havoc wreaked by the coronavirus will nonetheless influence how the presidential contest unfolds. Rallies and other big events have been canceled. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez urged states with upcoming primaries to expand vote-by-mail and absentee balloting, as well as polling station hours — trying to ensure the primary isn’t further hampered going forward.

“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and we must do everything we can to protect and expand that right instead of bringing our democratic process to a halt,” Perez said in a statement.

But the damage may have already happened.

Nowhere for Sanders to gain ground

Four states — Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky and Maryland — have joined Ohio in moving to push back their upcoming primaries, and others may yet do so. That has left the Democratic primary calendar empty until March 29, when Puerto Rico is scheduled to go to the polls. But island leaders are working to reschedule balloting there, too.

That means there is nowhere for Sanders to gain ground on Biden anytime soon, even if he could find a way to mount a sudden surge.

At least one of Sanders’ top advisers chided party officials for going forward with voting on Tuesday.

“The Democratic Party rightly berates the GOP for ignoring scientists’ warnings about climate change,” David Sirota tweeted. “The same Dem Party just ignored scientists’ warnings & pushed to continue in-person elections during a lethal pandemic, rather than delaying until there is vote by mail.”

There were problems across the country on Tuesday. In Illinois, for instance, there was a push to relocate about 50 Chicago-area polling places after locations canceled at the last minute.

Jim Allen, a spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, said the board asked Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week to cancel in-person voting, but the governor refused. Pritzker countered that state law doesn’t give him the authority to make the sweeping changes that elections officials wanted.

“Let me tell you this: It is exactly in times like these when the constitutional boundaries of our democracy should be respected above all else. And if people want to criticize me for that, well, go ahead,” the governor said.

There weren’t problems, everywhere, though. Mel Dockens, a 49-year-old small-business owner, voted in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale and said it was a tough choice. But he went for Biden because he thought Sanders’ progressive views might turn off some Democratic voters.

“It’s all about electability,” Dockens said. “It’s not that I don’t trust Bernie Sanders, but I trust (Biden) a little more.”

(AP)

80 year old Cavaye Djibril re-elected National Assembly Speaker as French Cameroun MPs return

18, March 2020

80 year old Cavaye Djibril re-elected National Assembly Speaker as French Cameroun MPs return 0

With 139 of the 167 MPs currently sitting in the National Assembly, the ruling CPDM crime syndicate saw its candidates for the two most important posts in the National Assembly’s bureau reelected unopposed. 

The ailing Cavaye Yeguie Djibril who by some strange happenstance was the only candidate for the post of President, was re-elected for the umpteenth time by his party’s hierarchy, with 147 votes out of 165 cast. Having spent 47 years as a member of parliament and 28 years as speaker, the sick man of the Far North region will therefore continue his lease at the helm of the House of the French Cameroun People.

Correspondingly, the post of first vice-president, only had the outgoing Hilarion Etong again of the ruling CPDM. He too was reelected with 147 votes out of 166.

The election of the other officers of the National Assembly, including the other five Vice-Presidents, four Quaestors and twelve Secretaries were done by acclamation.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

Maurice Kamto says “Cameroon can achieve peace. But first, it needs a ceasefire”

18, March 2020

Maurice Kamto says “Cameroon can achieve peace. But first, it needs a ceasefire” 0

On March 18 last year, the United States assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Tibor Nagy, met Cameroonian President Paul Biya in Yaoundé, the country’s capital. The meeting took place after nearly three years of mounting concerns about the violent descent into chaos in Cameroon’s northwest and southwest regions. The central government and separatists from our English-speaking minority have been engaged in a brutal conflict deriving from the latter’s valid grievances about marginalisation and the ongoing, deliberate efforts to dilute their English cultural heritage in the predominantly French culture of Cameroon. 

Several months earlier, in December 2018, before a congressional committee hearing in the US House of Representatives, Nagy raised the issue of Cameroon as among the world’s most dire conflicts, stating: “I fear that [the crisis] could get much, much worse.” He was, indeed, correct. And Nagy’s grim prediction paralleled that of countless Cameroonian activists, journalists and pro-democracy leaders, including my own colleagues, who have consistently raised the alarms — often putting their lives and livelihoods at risk for doing so, and incurring the wrath of Cameroonian authorities.

The United Nations conservatively estimates that the ongoing conflict has killed more than 3 000 people and displaced nearly 700 000 more in the Anglophone regions, a staggering number that comprises about 20% of our country’s population. Most recently, on February 14, about two dozen villagers, including 14 children and a pregnant woman, were massacred in the village of Ngarbuh in the northwest region by suspected members of the Cameroonian army. This state of affairs has led to massive instability inside Cameroon, as well as the surrounding region, including in our neighbour Nigeria, where tens of thousands of civilians — mainly women and young children — have sought fleeting security.

One year after the meeting between Nagy and Biya, nothing has changed for the better. In fact, it has merely metastasised, largely due to government incompetence, ongoing acts of state violence and unthinkable brutality, and a hardened resolve among Cameroon’s Anglophone separatists, who now view violent retaliation as the last and seemingly only option to achieve their demands.

A feasible plan to resolve Cameroon’s worsening conflict (which represents only one of the many symptoms of the long-ruling, long-abusive Biya dictatorship) is long overdue. Last month, I visited Washington DC to raise my concerns and to present an alternative vision to secure a democratic and stable Cameroon. For my efforts, I was greeted with death threats and intimidation, which prompted US legislators to demand my safe return. These hazards, of course, are not surprising in light of my nine-month prison ordeal in 2019, as well as what appears to be an attempt on my life this past weekend while touring Garoua, a town in the north. I will not be deterred, and I will not be silent.

Here is my plan to move Cameroon forward, from ongoing violence to a just peace. First and foremost, as an act of good faith, the Cameroonian government must immediately release all political prisoners who have been incarcerated, ostensibly because of the Anglophone conflict, as well as the post-electoral crisis triggered by the sham presidential election of October 2018, which extended Biya’s almost four-decade rule. The prisoners released must include, for example, Ayuk Tabe, a well-known voice from the Anglophone separatist community, and Mamadou Yakuba, the first vice-president of my political party, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement.

Second, the violence on both sides must end today. To accomplish this feat, the Cameroonian government, and Biya specifically, must agree to at least a temporary ceasefire with separatist forces in the Anglophone regions, including the removal of all major military installations. Our people have suffered enough calamity, and further violence will only entrench the now nearly insurmountable animosities on both sides of the divide. 

Third, the separatists and the central government must agree to a basic framework for inclusive dialogue. A key element of this roadmap will be to have honest discussions about the form and make-up of a new Cameroonian state. For me, federalism holds the key for a more sustainable and peaceful future. The proposed dialogue, presided over by an impartial international mediator, will work towards the definitive settlement of the now full-blown civil war that is tearing apart the Anglophone regions. Further delays toward this end are wholly irresponsible.

Fourth, the government must assist Anglophone citizens to return to their homes and communities by pledging to rebuild infrastructure destroyed during the war, including countless private residences, hospitals and schools. Indeed, most schools in the two Anglophone regions have already been empty for three years, effectively robbing our country of its future and a generation of knowledge and needed skills.

Lastly, Biya’s government — in co-ordination with civil society and the pro-democracy opposition — must undertake long-overdue political reforms; in other words, we must address the root causes of Cameroon’s cascading crises. There must be a consensual reform of the electoral system, certainly before the planning of any new elections, to avoid the post-election conflicts that have festered for the past 17 months. Relatedly, there must be a consensual drafting of a uniquely Cameroonian charter that guarantees the respect of basic freedoms and human rights, which have been trampled on for too long.

These interrelated initiatives will build the mutual respect that is required, and thus far lacking, to forge a viable path forward for Cameroon. If undertaken in good faith, by both sides of the conflict, we, as patriotic Cameroonians can earnestly begin to stitch together our frayed social fabric. It is not beyond repair, but the time to act is now. Only then can we, as concerned citizens, begin to trust in our leaders, heal divisions, and to put faith in our future as a nation.

Maurice Kamto is the president of the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement and a former political prisoner in Cameroon

Air France delivers coronavirus infected passengers to Cameroon

18, March 2020

Air France delivers coronavirus infected passengers to Cameroon 0

An Air France flight that landed on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, was at the center of heated debates at the Douala International Airport because of its contaminated human contents.

The flight has raised fear in the Central African country by many notches, as Cameroonians fear that their fellow Cameroonians and some Frenchmen returning to the country were bearers of the dangerous Coronavirus that has disrupted economic activity across the globe and killed thousands, especially in China where the virus started.

More than half of the passengers tested at the airport were positive, creating a situation that many think could bring the country to a standstill.

Upon hearing about the unfortunate situation in Douala, the low-energy and bankrupt government in Yaounde simply ordered that the plane should take its infected contents back to Paris, but the crew argued that Roissy Charles de Gaulle was on lockdown and that it would impossible to take the infected human cargo to France.

Even the Frenchmen who came on that flight said they could not return to France, as the insidious virus was prowling all over France in search of victims.

The situation required the intervention of the Littoral governor who promptly arrived at the airport to take care of business. The passengers and crew on the Air France flight have been quarantined at a local hotel in Douala

The world has not yet seen such a high number of infected people on one flight. Cameroon is always setting examples, even in bad situations.

144 passengers on the plane should not have even made the trip to Douala as they were already showing symptoms of the deadly Coronavirus disease even before boarding the plane in Paris.

There was total confusion at the Douala International Airport as the 144 infected passengers were told to fly back to Paris where they picked up the unwanted virus.

It is suspected that all 144 passengers on board the flight were escaping the Coronavirus outbreak in Europe.

A Douala airport official who elected anonymity told Cameroon Concord News Group that Air France had finally delivered death to Cameroonians, adding that more Cameroonians would soon be heading to an early grave due to the unpardonable mistake that had been made by bringing such unwanted cargo to the country.

To restore calm to the airport, the Littoral governor informed the passengers that due to many  Coronavirus cases on board the plane, they would be kept in a holding centre for thorough assessment and surveillance.

But Cameroonians are already losing sleep because they know how things work in their country.

The country’s monitoring systems leave much to be desired and given the level of corruption in the country, some of those passengers might bribe their way out of their quarantine centers.

“There is total panic in the country and city. These Air France passengers have spoiled my day. I have been seeing crowds of infected people on TV, I never knew my country will be receiving some of them right here in Cameroon,” the Cameroon Concord News Group source said.

“There is a lot of pressure across the country and news about these latest arrivals has only made things worse. Many people are contemplating escaping to their villages as the virus gains grounds in the cities,” he said.

He added that the government must act promptly and should ensure that even Cameroonians living abroad should not come home at least over the next three months.

“COVID-19 is nobody’s friends. It is a no respecter of people. If it could deliver a deadly punch to China and Italy, then it can rush us to an early grave with relative ease.”

“We do not have the health infrastructure and our leaders think in slow motion. If we are not careful, this virus will wreak havoc on the country,” he concluded.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in the United Kingdom

Coronavirus Outbreak: UEFA postpone Euro 2020 by a year

17, March 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak: UEFA postpone Euro 2020 by a year 0

UEFA has postponed this year’s European Championship until 2021, a source close to European football’s governing body told AFP on Tuesday, as the continent battles with the coronavirus pandemic.

The source’s confirmation of the decision came after the Norwegian FA tweeted that the new plan is for the tournament to take place from June 11 to July 11 next year, turning Euro 2020 into Euro 2021.

The decision was made as UEFA held crisis talks with its national associations as well as clubs and players bodies via videoconference on Tuesday. The decision was ratified at a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in the afternoon.

The move comes with most of Europe’s domestic leagues having ground to a halt over the last week as football confronts its biggest issue in modern times.

The UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions for clubs have also been suspended, with both still in the last-16 stage, but postponing the European Championship for national sides means they, along with national leagues, will have the chance to be completed, assuming travel restrictions are lifted in time.

Europe has become the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, with France on Tuesday having joined Italy and Spain in applying strict lockdown measures and European leaders also planning to ban all non-essential travel into the continent.

More than 2,100 people have died in Italy, which was supposed to host the opening game of Euro 2020 in Rome. The head of the Italian football federation, Gabriele Gravina, had already led calls for the Euros to be postponed.

Euro 2020 was due to be held in 12 different cities across the continent, from as far apart as Dublin and Bilbao, to Saint Petersburg and Baku.

The semi-finals and final were due to be played in London and there would considerable knock-on effects to postponing the competition — the women’s European Championship is scheduled to run from July 7 to August 1 next year in England, with the final at Wembley.

UEFA have also planned to stage an Under-21 Euros in Hungary and Slovenia in June next year.

Twenty of the 24 teams set to take part in the Euro have already qualified, but play-offs to determine the final four participants, due to be played later this month, will have to take place at a later date.

– Collision course with FIFA? –

Moving the Euro by a year also puts UEFA on a collision course with football’s world governing body FIFA, whose president Gianni Infantino has planned to stage the inaugural edition of his highly lucrative Club World Cup in June and July next year in China. Some of Europe’s top club sides are expected to be involved.

“FIFA will keep in regular contact with all relevant stakeholders during this difficult period and look to find in due course solutions in a spirit of cooperation, taking into account the interests of football at all levels,” Infantino wrote in an open letter on Monday.

“Health first and sporting solidarity should be the key principles guiding decision-making at this important moment in time and I am sure that the whole football community will live up to the great values of our sport.”

– ‘Final Four’ proposal –

As for its flagship club competitions, UEFA may come to a decision to try to complete the Champions League and Europa League by curtailing the competitions, meaning ties up to the semi-finals could be decided in one-off matches.

Reports on Tuesday also indicated both tournaments could conclude with a ‘Final Four’ meeting in the scheduled host cities — Istanbul for the Champions League and Gdansk in Poland for the Europa League, meaning the two-legged semi-finals would be removed.

Financially, UEFA will undoubtedly prefer postponements to outright cancellations, or playing matches behind closed doors, even if it is impossible at this stage to know when club football can resume.

The last European Championship, held in France in 2016, generated total revenue of close to two billion euros ($2.2 billion) for UEFA.

“The financial stakes are enormous,” according to one senior figure in the international game. “We know that FIFA has significant reserves but we don’t know about UEFA or the different leagues.”

Source:  AFP

CAF cancels Cameroon 2020 CHAM tournament

17, March 2020

CAF cancels Cameroon 2020 CHAM tournament 0

African football’s governing body has taken significant measures in light of the coronavirus and has cancelled the Cameroon 2020 CHAM tournament.

The Confederation of African Football also took steps to reduce the upcoming footballing schedule in order to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

Caf also announced the decision to suspend the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header—scheduled for late March and early April—while the women’s U-20 World Cup qualifiers and the women’s Afcon 2020 qualifiers have also been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Various different national federations have also taken their own specific measures to halting the virus spread and reducing the impact on their populations by limiting the transport—and possible transfer—that accompanies with sports gatherings.

Camcordnews

Ambazonia leader, top aides to face French Cameroun judges at the Yaounde Appeal Court

17, March 2020

Ambazonia leader, top aides to face French Cameroun judges at the Yaounde Appeal Court 0

The Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia leader, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides are expected to be back in court on Thursday for the first time after they were handed a life sentence by the Yaoundé Military Tribunal.

Cameroon Concord News understands the defiant leader will take his place in the dock behind his defense lawyers at the Yaounde Appeal Court’s trial without any of the French Cameroun government fake witnesses giving testimony.

President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his cabinet are being held by a regime that is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Southern Cameroons.

But saying he was ready to die for the people of the Federal Republic of Ambzonia, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe alongside what is now referred to in Southern Cameroons political terminology as the NERA 9 ended their hunger strike while in detention and were later on sentenced to life in prison by a French Cameroun judge whose husband is a blood relation to President Biya.

The Ambazonian leader has denied all the charges concocted by the Francophone regime in Yaounde against him and members of his government.

Southern Cameroons has been mired for four years in a Biya French Cameroun-charged war, as Cameroon government army soldiers and Ambazonia Restoration Forces battle for control of the mineral rich territory.

By Chi Prudence Asong with additional editing from Oke Akombi Ayukepi Akap in Glasgow

Coronavirus Outbreak: German Chancellor Merkel announces strict measures and tells citizens to stay home in virus fight

17, March 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak: German Chancellor Merkel announces strict measures and tells citizens to stay home in virus fight 0

German leaders on Monday urged citizens to stay home, as the government announced unprecedented nationwide measures to radically scale back public life in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Germans to cancel any holidays at home and abroad, while president Frank-Walter Steinmeier told people to “stay at home”.

The government banned gatherings in churches, mosques and synagogues and ordered non-essential shops as well as playgrounds shut.

The number of virus cases in Germany rose to 6,012 on Monday, a leap of 1,174 in 24 hours, according to the tally posted on disease control agency Robert Koch Institute’s website.

So far the country has seen 16 fatalities.

At a press conference in Berlin, Merkel said that under the new measures, “there shouldn’t be any holiday trips undertaken inside the country or outside it”.

“There have never been measures like this in our country before. They are far-reaching, but at the moment they are necessary.”

Meanwhile, Steinmeier called on Germans to “work together to ensure the virus spreads as slowly as possible”.

“So wherever possible: stay at home! Avoid close contact… and have understanding for all restrictive measures,” he said in a statement.

The sweeping restrictions aimed at “limiting social contact in public places” will leave most sites from museums to swimming pools to gyms shuttered.

But supermarkets, banks and post offices will stay open, as will pharmacies and petrol stations.

Hairdressers, construction supply stores and laundromats will also keep operating, the government said.

Restaurants and cafes can stay open, but only until 6 pm daily.

Hotels will only be used for “essential and explicitly not for tourist purposes”, the government added.

Authorities had last week ordered schools shut, and regional trains have been curtailed in a bid to reduce travel.

Germany also from Monday re-introduced checks on its borders with Austria, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark, turning back motorists without an essential reason to enter Germany.

With most of Europe now in lockdown, and stock markets in a tailspin, Berlin on Friday promised companies “unlimited” credit to keep them afloat.

The economic package is worth at least 550 billion euros ($614 billion) initially — the biggest in Germany’s post-war history.

(AFP)

«< 737 738 739 740 741 >»