Headline News

Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola Containment Efforts Threatened by Insecurity, Underfunding

20, May 2019

Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola Containment Efforts Threatened by Insecurity, Underfunding 0

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns the Ebola epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could spread to urban areas and across international borders because of heightened insecurity and a serious shortage of money. DR Congo Ministry of Health reports 1,739 cases of Ebola, including 1,147 deaths, which indicates a 66 percent fatality rate.

The Ebola epidemic in conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces started 40 weeks ago on August 1. What is particularly frightening about the latest situation report is that 20 percent of overall cases have occurred in just the last three weeks.

The International Red Cross Federation finds this sharp upsurge alarming. It is urging the international community to redouble its efforts to contain this deadly virus before it escalates further.

The IFRC’s Director of Health and Care, Emanuele Capobianco, says the Ebola response faces a double jeopardy of insecurity and critical underfunding. He says the security situation is complex and will require a range of responses. But he notes the funding situation could be fixed now.

“At the moment, the financial situation for many of the humanitarian organizations is quite dire,” he said. “There is a real need to step up the response. Otherwise, activities will have to be scaled down and the impact on the future of the epidemic will be extremely serious.”

People who get infected with the Ebola virus have a very high risk of dying. Studies from the 2014 historic outbreak in West Africa show that between 60 and 80 percent of Ebola cases were linked to Ebola-infected bodies at traditional burials.

Capobianco says Red Cross efforts to provide communities with safe and dignified burials are meeting with increasing success.

“Up to now, there have been up to 5,000 safe and dignified burials conducted and they are conducted for, as I mentioned before, the people who died either in the community or the Ebola treatment centers of Ebola confirmed,” he said. Also, for people who may be just suspected of Ebola. And, that is why the number of 5,000 is so high. That is a critical part of the work that we have done and which, at the moment is threatened by the lack of funding.”

Capobianco says the Red Cross has received less than half of the $30 million it needs to carry out its Ebola-control activities across affected parts of DR Congo, as well as preparedness efforts in neighboring Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.

He warns Red Cross operations will be forced to close within the next two weeks without additional urgent investment.

Source: VOA

Cameroon, Kenya Militaries Fighting Terrorism Through Development

20, May 2019

Cameroon, Kenya Militaries Fighting Terrorism Through Development 0

A delegation from the Kenyan military is sharing experience on how the Cameroon military engineering corps has taken over road construction projects in Boko Haram terrorism prone areas to use the example and develop areas of its territory threatened by Al-Shabab which they say is still a threat. The Kenyan delegation has been in Cameroon for several days.

A Cameroon military engineering corps compactor is constructing a portion of the road linking its northern border town of Kousseri to the Chadian capital Ndjamena and Borno state in northeastern Nigeria.

Colonel Jackson Kamgain, director of Cameroon military engineering corps, says they re-launched the World Bank-sponsored project in March 2018 after it had been abandoned for four years.

He said since independence in 1961, the Cameroon military engineering corps has participated actively in the development of all localities and insures that major projects in conflict zones are not abandoned unlike in many other countries where military engineering departments concentrate only on making access easy for troops in areas of war or conflicts.

Colonel Jackson Kamgain, director of Cameroon military engineering corps, says they re-launched the World Bank-sponsored project in March 2018.
Colonel Jackson Kamgain, director of Cameroon military engineering corps, says they re-launched the World Bank-sponsored project in March 2018.

The road project was interrupted in 2014 following an assault on the base camp of the Chinese road contractors in which 10 of their workers were kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram rebels. The kidnappers also stole 10 vehicles and a container of explosives. The workers escaped but road construction companies refused to resume work there for fear of the terrorists,

The government of Cameroon convinced project funders that its military engineering corps could construct the road even while the war against Boko Haram was raging. The World Bank provided about $125 million for the project, which is to be completed in 24 months.

General Mohamud Muhamed Ali, governor of Kenya’s Marsabit region and head of the 17-man Kenyan delegation of military and officials from the ministry of transport, said they came to Cameroon to learn from the Central African state’s experience.

“The military was challenged with a very very unique situation which is nor very normal in their line of duty. Because of serious level of insecurity where contractors have not been able to show any interest to undertake major construction work in the area infested by Boko Haram, they showed leadership and undertook that serious national project,” he said.

Ali said the Kenyan government’s plan to link the country with Somalia by constructing a link road to increase trade between the two countries has been facing threats from the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab insurgency.

In April 2019, the International Crisis Group reported that since 2015, al-Shabab has conducted over one hundred small-scale assaults in the north east of Kenya, killing dozens of soldiers and police, mostly with roadside bombs.

Fire and smoke rises from an explosion in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. An upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital came under attack with a blast and heavy gunfire.
Fire and smoke rises from an explosion in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. An upscale hotel complex in Kenya’s capital came under attack with a blast and heavy gunfire.

Kenyan General James Gitiba, who was also in Cameroon, said African militaries will contribute more to reducing pain and suffering in the continent’s several conflict zones if they also embrace development initiatives that go beyond simply fighting enemies.

“Most militaries in Africa are known for the various basic function of enhancing mobility which is basically clearing a route for the troops to pass and also survivability. So for Cameroon this is a milestone and I think I could also urge other friendly countries to come here and learn,” he said.

Soldiers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger, part of the multi-national joint task force of the lake Chad Basin Commission, have been fighting Boko Haram terrorism that began in northeastern Nigeria 9 years ago and has left 25,000 people dead and forced more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Source: VOA

Paris: Protesters call for Biya’s resignation

20, May 2019

Paris: Protesters call for Biya’s resignation 0

Hundreds of Cameroonians have held a huge protest in the diaspora and demanded for the resignation of President Paul Biya.

The anti-Biya protest held in Paris, France is adding up to a mounting pressure on the Biya regime.

Protesters displayed the pictures of the incarcerated leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Party, Professor Maurice Kamto.

Anglophone Cameroon has been in turmoil for years now following security crackdown on separatists attempting to declare an independent state.

Cameroonians in English speaking regions say the French-dominated speaking country has discriminated against them for years.

85 year old President, Paul Biya was sworn in for his seventh term last year.

Mr. Biya had pledged to uphold the “integrity” and “unity” of his country. But he appears to be coming under intense pressure over some human rights abuses.

President Biya is however poised to extend his extend his 36-year rule, cementing his place among Africa’s longest serving leaders.

He will end his tenure at the age of 92. Biya came into power in 1982 when his predecessor then retired.

Source: Africafeeds

Nigerian UN peacekeeper killed in Mali

19, May 2019

Nigerian UN peacekeeper killed in Mali 0

A Nigerian peacekeeper was killed Saturday in an attack on the United Nations’ stabilization mission in Mali, the UN said.

The victim “succumbed to his wounds following the armed attack by unidentified assailants” in Timbuktu, a statement said. A Nigerian peacekeeper was also injured.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “deeply saddened” by the assault, which he said could amount to a war crime.

In a separate incident Saturday, three Chadian peacekeepers were wounded when their mine-protected vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Tessalit, in Mali’s Kidal region.

The UN’s MINUSMA mission was established in Mali after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country in 2012. They were pushed back by French troops in 2013.

A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability. But the accord has failed to stop the violence.

Since their deployment in 2013, more than 190 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including nearly 120 killed by hostile action — making MINUSMA the UN’s deadliest peacekeeping operation, accounting for more than half of blue helmets killed globally in the past five years.

AFP

Attack on Manyu County: The Ambazonia Interim Government will benefit from this mayhem

19, May 2019

Attack on Manyu County: The Ambazonia Interim Government will benefit from this mayhem 0

The Manyu County has again become an important battle constituency not just for the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime but for all the parties involved in the war in Southern Cameroon. The French Cameroun government army — backed by elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR and the local gendarmerie is fighting Ambazonia Restoration Forces to take over the Eyumojock area. However, in the garb of fighting the Southern Cameroons Self Defense groups, the pro-Biya regime forces are attacking civilian settlements. The Ambazonian Vice President Dabney Yerima has condemned the recent French Cameroun land assault in the Manyu County.

On the 17th of May, three houses were burnt in Nchang village and five civilians were killed by Francophone soldiers. The Cameroon government army deployed in Manyu also fired shots at several homes in Ntenako killing scores of young men and reportedly arrested dozens.

“We have not gotten any strong condemnation from the so-called Prime Minister, the mayor of Mamfe including the Bishop of Mamfe whose voices are pretending to be interested in dialogue” noted a senior traditional ruler in Manyu who sued for anonymity.

The leader of the Manyu County government Seseskou Dr Ako Peter has been quoted as saying that

“Our girls and women have been raped. Thousands of our young men and women have been slaughtered and mostly buried in unmarked mass graves. Others have been maimed, while an even greater number has been displaced both internally and externally, being not sure of where their next meal is to come from. To crown all of these atrocious and dehumanizing treatment of our people, Mr Biya has now turned to humiliating our Chiefs, with the intention of ultimately desecrating our culture and rendering useless. This inhuman treatment of our people MUST be stopped.”

A recent report by the US Under Secretary for African Affairs, Tibor Naggy, on the threat posed by the war in Southern Cameroons to international peace and security, comes to the conclusion that the Biya regime will not be able to win the war via military force.

The Tibor Naggy report also raises ‘major concerns’ about not engaging the Southern Cameroons Diaspora and by extrapolation, the Ambazonian Interim Government to influence and impact the outcome of the crisis.

While the numbers of Ambazonian attacks against Cameroon government forces in recent times have become relatively low, Cameroon Intelligence Report understands that this could rise with the appointment of Vice President Dabney Yerima and his push towards reconciling all Southern Cameroons groups.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Rita Akana and Sama Ernest

Sasse Old Boys: Secretary General warns SOBA America against meddling in SOBA UK affairs

19, May 2019

Sasse Old Boys: Secretary General warns SOBA America against meddling in SOBA UK affairs 0

Fellow Sobans,

On 10th May 2019, the President of SOBA America published an interview conducted by Brian N. Njotsa in the 2019 SOBA America newsletter. President Mafany Itoe raised issues which misrepresent SOBA UK, the SOBA Constitution and the mediation efforts in the dispute in SOBA UK.

President Itoe was aware of the stage of the dispute now at the UK Company Names Tribunal adjudicator whilst giving his interview. His narrative was a dubious attempt to influence SOBA UK matters in favour of the splinter group which he supports. His account, albeit second hand, only goes to fuel animosity amongst members of our UK community and beyond.

Mindful of the good relationship between SOBA UK and SOBA America, and the need for continuous collaboration, we have found it necessary to respond to these unprecedented utterances by President Itoe regarding the UK association.

We denounce the following falsehoods perpetrated by President Itoe as follows;

1) That going by the Constitution (2018) the president of the splinter group is the recognised president of SOBA UK President Itoe should be well aware that there are two groups in the UK. President Akoh-Arrey is the elected president of 112 registered members of the original SOBA UK, which has been in existence for the last 48 years, a group that owns UK trademarks, “SASSE OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION UNITED KINGDOM”, and has built up and sustained significant goodwill both in its membership and the UK Cameroonian community.  The second SOBA group in the UK referred to as the splinter group was constituted on 7th Oct 2017 and has a separate membership and executive. This splinter group is much smaller and has yet to publish any official registration list of its members, assumed to be circa 20.

President Itoe’s comments show his arrogance and lack of respect for over 85% of Sobans in the UK who are registered and affiliated with the original group, and whose activities are a role model for Sobans around the world. Furthermore, he asserts his personal acceptance of the unratified 2018 SOBA Constitution and on those grounds declares that the president of the splinter group is the president of SOBA UK recognised by SOBA America. We note that President Itoe also calls himself the president of Sobans in the free world but he is yet to take the 2018 Constitution signed by Prof Ephraim Ndeh Ngwafor dated 10th March 2018 to the General Assembly (GA) of SOBA America. In a recent publication he underscored the importance of the GA but he has only personally ratified the 2018 Constitution which will be incongruent with the values of SOBA America if his own GA is bypassed.

2) That SOBA Chapters are like KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) franchises  It is most disconcerting to read such a weak comparison and notice misleading conclusions about the structure of SOBA by President Itoe. KFC’s franchises enter into a commercial agreement at inception to offer a well-defined product for which goodwill has already been created and royalties may be charged. SOBA on the other hand consists of members who are ex-students of Sasse College and who have a fundamental right to set up chapters, class groups or other parochial groups in the jurisdictions where they settle. The 1991 SOBA Constitution recognises this fundamental structure of SOBA and devolves powers to the members to run their affairs as they see fit, and through the operations of an assembly of members, both in spirit and in practice.

President Itoe shows a lack of insight on the practical realities when he compares SOBA chapters to KFC franchises;

  • Beginning with his own chapter, SOBA America, as an example, Ernest N. Tate, Esq, a legal expert in the US wrote that – “from a legal vantage point, neither SOBA America Inc nor Sasse Alumni Association, Inc have any direct legal affiliation with SOBA General or Sasse Old Boys Association in Cameroon and therefore, no constitutional amendments, resolutions, or corporate actions taken by Sasse Old Boys Association in Cameroon can affect SOBA America Inc or Sasse Alumni Association Inc, regardless of who participated in the adoption of such amendments or resolutions”.
  • Another example is SOBA Foundation, Germany. This chapter was set up as an NGO that receives funding from the German Government to undertake benevolent activities and operate under the terms of its set up. For many years SOBA Foundation has had no contact or affiliation to the national branch in Cameroon.
  • Finally, SOBA UK and SOBA Ireland are set up as unincorporated associations, and have only ever had a loose collaborative connection with the national branch, and like all other diaspora chapters, do not pay any registration fee to SOBA in Cameroon.

To this end, we categorically reject President Itoe’s comparison of SOBA to KFC.

3) Apportioning blame of mediation failure attempts to the Akoh-Arrey team Conflict resolution often requires careful consideration of the feuding parties before prescribing the engagement method. It is regrettable that mediation attempts from both the Itoe-backed team and Prof Ngwafor lacked the capability, neutrality or good faith to deliver a successful outcome. Prof Ngwafor has a history of animosity with the Akoh-Arrey team since the 2015 Sickbay MOU debacle, and therefore his intervention was biased.

The Itoe-backed mediation lacked patience with the Akoh-Arrey team who asked to get the SOBA UK GA’s opinion. These supposed mediators then called off the process prematurely to give green light to the high-handed approach of their superiors in the national branch to ban UK Sobans for life, a decision which has since been dismissed by the SOBA UK General Assembly.

In conclusion, we denounce all misrepresentations made by President Itoe of SOBA America in his interview. His intervention, whilst also taking sides, has made matters worse, not better. Our fervent wish is that he can take some responsibility and help to sort out the perilous state of affairs that his final days as president of SOBA America are turning out to be, before his departure.

Mr. John Bawak

Executive SG,

On behalf of the 112 Registered Members of SOBA UK

Man Utd ‘rejected in bid for Ajax’s £35m-rated keeper Andre Onana’

19, May 2019

Man Utd ‘rejected in bid for Ajax’s £35m-rated keeper Andre Onana’ 0

MANCHESTER UNITED have failed in a bid for Ajax keeper Andre Onana, it has been claimed.

United are said to have seen an offer of £35million knocked back by the Dutch giants for the Cameroon international.

Manchester United have seen a bid for Ajax keeper Andre Onana rejected amid doubts over the future of David De Gea
Manchester United have seen a bid for Ajax keeper Andre Onana rejected amid doubts over the future of David De Gea

The Daily Record claims the Old Trafford club made their move amid ongoing concerns over the future of David De Gea at the club.

And it remains to be seen if they will return with an improved bid as the major overhaul at United starts to begin kicking into gear.

Onana, 25,  has been an impressive performer for club and country over the past few years, leading to him catching the eye of Red Devils scouts.

But the fact the club have gone as far as making an offer suggests there is huge doubt over the long-term prospects for De Gea.

The Spanish international is about to enter the final year of his existing deal with the club who are desperate for him to commit his future there.

STALLED

But talks over a new £350,000-a-week deal have stalled in recent months, at the same time De Gea lost his form and made a series of high-profile mistakes.

There were even calls for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop the 28-year-old as his errors played a part in the exit from the Champions League and then the fall down to sixth in the Premier League.

United only qualifying for the Europa League next season, and Solskjaer admitting the club need a miracle to be challenging for the title next year, will also have been noted by De Gea who wants to be playing at the top level now he is in the peak years of his career.

Paris Saint-Germain have been monitoring his progress closely and United know they face a decision over whether to sell him this summer while they can still command a fee of risk losing him on a free transfer in 12 months.

Onana is regarded as a top class keeper who has been watched by a number of sides across Europe, and crucially he is still relatively young and has plenty of his best years ahead of him.

That means he fits the mould of the type of player Solskjaer and the United board want to sign as they try to build a new-look side of young players with promise.

Source: The Sun UK

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The government is under enormous pressure

18, May 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The government is under enormous pressure 0

The Yaounde government is coming under enormous pressure. The regime that once said the form of the state was non-negotiable, is today contemplating building a federal system for the country.

The country’s Prime Minister recently indicated that the president wanted to dialogue, but would not dialogue with separatists. This position is gradually changing as the international community mounts more pressure.

The government is gradually cracking and Americans are not relenting. The government dissolving resolve can be clearing noticed as government ministers keep on contradicting each other.

Speaking on Friday, May 17 on France 24, the country’s territorial administration minister, Atanga Nji, an ex-convict, said that the president was ready and willing to dialogue with separatists. A significant shift in the government’s rhetoric.

A shift that is being welcome across the world, though many observers are still skeptical about the regime. They hold that the government must put forth a clear agenda, adding that there must be a mediator and the genuine inclusive dialogue must be held out of the country for the Diaspora and civil society to fully participate.

But before this happens, the Biya regime must change its ways. The Yaounde government must submit itself to international scrutiny.

Stopping human rights groups from coming into the country does not give the nation a good name. The International Crisis Group has been banned in Cameroon as the rights group has been very critical of the dictatorial regime.

A Human Rights Watch representative was recently refused entry into the country. Amnesty International is not given free and unfettered access to the two English-speaking regions of the country for it to document atrocities.

The government must understand that these organizations have the resources and means to conduct open source investigation to obtain the facts they need. What is the government hiding that it does not want the international community to know?

The government’s dishonesty and refusal to hold a truly genuine dialogue on the Southern Cameroons crisis has put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

The Southern Cameroons Diaspora has done a good job at courting the international community and the fruits are there. Americans have embraced the cause and they are doing all they can to rally other countries to the cause.

The Americans and Canadians are pouring enormous pressure on the government. America does not want to break up the country, but it is clear when it comes to what it wants.

The US wants a federal system for Cameroon and Tibor Nagy, the American undersecretary for African Affairs, is promoting this idea and the American society has bought the idea hook, line and sinker.

This has also been the Canadian idea since the conflict started some three years ago and the Canadian government is not wavering on this.

It has the experience of dealing with minorities and can help Cameroon build a solid federal system that will make the Central African nation one of the best countries in the world.

Southern Cameroonians might have lost loved ones and homes, but they must work with the Americans to address those issues that have triggered this unfortunate situation.

Extremism in this case will be foolish. America and Canada are great allies. Do not alienate them. The Diaspora that has so far done a great job can now start sensitizing the fighters on the ground regarding the American, Canadian and UN positions.

The real work has just started and all Southern Cameroonians must make their contribution.

Dr Arrey Joachim

Soccer star Ronaldo donates $1.5mn to Palestinians for Ramadan

18, May 2019

Soccer star Ronaldo donates $1.5mn to Palestinians for Ramadan 0

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has donated $1.5 million to the Palestinians in a move to alleviate the suffering of people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

He allocated the fund to the Palestinians during the holy month of Ramadan.

The soccer player has, in several occasions, denounced Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians.

Back in 2012, Ronaldo had auctioned off his Golden Boot, the prestigious award given to the best European strikers of the season, to raise funds that were later donated to the Palestinian children.

The following year, in March 2013, at the end of the match between Portugal and Israel for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Ronaldo refused to exchange his shirt with an Israeli player.

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli land, air and sea blockade since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.

Palestinians have held weekly rallies along the Gaza border to protest the siege on the enclave and demand the right for refugees to return to their homes they fled during the 1948 creation of Israel.

More than 270 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by Israeli forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip on March 30, 2018. Over 16,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries.

Source: Presstv

US Democrats accuse Trump of ‘bending intelligence’ on Iran

18, May 2019

US Democrats accuse Trump of ‘bending intelligence’ on Iran 0

Four US senators have sent a letter to President Donald Trump to express growing concerns on Capitol Hill that his administration is “inflating threats and bending intelligence” to justify a potential armed confrontation with Iran.

The letter, from Democratic Senators Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, and obtained by the Foreign Policymagazine, accuses the Trump administration of leading the US down a “path to another war in the Middle East.”

In the letter, the lawmakers warn that the Trump administration’s Iran strategy is “increasingly inconsistent and counterproductive” and “fits into a larger pattern of inflating threats and bending intelligence to justify dangerous, predetermined policies.”

They asked Trump to respond to their letter by June 15 with more clarification on his Iran policy.

The letter underscores the growing concern in the US Congress that the White House might stumble into an armed confrontation with Iran. It also highlights how rattled Democrats are by the administration’s overall Iran strategy.

Last week, two other Democratic senators, Dick Durbin and Tom Udall, published an op-ed in the Washington Post that delivered similar warnings.

The letter comes amid reports that Trump is angry at his National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other hawks in his administration who are pushing the United States into a military confrontation with Iran.

PressTV-Bolton, Pompeo irk Trump with Iran war threats

The four senators also said the administration’s threat assessment on Iran’s nuclear program is “inconsistent” with the findings of America’s own intelligence agencies, as well as those of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In January, the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a US congressional hearing, “we do not believe Iran is currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities we judge necessary to produce a nuclear device.”

In February, the IAEA backed up Coats’s assertion and once again reaffirmed Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“Your administration, however, is making assertions that are at odds with these findings,” the letter reads, citing Pompeo’s recent accusation that Iran was engaging in “nuclear blackmail.”

They also cited a new US State Department report that suggested Iran was not in compliance with obligations on nonproliferation.

“In sum, we fear that your administration is leading the United States down the path to another war in the Middle East, while spurning our allies and misleading the United States public,” the senators write. 

Earlier this month, Bolton said that Washington was preparing for possible attacks by Iran or its allied forces in the region.

Citing those “threats,” Washington sent military reinforcements to the region, including an aircraft carrier strike group, a squadron of B-52 bombers, and a battery of patriot missiles.

Presstv

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