Life

20, March 2022

Biya regime owing teachers up to 10 years of salary arrears ⁰

Cameroon has sent government ministers and governors to convince disgruntled teachers to return to classrooms and teach. The teachers have been protesting for a month, demanding better pay and the payment of salary arrears, some dating back 10 years.

Cameroon officials say opposition politicians and what the government calls irresponsible civil society groups are encouraging protesting teachers to continue to defy state authority.

The government says several dozen politicians and civil society groups are asking children to not go to school and teachers not to teach until the government provides all their needs.

Cameroonian teachers have been protesting for a month, demanding better pay and working conditions.

Eleven political parties, including the Social Democratic Front, the Union of Cameroon People and the Cameroon Peoples Party, have asked the government to find satisfactory and definitive answers to the teachers’ demands. They said the protest is legitimate.

The government has asked senior state officials including governors and ministers to convince teachers to return to classrooms and teach.

Nalova Lyonga, Cameroon’s minister of secondary education, says Cameroonian President Paul Biya promised to pay teachers’ outstanding transportation fares and salary arrears gradually starting this month.

“Teachers, please come back. Don’t go to the streets. There is no need to go to the streets because the head of state is listening. We are going to make the teachers proud. We have to do that, so let me get my teachers back,” she said.

Lyonga said many teachers refuse to return to the classrooms but did not say how many.

The teachers say about 80,000 of them are owed a total of about $200 million.

Biya this month ordered the payment of $4 million in back pay for striking teachers who graded exams. Teachers dismissed the amount as insufficient.

Cameroon also promised to pay $34 million this month and said the rest of the transportation fares will be paid gradually. While some teachers returned to work, others again said the money is largely insufficient.

Eloundou Patrice, a spokesperson for OTS, a teachers’ pressure group spearheading the protest, says when a similar protest was held in 2017, Cameroon’s government said Biya ordered the payment of salary arrears. Eloundou says one month of salary arrears for some teachers was paid, and when the protest was called off, the government stopped settling the debts to teachers. He says he does not trust Biya and his government.

The government continues to claim it will improve the living and working conditions of teachers by providing their needs gradually.

Teachers say some of them are owed up to 10 years of salary arrears. They also asked for the monthly salaries of primary school teachers to be increased from about $150 to at least $400 and those of secondary school teachers to be increased from about $400 to at least $800.

Source: VOA

3, March 2022

Manu Dibango: Today, Tomorrow And Forever ⁰

Emmanuel N’Djoké Dibango – Manu Dibango – will live forever thanks to his Afropolitan sounds, and to the fact that many artists in Africa and beyond are deeply indebted to him.

He was a man of legendary generosity of spirit and talent, with an accommodating heart that sought to bridge the local and the global with creativity and innovation in song and music. His album Soul Makossa was of such artistic genius that even a global superstar like Michael Jackson couldn’t resist sampling from it to enrich his own album, Thriller.

In his 1994 biography, Dibango describes himself as “Négropolitain”. It’s a term that would later be adopted and popularised as “Afropolitanism” by others enthralled by his idea of grounded cosmopolitanism.

African and European at one and the same time.

He saw himself – and insisted on being seen – as “a man between two cultures, two environments”. His music could not be confined to either, without losing its complexity and richness. It was the fruit of his diverse influences. His nimble fingers, voice and intellect were averse to any artificial barriers or attempts to contain the flow of the river of musical humanity.

Three kilos of coffee

Born on December 12 in 1933 in Douala, Cameroon, Dibango was sent by his parents to study in France when he was only 15 years old. He arrived in France bearing a gift of three kilograms of coffee from his parents, for his host.

In France he met Francis Bebey, another musician from his native Douala, with whom he formed a band and began to experiment with different modern instruments, such as the piano and the saxophone.

He later relocated to Brussels where he met his wife to be, Marie-Josée (whom he would fondly call Coco). It was also in Brussels that his music career began to blossom through fruitful contacts. Two in particular stand out: Joseph Kabasélé and African Jazz, who introduced him to “the cha-cha and the rumba, the two breasts nourishing Zairean music”, and who, in 1961, also invited him to Zaïre (today’s Democratic Republic of Congo). The result was his first record, African Soul, “a mixture of jazz, popular music, and rumba”.

Dibango’s life was exemplary in its resilience, combativeness and ingenuity in mobilising his creativity to contain or at least confront political and cultural repression. His music brought him worldwide fame. But he did not feel particularly fulfilled in the land of his birth.

He spent the best part of his life in a determined struggle to win recognition for music as art and musicians as artists in his motherland and elsewhere in Africa. These were contexts of strongman politics, personality cults and repeated frustrations by politicians, sometimes in cassock. Notwithstanding censorship, jealousy, penury, and repeated frustration and disappointment as an artist, Dibango refused to be deterred.

Manu Dibango performs on stage at Ronnie Scott’s club in 2009 in London. David Redfern/Redferns

Leaving Cameroon

He returned to Cameroon from Zaïre in 1963, issuing the album Nasengina. This was his only piece constructed purely from the indigenous Cameroonian makossa.

Dibango was appreciated by ordinary Cameroonians. But he hated the fact that politicians kept his artistic creativity under close surveillance. He was disenchanted with authorities that did not allow people “to fantasise” and “to dream”, and who forced everyone to talk “in cautious whispers” and to be “wary of everyone else”.

In 1964, disappointed in “this harmful atmosphere”, Dibango closed down his club and abandoned all dreams of opening a musical conservatory or arts institute. He left Cameroon for France after barely 16 months back home.

Still, he could not bring himself to give up on Cameroon entirely. He would pay brief return visits from the early 1980s onwards. His desire “to forge a unified image of Cameroon, representing all the musical currents in the country” received rare facilitation from the Minister of Culture who happened to be his friend, and resulted in a three-record set, Fleurs Musicales du Cameroun.

But his desire to project himself as “this famous Cameroonian musician heard everywhere but in Cameroon” would be met with the same contradictions, making the air “unbreathable” in what he described as his “last African adventure”.

He felt cursed that he “couldn’t create something here in Cameroon”. He found it ironic that Côte d’Ivoire, with the blessing of then President Houphouët-Boigny, could entrust him with the task of heading the Orchestre de la Radio-Télévision Ivoirienne, while Cameroon could not even take seriously his expertise as a professional musician of world renown.

Together with other expatriate African musical talents in France, Dibango released Tam-Tam pour l’Ethiopie, to raise funds for famine-stricken Ethiopia between 1983 and 1985. The initiative served as “proof that Africans too could take concrete action” vis-à-vis their own predicaments. And he personally took the proceeds from the album to refugee camps in Ethiopia to ensure that

‘For once, the money wouldn’t be misused by the government in power’.

Although the situation has improved significantly since publication of his biography in 1994, Dibango’s music is still much more appreciated abroad – as “world music” – than in Cameroon.

Despite the government’s attempts to impose creative inertia upon him in the early 1960s, Dibango was given the honour of composing the theme song of the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations football finals hosted by Cameroon. In 1988, he received a decoration as a Knight of Order and of Valour. However, as Dibango observed, “the authorities could decorate me with all the medals they liked” without doing much to stop “the descent into hell” for artistic creativity in a country where it is not uncommon to mobilise the military to raid clubs. Or to impose entertainment taxes with the intention of crippling artists who are perceived to be critical or unpalatable.

Manu Dibango died after contracting COVID-19 at the age of 86 in Paris, where he felt “condemned to be an expatriate”.

Quibble as they may in Cameroon, Dibango leaves behind a towering record of Afropolitan musical genius of truly global magnitude, to feed and inspire many a generation to come. Manu Dibango does not have to be in Cameroon, in Africa or physically in the world to continue to do things of relevance.

Culled from The Citizen

3, March 2022

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Students stranded as teachers strike, demand unpaid salaries ⁰

Teachers in Cameroon are refusing to work, citing unpaid salaries, some dating back years. Government-led negotiations Tuesday failed to reach an agreement, putting the education of hundreds of thousands of children on hold.

Students at Government Bilingual High School Deido in the city of Douala sing that the government should pay their teachers so children have access to education.

In the song, the children say their dreams of becoming government ministers, doctors, journalists and entrepreneurs will be shattered if the government fails to listen to teachers.

Architect David Muluh has three children in the school. He says he visited the school on Wednesday to find out why teachers come to school but refuse to teach and “because of COVID, children have not been regular in school. If they continue losing [education] because their teachers are on strike, the children’s future is jeopardized. So, my plea is that the government should look into their problems.”

Muluh said school attendance in Cameroon has not been regular since the central African state reported its first cases of COVID-19 in March 2020.

He said during the Africa Football Cup of Nations, which Cameroon hosted last month, the government interrupted classes so students could fill empty football stadiums. He said children have no time to waste if they are to prepare for this year’s final examinations, expected in May.

Ten Cameroon teachers’ associations and unions last week announced a strike against what they call the disrespect of teachers by the government.

The teachers say the monthly salaries of primary school teachers should be increased from about $150 to at least $400. They are also asking the salaries of secondary school teachers to be increased from about $400 to at least $800.

Valentine Tameh, president of the Teachers’ Association of Cameroon, says his colleagues are particularly angry because the government has recruited more teachers than it can pay and now owes several years of unpaid salaries.

“You have teachers who have gone for 9 years, 10 years, without salaries and the government has kept promising and kept promising and promising and what is most irksome is that those who have money, go and give bribes and they have their arrears, they have their salaries.”

The sides negotiated Tuesday, and the government promised to look into the teachers’ grievances and pay the outstanding salaries of at least 17,000 teachers, though it did not say when.

A statement from Fouda Seraphin Magloire, secretary general of the prime minister’s office, said the teachers agreed to suspend the strike.

Geography instructor Appolinnaire Ze, a spokesman for the disgruntled teachers, says the teachers agreed to no such thing.

Ze says all teachers should go to school, but should not teach. He says school children should be calm and understand that teachers are going through a very difficult time. Ze says teachers should be humble but courageous to ask intimidating police and government officials if the police and government officials can also work for so many years without being paid.

The government denies that its officials and the police are trying to intimidate the teachers.

Source: VOA

22, February 2022

34 killed as cholera epidemic spreads in Cameroon ⁰

At least 34 people have died so far in a cholera epidemic that is sweeping the Central African nation of Cameroon, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday.

The epidemic has hit at least four regions, including the Littoral region where the commercial capital Douala is located.

In the Southwest region, 28 people have died, and 1,055 others infected. There are 77 cases and four deaths in the Littoral region, the South region has 52 cases and two deaths and the Far North region has reported eight cases, OCHA said.

Cholera cases were first reported in localities in the Littoral and Southwest regions of the country in early January.

Last week, Cameroon’s Minister of Public Health Malachie Manaouda urged people to stay hygienic and report any infections to the hospital.

Outbreaks of the water-borne disease occur regularly in Cameroon, mainly due to poor sanitation and a lack of access to clean drinking water.

Cholera, which is spread by ingesting fecal matter, causes acute watery diarrhea and can kill within hours if not treated.

Source: Xinhuanet

21, February 2022

Military-Separatists War: Education is on standby in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Education is on standby in Cameroon’s English-speaking South West and North West regions, where students and the education system are paying a high price for a war between separatists and the Defense and Security Forces (DSF).

This year’s traditional Feb. 11 Youth Day parade was marked by the burning of dormitories and threats against students at Queen of the Rosary College Okoyong in Mamfe in the South West region by armed separatists the night before.

The video of the fire was posted on social media, infuriating the public and upsetting the national and international communities. The attack has renewed debate over the state of education in Cameroon’s separatist-afflicted regions, which have been ravaged by the separatists since 2016.

“Feb. 11 is not to be celebrated in the North West and South West because of the war that is going on. We are at war. We should not pretend. Sometimes we do this to get the attention of the international community because we know that they are following all the events closely. Our videos are war strategies,” ‘Daddy Boy’, leader of the Ambazonia Military Forces (AMF), a group of separatist fighters, told Anadolu Agency by phone.

The English-speaking minority in this bilingual Central African country feels marginalized and has staged a series of protests since 2016 calling for independence.

The unresolved conflict has resulted in at least 15 attacks on schools and 268 abductions of students and education professionals, deteriorating the security situation, closing schools and depriving 700,000 students since 2017, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Separatists have “attacked, intimidated or threatened thousands of students, education workers and parents in an effort to prevent children from attending school,” it said.

Local authorities and non-governmental organizations also reported school massacres in which at least 11 students and at least two teachers lost their lives between 2020 and 2021. Of these students, the Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) documented two killings between October and November 2021 by the DSF.

“Armed separatists bear full responsibility for these targeted attacks on education, but the response of the Cameroonian government and security forces has been inadequate and is hampered by the numerous abusive counterinsurgency operations in the Anglophone regions, which have spread deep mistrust among the civilian population victimized by these operations,” according to HRW.

Daddy Boy reported that when the struggle began in 2016, the only objective was to stop schools with the help of civil society in order to get the government’s attention.

”But things have changed on the ground and the struggle persists. We found out that at this stage, schools have no effect because we are now in a total war, so there is no point in disturbing the students from going to school,” he said.

He is convinced that the government is working on school attacks also through the military in order to incriminate the separatists and stir up international outrage.

“We are here to support and protect these children as our top priority, not to harm them in any way. I speak as a fighter on the ground. If we were killing children, then there would be no schools, and yet there are still schools open. To enter the premises of a school and mourn all the students is nothing for us because we know all the roads and the environment of our towns, but we cannot do that because we all know what we are fighting for,” he said.

Human rights lawyer Agbor Nkongho Felix Balla said that although the Cameroonian government has signed the UN Safe Schools Declaration, its military has not provided school security.

Following the Oct. 24, 2020 massacre at Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba in the South West region, where at least seven children aged 7 to 12 were killed by bullets and knives and a dozen injured, the Ministry of Communication said the attacked school had launched its activities without the government’s knowledge and therefore could not benefit from the same protective measures as other schools.

The secessionists’ objective was to break the momentum observed in the resumption of classes, it said, also accusing Cameroonians in the diaspora of orchestrating these despicable killings and fueling the climate of insecurity in the Anglophone regions.

The separatists denied it, calling it “false allegations” and blamed the security forces for some of the school attacks. The government has refuted the charges, saying these are intended to discredit the military.

Student soldiers

Meanwhile, Balla warned of the possibility of the uneducated generation of Anglophone youth joining criminal fighters because they lack other economic survival skills.

“Before joining the struggle, I was a student and at the same time a businessman. But after the murder of my three brothers and the way we’ve been mistreated, I decided to fight as a separatist,” said Daddy Boy.

He cited former classmates and teachers who are on the battlefield with him today “because they have definitely lost everything they owned, from their homes, businesses and personal belongings.”

“Many of our people have joined this fight not because they desire separation or a separate country, but because they are frustrated and have nowhere else to go. Some join because their family members are imprisoned,” he explained.

“For others who are dissatisfied, joining the war provides them protection from the AmbaBoys (or Ambazonians),” he added.

Despite the “pain,” he said he is ready to end the fight and return to school at any time if he has the opportunity to, and in a different atmosphere — this after the release of war prisoners, the Anglophone zones’ demilitarization, a general amnesty and after a real peaceful dialogue with “a third party mediation on neutral ground.”

The dialogue organized on Sept. 30, 2019 by Cameroon’s President Paul Biya was, according to him, “a monologue” without a real willingness to engage in dialogue because the necessary conditions were not met and separatist fighters were exposed to the possibility of being arrested or killed.

If the government and separatists could have ended the conflict, they would have, according to Arrey Elvis Ntui, a senior Cameroonian expert with the International Crisis Group (ICG).

“The government and the separatists are pursuing a military strategy, in part because of the government’s reluctance to engage in inclusive talks with these Anglophone groups. What is sorely lacking is a mediation effort that can reduce the mistrust between the parties and bring them to the negotiating table,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

17, February 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: UN weighs in on Manyu school attack ⁰

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon, Mr. Matthias Z. Naab is deeply concerned by two more attacks against schools in the South-West region.

On 8 and 11 February 2022, armed men from non-State armed groups burned down two schools, respectively the public primary school of Molyko in Buea, and Queen of Rosary Catholic College in Mamfe, both in the South-West region of Cameroon. These two incidents are the latest of several attacks on students, education staff and premises, depriving more than 700,000 students from their right to proper and safe education in the North-West and South-West regions.

“Education is a fundamental right to all children, yet many have not been allowed to enjoy this right. Children are traumatized, parents are scared, teachers and school administrators are afraid. With education under attack, the future of thousands of young Cameroonians is at risk. This is unacceptable,” said Mr. Naab. “Education establishments should be safe spaces for all students and teachers. Therefore, I call upon all perpetrators to refrain from actions that impede access to education, in accordance to Security Council Resolution 2601 (2021),” he added.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners in Cameroon condemn in the strongest terms all actions targeting education.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

15, February 2022

Yaoundé: Sp’Ash maiden event was a resounding success ⁰

The maiden edition of Sp’Ash, a celebration of Cameroon’s amazing talent in fashion, sport, visual arts, music and entertainment, was held on February 5th 2022 at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé, as a prelude to the TotalEnergies AFCON 2021 Finals in Cameroon.

A major highlight of this unique event which fused Sports and Fashion was the appearance of the 2010-2014 Vice captain of the Indomitable Lions – Eyong Enow – who graced the runway in clothes by outstanding Cameroonian designers. Also on the fashion runway was the reigning Miss Cameroon 2022 Samantha Edima, Miss Cameroon 2020 Audrey Monkam, Miss Cameroon 2015 Jessica Ngoa, with Miss Cameroon 2014 Valerie Ayena being the vibrant host.

The Cameroon designers selected for this special event included Inesta, Yves Tchinda, Eloli and Kibonen. Numero Uno department store also displayed a collection of the brands they carry, with a promise of eventually carrying products from select Cameroonian fashion designers in the near future. The eclectic band X Maleya provided the musical performance for the runway walk, whilst LoveNLive also kept guests enthralled with folkloric live music.

The symbolic presence and support of HRH Nfon Ekoko Mukete was a clear sign that Cameroon’s cultural landscape had endorsed Sp’Ash, further evidenced by the opening address of Mme Ewang Grace from the Ministry of Arts and Culture (SWR Regional Delegate).

Among the illustrious guests were: -Mrs Elizabeth Mbayu, wife of Minister Delegate at MINREX in charge of relations with the Commonwealth, Mr Ben Modo, CEO of Prime Potomac, Mr Moctar Ousman Mey, Board Chair of NASLA, Mr Kinge Monono of the Cameroon Embassy USA, Mrs Priscilia Monono of the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Awasum E.M (JR), President of The Cameroon American Football Federation, Mr Donatus Ach, Inspector at the Ministry of Finance, Nkanya Nwai, renown movie producer and Mayor of Ako Municipality, Bah-Pna Dahane, international consultant for Sports, Arts and Culture

Echoes of this event led the meeting of some Cameroonian fashion stakeholders with Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, a South African fashion businesswoman and wife to CAF President Patrice Motsepe, and whose company, African Fashion International produces African Fashion Week in South Africa.

This edition of Sp’Ash was sponsored by Afreximbank through its Creative Africa Nexus program, represented on site by Mr Temwa Gondwe and Mrs Khanyi Mashimbe.

14, February 2022

Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson to host American ‘Eurovision’ ⁰

Artists Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson will host a “American Song Contest” modeled after the beloved Eurovision competition in a series to premiere in March.

The show will broadcast on the US network NBC and run for eight weeks before a finale on May 9.

It will feature performers — solo artists, duos or bands — from all fifty US states along with one from the capital Washington and five from US territories.

“I am honored to host American Song Contest alongside my lil sis Kelly Clarkson, aka Miss Texas,” said the rapper Snoop Dogg in a statement.

Clarkson was the first ever winner of the long-running song competition “American Idol.”

“I have been a fan and love the concept of Eurovision and am thrilled to bring the musical phenomenon to America,” she said in a statement.

“I’m so excited to work with Snoop and can’t wait to see every state and territory represented by artists singing their own songs.'”

The Eurovision competition is one of the largest televised events in the world.

“Imagine if music was an Olympic sport and artists from all over the world came together to compete for the gold. That’s the Eurovision Song Contest,” said “American Song Contest” producer Anders Lenhoff in a statement.

“The American version will be different than anything seen before on US television, marrying the fanfare and excitement of March Madness and the NFL playoffs with the artistry and beauty of world-class performances,” the statement continued.

“The American Song Contest is a competition that happens to be televised, rather than a contest created to make a television show. And it’s open to all singers with a song, whether they are amateur artists or already signed to a major record label. No one is excluded from the competition.”

Source: AFP

11, February 2022

CPDM Crime Syndicate struggling to contain deadly cholera outbreak ⁰

Cameroonian health authorities say at least 1,300 cholera cases have been detected, with nearly three dozen people dying as a result of the outbreak within the past two weeks. Cameroon’s Public Health Ministry says water shortages and poor hygiene have spread the bacterial disease throughout half the country.

Cameroon says the lives of thousands of its citizens are at risk. Manaouda Malachie, the state minister of public health, said five of the country’s 10 regions have been affected by an ongoing cholera outbreak in a press release published Wednesday.

The statement says Bakassi, a southwestern peninsula near the Nigerian border, Cameroon’s commercial hub and coastal city Douala, and Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, are the worst hit by the outbreak. Other locations affected are Buea,Tiko and Mutengene, southwestern commercial towns, as well as Maroua and Garoua on the northern border with Nigeria.

Kelvin Fosong, a community health worker, said he was sent from Buea to Mutengene this week to help civilians affected by the outbreak.

“Since the outbreak, we have engaged ourselves into community sensitization, most especially in the quarters where deaths were reported. We have been there visiting homes, disinfecting toilets, public taps and water points. We teach them (civilians) how to take care of their environment with the help of some doctors (health workers),” Fosong said, speaking from Mutengene.

Cameroon’s public health minister said 32 of the 1,300 people affected by the outbreak have died within two weeks, and added that the figures may be higher. The government reports that about 70% of the country’s 26 million people visit African traditional healers and go to hospitals only when their health conditions get worse. The government says it is difficult to gather statistics from African traditional healers in the country’s towns and villages.

Linda Esso, director of epidemics and pandemics at Cameroon’s Public Health Ministry, said after the first cases were reported, the government started telling people to go to the nearest hospitals if they experience watery diarrhea, vomiting or dehydration. She said civilians should follow basic hygiene practices such as washing their hands with soap, and using and cleaning latrines after defecation.

Esso warned against eating uncooked raw food and unwashed fruits or drinking water that has not been boiled. She said keeping latrines dirty increases the risk of cholera.

Mathias Ngund, the most senior government health official in Buea, an English-speaking southwestern town where 30 cholera cases have been reported with three deaths, said the lack of clean drinking water is exacerbating the spread of cholera in Buea. He said he has informed the government that the provision of water is an emergency need.

“We went to all the houses of suspected cases, we disinfected them and also we have had coordination meetings with the administrative authorities to respond to the outbreak,” Ngund said.

The central government in Yaounde said it will provide clean drinking water to arid towns and villages in Cameroon but did not say when. Authorities are encouraging civilians to boil water from wells and streams before drinking it.

Cameroon said a cholera outbreak in November claimed 13 lives, with several hundred people infected, as it prepared to host the African Football Cup of Nations, or AFCON. Cameroon hosted AFCON from January 9 to February 6. The government had promised to stop its spread before the continental football event that brought several thousand football fans, players and match officials to the country.

Source: VOA

10, February 2022

32 dead in Cameroon cholera outbreak ⁰

Thirty-two people have died in an outbreak of cholera in Cameroon, the authorities said on Wednesday.

The water-borne disease was first detected in the Southwest and Centre regions in late October, and then spread to three other regions.

As of 1 January, there were 32 deaths out of 1 102 recorded cases, Health Minister Manaouda Malachie said in a statement.

Outbreaks of cholera, an acute form of diarrhoea that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration, occur periodically in Cameroon.

The country’s last epidemic was between January and August 2020, when 66 people died.

Cholera is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates an annual global tally of between 1.3 and four million cases, leading to between 21 000 and 143 000 deaths.

Source: AFP