Cameroonian troops this month crossed into Nigeria in pursuit of rebels without seeking authorization from Nigeria, causing a falling-out between the governments behind the scenes, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

At least one incursion was confirmed by a Nigerian government official, two Nigerian military officers and two foreign diplomats, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nigerian security forces were deployed to the border to stop any further crossings, said a military source. The Cameroonian and Nigerian governments said in separate statements there were no incursions. Relations between the two countries are good, Cameroon said.

Cameroonian military officials and pro-government media accuse Nigeria of sheltering Anglophone insurgents. For the past year they have been based in the dense equatorial forests that straddle the border between the two countries, fighting for an independent state they call Ambazonia.

At least 7,000 people have fled as refugees from Anglophone Cameroon to Nigeria following a crackdown ordered this year by President Paul Biya to quell the insurgency, which represents the gravest challenge yet to his 35-year rule.

French is the official language for most of Cameroon but two regions speak English and these border Nigeria, which is also Anglophone. “Cameroonian troops were in Nigeria,” said a foreign diplomat. “Zero warning, zero authorization.”

The troops crossed into Nigeria at least twice this month, the diplomat and a Nigerian military official told Reuters.

The incidents have caused anger on both sides and could sour diplomatic relations further as Cameroon increases pressure on its Anglophone regions, according to the diplomat and a Nigerian government official.

“Tensions are high and could escalate,” the government official said.

Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary denied that troops had crossed the border illegally.

“Relations between the two countries are cohesive when it comes to fighting against terrorism. Cameroon and Nigeria are on the same wavelength.”

Nigeria’s foreign minister, speaking to Reuters after a cabinet meeting in Abuja, also denied the incursions.

“The (Nigerian) government had investigated and discovered that it’s not true,” said Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s foreign minister.

But the Nigerian government official and a diplomat said Cameroon had threatened to suspend senior Nigerian embassy officials in Yaounde after they lodged complaints. Tchiroma and Onyeama denied this.

Governments in Africa often play down diplomatic disputes and present a show of harmony even during bitter rows.

On Monday, rebels killed four gendarmes, Cameroon’s government said, the latest raid on police and military positions in the country’s southwest region.

“TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY”

Nigeria has for decades been West Africa’s powerhouse but the militaries of the two countries have cooperated extensively to confront a threat posed by Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The group has staged attacks in Nigeria for years but more recently it has also conducted deadly assaults in Cameroon.

Cameroon has repeatedly pressed Nigeria to allow it the right of hot pursuit for Boko Haram militants and the issue has left the countries at loggerheads. After Cameroon’s military crossed the border this month in pursuit of separatist insurgents, Nigeria sent security forces to deter any future attempts, said one of the military sources.

“We were not for war but keeping the peace and protecting our territorial integrity. They were asked to leave and they did and everything has been brought under control,” the source said.

“Many refugees have crossed into Nigeria and many more are still crossing and the Cameroon authorities appear to be concerned that the situation may escalate if they keep coming into Nigeria.”

Two Cameroonian military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters separatists had set up bases and launched attacks from Nigeria.

One attack was on Dec. 14 and involved two groups of at least 100 separatists, one of the officials said.

“How do you explain that these guys come to attack us and then leave without being troubled across the border? When we drive them back, these separatists withdraw toward Nigeria,” the official said.

Julius Ayuk Tabe, the Nigeria-based chairman of the Ambazonian Governing Council, the political wing of the armed resistance, said he was not aware of any separatist military bases in Nigeria.

Cameroon’s linguistic divide harks back to the end of World War One, when the German colony of Kamerun was carved up between allied French and British victors.

The English-speaking regions joined the French-speaking Republic of Cameroon the year after its independence in 1960. French speakers have dominated the country’s politics since.

Source: Reuters

The multinational joint task force fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria says it will hold some 200 former terrorists until Cameroon can construct a rehabilitation center where they will be socially integrated before returning to their communities. The ex-terrorists are currently at the barracks of the multinational joint task force in Mora, on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria.

Soldiers of the Mora camp of the Multinational Joint Task Force fighting Boko Haram sing what is now their regular song after a successful operation. They have just returned from the border with Nigeria with 12 fighters whom they say handed themselves over to the military. Among them is Soule Bupaga, a 22-year-old Nigerian.

He says his wish is to return to his village (at Sanda Wajiri, near Kerawa) in Nigeria and that he regrets all the killings even though they were forced to carry them out. He says what he did was not good.

There are nearly 200 former fighters detained in the camp. Some were arrested during fighting and others handed themselves over to the military. Cameroonian ex-fighter, 26-year old Gouma Wamwha, says he decided to report to the military after he escaped from a Boko Haram training camp in the Nigerian border town of Gambarou, but was barred from entering his village in the Cameroon town of Kolofata.

He says he escaped from a Boko Haram camp with a motorcycle he was given to monitor and report to his former superiors each time a suspected group of people or a strange vehicle was seen approaching.

Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of Cameroon’s far north region says the government will continue to protect the ex-fighters. He says they have secured land in the border town of Meme were all former fighters will be assisted in reintegrating to society.

He says the ex-fighters have committed to assisting the military in bringing back their peers who are still either hiding in the bush because they are afraid of the military or are still under Boko Haram control.

200 other former Boko Haram fighter are taken care of in the Mozogo local council by the government of Cameroon and UN agencies. Their relatives are not ready to accept them in their villages for fear they may once again be infiltrated by the terrorists. The population says some of them may be spies or have been brainwashed with Boko Haram ideology.

Culled from VOA

At least 61 people have been killed in clashes between different ethnic groups in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region, officials said, the latest bout of violence to highlight increasing instability in a province racked by bloody protests in 2015 and 2016.

From Thursday, 29 ethnic Oromos were killed by ethnic Somali attackers in the region’s Hawi Gudina and Daro Lebu districts, regional spokesman Addisu Arega Kitessa said.

The violence triggered revenge attacks by ethnic Oromos in another district, resulting in the killing of 32 Somalis who were being sheltered in the area following a previous round of violence.

“The region is working to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The cause of the latest violence was not known, but it followed protests in Oromiya’s Celenko town where the region’s officials said 16 ethnic Oromos were shot dead on Tuesday by soldiers trying to disperse the crowd.

“We do not know who ordered the deployment of the military. This illegal act should be punished,” said Lema Megersa, the region’s president.

The clashes are likely to fuel fears about security in Ethiopia, the region’s biggest economy and a staunch Western ally.

Lema’s comments also illustrate growing friction within Ethiopia’s ruling EPRDF coalition, since unrest roiled the Oromiya region in 2015 and 2016, when hundreds of people were killed.

At that time, the violence forced the government to impose a nine-month state of emergency that was only lifted in August.

The unrest was provoked by a development scheme for the capital Addis Ababa that dissidents said amounted to land grabs and turned into broader anti-government demonstrations over political and human rights.

It included attacks on businesses, many of them foreign-owned, including farms growing flowers for export.

(Source: Reuters)

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militant group has launched a bombing attack on a police training camp in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, killing at least 17 officers and injuring 20 others.

The casualties took place on Thursday, when an assailant infiltrated the General Kahiye Police Training Academy during an early morning parade and detonated the explosives strapped around his waist and torso.

“A man wearing an explosive vest entered the camp disguised as a policeman, and blew himself up,” police officer Mohamed Abdulle said. “Medical rescuers are still working on evacuating the casualties.”

Witnesses said the bomber, in order to inflict maximum damage, targeted a spot where soldiers had gathered to rehearse for Somalia’s Police Day celebrations scheduled for December 20.

The Takfiri terrorist group immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly attack but gave a higher death toll.

The General Kahiye Police Training Academy is the biggest training camp for police and security forces in Somalia.

The Horn of Africa nation has been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and al-Shabab militants since 2006.

 

The Takfiri militant group was forced out of the capital by African Union troops in 2011 but still controls parts of the countryside and carries out attacks against government, military, and civilian targets in Mogadishu and regional towns.

The extremist group is just one of the challenges facing the new Somali government, which is still struggling to expand its authority beyond the capital and other selected areas.

The Thursday attack comes as the African Union is finalizing plans to trim its peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which was deployed a decade ago to help secure the Somali government.

The force of 22,000 is set to lose 1,000 soldiers this month as part of a long-term plan to withdraw troops from the country and hand security to the Somali army.

Source: Presstv

Cameroon has closed its border with Nigeria in the north, after a series of attacks by Boko Haram militants on Cameroonian ranchers. The closure is meant to protect the ranchers’ cattle, but it is hurting the ranchers’ business.

Hundreds of ranchers have brought their cattle and livestock to the Bogo market on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria. According to Cameroon’s government, this market is the supply point for most of the cattle sold across the border.

But cattle rancher and seller Ahminou Ngomna says he has not seen his Nigerian customers since September. Business usually booms with the approach of the Christmas and New Year feasts, but that is not the case now.

Only customers from Maroua in northern Cameroon have been buying from the market, and the amount they pay per cattle is not up to what Nigerian buyers pay, Ngomna said. The price per cow, which ranges from $500 to $1,000 depending on size and weight, has fallen to as little as $250.

FILE – A member of a civilian vigilante group carries a bow and arrow while running on patrol with the Cameroonian military in Kerawa, Cameroon, March 16, 2016. Kerawa is on the border with Nigeria and is subject to frequent Boko Haram attacks.

Hamidou Bouba, first deputy mayor of Bogo, says the prices started dropping when Cameroon’s government ordered the closure of parts of the border with Nigeria. The move was made because Boko Haram attacks on farmers and cattle ranchers, which had fallen since January, increased in September with armed men crossing the border for supplies.

“We are suffering very badly about this situation of Boko Haram,” Bouba said. “That is the reason why all the traders cannot go to Nigeria now. We changed their direction, moving their activities to Douala or Yaounde. That is the only solution. I think that we don’t have another solution.”

Bouba says the ranchers are encouraged to transport their cattle some 70 kilometers from the affected zones to the nearest market, because even buyers from the hinterlands of Cameroon are refusing to travel to Bogo.

Cattle ranchers and farmers comprise 80 percent of the population of the border areas. Cameroon reports that more than 100,000 have relocated due to the Boko Haram insurgency; others live in abject poverty.

Louis Paul Motaze, Cameroon’s economy minister, says the government will build new markets in safer areas.

“People here are suffering a lot not only because of the war with Boko Haram, but because of poverty,” Motaze. “This is why we would like to take into consideration another battle, and this battle is the battle for development.”

The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in northeast Nigeria eight years ago, has left at least 25,000 people dead and forced more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Source: VOA

Violence in English-speaking areas of Cameroon over the last year is having a knock-on effect in neighboring Nigeria, where thousands of refugees are seeking sanctuary. Some are fleeing the unrest while others are suspected to be secessionists in favour of armed struggle, who could use the Nigerian side of the border as a base.

John Inaku, head of the Cross River state emergency management agency in southeast Nigeria, said over 28 000 people have arrived from western Cameroon since October. “But many of them have not been registered yet and people are still coming in,” he told AFP.

Most have fled across the border on foot through the bush since the start of an increased crackdown by authorities in Yaounde. Cameroon was divided between French and British colonial rulers before independence in 1960 and English-speakers account for some 20 % of the population of 23 million.

They have long protested against what they perceive to be a bias towards their French-speaking compatriots. In recent weeks, growing numbers have joined the ranks of the secessionists, some of whom are openly advocating armed struggle for an independent state.

The security situation has worsened significantly since the authorities have cracked down on pro-independence demonstrations.Ten soldiers and police officers, as well as several civilians, have been killed since October 1, when separatists symbolically declared an independent state of “Ambazonia”.

The recent violence blamed on small, well-organised groups has been concentrated in forested and mountainous border areas. Only two roads link Cameroon and Nigeria.

Source: AFP

Zimbabwe’s new president has called for public unity to revive the African country’s ailing economy as his new cabinet took the oath of office.

Emmerson Mnangagwa made the appeal after he swore in the 22-member cabinet at State House in the capital Harare on Monday.

“I have sworn in a new cabinet just to finish the term of the former president, which is a period of six to seven months,” Mnangagwa said.

“I believe with my team we will stand up to the challenge,” the president added, noting, “I want them (Zimbabweans) to be united, we must grow our economy.”

Mnangagwa has drawn criticism for appointing officers from the military which played a key role in the events leading to his ascent to power. The cabinet includes Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, who was appointed agriculture and lands minister, and Major General Sibusiso Moyo, who is now in charge of foreign affairs.

He also brought back many faces from era of former president Robert Mugabe, a move which could disappoint Zimbabweans who had been expecting a broad-based government and a break with the past.

In addition, Mnangagwa also reinstated prosecutor general, Ray Goba, who was named under Mugabe in September, but whose appointment was rescinded the following month.

On November 23, Mugabe finally succumbed to pressures and stepped down after 37 years in power.

The resignation came several days after army chiefs put military vehicles on the streets of Harare and placed the 93-year-old leader under house arrest. Many Zimbabweans celebrated the end of Mugabe’s rule.

A day after, his sacked deputy, Mnangagwa, was sworn in as the country’s interim president, vowing sweeping changes and seeking to attract foreign investment to revive the moribund economy in the south African country.

The new president has issued a three-month ultimatum for the return of funds siphoned out of the country by individuals and corporates.

Mnangagwa is Zimbabwe’s second president since the country gained independence from British colonial rule in 1981.

Source: Presstv

A Sudanese general and nine soldiers were killed in clashes in the war-damaged region of Darfur on Sunday after their vehicles were ambushed by militants, state news SUNA reported on Monday.

Conflict in Darfur erupted in 2003 when mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms against Sudan’s Arab-led government and has led to intermittent clashes ever since, though the government announced a unilateral ceasefire last year.

Fresh clashes erupted on Sunday following a military effort by government forces in the southern Darfur region to collect weapons from militants, SUNA reported.

Defense Minister Ali Mohamed Salem said that prominent Darfur militia leader Musa Hilal had been arrested and the situation in Darfur was now stable following the clashes, according to SUNA. The news service did not elaborate.

(Source: Reuters)

At least 31 refugees have died after their Europe-bound boat capsized off Libya’s western coast, Libyan coastguard officials say.

The flimsy boat overturned on Saturday and the Libyan coastguard brought some 200 survivors back to port in the Libyan capital Tripoli.

The volatile North African nation, effectively run by competing militia groups, has remained a key transit hub for asylum seekers from war-ravaged countries trying to reach Europe. Most refugees are packed into flimsy inflatable boats that often break down or sink.

Many are picked up by international vessels and taken to Italy, where more than 115,000 have landed since the end of August this year.

An increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers are intercepted by Libya’s European-backed coastguard and returned to the North African country.

The United Nations migration agency said on Friday that more than 33,000 refugees had died at sea while trying to reach European shores since 2000, making the Mediterranean “by far the world’s deadliest border.”

On Friday, the Libyan coast guard rescued some 378 refugees after their boats sustained damage in the Mediterranean Sea, officials said, adding that the rescue operation lasted over 72 hours.

Italy’s coast guard also said that some 1,600 refugees had been rescued from nearly 20 vessels in the central Mediterranean on Wednesday and Thursday.

Source: Presstv

French Cameroun football legend,Samuel Eto’o has  denied claims of having granted financial assistance to the tune of 1.5 million FCFA to every Cameroonian migrant repatriated to the country after the outbreak of the scandal of black slavery in Libya.

“Several sites circulated a rumor that I gave money to each returnee migrant, on a topic of news.This rumor is absolutely unfounded,” noted the French Cameroonian football star who took advantage of the opportunity to give advice to his “brothers and sisters”, reminding them that “love prevents more harm than money can solve”.

By Chi Prudence Asong