Cameroon has turned a football stadium in the country into an accommodation centre for coronavirus patients as authorities grapple with lack of space to lodge and treat the growing number of people testing positive for the virus.

Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, said on Saturday that the Yaounde military stadium will now serve as one of the large capacity centres in the capital expected to increase the country’s management capacity to more than 3,000 beds.

He had earlier accompanied the Secretary General of the Cameroon Presidency, Mr Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, for an inspection of the stadium.

Authorities are also using some newly constructed social housing apartments in the country as accommodation centres.

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Central African country have hit 650 as it recorded nine deaths and 17 recoveries.

The country was the fifth on the continent with the highest number of confirmed cases after South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco as at Saturday.

Source: Daily Nation

Cameroon’s coronavirus tally as of April 3 stood at 509, Health Minister Manaouda Malachie confirmed in his daily briefing posted on Twitter.

Of the current figure, 203 were new cases that came from tests run 800 travellers arrived in the country recently. Cameroon also has 17 recovered patients with eight deaths.

“Our active case finding strategy is starting to pay off. We did 800 tests (majority of travelers) 203 of them are positive but asymptomatic, that we must leave the community and treat,” the Minister wrote in his post.

Cameroon is the most impacted country across Central Africa. Only DR Congo have passed the 100 mark in the region with 134. Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo Republic, Central African Republic and Chad have 21, 16, 22, 8 and 8 cases respectively.

The Minister in outlining government strategy to deal with the pandemic said six main measures were being implemented: massive and generalized testing, placement in immediate treatment of cases, active surveillance of suspect cases.

The remaining are awareness of the populations (hygiene, distance, etc.), border control and development of reliable local expertise for the response.

Source: Africa News

Nearly a month since the declaration of the first case of COVID-19 in Cameroon, the African nation is seeing a boom in the reported infections after having generalized the testing.

According to the latest numbers given by the health minister Manaouda Malachie, Cameroon recorded until Wednesday morning 233 confirmed cases, including six deaths and ten cured. The total number of confirmed cases was only 99 last Saturday.

“The time is bad enough for us all to realize,” tweeted Manaouda on Tuesday night, asking Cameroonians to stay at home for as long as possible, and to cover their mouths and noses when going out.

The recent surge in reported cases could be explained by the fact that the Cameroonian government has decided, since last week, to generalize the testing for a better response to the pandemic.

“Active and early case finding by generalized testing” was listed as the first axis of the “new response strategy to COVID-19”, said Manaouda via twitter last Friday.

To do this, the Cameroonian government invited people who have entered the country since March 10 to contact the health authorities to be tested. A door-to-door search will also be organized from April 2 to 7 in Douala, the most populous city in the country.

Other priorities of the response to COVID-19 are the qualitative management of cases with capacity expansion, social regulation to avoid the spread, and governance and accountability, according to the health minister.

A special fund has thus been created to implement these strategies. This fund has already acquired one billion CFA francs (about 1.67 million U.S. dollars), according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s office published on Tuesday.

Source: Xinhuanet

Police in Cameroon have begun arresting people who defy measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far has infected 139 people in the central African state. Police are sealing shops that exceed maximum numbers for customers, impounding vehicles that carry too many passengers, and this week arrested more than 50 prostitutes for sneaking into hotels used to isolate suspected cases.

Jean Claude Tsila, the top government official in Mfoundi Division, the administrative unit where Yaounde is located, said he was appalled to learn that people who have been isolated in hotels on suspicion of being carriers of COVID-19 are receiving nocturnal visitors.

Tsila said he ordered the arrest of 50 prostitutes, as well as 13 women and 6 men who sneaked into hotels to meet their spouses.

“We discovered that people put in quarantine were conniving with hotel agents [workers] to smuggle women into the hotel to sleep with them. We have arrested some of them. We have to work together to stop this virus,” he said.

Tsila said he ordered all of the arrested persons to be put in isolation, while the police have been instructed to find unauthorized hotel visitors who have been on the run.

Authorities in Cameroon recently isolated more than 500 citizens and 70 foreigners in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. All of those quarantined flew into the central African state on March 17th and 18th before the government closed the borders and suspended issuance of visas until further notice.

However, 150 of those quarantined escaped from their hotels. The government is searching for them, as well as another 186 people who returned home from France and Italy on March 17 and refused to be isolated.

Enforcing social distancing

Despite government warnings, officials say a majority of Cameroonians are not taking coronavirus seriously, and authorities are taking steps to enforce social distancing rules.

Troops have shut down stores for allowing in too many customers, closed markets for not respecting hygiene norms, and stopped buses that carried too many passengers.

Close to 400 taxis were ordered off the road in Yaounde alone for transporting more than the maximum three passengers per vehicle.

Taxi drivers union leader Ernest Verla said drivers will respect the restrictions if the government gives them subsidies, increases taxi fares or reduces fuel prices.

“They [the government] did not reduce the price of fuel, we are struggling, things are not moving and we are unable to make it. It is more than us. When you put [buy] fuel for 10 000 [francs] you are unable to work [raise] 3 000,” said Verla.

Cameroon’s first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on February 9. Since then, confirmed cases have increased to 139, with six deaths reported.

Source: VOA

Three soldiers serving with the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) and two deputy mayors including three councilors have been killed in an ambush by Ambazonia Restoration Forces in Oku in Bui County in Southern Cameroons.

The Eagle New Africa reported that Taal Timothy Babey and Babey Julius Ghoyume of Elak Council and three councilors from Oku were inside an armored vehicle returning to Kumbo after a political campaign when they came under an attack on the 28^th of March that emphasises the growing insecurity in the entire Southern Cameroons territory.

Cameroon Concord News is yet to verify the correctness of the Eagle New Africa report but if the death toll is confirmed, is the deadliest on Cameroon army soldiers ever since the regime in Yaoundé succeeded in getting two corrupt Ambazonian front lines leaders; Dr Ikome Sako and Ebenezer Akwanga to commit to a coronavirus cease fire.

We gathered that a PhD student from the University of Dschang identified as Kedia Kenneth Buji and eight other members of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate were killed in the attack.

The Cameroonian military has not released casualty figures, but a senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the army was tired and fed up with the war in Southern Cameroons. He added that the Ambazonian fighters first targeted the driver of the armored vehicle before over-running its occupants.

Since 2016, Southern Cameroons Self-Defense Forces have carried out attacks against Cameroon government military installations and security posts in Southern Cameroons. The Francophone dominated military have failed to stem the violence. This year has also seen Ambazonia groups increase their presence in border areas in Manyu and Bui County.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

U.S. Embassy Yaounde has arranged a special charter flight for U.S. citizens departing Yaounde NSI Airport on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m.  This flight will be direct to Washington, D.C. (Dulles International Airport), at an estimated cost of $2065 per passenger regardless of passenger age or seat location (the final cost will be announced as soon as it is confirmed).  Passengers will not be paying beforehand, but rather borrowing the cost of the flight from the U.S. Government.

All passengers must agree to reimburse the U.S. Government by signing a promissory note (loan agreement) for approximately $2065.  Only passengers who complete and sign the form will be allowed to board the plane.  No cash or credit card payments will be accepted at the U.S. Embassy or the airport.  Please fill out the attached form (DS-5528) and email the completed version to YaoundeACS@state.gov to register for the flight on a first-come, first-served basis.

You will be responsible for any arrangements and costs (lodging, connecting flights, or local transportation, etc.) beyond Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.

No pets will be allowed on the flight and each passenger will only be allowed one carry-on bag and two checked bags with a maximum of 46kg.  There will be no option to pay for extra services or excess baggage on the day of the flight.

The airline reserves the right to refuse boarding for any passenger.  Passengers who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms or who have recently traveled to a high-risk country may be refused boarding.

If you want to depart on this flight, please email YaoundeACS@state.gov  with full names (First, Middle, Last) as they appear in the U.S. passport, date of birth, and U.S. passport number for each traveler and the completed DS-5528 promissory note.  You are required to do this even if you have previously sent us this information.  The flights will be filled in the order that the emails are received.  Please do not call the Embassy to confirm receipt of your email; we will contact you if you are confirmed for a seat on one of these flights.

After the flight is full, subsequent requests will be placed on a standby list.  Legal Permanent Residents are also eligible to be placed on the standby list but will only be accommodated after all U.S. citizens have had an opportunity to take a seat.

Be assured that Embassy Yaounde will continue to make every effort to assist U.S. citizens who are not able to travel on this flight, but still wish to return home.  However, encourage those interested to take advantage of this opportunity quickly.

Source: US Embassy Yaounde

Authorities in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, have arrested prostitutes who have been visiting coronavirus isolation centres in some hotels and offering their services.

The prostitutes, who earn at least $30 a night, have been approaching travellers from Europe despite the risk of contracting the disease and spreading it.

Mr Jean Claude Tsila, the capital’s administrative officer, reported the arrests to state broadcaster Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) on Friday.

Mr Tsila did not give the number of those arrested but reliable sources close to his office said they were at least 50.

“We were reliably informed that some persons confined to some hotels in Yaounde due to the coronavirus pandemic were receiving prostitutes inside their rooms,” the administrative officer said.

Source: Daily Nation

Cameroon reported on Sunday 14 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 113, Cameroon’s Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie tweeted on Sunday morning.

“The majority of positive cases are people from countries at risk who hide in families”, he added.

On Friday, Manaouda tweeted that an “active and early case finding by generalized testing” has become part of Cameroon’s new response strategy to COVID-19. The country had 92 cases on Friday.

To ensure a generalized testing, Cameroon government invites people who entered the country since March 10 to contact the health authorities so as to be tested for novel coronavirus. A door-to-door search campaign will also be organized from April 2 to 7 in Douala, the country’s most populous city.

Source: Xinhuanet

While the attention of the authorities and the international community has shifted to the Anglophone Cameroon, attacks perpretrated by Boko Haram have resumed in the far north of the country.

As dawn broke, Akhada set to work.

Huddled on a small chair, he has been sorting the millet grains from the sack placed near him for two weeks. One by one, he eliminates those that are burnt. This is all he has been able to save from his last harvest since a fire ravaged his house on 13 February.

On that day, members of the Boko Haram jihadist group burst into his village of Kilda, a town not far from Koza in the far north region. Houses, crops, and livestock were consumed by the fury of the flames.

Villagers were murdered.

“They killed my cousin right in front of me,” he said. He was only passing through the village to visit the family. With his two wives and two children, Akhada took refuge in Ldamtsai, on the outskirts of Mokolo, the capital of Mayo-Tsanaga department. They occupy a 9 m2 room.

Resurgence of violence

In recent months, hundreds of families living in villages near the border with Nigeria have been forced to flee their homes due to renewed violence from Boko Haram. Hidoua, Gochi, Mandaka, Tourou, Kolofata… The list of localities attacked since December 2019 continues to grow. On almost every occasion, arson, looting, kidnapping, and assassinations have been reported.Daily newsletter: join our 100 000 subscribers!Each day, get the essential: 5 things you need to know Sign up Also receive offers from The Africa ReportAlso receive offers from The Africa Report’s partners

On 15 February, Uzal, in Mayo-Moskota, was completely razed to the ground. “Boko Haram arrived that day at around 10 p.m. They stayed for four hours. They burned everything in their path, and when the defence forces arrived, there was nothing left to save,” said a relative of the region’s governor. According to an official report, three people died in the attack.

Every day there are new arrivals in the Mokolo IDP, but many prefer to settle temporarily in the mountains surrounding the town. “Some just want us to store their food in our attics to protect it from the weather and then leave. In the camps, life is even harder,” said Marguerite, the owner of the premises occupied by Akhada and her family.

It’s been a long time since the fight against Boko Haram became a national issue and was the subject of special attention from the international community.

The Far North is far from the decision-making centre

Since the end of 2016, the focus has been instead on the English-speaking crisis.

In the streets of Maroua, the capital of the Far North, life has resumed. Memories of curfews and tank patrols are told in the bars of the Domayo district, where beer and local music are consumed with abandon.

Remote areas

It often appears that the media is less inclined to carry news from this “front” and rather concentrate on the violence that plunges the northwest and southwest regions into mourning week after week.

The stakes, of course, are not the same. There is nothing in common between Boko Haram, which carries out regular but contained attacks in some remote areas, and the separatist demands of the “Ambazonians”.

Journalist Saliou Aminou explained that the remoteness of the north does not help.

“The Far North is far from the decision-making centre,” he said. “And its elites do not always carry the voice of the people as far as Yaoundé.’

“It’s clear that it’s no longer the great effervescence, as it was between 2013 and 2015,” confirmed Yannick Assongmo of the daily Le Jour.

At the time, not a day went by without a daily newspaper headline about the attacks by Boko Haram. But since then, the news has become more diverse. There has been the conflict in the English-speaking area, but also the post-electoral crisis which has focused attention.

Legislatve and municipal elections

“In fact, the question of the fight against Boko Haram was completely avoided during the debates organised in the run-up to the legislative and municipal elections last February,” said Assongmo.

No political party in the running has put it on its agenda or made any proposal to end the crisis. Opposition leader Maurice Kamto, one of the few to have publicly mentioned the resurgence of attacks, has denounced the silence surrounding him, choosing not to take part in the elections.

To justify his boycott, he said he regretted that President Paul Biya “did not consider that the resolution of the humanitarian tragedy caused by the war against Boko Haram was as important as the holding of the elections”.

On the side of the victims, the “passivity of the defence forces” is stressed — this is believed to be one of the reasons for Boko Haram’s return in force. Nico Seni, one of the survivors of the attack on Kolofata, claimed to have called in vain for help during the attack.

“The military told us that they had not received authorization to intervene!” he claimed.

“Last year, when Kilda was attacked, the army stayed with us,” said Akhada. “Boko Haram were afraid and didn’t come back. But this time the military didn’t come [to the village]. The attackers could come back at any moment, that’s why we left.”

Demobilization of soldiers

“When outlaws enter a locality, if the police don’t respond immediately, people will tend to leave the area,” admitted Roger Saffo, the secretary general of the governor’s office.

However, the intensity of the response deployed at the height of the crisis by the Cameroonian defence forces and their allies in the sub-region has substantially decreased.

Security specialist Édouard Épiphane Yogo speaks of the elimination of “certain military posts” in the villages and the “demobilization” of soldiers on the ground.

The Far North is also feeling the effects of the withdrawal of the Chadian military forces that were deployed in neighbouring Nigeria, some 1,200 soldiers, who finally returned home in early January.

Jihadists now have greater freedom to operate on both sides of the border.

Left to fend for themselves

In the absence of any real support from the authorities, the number of vigilance committees, which served as a bulwark against Boko Haram, has also decreased, and those that are still operational have become less effective. For example, in Mogode commune, the local self-defence group now has only about ten members, compared to more than 250 at the peak of the conflict.

To make matters worse, lack of maintenance, rains and mud have filled entire portions of the large trench built in 2017 by the army to block the advance of the jihadists. From now on, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages tell us, it is mainly used as a passageway by the attackers.

However, the Cameroonian authorities refuse to be alarmed.

“Our defence forces are doing a titanic job, and the task is not easy,” insisted Roger Saffo. “The proof: we have been engaged in this fight since 2014 and we haven’t lost one square centimetre of our territory.”

Bottom line: Like many displaced people, Akhada, for his part, hopes for a national surge and large-scale mobilization, as was the case in 2014.

“We don’t have the means to defend ourselves,” he said. “If nothing is done, they will massacre us all!”

Culled from The Africa Report