News

13, March 2026

Iran hits US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain with missiles, drones ⁰

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has launched a devastating missile and drone strike on the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet base in Mina Salman, Bahrain, shortly after the first message from the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, emphasized Iran’s “determined and regret-inducing” defense efforts.

The IRGC’s public relations office announced that the attack took place on Thursday, with two waves of missile and drone strikes hitting the base.

The statement said that key facilities at the base, including anti-drone defense systems, storage and maintenance areas for drones, support equipment, and fuel tanks, were all targeted with precision missiles and drones.

According to the IRGC, the strike successfully hit American military gatherings, causing significant damage.

“By divine grace, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” the statement declared, just after Ayatollah Khamenei asserted that the narrow strategic waterway in the Persian Gulf must remain closed.

“The will of the people is to continue effective defense, and their presence on the scene must be maintained. The Strait of Hormuz must remain closed,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in his first address to the nation on Thursday.

Source: Presstv

12, March 2026

Biya regime schedules nationwide census of population, housing and agriculture ⁰

Cameroon will carry out its fourth General Population and Housing Census alongside a nationwide census of agriculture and livestock between April 24 and May 29, 2026.

The dates were set in a decree signed March 6 by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute. Over the 35-day period, census agents deployed across the country will conduct a comprehensive count of the population, agricultural resources, and national livestock.

According to the government, combining the two operations serves several goals. It reduces public spending by consolidating activities, ensures solid financing with a budget of CFA13.28 billion—CFA7 billion of which is provided by the World Bank through its regional program to harmonize statistics in Africa—and modernizes data collection through a hybrid digital approach designed to produce reliable data and accelerate processing.

Authorities say the initiative is intended to generate accurate and usable statistics to support development planning, assess social needs, and help prepare for the country’s demographic dividend.

Cameroon’s last population and housing census, conducted in 2005, estimated the population at about 20 million people. Today, United Nations projections place the country’s population closer to 28 million, underscoring the need for updated data.

The operation is also designed to be inclusive. More than two million refugees, internally displaced people, and returnees will be included through cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other international partners is expected to ensure coordination among the government, non-governmental organizations, and research institutions.

A Census Framework Established Over the Past Decade

The 2026 population and housing census is based on a presidential decree issued on September 15, 2015. Its purpose is to provide essential data for public policy design, territorial planning, and monitoring development programs, while also incorporating demographic trends into economic and social projections.

The census will cover all individuals living within Cameroon’s national territory, except members of diplomatic and consular missions and their families.

The agriculture and livestock census was established by a separate presidential decree on June 29, 2015. Its main objective is to provide the government and stakeholders in the rural sector with reliable and detailed data needed to plan, monitor, and evaluate initiatives supporting agricultural, livestock, and fisheries development, according to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries.

Source: Business in Cameroon

12, March 2026

New Iranian Leader’s first message calls for strong national unity ⁰

The first message from new Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei was released on Thursday, outlining key strategic points on the nation’s direction.

The message, delivered in seven major sections, stresses the importance of avenging the blood of martyrs and the crucial role of active participation in national events such as the Quds Day march.

In his statement, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that Iran will not hesitate to seek retribution for the blood of martyrs, reaffirming the country’s unwavering resolve in the face of external threats.

He also called for an effective presence in key national activities, particularly highlighting the significance of participating in the Quds Day march, stressing that all citizens must contribute to such pivotal moments to show strength and unity.

The message also discussed the roles and responsibilities of the people, the armed forces, executive bodies, the resistance front, and regional countries, framing these elements as vital in confronting the nation’s enemies.

Source: Press TV

12, March 2026

North Korea unveils image of leader’s daughter firing pistol ⁰

Kim’s teenage daughter Ju Ae featured prominently in state photos published to mark the closing stages of the nuclear-armed country’s key ruling Workers’ Party congress last month.

She has long been seen as next in line to rule the country, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings, as well as a rare image released late last month of her firing a rifle at a shooting range.

Pyongyang’s state media released an image of Ju Ae firing what looked like a pistol with one eye closed, flames shooting from the muzzle of the gun.

She was attending an event, along with her father, at a “major munitions factory” that produces new pistols and other “portable light arms”, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

State media images showed the duo, donning matching leather jackets — often seen as a symbol of power in North Korea — being briefed by officials as they inspected the facility.

There, leader Kim visited the factory’s “shooting gallery” where he got to test the “new-type” pistol himself, and expressed satisfaction over the weapon’s “excellence”.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.

Despite her young age, “it appears the regime is trying to cultivate the image of a strong and formidable woman,” Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea’s Kyungnam University, told AFP.

“The pistol-shooting scene clearly serves to signal that she is cultivating the attributes of a military leader.”

Ju Ae was publicly introduced to the world in 2022 when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

Before then, the only confirmation of her existence had come from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited the North in 2013.

Source: AFP

11, March 2026

Iranian minister says country will not play in World Cup ⁰

Iran are not in a position to participate in the 2026 World Cup, says the country’s Minister of Sports and Youth Ahmad Donyamali.

The team are scheduled to play three group matches in the tournament, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico and gets under way on 11 June.

Iran are due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June respectively, and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

But their participation has been in doubt since the US and Israel launched strikes on the country, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones towards Israel and other nations which host US military bases.

Earlier on Wednesday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said US President Donald Trump had told him Iran are “welcome to compete” at this summer’s finals.

But in an interview with the IRIB Sports Network on Tuesday, Donyamali said: “Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup.

“Our boys are not safe, and conditions for participation do not exist.”

He added that “over the past eight or nine months, two wars have been imposed on us and several thousand of our people have been killed and martyred. Therefore, we definitely do not have the possibility for participation.”

Infantino had earlier posted on Instagram that he had met with President Trump to discuss preparations for the tournament and “spoke about the current situation in Iran”.

He said: “We all need an event like the Fifa World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that football unites the world.”

Mehdi Taj, the head of Iran’s Football Federation, had also questioned their ability to participate in the World Cup, following six members of Iran’s women’s national team receiving “humanitarian” visas from Australia over concerns for their safety.

The remaining Iranian players left Australia on Tuesday after the team’s elimination from the Asian Cup.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said seven people were granted asylum, but one woman later changed her mind and opted to return home.

Taj said: “Given the problems created for the female footballers, if the World Cup outlook is like this, no sound mind would accept sending the team to the US.”

Fifa rules state “if any participating member association withdraws and/or is excluded” from the 2026 tournament, world football’s governing body “shall decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take whatever action is deemed necessary”. It “may decide to replace the participating member association in question with another association”.

Source: BBC

11, March 2026

100 American soldiers wounded in Iran’s attack on Kuwait’s al-Udairi base ⁰

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced that around 100 American “terrorists” have been injured in a retaliatory attack by Iran’s navy on al-Udairi base in Kuwait.

The IRGC said in a statement that its naval forces carried out “glorious and powerful” operations against the remnants of the American forces in West Asia.

According to the statement, the operations included “two heavy and simultaneous missile strikes” on the al-Udairi helicopter base, which left “more than 100” American soldiers injured.

The wounded were transferred to al-Jaber and Al-Mubarak hospitals, it said.

The statement added that Iranian missiles and drones also struck the key infrastructure of the US base at Mina Salman port in Bahrain, which serves as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, and also hosts critical systems like the Leeds.

“The Patriot camp and the equipment warehouses, as well as the accommodation and gathering centers of American terrorist soldiers at the two naval bases of ‘Muhammad Al-Ahmad’ and ‘Ali Al-Salem’ [in Kuwait], were also intensely struck.”

The IRGC vowed that the war against “the terrorist Americans and the criminal Zionist regime” will continue powerfully until “the complete surrender of the enemy.”

Iran conducts drone attacks on ‘Aman, Unit 8200’

Meanwhile, Iran’s Army announced that it has launched drone attacks on the military intelligence organization of the Israeli army, Unit 8200, the Green Pine radar, and the headquarters of the submarine Haifa Naval Base since the early hours of Wednesday.

According to the statement, the military intelligence organization of the Israeli army, known as “Aman”, which was targeted in the recent drone attack played a role in “identifying targets and military actions in the Ramadan war.”

It added that the other target, “Unit 8200,” was responsible for “collecting intelligence signals, tracking digital communications, and conducting offensive cyber operations.”

The statement also described the targeted Green Pine radar as “one of the main pillars of the regime’s army in countering Iranian missiles,” noting that the damage inflicted to these radars has “significantly reduced” the regime’s ability to intercept missiles.

The US and Israel started a fresh round of aerial aggression on Iran on February 28, some eight months after they carried out unprovoked attacks on the country.

Iran began to swiftly retaliate against the strikes by launching barrage of missiles and drone attacks on the Israeli-occupied territories as well as on US bases in regional countries.

Source: Presstv

10, March 2026

Football: triumphant return of the 2025 Ballon d’Or to Garoua ⁰

Serge Daura made an emotional return to his hometown of Garoua. The Gazelle FA striker, crowned Cameroon’s best player of the year, came to present his trophy to his family and loved ones in a festive, jubilant atmosphere.

A hero’s welcome awaited Serge Daura. Arriving in the afternoon at Garoua International Airport, the new Cameroonian Ballon d’Or winner was greeted by a jubilant crowd. Teammates, supporters, and partners were all present to celebrate the return of the player who lit up the 2025 season with his remarkable performances.

The striker received a guard of honor before leaving the airport amid an impressive motorcade. The procession, accompanied by songs and applause, wound through several city streets, turning his arrival into a true public celebration.

Presenting the trophy to his family

Beyond the public tribute, this visit held deep symbolic meaning for the player. By holding his trophy aloft in front of his loved ones, Serge Daura wanted to share this moment with those who have supported him since the very beginning.

Pride runs high in his home region. The player’s triumph represents not only a personal achievement but also a source of inspiration for countless young footballers in Northern Cameroon who dream of following in his footsteps. This Ballon d’Or also rewards the outstanding season delivered by the striker with Gazelle FA.

Source: Sports Yahoo

10, March 2026

Manyu Solidarity Group: understanding its modus operandi ⁰

Ma Druscillia Achuo, a respected and committed member of the Manyu community in London, once delivered a line that has since taken on near-philosophical status among Manyu people in the UK. She said, “When you get die, and you know say £10,000 di come for support you, the cry di different”. Translated loosely, it means, the tears will fall during grief, but at least the panic lessens. Her words may sound humorous, but they capture a truth many Manyu people in the diaspora understand all too well. When someone dies in the West, grief rarely travels alone. It arrives with invoices from funeral directors and in some cases outstanding bills and unpaid debts. It is not an exaggeration to say, in many circumstances, dead of a loved one has even become thornier and embarrassing.

For many in Europe, the loss of a loved one sets off a chain reaction of difficult questions. Do we hold the funeral in Europe, or do we repatriate the body to Cameroon? If the answer is repatriation, the next question arrives immediately, how do we pay for it? And how do we support the family back home with expenses? Sorrow, in other words, quickly transforms into worry, stress and a long list of problems that seem to arrive precisely when people are least equipped to deal with them.

This is where organizations like the Manyu Solidarity Group quietly step in. Manyu Solidarity Group, founded in 2021 by Manyus and friends of Manyu in Europe, offers practical support before the funeral of a fallen member. While many bereavement associations prefer to present their financial package during the wake or funeral itself, often with ceremonial speeches, Manyu Solidarity Group has adopted a refreshingly simple approach. They send the money early.

Manyu Solidarity Group delivers £10,000 to the bereaved member’s nominated next-of-kin at least two weeks before the funeral with no dramatic presentations. Funeral homes cost and the cost of the wake require payment before service. Therefore, offering financial support during the wake is like arriving at Douala Airport with a plane ticket after the Camair-co flight has already departed. It may be well intentioned, but its practical value is somewhat limited.

Manyu Solidarity Group releases the funds early so that families can organize dignified funerals without scrambling to raise money while still processing their loss. So far, this approach has already made a tangible difference. In less than three years, the group has provided £30,000 in bereavement support to three different families. That may not make headlines in the world of billion-pound transactions, but within the Manyu diaspora community, it is significant.

Grief is already overwhelming, so Manyu Solidarity’s philosophy with its Manyu Bereavement Support Fund (MABSOF) is simple; support should actually support. The organization is the classic community safety net, but perhaps the most notable aspect of the system is its refusal to turn grief into a public spectacle. The Board of Manyu Solidarity understands that loss is not just emotional; it can also be financially devastating. Manyu Solidarity Group is a community in its most practical form and perhaps that is why Ma Druscillia Achuo’s remark continues to resonate. Her observation may have been delivered with her typical smile, but its wisdom is difficult to dispute. Knowing that help is coming does not erase grief, it does not bring the deceased back, but it does remove one layer of anxiety at a moment when people are already carrying more than enough.

At its core, the principle guiding Manyu Solidarity Group is beautifully straightforward. Families need help in organizing wakes and funerals, give them the support before, not during the wake or burial because compassion is not measured by how publicly it is displayed, it is measured by timing, dignity and quiet common sense.

To this I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

9, March 2026

Biya regime secures $195 million loan to expand national fiber backbone ⁰

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya signed a decree on Friday, March 6 authorizing the Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development to finalize a loan agreement of about 1.35 billion yuan (around $195 million) with the Export-Import Bank of China. The funding will support phase four of the country’s national fiber optic backbone expansion.

A fiber network built gradually since 2011

The financing continues Cameroon’s national fiber deployment program, launched more than a decade ago to build a nationwide data transport network. According to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, about 6,000 km of fiber were installed between 2011 and 2016 during the first two phases of the project.

A third phase completed in 2017 added another 4,000 km, bringing the national network to around 10,000 km. An additional 1,000 km were deployed along the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline.

Since then, further extensions, cross-border interconnections, and additional deployments by public and private operators have continued to expand the network. Cameroon now has more than 15,000 km of fiber infrastructure connecting regions across the country and linking with several neighboring states, including Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria.

Infrastructure still underused

Despite the steady expansion of this infrastructure over the past decade, its use remains limited, and the quality of connectivity continues to draw criticism from users.

According to DataReportal’s latest figures for early 2026, internet penetration in Cameroon stands at about 45%. The data highlight a gap between a relatively strong backbone network and limited last-mile access for many of the country’s 12.6 million internet users.

Phase four of the project is expected to address these disparities by expanding distribution networks to better connect government institutions, businesses, and rural areas that remain poorly served.

A strategic pillar for the digital economy

Completing the national backbone is seen as a key step for the growth of Cameroon’s digital economy and the structural transformation outlined in the country’s National Development Strategy 2020–2030.

Expanding fiber infrastructure is considered essential for supporting tech startups, digital services, e-commerce platforms, and the digitalization of public services.

The renewed partnership with the Export-Import Bank of China, which has already financed several earlier phases of the project, underscores the government’s ambition to strengthen nationwide coverage and accelerate digital inclusion.

Source: Business in Cameroon

9, March 2026

Iran has many surprises in store to respond to US plots ⁰

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the country is fully prepared to react to malicious plots by the United States aimed at altering the economic equations arising from the ongoing US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

In a post on his X account on Monday, Araghchi stated that the US military operation, which he termed “Epic Mistake” instead of “Epic Fury,” has already driven international energy and commodity prices to unbearable levels.

He suggested that the US may be considering surprising Iran by launching attacks on its energy production facilities.

Without elaborating, the minister noted that such a move could be an attempt by the US to contain the growing economic shocks caused by the war and its impact on energy prices.

“9 days into Operation Epic Mistake, oil prices have doubled while all commodities are skyrocketing. We know the U.S. is plotting against our oil and nuclear sites in hopes of containing a huge inflationary shock. Iran is fully prepared,” Araghchi said in his post.

“And we, too, have many surprises in store,” he added.

Iran’s extensive response to US and Israeli attacks has included operations targeting US military assets in oil-rich countries of the Persian Gulf.

This has triggered a major surge in the prices of oil and natural gas, sending shockwaves through international markets.

Iran has indicated that the surge may continue and could reach historic levels if the US and Israel decide to target Iran’s energy production facilities, prompting Iran to retaliate by striking corresponding sites in the region.

Market analysts believe such a scenario could drive oil prices to record levels exceeding $200 per barrel.

Source: Presstv