Cameroon’s anti-corruption agency is investigating claims by miner and commodities trader Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) that it paid bribes to officials at state-run companies in exchange for favours, an official said on Tuesday.

Dieudonne Massi Gams, chairman of the central African country’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC), told Reuters that the agency had set up a commission of inquiry since complaints made by civil society and local media.

“We are working on it and will take our time in order to produce good results,” Gams said, without giving further details.

In June, Glencore’s UK subsidiary pleaded guilty to seven counts of bribery in connection with oil operations in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Sudan. read more

The company has admitted it paid bribes in Cameroon to officials of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) and National Refining Company (SONARA) to the sum of 7 billion CFA francs ($11 million) to secure preferential access to oil between 2011 and 2016.

SNH has denied taking bribes, saying it was not directly or indirectly associated with the practices. SONARA was not available for comment.

The scandal is a test of Cameroon’s determination to fight corruption, said Akere Muna, a Cameroonian lawyer and anti-corruption specialist. He was dismayed that CONAC has not made a public statement about its inquiry, he said.

“To fight corruption you must be transparent,” said Muna, a former Vice Chairperson of Transparency International.

“They just have one thing to [do]. Ask Glencore, ‘Who did you pay?’ That is taking them forever. Glencore is still doing business in Cameroon!” he told Reuters by phone from Kinshasa.

Source: Reuters

A truck has rammed a group of young people in Tiko, Fako County killing no fewer than five and injuring several more. Witnesses say the casualty figure could go up.

The Francophone dominated police force is yet to identify the victims. However, Cameroon Concord News gathered that the driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to evade paying a bribe at a police check point before ramming the group of young people.

Police officers have barricaded the area and some of the victims have been rushed to a nearby hospital.

Businesses along Long Street Tiko have shut down while vehicular traffic is grounded.

By Kingsley Betek in Tiko

French ambassador to Cameroon Christophe Giulhou has sounded a note of caution to Minister Paul Tasong following unguided comments made by the corrupt CPDM politician on the 40 billion FCFA promised by France for the reconstruction of Southern Cameroons.

In a furious reaction to remarks by Minister Paul Tasong who is responsible for the so-called reconstruction of the South West and North West regions, the French ambassador on July 14 in Yaoundé said Paul Tasong’s statement on the pledge made by France was inappropriate and offensive.

Ambassador Christophe Giulhou’s comment came after Paul Tasong on July 8, said the French were maintaining a kind of deliberate silence on a promise made by the then French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian for the reconstruction of Cameroon.

Our Yaoundé city reporter who contributed to this report said an Anglophone with even a basic knowledge of the Francophone dominated politics would never talk against the French. Rita Akana added that Minister Paul Tasong is now on his way out.

The war of words is going on at a time when President Macron is expected in Yaoundé.  Cameroon Concord News understands French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Cameroon next week.

By Isong Asu with files from Rita Akana

French speaking army soldiers deployed to Mezam Division have shot and killed two armless Southern Cameroons civilians and burned down homes in Bafut.

The Francophone dominated army said the two were separatist fighters arrested in Bafut on June 22, 2022 and identified as ‘General’ A4 and Mama G.

The two civilians were found dead on Saturday, July 16, 2022, in Bafut.

According to local sources, the two have never been members of any armed Ambazonia group.

Five other people are reportedly missing ever since the Cameroon government military raided Bafut.

By Fon Lawrence

Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hussein Ibrahim Taha met Cameroon Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Ngute and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Legeune Mbela Mbela during a visit to the republic.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of common interest. Taha thanked Cameroon for its constant support for the activities of the organization.

He called on member states to show solidarity in the face of the challenges facing the countries of the Sahel and the Chad Basin, and to support the economic development of the two regions.

The Cameroonian leaders congratulated the secretary-general on assuming the leadership of OIC and called on the organization to give priority to road infrastructure and electrical network interconnection projects among member states. Other areas of cooperation that were highlighted included the production of medicines and vaccines, and the promotion of science and technology.

The organization aims to strengthen ties between countries in the Muslim world.

Recently, the organization welcomed a $1 million donation from Nigeria for Afghanistan. Taha said the donation added “new momentum” to the organization’s efforts to help ease the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and to meet the needs of millions of Afghans.

The organization has appealed to all member states, stakeholders and partners to make contributions to the humanitarian trust fund for Afghanistan through the bank account reserved for the fund at the Islamic Development Bank.

Source: Arabnews

At least two civilians were killed in an attack by the Boko Haram militants in Cameroon’s Far North region, according to security and local sources.

Boko Haram militants raided Gouzoudou locality of the region Friday night, killing two civilians. The military repelled the attack and killed one of the militants as they were struggling to escape, an official of the Cameroon army familiar with the attack told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

“Our troops continued to pursue the terrorists this morning (Saturday). We are stepping up security to protect civilians who have been regularly targeted in the region,” the official said.

Source: Xinhuanet

Authorities in Cameroon say thousands of vehicles have been halted by a fresh scarcity of fuel caused, in part, by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Cameroon’s government says it’s been forced to spend nearly half-a-billion dollars in fuel subsidies since Russia’s February invasion, as western sanctions have hindered trade with Moscow.

More than 100 drivers pack a filling station in the Etoudi neighborhood of Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, Friday, honking their horns to protest a fresh fuel shortage.

The drivers say their incomes have nosedived since Yaoundé ran short of fuel this month and the scarcity spread to other towns.

Yves Honore Minka is with the waste disposal company Hygiene and Sanitation of Cameroon (HYSACAM) in Ebolowa, on the border with Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

He says the town of Ebolowa and its surroundings are a mess because his company’s waste and refuse collection vehicles have been halted by a lack of fuel. Minka says his company will be able to resume refuse collection only after diesel fuel becomes available.

Cameroon’s government says several thousand public buses, taxis, and trucks are not in use because of the fuel shortage, the second one to hit the country since April.

Some of the vehicles were destined for the neighboring Central African Republic, Chad, and Gabon, slowing regional trade and transport.

Cameroon’s energy minister, in a press release Monday, again blamed Russia and its invasion of Ukraine.

Western sanctions for Russia’s assault have hampered its trade and led to volatile, higher prices for oil and gas.

Cameroon buys more than half its gasoline from Russia, one of the world’s top suppliers of petroleum products, wheat, and fertilizer.

Veronique Moampea Mbio is director general of Cameroon’s Petroleum Distribution Company (SCDP). Speaking Friday on Cameroon’s state broadcaster, CRTV, she said Cameroonians should be patient.

Mbio says the shortage of petroleum products is provoked by the inability of marketers to pay the surplus sums of money requested before delivery of fuel. She says banks are reluctant to exceed credit limits to marketers of petroleum products because regular loan repayments may be hindered by unpredictable market prices.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed global oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014, while those for natural gas and fertilizer have more than doubled. Cameroon’s government says it has already spent $485 million on fuel subsidies since Russia’s invasion in February and may need to spend more than $1 billion this year.

Mbio says Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, has ordered the government to immediately pay needed subsidies for petroleum products to be imported in coming weeks.

Source: VOA