17, April 2019
Nobel Peace Prize winner calls for end of hostilities in Southern Cameroons 0
Leymah Roberta Gbowee, 2011 Noble Peace Prize winner, Liberian female peace activist, on Tuesday called for ending of disputes in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions that have been ravaged by war in the last two years.
“As someone who has survived war and has lived through it, I will tell Cameroonians, war has never been the answer to solving any kind of problem. My message to Cameroon is that it should never be Anglophone or Francophone, it should be one Cameroon, one people.” Gbowee told reporters in the capital Yaounde after meeting with government officials.
She said that she had spent three days in the restive regions urging for an end to the war and intensifying efforts to defend the rights of women and girls in the conflict zone.
“It is the women and girls who pay the brunt of it. There is always increase in sexually transmitted diseases, rape and abuse and teen pregnancies.” Gbowee said, citing the example of her country, Liberia which she said should serve as an example for Cameroon that nobody wins war.
“We (Liberia) went through a very devastating civil war where we killed almost 10 percent of our population and the impact is still been felt by the population. There are no winners in any kind of crisis. It takes generations for the pains to go away,” she said.
Cameroon is largely populated by French-speakers, but since November 2017, Anglophone minority have formed armed groups to fight for the independence of the English-speaking regions after complaining of decades of marginalization.
Source: Xinhuanet
17, April 2019
Algerian protests force head of Constitutional Council to resign 0
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the country to call for the removal of interim President Abdel-Kader Bensalah, after their success in forcing the head of the Constitutional Council to resign.
The controversial head of the country’s Constitutional Council quit on Tuesday bowing to weeks of anger from protesters. Pro-democracy protesters had called for the removal of Tayib Belaiz, saying he is part of a ruling elite they want to abolish.
The resignation was yet more upheaval for Algeria since the ousting of long-time leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 after weeks of mass protests for his 20-year rule to end. But his departure has failed to placate many Algerians who want to topple the old guard and its associates.
In the capital Algiers, protesters poured into streets, held signs and chanted anti-government slogans. Similar protests were also held in other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Algeria’s Army Chief Gaed Sala said the military was looking at all options to find a solution to end the country’s political crisis as soon as possible.
In a speech read out on state TV, he urged protesters to avoid violence and gave formal orders to protect the demonstrators.
Salah said time was running out and Algeria could not afford further delays, adding that more steps would be taken to meet the protesters’ demands.
Belaiz’s departure could herald that of other senior political figures who protesters want to see removed as mass protests entered the eighth week.
Protesters want the removal of an elite that has governed Algeria since independence from France in 1962 and the prosecution of people they see as corrupt.
Source: Presstv