News

5, February 2025

Belgium: police hunt for gunmen after Brussels shooting ⁰

Belgian police are looking for armed men after a shooting was reported outside a metro station in the centre of Brussels.

CCTV footage broadcast by local media shows at least two men wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons at the entrance of Clémenceau station in the Belgian capital early on Wednesday.

Video from the scene shows an exchange of fire at about 06:15 local time (05:15 GMT).

Sarah Frederickx, spokeswoman for Brussels police, said the suspects may have fled into the tunnels of the metro system.

The spokeswoman said there were no injuries in the shooting.

Police are looking for “a small group of people, probably two or three individuals”, Ms Frederickx said, adding that they may still be armed and that police did not want to take any risks.

BruxellesToday reported the suspects were carrying what appeared to be Kalashnikov weapons.

The BBC has verified footage of the incident circulating on social media, which showed two men brandishing what looked like rifles and shooting. From the video, it is unclear who they are aiming at.

Source: BBC

5, February 2025

First military flight with migrants deported from US lands in Guantanamo Bay ⁰

The first US military flight deporting migrants from the United States to Guantanamo Bay landed in Cuba on Tuesday evening, according to a US official. It was the first step in an expected surge in the number of migrants sent to the US naval base, which for decades was primarily used to detain foreigners associated with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

President Donald Trump has eyed the facility as a holding center and said it has the capacity to hold as many as 30,000.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was assigned to Guantanamo Bay when he was on active duty, has called it a “perfect place” to house migrants. Additional US troops have arrived at the facility in the past few days to help prepare.

Amy Fischer, director of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program at Amnesty International USA, decried the use of Guantanamo.

“Sending immigrants to Guantanamo is a profoundly cruel, costly move. It will cut people off from lawyers, family and support systems, throwing them into a black hole so the US government can continue to violate their human rights out of sight. Shut Gitmo down now and forever!” Fischer said in a statement.

In addition, the US flew Indian immigrants back to India on Monday, a second US official said. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.

There had previously been seven deportation flights, to Ecuador, Guam, Honduras and Peru. In addition, Colombian officials flew to the US and took two flights of migrants back to their country.

There are approximately 300 service members supporting the holding operations at Guantanamo Bay, and the numbers will fluctuate based on the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security, which is the lead federal agency. At least 230 of those service members are US Marines from the 6th Marine Regiment, who began deploying on Friday.

There are more than 725,000 immigrants from India living in the US without authorisation, the third most of any country after Mexico and El Salvador, according to the Pew Research Center.

Recent years have also seen a jump in the number of Indians attempting to enter the country along the US-Canada border. The US Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30, which amounted to 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago.

Source: AP

5, February 2025

Martin Mbarga Nguele says new National ID system to be out soonest ⁰

Martin Mbarga Nguele, Delegate General for National Security (DGSN), announced late last week that Cameroon’s new secure identification system will launch “in the coming days,” starting with online pre-enrollment on February 17, 2025.

Speaking at a New Year’s greeting ceremony with his staff in Yaounde, Nguele said the rollout would follow “a progressive schedule.” Physical enrollments at identification offices in all regional capitals will begin on February 24, with national identity cards (CNIs) issued “within a maximum of 48 hours,” he assured, suggesting some applicants might receive them sooner.

This launch follows a setback in 2024. During last year’s ceremony, Nguele announced the new system, authorized by President Paul Biya, would be operational that year. However, it did not materialize, with no official explanation given.

The new system aims to address chronic delays and shortages in CNI issuance. The official timeframe is three months, but some Cameroonians have waited one to four years. Many hold temporary receipts, repeatedly extended. Nguele said processing and production of CNIs in the new format are underway for those with receipts under the old system, provided their records are in order. They should receive their cards by Feb. 17, 2026.

The government contracted the German-Portuguese consortium INCM-Augentic to produce CNIs within 24 hours. An agreement, signed on May 13, 2024, in Yaounde between the DGSN and the consortium, covers financing, concession, development, deployment, and operation of the new system. Fully funded by Augentic, the project includes constructing 68 ultra-modern multifunctional centers across Cameroon’s 10 regions and 58 departments, and renovating 219 existing identification offices.

Nguele also addressed multiple identity problems. On Jan. 10, he launched an operation to resolve these issues, particularly for those with dual identities or lineage discrepancies, inviting affected citizens to submit requests to regional National Security Department delegations. He specified that double identity or fraud cases are handled at the DGSN’s regional delegations and processed by an interministerial committee. Once records are regularized, these citizens can enroll in the new system starting Feb. 17 to receive their CNI in the new format, based on a consolidated identity record.

Source: Sbbc

4, February 2025

Sweden school campus attack: Police say 10 people killed ⁰

Swedish police say “around 10” people have been killed in a shooting on a school campus in the central city of Orebro.

Police believe the perpetrator is among the dead and that he acted alone, but a motive is not yet clear.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson describes the attack as the “worst mass shooting” in Sweden’s history.

The shooting happened at a school for adults, although there are children’s schools on the site.

Students and staff were kept inside buildings when police thought the attacker was still at large but have since been evacuated.

Police first warned people to stay away from the area at 13:20 local time (12:20 GMT)

Source: BBC

4, February 2025

Bamenda: Anger erupts over death of Caterpillar driver killed by Amba fighters ⁰

The death of a Caterpillar driver in Bamenda, the chief city in the North West region has provoked widespread outrage from road construction workers.

Road maintainers in Anglophone Cameroon have a record of unsafe conditions with several reported deaths in the past few years.

The horrific death of the Caterpillar driver in Bamenda has devastated many involved in the so-called reconstruction of Southern Cameroons.

He was killed instantly in Small Mankon by unidentified gunmen while he was working on the site of a collapsed bridge. The circumstances of the attack remain unclear, and no authority has commented on the tragedy.

The attack highlights once again the precarious situation in English speaking Cameroon, where violence continues to disrupt the daily lives of citizens.

By Fon Lawrence

4, February 2025

IMF pushes for reform of Cameroon’s investment incentive law ⁰

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not satisfied with how Cameroon has implemented its 2013 law on investment incentives. In a statement released on January 30 announcing an agreement with the Cameroonian government on the latest review of their ongoing economic and financial program, the institution called for a revision of the law. This legislation grants tax and customs exemptions to investors for periods ranging from five to ten years.

“There have been delays in the implementation of the structural reform agenda. To attain the ambitious objectives of the national development strategy (SND30), the authorities are encouraged to complete important measures set out in the program concerning governance in the extractive industry sector, the business climate, SOE reform, and public financial management. Specifically, the mission urged the authorities to advance long-pending work on the SONARA restructuring plan and revise the 2013 law to streamline investment incentives,” the IMF said.

In other words, from the IMF’s perspective, the 2013 investment incentives law, which has been in effect since 2014 and was already revised once in 2017, is not delivering the expected results. This is particularly relevant as the government is increasingly focused on boosting tax and customs revenue to meet growing financial needs.

IMF and Business Leaders Aligned

The IMF is not alone in criticizing how the 2013 law has been implemented. Business leaders in Cameroon have also raised concerns. “Investment incentives in Cameroon need a complete overhaul. Since the law was enacted in April 2013, the government has introduced new policies and reforms affecting investment. As a result, several provisions in the regulatory framework have become outdated and are now misaligned with current government priorities,” said Célestin Tawamba, President of the Cameroon Employers’ Association (GECAM), on September 18, 2024, in Douala during the annual economic meeting of the business community.

Tawamba specifically pointed out the excessive and unjustified duration of the installation (five to seven years) and operational (up to ten years) phases, during which companies benefit from tax and customs exemptions under this law. “These extended periods allow some companies to use these benefits for purposes other than their declared investment plans or to continue enjoying installation-phase advantages even when they have already moved into full operation,” he explained.

Tawamba criticized the unclear eligibility criteria, which “create room for arbitrary decisions and do not ensure fair treatment of applications.” He also noted that the law does not take into account the unique needs of remote regions, which is crucial for balanced regional development in line with the country’s decentralization efforts. Moreover, he argued that some provisions fail to achieve the law’s intended objectives, leading to significant revenue losses for the government while increasing the tax burden on existing businesses that have to compensate for the shortfall.

More Than CFA113 Billion in Tax Breaks in 2023

Given these issues, the GECAM president stressed the need for a comprehensive reform of the investment incentives law to make it more effective. This is especially important, he argued, since Cameroon granted CFA198 billion in tax and customs incentives, yet the wealth generated from these benefits was only about CFA41 billion, representing just 0.0018% of GDP.

According to a report from the Ministry of Finance on tax expenditures in 2023, the government forfeited CFA113.5 billion in tax and duty revenues that year to support private investment projects. This amount accounted for 25.2% of the total tax expenditures approved by the government in 2023 and equaled 3.1% of the tax and customs revenues collected that year.

To put things into perspective, during a speech at the Africa CEO Forum on February 23, 2023, Marthe Angeline Mindja, the late Director General of the Investment Promotion Agency (API), revealed that API had facilitated the signing of 302 agreements with private sector companies, totaling CFA5.474 trillion in projected investments and an estimated 110,000 direct jobs. “Based on an evaluation of 100 API-approved companies that implemented their projects between 2014 and 2019, actual investments amounted to CFA987 billion, resulting in 12,050 direct jobs created,” she noted.

Source: Business in Cameroon

4, February 2025

Zimbabwe: Cameroonians fined for illegal birth certificates ⁰

Four Cameroonian nationals have been ordered to pay US$400 each in fines after they pleaded guilty of providing false information to obtain Zimbabwean birth certificates.

Christiana Boyembe Dumba (39), Emile MuyaMuya (23), Tegha Marvel Ngei (28) and Yvette KumNnam (24) pleaded guilty before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo of contravening the Births and Deaths Registration Act.

The ruling was delivered after submissions from both the State represented by Nomsa Kangara and the Cameroonians’ defence lawyer Tinashe Mbale.

In mitigation, Mbale argued that the court should consider a fine as an appropriate penalty, emphasising that the quartet had already spent five months in remand prison.

He highlighted that two of his clients were recent graduates while the others were a nurse and a teacher.

In aggravation, prosecutor Kangara argued that the crime posed a serious threat to national security.

She further argued that the four’s real intentions for acquiring the fraudulent identification documents remained unclear.

Kangara further stated that such offences undermine trust in government institutions and can compromise the accuracy of national data, potentially affecting the effectiveness of government programmes.

The court established that in August 2024, the four conspired to fraudulently obtain Zimbabwean identification documents, including birth certificates.

They sought the assistance of Tawanda Waniwa, an employee at the Registrar General’s Department at the Mount Darwin branch.

Waniwa facilitated the issuance of the fraudulent birth certificates.

Dumba claimed that her name was Christiana Mhereyenyoka, born in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.

She provided her place of residence as Arcadia village, Mt Darwin Scheme and said her mother was Mwaiyadi Chipo of the same village.

MuyaMuya falsely stated that his name was Emile Chingwaru and claimed to be Zimbabwean by birth.

He listed his birthplace was Makonde, Mount Darwin and his place of residence as Matare village, under Chief Magonde in Mount Darwin.

Ngei claimed that her name was Marvel Chimbwanda, born in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe, Zimbabwe. She alleged that her place of residence was Village 2, Huyuyu Extension, Mutoko and named her mother as Grace Chimbwanda.

KumNnam stated that her name was Yvette Maini, born at Nembire Clinic, Mt Darwin.

She claimed to reside at 371 New Pfura Location in Mt Darwin.

Between August 27, 2024 and September 4, 2024, the accused obtained fraudulent birth certificates bearing false Zimbabwean names and details.

The fraudulent birth certificates and national identity cards were recovered and submitted as evidence in court.

Last year, the accused were found guilty of entering Zimbabwe without permits and using fraudulently obtained passports by a Beitbridge court.

They were warned, discharged and ordered to be deported by the relevant authority.

Source: Newsday

4, February 2025

Sweden: At least five people injured in school campus shooting, one critically ⁰

At least five people have been shot on a school campus in central Sweden – four have undergone surgery in hospital, and one is critically injured

One of the people in hospital is thought to be the perpetrator, police say

More people may be injured, police add.

Students and staff were kept inside buildings when police thought the attacker was still at large – they are now being evacuated.

The shooting happened at a school for adults, although there are children’s schools on the site.

Police first warned people to stay away from the area at 13:20 local time (12:20 GMT)

Soon after, they confirmed four people had been shot, before the number increased to five.

Source: BBC

4, February 2025

Yaoundé: Journalist Martinez Zogo murder trial suspended again ⁰

The trial of murdered radio host Martinez Zogo has been postponed to February 24 by the Yaoundé Military Tribunal, following the hearing yesterday. The delay allows the Centre Court of Appeal to rule on legal challenges filed by both the prosecution and the defense. The appellate court hearing is scheduled for February 20, though some observers note that this date is only indicative. Given the court’s heavy caseload, a ruling may not be issued that day, which could further delay proceedings at the military tribunal. The continuation of the trial hinges on the appeal court’s decision.

Defense lawyers filed appeals to contest the military tribunal’s rulings from November 11, 2024. The panel of judges, led by Colonel Jacques Baudouin Missè Njonè, had dismissed all objections raised by the defense, which argued that the rights of the accused had been violated during the preliminary investigation and judicial inquiry.

Attorneys representing businessman Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga and Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, the former head of Cameroon’s General Directorate for External Research (DGRE), are seeking to have their clients released so they can stand trial as free men. Other lawyers are challenging the reclassification of charges against their clients, arguing that it is premature at this stage of the trial.

Meanwhile, the DGRE, whose 12 agents are implicated in Martinez Zogo’s murder, is attempting to avoid civil liability. The military tribunal has denied the intelligence agency’s request to be recognized as a victim in the case and has instead placed it among the accused— a decision fiercely contested by the DGRE’s legal team.

This is the second time the Court of Appeal has been called upon in this case. In July, defense lawyers had petitioned the court to compel the military tribunal to provide them with copies of the investigation file. The tribunal had ruled that lawyers could only consult the documents on-site, without taking them away. The appellate court sided with the military tribunal, prompting some lawyers to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.

Source: Sbbc

2, February 2025

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Senator Tchuetchue dies after health battle with undisclosed illness ⁰

CPDM Senator for the Bamboutos constituency in the West Region who also moonlighted as the traditional ruler for Bati has died after a brief illness. The CPDM Central Committee said that hearts were broken to experience numerous deaths so soon within the ruling party.

Senator Tchuetchue Mbokouoko’s death creates a casual vacancy in the Senate that will be filled by the ruling party.

The Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee was quoted as saying that his heart is “broken” by the news.

Senator Tchuetchue had a long career behind the scenes of the CPDM party enriching himself at the detriment of his people before being elected to represent Bamboutos at the 2023 senatorial election.

By Fon Lawrence