News

30, December 2018

Southern Cameroons: Acting President to address the nation after IG bans on ADF, AMF ⁰

The Ambazonian Acting President Dr Ikome Sako will be addressing the nation tomorrow at exactly 8 pm Southern Cameroons time. This information was made public by Communications Secretary, Hon. Chris Anu. The Southern Cameroons Interim Government did not provide any further details of the anticipated political discourse on the state of the Ambazonian revolution.

However, people in the know have opined that Acting President Sako’s December 31^st message will focus on the decision taken by the Interim Government to ban the ADF, AMF and SOCADEF. We understand the activities of some traitors of the Southern Cameroons revolution including a certain Cho Ayaba and his collaborators have been shameful, disgusting and disgraceful and the people on ground zero are tired of them.

By these measures, the Ambazonian Interim Government has saved the Southern Cameroons restoration forces from being branded terrorist organizations as the Biya Francophone government has been lobbying. The execution of many Ground Zero forces by members of the Cho Ayaba ADF gang and the extortion by the Ayaba and Akwanga forces including from missionaries and sealing the Church in Muyenge are serious excesses the international community has expressed concerns about.

The Interim Government has preempted sanctions by the US which could have crippled the revolution. Our Buea city reporter who contributed to this report noted that banning these traitors is the most responsible action.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

29, December 2018

French prosecutors probe Macron ex-bodyguard over passports ⁰

Paris prosecutors on Saturday opened an investigation into illegal use of diplomatic passports by President Emmanuel Macron’s disgraced former bodyguard in another potential scandal for the French leader.

Alexandre Benalla, a former campaign bodyguard who got a senior job after Macron’s election victory last year, has been caught up in scandal since July when accusations emerged he had roughed up protestors.

Macron’s office and Benalla have clashed this week over accusations that he may have used diplomatic passports after he was dismissed in August, which the foreign ministry said would be a crime.

Prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into “abuse of trust” over Benalla’s failure to return two passports after he was no longer in office, state prosecutor in Paris Remy Heitz said in a statement.

The probe is also investigating the illegal use of a professional documents and other possible charges. The passports were seized by the foreign ministry after press reports emerged alleging Benalla used them to enter several African countries and Israel in recent weeks.

But sources close to Benalla said he had handed over the passports to the presidential palace, but that they were given back to him again. More negative headlines over Benalla have emerged at a sensitive time for Macron, a former investment banker who has seen his popularity plummet during weeks of anti-government protests over some of his economic reforms.

The French leader, who has styled himself as a pro-business reformer, has been forced to acknowledge widespread animosity to his way of governing, seen by critics as out of touch with the economic plight of ordinary French.

– Centre of scandal –

Benalla was at the centre of a major scandal this summer after accusations emerged he had beaten up demonstrators at a May Day rally in Paris while he was wearing a police helmet. He was working for the presidency at the time.

He was not fired until after the media revelations, prompting a wave of accusations from government opponents that Macron’s office covered it up.

Uproar over the diplomatic passports and how the presidency has handled the issue has been growing since local media reported Benalla met with several African presidents, in what officials fear was an attempt to profit from his former insider status.

The president’s office said it has no information about the use of Benalla’s passports, which it said were assigned only for work in his official capacity.

Macron’s chief of staff, Patrick Strzoda, called on Benalla to explain himself on “any personal and private missions” carried out “as a consultant” while he was in office at the Elysee, following the press reports.

But Benalla replied in a letter, seen by AFP, to the Elysee Palace, that he never carried out any private missions during his time with the presidency.

Benalla has denied boasting of insider influence to win work after his sacking and has accused members of Macron’s entourage of trying to “wreck” his life.

AFP

29, December 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 1 dead, 1 injured in Bamenda shooting ⁰

A man was violently killed in Bamenda the chief city in the Northern Zone of Southern Cameroons as fresh fighting erupted between French Cameroun government forces and Ambazonian Restoration fighters on Friday December 28.

The body of the French Cameroun service man killed during sporadic exchange of fire was abandoned on the road as residents escaped the scene for safety. A Southern Cameroons civilian was seriously injured.

We gathered that business men and women operating around the Azire New Church were forced to flee. The fighting reportedly affected the Food Market area including the Hospital Roundabout.

In Yaoundé, the government is losing its grip on power. Scandals are destroying the crime syndicate that has ruled the country for 36 years. CAF’s withdrawal of the right to host the 2019 African Nations Cup has opened a can of worms that might sweep an entire government out of power.

The country’s ministers are accusing each other for the collapse of the plan put in place to hoodwink the world into believing that things are working out well in Cameroon. The population is devastated while the government is trying to put on a brave face.

It never rains, but it pours. After CAF, there was more embarrassment for the criminal enterprise made in the mold of the Sicilian Mafia. The World Bank recently released a report indicting the country’s government of corruption, overspending and misappropriation of funds.

This has left many government officials scrambling for solutions, as the country’s president, Paul Biya, also known as the “monarch” keeps an ominous silence which is destroying many of his ministers who fear they could be arrested anytime or kicked out of government.

The regime has never been this weak. Those who have been propping the government are gradually showing signs of fatigue. Years of lying and defrauding the state are clearly taking a toll on the health of these key actors.

The economy is crumbling; the population has lost hope in the country. The government’s mismanagement of the country and its determination to hang on to power despite losing many elections has pushed the population into the worst form of despair.

28, December 2018

Former Nigerian president Shehu Shagari dies ⁰

Former Nigerian president, Shehu Shagari, has died at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a brief illness, his grandson and the president of The National Youth Council of Nigeria, Bello Shagari said on Friday evening.

He was 93. His death was also confirmed by the governor of his home state of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.

“I regret to announce the death of former President Shehu Shagari who just passed away at National Hospital Abuja,” Tambuwal tweeted.

He was Nigerian president between 1979 and 1983. He contested and won re-election in 1983, but a military coup staged on December 31, 1983, terminated his second term. The coup brought in the then Major-General Muhammadu Buhari as the head of state.

After the coup, he was arrested by the military government on allegations of corruption. He was, however, cleared of the allegations, but that did not stop the military junta from banning him from active politics for life.

Before joining politics in 1951, Shagari was a schoolteacher. Four years after his entry into politics, he was elected a member of the Federal House of Representatives.

Source: The Guardian

28, December 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: MAC releases statement on kidnappings in Mamfe ⁰

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The MAC wishes to inform the community that as a result of the repeated reported kidnappings and demand for ransom in Mamfe, especially and surrounding areas, your Manyu Ghost Warriors have in the past few days arrested two kidnappers.

They were taken into custody by your self-defense forces and upon interrogation, they were found to be local boys and not a stranger from any other area of Southern Cameroons. The interrogation was on conducted camera to ensure fairness, transparency and accuracy. After interrogation, one of victims was also identified and invited to confirm the identity the kidnapper, retrieve their assets and also received a fully apology from the kidnapper. As a result of their cooperation, this kidnapper was only severely punished and then released to the custody of his parent who were also warned about the behavior of their son. The second kidnapper escaped and is currently on the run after an initial interrogation.

As a result, MAC-Self Defense Council has now decided to establish an undercover unit of Manyu Ghost Warriors dedicated solely to tackling these thieves, kidnappers and armed robbers in a fairly no-nonsense and robust manner.

MAC therefore writes to inform everybody that kidnapping and demand for ransom is unacceptable anywhere in Manyu Region and anybody caught shall be severely punished.

MAC also informs the community to be vigilant and report any kidnapping or demand for ransom to MAC. The Ghost warrior visits shall be in the random, robust and effective and do not become the next arrested kidnapper as the consequences shall be more severe. Please do inform all relations to exercise restraint especially those young boys who neither fighters but whose education has been severely disrupted to refrain such criminal activities.

God Bless Manyu or MidWest Region.

Sincerely,The Manyu Advisory Council

28, December 2018

10 Burkina Faso police officers killed in ambush ⁰

Ten police officers were killed and three wounded in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the west African country’s security ministry said.

“The toll is 10 officers who have lost their lives and three wounded,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that a police convoy from the Toeni region and reinforcements from the Dedougou area had been ambushed.

Security minister Clement Sawadogo confirmed the toll on national television, announcing an increase in police and army forces patrolling the area.

The officers were attacked while heading to the village of Loroni, near the border with Mali, after a school had been attacked and textbooks torched by armed assailants, a security source told AFP.

The wounded, including two in serious condition, were taken to a hospital in Dedougou, the source added.

“A convoy of defence and security forces who were scrambled from Tougan to come to the scene of the tragedy… also hit an explosive device that ripped through the lead vehicle but fortunately did not kill anybody,” Sawadogo said, adding that three of the four officers in the vehicle were wounded.

“This is an area that has recently been the target of a number of attacks. Arrangements have been made for regular patrols but we are working to strengthen the security system on all the sensitive axes of the zone,” he said.

Burkina Faso has been increasingly hit by deadly attacks over the last three years. They began in the north of the country but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

On Wednesday, a police officer died during an attack on his station in the northern town of Solan.

Most attacks are attributed to the jihadist group Ansarul Islam, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (the Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Those groups are believed to be responsible for more than 255 deaths since 2015. The capital Ouagadougou has been hit three times and almost 60 people have died there.

(AFP)

27, December 2018

Leaked video shows jailed Francophone minister celebrating birthday ⁰

A video that was leaked out on social media showed former Minister of Water and Energy, Basile Atangana Kouna celebrating his birthday in his luxurious cell at the Yaounde central prison.

It is not clear when the amateur video was shot but it emerged on December 24 showing the jailed minister alongside his wife, son and other family members.

The luxurious nature of his prison cell has caused outrage on social media with many questioning the reasons of keeping people in luxurious cells without recovering money they are being accused of embezzling.

Basile Atangana Kouna has been behind bars for the past nine months after he was arrested in Nigeria on March 22 and flown back to Cameroon as he attempted to escape following his dismissal from the government on the 2^nd of March.

Culled from Journal Du Cameroun

26, December 2018

Boko Haram kills 13 soldiers, a policeman in Nigeria ⁰

Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists ambushed a military convoy in northeastern Nigeria, killing 13 soldiers and a policeman, the army said Wednesday.

But an officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants had overrun an army base, and put the death toll at 18.

An army statement said the attackers ambushed a military convoy late Monday on a highway linking Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, with Damaturu in neighboring Yobe state.

“Sadly, 13 military and a police personnel… paid the supreme price while extricating themselves from the ambush,” said the statement, signed by local military spokesman Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu.

The attack followed an attempted raid on a nearby military base along the highway in Kukareta village, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Damaturu, Nwachukwu said.

That attack was “repelled” by troops who “engaged and overpowered the terrorists, killing several of them”, Nwachukwu said, adding that a soldier was injured.

Other security sources said fighters travelling in eight trucks fitted with anti-aircraft guns had overrun the base.

“The terrorists killed 17 soldiers in the attack, which lasted for more than an hour,” an officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“They took over the military base after overpowering troops and burnt it down. A policeman was killed when their vehicle which was heading to Damaturu ran into crossfire but the driver escaped unhurt,” the military source said.

A Nigerian army vehicle patrols in the town of Banki in northeastern Nigeria

A medic in Damaturu hospital said 18 bodies were taken to the morgue late Monday.

A civilian militiaman in the area gave a similar account and said the fighters withdrew after torching the base.

“They burnt the base and two military vehicles. They also burnt two primary schools in Kukareta and neighboring Ngaurawa village,” said the militiaman.

Boko Haram extremists have carried out dozens of attacks on military bases in recent months. Scores of soldiers have been killed or listed as missing.

The 120-kilometre (75-mile) Maiduguri-Damaturu highway has seen repeated attacks, including raids on military bases and markets.

In September 2013, Boko Haram fighters disguised as soldiers barricaded the highway and killed 167 people, in the worst attack targeting motorists.

The nine-year-long insurgency has killed 27,000 people and displaced two million more, creating a dire humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has spilled over into Nigeria’s northern neighbors Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

(Source: AFP)

26, December 2018

French Cameroun Villagers Flee Suspected Ambazonian Attack ⁰

Authorities in Cameroon say hundreds of people have fled villages in a French-speaking region after suspected Anglophone separatists abducted 15 people and torched 80 houses.

The French-speaking villages of Menkefou and Choupat in western Cameroon are almost empty.

An attack by suspected Anglophone separatists early Monday sent hundreds of villagers fleeing for safety.

Fifty year old Constantine Njowir, a Menkefou militia member, says he was lucky to get away with only a machete wound to his leg.

He says he watched helplessly as one of his militia members died after he was inflicted wounds on his chest and stomach with knives and machetes. He says besides burning houses the fighters were shooting indiscriminately and taking along people who resisted.

Njowir says the armed men shouted demands that the government release all arrested English-speaking Cameroonians or pay the price

Elvis Suinyuy, a government teacher in the village of Choupat, says the men threatened to return if Anglophone leaders were not freed.

“They were young boys carrying guns, shooting. One man was killed. As you can see many of the people around have gone away because they have promised us that they are going to come back so we do not know their next plan,” Suinyuy said. “If the government is not there to help us, there will be a serious catastrophe.”

Governor of the western region Augustine Awah Fonka says there were more than 300 armed men involved in the attack. He says they abducted 15 people and torched houses, cars and motor cycles, and looted property.

Governor Augustine Awah Fonka in Bangourain, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (Photo: M. Kindzeka)

“More than 86 houses have been destroyed by unidentified gun men made up of mostly young men and women who appeared in this village and destroyed houses and properties, had the population beaten and left them in pain, poverty, and traumatized,” Fonka said. “I want to assure them that the government is going to redress the situation. More military men will be deployed to take care of the population.”

The government blamed Anglophone separatists in the neighboring northwest region for the attack, and said they appeared to be men fleeing from military raids. Cameroon’s separatists did not issue any immediate response to the accusation.

It is the second time the Bangourain region where the villages are located was attacked.

The government deployed the military and asked communities near separatist areas to create village militias for self defense.

Cameroon’s English-speaking separatists have been protesting since 2016 against discrimination by the French-speaking majority.

Their protests were initially peaceful but, in response to a government crackdown, some separatists are waging a violent campaign for independence.

The insurgency gained pace in 2017when leader JuliusAyukTabewas arrested in Nigeria with 46 collaborators and extradited to Cameroon.

They face a possible death penalty in Cameroon on charges of secession, terrorism and attempting to destabilize the country.

Cameroon President Paul Biya earlier this month ordered the release of 289 English-speaking people arrested for supporting the separatists.

While the gesture of reconciliation received widespread praise, the separatists continue to demand Biya release all of their leaders.

Culled from the VOA

25, December 2018

French Cameroun Governor says Ambazonian fighters attack town, kidnap 15 ⁰

A regional governor in Cameroon says armed English-speaking separatists attacked a French-speaking town, killing one person, kidnapping 15 others and burning 86 homes in the country’s restive North West region.

Governor Augustine Awah Fonka said the attack Sunday and Monday was the second on the town of Bangourain.

Abdouramann Njowir, a resident, said the attackers called the recent release of nearly 300 suspected separatists who had been jailed for almost a year without trial “a provocation.” He said the separatists shouted for the release of their leader, who remains in prison and may face the death penalty.

Cameroon’s English-speaking separatists have been protesting what they call discrimination and marginalization by the French-speaking majority since 2016. Their protests were initially peaceful, but some separatists have begun waging a violent campaign.

Source: wmcactionnews5