20, February 2018
17 killed in garbage dump collapse in Mozambique 0
At least 17 people have been killed and several others injured in Mozambique’s capital when a 15-meter pile of garbage collapsed due to heavy rain and buried seven houses, officials say.
The collapse happened at around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) in the impoverished Hulene neighborhood, which is around 10 kilometers from the center of Maputo. The houses were built illegally and authorities had previously asked the residents to leave, officials said.
Torrential rain is thought to have caused the loose waste to shift and crash down on the shacks, trapping the occupants who were sleeping at the time of the incident on Sunday night.
Mozambique’s emergency service warned there could be more victims, trapped under the vast waste pile in Hulene.
“The information we received from local authorities is that the number of people living in those houses exceeds the number of deaths recorded, so work is still ongoing to see if there are any other deaths,” said spokesman Leonilde Pelembe.
The rubbish mound destroyed five homes and rescue teams were still searching through the wreckage to find survivors, he added.
“I live in this neighborhood because I have nowhere to go. Had the government told me to go to another place to live, I would have left here,” said local resident Maria Huo.
Her family home was partially destroyed and her son injured in the landslide, she said.
“It’s been more than 10 years that the dump should have been closed because it’s full — but they still continue to pile trash on the trash. The consequence is this,” said Teresa Mangue, a neighborhood leader.
Heavy rain has been falling on Maputo since Sunday, causing flooding, damaging homes and deluging roads and schools.
(Source: Agencies)
20, February 2018
Southern Cameroons Crisis: The Akwaya Situation Report 0
A slow-moving ground offensive, the assault on Akwaya by French Cameroun government forces threatens to become a protracted standoff, deepening an already dire humanitarian situation. It could also prove costly for the Biya regime, diplomatically and militarily. So far, nearly 250 civilians in Akwaya, according to a sister publication Cameroon Intelligence Report have been killed. Seven children were killed in rocket attacks launched from Egbekaw on the Manyu River on the 10th of February 2018.
Chief Alana Valentine, Chief Odape Hans of Kajinga, Chief Dan and Chief Adejua Ndumbe of Meyerim villages in the Akwaya sub constituency have all escaped the fighting and are currently seeking refuge at the premises of the Divisional officer in Akwaya town. Cameroon Concord News gathered that the traditional rulers are wanted by the Amba Tigers for actions against the Ambazonia struggle.
We understand Chief Adejua Ndumbe of Meyerim village on the 10th of February escaped beatings and his palace was burnt down. For his part, Chief Odape Hans of Kajinga village who is the current Section President of the ruling CPDM party has been told to stay away from the village.
On the 11th of February, Ambazonia fighters were able to attacked the grand stand leaving one element of the Rapid Intervention Battalion and the principal of GTHS Akwaya with life threatening injuries. Civil servants in Akwaya have been asking for long term leave as the area has become ungovernable.
Akwaya Sub division is the biggest and oldest in Cameroon. It is made up of 99 villages and a majority of its citizens are now refugees in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a result of the current socio- political crisis in Southern Cameroons.
By Judith Fon in Mamfe