News

21, November 2016

Fear of TAC, CATTU: Biya regime deploys troops to North West and South West regions ¹

The strike action announced by the Anglophone teachers’ trade unions is holding as planned. In a show of blind bravado and naive brutal force, the CPDM regime’s ill trained soldiers, Gendarmes and police have been deployed to the towns of Bamenda, Kumbo, Nkambe, Kumba, Muyuka, Limbe, Mutengene, Buea and Tiko. A spokesman for the teachers was quoted as saying that “this excessive show of force belittles the state of Cameroon because it has never dialogue with those who are complainants and have never solved the issues raised.”

The marginalization of English speaking Cameroonians have been complete and total in all the facets of life ranging from job opportunities, job creation, and educational facilities as well as the issue of attempting to gang up and rape all the cherished Anglo-Saxon values. Today the teachers have joined the already striking Common Law lawyers and other stake holders to continue denouncing this act of grave violation of the Constitution. The Biya Francophone Beti-Ewondo regime has always wanted to completely delete the Anglophone values. Francophones are now teaching in Anglophone High Schools as well as in our Anglo-Saxon institutions of learning like Universities and Polytechnics.

The government has drafted thousands of troops to Bamenda, Kumba, Victoria, Buea and Tiko. These are meant to foment trouble today Monday the 21^st of November 2016 and blame it on the unions. The unions have not called for street protests and have issued a strongly worded statement urging teachers to stay at home and also informing parents to keep their children home and watch over them closely.

The teacher’s statement signed by Tassang Wilfred of CATTU observed that when street protest shall become necessary, the unions shall do that and shall assume responsibility. Cameroon Concord News gathered the unions were not in the Yaoundé meeting and have stated they want SOLUTIONS not Resolutions.

By Bernard Ngouche Ndim

20, November 2016

Peru: Obama and Putin meet for 4 minutes ⁰

US President Barack Obama has held a brief meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to talk about the situation in Syria and Ukraine.

Sunday’s short talk on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, was the first one the two world leaders had since Donald Trump won the US presidency and believed to be the last one to be held in person.

The US president called on Russia to be committed to the Minsk deal, aimed at controlling the crisis in eastern Ukraine, while stressing the need for continuation of talks on Syria, according to the White House.

“The president urged President Putin to uphold Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements, underscoring the US and our partners’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty,” AFP quoted a White House official as saying.

Obama also “noted the need for Secretary (John) Kerry and Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov to continue pursuing initiatives, together with the broader international community, to diminish the violence and alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people.”

The four-minute meeting was held during Obama’s last foreign trip as the president. In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election held on November 8, Trump, the GOP nominee, called for a “very, very good relationship” with Putin, saying he is a better leader than Obama.

As Obama prepares to leave the White House, ties between Moscow and Washington remain at the lowest point since the Cold War, most notably over the situation in Syria and Ukraine.

Presstv

19, November 2016

US President-elect agrees to pay $25 million to settle lawsuit against Trump University ⁰

US President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to pay $25 million in order to settle the lawsuit against Trump University, according to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Schneiderman made the announcement Friday, saying that the settlement amounted to “a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university.”

The settlement includes all the three lawsuits filed against the university. Trial for one of the cases was slated to begin on November 28. The money would be split among the suing students. According to Schneiderman, Trump would also pay an extra $1 million in penalties to the state of New York.

The university, which operated between 2004 and 2010, has been accused of being a sham aimed at ripping off students, who claim they were tricked into believing that the New York businessman would handpick the instructors. Apparently, the students were initially lured through free seminars, where the instructors steered them into higher cost ones.

Later on Friday, Trump’s office confirmed the announcement, saying that Trump agreed to settle the case in order to focus on his presidency. “We are pleased to announce the complete resolution of all litigation involving Trump University,” the Trump organization said. “While we have no doubt that Trump University would have prevailed at trial based on the merits of this case, resolution of these matters allows President-Elect Trump to devote his full attention to the important issues facing our great nation.”

During the presidential campaign, Trump had accused the federal judge overseeing the case of being hostile to him. “I believe he happens to be Spanish, which is fine. He is Hispanic, which is fine. And we haven’t asked for recusal, which we may do,” He said in May. “But we have a judge who is very hostile. Should’ve been thrown out. Wasn’t thrown out.”

Presstv

19, November 2016

Foreign journalists to boycott women’s AFCON ¹

Journalists from other African countries are threatening to boycott the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations beginning tomorrow in Yaoundé. While the Confederation of African Football has awarded accreditation to journalists for the media coverage of the female AFCON 2016, which will kick off tomorrow Saturday, the presidential security department is now forcing all CAF accredited journalists to present a special badge emanating from their service to gain access to the opening matches and the final.

Cameroon Concord News has learnt that the presidential security operates a different security system and their decision reigns supreme whenever President Paul Biya is expected to take part in an event. This is a security measure unprecedented in other countries in such circumstances. The measure taken by the security services of the 83-year-old leader is not shared by journalists some of whom are considering a boycott.

By Rita Akana

18, November 2016

Rigobert Song sends message to the Indomitable Lionesses ⁰

Canal 2 international has broadcasted a telephone conversation with the emblematic captain of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Rigobert Song still interned at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in France. In the news bulletin today, Rigo said he was getting better and better and thanked the Cameroonian people especially President Biya and his wife for their support. “For the moment, I feel good, I’m in full rehabilitation. I am aware of some few things”.

The former international defender has kept his lion’s heart and he shocked the Canal 2 journalist when he reminded him in the conversation that Cameroon was just 24 hours to the kick-off of the 10th edition of the 2016 Women’s Africa Nation’s Cup. “To my sisters, the indomitable Lionesses I convey to them the determination … I wish that everything goes very well,’ Song added.

Rigobert Song suffered a stroke last October the 2nd at his home in Yaoundé. After an emergency treatment in a hospital in Yaoundé, he was evacuated three days later to France on high instruction from the presidency of the republic.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from CIN

18, November 2016

Boko Haram claims responsibility for three bomb attacks in Nigeria ⁰

Six people have been killed in three bomb attacks in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno. The bombings were carried out in Maiduguri, Borno’s capital, on Friday. One of the explosions rocked Jiddari area near a mobile police post, Borno state police commissioner Damian Chukwu told reporters in Maiduguri.

The official added that two other bombings were carried out “along Maiduguri-Gamboru road.” The Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists have claimed responsibility for the bombings. Police said four assailants and two civilian defense fighters were killed in the bombings. One of the attackers was arrested.

Emergency personnel stand near the wrecked remains of a vehicle ripped apart following two bombings in Nigeria’s northeast city of Maiduguri on October 29, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Maiduguri has been the epicenter of Boko Haram’s seven-year insurgency. Borno has taken the brunt of Boko Haram’s acts of terror, which started in 2009. The group has recently regained momentum after it was nearly obliterated months ago by a joint military force made up of Nigerian government forces and troops from neighboring countries.

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which is mainly active in Syria and Iraq. The United Nations has warned that areas affected by Boko Haram face a humanitarian crisis. Boko Haram terrorists have so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes. The group started its campaign with the aim of toppling the central government in Nigeria.

Presstv

18, November 2016

Mozambique: Scores of people killed in an explosion ⁰

Scores of people have been killed and more than a hundred others injured in an explosion that happened as they tried to siphon oil from an overturned truck in western Mozambique. The incident occurred on Thursday in the village of Caphiridzange in Tete Province, killing 73 people and injuring over 110, some of them critically, the government said in a statement.

The truck had been carrying fuel to Malawi from the port city of Beira. The exact circumstances of the incident were not clear. An early government statement had said the blast occurred “because of the heat.” Information ministry director Joao Manasses, however, said people may have ambushed the truck.

Government officials said the local hospital was reinforcing its staff to help treat those injured, saying more bodies might be in surrounding woods because some badly burned people had tried to run into a nearby river. Three government ministers were due to arrive to the village on Friday to monitor the rescue work.

The government in Mozambique increased fuel prices at the beginning of October, causing a rise in the inflation rate. Mozambique, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been suffering the consequences of an economic crisis since its civil war ended in 1992, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Presstv

18, November 2016

Britain to construct 5,300 social housing units in French Cameroon ⁰

President Paul Biya has received a British business delegation led by the UK High Commissioner to Cameroon, Brian Olley. The audience that held today Thursday in the Unity Palace was reportedly intensive and productive.

At the end of the meeting, the British top diplomat revealed that more than 5,300 social housing units will soon be built in Cameroon. High Commissioner Brian Olley added that the projects, amounting to 140 billion CFA francs will be realized in Douala, Yaounde and Kribi.

On combating the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Brian Olley announced that Britain would intensify its support for the Cameroonian defense forces, particularly in the area of military training, revealing that a post of military attaché would be created in April next year in its representation in Cameroon.

Ambassador Brian Olley also stated that more than 15 billion CFA francs had already been mobilized by the United Kingdom for the assistance to refugees and displaced persons who are victims of terrorism.

The UK ranks second on the list of Cameroonian donors with (US $ 88.2 million) behind France (US $ 167 million) Germany (US $ 87.4 million), the United States (US $ 40.7 million) and Japan (US $ 25.1 million).

By Chi Prudence Asong

17, November 2016

William Aurélien Eteki Mboumoua will be buried at the Bois de Singes cemetery ⁰

The remains of the former Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and President of the Cameroon Red Cross (CRC) will leave the Yaoundé General Hospital mortuary on the 24^th of November 2016 for its final resting place.

According to a program published by the Cameroon Red Cross, the late William Aurélien Eteki Mboumoua, will embark on his last journey from Yaoundé to Douala on 24 November, where he will be buried on Saturday the 26th of November at the Bois de Singes cemetery. A ceremony will be held at the Yaoundé General Hospital in the presence of numerous political figures, members of the government, the great family of the International Committee of the Red Cross including administrative, traditional and religious authorities.

William Aurélien Eteki Mboumoua had a meteoric rise in the Cameroon political system. He was Minister of National Education, Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Culture, Chancellor of the University of Yaoundé, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic, Minister of Missions at the Presidency of the Republic, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Member of the Executive Council and Vice-President of UNESCO, Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Member of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations for Disarmament Studies and National President of Cameroon Red Cross.

Born at the Bonadibong neighborhood in Douala, Aurélien Eteki Mboumoua died on Wednesday the 26^th of October at the age of 83.

By Chi Prudence Asong

17, November 2016

Several Turkish soldiers seeking asylum in Germany ⁰

Several Turkish soldiers at NATO’s central command in Ramstein has sought asylum in Germany in the wake of Turkey’s widespread crackdown against military personnel, journalists and political activists. According to a German official, quoted by the dpa news agency, family members of the soldiers stationed at the airbase insouthwestern Germany have also applied for asylum.

Paul Junker, a regional official in nearby Kaiserslautern, said the asylum requests had come from “more than one family,” but declined to say how many individuals were involved. German Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said last month that 35 Turkish diplomatic passport holders had formally applied for asylum in Germany. The actual figure of the asylum seekers, he said, could be higher.

Relations between Turkey and Germany have strained following the July 15 botched coup, which Ankara claims to have been organized by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier often clashed with Turkish officials during a visit to Ankara this week, reflecting tough times in their relations.

After 11 years of negotiations, Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU look more remote than ever, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu telling Steinmeier on Tuesday that Turkey was “fed up” with the European Union. “We are truly fed up of these statements degrading Turkey. The criteria are clear but there are double standards and a two-faced approach. This is what we don’t like,” Cavusoglu told a joint news conference. Over 240 people were killed and more than 2,100 others injured in the coup attempt, which Gulen has strongly condemned and denied any involvement in.

Tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, judges and teachers, have been suspended, dismissed or detained as part of the post-coup crackdown. International rights groups argue that Ankara’s crackdown has gone far beyond the so-called Gulenists and targeted Kurds as well as government critics.

Turkey detains, suspends mayors over PKK links

On Thursday, Turkish officials arrested and suspected three mayors in the Kurdish-majority southeastern part of the country over alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group.

Unnamed security sources said police detained the mayor of Van city, Bekir Kaya, and four other municipal officials early Thursday.

Bekir Kaya, mayor of the southeastern Turkish city of Van

The sources said the mayors of Mardin and Siirt citties, identified as Ahmet Turk and Tuncer Bakirhan respectively, had also been discharged and replaced with administrators appointed by the Interior Ministry. Earlier this month, 13 legislators from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) were arrested after being accused of links to Kurdish militants.

Party leaders Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ remain in custody along with eight others, waiting to stand trial on terrorism-related charges. A shaky ceasefire between the PKK, which has been calling for an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984, and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015. Ever since, attacks on Turkish security forces have soared.

Over the past few months, Turkish ground and air forces have been carrying out operations against PKK positions in the country’s troubled southeastern border region as well as Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and northern Syria.

Presstv