News

28, June 2026

Iran strikes eight US military installations after renewed American attacks ⁰

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it launched a large-scale missile and drone operation against eight US military installations in the region, describing the strikes as a “decisive response” to renewed American aggression against Iranian territory.

In a statement, the IRGC said its Navy and Aerospace Force jointly carried out the operation between “2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on Sunday (local time),” targeting eight “key US military installations,” including the “Ali Al Salem Airbase in Kuwait” and the “US Fifth Fleet headquarters at Salman Port in Bahrain.”

The Corps said the operation involved ballistic missiles and drones and said the targeted facilities were destroyed.

According to the statement, the operation followed attacks carried out by the enemy against five Iranian coastal outposts earlier in the day.

“The aggressor enemy, whose very nature is characterized by breaking commitments and violating agreements, attacked five coastal outposts of the Islamic Republic in the early hours of today under the pretext of responding to the IRGC Navy’s confronting a trespassing vessel [in the Strait of Hormuz],” the statement read.

Warning over Strait of Hormuz enforcement

The IRGC said maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz falls under Iran’s responsibility pursuant to a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding that was recently signed between Iran and the United States.

It added, “Henceforth, vessels found to be in violation will be dealt with more firmly than before.”

The statement also warned that “any future aggression by the enemy, regardless of the pretext and even if, as last night and tonight, it targets objectives deemed to be of minor importance, will be met with a crushing response.”

The IRGC further said, “The enemy should understand that violating the ceasefire constitutes a breach of Clause One of the Islamabad understanding and will result in the complete suspension of all related processes.”

The statement followed an announcement by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that it had staged new aggression against targets inside Iran.

Source: Presstv

27, June 2026

Venezuela quake death toll nears 1,000 ⁰

The death toll of the Venezuela earthquake has reached close to 1,000 as more international rescuers arrive in the country at a crucial time.

Two strong earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude rocked Venezuela within seconds of each other on Wednesday, causing many structures to collapse in the country’s north, including in the capital Caracas, trapping people under the rubble.

According to the government statistics, 920 people have been killed and 3,360 others injured. However, many more people are still unaccounted for, and as time passes, they are feared to be perishing under the rubble.

Venezuelan authorities announced more than 50,000 people remain missing in thousands of collapsed structures.

Rescuers keep searching for survivors, and families wait desperately for news of their missing ones.

La Guaira region, north of Caracas, has been hit the hardest.

Natacha Diaz told media that her two daughters, aged 22 and 23, were still trapped under the rubble of a collapsed mall in La Guaira.

“They were with their friends,” she said. “I just want them to be found. I have faith and hope that they are there.”

“I just want them back with me. They are all I have, please.”

At least 243 people have been rescued from under the rubble of collapsed buildings in La Guaira, so far.

The news of the people who have been rescued alive “brings us joy that they can embrace their families and loved ones,” Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said at a televised briefing on Friday.

There have been 214 aftershocks since the quakes started, she added.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said almost 2,000 international rescue workers are taking part in the search operation.

Fletcher told the media on Saturday that rescue teams from different countries were still pouring into Caracas.

He stressed that the first 72 hours after the earthquake were “crucial.”

“It’s absolutely grim, it’s devastating, and for us, we are driven on minute by minute, hour by hour, by the sound of the survivors underneath the rubble.”

“We cannot pause for a second while we hear them, but the worst thing is when those voices go quiet. We’re determined to save as many lives as we can.”

Source: Press TV

27, June 2026

Burkina Faso cuts diplomatic ties with France ⁰

Burkina Faso on Friday severed diplomatic ties with former colonial ruler France, accusing Paris of persistently acting against its interests.

The military regime led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy hostile particularly France.

“The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with France with effect from today, June 26, 2026,” it announced in a statement read out on the west African nation’s national television.

The government also accused France of harbouring “neo-colonial ambitions, made evident by its active support for subversive networks and the terrorists who are plunging our country and the Sahel into mourning”.

Burkina Faso, like several of its neighbours, has for a decade been hit by deadly violence by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

According to the statement, this decision “concerns exclusively the institutional framework of relations between the two states at the diplomatic level”.

It “in no way calls into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties that unite the Burkinabe and French peoples”, the government said.

Anti French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.

Once master of vast expanses of northern, central and western Africa, France has played a crucial role in the continent’s post colonial history, repeatedly intervening militarily since the early 1960s.

France has vowed to abandon the so-called “Francafrique” strategy, under which Paris sought to keep francophone Africa under its thumb through political collusion, exclusive access for French businesses and oblique financial deals including graft.

Source: AFP

27, June 2026

US and Iran trade strikes putting new strain on Mideast ceasefire ⁰

The United States and Iran traded military strikes after Washington on Friday accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship, jeopardizing a fragile ceasefire as diplomats struggle to contain the Middle East war.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Saturday that they had attacked US sites in the Gulf region in retaliation to American strikes in Iran, according to state television.

The US military had earlier announced that it had struck targets in Iran in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, which it attributed to Tehran.

“If the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this,” the Guards said, according to a post by state TV on Telegram.

By Asu Isong in London

26, June 2026

Dion Ngute admin targets power grid expansion ⁰

Cameroon wants to attract more investment into electricity transmission, marking a new phase in the country’s energy strategy. After years of financing new power plants, particularly large hydropower projects, the government now sees the transmission network as the sector’s biggest priority.

The shift was reaffirmed on June 19 in Yaoundé, where Minister of Water and Energy Gaston Eloundou Essomba met with Italy’s Ambassador to Cameroon, Natalia Sanginiti, and Riccardo Rossi Van Lamsweerde, head of the regional office of Italy’s public financial institution, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. During the meeting, which focused on investment opportunities in the energy sector, the minister encouraged Italian partners to give greater attention to electricity transmission infrastructure.

“The transmission segment should continue to receive the attention of our partners. They should take an interest in it,” he said. The appeal is part of Cameroon’s National Energy Compact, a roadmap that seeks to mobilize $12.5 billion in additional financing by 2030. The government describes the plan as a roadmap for developing sustainable energy infrastructure that will expand access to clean energy for households and businesses while supporting industrial development and clean cooking.

Among the proposed reforms is a broader opening of the electricity transmission segment to private investors through public-private partnerships. The government hopes this approach will speed up infrastructure development while easing pressure on public finances.

A Grid Under Pressure

The growing focus on transmission comes as Cameroon prepares to significantly expand its electricity generation capacity.

After commissioning the Nachtigal hydropower plant, which increased supply to the Southern Interconnected Grid, the government is advancing several other major projects.

The 500-megawatt Kikot hydropower project remains one of the country’s top priorities. The Minkouma project is also moving forward, while Bini à Warak is approaching another milestone with the expected signing of a development agreement. At the same time, the government, with support from the World Bank, is conducting studies for large-scale solar power plants in the country’s northern regions.

As electricity production increases, expanding the transmission network has become more urgent. Without sufficient investment in high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and evacuation infrastructure, part of the new generating capacity may never reach households, businesses, and industrial zones.

The issue has become even more important as electricity demand grows alongside new industrial, mining, and port projects. In that context, electricity transmission is no longer just a technical component of the power sector. It has become a key factor in industrial competitiveness and in maximizing returns on the country’s investments in power generation.

Sonatrel Faces Major Investment Needs

Created by presidential decree in 2015, the National Electricity Transmission Company (Sonatrel) is responsible for transmitting electricity, managing the national transmission grid, and planning, developing, and building new transmission infrastructure on behalf of the state.

The company, however, faces significant investment needs to modernize and expand a network that remains insufficient for the country’s growing energy ambitions.

According to figures cited by the Ministry of Water and Energy, nearly 30% of the electricity generated in Cameroon is lost before reaching consumers because of weaknesses in the transmission and distribution networks. Reducing those losses is one of the government’s main priorities for improving the technical performance and financial sustainability of the electricity sector.

Opening the transmission segment to new financial partners is therefore viewed as a strategic step. The government hopes it will accelerate the construction of transmission lines, modernize existing infrastructure, and gradually strengthen interconnections between the country’s different power networks. The interest shown by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti in Cameroon’s energy projects could open the door to additional financing.

For the government, the challenge now is to convert growing electricity production into tangible economic gains. That will require a transmission network capable of reliably delivering power to households, industrial sites, and future manufacturing hubs.

After focusing much of its effort on expanding generation capacity, Cameroon now faces the next stage of its energy strategy: building a transmission network that can support economic growth, strengthen energy security, and make full use of the country’s investment in power production.

Source: Business in Cameroon

26, June 2026

$1.12 billion highway for Cameroon ⁰

The World Bank has approved a $1.12 billion project to upgrade the Douala-Bangui Corridor in Cameroon. This will be carried out under the Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) programme.

The Douala-Bangui Corridor is of importance to Cameroon as well as the neighbouring Central Africa Republic (CAR), so the project will deliver major benefits to both nations for transport and economic growth. Carrying up to 80% of Cameroon’s goods transport, the route is crucial for the region. But years of neglect have resulted in the road surface becoming deteriorated and in poor condition.

The first phase will be worth $525 million and will be used to upgrade infrastructure, road safety, and road maintenance.

Source: Global Highways

25, June 2026

Martinez Zogo Affair: Missing phone remains a major gap in murder trial ⁰

Digital evidence again took center stage on June 22 before the Yaoundé Military Court in the trial over the murder of journalist Martinez Zogo.

During further questioning by the government prosecutor, cybercrime expert Georges Bell Bitjoka reaffirmed what has become one of the central issues in the case: investigators never recovered the phone allegedly used by businessman Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga in exchanges with Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, the former head of operations at the General Directorate for External Research (DGRE).

Military prosecutor Cerlin Belinga asked the expert to clarify which device had been used to exchange messages between the two men. Bitjoka told the court that investigators were never able to formally identify the phone used by Amougou Belinga.

Messages Recovered Only From Danwe’s Phone

According to the expert, investigators recovered deleted WhatsApp messages after examining one of Justin Danwe’s phones. They also identified frequent calls involving a recurring phone number. Using that number, investigators traced the unique identifier of the corresponding device, which Bitjoka described as an iPhone 12. He added that the phone had been located “at a gentleman’s home,” but investigators did not consider it necessary to recover it.

“We did not recover Amougou Belinga’s phone,” Bitjoka told the court. He added that, in his view, the device used for those exchanges had been “removed.”

An Incomplete Digital Investigation

The testimony builds on statements Bitjoka made during a June 1 hearing. At that time, he said investigators had examined only a limited share of the phones linked to Amougou Belinga. According to his testimony, less than 30% of the devices associated with the businessman had been analyzed, while a significant portion of his digital footprint remained either unidentified or inaccessible. The expert stressed that the digital mapping of Amougou Belinga’s communications remained incomplete and that potentially important evidence had never been fully recovered or examined.

An Indirect Digital Link

Bitjoka also testified that one of the phone numbers that communicated most frequently with Justin Danwe before Martinez Zogo’s abduction and murder on January 17, 2023, belonged to Amougou Belinga’s secretary. According to the expert, however, that phone had been completely reset before investigators received it. As a result, investigators were able to establish a technical link between Danwe and Amougou Belinga only through the deleted messages recovered from Danwe’s phone.

Even then, Bitjoka maintained an important qualification before the court. “I did not find explicit evidence linking Justin Danwe and Amougou Belinga regarding the Martinez Zogo case,” he testified.

A Key Issue for the Prosecution

The incomplete digital investigation continues to shape the case. While the recovered data strengthens suspicions surrounding communications between several defendants, the absence of the phone allegedly used by Amougou Belinga prevents investigators from directly examining what could have been a critical part of the evidence.

The issue extends beyond a technical question. It goes to the strength of the prosecution’s case. Earlier in the trial, another cybercrime expert, Jean Pierre Ouloumou, testified that phones presented as belonging to Amougou Belinga contained no data.

At this stage of the proceedings, the June 22 hearing has highlighted one of the prosecution’s biggest challenges. Investigators have reconstructed part of the digital exchanges, but without full access to the devices allegedly used by one of the case’s main defendants.

In a trial where electronic evidence plays a central role, that gap continues to fuel both suspicion and questions about the completeness of the prosecution’s case.

Source: Sbbc

25, June 2026

Biya regime test new approach to keep urban roads in better condition ⁰

Cameroon is looking to change how it maintains urban roads and drainage systems, shifting from a system focused on construction work to one centered on long-term performance.

The Sustainable Cities and Land Management Project (PVGFD), with support from the World Bank, is preparing to introduce a new generation of road maintenance contracts known as Results-Based Road Contracts (MROR). On June 17, public works companies, engineering firms, local governments, and urban development stakeholders gathered in Yaoundé for a workshop dedicated to the new model. More than 100 participants attended the event, both in person and online.

The approach represents a significant departure from traditional public works contracts. Under the current system, companies are paid primarily for carrying out specific works. Under the proposed model, a larger share of compensation depends on the condition of the infrastructure over time and the quality of service delivered to users. “Unlike traditional contracts, MRORs focus on results and the long-term quality of infrastructure for the benefit of citizens. Expected benefits include better-maintained roads, more effective drainage systems, smoother mobility, and more efficient use of public resources,” the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said.

A Focus on Long-Term Performance

The goal is no longer simply to repair a road or clear a drainage channel. Contractors would be responsible for keeping infrastructure in good working condition throughout the life of the contract. As part of pilot projects planned for Douala and Yaoundé, selected companies could be required to meet specific performance standards. Failure to maintain those standards could result in financial penalties.

Several countries already use similar contracts to improve road maintenance and reduce the cost of recurring repairs. The model also encourages contractors to adopt durable technical solutions rather than relying on repeated short-term fixes. The initiative comes at a time when urban infrastructure is under growing pressure. Rapid urban growth, heavier traffic, and intense rainfall continue to strain roads and drainage networks in both Douala and Yaoundé.

The effects are visible across both cities: roads deteriorate quickly, flooding remains common in some neighborhoods, traffic congestion worsens, and transportation costs increase for residents and businesses.

Improving Returns on Public Spending

For many residents, the issue is not simply building new infrastructure but ensuring that existing infrastructure remains functional. Several urban roads rehabilitated in recent years showed signs of deterioration shortly after completion, raising questions about the effectiveness of current maintenance practices. Authorities also see an economic benefit in the new approach. By linking payments to measurable performance, they hope to generate better returns from public spending on urban infrastructure.

The challenge is particularly important given the scale of infrastructure needs and the limits of available public resources. For local governments, every franc spent on maintenance must produce visible and lasting results. The pilot projects in Douala and Yaoundé will serve as a real-world test. If successful, the model could be expanded to other cities across the country.

Its success, however, will depend on several factors, including clear contract specifications, reliable performance indicators, effective monitoring by local authorities, and enforceable penalties when contractors fail to meet their obligations.

Without those safeguards, the shift toward results-based maintenance could remain more of a policy objective than a meaningful change in how urban infrastructure is managed.

Source: Business in Cameroon

25, June 2026

Yaoundé: 13 arrested over alleged human trafficking network ⁰

Cameroonian authorities have arrested 13 suspects accused of operating a human trafficking network, the National Gendarmerie announced on Monday.

Fiacre Kisito Atangana, deputy director of central coordination at the National Gendarmerie, said investigations were launched in early 2026 following a surge in complaints related to suspected trafficking activities.

The investigation led security forces to dismantle a criminal network that allegedly recruited victims through online advertisements disguised as employment and business opportunities, Atangana told reporters in the capital, Yaoundé.

According to the official, the network primarily targeted students, unemployed young people and individuals seeking opportunities abroad.

Investigators have identified hundreds of victims, with more than 6,000 people found to have registered through the scheme across several cities in Cameroon, he said.

Atangana added that the suspected ringleaders are based in Malaysia but maintain operational links across Central and West Africa.

Warning that human trafficking cases are on the rise, Atangana urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security authorities.

Source: Xinhuanet

24, June 2026

Cameroon, PROPAV Infrastructure Ltd sign MoU for construction of Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau road ⁰

Cameroon has taken a step toward the construction of the Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau road with the signing of an agreement with British firm PROPAV Infrastructure Ltd, which will now prepare financing proposals for the project.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Yaounde on June 19 by Minister of Public Works Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi and representatives of the British firm. The corridor cuts through the South-West Region and is considered strategic for trade, mobility and economic activity along Cameroon’s Atlantic coast.

The agreement establishes a framework for the next phase of project development, including site visits, technical assessments and the preparation of financial proposals required before construction can begin. Authorities say the move is intended to accelerate implementation of a project regarded as a key component of the region’s economic development plans.

According to the Ministry of Public Works, the Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau road has been identified as the priority project among three major road corridors discussed with PROPAV Infrastructure Ltd. The other routes are Loum-Tombel-Kumba-Mundemba and Mutengene-Buea. Officials said Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau was selected first because technical studies have already been completed, allowing preparations to advance more quickly toward financing and execution.

The project is expected to improve connectivity between major economic centres in the South-West Region, facilitate the movement of goods and people, and strengthen access to commercial and industrial zones. The agreement marks an important step in moving the project from the planning stage toward investment mobilisation and eventual construction. Authorities believe the road will play a significant role in supporting economic activity along Cameroon’s Atlantic coast.

Djoumessi said the MoU was intended to translate a shared commitment into concrete action. He noted that the parties had identified three strategic roads in the South-West Region, with the Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau corridor designated as the priority project.

“Based on this Memorandum of Understanding, PROPAV, which is based in London and has financial backing, will propose financing conditions for the project and we will move forward. Together, we will discuss a timetable so that work can begin very quickly and ensure that the signing of an MoU does not remain only a document,” he said.

The agreement also enables PROPAV Infrastructure Ltd to submit technical and financial offers aligned with the expectations of the contracting authority. Company officials said they are ready to undertake the technical, financial and environmental assessments required before field operations commence.

United Kingdom High Commissioner to Cameroon Matt Woods, who accompanied the PROPAV delegation, welcomed the signing and praised the cooperation between the parties. He also thanked the Ministry of Public Works for its cooperation during discussions leading to the agreement.

“I am very pleased to be here with PROPAV and its Country Manager, Paula Miguel. This is the first step of a collaboration that I believe will be very fruitful. I have seen the personal commitment of the minister and the commitment of PROPAV, and I am confident that this road will be delivered,” Woods said.

British partners also reiterated their commitment to supporting implementation of the project, noting that the required studies for the priority road have already been completed. The MoU now provides the framework for advancing technical preparations, financing discussions and planning ahead of the start of construction works.

Source: Business in Cameroon