News

12, June 2016

Douala: Gendarmerie officers force female journalist to undress ⁰

A journalist reporting for Sweet FM, a private radio station based in Douala was forced to undress by gendarmerie officers at the entrance to the Douala Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. The reporter, revealed Clarence Yongo who runs the FM radio was on an intelligence mission surveying babies held in incubators at the hospital for non-payment of hospital fees. Cameroon Intelligence Report was reliably informed that a female nurse alerted her superiors of the unlawful presence of the journalist in the hospital.

Our correspondent in Douala who contributed to this report hinted the hospital authorities got the intervention of the Yassa gendarmerie brigade who forced the journalist, Jacky Tchamko to undress. A spokesperson for the hospital was quoted as saying Jacky Tchamko had no authority to investigate inside the hospital structure. The National Union of Cameroon Journalists protested against what it called human rights violation and has threaten to sue.

Sama Ernest

11, June 2016

US bombs Pentagon-trained militants in Syria ⁰

The US military has acknowledged bombing a Syrian militant unit it had trained and armed purportedly to fight Daesh terrorists in the country, a report says. The incident was the most serious setback for a controversial Pentagon program that is angling to find new recruits for training after last efforts ended in disaster, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The Pentagon carried out a series of airstrikes in and around Syria’s northern town of Mare’ on May 27 and May 28. The Mutasim Brigade, a force of US-trained militants, said one of the airstrikes hit the brigade.

The US military said at the time that three strikes had targeted “two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tactical vehicles and an ISIL vehicle” near Mare’. But Mutasim Brigade’s leaders told The Journal that one of the airstrikes hit the brigade’s fighters while they were battling Daesh terrorists. Ten US-backed militants were killed in the “friendly-fire incident.” Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the US military’s Central Command, said an investigation had been launched into the incident. “We will continue our support to counter-ISIL forces and will apply any lessons learned derived from the investigation to improve our operations in the future,” Col. Ryder added.

It is unclear why the US military chose not to disclose the errant airstrike earlier. Col. Ryder told the Journal that the “dynamic and complex nature of the battlefield” led to a lag time in reporting.The US military acknowledged last year that a $500 million program to train and equip militants for Syria had managed to produce only a handful of fighters. The mission was halted under mounting pressure from members of Congress. However, new training efforts were launched this year for more “vetted” recruits. Daesh terrorists, who were among the militants initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control parts of Iraq and Syria. They are engaged in heinous crimes against humanity in territories under their control.

Presstv

10, June 2016

War on Corruption: Special Criminal Court to announce verdict on the CAMPOST Affair ⁰

The Special Criminal Court in Yaounde will soon make public its verdicts on cases of embezzlement that allegedly took place in the Cameroon Postal Services (CAMPOST). Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the judgments of some 21 cases involving highly placed officials of CAMPOST have already been reached. The corruption scandal at the Cameroon Postal Services was estimated at nearly 3 billion 815 million Francs CFA.

Prosecutors at the Special Criminal Court revealed recently that Damba Tezi on registered case No 047 / RG-SCC / 2013 alongside Zamngang Florence Kyen, Mbock David Désiré and Bekale Jean Marie charged for the diversion of 51 million CFA Francs from CAMPOST accounts have all escaped from the country. The court is also aware that Mvogo Jules Martin and Miste Gisèle sentenced via case file No 008 N / RG-SCC / 2014 to 10 years in prison have never been seen or heard.

Today’s hearings were centered on Mbamzomo Jacques Cyrille and Olé Ndoutoumou Emmanuel,both former controllers in Kribi, and Ebolowa respectively charged for siphoning 108 million CFA Francs and Martial MEDJOU Foanze and Louis Paul Kombo accused of embezzling 51 million CFA Francs.

CIR

10, June 2016

Biafra: Amnesty International says Nigerian army killed 17 unarmed separatists ⁰

Amnesty International said on Friday that Nigeria’s army last month killed at least 17 unarmed members of a group calling for secession from Africa’s most populous nation, but the military dismissed the allegations as unfounded.An army spokesman said Amnesty’s accusations, the latest in a series of allegations of impropriety levelled against Nigeria’s military in the last year, revealed a bias that undermined its credibility. Amnesty’s report — which it said was based on details from eyewitnesses, morgues and hospitals — says soldiers opened fire on members of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and their supporters in the southeastern city of Onitsha during the build up to a march in late May.

The human rights group said the killings took place during a security operation in the early hours of the morning shortly before the march when the military raided homes and a church where IPOB members slept. The army issued a statement in which it said troops had to “resort to self defence” after IPOB members attacked security agencies with “firearms” and various weapons including dynamite. It said five members of IPOB were killed, eight wounded while nine were arrested. “These efforts were in order to de-escalate the palpable tension as well as ward off the apparent threats to lives and property in the general area,” it said.

Secessionist feeling has simmered in the southeast since the Biafra separatist rebellion tipped Nigeria into a 1967-70 civil war that killed an estimated 1 million people. It flared up again last year after IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and detained on charges of criminal conspiracy and belonging to an illegal society. He remains in detention.
Amnesty said its investigation showed at least 17 people were killed and nearly 50 injured, adding that “the real number is likely to be higher”. “Information gathered by Amnesty International indicates that the deaths of supporters and members of IPOB was the consequence of excessive, and unnecessary use of force,” said Amnesty, which urged the government to investigate.

The contents of the report were rejected by army spokesman Sani Usman. “The allegations are unfounded,” he said.
The report is the latest in a series of accusations levelled at the army by Amnesty. Last year, Amnesty said more than 8,000 people died in detention during a crackdown on Boko Haram and that soldiers killed hundreds of Shi’ite Muslims in the northern city of Zaria in December. “Amnesty is losing credibility,” added Usman, who accused the group of being biased against the army.

Reuters

10, June 2016

Chad sends 2000 troops to Niger ⁰

Chad has sent some 2,000 troops to neighboring Niger to help the fight against Boko Haram following last week’s terrorist attacks by the Takfiri militants in the Nigerien town of Bosso. The “heavily armed” soldiers will “search everywhere for Boko Haram,” a military source said Wednesday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday that some 50,000 people have fled the town of Bosso in Niger’s troubled Diffa region near the Nigerian border following deadly attacks by Boko Haram terrorists.

Boko Haram militants first took the town of Bosso on Friday in an attack, during which 26 soldiers, including two from Nigeria, were killed. A total of 55 militants from the Nigeria-based militant group were also killed during the fierce fighting. The terrorists reportedly torched military barracks, police facilities and looted shops during the terror campaign in the town. The ambush and looting came as Niger’s army was preparing to attack Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, which straddles Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Nigerien troops later retook Bosso on Saturday, but the militants once again took over the town on Sunday night.

The mayor of Bosso, Mamadou Bako, and a military source confirmed the takeover on Monday, but the Nigerien government denied it. Regional countries have created a joint military force that plays a key role in helping Nigeria fight the terrorist group. Back in February, the four littoral nations of Lake Chad launched a military campaign, together with a contingent from Benin, to confront the threat from Boko Haram militants in the region.

The Boko Haram terrorist group, which has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri militant group, has killed thousands of people, mostly civilians, since it launched its terrorist activities in Nigeria in 2009. The Takfiri militant group has intensified its campaign of terror since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in the African country in May 2015.

Presstv

9, June 2016

CPDM mayor of Balikumbat sentenced to 8 years in prison ⁰

Mayor Wasum Augustine of Balikumbat has been sentenced to eight years in prison for kidnapping, rape and other undisclosed related charges by the Court of First Instance in Ndop. Ever since he won a second mandate as mayor, Wasum Augustine has been at war with the CPDM Section President, Senator Dinga Ignatius. Cameroon Intelligence Report learnt that his first tenure was marred by mismanagement and misappropriation.

Augustine Wasum’s first arrest was on September 3, 2012. He was among the eight mayors arrested in the Northwest Region on charges of embezzlement of state funds. The other mayors of councils that were arrested included; Stephen Tikanjo of Babessi (SDF) and Daniel Ntoh of Ndop Central (CPDM) Lawrence Tenoh of Batibo, Johnny Agogho of Andek, George Tah of Mbengwi, Godwill Amahndong (1st Deputy) Mayor of Njinkwa and Godlove Awanakam, former Mayor of Andek.

By Cham Victor

9, June 2016

“IBB is alive and active” ⁰

The rumors that former Nigerian Head of State,Ibrahim Babangida is dead has gone viral across Nigeria. Babangida in an interview granted recently, debunked the rumors, promising to return to Nigeria soon. The former military dictator who institutionalized corruption was speaking from Germany, where he is receiving treatment and observed that he is alive.

IBB broke the silence on a live broadcast on June 8 saying he is hail and hearty and not dead as being alleged. He told Babajide Otitoju of the TVC that he would soon return to Nigeria and that he enjoyed viewing the station and praised them for a job well done.

9, June 2016

Another tornado strikes Garoua, 43rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion post destroyed!! ⁰

Another tornado has struck the North region of Cameroon affecting the chief city of Garoua. It all started when a violent storm rocked the District of Mayo-Oulo claimed lives and caused serious damage to property. Cameroon government sources have been releasing contradictory tally on the death toll. It was announced immediately after the tornado that three persons were killed.

However, local newspaper reports in the North say 6 people lost their lives following the incident with several others seriously injured including a pregnant woman struggling with a broken right leg. In addition to human casualties, the command post of the 43^rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion based in Mayo- Oulo, has been completely destroyed. Cameroon Intelligence Report can now reveal that there are at least fifty destroyed private homes in Mayo-Oulo district.

CIR

9, June 2016

Cameroon host scantily attended forum on terrorism ⁰

Legal experts and few stakeholders in the legal system have begun reflecting on the implications of legal frameworks in the fight against terrorism. The three-day conference which started on the 8th of June 2016 is being chaired by Abane Ongolo on behalf of the Minister of Higher Education.

During the opening session, the Director of the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC), Pierre Emmanuel Tabi emphasized the need to re-examine laws governing the war on terrorism in order to make them more efficient.

The legal experts have made it public that they want to efficiently accompany those fighting terrorism. They shall henceforth exchange notes so as to pick out some of the limitations encountered as Cameroon continues to wage the war against Boko Haram terrorism. The forum was reportedly a waste of tax payers money

CRTV/CIR

8, June 2016

Congo Kinshasa: Rebels kidnap 100 civilians ⁰

Suspected Ugandan rebels have kidnapped about 100 people during an attack in the troubled northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN says. Lieutenant-Colonel Martin Amouzou Codjo, spokesman for the UN Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), told a press briefing on Wednesday that members of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abducted the civilians during an assault on two villages during the attack in Bas-Uele province on June 4.

He said rebels also went on a looting spree across the volatile region. “These attackers also kidnapped nearly a hundred people to carry the loot,” Codjo told a press conference in the capital, Kinshasa. The spokesman also strongly denounced the regular atrocities committed by the ruthless LRA against civilians in the northeast of the African country.

Formed in 1986, the LRA is engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government in what is now one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts that has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and displaced another two million.

Presstv