News

25, January 2024

UN peacekeepers honor Cameroon colleague killed last week in CAR ⁰

UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) paid tribute on Wednesday to peacekeeper Emmanuel Steve Atebele of Cameroon, who was killed last week by an explosive device, a UN spokesman said.

The Jan. 15 bombing attack in Mbindali in Ouham-Pende Prefecture also wounded five other peacekeepers. But they are all now in stable condition, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Dujarric said that the UN mission in CAR, known as MINUSCA, also reports that specialized units of the force, in coordination with the UN Mine Action Service, continue to work to minimize the risks linked to explosive devices.

He said they now regularly carry out clearances and destruction of unexploded ordnance operations and conduct awareness campaigns for the local population.

Peacekeepers have established a temporary operational base in Am-Dafock in Vakaga Prefecture, close to the border with Sudan, he said.

“This base will strengthen our efforts to secure the area and help prevent potential violence and tensions ahead of the seasonal movement of livestock, known as transhumance,” said the spokesman.

Source: Xinhuanet

24, January 2024

South Africa expects ICJ judgment on Israeli genocide in Gaza on Friday ⁰

South Africa expects the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule this Friday on whether it will grant emergency measures to stop the Israeli genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, a report says.

News website News24, citing two sources close to the matter, reported on Wednesday that a South African government delegation had touched down in The Hague in anticipation of the judgment.

South Africa’s justice ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri, however, in a social media post on X said: “We do not have an official communication from the court as to when the judgment will be delivered.”

South Africa filed the lawsuit against Israel at the end of December, after nearly three months of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza.

The lawsuit said Israel’s actions are “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

The application also said Israeli attacks breach the UN’s Genocide Convention, and urged the court to “order Israel to cease killing and causing serious mental and bodily harm to Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Source: Presstv

23, January 2024

Martin Luther King Jr’s youngest son Dexter Scott dies of cancer ⁰

Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, has died at the age of 62, the King Center in Atlanta said.

Family members said he died after a battle with prostate cancer.

“He transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu,” his wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement.

Dexter King was an activist and served as chairman of the King Center and the president of the King Estate.

Born in Atlanta in 1961 to civil rights leaders, Dr King and Coretta Scott King, Dexter Scott King was named after Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served as a pastor for the first time. He was just seven when Dr King was assassinated.

Dexter King’s brother, Martin Luther King III, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of his sibling.

“The sudden shock is devastating,” he said in a statement. “It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this. Please keep the entire King family in your prayers, and in particular Dexter’s wife, Leah Weber.”

His sister Rev Bernice King said words “cannot express the heart break” she felt from losing another sibling. Her sister, Yolanda King, died in 2007, a year after her mother.

King attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia like his father. He later became a lawyer, a role which he used to help protect the King family’s intellectual property.

The third of the Kings’ four children, Dexter had an “uncanny resemblance” to his father, whom he played in the 2002 movie The Rosa Parks Story, the King Center in Atlanta said.

“He devoted his life to the continued perpetuation of his father’s legacy,” the Center said.

In a statement, civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton said he sent his condolences to the family, adding “May he RIP, may his legacy live”.

Source: BBC

22, January 2024

Five killed in Boko Haram raids in Far North ⁰

At least five people were killed after the terror group, Boko Haram, raided two civilian communities in the Far North region, local and security sources said on Sunday.

The militants raided Ldubam Bah village of the region at about 7 p.m. on Saturday, killing four civilians, a security source in the region said.

At about 8 p.m. on the same day, the militants attacked Mavoumai village of the region, killing one person and injuring a girl, the source said.

“The bodies were buried early Sunday. Our brave soldiers will hunt them down,” the source added.

Local media reported that villagers were fleeing from the villages where the raids were carried out.

Boko Haram has been operating in the region since 2014.

Source: Xinhuanet

21, January 2024

Biya, Chadian president’s special envoy discuss ties, regional development ⁰

President Paul Biya and visiting Chadian Minister of Economy, Planning and International Cooperation Mahamat Assouyouti Abakar on Friday discussed bilateral relations and regional development.

A statement released Friday evening by the Cameroonian presidency said that Abakar was a special envoy of Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.

“The reinforcement of the longstanding and excellent cooperation ties that exist between Cameroon and Chad, and the necessity to collectively tackle issues of common interest within the framework of the Economic Community of Central African States and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa were at the center of discussions,” the statement said.

Abakar told reporters after the meeting in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde that he was asked by Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to convey a fraternal message to his Cameroonian counterpart, which touched on “some elements” to bolster the growth of sub-regional cooperation.

Source: Xinhuanet

19, January 2024

Douala: Castel Group honors 455 employees ⁰

On January 12, 2024, Cameroon’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, presided over a ceremony in Douala, to honor 455 employees from subsidiaries of the Castel Group.

The recipients, from Société anonyme des boissons du Cameroun (SABC), Société des eaux minérales du Cameroun (Semc), and Société camerounaise de verrerie (Socaver), were awarded medals for their dedication, hard work, and continuous improvement in their respective roles. The event showcased the employees’ commitment and contribution to the success of these companies within the Castel Group.

Stéphane Descazeaud, the Director-General of SABC, expressed his warm congratulations and appreciation for the employees’ longstanding commitment and outstanding performance. “These distinctions are the result of many years of dedication, commitment to your work, perseverance, and daily improvement of your expertise. These are the values and traditions that you embody, and you are an example for many of us to follow. (…) I extend my congratulations and warmest thanks to you because you have chosen to devote a significant part of your life to our company,” he said during the ceremony.

“I received a gold medal this time, after receiving silver and vermeil ones 11 years ago. It is the recognition of the Nation through the company Boissons du Cameroun,” rejoiced Vanessa Nana, one of the recipients. In total, the honored employees from the leading brewery in the Cameroonian market received 621 medals, including 327 in silver, 71 in gold, and 223 in vermeil.

Source: Business in Cameroon

19, January 2024

North Korea conducts ‘underwater nuclear weapons system’ test ⁰

North Korea says it has carried out a test of its “underwater nuclear weapons system” in response to drills by the US, South Korea and Japan this week.

The test of its supposedly nuclear-armed underwater drones took place off its east coast, state media reported.

The North has claimed tests of its “Haeil-5-23” system before but the weapons have never been independently verified.

South Korea and allies have yet to respond to the latest provocation.

But it comes as the North has ramped up military action in recent weeks, including claiming to have deployed a new solid-fuelled intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday.

That followed live-fire drills at the maritime border with South Korea in the first week of January.

Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un has also been increasingly aggressive in his policy direction and rhetoric – ending several agreements aimed at peace-keeping in recent months.

On Friday, North Korea said it had been provoked by joint drills by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo to carry out a test of its underwater weapons, according to a report by state agency KCNA.

It accused the exercises of “further destabilising the regional situation” and threatening the North’s security.

The US, South Korea and Japan say they have conducted more exercises in the past year as a deterrence response to the increasing frequency of North Korea’s military actions, which include multiple tests of its nuclear ballistic missiles and launches of new weapons. All such actions are in breach of UN sanctions.

But Mr Kim has repeatedly said his regime is building up its military arsenal in preparation for war that could “break out at any time” on the peninsula.

Over the New Year period, he signalled some fundamental policy shifts in his regime’s stance to South Korea.

And earlier this week he declared the former bedrock goal of re-unification with South Korea was over, designating the South as the “principle enemy”.

The rhetoric follows several claimed advances in his country’s military and nuclear capabilities – including in its underwater operations.

Source: BBC

18, January 2024

Yaoundé: Biya, CAR FM discuss bilateral ties ⁰

President Paul Biya held a meeting with visiting Foreign Minister of the Central African Republic (CAR) Sylvie Baipo-Temon on Tuesday, during which the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

“The Central African Republic and Cameroon maintain excellent relations. We have very strong fraternal links and are good neighbors,” Baipo-Temon told reporters after the meeting in the Cameroonian capital city of Yaounde.

She conveyed best wishes from CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera to his Cameroonian counterpart and the people of Cameroon.

The two sides also exchanged views on the stability and development of the Central African region, according to a statement from the Cameroonian presidency.

Source: Xinhuanet

17, January 2024

British Royals hit by double health scare as King and Kate need hospital treatment ⁰

King Charles III is set to attend hospital next week for treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Buckingham Palace said the King’s condition is benign but he will undergo a “corrective procedure”.

The 75 year old’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation, the Palace said.

The announcement comes shortly after it was revealed the Princess of Wales is in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery.

It is unusual for medical updates about two senior royals to be released on the same day, but it is understood it was necessary because the King had to cancel engagements scheduled for Thursday.

He had been due to meet foreign dignitaries and cabinet members in Scotland on Thursday, but those meetings have been cancelled on medical grounds.

It is also thought the King was keen to share his diagnosis with the public to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked.

“In common with thousands of men each year, the King has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate,” the statement said.

Benign prostate enlargement – which is non-cancerous – is common in men over 50 and is not usually a serious condition, according to the NHS website.

Around one in three men over the age of 50 will have some symptoms of an enlarged prostate, which is a gland that sits just below the bladder.

While it is not usually a serious threat to health, it can cause symptoms and problems, including difficulty passing urine or emptying the bladder.

The condition does not mean the patient has an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The NHS has published guidance on how it is treated.

Source: BBC

17, January 2024

One Cameroonian peacekeeper killed, five wounded in Central African Republic ⁰

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack perpetrated on 15 January against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in Mbindale through an explosive device, following which one peacekeeper from Cameroon was killed and five wounded.

The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the peacekeeper killed, as well as to Cameroon. They also expressed their condolences to the United Nations. They wished a speedy and full recovery to the peacekeepers injured.

The members of the Security Council reiterated that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and reminded all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law. They called on the Government of the Central African Republic to swiftly investigate this attack with the support of MINUSCA, promote accountability for such acts by bringing perpetrators to justice, and keep the relevant troop-contributing country informed of the progress consistent with Security Council resolutions 2518 (2020) and 2589 (2021). They stressed that involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSCA peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The members of the Security Council expressed particular concern about reports of illicit transnational trafficking networks which continue to fund and supply armed groups in the Central African Republic, noted in particular the increasing use of explosive ordnances, including improvised explosive devices and landmines, which account for a growing number of civilian casualties, as well as the destruction of civilian properties and continue to disrupt humanitarian access. They stressed the need to further investigate and combat this threat.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for MINUSCA and expressed their deep appreciation to MINUSCA’s troop- and police-contributing countries.

The members of the Security Council further stressed the importance of MINUSCA having the necessary capacities to fulfil its mandate and promote the safety and security of the United Nations peacekeepers, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2709 (2023).

The members of the Security Council reiterated their strong support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic, Valentine Rugwabiza, and for MINUSCA to assist the Central African Republic authorities and the people of the Central African Republic in their efforts to bring lasting peace and stability, as mandated by the Security Council in resolution 2709 (2023).

Source: Miragenews