News

31, December 2023

UN peacekeeping mission in Mali ends ⁰

UN peacekeepers are due to finish their withdrawal from Mali on Sunday, after a long-running mission lasting a decade.

Minusma – the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission – began in 2013 after an armed rebellion, but has been asked to leave by the country’s ruling military government.

The UN mission’s head said it did a lot but fell below expectations.

With some 310 peacekeepers killed, Minusma was the UN’s second deadliest mission worldwide, after Lebanon.

In the summer, Mali told the UN that its 12,000 peacemakers needed to leave, and the UN Security Council voted to withdraw the mission.

UN staff have been leaving in stages for months, with a deadline of 31 December for full withdrawal.

On Friday, local media reported that Minusma had handed over control of one of its last major camps in the northern Timbuktu region ahead of the deadline, for security reasons.

Timbuktu was one of three sites which were supposed to remain open to manage the end of the mission after 31 December, but the UN was worried about the presence of militants, reports said.

Source: BBC

30, December 2023

French embassy in Yaoundé is a base conspiring against the Cameroonian nation ⁰

Cameroon Intelligence Report Yaoundé bureau chief has hinted that ever since the coup in Gabon, the French government has turned its embassy building in the nation’s capital into a military command center conspiring against the Cameroonian people.

Rita Akana, made the revelation in a report on Friday, emphasizing that the French embassy compound in Yaoundé is now serving as a major base where French military and security operations against the people of Cameroon and some CEMAC countries are being planned.

Our Yaoundé bureau chief stated in the report that the French embassy started acting as a den of espionage immediately after the 91-year President Biya declared war against English speaking Cameroonians but some Cameroon politicians including members of the Francophone dominated secret service prefer to overlook the matter for the sake of their positions.

Cameroon Intelligence Report reportedly raised the issue with the disgraced spy chief Maxime Eko Eko who simply opined that the French embassy building in Yaoundé is a diplomatic installation and must be protected under international law.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands that these Biya acolytes tend to condone the French spying machine which is seriously detrimental to the country in order to maintain their posts.

By Toto Roland Motuba with Intel files

29, December 2023

Genocide of Southern Cameroonians spelling end of Biya regime ⁰

The Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government says Yaounde’s killing of innocent Southern Cameroons women and children is slowly but surely spelling the end of the occupying French Cameroun regime.

Dabney Yerima made the remarks during a meeting with his aides on the situation in Ground Zero on Boxing Day as the brutal La Republique war intensifies in the rural areas of Southern Cameroons.

“We of the Ambazonia Interim Government believe that the martyrdom of Southern Cameroons women and children will end the brutal regime in Yaoundé and that in 2024 we will witness the victory of Ambazonia Restoration Forces as well as the elimination of all French Cameroun colonial administrators” Vice President Yerima stated.

Comrade Dabney Yerima also expressed dismay at the support provided by the Southern Cameroons diaspora in Europe and North America, saying the Ambazonians in the West need to step up their game to win the independence battle.

Yerima furthered that the people of Southern Cameroons will continue to stand up for the implementation of justice and the complete independence of their homeland.

91-year old President Biya started the bloody war on Southern Cameroonians seven years ago following a strike by English speaking teachers and lawyers.

Since the start of the war, the Biya regime has killed at least 10,000 Southern Cameroonians and injured several hundred others, and left vast swathes of the North West and South West in ruins.

Yaoundé continue to impose a siege on Southern Cameroons territory by cutting off electricity and the internet.

By Haggai Fung Achuo

28, December 2023

Bundes: Veteran politician Wolfgang Schaeuble dies aged 81 ⁰

Wolfgang Schaeuble, who served as a member of the German parliament for over half a century, has died aged 81, ending one of Germany’s longest political careers in which he helped secure his country’s place at the heart of Europe.

Schaeuble devoted much of his career to re-unifying his country and later served as former chancellor Angela Merkel’s finance minister during the eurozone debt crisis. He died peacefully late on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) said on Wednesday.

Schaeuble was born in 1942 in the southern city of Freiburg and had been a member of parliament without interruption since 1972.

“Germany has lost a formative Christian Democrat who loved to argue and yet never lost sight of what politics is all about: making life better for citizens,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a statement.

As interior minister, Schaeuble, who represented the West, was key in drawing up the terms of Germany’s reunification treaty, signed in August 1990, after the fall of the Berlin wall.

“He epitomised post-war democratic Germany like few others,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

The CDU praised Schaeuble’s commitment to stability and responsibility in financial matters, saying “his legacy will live on in the annals of German and European history”.

As finance minister, Schaeuble pulled the strings of Germany’s policy response to the euro zone crisis, securing support on the right of Merkel’s conservative bloc for three Greek bailouts.

That determination bordering on intransigence helped make him the most popular German politician at home and the most hated abroad, earning him the soubriquet – bestowed by news magazine Spiegel – of “chancellor behind the scenes”.

Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who was outspoken in his criticism of the austerity policies championed by Berlin at the height of the debt crisis, said on Wednesday that history would judge Schaeuble harshly.

“Wolfgang Schaeuble was the embodiment of the political project of buttressing a monetary union in which he himself did not believe,” wrote Varoufakis on his website.

However, praise for his contributions came from across Europe, including from leaders in France, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Italy.

“Europe loses one of its staunch supporters,” said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on X.

Schaeuble served as finance minister until 2017, when he took over as president of the Bundestag lower parliamentary house, showing the same focus that saw him adapt to paralysis after being shot three times at an election campaign event a few days after German reunification in 1990.

While that drive won him the respect of fellow conservatives and lawmakers from other parties, his career was not without setbacks.

For a time in the 1990s, Schaeuble was considered the anointed successor to former conservative chancellor Helmut Kohl. As head of the CDU in 1998 following Kohl’s election loss, Schaeuble had named Merkel as his deputy.

However, it was a pairing that would last less than a year and a half: Merkel was instrumental in forcing him to resign the CDU leadership in 2000 after a funding scandal, with Merkel taking over and eventually serving as chancellor in 2005.

“We will miss Wolfgang Schaeuble’s voice in Germany, I will personally miss his advice,” said Merkel in a statement. “I mourn the loss of a politician who shaped our country in many ways.”

Source: Reuters

26, December 2023

War in Southern Cameroons likely to continue through at least mid-2024 ⁰

Separatist activism is likely to continue in the Southwest and Northwest regions of Cameroon through at least mid-2024. An explosive device detonated in Bamenda, Northwest Region, on Dec. 25, without casualties reported. Previously, suspected Ambazonia secessionist militants raided a market in Bamenyam, West Region, a locality bordering the Norwest Region, on Nov. 21, killing at least nine residents and kidnapping an unspecified number. A similar attack in Mamfe, Southwest Region, left at least 20 civilians dead in early November.

The threat of violence remains elevated in the English-speaking regions as various armed groups continue to call for secession, highlighting the dangers for those operating or traveling in western Cameroon. The situation has remained tense since October 2017, when secessionists unilaterally proclaimed the independence of the so-called state of Ambazonia, which is unrecognized internationally. Human Rights Watch estimates that about 6000 civilians have died, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced due to armed forces and separatist-linked violence since late 2016.

Security-related operations are ongoing. Checkpoints and searches of vehicles and personnel are likely, particularly outside major cities such as Buea (Southwest) and Bamenda (Northwest). Authorities may enact temporary security measures such as curfews and telecommunication restrictions without notice in the event of significant violence or unrest.

Source: Crisis24.garda

25, December 2023

Blast rocks market in Bamenda on Christmas Day with no casualties ⁰

An improvised explosive device exploded on Christmas Day morning in Bamenda, the chief town of Cameroon’s Anglophone region of Northwest that has been ravaged by years of armed separatist conflict, several local and security sources said.

The blast struck a market in the T-Junction neighborhood of the city, setting three makeshift shops ablaze, a security source said. “Fortunately the market closed for today, and that is why there were no casualties or injuries.”

“We heard the explosion sound. It was so loud and the sound caused panic among residents,” James Mbah, a resident of the city, told Xinhua over the phone.

Last week, separatist fighters warned that Christmas would not be celebrated in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest because the feast falls on Monday, which has been imposed by them since 2017 as “ghost town day” during which all sorts of activities in the two regions do not function.

“We are all spending Christmas at home. The streets are empty and people are just afraid of the unknown and don’t want to step out,” Mbah said.

On Sunday, the region’s governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique said extra security would be provided to churches and other places of worship because of Christmas.

“Our brave security forces will ensure the safety and security of everyone so that they can celebrate Christmas in peace. People need to collaborate with security forces as well,” the official told reporters after a security meeting in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.

Clashes between separatist fighters and government forces intensified in the regions since the start of this year. According to reports by local non-governmental organizations and security officials, abductions were rife, and more than 100 people including soldiers, separatist fighters and civilians have been killed in the conflict since January 2023.

Source: Xinhuanet

24, December 2023

Gaza War: Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel paying ‘heavy price’ ⁰

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza war has come at a “very heavy price” for his side.

The military says 14 more soldiers have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Friday, bringing the total of the ground assault to 153.

Saturday was one of its deadliest days – but Mr Netanyahu said his forces had “no choice” but to keep fighting.

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza – run by Hamas – says another 166 people were killed in the last day.

More than 20,000 people have been killed – mostly women and children, and 54,000 injured in Gaza since 7 October, the ministry says.

Source: BBC

22, December 2023

We want, We go: Biya regime to build 3,060 housing units in Olembe to address shortage ⁰

The Cameroonian government launched the construction of 3,060 new housing units in Olembe, Yaoundé. The foundation stone was laid last December 19 by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development (Minhdu), Célestine Ketcha Courtès.

The initial pilot phase aims to build 60 housing units within nine months on a 5,000 m² space, including three buildings and a green area. The second phase will involve constructing the remaining 3,000 housing units on 20 hectares, starting in 2024 and spanning four years.

The project, entrusted to the Spanish group Pablo y Natalia Holding Group (PNHG), aligns with the government’s program to build 10,000 social housing units and develop 50,000 buildable plots. The Ministry said PNHG has a pragmatic approach to revitalizing the program and meeting the increasing demand, following less satisfactory results from previous initiatives.

The housing deficit in Cameroon is estimated at 2.5 million units. Authorities said the situation is due to demographic growth, poverty, and unemployment. To address this shortfall, the government initiated a program in 2010 to construct 10,000 units, aiming to provide access to decent housing for Cameroonians. The initial phase of this program included the construction of 1,675 homes in Yaoundé and Douala, with 500 planned for Olembe.

Source: Business in Cameroon

22, December 2023

Last French troops leave Niger ⁰

The last French troops deployed in Niger left on Friday, an AFP journalist reported, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa’s Sahel region.

“Today’s date (…) marks the end of the disengagement process of French forces in the Sahel,” Niger army lieutenant Salim Ibrahim said at a ceremony in Niamey marking the end of France’s military presence.

The French exit from Niger leaves hundreds of US military personnel, and a number of Italian and German troops, remaining in the country.

France said it would pull out its roughly 1,500 soldiers and pilots from Niger after the former French colony’s new ruling generals demanded they depart following the coup on July 26.

It was the third time in less than 18 months that French troops were sent packing from a country in the Sahel.

They were forced to leave fellow former colonies Mali last year and Burkina Faso earlier this year following military takeovers in those countries too.

All three nations are battling a jihadist insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012, later spreading to Niger and Burkina Faso.

But a string of coups in the region since 2020 have seen relations nosedive with former colonial power France and a pivot towards greater rapprochement with Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron in September announced the withdrawal of all French troops from Niger by the end of the year, with a first contingent leaving in October.

The Nigerien army said last week their departure would be complete by Friday.

Perilous desert routes

Most French troops in Niger are at an air base in the capital Niamey.

Smaller groups have been deployed alongside Nigerien soldiers to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State group and al Qaeda are believed to operate.

The withdrawal is a complex operation, with road convoys having to drive up to 1,700 kilometres (1,000 miles) on sometimes perilous desert routes to the French centre for Sahel operations in neighbouring Chad.

The first French road convoy of troops withdrawing from Niger arrived in neighbouring Chad’s capital N’Djamena in October, after 10 days on the road.

From Chad, French troops can leave by air with their most sensitive equipment, although most of the rest has to be moved by land and sea.

According to a source close to the matter, some of the French containers carrying equipment will be driven from Chad on to the port of Douala in Cameroon, before they can be ferried back to France by sea.

US, German troops

France’s former ally in Niger, overthrown president Mohamed Bazoum, remains under house arrest.

A US official said in October that Washington was keeping about 1,000 military personnel in Niger but was no longer actively training or assisting Niger forces.

The United States said earlier this month it was ready to resume cooperation with Niger on the condition its military regime committed to a rapid transition to civilian rule.

Niger’s rulers want up to three years for a transition back to a civilian government.

Military leaders in Niamey early this month said they were ending two European Union security and defence missions in the country.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited Niger earlier this week to discuss the fate of around 120 German troops based in the country.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in September banded together in a joint defence pact to fight jihadists.

France’s withdrawal from Mali last year left a bitter aftertaste, after the bases it once occupied in Menaka, Gossi and Timbuktu were rapidly taken over by the Wagner Russian paramilitary group.

Source: AFP

22, December 2023

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 5 government soldiers killed in Mbakong ⁰

Hundreds of Cameroon government troops have gone on a violent rampage in Mbakong, setting alight dozens of homes after five soldiers were killed by Ambazonia fighters on Wednesday.

Cameroon Concord News correspondent in Bamenda said the five army soldiers were killed by an explosive device on the Mile 24 road linking Bafut in Bamenda to Wum, the chief town in Menchum Division in the North West region.

The deadly incident on Wednesday, followed by several attacks against Cameroon government military installations throughout Southern Cameroons immediately raised doubts about the feasibility of the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé to calm the seven year-long wave of bloodshed.

Local media houses in Bamenda reported that about 20 homes were torched on Wednesday evening and many innocent Southern Cameroons civilians were arrested in Mbakong.

We gathered that the Francophone leadership of the military deployed to the North West region ordered soldiers to strike Mbakong “without mercy”.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files from Fon Lawrence in Bamenda