Britain accused Russian military intelligence on Thursday of directing a host of cyber attacks aimed at undermining Western democracies by sowing confusion in everything from sport to transport and the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

In a British assessment based on work by its National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Russian military intelligence (GRU) was cast as a pernicious cyber aggressor which used a network of hackers to spread discord across the world.

GRU, Britain said, was almost certainly behind the BadRabbit and World Anti-Doping Agency attacks of 2017, the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2016 and the theft of emails from a UK-based TV station in 2015.

“The GRU’s actions are reckless and indiscriminate: they try to undermine and interfere in elections in other countries,” said British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

“Our message is clear – together with our allies, we will expose and respond to the GRU’s attempts to undermine international stability,” Hunt said. Britain believes the Russian government is responsible for the attacks.

Though less well known than the Soviet Union’s once mighty KGB, Russia’s military intelligence service played a major role in some of the biggest events of the past century, from the Cuban missile crisis to the annexation of Crimea.

Russian cyber power?

Though commonly known by the acronym GRU, which stands for the Main Intelligence Directorate, its name was formally changed in 2010 to the Main Directorate of the General Staff (or just GU). Its old acronym – GRU – is still more widely used.

It has agents across the globe and answers directly to the chief of the general staff and the Russian defence minister. The GRU does not comment publicly on its actions. Its structure, staff numbers and financing are Russian state secrets.

The GRU traces its history back to the times of Ivan the Terrible, though it was founded as the Registration Directorate in 1918 after the Bolshevik Revolution. Vladimir Lenin insisted on its independence from other secret services.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said GRU officers used a nerve agent to try to kill former double agent Sergei Skripal, who was found unconscious in the English city of Salisbury in March. Russia has repeatedly denied the charges.

After the Skripal poisoning, the West agreed with Britain’s assessment that Russian military intelligence was to blame and launched the biggest expulsion of Russian spies working under diplomatic cover since the height of the Cold War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself a former KGB spy, said on Wednesday that Skripal, a GRU officer who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service, was a “scumbag” who had betrayed Russia.

Britain said the GRU was associated with a host of hackers including APT 28, Fancy Bear, Sofacy, Pawnstorm, Sednit, CyberCaliphate, Cyber Berkut, Voodoo Bear and BlackEnergy Actors.

“This pattern of behaviour demonstrates their desire to operate without regard to international law or established norms and to do so with a feeling of impunity and without consequences,” Foreign Secretary Hunt said.

The United States sanctioned GRU officers including its chief, Igor Korobov, in 2016 and 2018 for attempted interference in the 2016 U.S. election and cyber attacks.

“Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), a Russian military intelligence organization, knowingly engages in significant activities that undermine cybersecurity on behalf of the Russian government,” the U.S. Treasury said in March.

(REUTERS)

“If you have the polling card, you go and vote, but it’s complicated once you’re there,” said Yagana Adi, 55, who wants to vote in Cameroon’s presidential election on Sunday. Her identity papers were lost when she fled an attack on her village by Boko Haram jihadists in 2014.

The raid happened in Djakana in Cameroon’s far north near the Nigerian border and forced her to abandon her home along with her 13 children.

“I said to the children that we were leaving, we walked for hours, days, and we arrived in Maroua,” the regional capital, she said. Two of her daughters did not manage to flee in time and were picked up by jihadists.

Nearly one in 10 people in the far north have followed a similar path to Yagana, fleeing repeated attacks by Boko Haram which is based in neighbouring Nigeria.

Roughly 80,000 have since returned home but 238,000 remain displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration. Many have sought refuge with friends and family in the region’s towns like Maroua.

“If you go into a Maroua neighbourhood, they’re everywhere,” said a humanitarian source on the ground. “The problem is that they don’t have their papers anymore and so can’t register on the voter roll.”

– ‘Challenges for displaced people’? –

The electoral commission Elecam has vowed that those who have been “displaced will be able to vote,” according to the organising body’s regional director Amadou Ali.

“They’re not just displaced people — they are voters. The fact that they’ve been displaced will not have any impact on the election.”

He added that people without their documents will be able to register to vote in the towns where they have sought refuge. “It’s not true, I wasn’t able to get a voting card,” retorted Yagana, as she rested on a mat.

“I’ve requested it but a local official asked me for 40,000 CFA francs ($70, 60 euros).” Yagana and her family are now living on a vacant plot of land lent to her by a Maroua resident where they have erected a makeshift shelter using sheets and tarpaulins.

“I think less than one-third of those displaced in the far north are registered on the voters’ roll,” said Hans de Marie Heungoup, a Cameroonian researcher at the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank.

The region is Cameroon’s most populous and its poorest and has previously voted overwhelmingly for President Paul Biya.

“There’ll be an election in the far north, but who the people vote for is another question,” said a prominent figure in Maroua where Biya made his only appearance of the campaign so far at the weekend. It was also his first visit to the region since 2012.

Majority-francophone Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions — the southwest and northwest — have been rocked by a separatist insurgency since a symbolic independence declaration one year ago.

“The challenges for displaced people to vote there are greater,” said a senior military source based in Yaounde.

– ‘The election? It doesn’t concern us’ –

The army has been deployed to the two restive regions to battle separatist fighters since the end of 2017. According to the ICG, the secessionists control “a significant proportion of rural areas and main roads” in the regions. Skirmishes are violent and occur daily, displacing thousands of local residents.

In the southwest, 246,000 people have been displaced according to the UN, while no estimate exists for the northwest region which is largely inaccessible to aid groups and journalists.

Some 25,000 others are sheltering in neighbouring Nigeria, according to the UN. “The people have sought refuge in the bush and they are living in awful conditions,” said a humanitarian source in Buea. The town is rocked by bursts of gunfire daily, according to local sources.

No reception centres for displaced people have been opened in the anglophone areas where separatists have threatened to disrupt the vote. In the face of continuing clashes, a surge of troops is planned, according to the senior officer.

Elecam has also said that some polling stations will be “relocated” in the anglophone region which has traditionally been a reliable well of votes for the main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) whose candidate is Joshua Osih.

He has described the planned “relocations” in interviews as “an illegal measure” that could damage his chances. Asked about the looming vote, a student in Douala who fled Buea with his family said: “The election? It doesn’t concern us. I want to get my father’s job and our house back. Here, we are stuck.”

Source: AFP

“Biya was planning to go but security and medics advised otherwise on the visit,” said a well placed source of the last-minute decision to cancel the Buea campaign trip. The 85 year old cancelled his first visit to Southern Cameroons ever since the inception of the Ambazonia uprising from which more than 3000 Ambazonian women and children have been killed by Francophone soldiers loyal to his regime.

Biya instead held an emergency meeting with the visiting President of the Confederation of African Football. Both men including the controversial Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o discussed the delay in infrastructural development and wider insecurity in Southern Cameroons.

Some pro CPDM comedians have criticized the Biya regime’s initial response to the Southern Cameroons crisis and EU officials last week said the government had done too little to adapt to the difficulties posed by the crisis in Anglophone Cameroon.  The European bloc also stated that it was not going to monitor the counterfeit presidential polls.

Cameroon Concord News Group understands candidate Paul Biya also annulled another campaign trip to Kribi. Our Yaounde city reporter noted that the Ministry of Territorial Administration had ordered massive deployment of troops and war machinery to the Fako County in the now Federal Republic of Ambazonia  costing the Cameroonian tax payer hundreds of millions of FCFA.

Joseph Emmanuel Ba’ana, Vice President of the so-called Biya Campaign announced the cancellation but did not provide any details as to the reasons that could have led to this last-minute change. However, a lot of under-the-table talk currently going in the nation’s capital, Yaoundé have it that the Francophone dictator is out of breath, tired and is no longer very motivated to carry on as Head of State. A CPDM baron who recently spoke to our undercover reporter observed that Biya was virtually forced by his entourage to seek the seventh mandate in this election despite his highly catastrophic record.

By Sama Ernest 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says his country has completed the delivery of an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria, irrespective of Israeli authorities’ strong opposition that it will pose a serious “challenge” to the Tel Aviv regime.

“We have embarked on a number of activities aimed at strengthening the air defense systems of the Syrian Arab Republic in order to ensure better protection for our military personnel. We have completed the delivery of S-300 complexes. This includes 49 pieces of equipment: illuminating laser radiolocators, defense priority systems, control vehicles and four missile launchers. The work was completed a day ago. We have delivered the whole system to Syria,” Shoigu said at a Russian Security Council meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The Russian defense minister added that it will take three months to train Syrian specialists to use the S-300 air defense missile system.

Last month, Moscow vowed to bolster Syria’s air defense capabilities by deploying the modern S-300 surface-to-air missile system to the Arab country.

The announcement came in the wake of the accidental downing of an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft with 15 servicemen on board by Syria’s S-200 air defense systems which were at the time responding to a wave of Israeli strikes on state institutions in Latakia.

Moscow held Israel responsible for the September 17 incident, saying the regime’s pilots had intentionally used the Russian plane as cover to conduct air raids, effectively putting it in the cross hairs of the Syrian air defenses.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Russia had begun delivering the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria.

“The delivery started already and as President (Vladimir) Putin said, after that [downing] incident … the measures that we will take will be devoted to ensuring 100 percent safety and security of our men,” he told a news conference at the United Nations.

Moscow’s decision to supply the air defense system to Syria has raised worries in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Russia’s decision as “irresponsible,” saying Tel Aviv “will continue to do what it has to do to defend itself.”

Syrian army, allies inflict losses on Daesh in Tulul al-Safa  region

Meanwhile, Syrian government forces, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have dealt heavy blows to Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Tulul al-Safa hilly region, which lies in Syria’s southwestern province of Sweida.

Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that a number of caves, which the extremists used as militant hideouts, in addition to weapons caches were destroyed in the process.

Report: Fateh al-Sham agrees to leave Idlib under pressure from Turkish intelligence service

Additionally, members of foreign-sponsored and Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militant group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, have reportedly agreed to withdraw from the demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib under pressure from the Turkish intelligence service.

Syria’s pro-government al-Watan daily newspaper reported that Turkish intelligence agents have held several meetings with the leaders of the terror outfit, and vowed that the Syrian army would not carry out a military operation in Idlib.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.

Source: Presstv

Iran launched a missile attack into eastern Syria targeting militants it blamed for a recent attack on a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz, the country’s Revolutionary Guards revealed Monday.

“The headquarters of those responsible for the terrorist crime in Ahvaz was attacked a few minutes ago east of the Euphrates by several ballistic missiles fired by the aerospace branch of the Guardians of the Revolution,” said a statement posted on the official website of the Revolutionary Guards.

State television and the state-run IRNA news agency said the attacks “killed and wounded” militants in Syria, without elaborating. Syrian state media did not immediately acknowledge the strike.

State TV aired footage of one of its reporters standing by as one of the missiles launched, identifying the area as being in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah. A state TV-aired graphic suggested the missiles flew over central Iraq near the city of Tikrit before landing near the city of Abu Kamal, in the far southeast of Syria.

Abu Kamal is held by forces loyal to Syria’s embattled President Bashar Assad. However, the city has been targeted even now by militants from the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, who have lost almost all the territory they once held in Syria and Iraq.

Confusion over who carried out Ahvaz attack

The attack adds to confusion over who carried out an assault on a military parade in Ahvaz on September 22 that killed at least 24 people and wounded over 60.

Iran initially blamed Arab separatists in the southwestern region near the Iraqi border for the attack in which gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire on the crowd and officials watching the parade from a riser in the southwestern city. Arab separatists also immediately claimed the attack and offered details about one of the attackers that ultimately turned out to be true.

In a blizzard of furious statements from top Iranian officials following the attack, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, accused Iran’s adversaries the United States and some Gulf Arab states of provoking the bloodshed and threatened a tough response.

However the IS group also claimed responsibility for the assault, but initially made factually incorrect claims about it. An IS group video later released by the group’s Amaq agency showed footage of several men that Iran ultimately identified as attackers, though the men in the footage never pledged allegiance to the extremist group.

Targeting ‘takfiris’ and separatists

In announcing the retaliatory attack into eastern Syria, Iranian state media said the missiles targeted both “takfiri” militants – a term it often applies to the IS group – and Ahvazi separatists. The separatists have not been known to work with the IS group in the past.

Last year, Iran fired ballistic missiles into Syria over a bloody IS attack on Tehran targeting parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In September, Iran fired missiles into Iraq targeting a base of an Iranian Kurdish separatist group. The separatists say that strike killed at least 11 people and wounded 50.

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)

The United Nations special adviser on prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng has called for an independent investigation into what he described as ‘concerning atrocities’ in Cameroon. Speaking to the BBC on the eve of the symbolic declaration by separatists in the English speaking regions called Ambazonia Republic.

Over the past year, clashes between government security forces and separatist forces have intensified, leading to heavy losses of life on both sides and causing mass displacement of people. “The crimes committed by both parties need to be properly and independently investigated and perpetrators of those crimes need to be brought urgently to justice so that people know that no-one is above the law,’‘ Dieng said.

While majority of Cameroon’s 23 million people are French-speaking, about a fifth of the population is English-speaking. The Anglophone minority has long complained about marginalisation which led to protests by teachers and lawyers over a period of time.

Dieng said while there has been few incidents of election violence in the build up to the October 7 presidential election, there are still many ‘atrocious crimes being committed’ because of the Anglophone crisis.

“My worry is that we still have many people being killed, so far more than 400 people. We need to have political dialogue but also demand for justice,” Dieng told BBC.

“It is true that one could not exclude some form of violence [around the polls] but for the time being things seem to be under control,” Dieng said.

The separatists have vowed to prevent elections from being conducted in the English speaking North-West and South-West regions.

Source: Africa News

The indigenous people of Southern Cameroons have staged public rallies, including a sit-at-home as per a directive from the Interim Government throughout the territory and even beyond as part of celebrations marking Ambazonian Independence Day.

Southern Cameroons agitators defied a curfew imposed by the Biya regime in Yaoundé. In the UK, Ambazonian protesters reportedly blocked the main road to 10 Downing Street in London to make their voices heard.

October 1 is recognized by all Southern Cameroonians as their independence day and the significance of October 1 was again echoed by President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe during his historic declaration that led to the creation of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Today’s celebrations in the UK and in Southern Cameroons have sent a strong message to the international community that Southern Cameroons’ restoration is a priority to all Ambazonians at home and abroad.

The Acting President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako addressed the Ambazonian people early on Monday on the state of the Southern Cameroons resistance and the quest for independence.  Like President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe Julius, he promised to never let Ambazonia down.

Earlier, the Ambazonian Communications Secretary, Hon. Chris Anu, urged all Southern Cameroonians to join forces with all genuine and sincere individuals and groups so as to make Ambazonia a strong and respected nation.

In Bamenda, Muyuka, Ndian, Mamfe, Akwaya, Ndop, Batibo, Menji and Wum, Southern Cameroonians paraded the Ambazonian flags and sang the national anthem of Africa’s newest nation.

A well-placed source deep within the Ambazonian Interim Government hinted Cameroon Concord News Group that Acting President Sako will also call on Southern Cameroonians to boycott the counterfeit presidential elections scheduled for October 7.

Reacting to the success of today’s Independence Day celebrations in Southern Cameroons, a CPDM baron who braved the bad roads to Buea to prepare for President Biya’s campaign trip to the Southwest region observed that “it is the beginning of what is about to happen in no distant time. The restoration of Ambazonia is equally a political lesson to those South West pro-Biya comedians who think that they are in charge.”

By Asu Vera Eyere

Melania Trump, the United States First Lady is expected in Ghana today, October 1, as she kick starts a four-nation African tour. The tour is her first solo trip as First Lady and will take her to a region each across the continent except for Central Africa. An African trip was announced in August before the specific countries were listed last week.

Mrs. Trump, leading her ‘BE BEST’ campaign will partner with USAID to undertake a series of events in Ghana, Malawi, Egypt and Kenya. She described her hosts as four beautiful and very different countries.”

October 1 will mark the first day of my solo visit to four beautiful and very different countries in Africa – Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt – all of which have worked alongside USAID and our partners to make great progress in overcoming some of their biggest challenges.

BE BEST, was launched with “the goal of combating some of the issues that children face today by shining a spotlight on successful programs and organizations that teach children the tools and skills needed for emotional, social and physical well-being,” Melania said.

So what did she say about each host? The White House published her comments of September 26 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

October 1 will mark the first day of my solo visit to four beautiful and very different countries in Africa – Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt – all of which have worked alongside USAID and our partners to make great progress in overcoming some of their biggest challenges, Melania said.

What Melania said about Ghana

I’d like to take a moment and thank the First Lady of Ghana for being with us today. Mrs. Akufo-Addo, I look forward to visiting your country and know we will find ways to continue working together even after my visit.

In Ghana, USAID’s programs have focused on healthcare by supporting efforts to expand the coverage and quality of healthcare for mothers and newborns, and educating women and young children about the importance of proper nutrition.

What Melania said about Malawi

I see the First Lady of Malawi is also with us today. Professor Mutharika, thank you for being here. In Malawi, USAID has demonstrated that education is one of the keys to combating poverty and promoting prosperity.

Their efforts aim to increase access to education, and work to ensure all children acquire the skills needed to succeed in school and life.

I am very excited to have the opportunity to visit Malawi and better understand how our countries can continue working together for a prosperous future.

What Melania said about Kenya

I also want to recognize Mrs. Kenyatta, of Kenya. Wonderful to see you again. It was great to host you in the White House a few weeks ago.

In Kenya, USAID works on a variety of programs, including early-childhood education, wildlife conservation, and HIV prevention.

Mrs. Kenyatta, I look forward to visiting your country and know that together, we will be able to do great things on behalf of children.

What Melania said about Egypt

My final stop, which is Egypt, will focus on the country’s tourism and conservation projects, but I know that through USAID, we have worked with the people of Egypt to promote an environment in which all groups of society – including women and religious minorities – can lead productive and healthy lives.

In fact, their programs have directly supported a reduction in infant and maternal mortality rates, improved early-grade reading, and restored and preserved historical sites vital to Egypt’s tourism.

Source: Africa News

The US has implored the government of Cameroon to hold its soldiers to account. The call follows a recent investigation by BBC’s Africa Eye, which revealed Cameroonian soldiers are behind atrocities against civilians in the country.

Pentagon spokeswoman Maj Sheryll Klinkel said the US military was working with the State Department to “ensure the government of Cameroon holds accountable any individuals found to be responsible”.

BBC Africa Eye’s investigation showed two women and two young children being led away at gunpoint by a group of Cameroonian soldiers. The captives were blindfolded, forced to the ground, and shot 22 times.

The investigation revealed where the incident happened, when it happened, and who is responsible for the killing.

The government of Cameroon initially dismissed the video as “fake news” but subsequently arrested some of the soldiers captured in the video.

According to reports by VOA, the US has about 300 military personnel in Cameroon as part of an international effort to stop the spread of violent extremism in West Africa.

Source: tv360

Cameroon’s Anglophone region is rapidly becoming a no-go zone. Thousands of residents fled to the country’s French speaking cities of Douala, Yaoundé, and Bafoussam, during August and September, anticipating more blood shed before the country’s October presidential elections.

English-speaking Cameroon makes up roughly 20% of the country’s 24.8 million people. It has been nearly three years since the Anglophone crisis began. It started when English-speaking teachers and lawyers went on strike demanding fair working conditions. They and other Anglophone residents complain that their language and culture are marginalised by Cameroon’s French-speaking government and legislators.

The government responded with force. The conflict that followed has been vicious; unprecedented in the nation’s history. It’s a reminder of older, brutal wars elsewhere in Africa: in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Rwanda.

Lip service is not enough. It’s time for these major powers to act. Great nation status comes with great responsibilities, and particularly in an interconnected global environment there must be a moral imperative in the conduct of foreign policy. These powers must also recognise that Cameroon’s ongoing crisis threatens the wider West African region’s long and short term stability.

Business as usual

There’s no doubt that global powers know exactly what’s happening in Cameroon. In June 2018, the US Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organisations in Washington D.C heard witness testimonies about the graphic nature of hostilities in Cameroon.

And yet, as a cursory glance at the US embassy website in Yaoundé reveals, it’s mostly business as usual for the two countries. American citizens are warned to avoid travelling to Cameroon’s English speaking regions – but that’s the extent of it.

On its official embassy website, meanwhile, France refers to Cameroon as a “friend” and a “partner”. It calls for “restraint.” Considering how vital the country is to its strategic interests in the West African region, one might expect France to say – or do – more.

Cameroon is in crisis. It needs an intervention. Shutterstock

China’s actions in this saga have also been extremely frustrating. At the recent Forum of China-African Cooperation in Beijing, President Paul Biya was given the red carpet treatment. No Chinese leaders, and none from the rest of Africa, made any public statements about the Anglophone crisis.

Strategic importance

All of this is extremely vexing given Cameroon’s strategic importance. For many years the US monitored its interest in Equatorial Guinea from Yaoundé. Cameroon and the US are partners in coordinating efforts against Boko Haram and other global terrorist groups.

Cameroon is vital to France’s interest in the West African region. The Anglophone crisis could destabilise the region by snowballing into neighbouring countries. And other former French colonies will be watching with interest, noting the European power’s hands off approach.

China’s policy of non-intervention in another country’s domestic affairs has only strengthened the resolve of tyrants like Biya. He remains one of China’s key allies in the region. Publicly, China’s Premier Li Keqiang has said little about the ongoing Anglophone Crisis. Instead he’s given more money to Biya’s government and enjoys cordial relations with the long time leader.

Perhaps as long as the crisis doesn’t interfere with China’s receipt of timber, rubber and other raw materials from Cameroon, there won’t be a shift in Beijing’s attitude any time soon.

Agitating for change

It seems unlikely, though, that the world’s major powers will totally change their approach to what are viewed as sovereign issues.

But there are things that can be done, and some are quite basic. Biya can be forced to do the right thing. For instance, he spends a significant amount of vacation time in Switzerland.

There is absolutely no reason why European nations and journalists shouldn’t speak out about the leader’s spending of his country’s resources in Switzerland, France, and other places.

Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, must turn his verbal threats into actions. Sanctions, for instance, will force Cameroon to address the Anglophone problem. France could also stop the supply of military hardware and intelligence to Biya’s regime.

China can also do more. Its policy of non-intervention doesn’t apply when its interests are threatened: it intervened in Zambia’s elections to safeguard its interests there.

Finally, the African Union has a role to play while it awaits more concerted efforts from European powers. For instance, the continental body could threaten to withdraw the hosting of next year’s African Nations Cup if Biya doesn’t offer a clear timeline for solving the Anglophone crisis. This threat to a major money spinner and point of prestige could shock Biya into action.

Source: News 24