Cameroon Concord News Group has been informed that violent clashes are currently playing out in several towns in Southern Cameroons. Our source in Batibo has reported that three army soldiers have been killed by unknown gunmen while the Batibo Senior Divisional Officer has been taken by the gunmen to an unknown destination.

The Batibo Assistant Mayor, Esther Tebo, for her part, is currently hiding in the forest after gunmen showed up at her church and opened fire, wounding several people.

In Kembong, a town in Manyu Division which was a hotspot during the violent confrontations in December 2017, is back in the spotlight following an attack by heavily armed gunmen on the temporary military barrack in the town.

The attack resulted in the killing of three gendarmes, with many other uniformed officers wounded. The wounded have been flown by helicopter to the Mamfe military hospital for treatment, a measure expected to help stabilize them. Sources close to the military say the wounded will soon be flown to Douala where it is believed they would get better treatment.

Our military sources also reported that several of the attackers had been killed, adding that the fighting was still ongoing. There is rising fear among the population, given that the last time a military officer was killed in Kembong, many houses were torched by army soldiers in revenge.

The military source added that the attackers used heavy artillery and some artisanal weapons and were many. The source advised that the Southern Cameroons crisis would not be addressed through military action, adding that the loss of life should push the government into negotiating a way out of this conflict that is very likely to run for years if dialogue is not pursued.

The incident, which is a response to the government’s military action in many parts of Southern Cameroons, comes less than 24 hours after the country’s president, Paul Biya, said the North West and South West regions were stabilizing during a speech delivered to the country’s youth on Saturday, February 10, 2018, on the occasion of the country’s Youth Day.

Mr. Biya’s speech had been expected by millions of Cameroonians, especially the youths, who have been victims of the government failure to create jobs and grow the economy. The wait also stemmed from the fact that for more than two weeks, there had been speculations about the whereabouts of Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, 85, who had been missing in action.

Mr. Biya was expected to deliver a live speech on Saturday, February 10, 2018, directed at the youths to urge the country’s impoverished and unemployed youths to continue persevering in their efforts to find work.

He used the occasion to point out that though the economy had not been delivering the results expected, it was more because of a combination of external factors such as declining oil prices, the Southern Cameroons crisis and the Boko Haram insurgency.

However, Cameroonians had been very concerned about the absence of their president. Many analysts held that the country’s president might either be dead or that his health situation might have taken a turn for the worse.

However, yesterday’s speech did not reassure many people, as they hold that it had been taped many weeks before it was delivered. They justify their claim with the fact that the president did not make any reference to the arrest of Southern Cameroons leaders and the creation of a constitutional council a few days before the youth day.

It should be noted that Mr. Biya has been having serious health issues for some time now and a source close to the ailing dictator had intimated that the 85-year-old Biya was suffering from prostrate cancer and a failing heart.

Cameroonians no longer have faith in the government. They hold that the government speaks from both sides of its mouth and that current actions by the president’s collaborators give to understand that there is something fishy unfolding behind the scenes.

Cameroonians are still looking for assurances that their president is alive. They want to be sure that Mr. Biya’s collaborators are not working behind the scenes to change the country’s constitutional order just to ensure the Betis who have been mismanaging the country for more than three decades do not wrestle power out of the hands of the real constitutional successor.

According to a source at the Presidency which elected anonymity, the Secretary General at the presidency has ever since Mr. Biya disappeared from the public’s eye, been holding a series of meetings with some of his collaborators who have been advising him to issue decrees that would usher in constitutional changes on Mr. Biya’s behalf.

They point to the appointment of Clement Atangana early last week as president of the constitutional council as one of the changes aimed at changing things to the advantage of a Beti Mafia that has been running the show for many years.

The scheduling of senatorial elections next month is considered as one of the measures designed by the Beti Mafia to kick out the current senate president, Marcel NyatNjifenji, so that it could retain power even after Mr. Biya’s death.

Under the country’s current constitution, the constitutional successor is the president of the senate, Marcel Nyat Njifenji, a man many hold has played a key role in the corruption and mismanagement that have become the country’s hallmark.

Today’s violence in many Southern Cameroons towns and cities is a reminder that military violence will not address the issues Southern Cameroonians have complained about. It is also a reminder that Cameroon is on the war path and if care is not taken, the conflict could degenerate.

It should be recalled that ever since the conflict started in October 2016, more than 500 civilians have been killed by the country’s military, while more than 300 uniformed officers have lost their lives, especially in Manyu Division where there were violent clashes in December 2017 and January 2018.

By the Editorial team with field reports by Kingsley Betek, Rita Akana and Meshack Enowmbi in Cameroon

A Russian Antonov An-148 passenger plane carrying 71 people has crashed after taking off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport killing all people on board, Russian media report.

The jet belonging to the domestic Saratov Airlines was flying to Orsk city, located about 100 kilometers southeast of the southern tip of the Ural Mountains, and crashed in the Ramensky district outside Moscow on Sunday.

According to Russian news agencies, the plane was carrying 65 passengers and six crewmembers.

News agencies said witnesses in the village of Argunovo saw a burning plane falling from the sky.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situation said it has dispatched crews to the reported crash site to probe the case.

Russian news agencies, citing sources in the emergency services, reported that the wreckage of the plane was spread over a wide area around the crash site.

“Debris has been found, there are no survivors,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted a source as saying.

According to Interfax, the Russian Transport Ministry is considering various possible reasons, including weather conditions and human error for the incident.

The following video shows screenshots of Flightradar tracking of Saratov airlines flight, screenshot of speed and altitude graph before signal lost. The governor of the Orenburg region, where the plane was flying to, has been quoted by Russian media as saying that “more than 60 people” on board the plane were from the region.

Russian prosecutors have opened an investigation into Saratov Airlines following the crash.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to the families of those on board with his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, saying, “The president offers his profound condolences to those who lost their relatives in the crash.”

The new incident is the latest in a string of plane crashes in Russia.

A light aircraft crashed in November in Russia’s far east, killing six people on board, AFP reported.

A military plane carrying Russia’s Red Army Choir crashed in December 2016 after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, killing all 92 people on board. The choir was due to give a concert to Russian troops operating in Syria. Pilot error was blamed for that crash.

Moreover, all 62 passengers died when a FlyDubia jet crashed in March 2016 in bad weather during an aborted landing at Rostov-on-Don airport.

Source: Presstv

The White House has warned that the US government faces a second shutdown in three weeks as Congress encounters obstacles to pass a temporary spending bill before midnight.

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget “is currently preparing for a lapse in appropriations,” an OMB official said Thursday, calling on lawmakers to get the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk “without delay.”

With just hours to go before current federal funding expires, the effort stalled in the Senate when one lawmaker blocked a quick vote on the compromise bill in the upper chamber of Congress.

The legislation, which extends government funding for six weeks and raises the federal debt ceiling, would break the cycle of government funding crises.

Republicans and Democrats agreed Wednesday on a two-year deal to increase government spending. But the bill hit a stumbling block after Senator Rand Paul refused to allow the Senate to act expeditiously to pass the spending measure.

Moving legislation swiftly through the Senate requires consent by all 100 members, but Paul objected.

The legislation is expected to increase the bulging federal deficit which is estimated to be around $440 billion for fiscal year 2018.

“I can’t in all good honesty and all good faith just look the other way because my party is now complicit in the deficits,” Paul said.

If the Republican senator from Kentucky stands his ground, congressional rules dictate that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can declare a new session at midnight Friday, then hold a procedural vote on the spending bill one hour into the new day. A final vote would follow.

If passed, the bill would then head to the House of Representatives. If it passes, it would be sent to the White House for a signature by Trump, who supports the measure.

But the deal’s fate in the lower chamber is far from certain. Fiscal conservatives in the House may join with Paul in balking at adding billions of dollars to the national debt two months after passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut package.

The US government shut down for two days last month after a failure to pass legislation to fund government operations and agencies.

There have been four government shutdowns between 1990 and 2017. In 2013, government funding lapsed for 16 full days and more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave.

Source: Presstv

France is planning to spend $33 billion (€27bn) to upgrade its arsenal of nuclear weapons as part of a massive $370 billion (€300bn) military spending over the next few years to meet the NATO military alliance’s requirements, the French defense chief has announced.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said Paris wanted to increase its military budget so that it can “hold its own” as a key power in Europe.

“The government’s goal is twofold: reach the target of spending two percent of GDP on defense by 2025, while also ensuring we manage our public finances,” Parly said.

France spends $42 billion (€34bn) or 1.8 percent of its GDP for military purposes, slightly less than the two-percent threshold set by NATO.

Under the new plan, President Emmanuel Macron’s government increases overall spending by $2 billion (€1.7bn) a year starting from 2019 until 2022, when it will reach $53 billion (€44bn). Then the budget would be bumped up by $3.6 billion (€3bn) a year between 2023 and 2025.

By then, Paris is supposed to have completed the expensive revamp of its nuclear arsenal, with work on a third-generation nuclear submarine program and a new generation of airborne nuclear missiles already underway today.

“We are going to make up for past shortfalls and build a modern, sustainable, protective army” that would allow France “to hold its own,” said Parly.

French military forces are currently deployed to West Africa on a declared mission to fight militant groups.

The country is also a main contributor to a US-led coalition that has been targeting alleged terrorist positions in Iraq and Syria since 2015.

The years-long operations have put strain on France’s military forces and equipment.

With thousands of troops overseas, the new program allows the defense department to perform a host of upgrades on equipment, from bullet-proof vests to combat uniforms.

There will also be a 34-percent increase in spending on “modernizing weaponry,” which includes buying new Scorpion armored vehicles, four Barracuda attack submarines and three multi-mission frigates, as well as a new fleet of Griffon multi-role armored vehicles.

There are also plans to develop new spy satellites, light surveillance aircraft, new Rafale fighter jets and armed drones. Air tankers are also on the long list of upgrades.

The development is a major reversal in France’s military strategy over the past years and is expected to please US President Donald Trump, who has put NATO allies under pressure to increase their military budgets.

Source: Presstv

There have been speculations concerning the whereabouts of Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, who has been missing in action for some time now. But yesterday’s establishment of the constitutional council and the appointment of its members is causing more controversy. Yesterday’s presidential decrees established a constitutional council provided for in the 1996 constitution and appointed members of the said council. 77-year-old Clement Atangana, a legal expert of Beti extraction, who has been on retirement for more than ten years, was appointed as head of the constitutional council, while other very old faces were appointed as members of the same council in the same decree. Members of the council are members of the ruling CPDM and people who are personally loyal to the country’s president and his collaborators.

The appointment of these old and retired Cameroonians underscores the fact that Mr. Biya is not yet ready to give Cameroonian youths a place in today’s Cameroon. Besides marginalizing youths, Mr. Biya is still pursuing his policy of Anglophone marginalization by appointing only Francophones to head major government institutions. It should be underscored at this point that all heads of important structures in Cameroon are Francophones despite the ongoing Anglophone crisis which was triggered by the government’s marginalization of the country’s English-speaking minority.

But this is not what is concerning Southern Cameroonians in particular. Southern Cameroonians are still fighting for their secession and they are hell-bent on quitting a marriage that has brought them more pain than gain. There has been serious fighting in many towns in the Southwest region of the country, with many young men being killed in cold blood by army soldiers. Our sources say some of the young men killed had nothing to do with the rebellion that is unfolding in the English-speaking regions of the country.

It should be recalled that some towns such as Kwakwa in the Southwest region have been erased from the country’s map as army soldiers have burnt all the houses and sent everybody into exile. Currently, Mbonge in the same region is being attacked by army soldiers who are killing and maiming any young men they find in the town.

It is worth pointing out that the greatest concern to many Cameroonians is the whereabouts of their president who has not been seen in public for many weeks. The signatures on the two presidential decrees released yesterday are different and this is causing many Cameroonians to argue that those signatures were forged to give the impression that Mr. Biya who is suspected of either being dead is alive.

Over the last week, there have been rumors that Mr. Biya who is suffering from cancer and a failing heart is gradually heading to his grave. Some sources had even indicated that he had died and that there was commotion among his supporters who are all scared of losing their positions and influence.

A Cameroon Intelligence Report’s source at the Unity Palace, which elected unanimity, had informed our cream of intelligence officers in Yaoundé that everything pointed to the demise of the 85-year-old dictator who has ruled the Central African country for 35 years with an iron fist.

The source added that given the way in which government officials had been visiting the Unity Palace over the last week, it was clear that Mr.Biya was no more. The atmosphere at the presidential palace was tense and government officials had been holding meetings to come up with a common response so as to keep the population in the dark.

Our source added that members of the Cameroon strong man’s entourage were working hard to keep the information from the public place in the pious belief that they could change things to suit their intention.

He stressed that the Secretary General at the presidency had been holding a series of meetings with some of his collaborators who were advising him to issue decrees that would usher in constitutional changes on Mr. Biya’s behalf and the appointment of Clement Atangana is one of the changes the Beti Mafia was advocating.

The calling of senatorial elections next month, our soured added, was one of the moves designed by the Beti Mafia to kick out the current senate president, Marcel Nyat Njifenji, so that it could retain power even after Mr. Biya was dead and gone.

Under the country’s current constitution, the constitutional successor is the president of the senate, Marcel Nyat Njifenji, himself 83 years old and a collapsing figure who has been involved in the corruption and mismanagement that have become the country’s hallmark. Many Cameroonians hold that if the country has to change significantly, figures like the senate president and national assembly speaker have to disappear from the political scene.

By Kingsley Betek with files from Rita Akana in Yaounde

The United Nations says over 300 child soldiers have been released by armed groups in war-ravaged South Sudan under a scheme to help reintegrate them into society.

According to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), at least 311 children, 87 of them girls, were released by armed groups on Wednesday in Yambio, which is located in the south of the country.

David Shearer, the UN secretary general’s special representative and head of UNMISS, said in a statement that the children would soon begin reintegrating into their communities and learning new skills to support themselves. “This is the first time so many young women have been involved in a release like this in South Sudan,” the statement read.

“They will have endured suffering, including sexual abuse. It is vital that they receive the support they need to rejoin their communities and that they are welcomed home by family and friends without any sense of stigma.”

“Children should not be carrying guns and killing each other. They should be playing, learning, having fun with friends, protected and cherished by the adults around them,” Shearer said.

The integration program in Yambio is aimed at helping 700 child soldiers return to normal life. Of these, 563 are part of President Salva Kiir’s force and 137 are with rebels.

The UN peacekeeping force, acting in unison with the UN children’s agency UNICEF, is negotiating the release of child soldiers in other regions of the country.

“This is a crucial step in achieving our ultimate goal of having all of the thousands of children still in the ranks of armed groups reunited with their families,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan. “It is the largest release of children in nearly three years and it is vital that negotiations continue so there are many more days like this.”

Civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, just two years after the country became independent, when disagreements between President Kiir and then Vice President Riek Machar turned into an armed conflict between their loyalists. While fighting generally subsided early last year, clashes once again intensified in July 2016.

Tens of thousands of people have died and more than four million people have been driven from their homes, while millions of others are suffering from hunger in a humanitarian crisis expected to worsen as the lean season sets in.

The UN and international rights groups have on numerous occasions accused both Machar’s loyalists and government troops of committing atrocities during their military operations.

Source: Presstv

Situational Context

Tensions continue to heighten in southern Cameroon’s English speaking regions following the recent deportation of 47 asylum seekers including leaders of the pro-independence movement by Nigeria. According to the new arrivals, the Government in Yaoundé has also reinforced its military presence with deployment of troops, imposition of curfew and restrictions on travel by Anglophone Cameroonians.

These developments continue to trigger population movements toward Nigeria in search of safety and international protection. Government security forces have been repeatedly accused of killing civilians while the secessionists are also accused of complicity in the deaths of more than 10 security personnel since the unilateral declaration of independence on October 1, 2017.

The interim leadership of the pro-independence group has asked the government of President Paul Biya to allow international human rights organisations access to their leaders and members of their community who were deported to Cameroon by Nigeria to prove that they are still alive. The government said the detainees were currently undergoing interrogation and their lawyers would have access to them after the process.

New Arrivals

More Cameroonians are arriving at Danare in Boki, Cross River State and Gembu, Taraba State. However, some of the new arrivals are reluctant to be interviewed and registered on grounds that they fear being deported to Cameroon by Nigeria. Other asylum seekers already registered are requesting UNHCR to relocate them to a third country for fear of being returned to Cameroon against their will.

The latest batch of arrivals is mainly from Cameroon’s Kwa-Kwa Mbonge Sub Division in the South-Western Region. Residents fled their homes following clashes between security forces and separatists in the area and accused the military of excesses including arson attacks on their homes.

Source: UN

The Minister of Defence, Brigadier–General Mansur Dan–Ali (rtd) has been summoned by the Senate to explain why and how Cameroonian soldiers were able to invade Nigerian territories, arrest and cart away some Nigerians.

In issuing the summons, the upper legislative chamber also urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema to “urgently liaise with his Cameroonian counterpart to secure the release of innocent Nigerians arrested by the Cameroon soldiers.

The Parliament also called for increased military presence in the Nigeria-Cameroon border, asking for intensified patrol within the area to prevent further acts of trespass by the Cameroon soldiers into Nigeria.

Other resolutions by the Senate include calling on Nigeria and Cameroon to strengthen the capacity of Nigeria-Cameroon trans-border security committee aimed at addressing emerging trans-border security issues confronting the two countries and the need for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR to intensify ongoing efforts aimed at protecting the Cameroonian refugees and assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement.

He lamented: “This is a calculated assault/offence from the Cameroonian military on Nigeria and on outright defiance of Nigeria territorial sovereignty, not minding the consequences of crossing the international boundary to carry out intimidations and harassment on the already alarmed citizens of Danare, with warnings of further assault.”

The Lawmaker also expressed worry that “the current situation being faced by both the refugees and host border communities if not tackled urgently may result in both an outbreak of epidemic and a serious humanitarian crisis and further escalate the already troubling security situation along these borders.”

He noted: “The current agitation for the independence of Southern Cameroon has caused influx of refugees to some border communities in Cross River State and over six thousand of the refugees are currently squatting at Obanliku, Boki, Etung and Ikom local government areas of the state.”

Senator Enoh informed that the UNHCR had on December 17, 2017 biometrically registered 10, 000 arrivals in remote areas of Nigeria’s Cross River State and indicated that thousands more are awaiting registration.

He also expressed concern that “most of the refugees are ill and lack basic needs while some are expectant mothers without medical care.”

He, however, stressed the need for the federal government to act fast with a view to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians within the border towns, saying: “Nigeria cannot pretend that there is no problem within our borders.”

Senator Sani, who expressed surprise at the audacity of the Cameroonian soldiers in trespassing to the Nigerian territory, called on the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS and other relevant continental bodies to wade into the crisis in Southern Cameroon before it gets worsened.

Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North) in his contribution, said: “Though invasion by the foreigners was bad, he however, cautioned that the National Assembly cannot intervene on the matter “because Cameroon is a sovereign nation”.

Senator Sam Egwu (PDP Ebonyi North) said Nigerian territorial integrity has been violated by the action of gendarmes, and therefore urged the senate to summon the Minister of Defence to interrogation about the activities of the gendarmes in Nigeria.

When the motion was put to voice vote, it was unanimously adopted.

Source: The Independent

The African Bar Association (AFBA) has accused Nigeria of detaining some Cameroonian refugees without trial. The association stated this in its resolution in Calabar.

It said: “The abduction and continued illegal detention of Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe and other Cameroonian refugees by the Nigerian security agents and their counterparts in Cameroon was wrong.”

“More worrisome is that some of the abductees are practicing lawyers and members of the AFBA.

The statement added: “Despite our demands for explanation and the immediate release of these individuals, the circumstances surrounding their arrest and their whereabouts remains unknown. This has led to several speculations.

“We have received reports that these persons have either been transferred or extradited to Cameroon or secretly executed.

“The reports added that some are still languishing in the custody of the government of Cameroon awaiting trial in a military court.

“There are also speculations that the abductees are still being held by the Nigerian government at the behest of the Cameroon dictatorship.”

The association stressed that the abduction of these individuals and their detention in an undisclosed location is a “grave and violent violations of international laws, for which there are consequences for those responsible.”

The statement noted that the detention without charges or due process of law is a breach of the African Charter on Human Peoples Rights, the Charter of the United Nations and the constitutions of Nigeria and Cameroon.

Source: The Guardian