26, January 2019
Cameroon’s embassy in Paris, France, overrun by the Diaspora. Biya’s picture damaged and message sent to the country’s military by the Diaspora. The spokesperson clearly says Biya is no longer the country’ president. Cameroon’s chaos is clearing being exported abroad.
This item is developing
26, January 2019
The United Nations has said that no fewer than 32,000 Southern Cameroonians fleeing insecurity and violence are currently taking refuge in Nigeria. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Cameroon, Ms Allegra Baiocchi, while presenting the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan for the country, described the situation in the country as “forgotten crisis”.
Baiocchi and Cameroon’s Civil Protection Director, Ms Yap Mariatou, warned at the inauguration in Geneva that there was a drastic increase in humanitarian need across the country. The UN chief for Cameroon regretted that with attacks on the rise, around 4.3 million Cameroonians, mostly women and children, were in need of lifesaving assistance.
She said, “Insecurity and violence in these regions have uprooted 437,000 people from their homes and forced over 32,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring Nigeria. Four million people are affected by the conflict in Cameroon’s west.
“In addition, due to the deteriorating situation in northeast Nigeria, more than 10,000 new refugees arrived in Cameroon in 2018, bringing the number of Nigerian refugees to 100,000,” she said. “Humanitarian needs are likely to increase in coming years,” Baiocchi said, lamenting paucity of funds in the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for the country.
“Underfunding means we cannot do all we can to make a difference in the life of most vulnerable people across Cameroon, whether it is the girl who is missing school due to violence, the displaced mother struggling to feed her children, or the father who has lost his entire family.
“Hundreds of thousands of people on Cameroon’s territory need urgent assistance and protection,” Baiocchi said.
She added that “attacks against civilians have increased and many conflict-affected people are surviving in harsh conditions without humanitarian assistance due to the dramatic underfunding of the response. “Cameroon today can no longer be a forgotten crisis; it needs to be high on our agenda”.
With needs rising by 31 per cent in a year, the UN estimated that around 4.3 million people in Cameroon – one in six people and mostly women and children – require lifesaving assistance.
The joint Humanitarian Response Plan 2019 seeks $299 million to assist 2.3 million vulnerable people, more than half of those in need. In 2018, a $320 million response plan for Cameroon was only 40 per cent funded.
The aggravation of the conflict in western regions is the main driver behind the increase, with armed attacks in the far north, and new refugees coming from the Central African Republic also increasing demand for urgent aid.
The representative of the Cameroonian Government at the launch, Mariatou, said, “The Government of Cameroon is responsible for the protection and wellbeing of its people and has been at the forefront of the response with its national and international partners.
“We acknowledge the scale of the different crises we face, and we encourage all the actors to work in close partnership to address the needs of Cameroonians and of the people we host”.
(NAN)
26, January 2019
A dam collapse in southeastern Brazil unleashed a torrent of mud on a riverside town and surrounding farmland Friday, leaving several people dead and 150 more missing.
Rescuers arrived at the scene of the incident, which has so far left at least seven people dead, according to officials.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was to visit the affected zone, around the town of Brumadinho which is located near the city of Belo Horizonte, on Saturday, a government spokesman said.
His government, facing its first big emergency since taking office in the New Year, set up urgent coordination between the defense, environment and mining ministries to bolster operations by the state of Minas Gerais.
Access to Brumaldinho — population 39,000 — was difficult after the mud cut across roads, hampering officials’ ability to determine the scope and gravity of the disaster.
A fire service official told AFP initial accounts received indicated “there were several deaths.”
Television images showed helicopters being used to rescue people stuck in mud, and a wide swath of destruction carved through vegetation and farmland, in which damaged and destroyed houses were dotted.
Four people were taken to hospital and were in a stable condition.
A separate statement by the environment ministry said that “the initial preoccupation of the federal government is the rescue of victims, giving support to the region, and protecting water-catchment areas.”
The dam belonged to Brazil’s giant mining company Vale, which confirmed its collapse and said “the total priority is to protect the lives of employees and inhabitants.”
It did not say what caused the collapse.
Bolsonaro, in an interview with Brumadinho’s Radio Regional FM, said he “deeply regretted” the dam collapse, which “is possibly more serious than thought” because it might have swept away Vale workers.
Friday’s disaster recalled trauma from a 2015 dam break in a different part of the same state of Minas Gerais, in Mariana, in which 19 people died.
That accident three years ago released millions of tons of toxic iron waste along hundreds of kilometers (miles), causing what is considered the country’s worst environmental disaster.
Vale was the joint operator of that dam, along with the Anglo-Australian group BHP.
Source: Presstv
26, January 2019
The Southern Cameroons Special Tribunal Coordination Committee (SCSTCC) has announced an initial list of war crimes suspects including two Cameroonian government military units implicated in war crimes and torture of civilians. The list is a work in progress and the allegations are not yet proven though in many cases video, eyewitness evidence and the public statements of the suspects strongly implicates some of the accused in conceiving, ordering and carrying out atrocities against Southern Cameroonian civilians and Amabazonian self defense units.
The Special Tribunal Committee has received a mandate from several Ambazonian organizations and their supporters to collect evidence, carry out investigations, and prosecute using any and all means possible including the national courts of third countries and international tribunals. The Special Tribunal Committee will also contact other national war crimes units with their findings and will seek visa bans and sanctions on implicated individuals and organizations.
The initial backers of the Special Tribunal include the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), the Southern Cameroons Defense Force (SOCADEF), the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGC), the African Peoples Liberation Movement (APLM), the Organization of Emerging African States (OEAS) and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. Dr. Jonathan Levy, an international lawyer specializing in human rights was appointed Chief Coordinator of the Tribunal and has been joined by two prominent African barristers.
According to Dr. Levy, the Special Tribunal’s immediate mission is to use existing courts and procedures to investigate and prosecute war crimes: “We need to bring legal actions quickly to prevent further atrocities. We also encourage other interested groups to do the same regardless whether they work with us or not. Our immediate goal is deterrence and that will only be effective if war criminals see demonstrable proof they will be held accountable for their crimes.”
The Southern Cameroons Special Tribunal Coordination Committee (SCSTCC) initial list of war crimes suspects are as follows:
President and Commander-in-Chief Paul Biya
Former Prime Minister & Deputy Commander-in-Chief Philemon Yang
Prime Minister & Deputy Commander-in Chief-Joseph Ngute
Minister of Defense Joseph Beti Assomo
Deputy Minister of Defense René Claude Meka
Major-General Nkoa Atenga
Secretary of State in charge of the National Gendarmeris, Galax Yves Landry Etoga
Gov. Adolphe Lele Afrique
Gov. Bernard Okalia Bilai
Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Engamba Emmanuel Ledoux.
Senior Divisional Officer for Koupé Manengouba: Keyantcho Augustin.
Senior Divisional Officer for Lebialem: Ungitoh Zachry
Senior Divisional Officer for Manyu: Oum II Joseph
Senior Divisional Officer for Boyo: Tegni Fidèle.
Senior Divisional Officer for Bui: Mooh Emile Simon.
Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung: Nkwenti Simon Doh.
Senior Divisional Officer for Menchum: Kamga Charles
Senior Divisional Officer for Ngoketunjia: Emvoutou Mbita Benoît William
Battalion D’intervention Rapide (BIR)
General Directorate of External Research (Direction Générale de la Recherche Extérieure, (DGRE)
General Elokobi Daniel Njock
Brigadier General Agha Robinson
Colonel Didier Badjeck
Minister of Communications, Issa Tchiroma
Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul
Chief of National Police, Martin Mbarga Nguele
The Mayor of Buea, Patrick Ekema Esunge
25, January 2019
Around 4.3 million Cameroonians, mostly women and children, are now in need of lifesaving assistance, the UN announced on Thursday, presenting it’s 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan for the West African country, in coordination with the Government and aid partners. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Cameroon, Ms. Allegra Baiocchi, and Cameroon’s Civil Protection Director, Ms. Yap Mariatou, warned at the launch in Geneva, that the was a drastic increase in humanitarian need across the country.
Cameroon today can no longer be a forgotten crisis; it needs to be high on our agenda – UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Allegra Baiocchi
“Hundreds of thousands of people on Cameroon’s territory need urgent assistance and protection,” Ms. Baiocchi said, adding that “attacks against civilians have increased and many conflict-affected people are surviving in harsh conditions without humanitarian assistance due to the dramatic underfunding of the response. Cameroon today can no longer be a forgotten crisis; it needs to be high on our agenda.”
With needs rising by 31 per cent in a year, the UN today estimates that around 4.3 million people in Cameroon – one in six people and mostly women and children – require lifesaving assistance. The joint Humanitarian Response Plan 2019 seeks $299 million to assist 2.3 million vulnerable people, more than half of those in need. Last year, a $320 million response plan for Cameroon was only 40 per cent funded.
The aggravation of the conflict in western regions is the main driver behind the increase, with armed attacks in the far north, and new refugees coming from the Central African Republic also increasing demand for urgent aid. Insecurity and violence in these regions have uprooted 437,000 people from their homes and forced over 32,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring Nigeria. Four million people are affected by the conflict in Cameroon’s west, says the UN. In addition, due to the deteriorating situation in northeast Nigeria, more than 10,000 new refugees arrived in Cameroon in 2018, bringing the number of Nigerian refugees to 100,000.
“The Government of Cameroon is responsible for the protection and wellbeing of its people and has been at the forefront of the response with its national and international partners,” added Ms. Yap Mariatou. “We acknowledge the scale of the different crises we face, and we encourage all the actors to work in close partnership to address the needs of Cameroonians and of the people we host.” “Humanitarian needs are likely to increase in coming years,” said Ms. Baiocchi, adding that budgets had failed in increase adequately in recent years. “Underfunding means we cannot do all we can to make a difference in the life of most vulnerable people across Cameroon, whether it is the girl who is missing school due to violence, the displaced mother struggling to feed her children, or the father who has lost his entire family.”
22, January 2019
The United States entered the second month of a partial government shutdown on Tuesday over Congress’ failure to approve a budget to fund several federal agencies, with no quick end in sight to the historic crisis weighing on the nation’s economy and morale.
Since December 22, a quarter of the US government has been closed because of an impasse between opposition Democratic Party lawmakers and the Republican administration of President Donald Trump over funding for a wall at the border with Mexico to block illegal immigration.
Trump refuses to endorse a budget that does not contain $5.7 billion to build the barrier, a key promise of his 2016 election campaign.
Democrats oppose the wall, calling it “immoral,” costly and ineffective. They want the government reopened before any discussion of the matter.
Trump made a new proposal on Saturday which he said aimed to end the shutdown It offered to extend temporary protection to about a million immigrants facing expulsion, in return for the $5.7 billion he has requested.
Although it was rejected by Democrats – and even by some anti-immigrant voices – the offer could serve as a basis for new discussions.
The partial government closure has directly affects 0.5 percent of the US labor force but has started to indirectly hit the confidence of more than half of consumers, according to a survey by the University of Michigan.
Experts say it is also pressuring the world’s largest economy, against the backdrop of already slowing global growth.
In the most sensitive government agencies, including the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Transportation, the number of affected employees has been kept to a minimum.
But elsewhere, the impact is clear. National Parks no longer have security guards, numerous museums are shut, and some airport security checkpoints have been closed.
About 800,000 federal workers, from FBI agents to scientists and some food inspectors, are furloughed or working without pay while trying to meet their financial obligations.
The affected federal employees will eventually get backpay but more than one million contractors for the government don’t even have that to hope for.
“I’m about to lose my Medicaid, my car insurance” and driver’s license, said Yvette Hicks, 40, a contractor with the Smithsonian museum complex. The single mother of two added: “Right now, this shutdown is really destroying me and my family.”
The longest shutdown in US history is also beginning to have a political price. A majority of Americans hold Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress responsible, according to several polls.
Source: Presstv
22, January 2019
Italy’s deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio on Monday insisted that France’s policies in Africa have created poverty and caused migration.
Maio’s remarks came hours after France summoned the Italian ambassador to Paris to protest the original assertions made over the weekend.
Speaking on Saturday in central Italy, Di Maio attacked France’s Africa policy, the latest chapter in a war of words between Rome and Paris since the anti-establishment 5-Star-Movement and far-right League won power last year.
“If we have people who are leaving Africa now it’s because some European countries, and France in particular, have never stopped colonizing Africa,” said Di Maio, who leads the 5-Star.
“If France didn’t have its African colonies, because that’s what they should be called, it would be the 15th largest world economy. Instead it’s among the first, exactly because of what it is doing in Africa.”
Di Maio added that France was manipulating the economies of 14 African countries that use the CFA franc — a colonial-era currency which is underpinned by the French Treasury.
“France is one of those countries that by printing money for 14 African states prevents their economic development and contributes to the fact that the refugees leave and then die in the sea or arrive on our coasts,” he said.
Ambassador Teresa Castaldo was summoned on Monday afternoon by the chief of staff of European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau, the French diplomatic source said.
“It’s not the first time the Italian authorities have made unacceptable and aggressive comments,” the French diplomatic source added.
France argues that the CFA franc has brought welcome monetary stability to the countries that use it, but French President Emmanuel Macron said in 2017 that it was up to African governments to decide what to do with the currency.
The new Italian government has frequently clashed with Paris, be it on immigration or policy in Libya, eager to mark the difference between itself and the previous center-left administration which had good ties with the French authorities.
“I’ve stopped being a hypocrite talking only about the effects of immigration and it’s time to talk about the causes,” Di Maio said at the weekend.
“The EU should sanction all those countries like France that are impoverishing African countries and are causing those people to leave.”
Reuters
21, January 2019
In its annual report, Oxfam International warns against a widening economic gap between the rich and the poor due to faulty tax systems in different world countries, calculating that a mere 26 billionaires owned more than 3.8 billion people last year.
The rich grew richer and poor got poorer in 2018, the international charity organization said in the report titled “Public Good or Private Wealth.”
The world’s billionaires saw their fortunes grow by $2.5 billion per day, while the bottom half of the global population saw their wealth dwindle by $500 million daily, said the report, citing information provided by Swiss bank Credit Suisse and the Forbes List of billionaires.
It added that the number of billionaires possessing as much wealth as half of the world’s population fell from 43 in 2017 to 26 last year. Their combined fortunes reached $1.4 trillion, the same amount as the total wealth of the 3.8 billion poorest, according to the figures.
In 2016, the number stood at 61.
The report was released on Monday as political and business leaders are set to gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.View image on Twitter
As the elites gather at #wef19, we reveal the true costs of under-taxation of the rich on the world’s poorest.
It revealed how governments were exacerbating inequality among the masses by increasingly underfunding public services like healthcare and education at the same time as they consistently under-tax the wealthy.
“Our economy is broken, with hundreds of millions of people living in extreme poverty while huge rewards go to those at the very top,” Oxfam said. “Governments face a stark choice today — a choice between a life of dignity for all their citizens or continued extreme wealth for a tiny few.”
The report also said women and girls were the social group the hardest hit by the frightening increase in the economic gap.
Oxfam recommended that nations tax the wealthy fairer, raise rates on personal income and corporate taxes and stop tax dodging by firms and wealthy individuals.
The charity organization also advocates providing universal free health care, education and other public services including water, electricity.
It also suggests providing free childcare to free up mothers’ schedules.
The charity said that the United States played a big role in the current dire situation with most of the world’s mega-wealthy living there.
Super-rich people like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who are collectively worth $357 billion, are all Americans.
The combined fortunes of the world’s 26 richest individuals reached $1.4 trillion last year — the same amount as the total wealth of the 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity.
Source: Presstv
20, January 2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Chad on Sunday for what he called a “historic” trip, during which he announced renewal of diplomatic ties decades after they were ruptured. Netanyahu and Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno have “announced the renewal of diplomatic relations between Chad and Israel”, a statement from the Israeli premier’s office said.
Ties between Israel and the Muslim majority nation were broken in 1972. “The two sides view the resumption of relations as the key to future cooperation for the benefit of both countries,” the statement said.
Netanyahu on Twitter called the announcement “a historic moment”. The Israeli leader has sought to improve ties with countries in the Arab and Muslim world and said he expected more such diplomatic breakthroughs soon.
His one-day visit follows Deby’s November trip to Israel. The two leaders at the time declined to comment on whether their talks have included arms deals. Chadian security sources say the country has acquired Israeli equipment to help battle rebels in the country’s north.
Chad is also one of several African states engaged in Western-backed operations against Boko Haram and Islamic State group jihadists. Pressure from Muslim African nations, accentuated by the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, led a number of African states to sever relations with the Jewish state.
But in recent years, Israel has held out the prospect of cooperation in fields ranging from security to technology to agriculture, to improve ties on the continent.
Deby is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. He took over the arid, impoverished nation in 1990 and won a disputed fifth term in April 2016 to lead the country of some 15 million people.
(AFP)
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27, January 2019
USA embassy issues alert amid growing violence in Cameroon 0
Demonstration Alert – U. S. Embassy Yaounde Cameroon (January 26, 2019)
Location: Yaounde and Douala
Event: The Embassy is aware of ongoing protest activity in Yaoundé and Douala, with injuries reportedly inflicted by law enforcement.
Actions to Take: