Politics

13, February 2018

Former US Vice President Joe Biden says Trump presidency ‘a tragedy’ ⁰

US President Donald Trump’s presidency is a “tragedy,” says former Vice president Joe Biden, accusing the Republican head of state of “shredding” America’s core values.

“I look at the Trump presidency as a tragedy in two acts,” Biden said last week, addressing the House Democrats Issues Conference at the US Capitol, Newsweek reported Monday night.

“The first is to what we stand for as a nation, with the core values and our standing in the world and in many cases, the democracy,” he argued.

The second act of Trump’s presidency, according to Biden, was his behavior that kept members of the US Congress from doing their job.

“This president is doing great damage,” Biden added. “We are so concerned with stopping the attack, as we should be, on American values, on our principles, that we’re having great trouble getting to the point of doing the real work of restoring the middle class and the working class.”

The former VP, who served under President Barack Obama and is said to be one of the Democratic Party’s hopefuls to confront Trump in the 2020 race for the White House, called on Trump to stop acting like “the neighborhood bully” by using insulting words to refer to others.

Trump has stirred controversy by calling top Democratic Senator Adam Schiff as “little Adam Schiff” and attacking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “short and fat madman.”

Biden also blasted the president for mixing his act with an “ugly and phony populism” that was putting the “moral fabric” of American society to the test.

“You know what that fabric’s made of. It’s made of decency. Just simple honesty; just the notion that dignity and respect… treat your opponent as well as your friend with respect,” Biden said.

Biden said he had decided not to publicly criticize Trump but could no longer keep quiet after the president’s handling of violent clashes between white supremacists and counter protesters in Charlottesville, last August.

Trump blamed both sides for the violence, which killed a young woman and injured several others.

Back in November, Biden took another shot at Trump, this time calling him a “charlatan” for taking advantage of frustrated middle class voters.

Source: Presstv

13, February 2018

Ruler since 1982, Biya turns 85 as strife grips parts of Cameroon ⁰

President Paul Biya of Cameroon celebrates his 85th birthday on Tuesday after 35 years at the helm of a country that today faces daunting problems, including a separatist revolt.

“The Cameroon of tomorrow, which is developing before our eyes, will have little connection with the Cameroon of yesterday… Let us seize the chance and take up the challenge,” Biya on Saturday said in a speech on the nation’s youth.

Three-quarters of Cameroon’s population, according to the most recent available statistics from 2014, are under 25. They were yet to be born when Biya in November 1982 settled into the presidential residence of Etoudi in the capital Yaounde, also called the Palace of Unity.

Biya urged young Cameroonians to vote in the next general elections due at the end of 2018, including a presidential poll.

But — true to his nickname of “the Sphinx” — he remained silent on whether he plans to run for a seventh term.

Several candidates have already declared their intentions, but the presidential camp has long since learned to keep a close watch over dissenting voices.

– ‘Divide and rule’ –

Biya has locked down all key posts and institutions, up to the creation early in February of a Constitutional Council of 11 members, the majority of whom come from the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC). Their duties will notably include the validation of election results.

A former student in a Roman Catholic seminary and then of political science in Paris, Biya “has put the saying ‘divide and rule’ into practice,” said Stephane Akoa, a researcher at the Paul Ango Ela Foundation.

“This is how he is able to remain at the apex of the system — forces who might have contested his power can’t get organised, let alone form a coalition.”

The most obvious threats to this picture come from separatists in the anglophone west, where two provinces were united with French-speaking Cameroon after independence in 1960. English-speakers comprise a fifth of the population.

Resentment runs high over perceived neglect by the francophone-majority regime. Dozens of people have been killed on both sides since a bloody crackdown on protest by October, sparking an escalation of bloodshed that led to a week-long curfew on Saturday.

Northern Cameroon, meanwhile, is vulnerable to raids against civilians and troops from across the border by Nigeria’s jihadist group Boko Haram. Cameroon is part of a regional military coalition formed to crush the movement.

– Foreign trips –

Biya’s taste for alpaca suits and silk ties and repeated and often lengthy absences, especially to Switzerland, have been a source for criticism in a nation where more than a third of the population still survives on less than two euros ($2.40) a day.

The foreign trips in particular have raised questions about Biya’s health. Rumours that he was sick circulated again at the end of January, but they were confounded by his television appearance on Saturday. His public appearances are so rare that they are closely scrutinised.

Biya offered an upbeat assessment of the state of the nation. The threat from Boko Haram is “considerably reduced”, the anglophone regions have “calmed down” — though three gendarmes were killed on Sunday — and the national economy has been “embellished”, as he put it.

External commentators, though, say the threat of instability is casting a lengthening shadow.

“With the troubles in anglophone regions and the persistent threat from Boko Haram, the 2018 elections will be a greater challenge than previous votes,” said Hans De Marie Heungoup, a researcher with the International Crisis Group (ICG) thinktank.

Source: The Citizen

13, February 2018

Biya regime kicks off busy election year with senatorial polls ⁰

Cameroon will press ahead with its first election for 2018 ahead of the presidential vote later this year. A presidential decree issue last week slated senatorial polls for March 25, 2018.

The decree states that the electoral body ELECAM shall organize the polls in various divisional headquarters of the country.

Cameroon’s parliamentary system caters for 100 senators out of which 70 are to be elected by municipal councillors across the country. The remaining 30 slots are the prerogative of the president.

The elections will in effect mark the start of a busy electoral calender as it is set to be followed by council, legislative and presidential elections later this year. The respective dates are yet to be determined by the President.

Meanwhile, the state – run CRTV reports that nominations for the Senate ends today February 13, 2018. The National Salvation Front of Cameroon led by information minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary have confirmed their participation in the process.

Meeting in Bamenda, capital of the restive northwest region, the main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) led by Ni John Fru Ndi, the national chairman, said it will also participate in the process. The February 9, 2018 meeting also declared open nomination contest for the SDF’s presidential ticket for the upcoming polls.

President Paul Biya is expected to seek another term in office after over three decades in charge of the Central African nation. The country is currently riled by secessionist elements in the Anglophone regions – northwest and southwest regions.

The secessionists have entered an armed phase of a struggle for independence. About twenty five security forces have so far been killed in guerilla style attacks. Government received over 40 separatist members deported from Nigeria, they included leader Sisuku Julius Ayuk Tabe.

Source: Africa News

12, February 2018

Biya says threats to Cameroon’s peace have eased ⁰

Cameroon President Paul Biya has addressed his countrymen, saying tensions in the English-speaking regions that began more than a year ago have abated. Biya also congratulated his military for successfully curbing Boko Haram atrocities.

Cameroon President Paul Biya, in a nationwide message, thanked the country’s youth, saying they have been instrumental in bringing peace and order along the northern border with Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been active, and in the English speaking northwest and southwest regions where complaints by teachers and lawyers about the overbearing influence of the French language degenerated into separatists calls for independence that resulted in armed conflicts with the Cameroon military.

“The situation in the southwest and the northwest is stabilizing. Indeed, the characteristic resilience of the Cameroonian people deserves to be hailed once again. Allow me once again to underscore the heroism of our defense and security forces, mostly young people,” he said.

In his speech, Biya urged Cameroon’s to youth prepare for the decades ahead, when they will be leaders. He said they need to be up for the task and acquire the necessary skills and experience.

Biya acknowledged that economic growth had slowed due to outside factors, but said he would forge ahead in various sectors of development. He said 2018 will mark the completion of his major road and hydro power development projects.

Cabral Libii, a 38-year-old Cameroonian who has announced his intention to run for president and challenge Biya this year, said he had expected Biya to call for reconciliation to solve the long-standing problems his country has been facing but feels that Biya instead gave an impression all was well and launched his campaign for this year’s presidential election.

Libii said Cameroonian youth only have residual roles to play in Cameroon politics and at the same time they face rising unemployment, a questionable education system, and an underperforming health care system. He said a majority of young people are in despair and suffocating under Biya’s regime, which does not want to leave power. Libii said the youth should be ready to sacrifice to stop Biya’s long hold on power.

Cameroon has been enveloped by the Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives on its northern border with Nigeria, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and pushed 80,000 Nigerian refugees into its territory.

The central African state also is affected by the crisis in neighboring Central African Republic, with regular attacks and kidnappings for ransom in its territory. And, recently, the crisis in the English-speaking regions of the country have led to hundreds of people, including 23 policemen and soldiers, being killed.

In spite of the continuing threats from Boko Haram and the English speaking separatists which opposition political parties say may hamper the organization of elections, the 85-year-old president, who has served for 35 years, insisted that elections will be held this year since peace is returning. Biya has said party supporters have urged him to run again.

“2018 will be an important election year and all youths aged 20 years and above should be able to — or rather should — exercise their right to vote because by voting, they will be performing an act of responsible citizenship and, thus, participating in forging their destiny,” said Biya.

Source: VOA

11, February 2018

CRTV pulled off the impossible with the creation of a Biya 11 February Speech ⁰

The CPDM crime syndicate and the Cameroon Radio and Television may have pulled off the impossible with the creation of a Biya 11 February speech that’s spurring outrage on both sides of the political aisle.

The televised address to the nation, featuring President Biya wearing the same attire he used in a live broadcast last year was published today by CRTV.

French Cameroun news portals have shared the video from the CRTV shoot, referencing it as coming from the ailing Head of State.

“I caption this ‘there was 2017 rubbish coming out of Biya’s mouth” our desk editor in Yaoundé wrote immediately after the speech was made public.

In a report sent to our editorial office in London, Sama Ernest pondered if it were possible to be jailed for announcing that President Biya indeed was no more, then went on to joke that he hoped he’d be allowed to visit Professor Mendo Ze in Kondengui.

We of the Cameroon Concord News Group have gotten intelligence that the speech was recorded last year. The speech betrayed the diabolic harsh ploy by the CPDM gang when the President observed that “There will be elections in 2018.” Also, the Paul Biya we know would have spoken about the constitutional council and the senatorial elections which he recently decreed. Of vital importance is the fact that Biya would have praised the cooperation with the Federal Republic of Nigeria that facilitated the abduction of President Ayuk Tabe and his top aides in Abuja.

Below is what came out today as President Biya’s message to the Cameroonian youth

My dear young compatriots,

The last few years have not been easy for our country, which has had to take up simultaneously several major challenges, namely:

– addressing the Boko Haram threat in our northern regions and that of armed gangs on our eastern border;

– hosting tens of thousands of refugees and displaced persons;

– managing the outburst of unrest in the North-West and South-West Regions, marked by sporadic acts of violence; and

– countering the impact of falling oil and commodity prices in a bid to return to growth.

I believe we can now make an initial appraisal of our struggles on these different fronts:

– Boko Haram’s potential to cause harm has been severely undermined, thanks to the combined action of Cameroon’s defence forces and its people;

– Supportive measures have enabled many displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes;

– the situation in the South-West and North-West Regions is stabilizing, and the Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism should thus be able to delve into the crux of the problem;

– the latest assessments point to an improvement in our economy, with renewed activity in various sectors.

Indeed, the characteristic “resilience” of the Cameroonian people deserves to be hailed once again, for, it must be stated, credit for the results we have achieved goes to the people. Not only did they not give up, but they lent their support to government’s action.

Our compatriots at large, regardless of social status, remained united throughout the ordeals. And such is what makes a great nation.

Allow me, once again, to underscore the heroism of our defence and security forces – mostly young people – whose sense of duty and responsibility has been beyond all praise.

My dear young compatriots,

The Nation is calling on you strongly, because, in the decades ahead, you will be our country’s leaders, hence the need for you to be up to the task, by acquiring the necessary skills and experience.

However, first, you must understand that the “new world” which is unfolding before our very own eyes could be tougher and more unstable than the old one. The rules that governed the old world for more than half a century – the role of the United Nations in maintaining world peace, international trade regulation, solidarity through development assistance, etc. – could become more difficult to apply, whereas nationalism, protectionism and isolationism are likely to gain ground.

In a tougher and less open world, it could become more difficult for developing countries to defend their interests and secure their economic and social progress.

Accordingly, we should commend the holding of events such as the recent African Union / European Union Summit in Abidjan, which focused on youth education and training in Africa and particularly the acquisition of new technologies and modernization of agriculture.

These orientations are in line with the objectives of China’s “new silk road” initiative and the development assistance projects of Asian countries such as India, Japan and South Korea. So, there are reasons to not yield to pessimism.

While Cameroon may rely on the solidarity of its external partners, as well as the understanding of major international organizations, the fact remains that its own efforts are naturally foremost.

Indeed, this is not the business of the government alone, but that of each and every one of us. And, in this regard, I will echo the famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Today, I renew this call for effort which I made to you barely a year ago on the same occasion. Rather than yielding to the tempting mirage of illegal emigration and undertaking a hazardous and often doomed trip, I invite you to play an active part in our great vision to achieve emergence by 2035.

I believe I can safely say that the State has done much in recent years to prepare you for this lofty task.

Regarding the budget, the combined allocations of the three ministries responsible for education represent about 15% of public spending. Great strides have been or are being made in terms of infrastructure, school facilities and educational opportunities.

The number of schools and universities is growing progressively, the two most recent illustrations thereof being the opening of a Faculty of Medicine in Garoua and a Higher Teachers’ Training College in Bertoua.

Today, each of our ten regions has a public higher education institution. Moreover, from this year on, our universities will be connected to the global university cyberspace.

The programme to donate computers to our students, which will be pursued actively, will help them to more easily connect thereto and access more and more knowledge and resources.

The government’s policy, geared towards learning trades as well as vocational and technical training, is beginning to pay off as it fosters self-employment and the socio-economic integration of youths.

As at 31 December 2017, 473,303 (four hundred and seventy-three thousand three hundred and three) jobs had been identified for youths, exceeding our set target of 400,000 (four hundred thousand). We are however aware that more jobs are required to curb youth unemployment.

Moreover, although growth slowed down due to exogenous factors, we continued forging ahead in various sectors of our development. The year 2018 will mark the completion of our major first-generation projects such as:

– the hydroelectric dams that will soon be supplemented by power transmission infrastructure;

– road projects such as Douala City’s east and west entryways, the second bridge over the Wouri River, various highways and the motorways under construction.

Already, a series of projects known as second-generation projects have been launched or are in the pipeline. They concern energy generation, new road transport infrastructure and especially the extension of our railroad network to N’Djamena and Limbe. We will then have to devise an ambitious social housing strategy commensurate with our needs.

Our GESP-based development programme will be continued, as will the three-year “special youth” plan which, since its inception last year, has prioritized youth access to agriculture, industry, handicrafts, the digital economy and innovation. Nearly 500,000 youths have already registered with the National Youth Observatory to participate in the aforementioned youth plan. As funding has already been secured, its implementation will be accelerated in 2018.

The year 2018 will also be a decisive one for the preparation of AFCON 2019. The State has pumped considerable resources into it. It will then be up to our footballers to live up to their reputation and the outstanding achievements of their illustrious predecessors. They have demonstrated in the past that they are up to the task.

My dear young compatriots,

From my position as Head of State, I perceive signs of your growing interest in public affairs.

In this regard, your favourite platform of expression is the social media. Whenever at a click, you access these communication highways that give you global visibility, you must bear in mind that you are not exempted from fulfilling civic and moral obligations, such as respect for others and your country’s institutions. Be patriotic Internet users working for Cameroon’s development and influence, and not passive followers or naive relays for staunch critics of the Republic.

The Cameroon of tomorrow, which is being forged before our very own eyes, will differ almost entirely from that of yesteryear. You will be its key beneficiaries. You will need to prove yourselves worthy of it.

The world is about to witness a dramatic change. The populations of most developed countries are aging. Africa, on the contrary, will be a continent of predominantly young people by the middle of the century.

This constitutes both an opportunity and a challenge. Let us seize the opportunity and meet the challenge. I believe our youths are capable of doing so.

A final word. As you know, 2018 will be an important election year. You all who will be aged 20 years and above will be able to – or rather should – exercise your right to vote. By voting, you will be performing an act of responsible citizenship and, thus, participating in forging your destiny.

Happy Youth Day to each and every one!

Long Live Cameroon’s Youth!

Long Live Cameroon!

Yaounde, 10 February 2018

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

10, February 2018

Yaounde: A nation waits for a speech ⁰

Millions of Cameroonians, especially youths, are impatiently expecting the annual head of state’s speech that precedes the celebration of the country’s youth day, a day highly contested by Anglophones who have been fighting for a separate state since October 2016.

The wait stems from the fact that for more than two weeks, there have been speculations concerning the whereabouts of Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, 85, who has been missing in action. Mr. Biya is expected to deliver a live speech on Saturday, February 10, 2018, directed at the youths at 8pm Cameroon time to urge the country’s impoverished and unemployed youths to continue persevering in their efforts to find work.

He will also use the occasion to point out that though the economy has not been delivering the results expected of it, it is, more because of external factors resulting from a struggling global economy and internal attacks coming from Anglophone secessionists and Boko Haram.

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

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 has intimated that he has been suffering from prostrate cancer and a failing heart.

Cameroonians need confirmation about their president health. 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 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. The appointment of Clement Atangana early last week as president of the constitutional council is one of the changes, many argue, are 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, our source 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’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.

Many Cameroonians want to see a new republic and they hold that if the country has to witness any significant political changes, figures like the senate president and the national assembly speaker have to disappear from the political scene.

But the doubts are continuing even when the government has been arguing that the president is alive and in good health. A few days ago, an empty presidential motorcade was mounted and made to travel to Mvogmeka just to give the impression that the president was really hale and hearty. This ruse, which did not convince many Cameroonians, caused a lot of traffic in the nation’s capital, Yaounde, a gimmick that frustrated many people in the capital city.

Some analysts are already concluding that Mr. Biya’s entourage, which is predominantly Beti, might use still images just to create an impression. A live speech by the ailing president, they argue, might reassure the population. Anything short of that will only fuel the suspicion and rumor.

But there are speculations that the Beti Mafia that is struggling to keep things under wraps might have already had a taped speech from the dying president before he slipped into a coma.

Sources close to the Unity Palace have indicated that Mr. Biya’s collaborators have been busy, working day and night just to prove that Mr. Biya is alive. They have also indicated that Mr. Biya’s entourage might put the president’s still image on the screen while broadcasting a taped speech just to prove their point.

An inside source has also said that all tricks are on the table, adding that the secretary-general at the presidency and his men are capable of manufacturing anything just to prove their point.

“They may cut off power supply across the country so as to blame everything on the country’s energy corporation. They can even blame it on technical issues resulting from CRTV’s aging equipment. These people are capable of any and everything,”our source said, arguing that from what he has seen over the last two weeks at the Unity Palace, the country’s leaders cannot be trusted.

“They behave like mercenaries. You can never think that they are Cameroonians. They don’t love this country and they are certainly going to cause a more complicated civil war if power leaves their hands,” he lamented.

“Whatever they do, the truth will always come out. Nobody is eternal. The country does not belong to Mr. Biya and it will be preposterous for anyone to think that they can manipulate everybody, every time,” he stressed.

It should be recalled that the Betis have always felt that they must continue to govern the country. They hold that since the seat of government is in Yaoundé, they deserve to run the country’s political show.

Their strong desire to head the country even after Biya’s departure has already been manifested a few times through some of their actions. In 1992 when the Social Democratic Front chairman, John FruNdi, won the presidential election, the Beti Mafia did all it could to grant the victory to Mr. Biya who has continued to run the country as his personal estate. He has been using the institutions to his advantage and his method of choice has been the appointment of only those who are loyal to him, regardless of their ages.

This week’s establishment of the constitutional council and the appointment of its members through presidential decrees has caused the rumor mills to be very busy. The presidential decrees finally 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 to head the constitutional council, while other very familiar faces were appointed as members of the same council in the same decree. It should be underscored that members of the constitutional council are members of the ruling party, the CPDM, and people who are personally loyal to the country’s president and his collaborators.

The appointment of these familiar faces 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.

As Mr. Biya’s entourage works hard to deceive the population, Cameroonians, for their part, are quietly looking forward to the annual youth day speech which will either confirm or disconfirm rumors that the head of state is no more.

By Kingsley Betek in Yaounde

10, February 2018

N Korea’s leader invites South’s president for visit amid Olympic rapprochement ⁰

In a major diplomatic overture to Seoul, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, invites President Moon Jae-in of the South for a visit after senior officials of the two Koreas held rare top-level talks on the sidelines of Winter Olympics.

A spokesman for the presidential Blue House in Seoul said on Saturday that the invitation, delivered verbally by Kim’s visiting sister Kim Yo-jong, expressed the North Korean leader’s willing to meet Moon “at the earliest date possible.”

The South Korean president made a rare appearance in the North’s official media Saturday, with four pictures of him in the Rodong Sinmun state newspaper, AFP reported.

The announcement came after Moon hosted talks with high-ranking North Korean officials, including Kim Yong-nam, the North’s 90-year-old nominal head of state, and the younger sister of the North’s leader, along with other officials at the presidential Blue House in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in (3rd R) talks with Kim Yo-jong (2nd L), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, and North Korea’s ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam (3rd L) during their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on February 10, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

The talks, which took place after the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, mark the most significant diplomatic encounter between the two countries in years.

The elderly Kim is technically the highest-level Northern official ever to go to the South and the North Korean leader’s sister is the first member of the ruling Kim family to cross the border into the rival South since the end of the 1950 to 53 Korean War.

Bearing a smile, Moon shook hands with each of the delegates ahead of their talks at the presidential palace and as and television footage showed, the 28-year-old Kim was carrying a blue folder emblazoned with a seal.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with the ceremonial head of state of North Korea Kim Young-nam as Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, looks on at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, February 10, 2018. (Photo by Reuters)

The South Korean president and the delegation from the North had their first face-to-face encounter at the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday and they cheered as athletes from the two neighbors entered the arena and marched under a unified peninsula flag.

Seoul hopes to use the games as an opportunity to restore regular communication with Pyongyang and resolve the standoff over its missile and nuclear programs.

Moon’s efforts received a boost when Kim called for improved ties in his New Year’s Day speech.

A delegation of US officials led by Vice President Mike Pence also attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang.

Pence, who was seated in the same box, had no interaction with the North Koreans at any point, according to US officials, and the VP did not shake hands with Kim Yong-nam while making a brief appearance at a leaders’ reception ahead of the ceremony.

North Korea’s official KCNA news agency had earlier cited a senior Foreign Ministry official as saying that Pyongyang had “no intention” of meeting with Washington’s officials during the Winter Olympic Games.

The two neighbors have been separated by a heavily-militarized border since the end of Korean War.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has been tense due to Pyongyang’s development of its nuclear and missile programs, which the North views as a deterrent against potential foreign aggression by the South’s allies, particularly the US.

North Korea has been the target of harsh international sanctions for its military program.

The tensions have seen a sharp rise under US President Donald Trump, who initiated a war of words with the North Korean leader after taking office in January 2017.

Source: Presstv

8, February 2018

Yaounde: Beti Mafia Sets Power Grab Machine into Action ⁰

For over thirty years, Cameroon has been ruled by the Betis, an ethnic group that is mainly found in the centre and south regions of the country and which only accounts for less than 10% of the country’s population. The country’s president, Paul Biya, who many suspect is dead, hails from the south region. Over the last three decades, Mr. Biya has used people from the Beti clan to consolidate his grip on power, something that has attracted a lot of flak from other ethnic groups in the country.

Out of thirty army generals in the country, eighteen are Beti while Anglophones who constitute more than 20% of the country’s population account for just two of the army generals. Out of thirty-four state-owned corporations, Betis head 21 of those corporations while one Anglophone is heading one of the state-own corporations.

Many ministries in Yaoundé are actually being run by Betis even when the minister is not from the Beti ethnic group. Each time a non-Beti is appointed as a minister; there is always a Beti to occupy the post of secretary-General with strict instructions to monitor the minister and his activities. This has given the people of the Centre and South regions a false sense that the country actually belongs to them and that even after Biya, they must continue to rule the country. Our source in Yaoundé pointed out that this is creating a lot of frustration in many ministries and people from other ethnic groups are scared to speak up as they could be dismissed from the civil service.

According to our source in Yaoundé, a Beti himself who disagrees with the way the country has been mismanaged over the last thirty years, the Betis feel that they must continue to govern the country for a long time. He added that since the seat of government is in Yaoundé, the Betis strongly think that they can always manipulate things so as to stay in power.

Their strong desire to head the country even after Biya’s departure has already been manifested a few times through some of their actions. In 1992 when the Social Democratic Front chairman, John Fru Ndi, won the presidential election, the Beti Mafia did all it could to grant the victory to Mr. Biya who has continued to run the country as his personal plantation. He has been using the institutions to his advantage and his method of choice has been the appointment of only those who are loyal to him, regardless of their ages.

Conscious of the fact that Mr. Biya might not be recovering from his illness, the Beti Mafia has resorted to faking Mr. Biya’s signature just to implement its hidden agenda. Over the last three weeks, there have been speculations about the whereabouts of Mr. Biya, who many hold is either bedridden or dead.

Yesterday’s establishment of the constitutional council and the appointment of its members have triggered a wave of speculation and controversy. The presidential decrees establishing the constitutional council provided for in the 1996 constitution and the appointment of members of the said council are in line with the grand scheme that the Beti Mafia has in mind.

It is therefore not an accident that Mr. Clement Atangana, a legal expert of Beti extraction, who has been on retirement for more than ten years, has been appointed to head the constitutional council. The 77-year-old Atangana was a member of the constitutional court that looked into many election-related disputes in Cameroon since 1992 and he always rejected any appeals made by Cameroon’s opposition parties during his time at the constitutional court.

Mr. Atangana will be the only person who can declare that there is a vacancy at the presidency given his position as the head of the constitutional council; something he will not be doing anytime soon, as the Beti Mafia has him under its thumb.

The Mafia is preparing to keep the news about Mr. Biya’s deteriorating health under wraps until after the March 25 senatorial elections when the current senate president, Marcel Nyat Njifenji, will be out of the picture since his term will no longer be renewed and there are no plans for him to be reappointed by those who are in control of the country’s affairs. The Beti Mafia is hoping that the elections will enable it to have one of its own as the next senate president and someone who will very likely succeed the dying Biya.

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.

The other very old faces that were appointed alongside Mr. Atangana as members of the same council are also members of the ruling party. Ms. Florence Arrey, 69, the only woman on the Council, has been a senior supreme court judge for years and has for decades been the mistress of Mr. Laurent Esso, the country’s justice minister who is a Biya pawn.

Mr. Esso and Ms. Florence Arrey have three children and Mr. Esso has been protecting Ms. Arrey who is supposed to be on retirement, but is still receiving her civil salary; something which makes many Cameroonians to hold that the country is being ruled by mercenaries and that the ruling CPDM is a crime syndicate.

Ms. Arrey also received her Cameroon civil service salary even when she was working at the International Criminal Tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania, for years and has never been questioned by the government for engaging in such fraudulent activities. It should be noted that Members of the council are all 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 institutions in Cameroon are Francophones despite the ongoing Anglophone crisis which has been triggered by the government’s marginalization of the country’s English-speaking minority.

But for Southern Cameroonians who are sick and tired of the gimmicks of the Yaounde government, Mr. Biya’s succession is the least of their concerns. 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.

Despite the killings in Southern Cameroons, the government has decided to be indifferent to the plight of the civilian population and has opted for violent military action as the best way out of the conflict, though results on the ground indicate that dialogue will be a much better option than military action.

The Southern Cameroons crisis has been going on now for more than 15 months and the government do not seem to be disturbed that a section of the country is in crisis. Despite appeals by the international community for a peaceful and negotiated agreement, Mr. Biya has remained adamant.

A source at the presidency has indicated that Mr. Biya only listens to himself, adding that all his collaborators are scared of him and cannot even advise him on the right steps to take. Many of his collaborators, our source stressed, have all compromised themselves one way or the other and are dead scared that any doubts in Mr. Biya’s mind about their loyalty might lead them to the Yaoundé central prison where some of Mr. Biya’s former collaborators are languishing.

It is believed that more than three hundred soldiers have been killed during the military campaign and some five hundred civilians have been killed by army soldiers, most of whom are Betis sent to erase Anglophone towns and villages from the country’s map.

By Kingsley Betek in Yaoundé with intelligence files from Pierre Onana

8, February 2018

OPPOSING CPDM ANONYMOUSLY IS BETRAYAL: From the Sessekou’s Diary ⁰

“The idea of opposing CPDM anonymously or staying indifferent in this struggle is betrayal”

By Sessekou Asu Isong

A friend of mine who is blessed with a finer and richer mind than most of us called yesterday to warn me about the consequences of publicly criticizing Biya’s corrupt regime. He advised that the best way to attack the sleaze and evil in Yaoundé was to do it anonymously. He said the political racketeers that have been in charge of The Cameroons since 1982 have failed miserably but in his monologue he was adamant that anyone who dare criticise the gods in Yaoundé publicly risked being arrested upon arrival at that filthy aerodrome in Douala and refused entry into The Cameroons. As I listened to myman empty his vocal cords, I had to force myself to sustain polite silence. I thanked him after the thirty minutes sermon for his concern and consideration for my wellbeing and promised that I’ll follow his wise words.

Later, I reflected upon the lecture andit appeared to me that his words sadly represent the thoughts of a great many Cameroonians. They are cognizant of the issues that have brought their country to its knees and on the verge of secession and civil war, but afraid to confront it publicly. Why have we as a people been so apathetic to injustice? Why have we been so indifferent in the face of this flagrant abuse of power and subjugation?

As I look back over the last thirty-six years, I can’t find a single noteworthy achievement of this current administration. A country blessed with so many natural resources, great people and brains could do better than it has. Surely!! As a people, we have collectively taken the easy options- emigration, apathy and silence.My good friend advised that God would intervene and perform miracles. Sadly, The Devine hasn’t done that over the last few centuries.

Today, the great nations of the world are nations that haven’t waited for miracles but fought against corruption and suppression. Subsequently, they have established systems that respect the dignity of men, women and the rule of law.Great Britain, France, USA, Germany- where many Cameroonian economic and political migrants now call home, are not enjoying the economic prosperities, respect for law and the reverence of human lives by accident and prayers. At certain times in their histories, they had to fight oppressors, evils and corrupt thuggery. I’m convinced they succeeded because they weren’t afraid to publicly confront the despots of their time.

Over the years, as the kindhearted, peace loving and miracle expectant people have migrated from The Cameroons, the so-called leaders have laughed all the way to the bank. They have looted the state treasury and natural resources with impunity. They have embezzled, misappropriated and thieved at a level our language can’t provide satisfactory adjectives. I hold as true that our collective lackadaisical approach to the big issues that our country has faced over the years is the main reason a cruel few have taken advantage of a kind and generous many.

The good news is; the moment of epiphany has arrived in the consciousness of many Cameroonians especially British Southern Cameroonians who have come to the decision that the illegal occupation of their land must stop. The unconcern showed by many Cameroonians in the diaspora to the criminality that has engulfed their homeland is a worry. The immortal words of the great Martin Luther King Jr should shame us. In 1967 he said “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Is the answer a nameless and faceless opposition to this regime? That idea, appealing as it seems is not a solution to the issues our nation is facing. By our inactivity and fear of arrests, themobs ruling the nation have audaciously abused their positions. As a nation, we have shamelessly made Biya a demigod. He has succeeded in drilling fear into us in thousands of litres. It’s about time we stop this nonsense.

At a time when the bloodthirsty military of French Cameroun is unleashing barbarism on the defenseless people of British Southern Cameroons by indiscriminate shootings, burning of villages, torture, arrest and detention without trial, we have a collective duty to inform the world of these crimes and oppose them with every energy in us. We have an obligation to do something about it.

This media group, Cameroon Concord News will fight the tyranny and political harassers in Yaoundé with every dollar, dynamism and talent we can muster. We are prepared to be remembered like Steve Biko, Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther, Malcolm X. For, these men and countless others, faced evils during their times but they didn’t abdicate responsibility. We shall expose and condemn this criminality until justice is a reality.

We shall not stop until all the political prisoners occupying the dungeons in Yaoundé are free. Until that day, we would be with them in spirit and keep their stories alive in the minds of those who have access to smart phones, computers and the internet. To all the silent voices in all the remote areas of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, our promise to you is simple; your voices will be heard in all the corners of God’s earth. To all those who have lost their lives as a result of the cruelty of fellow men, we hope that as they meet their makers, let the wrath of God be revealed and released from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of these men, who by their unrighteousness are suppressing the truth and committing murder.

The idea of opposing CPDM anonymously or staying indifferent in this struggle is betrayal.We should look at evil in the eye and confront it.A great Greek historian and author who lived circa 460-404bc in the name of Thucydides best put it distinctly in these words “The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”These words add springs to our steps. They inspire us with courage and we hope they inspire you too.

This is a Cameroon Concord News Group Editorial Desk Production

7, February 2018

Kenya deports opposition firebrand ⁰

An outspoken member of Kenya’s opposition accused of treason for taking part in a mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga was deported to Canada late Tuesday.

The move came in defiance of a High Court order that he be presented before a judge on Wednesday.

Miguna Miguna, a provocative firebrand and member of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, was forced onto an international flight on Tuesday night.

“Miguna denounced his Kenyan citizenship years back, acquired Canadian citizenship and never bothered to reclaim Kenyan citizenship in the legally prescribed manner neither did he disclose that he had another country’s citizenship despite being a lawyer who should have known better,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka in a tweet Wednesday.

Holding dual citizenship is legal in Kenya, and in August, Miguna ran for political office, with proof of Kenyan citizenship, a key criteria for all candidates.

Miguna was put on a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight to Toronto via Amsterdam, a security officer at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport said.

“He was driven in by heavily armed police officers who forced him into a flight to Canada. All deportation procedures have been followed,” the officer said.

Miguna’s lawyer, Nelson Havi, confirmed his client had been “forced into a KLM flight for ‘deportation’ to Canada. Now, how do you deport a Kenyan?” he asked.

On January 30, Miguna played a prominent role in Odinga’s mock inauguration and three days later was arrested in a dawn raid on his Nairobi home.

Lawyers Tom “T.J.” Kajwang (C) and Miguna Miguna, (C-R) attend a mock “swearing-in” ceremony for opposition leader Raila Odinga at Uhuru Park in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, January 30, 2018. (Photo by AP)

Since then, there has been much speculation about his whereabouts and his treatment by authorities.

Police and government officials defied two court orders to produce Miguna before a High Court judge earlier this week, instead taking him to a minor court in a small town 80 kilometers to the south on Tuesday.

There, Miguna refused to plea to charges of treason and unlawful assembly.

A subsequent High Court order demanded Miguna be presented for release on Wednesday morning, but his deportation means that order too has been ignored.

High Court judge Luka Kimaru has warned Kenya’s Inspector General of Police and Director of Criminal Investigations that they may be charged with contempt.

Miguna holds no elected office, but has styled himself “general” of the opposition’s “National Resistance Movement” (NRM) wing, in charge of implementing a threatened program of civil disobedience and boycotts.

Following Odinga’s pretend inauguration last week, Kenya’s government designated the NRM as an “organized criminal group.”

Miguna’s enforced exile is the latest twist in the long saga of Kenya’s disputed elections, which saw the Supreme Court annul the result of the initial August 2017 poll and Odinga boycott the October rerun, handing victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta.

However, Odinga continues to insist he was the real winner and therefore the legitimate president of Kenya.

(Source: AFP)