Politics

19, January 2018

Where French Cameroun stands on Biya’s war in Ambazonia ⁰

The military wheels are already in motion and according to Cameroon Intelligence Report sources ‘coup plans have been laid out for a complete annihilation of the Biya regime using the Southern Cameroons crises as a justification. Anti Biya movements are gaining support from a majority of the French Cameroun population, shown in an 8 region survey in this January. A Cameroon Concord News Group poll showed 92 per cent of interviewees favoured taking military action to end President Paul Biya’s rule.

Far North region

The Biya regime had used the current Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali to control the politics of the Far North region over the last 35 years. Amadou Ali has stifled any resistance against Biya in the Far North with an iron fist. The dilemma for President Biya is that the patriarch of the Far North is no longer in charge. To be sure, his ancestors are calling and things are falling apart from Maroua via Mora to Fotokol.

West Region

The Bamilekes and the people of Foumban were adamant that Southern Cameroons and La Republique abide by Foumban resolutions. Although the Bamilekes made a mockery of Ambazonians at the very beginning of the crisis and called for more punitive measures from the Biya Francophone regime, ultimately the West region is backing a military action against the Biya regime. A coup they say will normalize relations with Southern Cameroons and business will start to flow again. Recently the Bamileke media houses have been clamoring for genuine dialogue.

Littoral region

Except for their CPDM leader Justice Minister Laurent Esso, the Sawas including those who militate with the ruling CPDM party have taken a stand in favour of a military action against the Biya regime. Some influential Sawa political elites who participated in our survey said any government installed in Yaoundé via a military coup will not last long. The Littoral soldiers in the army are among those who have killed hundreds of Southern Cameroonians ever since the Anglophone uprising started more than a year ago.

South Region

The Francophone Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo has ordered troops to remain committed and loyal to the 84 year old commander-in-chief President Paul Biya. Assomo and a cream of French Cameroun political elites from the South have affirmed support for La Republique-led war against Southern Cameroonians. But majorities of the people of the South have said Biya should be forced out of office and that the sons and daughters of the South region should be ‘militarily involved’.

Central Region

The Yaoundé political elites are ‘approaching the point of a decision’ on participating in ending Biya’s 35 years in power. But many said that the Central region will wait until signs of collapse become imminent before they will make a commitment to join the anti Biya movement.

North region

The North is historically suspicious of any anti Biya movement in Cameroon that does not speak of a possible replacement coming from Garoua. They have always sought to improve relations with the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime and are showing support for the ruling CPDM crime syndicate. They privately back a military intervention to end Biya’s rule, but would reluctantly support the move.

East region

While publicly the people are against a military action in Yaoundé, many of them have said that a coup action against Biya would be legitimate provided it has the support of all the sectors of the armed forces. Interestingly, the situation in the Central African Republic has greatly affected the East region, lessening the sympathy vote for Mr. Biya.

Adamawa

The traditional and spiritual leaders of the Adamawa region have been calling for a peaceful transfer of power to the younger generation. They appear to be preparing their indigents for a possible conflict in Yaoundé in the 2018 presidential elections and recently cautioned military leaders to be prepared for all eventualities. Our survey indicated the people of Adamawa oppose any coup in Yaoundé.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

18, January 2018

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa announces election in four to five months ⁰

Zimbabwe will hold elections in four to five months, a newspaper on Thursday quoted President Emmerson Mnangagwa as saying, the first time since independence the southern African state will conduct a vote that does not involve Robert Mugabe.

The vote, a litmus test of Mnangagwa’s democratic credentials, will be crucial to unlocking badly needed financial assistance and repairing relations with Western powers and international financial institutions.

Mnangagwa, a protege of Mugabe, came to power in November after a de-facto military coup when the 93-year-old was forced to resign after the military confined him to his Harare mansion.

It was the culmination of a power struggle between Mnangagwa and former first lady Grace Mugabe, who was being groomed by her husband as his potential successor.

Now Mnangagwa, 75, is under pressure himself to deliver on the economy and show that he is breaking with the policies of Mugabe, whose 37-year rule since independence in 1980 turned a promising country into a basket case and international pariah.

He promised the elections for the presidency, parliament and local government would be peaceful and told business leaders their investments would be secure and their profits safe.

“Zimbabwe is going for elections in four to five months’ time and we have to preach peace, peace and peace because we know it is good for us and we have no doubt that we will have peaceful elections,” Mnangagwa was quoted as saying by the official Herald newspaper during an official trip to Mozambique.

“We will ensure that Zimbabwe delivers free, credible, fair and indisputable elections to ensure Zimbabwe engages the world as a qualified democratic state.”

Under the constitution, Zimbabwe should hold elections between July 22 and Aug. 22, but parliament can choose to dissolve itself, triggering an earlier vote. The ruling ZANU-PF holds a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Since 2000, which coincided with Mugabe’s often violent seizure of land from white farmers, elections in Zimbabwe have been marred by political violence and disputes.

But the 2018 vote could catch the opposition flat-footed.

Mnangagwa’s main rival Morgan Tsvangirai is suffering from cancer, which has helped expose divisions in his Movement for Democratic Change party as officials scramble to take over leadership of the party.

This file photo taken on March 6, 2010 in Harare shows former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai (R) and ex-president Robert Mugabe as they attend a memorial service for his late wife, Susan Tsvangirai. (Photo by AFP)

The economy is suffering acute shortages of cash dollars, increases in prices of basic goods, high unemployment and low levels of foreign investment, making it the biggest challenge for Mnangagwa.

At a function ahead of next week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Mnangagwa said the extent of economic problems required Zimbabweans to work together as he promised to safeguard all investments in the country.

“All investments will be safe and secure in Zimbabwe. Foreign investors will be able to repatriate profits,” he told a gathering of government officials and business leaders.

To reinforce that Mnangagwa plans to govern differently to Mugabe, the government said in a document published on Thursday that it was considering setting up a special tribunal to determine compensation for former white commercial farmers.

In the past 18 years, there has been little investment in agriculture, the backbone of the economy, due to disputes over compensation between former white farmers and the government.

Analysts say resolving the emotive land issue could unlock foreign investment in agriculture and help mend ties between Harare and the West, which imposed sanctions over the seizures and alleged vote rigging by Mugabe.

Mnangagwa said he was going to the Davos meetings, the first such trip by any Zimbabwean leader, to “dispel the perception” that Zimbabwe is “an isolated island”.

Source: Reuters

18, January 2018

Of Minister Victor Mengot, La Republique and trip to Manyu ⁰

Mr Editor,

One of the tests of a genuine individual is a measure of his or her moral compass. It’s gloomy but true that in the world of today, high standards and honest values are considered antiquated. In a statement dated the 16th of January 2018 by MANYU ELEMENTS CULTURAL AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (MECDA), the lack of decency has never been apparent. The garbage coated as a statement, bereft in courtesy and honesty was signed by MECDA Patron, Minister Victor Mengot.

The statement is the most blatantly dishonest statement ever uttered by a creature famous for uttering deceitful statements.

The people of Manyu have been bombed and shot at by the forces of La Republique and none of these so-called elites have said a word or done anything about it. Families without number have lost loved ones. Many young men are now living in the bushes for fear of arrest and murder by the forces of La Republique. Internet access, which is a fundamental human right in the 21st century has been cut-off for months and none of these so-called elites has said a word.

No one ever contemplated they would witness a day when people of Manyu origin would be refugees in Nigeria. But that is a normalcy under the auspices of these so-called elites. My heart bleeds and the anger in me is immense for a statement like this could only come from the darkest of human minds.

In the circumstances, would it be irresponsible to call for a disruption to this meeting? Has there ever been a more justifiable reason for vengeance? I’ll let your readers answer these questions.

One of the issues that people like Minister Mengot have to understand is that the days when ‘elites’ use to visit our parents and trick them with bags of rice and salt are over. Today, Manyu indigenes live in every corner of the world and are exposing themselves to different cultures, good books and great colleges a new Manyu person has emerged. This new Manyu person doesn’t have to listen to the madness of old. This nonsense of patronizing us with messages and goodwill gestures and initiatives from Yaoundé is something for the birds.

As a people, all we need now is an occupation free Ambazonia so our families can mourn their loss whilst we plan to rebuild a county Minister Mengot and his mates lacking in decency have destroyed.

Thanks

Robert Ashu Mengot

Copenhagen, Denmark

18, January 2018

Ambazonia Crisis: Biya still negotiating the extradition of President Ayuk Tabe and his top aides ⁰

President Paul Biya is still negotiating the extradition to Cameroon of the leaders of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia arrested on January 5 in Abuja, Nigeria, Cameroon Intelligence Report has learned from a well-placed Francophone government official in Yaoundé.

Our source hinted that the 84 year old Biya has had two telephone exchanges on the subject with the Nigerian Head of State Muhammadu Buhari. A leading security source who strongly requested anonymity told CIR that the Cameroonian Embassy in Nigeria and the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are pursuing negotiations initiated by the two heads of state.

The Ambazonian leaders in Nigeria are already benefiting from political refugee status and permanent resident permits. The Ambazonian leaders were arrested in Abuja on January 5 during a meeting grouping members of the Interim Government on the refugee situation in the Cross River State.

In a political statement released recently, the Nigerian Police Force said that Ambazonian leaders were arrested for violating the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and have been accused of setting up training camps for secessionist fighters, in preparation for armed confrontations with Cameroon’s defense forces.

The prolonged holding of the President and prominent members of the Ambazonia interim government by a Nigerian Security Outfit after their abduction more than a week ago, underscores the dilemma facing the Nigerian government. The bungled operation was intended to be an assassination project blamed on alleged individuals from Ambazonia opposed to the interim government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. A claim of responsibility for the crime would have been made shortly after the assassination. The Federal Government would as it is required in such circumstances have condemned the assassination and promised a swift and efficient investigation to fish out the assassins. Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria would have been the primary targets of these investigations. Till this moment, the Federal Government of Nigeria has not come out with a comprehensive statement taking responsibility for the abduction and providing the reasons for the abduction. The inability of the Federal Government to make a comprehensive public statement on the matter portray the Federal government in very bad light. That an abduction occurred in Federal Capital territory, and seat of power without an official explanation, portray a negative image of the Federal government, its security and intelligence network with a mission to provide security to Nigerians and persons on the territory of Nigeria. If anything, an anxious analysis of the abduction appears to portray a miasma of conflicting interests whose unintended outcome if not well controlled, may haunt the soul of the soul of the federation for long.

www.cameroonintelligencereport.com

18, January 2018

Trump has lowest approval for any president in their first year ⁰

US President Donald Trump wraps up a year in office with the lowest average approval rating of any elected president in his first year.

That is according to polling by Gallup, which shows that Trump has averaged just a 39 percent approval rating since his inauguration.

The previous low was held by former President Bill Clinton, whose first-year average stood 10 points higher than Trump’s, at 49 percent.

Recent surveys show most Americans view Trump as a divisive figure and even question his fitness for office.

One relative bright spot for Trump is his handling of the economy, though even there his ratings are not as high as might be expected given a relatively strong economy.

Trump’s current approval rating in Gallup’s weekly poll is comparable to his average rating, standing at just 38 percent, with 57 percent saying they disapprove.

The persistence of Trump’s first-year blues is unprecedented for a president so early in his term. Americans usually give their new presidents the benefit of the doubt, but Trump’s “honeymoon period”, to the extent he had one, saw his approval rating only get as high as 45 percent.

Since then, Trump has spent more time under 40 percent than any other first-year president.

Presidents have recovered from periods of low popularity before. For example, Clinton’s rating fell to just 37 percent in June 1993 before quickly regaining ground, and he went on to win re-election in 1996.

Former President Harry Truman held the approval of less than 40 percent of Americans for significant chunks of his first term and was also re-elected. He went on to set Gallup’s lowest-ever approval mark, at just 22 percent in 1952.

Trump’s lowest point in Gallup’s weekly polling – 35 percent– remains higher than those of several earlier presidents. Truman, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter all had their ratings dip under 30 percent.

Aside from the economy, surveys have suggested few policy bright spots for Trump.

Healthcare has been a consistent low point. Seven in 10 Americans in the December AP-NORC poll said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of the issue, even as 85% called the issue very important to them personally.

In another AP-NORC poll conducted late in 2017, just 23 percent of Americans said he has kept the promises he made while running for president, while 30 percent said he has tried and failed and 45 percent said he has not done so at all. More than half said the country is worse off since Trump became president.

But it may be character more than policy that is driving negative opinions of Trump. In the January poll by Quinnipiac University, most voters said Trump is not level-headed, honest or even fit to serve as president.

And the AP-NORC poll conducted in December found that two-thirds of Americans thought the country has become even more divided as a result of Trump’s presidency.

In a July Gallup poll that asked those who disapproved of Trump for their reasons why, most cited his personality or character over issues, policies or overall job performance. That stood in stark contrast to Gallup’s polling on Obama in 2009 and George W Bush in 2001, when far fewer cited such concerns about personality or character as reasons for their negative opinions.

(Source: AP)

17, January 2018

Abduction of Ambazonian leaders in Abuja: The Nigerian Police Force got it all wrong ⁰

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) recently sponsored an article in the Vanguard in which it claimed that the leaders of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia abducted last week in the capital city of Abuja flouted Nigerian laws by operating training camps deep inside the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Vanguard story further pointed out that Southern Cameroonians were staging an “Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB-styled” revolution in Cameroon. The report stated that the leaders were arrested in both Taraba and Cross River states.

According to a Police source not cited by the publication “the government of Nigeria cannot be seen to be harbouring separatists from a neighbouring country like Cameroon when both countries are cooperating and jointly fighting to uproot Boko Haram terrorists who are insurgents trying to impose their own Islamic state in the North east.

In its ill-disguised attempt at misleading the Nigerian public opinion, the Vanguard noted that “It is common knowledge that the federal government of Nigeria recently clamped down on the illegal activities of the IPOB (Independent Peoples of Biafra). So how can the territory of Nigeria be used to train separatists to cause civil disobedience in such a friendly country?”

The Vanguard story also observed that the arrested Ambazonian leaders were caught red-handed within the training camps for separatist members for future confrontation with Cameroonian authorities. Vanguard confirmed that officials of Nigeria’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cameroon’s Embassy in Nigeria have held discussions over the arrest.

Ambazonians are of the opinion that the Nigerian Vanguard’s take on the ongoing crisis is shameful, disgusting and disgraceful. The reasons given by the Nigerian Police Force is also utterly wrong. The revelation that the leaders were caught red-handed is mere whitewash.

The leader of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and his top aides were not arrested in Taraba and in Cross River State, but in Abuja. Correspondingly, a Nigerian Police Chief Inspector had issued a public statement informing Nigerians that there was no incriminating evidence against the 39 Southern Cameroonians who were arrested in Taraba.

The Buhari administration, including the DSS, is very much aware that the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia is not engaged in any armed conflict with La Republique du Cameroun. The Interim Head of State, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, has made this position loud and clear in his public outings in Nigeria and in the West.

Linking the Southern Cameroons crisis to the IPOB and Boko Haram is also an inaccurate stereotype. Biafrans have not sought refugee status in another country as it is the case with Ambazonians in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The war against the Nigerian Islamic Sect, Boko Haram, is an international issue which includes troops from the United States of America, Chad and Niger. To be sure, the Joint Multinational Force combating Boko Haram is not a Nigerian- French Cameroun affair. The Bakassi Peninsula is also an international issue. However, Nigerians are being slaughtered everyday in Bakassi by French Cameroun gendarmes and many have been killed ever since the beginning of the Southern Cameroons uprising. Is the Nigerian Police Force saying that these Nigerians living in Bakassi and the border areas of Southern Cameroons cannot be protected?

Understandably, Boko Haram is a money making venture for the Nigerian and French Cameroun political elites, including the Vanguard newspaper. Consequently, the so-called Upper Houses and Lower Houses of both countries will prolong the Boko Haram war as long as it gives them money.

In any case, if the Buhari administration had any grievances with the Ambazonian leaders, why abduct them? Why not go to court? Painting the Southern Cameroons struggle with the same battery of adjectives used on political Islam is completely unacceptable. The Nigerian Police Force got it all wrong.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

17, January 2018

Ambazonia: Nigerian House of Reps Reject Motion To Grant Full Protection To Cameroonian Refugees ⁰

The House of Representatives on Tuesday at plenary rejected a motion urging the Federal Government to grant full protection to Cameroonian refugees and asylum seekers crossing into Nigeria. The motion by Hon. Sani Zorro also urged states and federal authorities to allow for the construction of refugee camps.

Zorro noted that there had been an influx of tens of thousands of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing Cameroon into Nigeria since the last quarter of 2017. He said that the refugees had continued to cross the Nigerian borders through Rivers, Benue and Taraba states, due to the crisis in Cameroon.

He urged the Federal Government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to extend full protection and assistance to the asylum seekers and refugees through timely provision of shelter, food and non-food items as well as security in their various camps.

The lawmaker further called for the prevention of alleged cross-border raids by the Cameroonian armed forces, which, he said, was inconsistent with humanitarian principles and best practices. He said in line with Section 33 of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Refugees, security personnel should not arrest and deport the refugees and asylum seekers.

Contributing to the motion, Hon. Nnenna Ukeje urged the house to take a critical look at the implications of granting full protection to the asylum seekers, considering relations between both countries.

She noted that Nigeria already had several security challenges and had entered into treaties with neighbouring countries to address insecurity in the country. Ukeje said that if caution was not taken in granting full protection to the fleeing secessionist Cameroonians, Nigeria could be seen to be supporting the division of Cameroon.

According to the lawmaker, Cameroon could pull out of the fight against Boko Haram in the region, adding that any action in favour of the secessionists, could sour the long standing relations between both countries.

In his remarks, Speaker Yakubu Dogara said that the security agencies, in line with the Geneva Convention, would profile the asylum seekers for proper identification. However, the legislators in the lower chamber unanimously voted against the motion when the speaker put it to a voice vote.

www.theeagleonline.com

16, January 2018

Akere Muna gets endorsed by Francophone political parties ⁰

A group of political parties have named Barrister Akere Muna as their candidate for the 2018 presidential elections. In a statement released Monday, the opposition political parties revealed that the founder of the Now Movement is the only credible leader to oust the 84 year old Paul Biya from Etoudi.

The Yaoundé meeting that included representatives from the civil society was hosted at the headquarters of the Alliance of Progressive Forces (AFD). The delegates also announced the establishment of a platform for a New Republic.

Cameroon Concord News understands the decision to have the renowned Barrister Akere Muna as the unique opposition candidate has been supported by Victorin Hameni Bieleu of the UFDC. The platform aims to “gather and federate the forces capable of championing the desire for change. And also to develop efficient strategies, coordinate their implementation, and foster any action leading to victory of their chosen candidate for the presidential election in 2018.”

By Rita Akana

16, January 2018

Trump believes he could beat Sanders; aides concerned about Oprah challenge ⁰

US President Donald Trump believes he could easily defeat Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) if he challenged him in 2020, according to a new report, but his allies say Trump should be more concerned about a bid from Oprah Winfrey or Joe Biden.

Politico reported Monday that Trump has been speculating with aides and other Republicans about his potential Democratic challengers for the presidency, but has dismissed Sanders as a viable candidate.

Sanders wasn’t a serious threat and would be easy to beat, Trump reportedly told a Republican with close ties to the White House.

Trump, 71, has said that Sanders, 76, will not have the energy required to run for the presidency in 2020.

Trump’s aides have told him that he should be more worried about a bid from media icon and philanthropist Winfrey or former Vice President Biden.

“What we can’t let voters do is think they can get the same policies with someone they like better, like Joe Biden — someone who would fight for them but who doesn’t have the crass edge,” one former White House staffer told Politico.

“I hope CNN has [New York Senator] Kirsten Gillibrand on every minute of every day. Love it. Bring it. She’s easy to destroy. If you’re the president, or the RNC [Republican National Committee], you’re more worried about someone who looks like Biden — someone who has more mainstream appeal, who blue-collar workers could identify with.”

According to a New York Times report, Trump has predicted that Sanders would run against him in 2020 even if the senator was “in a wheelchair.”

Sanders ran as a Democrat in 2016 but lost the Democratic Party’s nomination to Clinton.

Trump won the November 8, 2016 presidential election because Democrats rigged the system to have Clinton beat Sanders, according to WikiLeaks.

According to some polls, Sanders would have defeated Trump by a large margin if he had been the Democratic presidential nominee instead of Clinton.

Sanders could have won the election but the Democratic National Committee (DNC) stopped him from doing so by pushing him out from the primary race, the whistleblowing agency said.

WikiLeaks claimed that the Democratic Party establishment conspired to ensure Clinton win the party’s presidential nomination. In doing so it chose a weaker candidate who lost the election against Trump, the agency suggested.

Although Sanders has not decided whether or not to run for the 2020 presidential election, but his recent moves appear to represent a natural next step for running.

Meanwhile, there have been speculations of Oprah Winfrey planning to challenge Trump in 2020 following a passionate speech she gave at the Golden Globes on the subject of sexual misconduct.

“Oprah would be a problem: she’d be their best,” one GOP strategist said. “She’s ubiquitous, she’s black, she has crossover appeal and she probably clears a lot of the field out.”

A new poll from conservative-leaning pollster Rasmussen shows that Winfrey would beat Trump by 10 points in a hypothetical 2020 match-up.

Forty-eight percent of the respondents said they would vote for Winfrey, while about 38 percent said they would vote to reelect Trump, and only 14 percent were undecided, according to the poll released last week.

In November last year, Biden also indicated that he may challenge Trump in 2020. He made the remarks in an interview with NBC News while promoting his new book, Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.

According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll, Biden also leads Trump by 11 points in a potential 2020 matchup.

Biden is a strong critic of Trump and his leadership style. He has accused his administration of misunderstanding and misrepresenting the American values.

Biden has called Trump a “charlatan,” and accused the Republican head of state of taking advantage of frustrated middle class voters.

It seems Biden is remorseful about his decision not to run in the 2016 presidential election, and has claimed that he could have easily defeated Trump.

Biden, a favorite for the 2016 Democratic nomination, announced his decision to not run for the White House in October 2015, cementing Clinton’s standing as the front-runner.

Culled from Presstv

14, January 2018

Pretoria: Ambazonia ambassador to South Africa says ‘You can change friends, not neighbours’ ⁰

The ambassador of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia to the Republic of South Africa, Ms Jessy Itambi has handed over a strongly worded petition to the Nigerian Consulate in Pretoria on the arrest of President Ayuk Tabe including nine of his aides in Abuja. Her Excellency Jessy Itambi who also moonlights as Ambazonia’s diplomatic representative to the SADC countries led a massive demonstration attended by hundreds of Ambazonians in South Africa.

Cameroon Concord News Bloemfontein reporter said the move taken by Ambassador Jessy Itambi is keeping with directives from the Interim Government that called on all Ambazonians in Pretoria and around the world to stage peaceful protest in front of all Nigeria foreign missions.

Ambassador Itambi further called on the Buhari administration to respect the rule of law and release the Ambazonian leadership. The chief diplomat in South Africa pointed out that by not granting President Ayuk Tabe access to lawyers hired by the Interim Government, the Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) was in violation of Section 6 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

On a lighter note, Ambassador Itambi was full of praise for the people of Nigeria and their government for helping to take care of the more than 50000 Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria. She was also grateful to the Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa HE A.I. Musa for receiving the memo informing him that “Nigeria can change friends but cannot change its neighbours.” The Pretoria event was attended by Ambazonia’s Under Secretary for Communications, Hon. Milton Taka.