Politics

14, October 2017

Biya and Philemon Yang: Going, Going, Gone ⁰

The French Cameroun Prime Minister, Philemon Yang who hails from West Cameroon is fighting for his political survival after Southern Cameroonians abandoned the 56 years old marriage with La Republique du Cameroun in a general uprising that has left the country facing a prolonged period of uncertainty.

President Biya’s outgoing government saw its support slump and eventually disappeared as Southern Cameroonians flocked to Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council, the Anglophone Cameroons new version of the SCNC which has staged a remarkable recovery to become the decisive political grouping in the new Republic of Southern Cameroons.

“Tsunami” was the word used by several Southern Cameroons newspapers recently to describe the outcome of the October 1 Independence Day celebrations that President Biya and Mr Philemon Yang looked certain to dominate just a year ago. But both men’s inability to persuade Southern Cameroonians that Cameroon remains one and indivisible has cost Yang and President Biya their majority following — and perhaps their jobs.

Even with growing calls for Prime Minister Philemon Yang to severe links with Ghogomu Paul Mingo and to open genuine dialogue with the leadership of the Governing Council to either form a federated structure, the unpopular head of government from Oku has kept his man and they are heading to Southern Cameroons to stage a repeat of the one year old comedy and tragedy with the moderate leader of the Consortium and some Bamileke lawyers based in the territory. But this current arrangement would require them to overcome almost a 56 years old Francophone/Anglophone divisions dating from a French teleguided coup against Southern Cameroons in Foumban in the 1960s.

Cameroon Concord News Group and the Cameroon Intelligence Report are focusing instead on a new Cameroon after Biya and the terms of separation no matter how long the process will take. It is time for this new generation of Southern Cameroonians to live up to the greatness and to prove themselves renewed and worthy of a future by staging a massive ghost town operation against Philemon Yang and his gang.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Cameroon Concord News Group

13, October 2017

Race for the Unity Palace: Akéré Muna takes on Issa Tchiroma ⁰

Barrister Akéré Muna has responded to comments reportedly made by one of the 1984 April 6^th coup plotters, Issa Tchiroma Bakary. The French Cameroon political elite who also moonlight as Minister of Communication and Cameroon government spokesman had reacted negatively after Akere Muna announced that he would run for the 2018 presidential elections.

Speaking on Canal 2 International on Thursday about his candidacy in France, Akere lamented especially the hostile reactions to his candidacy from some pro Biya comedians. “We spend our time saying that there is nobody, and when someone comes up, they hit him.”

Without mentioning names, Barrister Muna replied to those who accused him of taking advantage of the Southern Cameroons crisis. “I chose this moment because I am ready. I have served at home and in international institutions. I think that now I am ready to put my knowledge at the service of the nation”.

Akéré Muna promised to have dual citizenship recognised if he was elected President of the Republic. He told Canal 2 International that he was surprised by the enthusiasm of Cameroonians in the Diaspora who seem to be passionate by his approach.

For Akere, the Diaspora must be an integral part of the development of Cameroon. He promised that there would be dual nationality provided that they had a tax residence in Cameroon.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, CCN

12, October 2017

Is Barrister Agbor Balla the new Judas Iscariot of Southern Cameroons? ⁰

The evidence is finally here: Agbor Balla Nkongho is actually working tirelessly to frustrate the struggle armed with staggering sums of money from LRC. At this very moment he is living large in Hotel des Deputes in Yaoundé after covering thousands of kilometres recruiting and bribing Southern Cameroonians to join his evil enterprise.

Meanwhile Dr Fontem Neba, a man who was jailed alongside with him has had his ID confiscated and bank account frozen. Fontem cannot travel while Balla has not only an ID but even a passport and the resources to travel abroad as evidenced by his most recent trip across Africa.

So why is Fontem being punished and Balla rewarded ?

Why are they refusing to return the ID of Fontem but Balla has an ID and a passport ? Why is Fontem’s account frozen while Balla is overflowing with cash ? What was the excuse given by Balla when the prison guards found 6.5 million cfa on him?

Is it even credible that someone would give an inmate 6.5 million to buy a vehicle when the inmate doesn’t even know when he will be released ? Why did one of the interrogators in Nkondengui tell Fontem that HE, Fontem was the ONLY hard nut to crack implying that Balla was more understanding?

Is the offer that was tabled to Balla, Fontem and the others still available ? Who are the people who came from the presidency 2 days ago to coerce Fontem in Buea? Why did they not make a similar move towards Balla?

Why is Fontem not ousting Balla even though it is clear that both men see things differently ? Is Fontem safe? What is Balla planning ? What has he told LRC about Fontem ? We are living in dangerous times…Agbor Balla must be stopped

NB: This write-up was sent to our editorial desk by an anonymous source. We decided to publish it for the simple fact that Barrister Agbor Balla is no longer talking about BBC Mancho and the many other Southern Cameroons detainees.

12, October 2017

George Weah wins Liberia presidential polls ⁰

Football icon, George Weah has emerged as the newly elected president of Liberia to succeed Elen Johnson Sirleaf.

Weah defeated his closest rival, Joseph Boakai who is also the incumbent Vice President.

Others include longtime opposition figure Charles Brumskine and former Coca-Cola executive Alexander Cummings.

This item is still developing

11, October 2017

Kenya: Parliament passes controversial election law ⁰

The Kenyan parliament has passed an amendment to the country’s electoral laws under which a presidential candidate would automatically win a re-run vote if the other one drops out of the race.

The amendment, which had been proposed by the ruling party, was passed on Wednesday, a day after the country’s opposition leader said he was withdrawing from the “unfair” race.

Once incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta signs the law, it will take immediate effect, according to parliamentary spokesman Martin Mutua.

The controversial law was harshly criticized by opposition lawmakers, who had boycotted the vote on Wednesday.

Last month, Kenya’s Supreme Court ordered a repeat presidential race to be held on October 26 between Odinga and Kenyatta. It annulled the result of an earlier poll, on August 8, after finding “irregularities.” Kenyatta had been declared the winner of that election.

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga waves to supporters as he leaves the Supreme Court in Nairobi on September 1, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Odinga, however, announced his withdrawal from the new election on Tuesday, saying the electoral commission must be changed. He claimed that the contest could not be free and fair.

He also added that there were indications that the upcoming repeat election would be worse than the previous one.

Odinga’s coalition party called for the new election to be cancelled as a result of his withdrawal. But Kenyatta said that they have “no problem going back to election. We are sure we will get more votes than the last time.”

“We are also telling him it is the people’s right to choose their leader. It is their sovereign right to choose their leader of choice,” said the incumbent president.

Meanwhile, thousands of people rallied through the capital, Nairobi, calling for changes at the electoral board. Kenyan police fired teargas to disperse the demonstrators.

Police also used tear gas against opposition supporters, who had gathered in Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold in the country’s west, on Wednesday.

Witnesses said the crowd had refused to disperse after being addressed by the county governor, Reuters reported.

The supporters of Kenyan opposition rally in the capital, Nairobi, October 11, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

In another development on Wednesday, Kenya’s High Court ruled that a minor opposition candidate, Ekuru Aukot — who had also ran in the August presidential election — could take part in this month’s re-run vote.

Justice John Mativo said he did not see any reason for Aukot to be barred from participating in the repeat election.

Auko, however, said that he had doubts about standing. He won about 27,000 votes of the more than 15 million cast in the August vote.

Source: Presstv

11, October 2017

Tchiroma makes a mockery of Southern Cameroonians again!! Says secession has no place in Cameroon ⁰

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the so-called Cameroon government spokesman and Minister of Communication has said that secession will never see the light of day in Cameroon. The French Cameroun political elite known for his role in the 1984 April 6^th Coup against President Biya and for his anti Beti Ewondo statements also observed that the Biya Francophone government has satisfied the demands of Southern Cameroonians and added that each time a concession is made, “the seccessionists raise new conditions.”

Tchiroma was speaking during a visit to the headquarters of La Meteo, a pro Biya regime newspaper based in Yaounde on Tuesday the 10^th of October 2017. The controversial cabinet minister whose health has been failing of recent, acknowledged that Cameroon was indeed at crossroads but secession has no place in the country.

Exactly one year ago, the anglophone crisis sparked off in Southern Cameroons basically from demands made by anglophone lawyers and teachers which ultimately metamorphosized into demands for federalism and later secession by the peoples of Southern Cameroons. The Francophone dominated government in Yaounde has reported an uneasy calm lately within these regions after the riots of October 1.

By Rita Akana, CCN

10, October 2017

Police surround Catalan parliament ahead of declaration of independence ⁰

Police forces in the Spanish city of Barcelona have surrounded the regional parliament compound hours ahead of a potential declaration of independence of Catalonia.

The Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police force, said on its Twitter page on Tuesday that security measures were imposed around the park where the parliament is located as there was the risk that opponents and supporters of Catalonia’s independence campaign could approach the area during a planned session in which regional leaders may declare Catalonia’s independence from Spain.

“For security reasons, Parc de la Ciutadella is closed to the public today,” said the short statement, without elaborating.

Several blue police vans were parked outside of the parliament building while metal barriers were set up at the entrance to the park.

A police spokesman said authorities hoped to “prevent any situation that would put pressure on parliamentary activity.”

“We are trying to avoid these situations, both on the part of pro-unity protesters as well as by groups of radical separatists,” he said.

The spokesman added that “a group of people forced their way into the park and threw objects against the parliament building” on Sunday, when hundreds of thousands of people staged a massive rally in Barcelona against the independence drive.

The photo shows a demonstration in Barcelona called by “Societat Civil Catalans” (Catalan Civil Society) to support the unity of Spain, October 8, 2017. (AFP photo)

Separatist organizations in Catalonia have called on supporters of independence to gather in front of the parliament “to support and defend the declaration of independence.”

The calls come as Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont could finally declare independence during the Tuesday parliamentary session, more than a week after a controversial referendum in which around 90 percent from a population of 2.3 million voters, less than half of those eligible to vote in Catalonia, endorsed the independence campaign. The vote came amid some unprecedented tensions on the streets as more than 900 people were injured in clashes with the police.

The Spanish government in Madrid has labeled the entire process of seeking referendum in Catalonia as illegal, including the referendum and the Tuesday vote in the regional parliament.

The political crisis, the most serious for Spain in nearly four decades, have hugely affected the economically-vibrant Catalonia, as major companies and banks have either moved their headquarters out of Barcelona or have announced plans to do so if regional leaders declare independence.

Source: Presstv

9, October 2017

“Trump’s policy on North Korea could lead US to accidental war” ⁰

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii has said US President Donald Trump’s policy of brinkmanship against North Korea could lead the United States toward an accidental war, as tensions rise between Washington and Pyongyang.

Schatz urged Americans in a series of tweets on Sunday night to heed Republican Senator Bob Corker’s comment that Trump could lead the United States toward “World War III.” “There’s a tendency to wonder about the politics of Corker’s interview. Ignore that, and listen to his warnings about an accidental war,” Schatz stated.

The senator went on to point out why the people should be concerned about the possibility of a war between the US and North Korea. “War on Korean Peninsula could shut down trade to and from Asia for months or years,” Schatz said. “War on the Korean Peninsula would cause millions of lives to be lost,” he added. “There are nearly 200,000 Americans living in South Korea and Japan.”

Schatz’s tweets came after Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday that Trump’s measures could put the US “on the path to World War III.”

A former US Senate foreign policy adviser says there’s a “real worry of a war between the United States and North Korea.” The senator complained that the president treats the country like “a reality show” and acts “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something.”

Trump meanwhile continues his aggressive rhetoric against the North Korean leadership. On Saturday, he claimed that a diplomatic approach over the past 25 years “hasn’t worked” and that Pyongyang has made “fools of US negotiators.”

“Sorry, but only one thing will work!” Trump said in his tweet. In a speech to the UN General Assembly last month, Trump warned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that the United States, if threatened, would “totally destroy” his country of 26 million people.

In response, Kim said Trump will “pay dearly” for threatening to destroy North Korea. He added that Trump is “a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire,” who is “unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country.” Kim described the US president as “mentally deranged” and warning he would “pay dearly” for threatening to destroy his country.

A North Korean parliamentary committee has called recent remarks by US President Donald Trump at the UN a declaration of war against Pyongyang. North Korea has conducted several nuclear tests and missile test-launches in response to US threats against the country.

The North Korean leader ordered the production of more rocket warheads and engines in September, shortly after the United States suggested that its threats of military action and sanctions were having an impact on Pyongyang’s behavior.

Source: Presstv

8, October 2017

La Republique Elections: Akere Muna Announces Presidential Bid ⁰

Barrister Akere Muna has made public his intention to contest the 2018 presidential elections in La Republique du Cameroun. In an exclusive interview granted to Jeune Afrique, the son of the late S. T. Muna an emblematic figure of the reunification of French and British Cameroons reportedly observed that “Yes, I am a candidate, because the state of my country makes me want to be part of the solution.”

The renowned lawyer also believes that the departure of the current President of the Republic who has already spent 35 years in power remains one of the important ways out of the Southern Cameroons crisis. Akere pointed out that at this troubled moment in the history of the two Cameroons, it is important for President Biya to hand over the baton of command.

Akere Muna in the Jeune Afrique interview also spoke of the structure the new Cameroon under him shall be constituted. Muna said he is for a return to Federalism. “There is no better solution than federalism” adding that if he were elected, “I would choose the form of the State that respects our different cultures. I would bring power closer to the citizens, which corresponds to federalism ”

By Chi Prudence Asong will files from CIN

8, October 2017

UK prime minister signals she might demote her foreign secretary ⁰

British Prime Minister Theresa May has signaled she might demote Boris Johnson amid pressure to sack the foreign secretary, a report says.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, May hinted at her plans for Johnson, who is accused by some of her allies of undercutting her by taking a different position on Brexit.

“It has never been my style to hide from a challenge and I’m not going to start now,” the paper quoted May as saying.

“I’m the PM, and part of my job is to make sure I always have the best people in my cabinet, to make the most of the wealth of talent available to me in the party.”

May delivered a speech in Florence last month, proposing a two-year transitional period to be started after the UK leaves the European Union in 2019.

A few days earlier, Johnson said in a newspaper article that the two-year post-Brexit transition deal should be “done as fast as possible,” and that the period should last “not a second more” than two years for the UK.

His interventions were seen by many lawmakers as undermining May and causing unnecessary unrest prior to the party’s conference last week that culminated in a disastrous speech by May, spoiled by a coughing fit, a comedian handing her a bogus employment termination notice, and by letters falling off the slogans on the set behind her.

Referring to her conference speech, May told the newspaper, “I am a very determined person. I am not someone who gives up.”

Meanwhile, former Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said Friday that 30 Conservative members of parliament supported a plot to topple the prime minister.

Shapps, who chaired the party between 2012 and 2015, said the premier’s leadership should now be challenged.

“I think she should call a leadership election,” Shapps told BBC Radio.

The news, however, caused senior figures, including Johnson himself, to rally around May and call for unity.

“We have just had an election and people are fed up with this malarkey,” Johnson said in a message to Conservative lawmakers.

May’s authority was already diminished by her decision to call a snap election in June that lost her party its majority in parliament just days before the opening of Brexit talks with the European Union.

To trigger a formal leadership challenge, 48 Conservative lawmakers need to write to the chairman of the party’s so-called 1922 Committee.

Source: Presstv