Politics

23, August 2017

Thousands protest outside Trump rally in Phoenix ⁰

Thousands of protesters have flooded the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, where US President Donald Trump was addressing a rally, in which he repeated his inflammatory remarks about the racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump said Tuesday that “the very dishonest media” mischaracterized his response to the violent protests in Charlottesville on August 12.

He said he “openly called for unity, healing and love” and denounced violence in the “strongest possible terms”, but the press did not report those comments and instead fabricated other stories with “no sources.”

“They don’t report the facts. Just like they don’t want to report that I spoke out forcefully against hatred, bigotry and violence and strongly condemned the Neo-Nazis, the white supremacists and the KKK,” he said.

Trump gestures to the crowd as he speaks to supporters at the Phoenix Convention Center during a rally on August 22, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by AFP)

“What happened in Charlottesville strikes at the core of America and tonight, this entire arena stands united in forceful condemnation of the thugs that perpetrated hatred and violence,” the president said. In the deadly protests last weekend, neo-Nazis and white supremacists took over the Virginia city’s streets and prompted thousands of others to demonstrate in a counter-rally, which led to violent clashes.

The president blamed the violence, which left one woman dead and several others injured, on both sides of the conflict. His reaction sparked a political firestorm and drew sharp rebukes from members of Congress, military leaders and major business executives. It also led to several protests in different cities across the country.

On Tuesday, hundreds of his supporters and opponents gathered in Phoenix, with protesters shouting, “Shame, shame, shame” and “No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA.”

A protester wears a costume likeness of Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a member of the KKK with a character picture of President Trump outside the Phoenix Convention Center at a rally by the president, on August 22, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by AFP)

“Trump saying people on both sides are to blame was the last straw,” Eva Spivey, 25, of Avondale, Arizona, told CNN. “Racism is a one-sided thing.” Trump tried to diminish the number of protesters outside the venue, by saying, “Just so you know from the Secret Service, there aren’t too many people outside protesting.”

His supporters chanted, “build the wall,” a reference to Trump’s promise to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, while some others were saying, “Make America great again.”

Some other people shouted “CNN sucks” “Shame on you” and “Tell the truth,” after Trump said the media were not honest. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat, had asked the president to postpone the rally.

Police separated protesters from a line of Trump rally-goers that stretched six city blocks before the campaign rally outside the Phoenix Convention Center. (Photo via Daily Mail)

In the wake of Charlottesville, four in ten Americans support Trump’s impeachment and removal from office, according to a new poll.

The poll released Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 40 percent of Americans back impeaching Trump, compared to 30 percent who said the same in February.

Source: Presstv

22, August 2017

Internal resistance: Southern Cameroons victory day is shaping up ⁰

Southern Cameroons victory day is shaping up like that of Kosovo and South Sudan in recent years following a massive ghost town operation that historically has been mostly peaceful. The Biya Francophone regime’s tough policies against the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium have greatly added fuel to the civil disobedience campaign that has now been extended to three days a week (Mondays to Wednesdays).

The Secretary General of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the interim leader of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council, who have both endorsed calls for a general strike until a Southern Cameroons state is born, said they expect a larger, more intense participation in light of Biya and La Republique’s “overzealous” efforts to roll back Southern Cameroons’s legitimate rights.

“It’s been a rough 11 months, but it’s almost here,” said an operations manager of the Consortium. It’s unclear whether Biya’s 2018 election will ratchet up the Southern Cameroons demonstrations. Unlike the last few months, no central gathering spot has been advertised. Instead, multiple meeting locations around the cities of the West, the USA, South Africa including Ghana and Nigeria have been listed on social media and online, creating confusion — possibly deliberate — for the vicious French Cameroun police force.

Last year, violence quickly erupted, with some in the Bamenda County rejecting the staging of a unitary march by Prime Minister Philemon Yang. French Cameroun security agents herded a mob of several hundred West Cameroon protesters out of Bamenda, using the most ruthless methods ever in the nation’s history. The Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR fired firearms into large crowds of people in Kumba, Bamenda, Buea, Limbe Kumbo and Jakiri.

The officials of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium are advising Southern Cameroonians both at home and in the Diaspora to stay alert, be aware of their surroundings and inform operation managers if they see any criminal activity from La Republique’s security forces.

Businesses and academic establishments operating in Southern Cameroons have been warned to close their doors and retrieve outdoor signs or other objects from sidewalks. The transportation industry has also been cautioned and traffic disruptions are expected between La Republique and Southern Cameroons.

Southern Cameroonians have also been called to participate in the peaceful civil disobedience that will shut down highways, airports, and other key infrastructure feeding fat on La Republique. The Southern Cameroons Governing Council will in the days ahead announce an economic boycott of French Cameroun.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Chi Prudence Asong in Buea

18, August 2017

Trump will resign before the end of the year ⁰

A writer who has known Donald Trump for three decades believes the US president will resign from office before the end of the year. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of Trump’s 1987 Art of the Deal memoir, took to Twitter on Thursday to make his prediction about Trump’s political future.

“The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and Congress leave him no choice,” Tony Schwartz said Thursday. The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and congress leave him no choice.

“Trump must be isolated. Resistance every day. The end is near but must keep pressure high,” he added. “Trump’s presidency is effectively over. Would be amazed if he survives till end of the year. More likely resigns by fall, if not sooner,” he continued.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller along with several congressional committees are investigating whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump’s associates during the 2016 campaign and transition, accusations both Trump and Moscow have denied. Mueller has also impaneled a grand jury, meaning he is allowed to subpoena officials and get sworn testimony which may lead to criminal indictments.

Mueller is reportedly seeking to interview current and former administration officials as part of his investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has condemned the investigation into possible collusion between his election campaign and Russia as the “greatest witch hunt” in the US history.

Schwartz made a similar prediction in May. “There is no right and wrong for Trump. There’s winning and losing. And that’s very different from right and wrong. Right now he’s in pure terror that he is going to lose,” Schwartz said. “And by the way, he is going to lose.”

Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to lead the probe which will also look into “related matters.” He was at the helm of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 12 years, between 2001 and 2013.

Source: Presstv

16, August 2017

EU demands Kenya post election results online ⁰

European Union observers in Kenya have called on the election commission to publish all remaining forms showing vote tallies on its website to ensure the transparency and accuracy of the process.

“The timing of such information being made public is critical given that petitions relating to the presidential race must be filed within seven days of the results announcement,” the mission said in a statement on Wednesday.

Andrew Limo, an election commission spokesman, said about 2,900 of the 41,000 forms showing results at individual polling stations were not yet online.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was re-elected in the Aug. 8 vote but opposition leader Raila Odinga has rejected results, saying they were rigged.

(Source: Reuters)

15, August 2017

La Republique: Suspense building as CPDM barons await reshuffle ⁰

With just 2 weeks or so to go, there will be many frayed nerves in the CPDM ranks. Some are fearing the chop, others are hopeful of promotion. French Cameroun politics is a cruel business and hopeful aspirants know that, should they miss out this time around, they will have to visit TB Joshua or wait until 2018 presidential elections before another chance comes their way. That is if Biya and the CPDM are still in Government at that stage or Cameroon is till one and indivisible.

Cameroon Concord News gathered from a well-placed source in Yaoundé, that the possible government reshuffle will send away members of government who have served well over 10 years in their position. There are a sea of senior Cameroon government officials including 7 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 3 Secretaries of State, who have already spent at least 10 years in the same post.

Apart from the Southern Cameroonian, Chief Dr. Dion Ngute, Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of the Commonwealth, the CPDM crime syndicate has kept André Mama Fouda, Minister of Public Health, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Minister of Commerce, Madeleine Tchuinte, Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation.
Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Crafts, Jacques Fame Ndongo, Minister of Higher Education, Zacharie Perevet, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, and Pierre Hele, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Sustainable Development.

Below is a list of the French Cameroun 14 cabinet ministers who have overstayed their time in the same portfolio:

André Mama Fouda, Minister of Public Health (11 years)
Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Minister of Commerce (13 years)
Dr. Madeleine Tchuinte, Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation (13 years)
Pr Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Crafts (11 years)
Jacques Fame Ndongo, Minister of Higher Education (13 years)
Zacharie Perevet, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training (13 years)
Pierre Hele, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Sustainable Development (13 years)

Deputy Ministers
Adoum Gargoum, Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations, in charge of the Islamic world (20 years)
Dion Nguté, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of the Commonwealth (20 years)
Yaouba Abdoulaye, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Town and Country Planning (10 years)
Nana Aboubakar Djalloh, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development (13 years)

Secretaries of State
Jean Baptiste Bokam, Secretary of State for Defense (11 years)
Alim Hayatou, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Public Health (20 years)
Fuh Galixtus, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technology Development (11 years).

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Concord News Desk

14, August 2017

Maurice Kamto blames Anglophone crisis on Biya Francophone regime ⁰

The leader of the MRC party, Prof. Maurice Kamto has said that the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime has spent so much time resolving nothing on the Anglophone crisis. Maurice Kamto was speaking on Sunday, the 13th of August 2017 in Douala during a meeting with young French Cameroonians and the press. The French Cameroun opposition leader also observed that the electoral code does not guarantee a sincere and credible political game in La Republique du Cameroun.

Maurice Kamto also pointed out that Biya and his gang of French Cameroun political elites is to blame for La Republique du Cameroun’s failure in the construction of infrastructure for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. He criticized the arbitrary arrests and subsequent convictions of innocent Southern Cameroonians in French Cameroun territory and ordered the Francophone regime in Yaoundé to release with immediate effect all West Cameroon detainees.

Kamto opined that the Anglophone crisis has stalled over time and the government continues to implement wrong solutions to the problem. He added that the only way to resolve the crisis is to create a commission made up of credible people in the eyes of the populations.

The much respected French Cameroun political elite noted that the educational system in La Republique no longer fits with the needs of this generation. Kamto revealed that all what men like the late John Ngu Foncha worked for at the Foumban conference for the reunification of the two Cameroons in 1972 has been thrown into the bin by Biya and his corrupt acolytes.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News, Douala

12, August 2017

Kenya: Uhuru Kenyatta wins second term as president ⁰

Kenya’s election commission has declared incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta as the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election. “Having fulfilled the requirement by law… I therefore wish to declare Uhuru Kenyatta… as president-elect,” said polls commission chairman Wafula Chebukati on Friday.

Kenyatta won the Tuesday polls with 54.27 percent of votes, beating his rival Raila Odinga, who scored 44.74 percent, the commission said. Following the announcement, angry protests erupted in Odinga’s strongholds. Reports say businesses are being looted and set on fire in the slum of Kibera in the capital city of Nairobi, while gunshots are heard in the port city of Kisumu.

In comments directed to opposition leader Odinga, Kenyatta called for national unity and peace. “I reach out to you, I reach out to all your supporters. To our brothers, our worthy competitors, we are not enemies, we are all citizens of the same republic,” Kenyatta said.

Kenyatta, 55, the son of Kenya’s first president after independence from British colonial rule, campaigned on a record of key infrastructure projects – many backed by China – while claiming strong economic growth. Odinga, 72, who is also the son of a leader of the independence struggle, presented himself as a champion of the poor and a fierce critic of corruption in the country.

Supporters of Kenya’s incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta celebrate after he was announced winner of the presidential election in the capital city of Nairobi on August 11, 2017. A day after the vote, Odinga rejected the preliminary results which put Kenyatta in the lead, claiming that the election commission’s voting systems had come under cyberattack, leading to “massive and extensive” vote fraud.

“You can only cheat the people for so long,” the opposition leader said. “The 2017 general election was a fraud.” The hacking claims prompted Kenya’s electoral commission to react and counter the allegations, assuring Kenyans that “all is well.” Tensions have been high since late last month, when Chris Msando, a key administrator of the biometric voting system, was murdered.

Despite Odinga’s call for calm, a group of his supporters took to the streets to rally against the preliminary results. The protests, however, turned violent after police forces intervened and fired tear gas at the crowd.

Two protesters were killed in Nairobi as riot police opened fire during the clashes on Wednesday. Kenyatta is broadly regarded as a representative of the nation’s largest ethnic group of Kikuyu, while Odinga is affiliated with the Luo voting bloc, which has never won a presidential race.

The top opposition candidate, who made his fourth presidential run, has further accused his rival of stealing victory from him through vote rigging both in the 2007 and 2013 polls. In 2007, the disputed election led to two months of ethnically-driven political violence that killed nearly 1,100 people and displaced 600,000 others.

Source: Presstv

11, August 2017

Trump thanks Putin for kicking out US diplomats ⁰

US President Donald Trump has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for kicking out hundreds of American diplomats, because the United States is “trying to cut down [its] payroll.” “I want to thank him because we’re trying to cut down our payroll … I’m very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll,” Trump told reporters at his New Jersey golf club on Thursday.

“There’s no real reason for them to go back,” he added. “I greatly appreciate the fact that we’ve been able to cut our payroll of the United States. We’re going to save a lot of money.” It is however unclear how President Putin’s booting out American diplomats would remove them from the US payroll.

The Republican-controlled Congress approved the new sanctions package last month against Russia, Iran and North Korea. The bill was passed with overwhelming margins, eliminating the prospect of a presidential veto. The legislation is particularly aimed at punishing Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and the reunion of Crimea with Russia.

Russia responded by saying the sanctions amounted to a full-scale trade war and an end to hopes for better ties with the Trump administration. President Putin ordered 755 US diplomats to leave the country after Congress passed the sanctions bill.

The Trump administration, which had sought better relations with Russia, described the Russian move as another setback. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that “this had created serious mistrust,” adding that the United States would respond to Moscow’s decision.

Trump’s desire for better ties with Moscow has been hampered by accusations from US intelligence agencies that Russia operated a series of high-profile cyber attacks to change the outcome of the November 8 presidential election in favor of Trump.

A special counsel, former FBI director Robert Mueller, as well as several congressional committees are investigating whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump’s associates during the 2016 campaign and transition. Trump denies any collusion by his campaign and Moscow denies any meddling.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a security briefing on August 10, 2017, at his Bedminster National Golf Club in New Jersey. (Photo by AFP)

Trump has voiced his criticism about that the probe, but he he said on Thursday he will not fire Mueller. “I want them to get on with the task,” Trump said, despite the fact that Mueller is investigating “something that never happened.”

Trump said Democrats are the ones who should be investigated for collusion, not him. “There was no collusion between us and Russia. In fact, the opposite,” Trump said. “Russia spent a lot of money on fighting me, and if you think about it, I want a strong military — you see our budget is up by — it will be hundreds of billions of dollars soon. Our military budget. Russia doesn’t like that. Hillary was going to cut the budget substantially — the military budget. Russia — is very important for Russia — oil. Oil and gas. We are now an exporter because of an incredible six months that — an exporter of oil and gas. That’s bad for Russia.”

“I don’t think Russia wants me because I want a strong military and I want low energy prices. Energy is a disaster, low energy prices is a disaster for Russia,” he added. Trump has previously said Russia would have preferred a weak American leader, like his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Source: Presstv

9, August 2017

Kenya: Opposition claims ‘vote fraud after hack,’ rejects results ⁰

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has claimed “massive fraud” in the general elections, rejecting the preliminary results, which have put his longtime rival, incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, in the lead.

According to the official website of Kenya’s election commission (IEBC), Kenyatta was holding on to a commanding lead with 54.8 percent, while Odinga has only secured 44.4 percent after nearly 13 million ballots were counted from more than 35,000 of the 40,833 polling stations.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Odinga claimed that the results of Tuesday’s general elections are not reliable as the election commission’s voting systems had come under cyberattack, leading to “massive and extensive” vote fraud.

“Hackers gained entry into our election database” and “created errors,” Odinga said. “You can only cheat the people for so long,” the opposition leader said. “The 2017 general election was a fraud.”

He called on his supporters to maintain calm, but said “I don’t control the people.” Odinga’s deputy, Kalonzo Muyoka, also made a similar call, adding, however, that the opposition might urge “action” at a later date, without elaborating.

The opposition figure had earlier in the day decried the tallying process as a “sham.” Odinga alleged that the IEBC had not provided documents showing how the tallies were obtained, saying “it is the machine that has voted. These results are wrong.”

The hacking claims prompted Kenya’s election commission to react and counter the allegations, assuring Kenyans that “all is well.” Despite Odinga’s call for calm, a group of his supporters took to the streets to protest the results, chanting “No Raila, no peace.”

The protest, however, turned violent after police forces intervened and fired tear gas at the crowd. At least one protester was killed as riot police opened fire during the clashes in Kisii County, said Leonard Katana, a regional police commander.

Anti-riot units of the Kenyan Administration police are positioned outside a police station on the outskirts of Kibera in Nairobi, on August 9, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Kenyatta, 55-year-old son of Kenya’s first president after independence from British colonial rule, campaigned on a record of key infrastructure projects — many backed by China – while claiming strong economic growth. Odinga, who is also the 72-year-old son of a leader of the independence struggle, presented himself as a champion of the poor as well as a fierce critic of corruption in the country.

Many voters, however, were expected to vote along ethnic lines. Kenyatta is broadly regarded as the candidate of the nation’s largest ethnic group of Kikuyu, while Odinga is affiliated with the Luo voting bloc, which has never won a presidential race.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during the August 8, 2017 presidential election in Gatundu, Kiambu county. (Photo by AFP)

The top opposition candidate, who is making his fourth presidential run, has further accused his rival of stealing victory from him through rigging both in 2007 and 2013 polls. In 2007, the disputed election led to two months of ethnically-driven political violence that killed nearly 1,100 people and displaced 600,000 others.

The challenged poll in 2013 was referred to the courts, and ended largely peacefully even though Odinga emerged defeated. Tensions have been high leading up to this year’s election since late last month, when Chris Msando, a key administrator of the biometric voting system, was murdered.

“We fear that this is the precise reason why Mr. Chris Msando was assassinated,” Odinga emphasized, pointing to his allegation of fraud. However, IEBC appeared undeterred by Odinga’s statements.

Commissioner Roslyn Akombe said despite a request by an unnamed political party to halt releasing preliminary results the body has decided to “continue to display the results.”

Source: Presstv

7, August 2017

Nigeria: Protesters demand Buhari return or resign ⁰

Nigerian protesters have demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari, receiving treatment in London for an undisclosed ailment for more than three months, either return or resign. Buhari left for the British capital on May 7 on what is his latest medical trip, appointing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to act on his behalf.

Dozens of protesters marched in heavy rain to the presidential villa in Abuja with banners urging that the 74-year-old retired general, who headed a military regime in the 1980s, return.

“Resume or resign, Nigerians say enough is enough,” one said, with others stating: “If president Buhari cannot return to Nigeria after 90 days, then he should resign and go home”, and “Buhari, where are you? Nigerians want full disclosure. What is wrong with our president?”

The peaceful march was organized by a coalition of civil society groups under the supervision of security agents. “We are here today because the president of Nigeria has absconded from duty,” said Deji Adeyanju, one of the organizers.

Protesters carry placards to demand that ailing President Mohammadu Buhari resume work or resign in Abuja, on August 7, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

“He has not only absconded, he has continued to lie to us. This year alone the president has been away for 144 days. “He was away for 52 days in January and he has been away again today for 92 consecutive days. This cannot continue.”

Buhari has been dogged by speculation about his health since June last year when he first went to London for treatment of what the presidency said was a persistent ear infection. He then spent nearly two months in London in January and February and said on his return in early March that he had “never been so ill”.

Last month, members of the ruling party and the opposition went to see him in London and even took pictures in an attempt to douse public anxiety. The health of Nigeria’s leader has been a sensitive issue since the death in office of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010 after months of treatment abroad.

Buhari’s main opponents in the 2015 election that brought him to power claimed he had prostate cancer. He denied the claim.

(Source: AFP)