Politics

23, July 2022

President Macron Visit and the CPDM politician wasting government’s money in the most ridiculous way ⁰

No Cameroonian, not even President Biya enjoys paying taxes and the ruling CPDM has been running the country with taxes and oil revenue from Southern Cameroons. While it’s no fun coughing up those hard-earned FCFA to the corrupt government in Yaoundé, taxes and CPDM waste are the two reasons Cameroonians cannot have quality roads, schools, street lamps, fire departments, and sewer systems, the nice array of conveniences that all make contemporary life a lot easier and definitely more sanitary.

If there’s one infuriating thing that Cameroonians from all corners of the spectrum can agree on is watching the sneaky government officials in Yaoundé snatching up those valuable tax money and spending the dough on something selfish, greedy, or just plain stupid like the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Unfortunately, the wrong politicians in Cameroon have the keys to the national piggy bank and have given the world the most egregious examples of officials wasting government money.

The Government Delegate to the Yaoundé Urban Council Hon. Esimi Evouna has gotten a little too enthusiastic about receiving French President Emmanuel Macron and he is using 10.5 million FCFA of Cameroonian taxpayer’s money to mobilize desperate CPDM militants from the Mfoundi constituency in Yaoundé to line the streets.

The purpose is to mislead President Macron and international public opinion that all is well in the so-called one and indivisible Cameroon. The 10.5 million CFA franc is only for transportation! We do not know how much will be dished out on purchases on wine, makeup, and gift cards.

Nonetheless, spending 10.5 million on only Mfoundi CPDM Section is a bit much, when all the folks involved certainly get paid enough to transport themselves to the ceremonial ground without breaking the piggy bank.

Long Live the ruling CPDM Crime Syndicate

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

21, July 2022

Woman wins India’s presidential election ⁰

A woman who hails from a marginalized minority ethnic community has been chosen as India’s new president, a largely ceremonial position.

Partial results released by the election commission showed Droupadi Murmu, who is from the Santhal tribe, secured the position with the support of more than half the electorate of MPs and state legislators.

She was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is accused of trampling the minorities’ rights, for the post.

Born in the eastern state of Odisha, the president-elect began her career as a schoolteacher before joining politics.

Murmu, 64, succeeds Ram Nath Kovind, the second president from the Dalit community, the bottom of the Hindu caste system.

But critics say the post is largely ceremonial and her election is not expected to make significant practical difference to the tribal community, which has long been relegated to the margins of society.

Under the country’s constitution, the prime minister and the cabinet wield executive powers in India, although the head of state can send back a few parliamentary bills for reconsideration and also helps in the process of forming governments.

Modi tweeted to congratulate Murmu, saying her “exemplary success motivates each and every Indian”.

“She has emerged as a ray of hope for our citizens, especially the poor, marginalized and the downtrodden.”

But some activists saw Murmu’s success with skepticism, saying her win would further help the right-wing party consolidate the power.

“Whatever agenda the BJP… has to place a politician from a tribal community in the post of the President, she will only be able to do anything if she is allowed to use her pen,” Dayamani Barla, an Indian activist, was quoted as saying.

Modi’s pursuit of a “Hindu first” agenda since coming to power in 2014 has stoked communal tensions in India.

The developments follow increasing violence targeting India’s Muslim minority carried out by Hindu nationalists who have been emboldened by Modi’s silence on such attacks.

Culled from Presstv

19, July 2022

Putin, Erdogan meet Iranian leaders in Tehran ⁰

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks Tuesday with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran amid hopes for progress on negotiations to unblock the passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iran starting Tuesday is intended to deepen ties with regional heavyweights as part of Moscow’s challenge to the United States and Europe amid its grinding campaign in Ukraine.

In only his second trip abroad since Russian tanks rolled into its neighbor in February, Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the pressing issues facing the region, including the conflict in Syria and a U.N.-backed proposal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to ease the global food crisis.

As the West heaps sanctions on Russia and the costly campaign drags on, Putin is seeking to bolster ties with Tehran, a fellow target of severe U.S. sanctions and a potential military and trade partner. In recent weeks, Russian officials visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice to review Tehran’s weapons-capable drones for possible use in Ukraine, the White House has alleged.

But perhaps most crucially, Tehran offers Putin a chance for a high-stakes meeting with Erdogan, who has sought to help broker talks on a peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as help negotiations to unblock Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

Source: France 24

18, July 2022

Yaoundé: Dion Ngute braces for bad news ⁰

Dark clouds are gathering over Dion Ngute, the country’s prime minister, who is on his way out of the Star Building in Yaoundé. Dion Ngute was elevated to the rank of Prime Minister because the Unity Palace felt he could help disconnect the Southwest region from the Northwest, thus reducing the crisis which is tearing the two English-speaking regions of the country apart.

But three years after taking the reins of power, Dion Ngute is still struggling. The Southwest is still a hotspot and there is no end in sight. Dion Ngute has tried to bribe General Two-Kobo to keep it low in Ndian Division, but his own right-hand man, Kenneth Nanji, the former Mayor of Ekondo-Titi, saw the agreement between Dion Ngute and General Two-Kobo as a possibility for him to enrich himself, but that only resulted in a plot by Dion Ngute which cost him his life.

Cutting out the Southwest region from the Northwest will require cutting Manyu Division completely off, but this is not possible without massive sacrifices and arrangements. Noted for their volatile and mercurial temperament, it will take a long time for the people of Manyu Division to walk away from the struggle, especially as Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe is still in the Yaoundé Maximum Security Prison.

It will take another well-respected and trusted Manyu son who can talk Sisiku into walking away from secession to disconnect the Southwest from the Northwest. And there are a few South-westerners who have been very influential when it comes to the crisis which has made the two English-speaking regions ungovernable.

Two have been identified and they are both working for international organizations. The candidate at the World Bank has a likeable character, simple and peace-loving, but he has no leverage over separatists and might not deliver the peace the government is looking forward to.

According to a Cameroon Concord News source at the Presidency of the Republic, the right candidate will be someone who can talk to all the factions and has the trust of his people.

According to the source, the country needs someone with a very strict personality who is open to new ideas and can bring separatists to the fold. We do not need to split our country. If Ndian and Manyu Divisions can be stabilized, then the fighting will be concentrated in the Northwest region and this will make it easy to focus on the pockets of resistance in the Northwest region, the source said.

“We are still hearing that there is someone in Abidjan who can help with this mess in Cameroon. Many people hold him in high esteem. I hear that this person is not interested in money and has a high sense of political awareness. A friend of mine in the intelligence community says they have been attending fundraisers for Internally Displaced Persons in Washington DC with separatists, though they believe in federalism,” the source, which elected anonymity, said.

“I hear there are a few sticking points which are making it hard for the government to come up with an acceptable cabinet. My sources at the Presidency have said that the Abidjan candidate has underscored the need to free Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and others arrested during the conflict. He stressed that some gestures would be necessary to demonstrate that the government is a reliable peace broker, but his advice seems to be falling on deaf ears and this is only making things worse. The killings are still going on and the spirit of revenge is clearly visible. The killing of Field Marshal will not go unpunished. Many soldiers and civilians will be caught in the crossfire,” our source said

“The government is yet to come to terms with the fact that a military victory will not be possible and some Yaounde hawks are still of the opinion that their failed decentralization policy is still the right policy to pursue. I have heard that the Abidjan candidate has been arguing that the decentralization policy has failed, and it will not deliver any meaningful results and that if the government really needs to walk away from the quagmire it has created for itself, then it must bend over backwards,” the source said.

“Of course, the government must meet the separatists halfway and we need someone who can bring everybody with him to Yaoundé, at least mentally. We thought Dion Ngute would deliver the golden egg, but he has failed woefully. The Unity Palace is now aware of his failed dealings with some unpopular fighters in his native Ndian. Those dealings have not really changed much in terms of violence. Ndian Division like Manyu Division is still a no-go area, and it will take a lot of convincing for things to be better and Dion, who is a man of few words, is not the person who will do such heavy-lifting,” he said.

“Biya is holding his cards so close to his chest, but we are also hearing that the French President’s visit to Cameroon in the coming days might change a lot of things and the news will not be good for Dion Ngute. He has failed and he must go for someone else to try. He has never spoken to any separatist and is not in a rush to solve this problem which is tearing the country apart. Many people hold that he is a likeable character. He has a good smile, but others hold that behind the prettiest smiles hide some dark secrets and the killing of Kenneth Nanji is one secret the Prime Minister is hiding,” our source pointed out.

“Dion should be bracing for bad news. The country needs to go in a different direction and Dion cannot lead the country down that route. Let us give younger people a chance. They may not have the magic wand, but they might do what their predecessors were unable to achieve. Time is of the essence! We can break the spiral of killings by using young people to do what has been a near-impossibility. I am personally waiting. Our country must stop bleeding. We have the men who can change things for us,” our source concluded.

At the Star Building, not much is happening. The mood is somber, and the Prime Minister seems to be fully aware of the decision taken at the Unity Palace after months of secret meetings and interviews with potential replacements. In three years, the Prime Minister has not succeeded to talk to any influential separatist.

He has not achieved anything, and he has been serving as an errand boy for the President and his Secretary General. That is not the job of a respectable Prime Minister. Even the Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, disrespects Dion Ngute openly. We need a Prime Minister with a character, a Prime Minister who will point the country in the right direction, a Prime Minister who will inspire hope.

By Rita Akana with editing by Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

18, July 2022

Battle for Ukraine: President Zelensky sacks top prosecutor, security head ⁰

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday sacked his chief prosecutor and the head of the country’s security agency in the largest government shakeup since the start of Russia’s invasion nearly five months ago.

Zelensky said he was firing Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and security chief Ivan Bakanov amid a high number of cases of suspected treason by Ukrainian law enforcement officials.

“Today, I made the decision of relieving of their duties the prosecutor general and the head of Ukraine’s security service,” Zelensky said in his daily address to the nation.

Zelensky said over 650 cases of suspected treason and aiding and abetting Russia by Ukrainian security officials are currently being investigated, including 60 cases of officials who have remained in territories occupied by Russia and are working against Ukraine.

“Such a great number of crimes against the foundations of national security and the connections established between Ukrainian law enforcement officials and Russian special services pose very serious questions to the relevant leaders,” Zelensky said. “Each such question will be answered.”

Source: France 24

16, July 2022

Biden in Saudi Arabia: ‘Washington needs a reset with the Kingdom’ ⁰

Saudi officials indicated Saturday they were keen to move on from the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, one day after US President Joe Biden raised it in his talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Tensions between the two men had been high ahead of their first meeting, especially after Biden’s administration last year released an assessment by the intelligence community that Prince Mohammed “approved” the operation that led to Khashoggi’s killing and dismemberment in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.

In remarks Friday night, Biden called Khashoggi’s death “outrageous” and said he had warned Prince Mohammed against further attacks on dissidents, without specifying what actions he might take.

The Al-Arabiya channel quoted a Saudi official saying the pair “addressed the issue of Jamal Khashoggi quickly” and that Prince Mohammed “confirmed that what happened is regrettable and we have taken all legal measures to prevent” a recurrence.

Prince Mohammed also pointed out that “such an incident occurs anywhere in the world”, highlighting “a number of mistakes” made by Washington such as torturing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Al-Arabiya reported.

In an interview with CNN, Adel al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs, cast doubt on the intelligence community’s determination that Prince Mohammed ordered the 2018 operation, something Prince Mohammed has denied.

“We know what the intelligence community’s assessment was with regard to Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction,” Jubeir shot back in an exchange with Wolf Blitzer shared widely on Saudi social media.

Accusations that the Iraqi dictator had such weapons trigged the 2003 Iraq War. None were found.

‘Double standards’

Jubeir also made clear the kingdom believed the Khashoggi affair had been sufficiently dealt with, even though Khashoggi’s remains have never been found.

A Saudi court in 2020 jailed eight people for between seven and 20 years over the killing. Their names were never released, and Khashoggi’s fiancee branded the ruling a “farce”.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia investigated this crime. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held those responsible for it accountable, and they are paying the price of the crime they committed as we speak,” Jubeir said.

“We investigated, we punished and we put in place procedures to ensure this doesn’t happen again. This is what countries do in situations like this.”

Despite lingering discord over the Khashoggi affair, the meeting between Prince Mohammed and Biden “went well with a frank exchange of opinions,” Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst, told AFP.

Prince Mohammed “responded to Biden, pointing out US double standards of making a huge noise about Khashoggi (a Saudi) while trying their best to downplay the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh even though she is a US citizen,” Shihabi said, referring to the Palestinian-American journalist shot dead in May while covering an Israeli army raid in the West Bank.

“But beyond that frank exchange the meeting was very cordial and important to put the bad blood created by Biden’s statement behind them,” he said.

White House: Biden will not return from Gulf summit with agreement on oil production increase

Source: AFP

15, July 2022

Israel and Palestine: Biden states support for two-state solution ⁰

US President Joe Biden said that US commitment to a two-state solution “has not changed”, but that the “ground is not ripe” to restart talks between Israel and Palestine. The American president was speaking during a joint press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Friday.

US President Joe Biden pledged on Friday to keep up efforts to support a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict even though the goal of a two-state solution appeared far off.

Speaking alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, Biden said the United States would not give up on the goal of a just settlement to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Even if the ground is not right at this moment to restart negotiations, the United States and my administration will not give up on trying to bring the Palestinians, Israelis and both sides closer together.”

“There must be a political horizon that the Palestinian people can actually see or at least feel. We cannot allow the hopelessness to steal away the future,” Biden said

The comments were likely to disappoint the Palestinians, who are looking to the U.S. to press Israel into restarting peace talks. The last substantive talks collapsed over a decade ago.

The key to peace

Meanwhile, Abbas said “the key to peace” in the region “begins with ending the Israeli occupation of our land.”

He added: “I am willing to extend an open hand to Israeli leaders so that we can bring peace to the region.”

But as Biden said US commitment to a two-state solution “has not changed”, Abbas said there was a narrowing window for a resolution of this nature.

“The opportunity for a two-state solution on the 1967 borders may be available today, and it may not remain for a long time,” Abbas said after meeting with US President.

Abbas said “the key to peace” in the region “begins with ending the Israeli occupation of our land”.

The Palestinian President also asked for US support to holding accountable the killers of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11.

Biden said the US would insist on “full” accountability over the killing of the Palestinian-American Al Jazeera reporter.

Source: AFP

15, July 2022

Chris Anu and Sako to blame for the demise of the Field Marshal ⁰

Cameroon Concord News Group is against the five year old Biya military actions in Southern Cameroons. The war in Southern Cameroons has claimed the lives of thousands of English speaking Cameroonians. But the blame for this month’s bloodshed in Lebialem County that resulted in the martyr of the great leader of the Red Dragons lies solely at the feet of Chris Anu and Sako Ikome.

This is not an attempt to divert attention from the war crimes committed by the Francophone dominated military in Southern Cameroons. But this is a serious matter involving two so-called frontline Ambazonia leaders and reveals how Chris Anu and Sako Ikome quickly saw an opportunity in the Southern Cameroons resistance movement.

Amba fighters are at their weakest point in the last five years. The front line leaders in the US are tired! Cho Ayaba and his ADF gang are in short supply of their tricks of informing Southern Cameroonians through social media that they could ‘do something’ while the Interim Government can not.

Chris Anu and Sako took over control of the renowned Field Marshal and exploited his bravery for their own selfish reasons and then threw him under the bus! The much respected Ambazonia commander and fighter with the support of Mr. Chris Anu and Sako Ikome transformed himself into a cult master so to speak expecting top Lebialem traditional leaders to bow in homage-at some point in time, he even installed himself as the supreme leader of Lebialem.

Chris Anu recruited the Field Marshal to his inner circle and spread lies and propaganda on social media, deliberately inciting distrust for the legitimate Ambazonia Interim Government headed by Vice President Dabney Yerima. And even when the Field Marshal could no longer fight for Ambazonia, Chris Anu and Sako concocted war images and dished them out to the Ambazonia diaspora informing them that the Field Marshal was doing wonders and was on their pay roll and it allowed them to continue to collect money from the Southern Cameroons diaspora. Chris Anu and Sako remain dangerous for the people of Southern Cameroons and many like the Great Field Marshal failed to listen to our Cameroon Concord News warning that we cannot continue to be a conduit for their work.

Chris Anu is not fighting for Ambazonia; he and his former political acolyte Sako Ikome are encouraging war crimes to boost their political standing. Chris Anu and Sako are out of harm’s way. They leave their foot soldiers, often young and desperate men with no employment prospects in Ground Zero, to launch attacks against the Francophone dominated army guaranteeing a military response.

We of Cameroon Concord News and the Cameroon Intelligence Report have come under very vicious attack for reporting the facts and because the reporting out of Ground Zero is not honest. Pro Chris Anu and Sako comedians in Ground Zero tightly control all what is on social media and Southern Cameroons media houses have the choice of reporting the news the way Chris Anu or Cho Ayaba tells them to!

Cameroon Concord News thinks Southern Cameroonians are forced to choose among the corrupt, ineffectual ADF Cho Ayaba gang, the fanatical, genocidal Chris Anu Youtube group or the legitimate Ambazonia Interim Government of Vice President Dabney Yerima. Of course, this is largely an academic debate. There is only one real ‘choice’ – the Ambazonia Interim Government under the stewardship of Vice President Dabney Yerima. But there is another, more pressing issue than the depressing state of the Southern Cameroons revolution: the refusal to recognise the reality that Southern Cameroonians who can make things happen and threaten Yaoundé are all behind Yerima.

Five years have passed since President Biya declared war against the people of Southern Cameroons. Unfortunately many in French Cameroun, including President Biya, still deny the obvious truth that things will no longer be the same in Southern Cameroons.

Obsessing over the issue of who leads Southern Cameroons has been a disaster for the Ambazonia struggle: it has held back Southern Cameroons progress for generations and cost the Ambazonia people dearly. We are still far away from Buea – and we are not going anywhere. We have been blessed with men like Professor Carlson Anyangwe that could provide bountiful opportunities. Instead of focusing our limited resources on supporting Ground Zero fighters, our leaders have spent years fighting among themselves. The end of Field Marshal is an indication that Southern Cameroons has long past time for all Ambazonians to stop wasting energy on who leads and try to focus on the Federal Republic of Ambazonia agenda. Only then will we get to Buea.

By Chi Prudence Asong

14, July 2022

Road to civil war: French President Macron to visit Cameroon ⁰

President Emmanuel Macron is expected in Yaoundé on July 26, 2022 and it is reportedly going to be his first trip to Africa after his re-election to the Elysée Palace last April.

The French foreign ministry is yet to confirm the information that was made public by the Paris-based Jeune Afrique but Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the intelligence services of both countries are already discussing the visit.

President Macron is expected to renew French commitment for a peaceful transition of power in Cameroon and a political solution to the crisis in Southern Cameroons.

Macron will not be the first French presiding president to actually set foot into that dangerous and corrupt country. But this bold and spontaneous diplomatic move will draw praise and criticism. Most importantly, it stands to re-echo French position on Biya’s continued stay in power and attempts at getting his son Franck Biya to succeed him.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

14, July 2022

Macron wants a ‘rethink’ of French military strategy in Africa amid Mali withdrawal ⁰

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on his ministers and army chiefs to work on the country’s military postures in Africa, amid the complete withdrawal of thousands of its troops from Mali.

Macron made the statement while addressing French troops ahead of the July 14 Bastille Day parade in the capital, Paris, on Thursday, saying he wanted a “rethink of all our (military) postures on the African continent.”

His remarks come as French officials are heading to Niger to purportedly redefine the country’s strategy to allegedly fight armed groups in the Sahel region.

France’s new foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu are due to arrive in Niger on Friday to seal a regional redeployment.

“Beyond Mali, the democratic decline in West Africa is extremely worrying with successive putsches in Mali twice, in Guinea in September 2021, in Burkina Faso in January of this year,” Colonna told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. “France will nevertheless continue despite these events, this withdrawal from Mali, to help West African armies fight against terrorist groups,” he said.

Niger will now become the hub for French troops, with some 1,000 soldiers based in the capital, Niamey, with fighter jets, drones, and helicopters.

Some 300-400 soldiers would be dispatched for special operations with Nigerien troops in the border regions with Burkina and Mali, French officials told reporters in a briefing.

Another 700-1,000 would be based in Chad, with an undisclosed number of special forces operating elsewhere in the region.

The officials said that at this stage, there had been no formal request for further military assistance, amid concerns about whether French and European troops will also support countries in the coastal Gulf of Guinea nations, such as Benin, Togo, and the Ivory Coast, where there is an increase in militant attacks.

Some European countries had shown an interest in continuing regional operations post Mali, the officials said.

Lecornu will travel to the Ivory Coast, which also hosts French troops, on Saturday, while Macron is likely to travel to Benin at the end of July, Colonna said.

Back in February, France declared that it would withdraw thousands of its troops from Mali due to a breakdown in relations with the country, a decade after launching a war without the initial approval of the United Nations or the French parliament.

The decision applies to the 2,400 French troops in Mali, where France first deployed forces to in 2013, and a European force of several hundred soldiers that was created in 2020.

France has been a former colonizer in Africa, which, after many years of outright colonization, still controls countries spread over more than 12 territories and treats their people as second-class citizens. It has had more than 50 military interventions in Africa since 1960, when many of its former colonies gained nominal independence.

France currently has 5,100 troops in the arid and volatile Sahel region. Under a new plan, they will be reduced to 2,500-3,000.

Although France remains the only Western country with a significant military presence in the Sahel, its relationship with its former African colonies has grown increasingly tense in recent months, with an evident increase in anti-French sentiment.

Sources