A stone’s throw from the Moungo, the river that in part marks the separation between the English and French-speaking regions of Cameroon, light armored vehicles and trucks full of soldiers have been on the lookout since the beginning of the African Championship of Nations (CHAN).

This tournament, which brings together 16 African national teams without their stars playing outside the continent, is a dress rehearsal before the African Cup of Nations (CAN), the flagship competition of African soccer scheduled for January 2022.

It is the first major international soccer tournament organized in the world since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. But beyond the health restrictions gauging 25% of the seats, 50% from the semi-finals, the great challenge for the organizers is that of security, in this country in a situation of war on part of its territory.

For the past four years, the English-speaking regions of the Southwest and Northwest have been plagued by a bloody conflict between armed groups demanding the independence of these English-speaking areas and the security forces. The violence has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and more than 700,000 displaced persons. Civilians are caught in the crossfire and are victims of crimes and abuses by both sides, according to international NGOs and the UN.

Some armed groups have vowed to disrupt CHAN. So along the banks of the Moungo, which was also the symbol of the reunification in 1961 of Cameroon under French and British mandates at the end of the First World War, police and military forces were considerably reinforced.

A state of alert

As the qualification phase for the quarter-finals draws to a close, fears are growing in Limbe, the capital of the Southwest region, which will host one of the semi-finals, as well as in Buea, the training site for some of the teams.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Zambia-Namibia match in Limbe approached, the towns on the road from the resort to Douala were almost deserted.

Armed separatists, dubbed Amba Boys passed ‘ghost town’ orders where they ban activity every Mondays.

Since the opening of CHAN, ghost towns are decreed every day and match eve in Limbe. Usually very lively, the small towns of Tiko and Mutengene, between Buea and Limbe, had closed down on Wednesday.

On the road as in Buea, light armor patrols criss-crossed the town with machine guns ready to fire.

In Molyko, the boulevard that cuts Buea in half, lies the burnt body of a car. Four other charred wrecks still lie on the road to Limbé.

Military convoys are sometimes targeted by IEDs, improvised explosives placed along the roadside.

Bomb

In November, suspected separatists attacked a school in Limbé, setting fire to two classrooms and forcing teachers and students to undress.

Descending the mountain to Limbé, as in some ultra-secure areas of Buea, life appears more normal, however. Clusters of schoolchildren and high school students return home after a day of classes. Shops and bars fill up.

But in Limbé, when the matches are approaching, fear is very present.

On Tuesday, “everyone took cover after a bomb exploded,” which did not cause any injuries, not far from the stadium, says Harris, 19, still in shock. “Just to be on the safe side,” the soccer fan did not go to Zambia-Namibia as he had planned.

From a security standpoint, everything is going well,” said Southwestern Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai on Wednesday at halftime of Zambia-Namibia, which was attended by about 1,000 spectators. “We haven’t had any incidents that would have disrupted our program,” he said.

Source: Africa News

Ahead of the football tournament the African Nationals Championship in Cameroon, one initial incident forced Cameroonian authorities to impose strict security measures in the North-West and South-West provinces to ensure the games will go on.

The Cameroonian defence and security forces are particularly vigilant in the English-speaking regions, especially in the South-West, where the African Nations Championship (CHAN) is taking place until 7 February.

After the fire in front of one of the training stadiums in Limbe – allegedly caused by separatists on the eve of the tournament – Joseph Beti Assomo, the minister in charge of defence, decided to strengthen the security measures for CHAN 2021, introduced on 8 January.

Armoured tanks, pick-up trucks and heavy weapons

Under the leadership of a trio made up of Air Brigade General Benoît Eba Eba, commander of the second joint military region, General Elias Toungue, commander of the second gendarmerie region, and Colonel Séverin Eyenga, commander of the 21st motorised infantry brigade based in Buea (South-West), the personnel deployed on the ground have been reinforced and distributed around the host cities, hotels and stadiums.

The troops are supported by an armoured tank and pick-up trucks equipped with heavy weapons. Five checkpoints have been set up around the Limbé stadium and the presidential guard dogs have also been made available to detect dangerous objects. In the Fako department, the prefect has banned the use of motorbike taxis – which are the preferred mode of transport for the separatists – until further notice.

Biya’s commitment

Beti Assomo has informed President Paul Biya of these new provisions. On 15 January, the Head of State had guaranteed the officials of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) that measures would be implemented to ensure the success of the tournament.

However, not all bets are off. While no major incident has been reported so far, a bomb did explode on 26 January near the Rwandan team’s training camp that wounded three on-duty policemen. After the first round, Limbe is expected to host a quarter-final match and one of the two semi-finals of the tournament.

Culled from the Africa Report

Three women referees created history Saturday at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarterfinals.

Ethiopian referee Lidya Tafesse and her assistants, Malawian Bernadettar Kwimbira and Nigerian Mimisen Iyorhe, became the first women to control a match at a senior CAF male tournament.

The breakthrough came two years after women referees handled matches at the African under-23 and under-17 Cup of Nations tournaments.

Tafesse, a former professional basketball player, tolerated no foul play as she yellow-carded three Tanzanians within 10 minutes during the second half.

African male footballers often dispute decisions against them, but most accepted without hesitation the rulings of Tafesse at the Stade Omnisport in the southwestern coastal resort.

“Lidya really enjoyed herself tonight and was a wonderful advertisement for female referees,” a CAF official, who requested anonymity as he is not an official spokesperson, told AFP.

CAF refereeing manager Eddy Maillet from the Seychelles was pleased as the trio created history eight days into the sixth edition of the Nations Championship.

“The CHAN is the second most senior national team competition in the continent after the Africa Cup of Nations,” he said.

“It is a wonderful platform for Lidya, Bernadettar and Mimisen to prove what they are capable of. They competed with male referees for places at this tournament and now they have made history,” he added.

Source: AFP

“Ithink [the] 2022 [Africa Cup of Nations] has the power of taking Cameroonian sport to another level,” says Njie Enow, sport editor at state-owned Cameroon Radio Television.

The central African country is desperate to host the continent despite the many challenges it has faced since being given the right to stage the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). They were stripped of that right when they were deemed unprepared, but given the 2021 edition instead.

And then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, pushing the men’s continental showpiece to 2022. The country’s readiness to host the Afcon is being tested in the African Nations Championship – the Afcon for home-based players – that started on 16 January 2021, and will go on until 7 February.

The country, initially slated to host the competition in 2019, was found to be unprepared by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This after the confederation decided to increase the number of participating teams from 16 to 24. Cameroon were awarded the rights to host in 2014 when only 16 teams were expected to take part. The country’s stadiums could handle that. Now, with 24 teams in the competition, there were doubts about their capacity to handle the expanded version. Cameroon was, however, adamant that they still could successfully host the competition.

Afcon heralds glory days

The country’s obsession with hosting the continental competition might be motivated by the benefits it derived from it in the past. It hopes for a replication of these advantages. Cameroon hosted the competition in 1972. And two stadiums were built then: the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium (named after Cameroon’s first president) and Douala Reunification Stadium. And, until 2016 when the country hosted the women’s edition of Afcon, these were the only facilities to meet international standards.

Now that the country has an opportunity to host another Afcon, the government has built footballing infrastructure in many regions. Five of the country’s 10 regions now have over 30 stadiums and training pitches to be used for the Afcon. “We want to be one of the best in Africa,” says tournament manager, Michel Dissake Mbarga.

Moreover, with improved facilities, the country’s football fraternity – league strength and competitiveness – improves. This results in local teams performing better in continental competitions.

“With the construction of these arenas, and the boom in football, came in greater glory for Cameroonian clubs – Canon of Yaoundé, Tonnerre of Yaoundé and Union of Douala. Canon used to set up at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, while Union set up at the Reunification Stadium,” Enow said.

Cameroonian clubs dominated continental football after the 1972 Afcon hosting. Canon lifted the CAF Champions League in 1978 and 1980 while Union won it in 1979. Tonnere won the 1975 CAF Cup Winners’ Cup.

‘A vehicle to heal a wounded nation’

But this Afcon could do more than just improve the country’s infrastructure, it could also be a vehicle to heal a divided and wounded nation.

On a cold grey night on 5 February 2017, in Cameroon’s Southwest region’s capital, Buea, there were countless groups of Cameroonians watching their national team play in the Afcon final. This despite the Anglophone region being involved in calls and actions for secession.

Buea, the centre of the Anglophone community, had just seen its university students beaten up and some raped because they called for school reforms. This later escalated to a call for separation from the country’s Francophone majority, who make up 80% of Cameroon.

However, Vincent Aboubakar’s 88th minute goal, which gave Cameroon a 2-1 win over Egypt in the final, changed the atmosphere from anger to joy and fanfare. There even was the clacking of pots and pans in celebration throughout the national territory, even in English-speaking regions.

That victory served as a good propaganda tool for President Paul Biya. Cameroon’s Anglophone region had recently been protesting and calling for their own state, saying they are being marginalised by the country’s Francophone majority.

Cameroon, then, won the Afcon at just the right time. President Biya ordered the trophy to be paraded in the capital towns of Cameroon. There was a similar national tour of the Indomitable Lions’ Afcon trophy in 1984 when he faced an attempted coup.

“Sports and politics are intertwined. Periods of sports domination always have helped in consolidating political power,” said Enow.

The Afcon as a pacifier

Cameroon has spent large sums of money to host the tournament. When Dissake was asked why the country did so despite its many problems, he said: “What one should know is that… the head of state decided to offer to the Cameroonian youth more than 30 high-level sports infrastructure. It is for the exploitation of the Cameroonian youth. Nobody will take it away after the Afcon.”

His thoughts are affirmed by the President of the Cameroon Football Federation. “It’s an opportunity to thank the government of Cameroon, especially the head of state for all the efforts that have been put. People don’t imagine what effort it is to build stadiums, to ameliorate infrastructure: roads, hospitals…” Seidou Mbombo Njoya told the press after CAF postponed the 2021 Afcon to 2022.

Using sport, especially major tournaments, to pacify an angry nation is nothing new. Many authoritarian leaders across the globe have done this. The overall mission for Biya is to win back the hearts of Cameroon’s youthful majority. Cameroonians aged 37 and below have known just one president. And under his leadership, the country has been battered by ethnic divisions and conflicts.

Suppressing a coup in 1984, two years after his rise to power, Biya bent the political system to his will. He won the 1992 elections amid controversy, and got re-elected in the 1997 poll effortlessly when the opposition boycotted. He won another term in 2004. He is now in his seventh term as president.

The country’s economy, which has been ailing since the 1990s, is now made worse by a separatist war being fought in the west. This is a nightmare for the president because his failures are laid bare. His leadership, then, is desperate to give Cameroonians the Afcon competition in hopes that they will be pacified and the country “healed”.

 Source: New Frame

The sixth edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) kicks off this weekend in Cameroon. 16 countries are competing, fielding only players who ply their trade in their respective nations’ local leagues. The first two from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals.

The final will be held on February 16 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

The race to dethrone defending champions Morocco is open. The Atlas Lions, beat Nigeria 4-0 infront of a home crowd in 2018 to lift the trophy.

Even if it is difficult to assess the state of form of the teams involved, the Moroccans are among the big favorites of this edition played without Egypt, Senegal or Ivory Coast.

“It is one of the most experienced teams”, said Wahany Sambou, an Africanews correspondent in Senegal.

“A large part of the players of the Moroccan team (7 players in total) won the Confederation Cup with RS Berkane”, Said Sambou.

DRC and Mali eye glory

Among the contenders too is the Democratic Republic of Congo, the nation with the most titles in the competition with two successes in 2009 and 2016.

“There is serenity in the group, the spirit of work, joy and good humor. We’re doing well, we work well,” said team coach Florent Ibenge, who took over the reins of the senior team last December.

This year, we will also have to count on 2016 finalists Mali, and who are moving forward with great ambitions.

“we’re going to Cameroon to look for the trophy. If we set ourselves such objectives, we give ourselves the means to do so. I think we’re capable of doing it,” said coach Nouhoum Diané.

Cameroon are just as hungry

The Malian Eagles will have to leave group A which is particularly strong with the presence of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and hosts Cameroon, who are far from ticking all the boxes according to Sambou.

“This team does not inspire me with confidence simply because it was very disappointing during the preparation tournament for CHAN. Even the supporters are pessimistic”, Sambou said.

Except that in these times of the coronavirus pandemic, it is difficult to draw lessons from the preparation period.

The competition will take place in two brand new stadiums (Limbe Stadium and the little jewel of 50,000-seat Japoma Stadium).

The Reunification Stadium in Douala and Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde will also host games.

The finals will be played in the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium on February 7th.

Fixtures for the opening day

Group A

Cameroon-Zimbabwe (Sat. 17h00)

Mali-Burkina Faso (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Group B

Libya-Niger (Sun. 17:00)

DR Congo – Congo (Sun (20h00)

Group C

Morocco-Togo (Mon. 17h00)

Rwanda-Uganda (Mon. 8:00 pm)

Group D

Zambia-Tanzania (Tue. 5:00 PM)

Guinea-Namibia (Tue. 8:00 pm)

Source: Africa News

It is 2021 January and all eyes are focussed on the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament beginning this Saturday the 16th January in Cameroon. The competition was initially set to be held in April 2020, was shifted to 16 January-7 February by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are total of 16 teams spread across four groups.

Group A: Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe

Group B: Libya, Niger, DR Congo, Congo

Group C: Morocco, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda

Group D: Zambia, Guinea, Namibia, Tanzania

A look into various prospective teams heading to the CHAN, Congo Brazzaville cry fouls over lack of training. The team complained that they have not trained for a period of nine months yet, they have to face the CHAN competition.

Source: Africa News

In Cameroon, one week ahead of the African Nations Soccer Championship, officials have deployed troops to protect players from across Africa as separatists vow to stop the games in restive English-speaking regions. The government is assuring football fans from across Africa that the games will be safe and that measures have also been taken to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The official song of the African Nations Championship (CHAN), by Cameroon singer Jane Mary Ihims, plays in markets and popular spots in Cameroon’s capital city, Yaoundé, ahead of the official kickoff of the tournament on January 16.

The local organizing committee of CHAN asked the song We Are All Champions to be played to keep football fans in the mood for the competition. 

Thirty-one-year-old Telesphore Ndoumbe says he supports Cameroon and is looking for the team’s supporter’s T-shirt to buy.

“Football is a unifying factor in Cameroon and the world at large, so I am expecting that during this period, hatred, anger will subside,” Ndoumbe said. “And I think that will be the beginning of a new live that we are going to experience.”

Ndoumbe said he would be watching the matches in stadiums in Yaoundé and the games in other towns on TV.

CHAN matches will be played in Yaoundé, the coastal city, Douala, and the English-speaking southwestern town of Limbe.

Thomas Ndive Mulungo, president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) in the English-speaking South West region, where Limbe is located, says people are anxiously waiting for the tournament to begin. 

“The people of the South West region are passionate about the game of football,” Mulungo said. “With the facilities, the infrastructures we have today in our region, we are proud. It is not only the football in the field of play, but it has economic multiplier effects to the community and the host towns.”

But separatists have warned on Social Media that countries taking part in the championship should not go to the South West region. The separatists, in messages on Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, say the English-speaking regions are crisis-prone and the safety of the teams cannot be assured there.

Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of the English-speaking South West region, says measures have been taken to ensure the safety of soccer fans, officials and players from Africa and beyond. He spoke via a messaging app from Buea, capital of the South West region.

He says when the separatist crisis started in November 2016, the 20,000-capacity Limbe stadium hosted the Female African Football Cup of Nations. He says in 2017 and 2018, Cameroon’s national soccer team played against Gabon and Gambia in Limbe. He says the successful hosting of such international matches is indication that the security and safety of football fans from across Africa and beyond will be assured despite separatist threats.

Bilai added there are still some pockets of resistance from separatists fighting to create an English-speaking state in French-majority Cameroon. He said the military and police have been deployed to deal with separatists who fail to surrender.

Cameroon’s sports minister, Narcisse Mouele Kombi, says the central African country has also taken measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

He says the African Nations Championship will be one of the world’s first major sporting events since the advent of COVID-19. He says in order to respect COVID-19 prevention measures, Cameroon will strictly apply recommendations from the Confederation of African Football and admit into each stadium only 25% of capacity. He says the number of spectators will be increased to 50% of each stadium’s capacity starting with the quarter finals level. He says besides keeping a distance of at least 1.5 meters, every spectator will be required to wear a face mask.

Cameroon will play in Group A with Mali, Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe, while Group B comprises Libya, DR Congo, Congo and Niger.  Group C has Morocco, Rwanda, Uganda and Togo, while Group D has Zambia, Guinea, Namibia and Tanzania.

The African Nations Championship exclusively features players from each nation’s respective national champions.

CHAN will serve as a warm-up for Cameroon ahead of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations the central African state will be hosting.

Source: VOA