16, October 2018

Cameroon’s Presidential Polls: Kamto Campaign rejects ‘leaked’ results showing Biya victory ⁰

Cameroon’s main opposition candidate, Maurice Kamto, who last week declared himself winner of the October 7 presidential election, has rejected ‘leaked’ results that show a landslide victory for his opponent, the incumbent Paul Biya.

In a Facebook post, posted on Monday, Kamto said results which are purported to originate from the National Vote Counting Commission, are ‘fake figures originating from fabricated sheets of fake observers of Transparency International’.

‘‘In reaction to this falsified victory, CRM and its coalition of political parties and other organisations supporting the candidacy of Maurice Kamto have categorically rejected these falsified results,’‘ read part of the statement.

The National Voting Commission, which is responsible for counting the votes cast throughout Cameroon and in the diaspora, reportedly submitted its report to the Constitutional Council on 15th October.

According to the report of this commission, which has been reportedly leaked on social media, Paul Biya received over 71% of the votes cast, against a paltry 14% for Kamto. The Constitutional Council has up to 22nd October to announce the final results of the presidential election.

In the meantime, the opposition which has called for partial and total annulment of the presidential election, will have their petitions heard by the Constitutional Council on Tuesday.

Source: Africa News

16, October 2018

Uganda Hopes Kanye West, Kardashian Visit Boosts Tourism ⁰

American rapper Kanye West and socialite wife Kim Kardashian are visiting Uganda and bringing some much-wanted, positive attention to the East African country. Deadly election-related violence in August caused many tour groups to cancel trips, dealing a blow to the economy. Uganda’s tourism body is hoping the couple’s stay will attract more visitors.

A cartoon in a Ugandan newspaper depicts Kanye West sipping a local beer and thinking “Uganda is gold,” while wife Kim Kardashian, in a red bikini, takes a selfie under the sunset.

Meanwhile, in a reversed Safari, wild African animals compete to get a good look at the celebrity couple.

The sketch underscores the attention West and Kardashian’s visit is bringing to Uganda, where the rapper says he will record a new album.

Amos Wekesa of Great Lakes Safari said the couple’s superstar presence can be used to boost tourist numbers.

“So we need to be able to exploit that. If 100,000 people came here because of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, we would probably expect over $200 million and that would probably create not less than 2,000 jobs in the country. Whatever they are filming right now will stay online for a very long time and it will continue to market Uganda as a key destination.”

Tourism groups canceled planned visits to Uganda after violence erupted in August in relation to a local election.

Clashes broke out between security forces and youth supporters of the musician-turned-politician known as Bobi Wine. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was arrested and charged with treason for allegedly throwing rocks at President Yoweri Museveni’s car.

West on Monday met Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for three decades, and gave the president a new pair of white sneakers.

Social media posts made fun of the gift, noting the president is known for wearing odd-looking shoes.

Echoing opposition calls for Museveni to step down, one post read, “We hope that this pair of sneakers can inspire him to sneak out of power.”

It was not clear if West would meet fellow musician Wine, who is trying to get permission from authorities to hold a concert while on bail.

West made headlines last Thursday when he met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House Oval Office. The rapper stunned reporters by giving Trump a big hug, pounding the president’s desk, and using profanity.

On the streets of Kampala, not everyone was aware of the celebrity couple’s visit to Uganda, but, Leah Kahunde voiced excitement.

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni chat outside State House Entebbe, Oct. 15, 2018.

“Kim Kardashian herself has a following bigger than Uganda’s population. So imagine a whole country’s population is eyes on Uganda. That means a lot for my country. And also the tax base and maybe more revenue, that way they might stop milking us and trying to tax us just to make up for expenditure. So it’s a plus for our tourism industry.”

While in Uganda, West and Kardashian are staying in the country’s largest national park, Murchison Falls.

John Ssempebwa is the deputy executive director for Uganda’s Tourism Board. He offered an explanation as to why he thought the couple chose Uganda.

“The Murchison Falls National Park is where the River Nile squeezes into the narrowest of rocks. And makes this thundering sound that can be heard kilometers away. It’s the only place in the world, where it’s actually raining fish. Fishes coming in pushed by this speed of water, so huge, falling. And guess what’s down there waiting for them? The fattest crocodiles in the world.”

Posting on her snapchat, Kardashian wrote, “Dear world, there is another heaven in Uganda.”

Culled from the VOA

15, October 2018

Leaked CPDM memo shows Biya tightening grip on Maurice Kamto ⁰

According to a leaked Cameroon government document, CPDM barons are planning to strictly control the activities of Prof Maurice Kamto, the man widely believed to have won the October 7 presidential elections including members of his coalition. The ruling Beti-Ewondo elites are also aiming to further militarise the nation’s capital before the official proclamation of the results.

Meanwhile, leading members of the Francophone dominated Cameroon opposition and civil society groups this week hinted Cameroon Concord News Group about widespread surveillance and intimidation tactics being used against Southern Cameroonians and people from the Western region which is the political base of the President-Elect, Maurice Kamto.

The internal memo, written by the Delegate-General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele was leaked late this evening to our chief intelligence officer in Yaoundé and outlined plans for more than 300 officers to provide what the Biya regime intends to paint as a “protective custody” on Maurice Kamto, leader of the MRC party.

Prof Kamto was recently prevented from holding a press conference and many members of his campaign have been arrested on widely discredited claims that he declared himself winner of the October 7 presidential election.

While mainly detailing measures and tricks and action planned by the Biya regime to link the Kamto Campaign to terrorism, crime and social chaos, the document also mentions broader plans to crush the Southern Cameroons resistance.

The Francophone authorities are to strictly control activities of Bamilekes and Anglophone civil society organizations, Anglophone and Bamileke unions, Nigerians, former Anglophone military officers and the members of the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, it read.

The document comes to light after the Maurice Kamto coalition won the presidential elections. The vote has been widely criticised as flawed. The ballot took place following a more than two years of intensified repression of Southern Cameroonians, Biya regime critics and independent media that has seen some 4000 Southern Cameroonians killed, several hundred jailed and some 50,000 living in refugees camps in neighboring Nigeria. There has since been an escalation in the surveillance of opposition groups and critics of the regime, sources said.

Cameroon government spies are currently standing outside Prof. Kamto’s residence and at his political headquarters disguised as news reporters or motorcycle taxi drivers. The Biya spies have been following everyone in the Kamto coalition in Douala, Yaounde and Bafoussam.

There are widespread complaints of police disrupting or shutting down meetings involving the Maurice Kamto Campaign. Recently, Senior Divisional Officers have started demanding that press conferences and political meetings should be banned.

A source, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, told this reporter that they had heard from sources in Cameroon’s secret service that a meeting had been pencilled in for the end of this week to draw up a list of top Bamilekes to be monitored by the regime. The Betis have recruited many social media gurus to help in the fight to guarantee Biya’s continued stay in power.

The CPDM regime is mixing traditional techniques such as physical surveillance and intimidation with modern approaches including the use of digital tools in CAMTEL, the Ministry of Post and Telecom and the judicial system to silence Kamto and his coalition and by extrapolation, the Cameroonian people. Any hopes that space for critical voices would re-emerge after the October 7th election had been quashed.

The constant monitoring, intimidation and harassment of religious leaders and the corresponding lack of transparency and accountability when it comes to attacks against opposition figures has created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

15, October 2018

France: Macron cabinet reshuffle delayed due to severe floods ⁰

Two weeks after the hasty departure of France’s interior minister Gérard Collomb, Emmanuel Macron’s long-awaited government reshuffle is expected to be announced Monday. The president and his prime minister have been weighing the reshuffle for a few weeks, following the departure of three ministers since late August, including Interior Minister Gérard Collomb and Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot.

Several ministerial posts could be affected. Given the recent spate of resignations, observers have questioned why the reshuffle has been so long in coming. Ministers had been expecting the rejig before a cabinet meeting last week. But the Élysée said it would not happen until Macron’s return from a visit to Armenia that Friday.

Macron, whose authority has been challenged over Collomb’s departure, said he wanted to take his time.

“When you want to work with people, you must take the time to get to know them, to make sure that we think the same thing and to check all the elements,” Emmanuel Macron told FRANCE 24 during an interview on Friday in Armenia, where he was attending the international summit of French-speaking countries.

“You need to make these decisions calmly, methodically and at the right pace. The government is at work. There are no empty seats. Things are moving along,” he said.

Macron, 40, faces multiple challenges in carrying out a significant revamp. Not only must he try to maintain the left-right balance that he made a hallmark of his centrist movement, but also find strong candidates from among a relatively shallow and inexperienced pool of loyalists.

“The president wishes to take all the time necessary to draw up a team in a calm and professional way,” the Élysée Palace said in a statement announcing the reshuffle’s delay.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, a member of Macron’s inner circle, denied the Macron administration was in disarray.

“There is no division in the government or the parliamentary majority on the political line we are pursuing,” he said.

Macron’s popularity has sunk in recent months as frustration has welled up over a leader many voters see as arrogant and the architect of policies that favour the wealthy.

Opponents branded the reshuffle a “tragi-comedy” that exposed a shortage of political experience in the ruling party.

Macron’s République En Marche party, though, holds a commanding majority in the National Assembly (lower house), his presidential term runs until 2022, and the opposition is divided, meaning he faces no immediate threat.

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe told baying opposition lawmakers there was “no anxiety, no restlessness” inside an administration committed to social and economic reform including an overhaul of the pension and unemployment benefit systems.

A senior Élysée official said the reshuffle process was taking longer than expected because Macron had redrawn the political landscape and brought in faces from outside politics.

“We’re no longer in an age where because someone has 15 years of service under their belt they deserve to become a minister,” the official said.

Diminished pulling power

Macron’s rivals are not convinced.

“Macron’s ability to attract is pretty weak,” hard-left lawmaker Alexis Corbière told BFM TV. “Many are asking themselves: ‘What should we do in this mess?’ They don’t want to be finished politically by becoming a minister in a government that risks descending into crisis in less than a year.”

In winning power in May 2017, Macron and his En Marche movement demolished France’s traditional mainstream parties. He went on to poach senior politicians from both poles and draft in newcomers to build a government “neither of the right nor left”.

But as the lustre has worn off his young presidency, and the impact of early reforms to the labour code and tax rules have yet to filter through, rivals have sought to depict an increasingly isolated figure with diminished star power.

“That they cannot replace the interior minister highlights chaos inside the Macron administration,” said Valérie Boyer of the centre-right Les Républicains party. “Either there’s a lack of names or a lack of candidates in whom the president can trust and who will stay loyal to his programme.”

While Macron doesn’t face re-election until 2022, European Parliament elections in May next year and municipal voting in France in 2020 could turn into a semi-referendum on his mid-term performance.

Particularly damaging to Macron in recent weeks were comments made by ex-interior minister Collomb. An early convert to Macronism, Collomb said the president and his team “lacked humility” and warned of hubris – a viewpoint which opinion polls show is shared by many voters.

“The issue here is not the government but the president, a president who is seen by French people as someone who doesn’t listen to them, and even belittles them,” said Jean-Daniel Levy of pollster Harris Interactive.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

15, October 2018

Biya’s concocted victory leaked? ⁰

Local media portals are reporting that a leaked result shows that president Paul Biya was in the lead with over 71% of votes cast. The government or ELECAM has yet to confirm or deny the information.

The fight against fake news was one of the core campaign issues ahead of the election. Yaoundé had gone as far as seek the help of social media giants, Facebook, to help combat the menace.

Elections body, ELECAM, on Thursday confirmed that it had been served legal challenges to the October 7 presidential polls. A total of 18 individuals and parties had approached the Constitutional Council.

“They are thus allowed 48 hours to submit their replies, against a receipt. Section 133 (3) od the Electoral Code,” it added in a tweet.

Meanwhile a local journalist is reporting that the main opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, candidate, Joshua Osih in his application to the Council is seeking a total cancellation of the process.

ELECAM has fifteen day period to release results but opposition parties hold that it is largely a period during which results are manipulated. An Aspirant, Maurice Kamto claimed victory on Monday with a government response branding him as “irresponsible and lawless.”

Source: Africa News

15, October 2018

October 7: Kamto Campaign calls on Cameroonians to defend victory ⁰

Some eight days after Prof Maurice Kamto of the MRC party declared himself winner of the October 7 presidential election, the Biya regime is still struggling to hold on to power. The Kamto Campaign has reportedly told the military to stop showing loyalty to the man tormenting the Cameroonian people.

At a well-attended press briefing in Yaoundé, the spokesman for the Kamto team said “Cameroonians would no longer tolerate such perversion of justice. Cameroonians of their own free will voted for Prof Maurice Kamto the presidential standard bearer of the MRC in the October 7^th polls”

Information filtering from the National Vote-counting Commission relating to the results of the presidential elections is now indicating a landslide victory for the 85 year-old President Biya. MRC and the coalition that constituted itself around candidate Maurice Kamto have categorically rejected these results saying it has been fabricated with the help of some unmasked fake Transparency International observers.

The Kamto Campaign continues to claim victory in the election in conformity with the truth from the polling stations that was made available in the evening of October 7, 2018. The Kamto Coalition has also rejected all forms of violence recently implored by the Biya regime and has also exhorted the Cameroonian people to remain vigilant and be ready to fight to protect their victory.

By Sama Ernest in Yaounde

15, October 2018

SOBA UK appoints new Patrons, Dismisses SOBA National lifetime bans on Exco ⁰

On 22nd September 2018, the General Assembly of SOBA UK met at St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trent, the Home of England National Teams under the theme of “Together we Succeed”. The General Assembly was well attended and members sat through a six-hour meeting to deliberate on all issues on the published agenda.

The following key resolutions are officially published;

1) The Appointment of New Patrons

The SOBA UK General Assembly appointed new Patrons in line with Article 15 (1, 3, and 5) of the SOBA UK Constitution;

Patron membership shall be awarded to persons who have been outstanding in their efforts and contributions to the business of SOBA UK.
Persons who qualify for patron membership shall be elected as such by the Convention Assembly on the proposal of the Chapter Executive. Persons so promoted, shall be notified in writing by the Secretary.
Patron membership shall be conferred for two years after which, membership is reviewed by the Convention assembly.

The General Assembly took two decisions, namely;

Ended the patronages of all existing patrons previously appointed in line with Article 15.5 2. Appointed the following new patrons in line with Article 15.1 and 15.3 effective immediately; Patron Joseph Foncha (Class of 1962) Patron Cyril Alima (Class 1973) Patron Ashu Akoachere (Class 1978) Patron Maximus Ewane (Class 1979) Patron Francis Shupo (Class 1980) Patron Thompson Egbe (Class 1982) We wish all our new patrons every success in their roles as patrons of SOBA UK.

2) The Dismissal of the lifetime bans of SOBA UK Executives Referral of ‘Misconduct outcomes’ and pronouncements by SOBA National Council in Cameroon to SOBA UK members.

Article 18: SOBA UK Constitution

The Convention Assembly shall be the supreme and final authority of the Association.
It shall comprise all the registered members of SOBA UK. However, it shall be constituted, and thus shall be entitled to proceed with its business, if at least four members of the Executive and a minimum of sixteen other members of the Association are present.

The General Assembly of registered members in SOBA is superior to the SOBA National Council (Article 22, SOBA Constitution 1991). The SOBA UK General Assembly has been used as the reference General Assembly due to its jurisdiction, and the members concerned are registered to the United Kingdom SOBA General Assembly.

Matter for General Assembly Consideration

On 3 September 2018, the SOBA National Council in Cameroon made the following pronouncements:

That Mr. Ayuk Akoh-Arrey, Mr. Francis Shupo and Mr. John Bawak were expelled from the Sasse Old boys Association (SOBA) for life with no recourse to re-admission in any SOBA chapter in the world.
Mr. Denis Angafor was suspended for a period of 5 years and without leave for registration in any chapter in the world.
Mr. Bime Lafon, Mr. Babangida Usamatu, Mr. Batey Tako and Mr. Frankline Egbe were seriously warned and advised to deceit (SGC representation) from unethical activities that will attract further sanctions from the SGC.

On the charge of a) Contempt of the Proprietor of St Joseph’s College Sasse, the SOBA General Council, SOBA General, SOBA President General and SOBA General Executives; b) Usage of the SOBA name, and logo for disruptive purposes; c) Slanderous and libellous statements made against the SOBA General Council, SOBA General, SOBA President General and SOBA General Executive; d) Advocating severance or complete separation from SOBA General (national chapter); e) Misrepresenting, fabricating and altering the contents of the SOBA Constitution to advance own agenda.

Decision of the General Assembly

The SOBA UK GA unanimously voted to DISMISS the SOBA National Council decisions in Cameroon put before it by its Executive and declared the decisions as INVALID. The General Assembly of SOBA UK confirms this matter as closed and members concerned should continue as members of the association in the United Kingdom.

The General Assembly cited the following reasons:

The General Assembly resolves that there are no bases for these draconian sanctions, and that the SOBA UK General Assembly was never consulted on this matter.
The General Assembly is the supreme and final authority of the Association in the United Kingdom as per Article 18.1 and 18.2 of the SOBA UK Constitution. The members concerned are registered members of SOBA UK and therefore cannot refer this matter to the General Assembly in Cameroon. The reference General Assembly is that of the United Kingdom which sat on 22nd September, 2018 and deliberated on the matter.

Background:

On 24 July 2018, members of SOBA UK received communication from Mr. Ebot Mfoataw announcing ‘Notice of Investigation for Gross Misconduct’. On 26 July 2018, a response proposing an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was sent by these “Individuals”, individually and together to Mr. Ebot Mfoataw and to the competent authority as prescribed by the 1991 SOBA Constitution.

On 3 September 2018, Mr. Ebot Mfoataw sent another communication to the same individuals making the above pronouncements, that have been circulated throughout the social media and a clear attempt to discredit and humiliate the SOBA UK executive.

The SOBA National branch has failed to hold General Assembly meetings and has allowed the SOBA National Council led by a handful of individuals to become the de facto Supreme Authority of SOBA which is against the constitution.

15, October 2018

Francophonie Summit: Biya acolyte goes begging ⁰

Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE Minister of State reportedly held a meeting with Lejeune Mbella Mbella, Foreign Minister of Cameroon, on the sidelines of the 17th Francophonie Summit in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Lejeune Mbella Mbella and Zaki Nusseibeh during the meeting discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. We gathered that the Biya acolyte told the United Arab Emirate politician that Cameroon was badly in need of financial support.

Reported by CIR with files from Urdupoint

15, October 2018

Cameroon and Gabon polls were to prolong unpopular regimes of Biya and Ali Bongo ⁰

Following elections in Gabon and Cameroon last weekend, it has become clear that the two countries have several things in common.

The polls were expected to prolong unpopular and unstable regimes of Ali Bongo and Paul Biya respectively.

Whereas the oil-rich Gabon held long-delayed legislative and municipal elections on October 6, Cameroonians cast their presidential election ballots the following day.

The two nations are run by regimes that are well past their sell-by dates.

Pointedly, calls for the observance of constitutional term limits have been ignored in Gabon and Cameroon, with incumbents using all kind of tricks to remain in power.

Ali Bongo is the scion of Omar Bongo, who held sway in the country for decades, going down in history as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

VICTORY

Indeed, the older Bongo is remembered for establishing a decades-old dynasty by dint of resisting democratic changes.

While Gabon has been ruled by the same political dynasty for almost half a century, Cameroon’s 85-year-old Biya has been in power since 1982!

But whereas he might have been sitting pretty in the past, political dynamics in Cameroon are rapidly changing. Biya is beginning to find it difficult to keep the volatile country on an even keel.

The situation is slightly different for Ali Bongo, whose ruling Gabonese Democratic Party claimed victory in the legislative poll “by a landslide”.

Even before the announcement of the final results, presidential spokesman Ike Ngouoni said Bongo’s party won 80 of the 143 parliamentary seats in the first round.

That claim should have been taken with a pinch of salt, given that some opposition candidates and witnesses said irregularities marred the poll.

RESULTS

The elections, incidentally boycotted by Bongo’s key rival Jean Ping, were the first ones since a presidential election marred by fraud claims and deadly violence two years ago.

Cameroon faces a long wait for the results, despite victory claims by opposition contender Maurice Kamto.

Kamto, who the is leader of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon, said on Monday that he won the vote, triggering street celebrations.

The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement accused Kamto of compromising peace.

Pointedly, the poll followed a last-minute attempt by a weak opposition to unite in a desperate bid to dislodge Biya.

Amid the drama, all indications are that Cameroon is headed for a long election dispute.

APATHY

That aside, there was an alarmingly low turnout in the conflict-torn anglophone regions, amid media reports that violence has been spiralling out of control.

“Turnout in the English-speaking regions has been low. Almost all the returns we have seen show a less than five per cent turnout,” International Crisis Group analyst Hans de Marie Heungoup said earlier in the week.

According to media reports, deaths and detentions have been the order of the day in the troubled areas, where the authorities have been cracking down on activists.

The army has been accused of shooting independence activists dead, burning unarmed civilians alive and other abuses.

Unfortunately, the country’s polling process is convoluted, with the final, official tally of the votes expected within 15 days from the date of the election.

Given that scenario, the country is likely to remain in the grip of tension for the coming week, with nobody able to foretell what will happen if Biya wins a seventh term.

Culled from Daily Nation

15, October 2018

The contested election and the war in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia ⁰

Earlier this week, opposition candidate Maurice Kamto claimed election victory ahead of the official election results announcement. Unofficial and unverified election results numbers have flooded social media in Cameroon, which in the past the government has been accused of repressing internet freedom especially during election time. The early announcement by Kamto has been fueled with controversy escalating political tensions in the country.

Gregoire Owona, deputy secretary-general of the incumbent Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement party, has accused Prof. Maurice Kamto of breaking the law by claiming victory prior to the release of official results. The votes are still being counted with many experts expecting President Paul Biya to return for a seventh term.

Internally displaced English speakers from Southern Cameroons find themselves stranded in their own country, afraid to go home, as the violence continues

Conflict in Southern Cameroons has forced hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes. English speakers in the region are demanding independence from a Francophone-dominated government. The government has rejected demands for independence, but has said it is open to talks.

Meanwhile, both sides of the conflict have been accused of human rights violations and those who have sought refuge inside the country want to return home, but are haunted by the horrors they have witnessed.

Compiled by Chi Prudence Asong