Thousands flee their homes as fire spreads in California

31, July 2018

Thousands flee their homes as fire spreads in California 0

More than ten thousand people fled their homes in Mendocino County, California, as wildfires quickly spread on Sunday, July 29, local media reported.

An antique car, part of a collection, lays in rubble in a devastated neighborhood July 29, 2018 near Redding, California, where firefighters say only 5 percent of a nearly 90,000 acre fire has been contained. (AFP)

 

The so-called Mendocino Complex fire spread to more than 30,500 acres (12,300-hectares) on Sunday, they said.

Meanwhile, firefighters struggled to contain a brush fire in Nevada overnight. The so-called Perry fire started on Friday (July 27)and burned through more than 25,000 acres (10,100-hectares) over the weekend.

A deer stands on a road painted with fire retardant during the Carr fire near the town of Igo, California on July 28, 2018. (AFP)

 

Wildfires have scorched almost 4.3 million acres (1.7 million hectares) across the country so far this year, less than last year but more than the 3.7 million-acre (1.5 million-hectares) average for the same period over the last decade.


Biya regime could lose AFCON 2019 hosting rights

31, July 2018

Biya regime could lose AFCON 2019 hosting rights 0

Former Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed Shobeir has said Cameroon would be stripped of the hosting rights for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco already lined up as replacement.

Widespread media reports in Egypt on Monday suggested that severe delays in the progress of work has resulted in the decision to strip Cameroon of the right to host the competition.

According to reports in Egypt, a final decision is expected to by taken during the CAF Congress in September with an inspection mission in Cameroon in the month of August unlikely to take place.

Ahmad refused to answer questions on the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon on Monday on Egyptian television, saying it would be discussed at CAF’s extraordinary congress in September to be held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

Authorities in Cameroon have maintained the country is ready to host the tournament which has been expanded to 24 teams for the first time.

The Prime Minister and Head of Government Philemon Yang was in one of the host cities, Douala to assess the level of works. He has also been to other construction sites around the country.

Source: Journal du Cameroun


MH370 disappearance remains mystery after release of detailed report

31, July 2018

MH370 disappearance remains mystery after release of detailed report 0

The real cause for the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cannot be determined, said a detailed report on the incident released by a safety investigation team on Monday.

Investigator of the Malaysian ICAO ANNEX 13 Safety Investigation team for MH370 Kok Soo Chon speaks during a media briefing in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, on July 30, 2018. (AFP)

 

During a press conference held by the Malaysian government, the investigator-in-charge said that the report was a result of joint cooperation by eight countries, but said it is not the final report into the mysterious case which has gripped the world.

The 1,100-page report will be submitted to the Malaysian House of Representatives on Tuesday for consideration.

The doomed MH370, carrying 239 on board, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Sarah Nor, the mother of Norliakmar Hamid, a passenger on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, cries as she arrives for the final investigation report on missing flight MH370 in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur on July 30, 2018. (AFP)

 

The report said the team had reached the conclusion that the plane did deviate from its flight path and that its change in direction over the Indian Ocean was made under manual control, but said there was not enough evidence to confirm if there was any unlawful interference by a third party.

Source: Presstv


Pope accepts resignation of Australian archbishop convicted of sex abuse cover-up

30, July 2018

Pope accepts resignation of Australian archbishop convicted of sex abuse cover-up 0

An Australian archbishop convicted of concealing abuse by a notorious pedophile priest in the 1970s says he hopes his stepping down would be a “catalyst to heal pain and distress” after his resignation was accepted by Pope Francis.

The Vatican announced on Monday the departure of Philip Wilson, sentenced to a year in detention earlier this month, after becoming one of the highest-ranking church officials to be convicted on the charge in May.

Wilson was found guilty in an Australian court of failing to report allegations against pedophile priest Jim Fletcher.

He submitted his resignation, which he says was not requested by the Vatican, on July 20, a day after Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on the Pope to sack the 67-year-old.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull listens to a question during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at Kirribilli House in Sydney on May 2, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

 

In a statement released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide on Monday, Wilson said, “I made this decision because I have become increasingly worried at the growing level of hurt that my recent conviction has caused within the community.”

Turnbull welcomed the resignation in a statement to Fairfax Media on Monday, adding that “there is no more important responsibility for community and church leaders than the protection of children.”

Wilson had long denied the charges and initially resisted calls to resign pending an appeal against his conviction.

Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson

 

His legal team made four attempts to have the case thrown out, arguing that their client suffered from Alzheimer’s and should therefore avoid trial.

But a magistrate in Australia found Wilson guilty of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person, concluding that his primary motive was to protect the church.

He said when sentencing him Wilson had showed “no remorse or contrition.”

The court has adjourned the matter until August 14 to assess whether Wilson can serve his sentence under home detention.

Wilson’s conviction comes amid a host of accusations that the Catholic Church ignored and covered up child abuse in Australia, charges that have also plagued other countries.

Over five years of investigations, the royal commission spoke to thousands of victims and heard claims of abuse, involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools.

Wilson’s departure comes just two days after the Pope accepted the resignation of US cardinal Theodore McCarrick, 88, accused of sexually abusing a teenager while working as a priest in New York in the early 1970s.

McCarrick is just the second cardinal ever to lose his status. He remains a priest pending the Vatican investigative process.

Last month, Francis accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops amid accusations of abuse and related cover-ups.

(Source: AFP)


FIFA World Cup: Turks in Berlin protest ‘unfair’ media coverage in Ozil case

30, July 2018

FIFA World Cup: Turks in Berlin protest ‘unfair’ media coverage in Ozil case 0

Turkish community representatives gathered outside Europe’s largest publishing house in Berlin on Sunday to protest against alleged unfair media coverage.

Around 100 people protested outside the Axel Springer HQ – home of Bild, Die Welt, and Fakt – under the motto “I am Ozil” in reference to scandal over German footballer of Turkish origin Mesut Ozil.

Many demonstrators held Turkish flags and wore jerseys with Ozil’s name on them as well as T-shirts depicting the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier in the month, Ozil retired from international football at the age of 29, citing ‘disrespect, insults and pressure’. He and teammate Ilkay Gundogan were widely criticized for posing in a photograph alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with many questioning their loyalty to Germany’s values.

(Source: Ruptly)


Battle for Southern Cameroons: Ndop prison overrun by armed men, 163 inmates escape

30, July 2018

Battle for Southern Cameroons: Ndop prison overrun by armed men, 163 inmates escape 0

Over 160 prisoners have escaped from jail in Cameroon’s north-west region following an attack on the facility by armed men suspected to be separatists.

According to state media CRTV, the overnight attack on the Ndop prisons was two-pronged. The attackers are said to have lit a fire amid the use of gun fire.

“More than 160 prisoners from Ndop prison (North West) fled” after the attack on the penitentiary where they were burnt by an armed group, a source close to the regional authorities said.

View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterWilliam Benedict Emvoutu Mbita, head of the department of Ngoketunjia where Ndop is located confirmed that some escapees had voluntarily returned and were due to be transferred to the regional capital, Bamenda.

The attackers who “fired from everywhere”, were able to “break the gates of the prison” before “setting fire to all the buildings,“he added, stressing that they had brought fuel to cause the fire.

He further disclosed that operations were underway to find the other escapees. This is the first time since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in late 2016 that such a large number of prisoners manage to escape following the attack on a prison.

Source: Africa News


A message to the world on the crisis in Southern Cameroons from Ambassador Mahmoud Adam Jama

30, July 2018

A message to the world on the crisis in Southern Cameroons from Ambassador Mahmoud Adam Jama 0

It is painfully obvious African leaders and humanitarian organizations have failed to respond to the unraveling crisis in Southern Cameroon.

What makes this even more alarming is the fact [that] unspeakable crimes continue to be committed against the civilian population there.

The repression and brutality are targeted at a specific region. Nobody is immune. Nobody is off limits.

The recent footage of the extrajudicial executions of civilian—including women and children—is sickening. The images are horrific and heart wrenching. We can see exactly where this is going!

Yet world leaders ignore this impending catastrophe.

Leaders who vowed to never again stand by and allow such crimes to happen, are ironically African leaders who fought oppression in their lifetime; but who [now] seem eerily silent at this particular moment in history.

The situation is dire and [quickly] deteriorating.

An estimated 160,000 people have been displaced, and are in urgent need of relief and humanitarian assistance. International peacekeeping troops are needed there to stop the killing and safeguard civilians, and there must be a United Nations investigation into the human rights abuses.

A sad and tragic chapter in Africa’s history is unfolding. We must remember the mistakes of the past!

We must remember Somaliland! We must remember Rwanda!

WE MUST STOP THE KILLING

AMB Mahmoud Adam Jama

SOMALILAND’S FORMER AMBASSADOR TO ETHIOPIA


Ghanaian Pastor Killed In Southern Cameroons: President Nana Akufo-Addo admin to help return body

29, July 2018

Ghanaian Pastor Killed In Southern Cameroons: President Nana Akufo-Addo admin to help return body 0

The Government of Ghana has promised to help return the body of the late Ghanaian missionary who was gruesomely killed in Cameroon .

This follows complaints by the family of the 28-year old missionary to the effect that the government had ignored their calls for help.

The deceased, Apostle Isaac Attoh, who is survived by a young widow and a two-month old baby boy was shot dead in the troubled town of Batibo in Cameroon.

The deceased was dressed with his clerical when he was killed.

Observers have condemned the death of the pastor, but the church in Cameroon is yet to make an official intervention.

Unconfirmed reports say Attoh was killed alongside two other Ghanaians who are yet to be identified.

Efforts by some stranded Ghanaian pastors and friends in Cameroon to retrieve the body of the deceased had proven futile, as the military was unwilling to release the body to anyone.

The late Isaac Attoh, the third of four siblings is survived by his wife and a 2-month-old baby boy.

His family had earlier urged the Ghanaian government and the International community to intervene and get his remains ferried to Ghana for burial.

It is unclear why the pastor will be shot, but there is currently a fast-escalating chaos in Cameroon after some activists began peaceful protests to request that English language be used in the courtrooms and public schools of the country’s two anglophone regions including Bamenda.

Dozens of people have so far died, with hundreds imprisoned, and thousands escaping across the border to Nigeria as a result of the situation.

If the situation is not defused through dialogue, the entire country could be destabilised ahead of elections in the autumn, according to the International Crisis Group.

Source: Modern Ghana


Relief workers in Nigeria are struggling to cope with a new wave of fleeing Southern Cameroons refugees

29, July 2018

Relief workers in Nigeria are struggling to cope with a new wave of fleeing Southern Cameroons refugees 0

Ever since Acting President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe declared an independent ‘Ambazonia’ state in southern Cameroon, tens of thousands have fled violence into Nigeria and relief workers are struggling to keep up.

Relief workers in southern Nigeria are struggling to cope with a new wave of refugees fleeing Cameroon.

Fighting began in October when Southern Cameroonians declared an independent state they call “Ambazonia” which was formerly known as British Southern Cameroons.

Since the fighting started, an estimated 30,000 have been crossing the border into Nigeria and more arriving as the violence continues.

Culled from Aljazeera


Ambazoniagate: Wife of Interim President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe writes to the UN Secretary General

29, July 2018

Ambazoniagate: Wife of Interim President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe writes to the UN Secretary General 0

His Excellency Mr António Guterres

Secretary-General

United Nations

One United Nations Plaza

New York, NY  10017

 

Open Letter

 

ABDUCTION, ILLEGAL DETENTION AND DEPORTATION OF MY HUSBAND (JULIUS AYUK TABE) AND 46 OTHER CAMEROONIAN ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES BY THE AUTHORITIES OF CAMEROON AND NIGERIA.

 

Dear Mr Secretary-General,

 

From the opening moments of your tenure, you were determined to make the promotion of human dignity the core of your work, and pledged to help alleviate the sufferings of the most vulnerable people on earth, especially those forcefully displaced from their homes and communities. At your direction, the UN has adopted a “new approach” that recognizes the institution’s past failures and calls for a “victim-centered strategy rooted in transparency, accountability and justice.”You have spoken movingly of the plight of victims and described how their accounts will haunt you forever. On 26 June 2018, marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, you stated that “torture in any form is absolutely unacceptable and can never be justified,”in all circumstances including periods of emergencies, political unrest and even war. This is inspiring and comforting, and gives me and families of victims worldwide some hope.

 

However,my husband Mr Julius Ayuk Tabe(leader of the people of the Southern Cameroons)and scores of other prominent Southern Cameroonian exiles living in Nigeria, who were abducted in Abuja on 5 January 2018, unlawfully deported to Cameroon and detained incommunicado for six months, are still languishing in illegal detention in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Prior to their abductions, many of them were working in Nigeria as university professors, engineers, businessmen and legal practitioners. Others were refugees who recently fled Cameroon Government-sponsored violence and incipient genocide in the Southern Cameroons.These abductions and extraditions were in flagrant violation of the United Nations Declarations of Human Rights, and the apparent continued silence of the United Nations on this issue calls into question the seriousness with which the United Nations takes its commitment to protect the fundamental rights of peoples everywhere.

Mr Secretary General, I plead with you to use your good offices to compel the government of Cameroon to release my husband and all other Southern Cameroonians being held illegally in detention centers in Cameroon, and for that government to end the genocide it is carrying out in the Southern Cameroons. My husband and fellow detained Southern Cameroonian leaders have suffered untold hardship, torture, cruelty, inhumane and degrading treatment in detention. Mr Secretary General, at the time of writing this Appeal, the Government of Cameroon announced that it had commenced the process of final interrogation of these detainees, after which they will be arraigned before the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé. If your office continues to be silent, the outcome of the trial by the Military Tribunal in Cameroon is predicted to parallel the unlawful hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and his 9 Ogoni compatriots in Nigeria in 1995 after a similar trial by that nation’s Military Tribunal.

The inaction of the United Nations to compel the Government of Cameroon to respect its commitments under relevant international agreements and conventions it has ratified will send the wrong message to nations of the world that fundamental international regulatory instruments can be violated and eroded with impunity and without penalty. The weeks of street protests around the globe (including in front of the UN Headquarters in New York) led by the peace-loving people of the Southern Cameroons, which greeting the sad news of my husband’s illegal abduction and detention in Nigeria, bear testament to the weight of the responsibility Mr Ayuk Tabe bears as leader of the people of the Southern Cameroons. My husband and his lieutenants in the Southern Cameroons revolution are freedom fighters and men of peace, who are seeking to free our people from the determined clutches of the villainous vampiric political mess that is Cameroon. My husband and his colleagues are striving to restore dignity to the people of the Southern Cameroons by restoring their fundamental rights and freedoms as human beings.

I thank you for your time and hopefully look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Lilian Ayuk Tabe

 

 


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