14, January 2025

US: “Trump would have been convicted if he were not reelected” ⁰

U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith concluded that Donald Trump engaged in an “unprecedented criminal effort” to hold onto power after losing the 2020 election, but was thwarted in bringing the case to trial by the president-elect’s November election victory, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The report details Smith’s decision to bring a four-count indictment against Trump, accusing him of plotting to obstruct the collection and certification of votes following his 2020 defeat by Democratic President Joe Biden.

It concludes that the evidence would have been enough to convict Trump at trial, but his imminent return to the presidency, set for Jan. 20, made that impossible.

Smith, who has come under relentless criticism from Trump, also defended his investigation and the prosecutors who worked on it.

“The claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable,” Smith wrote in a letter detailing his report.

After the release, Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, called Smith a “lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the election.”

Much of the evidence cited in the report has been previously made public.

A second section of the report details Smith’s case accusing Trump of illegally retaining sensitive national security documents after leaving the White House in 2021.

The Justice Department has committed not to make that portion public while legal proceedings continue against two Trump associates charged in the case.

Smith, who left the Justice Department last week, dropped both cases against Trump after he won last year’s election, citing a longstanding Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Neither reached a trial.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. Regularly assailing Smith as “deranged,” Trump depicted the cases as politically motivated attempts to damage his campaign and political movement.

Trump and his two former co-defendants in the classified documents case sought to block the release of the report, days before Trump is set to return to office on Jan. 20. Courts rebuffed their demands to prevent its publication altogether.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who presided over the documents case, has ordered the Justice Department for now to halt plans to allow certain senior members of Congress to privately review the documents section of the report.

Prosecutors gave a detailed view of their case against Trump in previous court filings. A congressional panel in 2022 published its own 700-page account of Trump’s actions following the 2020 election.

Both investigations concluded that Trump spread false claims of widespread voter fraud following the 2020 election and pressured state lawmakers not to certify the vote, and ultimately, also sought to use fraudulent groups of electors pledged to vote for Trump, in states actually won by Biden, in a bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s win.

The effort culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed Congress in a failed attempt to stop lawmakers from certifying the vote.

Smith’s case faced legal hurdles even before Trump’s election win. It was paused for months while Trump pressed his claim that he could not be prosecuted for official actions taken as president.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority largely sided with him, granting former presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.

Source: Reuters

14, January 2025

South Africa: Dead bodies seen in videos from disused gold mine ⁰

Disturbing videos have emerged showing the dire situation at a disused gold mine in South Africa where scores of illegal miners have reportedly been living underground for months.

They have been there since police operations targeting illicit mining started last year across the country.

In one of the videos, which the BBC has not independently verified, corpses wrapped in makeshift body bags can be seen. A second shows the emaciated figures of some miners who are still alive.

A long-delayed rescue operation, that last week a court ordered the government to facilitate, began on Monday.

Last year, arguing that the miners had entered the shaft in Stilfontein deliberately without permission, the authorities took a hard line, blocking food and water supplies.

In November, one government minister said: “We are going to smoke them out.”

More than 100 of the illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas”, have reportedly died underground since the crack down began at the mine some 145km (90 miles) south-west of Johannesburg.

The authorities however, have not confirmed this figure as it is yet to be “verified by an official source”, a spokesperson told the BBC.

Hundreds are thought to be still in the mine while more than 1,000 have surfaced in the past few months.

In one of the videos released by a trade union, the General Industries Workers of South Africa (Giwusa), dozens of shirtless men can be seen sitting on a dirty floor. Their faces have been blurred. A male voice off camera can be heard saying that the men are hungry and need help.

Source: BBC

14, January 2025

Football: Rigobert Song meets President Faustin Archange Touadéra ⁰

Cameroon’s legendary footballer Rigobert Song has held talks at the Palais de la Renaissance in Bangui on Monday 13 January with Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadéra.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that discussions between the two men focused on the role of sport in youth development in CAR.

The visit is part of a CAR project aimed at strengthening relations with Cameroon.

Rigobert Song shared his expertise and experiences, emphasizing the transformative potential of sport in African societies.

CAR’s Minister Héritier Doneng who is in charge of youth and sport accompanied Song and presented the Central African government’s initiatives to promote sporting disciplines and mobilise young people around constructive projects.

By Rita Akana

14, January 2025

Rigobert Song appointed as new Central African Republic manager ⁰

The former coach of the Indomitable Lions has been offered a job in the Central African Republic.

Rumours had been circulating on social media ever since Rigobert Song travelled to Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic on Monday.

Cameroon Concord News can now report that the news is official.

Rigobert Song has been appointed coach and manager of the Fauves of the Central African Republic.

The decree appointing Rigobert Song was signed by the Minister for the Promotion of Youth, Sport and Physical Education.

The details of the contract including the duration and salary to be paid to the legendary Cameroonian footballer have not been revealed.

Rigobert Song reportedly met with President Faustin Archange Touadera before the appointment was made official.

By Rita Akana

13, January 2025

Buea: Catholic Bishops’ Annual Seminar Ends with Call for Urgent Action to Address National Crises, Promote Peace ⁰

Members of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) have expressed concern about the deteriorating social, economic, and political conditions in the country, urging both government officials and citizens to embrace responsible governance, national unity, and ethical leadership as critical steps towards sustainable development and peace.

In a message addressed to the people of God in the Central African nation following their January 4-11 48th Annual Seminar in the Catholic Diocese of Buea, NECC members highlight the distress and suffering experienced by many Cameroonians.

“In recent times, the anxieties of the vast majority of Cameroonians have been transformed into cries of despair at the misery as they are living through and the degradation of our beautiful country, Cameroon. Our consciences as pastors and citizens cannot remain indifferent to these cries of distress,” Catholic Bishops in Cameroon say in their Saturday, January 11 message titled “Take Courage, Do not be Afraid.”

Addressing a Nation in Crisis

NECC members recall their 1990 pastoral letter, which called for an examination of conscience amid economic challenges, urging the state to prioritize the well-being of its people.

“In 1990, we addressed a pastoral letter to all our compatriots on the economic crisis in our country, in which we invited each of our fellow citizens to examine his or her conscience in the face of the two serious economic crises that our country was going through at the time. It was our hope that such an examination of conscience would lead to rapid and radical solutions,” the Bishops recall.

They continue, “We then appeal to the public authorities to ensure that the people in their distress would always and everywhere feel the support of the state. They should ensure that the interests of the nation and the well-being of our people were given priority in their actions. We also call on all Cameroonians to change their lives, to convert their hearts, the Cameroonian people in general and Christians in particular, to know that: We are not just victims of the crisis; we are also its causes and agents.”

Despite decades of appeals, they lament that the nation remains trapped in “economic and social stagnation,” with a future that remains uncertain.

“Unfortunately, 35 years after the alarm bells rang concerning the economic crisis and 65 years after our country gained independence, it must be said that we are still living in economic and social stagnation with an uncertain future,” NECC members lament.

Tax Burden

In their January 11 message, Catholic Bishops also decried the tax burden on citizens.

“One of the causes of Cameroon’s anguish is undoubtedly the tax burden, which increases year in, year out, to the detriment of the most vulnerable populations. It is seen as the ultimate means of suffocating those Cameroonians whose purchasing power is so low,” NECC members lament.

They add, “The proof of this is in the failure to apply Article 66 of our fundamental law and its implementing text, that is, Law No. 003-2006 of 25 April 2006, which requires all Cameroonians who assume important responsibilities in the service of the nation to declare their assets.”

“We wonder whether a country can only be built on and through taxation,” the Catholic Church leaders pose.

They add, “It is well known that Cameroon constitutes a real scandal of blessings because of the work of its forests and waters, its soil, its subsoil, and so forth and so on. On the other hand, we are witnessing the organized plundering of our economic heritage. We are thinking in particular of the sell-off and alienation of mining and agricultural concessions, which are being carried out through agreements signed here and there in a highly questionable manner.”

Corruption and Mismanagement

In their message, NECC members decry corruption as a “persistent cancer” undermining Cameroon’s progress.

Making reference to President Paul Biya’s recent end-of-year address the Catholic Bishops say, “The Head of State acknowledges that the malaise of Cameroonians also stems from bad governance and therefore poor management of public affairs. He cited, for example, the case of roads and urban infrastructure.”

NECC emphasize that corruption slows development, perpetuates poverty, and erodes trust in institutions.

“Each of us seems obliged to corrupt or be corrupted. It’s as if we are forced to live with corruption and accept it as part of our daily existence, reinforcing it,” they lament.

Infrastructure and Governance Failures

NECC members fault the government’s handling of infrastructure, highlighting inadequate road development and urban planning despite substantial budget allocations.

“How can we explain that the year 2024 ended with only 446 kilometers of asphalted roads and 228 kilometers of rehabilitated roads?” they pose.

The Catholic Bishops add, “How can we explain the fact that 65 years after independence, our development cannot guarantee basic human rights, such as the right to food, the right to education, the right to quality health care, the right to justice, in short, the right to life?”

“Cameroonians feel a real despondency because of the lack that is on the rise in our country. Many of our fellow citizens are living in dramatically precarious conditions and in deplorable, undignified conditions. Unemployment among young people seems to have no end in sight, even among graduates. Hence, the mass exodus from the country in search of greener pastures,” NECC members further lament.

Call for National Renewal and Dialogue in Crisis Regions

Amid ongoing violence in the Northwest and Northwest regions, the Catholic Bishops advocate for genuine dialogue and reconciliation.

“The crisis in the northwest and southwest regions, as well as the unrest in the far north, is certainly being contained, but it still remains and continues to cause the loss of so many lives. In the northwest region in particular, where reconstruction had begun, the violence continues with guerrilla groups wreaking havoc, sometimes even routing overwhelming military forces,” NECC members ay.

They pose, “The violence in the Southwest and Northwest regions has been going on for seven years now. Could it be that those who wage the war are getting scandalously rich and do not want the war drawn to an end?”

“Is it not time for the political class to sit down in humility and engage in calm dialogue, mindful of its responsibility to lead our people, our country, towards happiness, which requires justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation?” the Catholic Bishops say, noting that “true peace does not come from graveyards but from reconciliation.”

Recommendations for a Path Forward

In their message, NECC members outlines concrete steps for rebuilding Cameroon, calling on the state to “Promote transparent governance and responsible public service management, foster job creation, particularly for youth, combat corruption and recover embezzled funds, guarantee basic human rights, including access to education, healthcare, and justice, uphold meritocracy in professional exams and appointments, and invest in sustainable infrastructure and environmental stewardship.”

They also urge citizens to exercise their fundamental rights “responsibly”, emphasizing freedom of expression paired with “respect for others.”

NECC members also call on the media to “uphold truth and resist pressures that compromise ethical journalism.”

Hope Amid Challenges

Despite the grim assessment, NECC members urge Cameroonians not to be discouraged.

“We must not be discouraged by our country’s current dramatic situation. God is with us. And if God is with us, who and what can be against us?” they say.

The Catholic Bishops further urged the people of God to “trust in a happier, more prosperous future for our country based on adequate social, economic, and political structures.”

To achieve this, they appeal to “our individual sense of responsibility. Cameroon was betrothed to us by our forefathers, so we must make it prosperous as we sing in our national anthem. This is our collective duty. Let us resolutely accept to convert ourselves and above all, our mentalities and God will do the rest.”

“May God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace and Patroness of our country, watch over every citizen and grant us all the gift of true brotherhood and love for our common good,” NECC members implore.

Culled from aciafrica

13, January 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Ayaba Cho awaits detention ruling in Norway ⁰

Lucas Ayaba Cho, the 52-year-old Cameroonian separatist leader, remains in pretrial detention in Oslo after his arrest by Norwegian police last September. On November 19, 2024, the Oslo District Court extended his detention until January 14. Norwegian authorities are thus set to decide, tomorrow, on whether to prolong his custody further. Under Norwegian law, such extensions are permitted if deemed necessary.

The court, which has opened an investigation into Ayaba Cho for alleged “incitement to crimes against humanity,” has deemed it appropriate to keep him detained. Prosecutor Anette Berger cited the “risk of evidence tampering,” arguing that Ayaba Cho might influence witness testimonies or destroy evidence if released.

These concerns appear to remain valid. Reports indicate that the Norwegian magistrate plans to interview numerous witnesses across several countries. As such, Ayaba Cho’s pretrial detention could be extended further to allow the investigation to proceed.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international NGO, Lucas Ayaba Cho is believed to have coordinated activities of the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) from Norway, where he had settled. The ADF is an armed separatist group implicated in civilian abuses. Seeking to establish an independent state in Cameroon’s conflict-ridden Northwest and Southwest regions since 2017, the ADF has reportedly kidnapped humanitarian workers and killed suspected opponents, HRW reports. The group is also accused of using violence and intimidation to prevent students and teachers from attending school.

Source: Sbbc

13, January 2025

Buea: Catholic Bishop wants nation to celebrate ‘good elections’ in a jubilee year ⁰

As Catholics look to celebrate jubilee year 2025 under the theme “pilgrims of hope,” a Catholic bishop in the Central African country has expressed the hope that the organization and the outcomes of the Presidential election that takes place later in the year will offer enough reason for Cameroonians to celebrate.

Speaking December 9 on the sidelines of the Annual Seminar of Catholic Bishops in Buea, the Bishop Emmanuel Dassi of Bafia Diocese in Cameroon’s Center region said he hoped that “all the people of Cameroon must be gathered as one body and jubilate this year.”

“It is very important that it is the same year of the elections. My wish for our country is that it should really be a year of jubilee, that all the people of Cameroon must be gathered as one body and jubilate this year. And for this, we must have good elections, good elections with good candidates,” he told Crux.

The bishop warned against candidates of opportunism whose only desire is to serve their narrow selfish desires.

“If you want to be a candidate, begin by praying, asking yourself if you are able to solve the problems of this country, if you have the health to solve the problems of this country, if you have the wisdom, if you are able to sacrifice yourself to solve the problems of this country, if you think that you are able to do it, okay, go ahead. But if you are not able to do it, please, please, please, please, I can tell you that the people of this country are suffering, and you must not be the reason for their sufferings,” Dassi said.

The bishop stopped short of following in the footsteps of Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala, Bishop Barthélemy Yaouda Hourgo of Yagoua in the Far North, and the Bishop of Ngaoundere, Emmanuel Abbo.

These bishops in recent weeks stirred controversy when they all said that President Paul Biya had become too old and too frail to continue ruling the country as President. They cited the country’s many problems: The high cost of living, the raging separatist crisis in the country’s two English=speaking regions as well as the Boko Haram crisis in the far north as some of the most visible failures of the Biya government.

Biya, 92, is the world’s oldest president, and having ruled the country for 42 of those years, the Bishops now argue it’s time for him to rest.

But the individual bishops aren’t yet voicing the position of the Bishops’ Conference.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea, the President of the Conference who might himself be seeking re-election in April, told Crux that he won’t give his personal opinion about the forth-coming presidential election “because my personal opinion will be taken as the position of the conference. And therefore, I like to talk about the position of the conference. And we are still in deliberation, so I cannot make any pronouncements about that.”

The archbishop, however, spoke, more generally about the concept of democracy and elections, suggesting that at a personal level, he would prefer what he termed “a benevolent dictatorship.”

“When I was growing up, when our local traditional rulers still had the powers that they had in those days, they were benevolent dictators … And they had such order and discipline in their villages,” he continued.

“They had such developmental projects going. They had all these tribal organizations and structures that helped to keep either discipline in the village, community work, and all those things. We can develop our own form of government, even at the national level, which we don’t necessarily need to take from the West,” Nkea said.

He also called on authorities to take a leaf from the Catholic Church’s approach to governance which is based on the idea of synodality – the idea of walking together on a shared path.

Pointing to the several projects realized by Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea in a span of just four years, Nkea said such achievements are based on the idea of a shared vision and shared responsibility, with Christians taking ownership of the projects. He also spoke at length about the achievements in his own Archdiocese of Bamenda where he took a year listening to the wishes and aspirations of the people.

Some of those aspirations had to do with transforming the Saint Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral into a modern edifice and turning Catholic schools to focus on technical education.

“We are getting close to finishing the Cathedral. I have not gotten a dime from outside. The people are funding it because they wanted it. So once you listen to the people and you discern together with them, it becomes a community exercise. Everybody is involved,” Nkea told Crux.

He said if governments around Africa could just begin to listen and discern with their people, in a spirit of synodality, many of the continent’s teething problems would be resolved.

“So if we help each other at the local level to listen to each other, it will force itself into the higher level. Authorities will listen to their subjects,” the archbishop said.

Source: Crux

13, January 2025

Bundes: AfD embraces mass deportation of migrants as election nears ⁰

Germany’s far right is in a buoyant mood.

On Saturday, while its conference was under way in the eastern city of Riesa, in Saxony, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) laid out ambitions to close Germany’s borders, resume buying Russian gas and, in effect, dismantle the EU.

German media reported that party’s agreed manifesto includes plans to quit the Paris climate deal, exit the Euro currency and create a new confederation of states.

The AfD’s leader, Alice Weidel, even publicly embraced the term “remigration” – a word that’s widely understood to mean the mass “return” or deportation of people with a migrant background.

Thousands of anti-AfD protestors swarmed the streets in Riesa on Saturday, seeking to obstruct access to the conference venue.

When Alice Weidel eventually took to the stage, she described the activists outside as a “left-wing mob.”

And, in front a delighted conference hall of delegates, spoke of “large-scale repatriations”.

“And I have to be honest with you: if it’s going to be called remigration, then that’s what it’s going to be: remigration,” she said.

It’s a striking departure from just a year ago when she sought to distance herself from a scandal that centred on the highly controversial concept.

There were nationwide anti-AfD demonstrations after it emerged that senior party figures had been among those at a meeting where “remigration” was allegedly discussed with Martin Sellner, an Austrian far-right activist who has a neo-Nazi past.

Sellner has written about “remigrating” asylum seekers, some foreigners with residency rights and “non-assimilated” citizens.

A buzzword in Europe’s far-right, some claim legal residents wouldn’t be forced to leave. Critics say “remigration” is simply a euphemism for an overtly racist mass deportation plan.

But Alice Weidel’s decision to personally coin the term, weeks out from a snap federal election, demonstrates her party’s growing radicalism and confidence.

She also pledged to tear down wind farms which she called “windmills of shame”, leave the EU’s asylum system and “throw out” gender studies professors.

The AfD is consistently polling second in Germany and made gains in recent regional elections in the country’s east – where the party is strongest.

However, it’s highly unlikely to win power because other parties won’t work with the AfD.

Sections of the AfD have been classed by domestic intelligence as right-wing extremist.

In 2024, a talisman of the AfD’s hard-right – Björn Höcke – was fined twice for using a banned Nazi SA paramilitary phrase, “Alles für Deutschland” (“everything for Germany”).

He’s called it an “everyday sentence” and denied being aware of its origins, despite formerly being a history teacher.

Reports that members of the conference in Riesa this weekend chanted “Alice für Deutschland” drew quick comparisons in German media.

However, AfD figures have frequently complained that they are demonised and persecuted by a biased media and establishment.

And Alice Weidel’s party – of which she is the co-leader and now Chancellor candidate – has ridden out repeated storms to now hover around or even above 20% in national polls.

The 45-year-old economist, who previously worked for Goldman Sachs and is in a same-sex relationship, has sought to polish the rougher edges of her party.

But for those strongly opposed to the AfD she is a fig leaf or – as one Social Democrat put it – a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

Regardless, she’s enjoying a new spotlight after being invited by tech billionaire – Elon Musk – for a live talk on his X platform last week, where he wholeheartedly endorsed the party.

Her declaration during this discussion that Adolf Hitler was, in fact, a communist sparked condemnation, given the Nazi leader’s well-known anti-communism.

Critics warned of Nazi revisionism – something the AfD has been accused of before.

Björn Höcke once called for a “180-degree turnaround” in Germany’s handling of its Nazi past while a former co-leader, Alexander Gauland, described the Nazi era as “just a speck of bird’s muck in more than 1,000 years of successful Germany history”.

Nevertheless, the AfD’s anti-establishment, anti-immigration and anti-“woke” agenda is finding followers in Germany who go to the polls on 23 February.

Source: BBC

12, January 2025

The Holy Father names new bishop in Yokadouma ⁰

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Justin Georges Ebengue, of the clergy of Batouri, until now rector of the Notre Dame de l’Espérance Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Bertoua, as bishop of Yokadouma, Cameroon.

Msgr. Justin Georges Ebengue was born on 18 May 1970. He attended the Saint Jean-Baptiste Preparatory Seminary of Doumé, and studied philosophy and theology at the Notre Dame de l’Espérance Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Bertoua, receiving a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of Central African in Yaoundé.

He was ordained a priest on 18 February 2006 for the diocese of Batouri.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar, parish priest, rector of the minor seminary of Doumé, chancellor of the diocese of Doumé-Abong’ Mbang, head of diocesan pastoral care and catechesis, diocesan administrator of Batouri (2017-2018), rector of the Cathedral of Batouri, chaplain of the Bary Catholic College, member of the College of Consultors, the Presbyteral Council and the Council for Economic Affairs, member of the administration of the diocesan Procuratorate, vicar general of Batouri.

Since 2023 he has been rector of the Notre-Dame de l’Espérance Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Bertoua.

Source: Agenzia Fides

12, January 2025

Mamfe: Church hails diaspora for giving toilets to Saint Mary’s Catholic School ⁰

The Roman Catholic Church has lauded Boh Nchang Europe (BNEu) for constructing a modern toilet facility for the Saint Mary’s Catholic School Nchang to put an end to open defecation among pupils in the school.

The Regent Chief of Nchang, Ta Martin Ettasco who commissioned the toilet project recently and handed it over to the Diocese of Mamfe, commended BNEu for keying into Bishop Abangalo Fondong’s plan to put an end to open defecation in the bush in Catholic schools.

Ta Martin Ettasco said that the toilet project would prevent pupils from contaminating diseases associated with open defecation, and keep them clean and safe, stating that the project was a selfless service to improving the well-being of the current and future of the pupils.

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News the President of Boh Nchang Europe Dr Tataw-Mbimbeng opined that the provision of toilets in schools and the benefits they inevitably offer cannot be stressed enough.

The much respected Dr Tataw-Mbimbeng furthered that adequate sanitation facilities are fundamental to creating a conducive learning environment, improving students help, and curbing the spread of preventable diseases.

Dr Tataw-Mbimbeng also pointed out that the intervention of BNEu would go a long way to complement the efforts of the government towards the provision of equitable and quality education for the citizenry.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai