Cameroon truck drivers ask military to protect goods destined for CAR

6, December 2024

Cameroon truck drivers ask military to protect goods destined for CAR 0

Road transport has failed to fully resume between Cameroon and the landlocked Central African Republic after a top-level crisis meeting this week to reopen borders sealed by Cameroon following escalating violence in C.A.R. Hundreds of truck drivers say they will cross into C.A.R. when government troops protect them from rebels.

Several hundred truck drivers who left Cameroon’s Douala seaport for Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, say they are stranded in Garoua-Boulai, a town on Cameroon’s eastern border with C.A.R.

C.A.R. is a conflict-ridden landlocked country that depends on the Douala seaport for about 95% of its goods and humanitarian aid.

One of the stranded truck drivers, 49-year-old Kum Innocent, said all of the drivers who have been in Garoua-Boulai for over two weeks have agreed to stop shipping goods and humanitarian assistance into C.A.R. because their lives are regularly threatened by armed gangs operating there.

“We can’t enter Bangui right now because of the insecurity on the way,” he said. “Armed gangs put [up] road barricades on the way. They even kidnap some of us, and they ask us [for] ransom. Our lorries are blocked down. Many of our merchandise [is] getting rotten, and we are losing a lot. That’s what we go through when we leave Garoua-Boulai for Bangui.”

Kum said that late last month, C.A.R. rebels killed a Cameroonian truck driver and abducted at least two mechanics hired to carry out truck maintenance along the Douala-Bangui road corridor.

Cameroonian truck drivers say they want an immediate release of their kidnapped peers before they resume the shipment of goods to C.A.R.

El Hadj Oumarou, head of Cameroon’s land freight transportation bureau, said several hundred truck drivers stationed in Garoua-Boulai want assurances that the C.A.R. government will take responsibility for their security and safety, as well as the security and safety of their goods and trucks. He said the C.A.R. government is responsible for the safety of every civilian in its territory.

The angry drivers refused to fully resume work after a crisis meeting Wednesday of top Cameroon and C.A.R. government and military officials in Garoua-Boulai. Officials say the crisis meeting was to plead with the striking truck drivers to resume activity.

Cameroon said it had agreed to open the border.

Gontrand Djono Ahaba, C.A.R. minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, attended the crisis meeting. He said he was surprised that drivers are still reluctant to ship goods and humanitarian assistance to C.A.R.

Ahaba said he has informed C.A.R. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra that truck drivers along the Douala-to-Bangui road want assurances of their safety before shipping goods to C.A.R.

He said Touadera has given assurances that the central African state’s military will organize convoys for drivers who feel threatened by armed gangs operating in C.A.R. and attacking truck drivers for supplies.

Speaking on C.A.R. state TV on Thursday, Ahaba said the C.A.R. military had located the trucks abandoned by drivers, adding that the trucks will be restituted, but he did not say when.

Cameroon’s transport minister, Jean Ernest Messena Ngale Bibehe, told Cameroon state TV on Thursday that negotiations have continued for truck drivers to suspend their protest. He assured them that C.A.R. officials have agreed to protect trucks daily and free of charge from Garoua-Boulai to Bangui and back.

C.A.R. descended into violence in 2013, when a rebel group forced then-President Francois Bozize out of office.

Violence among C.A.R. armed groups since then has forced close to a million Central Africans to flee to Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

Source: VOA

Biya will campaign for 2025 elections in a wheel chair and rule from the grave

6, December 2024

Biya will campaign for 2025 elections in a wheel chair and rule from the grave 0

President Paul Biya has become a laughing stock deep inside the Unity Palace, Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from a well-placed source in Etoudi.

The CIR source said that Biya is now leading the nation from a wheelchair.

“He has a special wheelchair that he bought in Geneva that takes him around the presidential palace and he intends to rule till 100 years” our source said.

Biya was seen on the mobile chair moving around the presidency after he received some new ambassadors accredited to Cameroon.

The mobile chair, otherwise ordinarily referred to as a wheelchair is assisting the dictator to navigate his way around his office as well as at home in Mvomeka’a.

The Biya wheelchair has now confirmed that old age has taken its toll on the Francophone leader who will turn 92 this coming year.

A top CPDM baron who spoke to this reporter but sued for anonymity said Biya would rule from a wheel chair and then from the grave.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Biya approves CFA49bn loan for electricity recovery

5, December 2024

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Biya approves CFA49bn loan for electricity recovery 0

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has authorized a loan of €74.25 million (around CFA49 billion) from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to support the country’s emergency electricity recovery plan. The decree, signed on December 3, grants Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey the authority to secure the loan.

The funds will be used to implement the Support Program for the Recovery of the Electricity Sector in Cameroon (Parsec). This program aims to improve electricity production, distribution, and governance. The presidential approval follows the AfDB board’s green light for the loan on December 14, 2023, which will finance the first phase of Parsec.

Parsec is part of a series of ambitious reforms to address key challenges in Cameroon’s electricity sector. Between 2024 and 2025, the program will support the government’s efforts to implement these reforms. The long-term goal is to increase electricity production to 5,000 MW, which will meet domestic demand and allow Cameroon to export energy, especially to Chad.

The electricity sector in Cameroon faces significant problems, including low transmission and distribution efficiency, a lack of skilled workers, and inefficient payment collection systems. Parsec includes concrete actions to address these issues. These measures include reducing commercial electricity losses, improving payment collection, and introducing prepaid metering systems, particularly in public buildings. A public awareness campaign will also help educate citizens about the prepaid system and how it works.

The program focuses on workforce development by creating training opportunities to build skilled personnel throughout the electricity value chain, from production to distribution. These efforts aim to address technological, organizational, environmental, and financial challenges while improving governance.

The loan responds to a request submitted by the government of Cameroon to the AfDB in May 2023. It comes at a time when the sector is financially strained, with limited access to electricity and underperforming operators.

In February 2023, the government launched a Recovery Plan for the Electricity Sector to guide reforms and actions needed from 2023 to 2030. This plan, requiring CFA6,000 billion in investments, seeks to overcome obstacles in production, distribution, and governance to support the country’s energy ambitions.

Source: Business in Cameroon

“Nyene Mawn queens are fully committed to France 2025 and the leadership of Dr. Patience Abangma” Tabe Maureen

4, December 2024

“Nyene Mawn queens are fully committed to France 2025 and the leadership of Dr. Patience Abangma” Tabe Maureen 0

The chairperson of the organizing committee for the Manyu Women International Association Nyene Mawn 2025 convention in Paris France, Lady Tabe Maureen has said that all Nyene Mawn members are fully committed to France 2025 and that Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma reigns supreme as the current president-general of the association.  

Lady Maureen Tabe who also moonlights as a member of the national governing body of Nyene Mawn was among the hundreds of Manyu women who laid the foundation for the successful take off of Nyene Mawn in Belgium.

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News today in Paris after the venue for the August 2025 event was secured, Lady Maureen Tabe said that Nyene Mawn queens will be hosting their 2025 annual come together at 14 Rue de la Pointe, 93130 in the Noisy La Sec in Paris, France.

Asked what Nyene Mawn France would be bringing on the table based on the fact that Nyene Mawn has gained a massive following in Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin Republic and South Africa, Maureen Tabe said France 2025 will multiply and consolidate the 4 point plan announced by its leader Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma geared towards strengthening the association on the international stage.

According to her, Nyene Mawn will establish a worldwide electronic data base for all its members, adopt a constitution, and launch its new uniform including holding elections to usher in the new generation.

“Chief Patience Abangma has actually made things much easier by building the Nyene Mawn Worldwide Whatsapp Forum and marketing her 4 point plan to the entire Nyene Mawn chapters all over the world”.

Lady Tabe Maureen also said the Manyu Women International Association has a huge following in Nigeria, South Africa, France, Belgium and Germany.

“The new administration that will be elected in France will of course leverage on the creative potentials that comes with these huge numbers to bring progress to Nyene Mawn”.

Tabe Maureen furthered that “We in Nyene Mawn are very much aware of the vicious and malicious attacks on our leader Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma. But Nyene Mawn does not respond to social media gossips or social media negativity!! We have a great leader who is doing so well and she is highly respected all over the world, and if some Nyene Mawn detractors do not like her, it is their business”

Our job as members of Nyene Mawn France is to ensure that all Manyu citizens and friends of Manyu who come to Paris in August will leave much happier with what they will receive, and get that sense that their wives, sisters and the Manyu girl child have a place in Nyene Mawn, Tabe Maureen concluded.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from our Paris Bureau

Football: Nickson Okosun joins English Championship side Watford

4, December 2024

Football: Nickson Okosun joins English Championship side Watford 0

Watford FC confirms the signing of young Irish forward Nickson Okosun, who will initially become part of the club’s Under-21 squad from January 1, 2025.

The 18-year-old will join for an undisclosed fee from Dublin side Bohemians and has been permitted to train with the Hornets until the deal is ratified on New Year’s Day.

He has signed a contract until 2029, with the club having the option of an additional year.

Okosun can play as a striker or a winger, and came through the youth system at Bohemians.

He went on to make seven appearances for their first-team, and has also represented the Republic of Ireland at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 level.

In March 2023, Okosun scored the winning goal for Ireland’s Under-17s in a 3-2 win over Cyprus, which booked their place at that summer’s UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Hungary.

The forward went on to play in the tournament, where his country reached the quarter-finals.

“I’m happy to be here and I can’t wait to get going,” Okosun told watfordfc.com.

“I like to link up and get in behind, and I love scoring goals as well.

“It’s a big club and there are good people, and Watford really resonated with me in that sense.

“Hopefully, I’ll hit the ground running and I’ll try and impress people here.”

Welcome to Watford, Nickson!

Culled from Watfordfc.com

New National Assembly complex stands as testament to win-win Sino-Cameroonian friendship

4, December 2024

New National Assembly complex stands as testament to win-win Sino-Cameroonian friendship 0

Many iconic buildings in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, which were built by Chinese builders, including the newly constructed parliament building, have been praised as a testament to win-win Sino-Cameroonian relations.

On Saturday, China officially handed over the keys to the building to Cameroon’s National Assembly Speaker Cavaye Yeguie Djibril at a ceremony attended by government officials, and diplomats, among others.

“I have already heard that this building is the largest, most beautiful and of incomparable comfort in all of Africa,” Cavaye said in a speech delivered at the ceremony.

In his eyes, the edifice is the most precious gift that China has given to the Cameroonian people.

“This day will remain memorable, it is historic. This is a good example of a true friendship. As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. The entire Cameroonian people in oneness say thank you (to China),” Cavaye said.

The long-awaited new building will enable parliamentarians to fully execute their legislative roles and resolve the congestion challenge in the current bicameral parliament building, he said.

“The new National Assembly thus consolidates a friendship which in itself was already very solid. The excellence of these relations has been such that, even the successive crises which have shaken Cameroon in recent decades, have not been able to shake the foundation of this friendship. On the contrary, through thick and thin, China was constantly present alongside Cameroon, tirelessly continuing the work of building ever-fruitful cooperation,” Cavaye said.

In 2017, Cameroon’s parliament building was partially ravaged by fire. “The fire incident made work impossible at the building and we had to relocate to an inconvenient place,” Abba Alim, a member of the National Assembly of Cameroon, said.

Two years later, Cavaye laid the groundwork for a new parliamentary complex with China’s fund. Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd. (BUCG) commenced construction and works were finished in five years. The structure now stands out as an impressive landmark, with a commanding view of modern buildings sprouting up in the Ngoa Ekele neighborhood of Yaounde.

Widely referred to as an “architectural jewel,” the 15-story complex includes a 400-seat hemicycle, a celebration hall, an office building, a fireguard building, an equipment room, a janitorial building, and other functional rooms, as well as a plaza, roads, fountains, outdoor parking lot, fences and other auxiliary facilities.

This photo taken on Nov. 19, 2024, shows the new National Assembly complex in Yaounde, Cameroon. (Xinhua/Kepseu)

The building embodies the traditional decorative motifs of Cameroon, while also showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship of Chinese architecture.

“Unlike our former setting, this modern infrastructure is designed to foster collaboration and dialogue between members of parliament. With good offices and spaces adapted to exchanges, each member of parliament will be able to work in an environment conducive to consultation,” said Lawson Tabot, a member of the National Assembly, in an interview published by the National Assembly.

“Its design for inclusivity has taken into consideration the specific needs of men, women and the physically challenged, respecting the different segments of the population, with adapted facilities thus ensuring comfort for everyone,” said Muyali Meboka, also a member of the National Assembly.

Cui Jinping, BUCG project manager for the construction of the new National Assembly complex, said, skills were transferred and more than 1,000 Cameroonians were employed during the construction of the project. “Chinese workers and Cameroonian workers cooperated to complete the project construction tasks together.”

“At the beginning period of cooperation, they followed the model of masters leading apprentices, with one Chinese worker leading four or five local workers. After a period of training, the trained local workers could basically complete almost all the construction work independently,” said Cui, the project manager.

Jean Atangana, a construction worker with about 10 years of experience, considered the Cameroonian parliament building project to be the pinnacle of his career. “I admire the exquisite skills of my Chinese colleagues. It’s a great respect and honor to build my country together with them,” he said.

The photo taken on Nov. 30, 2024, shows the new National Assembly complex in Yaounde, Cameroon. (Xinhua/Kepseu) 

Many other iconic buildings in Yaounde have also seen the contribution from Chinese builders.

One notable structure is the Yaounde Multipurpose Sports Complex. A magnificent and imposing indoor sports arena, the complex is fondly called the “temple of sports and culture” because it hosts all types of national and international events.

Another remarkable building is the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetrics and Pediatric Hospital, a China-funded project that officially opened in 2002. It is the country’s premier medical institution dedicated to gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics.

Edward Adamu, a member of the National Assembly, told Xinhua that the buildings stand as a testament to win-win Sino-Cameroonian relations.

“We have had a lot of bitter experiences working with the Western countries but the South-South cooperation is showing that is the path for now. It is a win-win relationship, no longer you win and I lose,” Adamu said. 

Source: Xinhuanet

World Bank says developing countries paid record $1.4 trillion on foreign debt in 2023

3, December 2024

World Bank says developing countries paid record $1.4 trillion on foreign debt in 2023 0

Developing countries spent a record $1.4 trillion to service their foreign debt as their interest costs climbed to a 20-year high in 2023, the World Bank’s latest International Debt Report shows. Interest payments surged by nearly a third to $406 billion, squeezing the budgets of many countries in critical areas such as health, education, and the environment.

The financial strain was fiercest for the poorest and most vulnerable countries—those eligible to borrow from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), the data show. These countries paid a record $96.2 billion to service their debt in 2023. Although repayments of principal decreased by nearly 8% to $61.6 billion, interest costs surged to an all-time high of $34.6 billion in 2023, four times the amount a decade ago. On average, interest payments of IDA countries now amount to nearly 6% of the export earnings of IDA-eligible countries—a level that hasn’t been seen since 1999. For some countries, the payments run as high as 38% of export earnings.

As credit conditions tightened, the World Bank and other multilateral institutions became the main lifeline for the poorest economies. Since 2022, foreign private creditors have received nearly $13 billion more in debt-service payments from public sector borrowers in IDA-eligible economies than they disbursed in new financing. Over the same period, the Bank and other multilateral institutions pumped in nearly $51 billion more in 2022 and 2023 than they collected in debt-service payments. The World Bank accounted for a third of that sum—$28.1 billion.

“Multilateral institutions have become the last lifeline for poor economies struggling to balance debt payments with spending on health, education, and other key development priorities,” said Indermit Gill, the World Bank Group’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President. “In highly indebted poor countries, multilateral development banks are now acting as a lender of last resort, a role they were not designed to serve. That reflects a dysfunctional financing system: except for funds from the World Bank and other multilateral institutions, money is flowing out of poor economies when it should be flowing in.”

The COVID-19 pandemic sharply enlarged the debt burdens of all developing countries—and the subsequent surge in global interest rates has made it harder for many to regain their footing. At the end of 2023, the total external debt owed by all low- and middle-income countries stood at a record $8.8 trillion, an 8% increase over 2020. The percentage increase was more than twice as large for IDA-eligible countries, whose total external debt climbed to $1.1 trillion, an increase of nearly 18%.

In 2023, borrowing abroad became considerably more expensive for all developing economies. Interest rates on loans from official creditors doubled to more than 4%. Rates charged by private creditors climbed by more than a point to 6%—a 15-year high. Global interest rates have since begun to subside, although they are expected to remain above the average that prevailed in the decade before COVID-19.

The latest International Debt Report highlights key insights from the World Bank’s International Debt Statistics database—the most comprehensive and transparent source of external debt data of developing countries. It reflects an upgraded effort to ensure accuracy in the debt data of IDA-eligible economies—by matching data these economies report to the World Bank’s Debtor Reporting System with data held by G7 and Paris Club creditors. This loan-by-loan reconciliation exercise produced a 98 percent match rate in the data, lowering the margin of error from 10 points to just two.

“Comprehensive data on the liabilities of governments can facilitate new investment, reduce corruption, and prevent costly debt crises,” said Haishan Fu, the World Bank Chief Statistician and Director of its Development Data Group. “The World Bank has played a leading role in improving debt transparency across the world, especially in IDA-eligible economies. In 2023, nearly 70% of these economies published fully accessible public-debt data on a government website—a 20-point increase since 2020. That is a hopeful sign for the future.”

Source: World Bank

ICC says facing threats over arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

2, December 2024

ICC says facing threats over arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant 0

The International Criminal Court (ICC) says it has faced coercion and intimidation after judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ousted war minister over war crimes in Gaza.

Addressing the ICC members in The Hague, ICC President Tomoko Akane said the court faced “coercive measures, threats, pressure, and acts of sabotage.”

“We are at a turning point in history… International law and international justice are under threat. So is the future of humanity.”

“The International Criminal Court will continue to carry out its lawful mandate, independently and impartially, without giving in to any outside interference.”

The ICC issued the arrest warrants on November 21.

The court determined there were “reasonable grounds” that Israel’s siege and assault on Gaza “created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population.”

Following the issuance of the warrants, the United States, Israel’s great benefactor and an accomplice in the Gaza genocide, swiftly rejected the ICC decision.

Some US Republicans called on the Senate to sanction the ICC. President Joe Biden said the warrants were “outrageous.”

“Several elected officials are being severely threatened and are subjected to arrest warrants from a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the ICC president stated.

 “The court is being threatened with draconian economic sanctions from institutions of another permanent member of the Security Council as if it was a terrorist organization,” she said.

It is “appalling” that countries appear “scandalized” when the ICC hands down arrest warrants based on international law, Akane added.

“If the court collapses, this will inevitably imply the collapse of all situations and cases… The danger for the court is existential.”

DAWN, a US-based rights group that has welcomed the arrest warrants, has warned Biden administration officials – including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin – that they could be next.

Source: Presstv

Dion Ngute says economy to grow by 4.1 pct in 2025

2, December 2024

Dion Ngute says economy to grow by 4.1 pct in 2025 0

Cameroon’s economy is forecast to grow by 4.1 percent in 2025, up from 3.8 percent in 2024, according to the country’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.

Ngute made the announcement while delivering the 2025 state budget to the National Assembly Sunday night.

Cameroon’s draft budget for 2025 stands at 7,317.7 billion Central African CFA francs (about 11.74 billion U.S. dollars), Ngute said, noting that the budget has slightly increased by 0.5 percent compared to that of 2024.

Inflation is projected to fall to 3.1 percent in 2025, down from 4.2 percent in 2024 and 5.1 percent in 2023.

The budgetary plan will remain focused on consolidating the public finance situation, in coherence with the economic and financial program concluded with the International Monetary Fund, he said.

Source: Xinhuanet

Ambazonia: Pan African Forum petitions ICC to probe alleged war crimes

2, December 2024

Ambazonia: Pan African Forum petitions ICC to probe alleged war crimes 0

The Pan African Forum Ltd, an African lobby group, has submitted a formal application to the International Criminal Court (ICC), seeking an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to President Paul Biya.

The allegations are tied to the ongoing conflict in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

Filed on Friday, November 22, 2024, the 142-page petition is supported by extensive evidence of widespread atrocities.

The group urged the ICC prosecutor to examine alleged violations, including the targeting of civilians, forced displacements, and other abuses during the conflict between government forces and separatist movements.

The application follows years of escalating violence in Ambazonia, where English-speaking communities’ calls for independence have been met with harsh military crackdowns.

Several activists and human rights organisations have accused the government of committing grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and destruction of property.

The Pan African Forum Ltd’s petition, it was learnt, is intended to amplify international scrutiny of the crisis and encourage accountability at the global level.

The ICC’s response to the application remains pending. But, critics argued that the situation in Cameroon requires urgent intervention to prevent further suffering.

The petition alleged that the conflict is spilling over to Nigeria with dire consequences for the countries.

The application on the heels of President Biya’s long tenure and management of the Anglophone crisis drawing international criticism.

The Pan African Forum Ltd is a forum for defence of Africa and African people on the continent. It was established on September 2012, in Kenya.

The organisation constitutes an informal network of African scholars and university student leaders both current and past.

It was formed as a lobby group to support the African Union objectives on international aspects and other initiatives, at national, sub regional, regional and international levels.

Culled from The Nation

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