18, July 2017

Revealed: Cameroon military vessel sank with 37 people on board ⁰

An investigation is underway and a crisis committee has been set up after the sinking of a military vessel that left Douala on Sunday morning en route to the Bakassi peninsula. The nation’s military spokesman confirmed late yesterday that 34 soldiers were missing and that there were only three survivors. The boat was ferrying soldiers of the Rapid Intervention Battalion BIR, on a logistical mission transporting equipment destined for the military base in Bakassi.

According to a statement from the Cameroon army, the ship was an LCM, a ship designed to carry and disembark vehicles. It was commissioned in 2009 and was currently shuttling between Limbe and Bakassi on the border with Nigeria. It carried “supplies and equipment” for BIR’s civil-military activities in the peninsula. The Rapid Response Battalion is currently building infrastructure there and carries out development work.

The army says the sea was very rough on that fateful Sunday and the weather conditions abruptly deteriorated. And it was six in the morning when the “Mundemba” sank with 37 people on board. According to Colonel Didier Badjeck, bad weather was responsible for the accident. “This zone is a zone that is particularly dangerous and so the weather can change very, very brutally. Sure they were caught in a bad wave that had to overturn the boat. The operation station immediately lost the boat. There was no alert from the crew. It’s an accident that happened suddenly, “he says.

For the time being, rescue operations are continuing. The navy has deployed its diving teams, but the chances of finding survivors are dwindling hour by hour. A source inside the military hinted Cameroon Concord News that the army was now involved in a recovery operation.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

18, July 2017

Biya meets African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina ⁰

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) was received in audience by President Biya on Monday 17 July 2017 at the Unity Palace.

Both men reviewed the 45-year-old cooperation that exists between Cameroon and the AfDB. They also discussed key areas of investment such as energy, agro-industrialisation, and regional integration.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the audience, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina lauded the Commander-in-Chief of Cameroon’s Armed Forces for the support provided towards the preservation of peace and security in north-eastern Nigeria and the Central African Republic.

He also highlighted President Paul BIYA’s contribution in the stabilisation of macroeconomic issues within the CEMAC region, which prevented a devaluation of the CFA Franc.

“I encouraged the President to continue with the effort of microeconomic stabilisation and what the government is doing in terms of diversifying the economy,” Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said. He added that: “the AfDB strongly supports Cameroon. We wish the President and the Government all the best with the plan for accelerated development to a middle income country by 2035.”

President Paul BIYA exchanged gifts with the distinguished guest, whom he later decorated with a medal of Grand Officer of the Order of Valour. The AfDB has invested US$ 2.5 billion (approximately CFAF 1,436 billion) in Cameroon since 1972. The group currently supports 22 projects and there are plans to inject US$ 150 million for the realisation of the Natchtigal Dam.

Culled from the PRC

17, July 2017

Richard Bona angry at CPDM politicians using his image ⁰

Richard Bona, the famous Cameroonian singer and guitarist has accused the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime of misusing his image. After he was refused a visa to travel home for the funeral rites of his mother who passed away recently, Richard Bona opined that the use of his image in a commercial in Cameroon was a deliberate action orchestrated by President Biya and his gang.

Cameroon Concord News learnt that a strong reaction from the singer prompted the Yaoundé authorities to remove the image. Richard Bona who hails from Minta in the Central region of Cameroon was quoted as having written these lines to the CPDM government: “To Mr BIYA and his government, please immediately remove my image from your video. The law prohibits that! And it’s always you who start again. Encore and Encore.”

By Fru James
Camcordnew Desk

17, July 2017

Boko Haram bomber kills eight in fresh attack in Nigeria ⁰

A bomb attack has claimed the lives of at least eight people and wounded several others in Nigeria’s troubled northeast, officials say. The attack was carried out by a suspected female member of the Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, local Nigerian officials said on Monday.

The head of the Borno state emergency management agency, Ahmed Satomi, said that the female bomber had detonated her explosives at a mosque in the London Ciki area of Maiduguri at about 5:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT). “She killed eight people and injured 15 others. The mosque was being guarded by civilian JTF (joint task force) militia during prayers,” media outlets quoted Satomi as saying.

“Unknown to them, the girl was being pursued from another part of town by residents who were suspicious of her movement at the time,” he added, noting, “When she approached the mosque, they demanded that she stop to be searched but she suddenly bolted into the mosque and set off her bombs.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Satomi pointed out that three other female bombers were located in Maiduguri at about the same time. He went onto say that two were killed in Mammanti area as they tried to cross the ditch around the city perimeter. This is while another set off her explosives in the suburb of Simari.

It is the second time in a week that Boko Haram bombers have sought to cause carnage in Maiduguri. Last Monday, at least 19 people were killed and nearly two dozen others injured when four women set off their bombs in the Molai Kolemari area of the city. In recent weeks, a number of bomb attacks by suspected members of Boko Haram have taken place in the capital of Borno state and its environs. Militants have regularly targeted mosques, markets, camps for those displaced by the conflict and other civilians across the troubled region.

In December 2016, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 with a pledge to eradicate Boko Haram, announced that the army had “crushed” the terror group by retaking its last key bastion, deep inside the thick Sambisa Forest in Borno. The group has, however, resorted to sporadic shooting and bombing attacks in the northeast of the African country, spreading panic among local residents.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly terror attacks in Nigeria since the beginning of its militancy in 2009, which has so far claimed the lives of at least 20,000 people and made more than 2.7 million displaced.

The United Nations has warned that areas affected by the Boko Haram militancy face a humanitarian crisis. Back in February 2016, four nations of the Lake Chad Basin — Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria –launched a campaign, together with a contingent from Benin, to confront the threat from Boko Haram in the region.

Source: Presstv

17, July 2017

New military oligarchs installed in Cameroon ⁰

The eleven senior officers appointed on the 29th of June 2017 by the 84 year old Cameroonian dictator, have been installed into their functions. The attributes they received came with new responsibilities and tougher assignments.

Performing the installation rituals, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo, noted that the appointments made by President Biya are a strategic solution to the security situation in the Far North, East and other parts of the country. They now bear the burden coordinating their respective units and working in synergy with other active forces to protect the territorial integrity of the state.

The defense boss further pointed out that Cameroon’s military today is undergoing a process of renewal of command and the injection of new blood into the system was necessary so that it meets the challenges imposed it by the constantly evolving world marked by the transposition of conflicts and new forms of threats.

The new generals are therefore expected to strategize on a new approach to conventional menaces and adapt their operational mechanisms to counter asymmetric threats imposed by extremist groups such as Boko Haram.

Source: CRTV

17, July 2017

Many feared dead after Cameroon military vessel capsizes in Debuncha ⁰

The regime in Yaoundé has confirmed that a logistics boat of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR that left the Douala metropolis en route to Mudemba on Sunday the 16th of July 2017 disappeared with 30 soldiers on-board.

The CPDM government statement said, the ship was heading to the Bakassi peninsula and the crew was headed by Lieutenant Colonel Moussa. We understand the logistics boat of the Rapid Intervention Battalion sank to the bottom of the waters at Debuncha in the South West region.

President Biya has reportedly set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shipwreck en route to Bakassi. A crisis unit has been working since yesterday at the Ministry of Defense in Yaoundé and Limbé.

A statement by Joseph Beti Assomo, the minister delegate at the presidency in charge of defense, revealed that three soldiers were rescued after the boat capsized. The outcome of this sad incident is expected soon from the commission of inquiry chaired by the Secretary of State for Defense in charge of the Gendarmerie.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

16, July 2017

Clinton Njie: Tottenham’s Cameroon forward heading to Marseille ⁰

Tottenham forward Clinton Njie is to join French side Marseille on a permanent deal after the two clubs agreed a deal.

The Cameroon international, 23, was on loan to the Ligue 1 club last season, scoring four goals.

Njie joined Spurs from Lyon in 2015 for a reported £10m and made 14 appearances for the club, though he suffered a serious knee injury in December 2015.

“We wish Clinton all the best for the future,” Tottenham said.

Source: BBC

16, July 2017

Eight dead in Senegal soccer stadium crush ⁰

Eight people were killed during Senegal’s soccer league cup final in Dakar on Saturday, the sports minister told AFP, as a wall collapsed onto clashing supporters, triggering a panicked crush. Sports Minister Matar Ba said a young girl was among the dead, while around 60 injured fans had been taken to health facilities in Dakar.

He vowed “strong measures so that such an event will never be repeated in Senegal,” speaking to AFP by phone. A mass deployment of firefighters and ambulances remained at the scene late Saturday. An AFP journalist who attended the match described a stadium bursting with people for the long-awaited clash between local teams US Ouakam and Stade de Mbour.

At 2-1 during extra time, US Ouakam supporters began throwing stones at Stade de Mbour fans, causing spectators to begin vacating their seats in a rush, the journalist said. Part of a wall supporting bleachers seating fans from both sides then collapsed, while police had begun firing tear gas and panic spread in the stadium leading to a crush.

“All of a sudden when the wall fell… we knew exactly that some of our own had lost their lives because the wall fell directly onto people,” said Cheikh Maba Diop, a witness who helped evacuate victims from the stadium and lost a friend in the tragedy.

Also speaking at the scene, soccer fan Mara Die Diouf said policing at the stadium had been inadequate. Diouf described police retreating from an area separating the two teams’ supporters once projectiles began being thrown, triggering dangerous movements by spectators unable to defend themselves.

AFP journalists at the scene saw belongings covered in blood at the site, with a pair of glasses and clothing strewn among broken pieces of concrete. Campaigning for Senegal’s legislative elections due on July 30 would on Sunday be suspended in respect for the victims, said a spokesman for President Macky Sall.

Sall also wanted “punishments serving as a warning,” following the tragedy, spokesman El Hamidou Kasse said on TFM television. Senegal’s safety record at large gatherings has been heavily criticized this year after the death of dozens of people at a religious retreat in April, when a fire ripped through makeshift shelters.

(Source: AFP)

16, July 2017

6 months in, Trump’s approval rating lowest in 70 years ⁰

US President Donald Trump’s six-month approval rating is the lowest of any president in polls in 70 years, a new survey shows. An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Sunday surveyed people’s opinion about Trump’s competence on the world stage, his effectiveness, the GOP healthcare plan as well as his handling of Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 election.

Only 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down 6 points from his 100-day mark, which itself was a low. The previous president, whose approval rating was very close to this level at or near six months, was Gerald Ford, who received 39 percent in February 1975.

Sixty-three percent of Americans polled believe it was not appropriate for Trump’s son, son-in-law and campaign manager to have meetings with a Russian lawyer during the campaign for the presidential election last year. Also, 6 in 10 believe Russia sought to influence the campaign, and among those who believe so, 67 percent say Trump’s aides helped, similar to results released in April.

Nonetheless, the Russia controversy is only one of Trump’s troubles. Just 38 percent say he is making significant progress toward his goals, while 55 percent believe otherwise. Two-thirds do not trust his ability to negotiate with other world leaders specifically with Russian President Vladimir Putin on America’s behalf. And about half argue that the US leadership has become weaker under Trump, whereas just 27 percent say it has grown stronger. With regard to his party’s signature campaign issue which is to replace Obamacare, Americans by a 2-1 margin prefer it over the Republican plan, 50-24 percent.

Overall, Trump’s job approval rating, after six months in office, is 4 points lower than his predecessor Barack Obama’s career low, which came in his sixth year, according to the poll. Forty-eight percent “strongly” disapprove of Trump’s job performance, again slightly surpassing the strongest disapproval of Obama’s career, in his fifth year. The president’s 58 percent overall disapproval is 7 points higher than the next-highest disapproval rating at six months which belongs to President Bill Clinton in 1993, the poll shows.

Source: Presstv

16, July 2017

Biya regime warns Bafia Diocese of severe options over remains of late Bishop Balla ⁰

The Biya regime has threatened the pastoral leadership of the Diocese of Bafia over the remains of the late Bishop Balla brutally murdered recently. The administrator of the Diocese of Bafia, Vicar General Abraham Kome has been told that he will be held accountable if the late Bishop’s body is not collected from a mortuary in Yaoundé.

The letter from the judicial police comes after an earlier declaration from the attorney general of the Center region that the remains had long been handed over to the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.

Ever since the Bishop was assassinated, Catholics in Cameroon have been tirelessly trying to save their Church from the effects of a regime whose intimidation, killings of numerous clergies and bullying have harmed many.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai
Cameroon Concord News