19, August 2017

Isolated Biya regime could be at risk of losing Africa Cup of Nations ⁰

August 18 – Cameroon will learn on September 23 whether it can go ahead and stage the first expanded African Nations Cup finals in 2019 or whether it will have to step down through lack of facilities. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has called a meeting of its executive committee in Accra where officials will be presented with the report of next week’s inspection visit to Cameroon by a panel of independent experts.

Cameroon officials are dismayed at recent comments by CAF president Ahmad Ahmad which appeared to question the country’s ability to host a 24-team finals even before the inspection team has set foot in the country. This is perceived by some as a deliberate vendetta against Ahmad’s long-serving Cameroonian predecessor Issa Hayatou,
Under revised rules, the host nation for the Continent’s flagship event will have to provide a minimum of six stadiums: two of 15,000 seats, two of 20,000 and two of 40,000 seats for the opening and closing ceremonies. If Cameroon’s candidacy is ruled out, a new bid process would probably be launched in the autumn with Algeria, Morocco and Ivory Coast potential interested parties.

CAF has faced several precedents of host nations being switched late on. The latest example was in 2015 when Morocco pulled out because of fears over the Ebola virus – the country was banned for its stance – and was replaced by Equatorial Guinea. Two years earlier, South Africa supplanted Libya which was embroiled in civil war.

With Morocco having forged strong links with Ahmad and having hosted a number of CAF meetings and Ahmad visits, they are the strong favourites to pick up 2019 finals if (or seemingly more likely when) it is stripped from Cameroon.

Culled from Insideworldfootball

19, August 2017

Cameroon’s Susan Ngongi is new UN resident coordinator for Eritrea ⁰

Susan Namondo Ngongi, outgoing Country Director for UNICEF Ghana, has been appointed as the new UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Eritrea. The Cameroonian born UN official was recently appointed to head Eritrea’s UN office and is due to take up her new post this August.

Prior to her coming to Ghana, Susan Namondo Ngongi, has worked with UNICEF across Africa spanning over a decade. She started her UNICEF career in 2000 as an emergencies specialist in Sudan before moving into a co-ordination role with UNICEF’s regional office for Eastern and Southern Africa and UNICEF headquarters in New York.

Susan supported programme development, monitoring and evaluation as Deputy Representative in Liberia in 2008. She then moved to the Comoros as Representative in 2010, three years later she took the post of UNICEF Representative in Ghana.

Ms Ngongi has a Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University, USA and a Masters in Animal Health from the University of Reading, UK. She has and continues to be celebrated as one of the leading women making Cameroon and the African continent proud through her service to humanity.

Source: Journal du Cameroun

19, August 2017

Drought leaves 8.5 million Ethiopians hungry ⁰

Livestock are dying in parts of Ethiopia that are overwhelmingly reliant on their milk as deepening drought pushes up the number of districts in need of life-saving aid by 19 percent, according to a report.

At least 8.5 million people in 228 districts of Ethiopia need urgent food aid in the second half of the year, up from 5.6 million in January, according to the study published on ReliefWeb, a website run by the United Nations.

Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region is one of the country’s worst affected zones and is home to a quarter of the country’s cases of severe acute malnutrition, UN agencies said.

Severe acute malnutrition is a condition that kills up to half of sufferers under five years old.

“The number of districts requiring immediate, life-saving intervention increased to levels not seen since the height of the El Niño drought impacts in 2016,” said the joint report, which was compiled by the UN and the Ethiopian government.

A strong aid response almost halved the number of Ethiopians needing food aid to 5.6 million since mid-2016. But the devastating drought was followed by poor spring rains this year in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

A picture taken on April 16, 2016 shows pastoralist looking at animals that died as a result of drought in Sitti Zone, in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. (By AFP)

Since the end of last year, about 2 million animals have died in Somali region, which is home to many herding communities, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“For livestock-dependent families, the animals can literally mean the difference between life and death, especially for children, pregnant and nursing women for whom milk is a crucial source of nutrition,” FAO said in a statement last week.

The UN agency is helping the worst hit communities to protect their remaining livestock with vaccinations, supplementary feed and water, and improved fodder production.

“It is crucial to provide this support between now and October – when rains are due – to begin the recovery process and prevent further losses of animals,” said Abdoul Karim Bah, FAO’s deputy representative in Ethiopia.

(Source: Reuters)

19, August 2017

Battle for Southern Cameroons: Mutenguene school razed in fire ⁰

A government school has been razed to the ground in Mutenguene making it the 8th school burned in less than two weeks in Southern Cameroons. The Ambazonia militant groups are currently operating underground and are targeting schools and other public buildings.

These repeated acts of school fires cast doubt on the actual reopening of schools in West Cameroon for the 2017 academic year. Southern Cameroonians with ties to the Francophone regime in Yaoundé have accused the Francophone dominated police forces of engaging in no strategy to stop the burning.

Southern Cameroons counties for the last 11 months have been the theater of angry protest against French Cameroun marginalization. Separatists have attacked police stations including military camps and vandalized high school campuses.

Mutengene is presented as the second most frondeous locality of the Buea Province in Southern Cameroons, after Kumba. But Mutengene owes much more to its reputation hosting the National Police Training and Enforcement Center that is entire French orientated.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

18, August 2017

Boko Haram pushing refugees from one hell into another ⁰

Boko Haram terrorists have stepped up attacks on vulnerable people including those living in camps in northeastern Nigeria pushing the displaced from “one hell into another,” a leading international aid agency says. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Friday that the terrorists were looking for softer targets, including camps hosting the displaced, following the intensification of offensive by the Nigerian military against the militants.

Latest data from the NRC showed that civilians were affected by violence on about 200 occasions last month – three times more than the total for June. It also indicated that at least 32 attacks were carried out on camps and sites for those uprooted by the conflict since July.

“Camps sheltering innocent families fleeing war should be places of refuge but instead they are turning into death traps,” the head of programs for NRC in Nigeria, Ernest Mutanga, said in a statement. “Armed groups in this conflict are pushing people from one hell into another,” he added.

Terrorists have killed and injured dozens of civilians in recent months in a spate of attacks on camps and areas sheltering the displaced that bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Eight years of militancy by Boko Haram has so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced more than 2.7 million to flee their homes.

Last year, the Nigerian army seized large swathes of territory from the terrorists; however, the militants have struck back with renewed zeal since June and killed at least 170 people and weakened the army’s control in the northeast. Many aid agencies, including the NRC, have been forced to temporarily suspend their aid work in Maidiguri, the capital of Borno state, due to threats from Boko Haram.

“We are worried that if these attacks continue, a very bad situation will grow even worse when it comes to aid access and delivery,” Jackie Okao, protection and advocacy adviser at the NRC in Nigeria, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) says about 5.2 million people are expected to need food aid by the end of this month – an increase of 500,000 from the start of 2017 – in a region threatened with famine. According to aid agencies, the situation could be far worse with many areas cut off from help due to the threat of Boko Haram and the arrival of the rainy season restricting access.

Culled from Presstv

18, August 2017

3 killed, 27 injured in grenade attacks in Burundi capital ⁰

Grenade attacks on two cafes killed at least three people and wounded 27 others in the Burundian capital of Bujumbura, police and hospital sources said on Friday.

Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye told reporters on Friday that one person died at the scene and 29 others were rushed to hospital after grenades were thrown into two bars in the Buyenzi district on Thursday night. Hospital sources said two people died of their injuries later.

One survivor, who asked not to be named, said the attackers had not attempted to rob the bars or the patrons.

Burundi has suffered from periodic low-level violence since 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to seek a third term in office. Opponents said his candidacy violated the constitution and a peace agreement that ended a civil war in 2005. The opposition mostly boycotted the polls and Nkurunziza won a third term.

A wave of unrest followed. The International Criminal Court said it left about 450 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Since then, political violence has continued to simmer. Earlier this month, attackers targeted another bar in the same district, causing two deaths and wounding four.

(Source: Reuters)

18, August 2017

Trump will resign before the end of the year ⁰

A writer who has known Donald Trump for three decades believes the US president will resign from office before the end of the year. Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of Trump’s 1987 Art of the Deal memoir, took to Twitter on Thursday to make his prediction about Trump’s political future.

“The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and Congress leave him no choice,” Tony Schwartz said Thursday. The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and congress leave him no choice.

“Trump must be isolated. Resistance every day. The end is near but must keep pressure high,” he added. “Trump’s presidency is effectively over. Would be amazed if he survives till end of the year. More likely resigns by fall, if not sooner,” he continued.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller along with several congressional committees are investigating whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump’s associates during the 2016 campaign and transition, accusations both Trump and Moscow have denied. Mueller has also impaneled a grand jury, meaning he is allowed to subpoena officials and get sworn testimony which may lead to criminal indictments.

Mueller is reportedly seeking to interview current and former administration officials as part of his investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has condemned the investigation into possible collusion between his election campaign and Russia as the “greatest witch hunt” in the US history.

Schwartz made a similar prediction in May. “There is no right and wrong for Trump. There’s winning and losing. And that’s very different from right and wrong. Right now he’s in pure terror that he is going to lose,” Schwartz said. “And by the way, he is going to lose.”

Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to lead the probe which will also look into “related matters.” He was at the helm of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 12 years, between 2001 and 2013.

Source: Presstv

18, August 2017

Barcelona: Van plows into crowd killing 13 ⁰

A van has crashed into dozens of people in the center of the Spanish city of Barcelona, killing over a dozen people, including foreign nationals, and injuring many others.

The city police described the incident on Twitter as a “massive crash,” in a statement released on Thursday, saying, “Huge collision on Las Ramblas in Barcelona by an individual driving a van, many injuries.”

Conflicting reports have been so far released on casualties following the attack. Cadena Ser radio, citing police sources, said at least 13 people had been killed in the attack, which has been called a terrorist attack by police in Barcelona.

Armed policemen gather in a cordoned off area after a van plows into the crowd, killing and injuring many people in Barcelona, Spain, on August 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Other media including El Pais said there were at least 10 dead. A police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm the number of casualties. Catalan police, however, says at least one person has been confirmed dead and 32 people injured following the attack, adding that 10 of those injured are in serious condition.

Hours after the attack, a Catalan government official said that there were 13 dead and around 100 injured in the attack. The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on its Amaq propaganda website later on Thursday night. The Spanish police noted that they were clearing the area after the incident, which has left a number of people injured.

Medical staff members and policemen stand in a cordoned off area after a van plowed into the crowd, on the Rambla in Barcelona, Spain, on August 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The area around the incident was cordoned off, with several ambulances and police vehicles on the scene, an AFP correspondent said. Barcelona’s emergency services asked people not go to the area around the city’s Placa Catalunya, requesting the closure of nearby train and metro stations.

A report by El Pais newspaper stated that the driver of the vehicle had fled on foot after mowing down dozens of people. A report by El Periodico newspaper indicated that two armed men had entrenched themselves at a bar in Barcelona’s city center after the van incident, noting that it was not immediately clear if the men were the drivers of the van.

A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff members in a cordoned off area after a van plowed into the crowd in Barcelona, Spain, on August 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

A Spanish police source initially noted that a person suspected of driving the van into pedestrians was holed up at a bar. The unnamed source said, “One of the attackers is holed up in a bar,” adding that police were looking for a total of two suspects. Catalan police, however, later announced that there was nobody holed up in the bar, adding that they had arrested two men linked to Barcelona van attack.

Meanwhile, Catalan police said on Twitter that they shot dead a driver of a vehicle that ran over two police officers at a checkpoint in Barcelona following the van attack in the city center. Spanish media had earlier reported that at least one policeman was injured at the checkpoint. It was not immediately clear whether the incident was linked to the first attack in Las Ramblas avenue.

This photo released by Spanish police shows Driss Oubakir, whose documents were used to rent the van.

Within hours of the attack, Driss Oukabir, a 28-year-old man of Moroccan origin whom police said had rented the van used in the attack, reportedly turned himself in after seeing his photo being circulated online, claiming his documents had been stolen. But Lluis Trapero of the regional police of Catalonia said the driver of the van that mowed into the packed street was still on the run, adding that two other suspects – a Spaniard and a Moroccan – had been arrested.

Following the incident Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he was in contact with authorities, adding on Twitter that the priority was to attend to the injured. Police in Barcelona have announced that they are dealing with a “terrorist attack,” adding that they are searching for driver of the van.

Later reports indicated that a second van linked to Thursday attack in Barcelona had been found in the small town of Vic in Catalonia. The city council said that police had cordoned off the area and were inspecting the vehicle, . In another attack just a few hours after the Barcelona rampage, six civilians and a policeman were injured after an assailant rammed his car into a crowd of people in the resort town of Cambrils, south of Barcelona.

Police initially said they had killed four “perpetrators” and injured another during an operation against the “terrorist attack” in Cambrils in the early hours of Friday morning. They later said the fifth suspect died of his wounds. Police officials also said a blast that killed a person and injured several others at a house in Alcanar Platja on Thursday morning was linked to the Barcelona attack.

Rajoy told reporters late on Thursday night that the country is “united in grief” after the terrorist attack in Barcelona. “Today the fight against terrorism is the principal priority for free and open societies like ours. It is a global threat and the response has to be global,” he told a news conference in Barcelona.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy speaks during a press conference after a meeting following the attack in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The prime minister added that he would ask Spain’s other political parties to reaffirm its anti-terrorism pact. Various European cities have already seen terrorist attacks on pedestrians mostly carried out by Daesh operatives using various kinds of vehicles as weapon.

On July 14, 2016, a 31-year-old Tunisian identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel plowed a 19-tonne truck into a Bastille Day crowd in southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. The attack was later claimed by Daesh, which said Bouhlel was one of its followers.

On June 19, 2017, a 31-year-old Adam Dzaziri, who had sworn allegiance to Daesh, was fatally shot by the police when he rammed a car loaded with guns and a gas canister into a police van on Paris’ Champs-Elysees.

An armed policeman arrives in a cordoned off area after a van plows into the crowd in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

On August 9, 2017, a 36-year-old Algerian man, named Hamou B., drove a BMW into soldiers outside a barracks in the western Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, injuring six. The attacker was then chased by police, who shot and wounded him.

On March 22, 2017, a 52-year-old British national identified as Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge near parliament before stabbing a policeman, killing five people and injuring around 50. He was then shot dead by police. The attack was also claimed by Daesh. On June 3, London was once more shocked when three attackers stroke pedestrians with a van before going on a stabbing spree in the London Bridge area. Eight people were killed before the assailants are shot dead by police and the attack was claimed by Daesh.

Source: Presstv

18, August 2017

La Republique’s AFCON of Shame: Eto’o meets with the Vice President of CAF ⁰

The Second Vice President of CAF, Constant Omari has met with Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o to discuss CAF’s position on the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The CAF boss indicated that his meeting with Samuel Eto’o was to explain the reasons behind Ahmad Ahmad’s declaration that Cameroon was not ready to host the 2019 AFCON. To him, CAF’s president was concerned about the security and safety of the African players and delegations to be sojourn in Cameroon during the football tournament.

Constant Omari added that the pronouncement was just part of CAF’s intention to hasten up preparations in the host country. The clarification from the second Vice President of CAF was appreciated by Samuel Eto’o who also moonlights as UNICEF goodwill Ambassador in Cameroon.

Source: CRTV

18, August 2017

Cameroon Red Cross: CPDM barons to fight for Eteki Mboumoua’s seat ⁰

The race to replace the Late William Aurelian Eteki Mboumoua as president of the Cameroon Red Cross has begun in earnest. Candidates contesting for the post have begun campaigns ahead of elections scheduled for the 12th August 2017 at the headquarters of the institution. The date, venue and candidates eligible to take part in the elections were made public by the Minister of Public Health and chair of the Ad hoc Electoral Committee for the election of the president of the Cameroon Red Cross, Andre Mama Fouda and the co-chair, El Hadj Modibo Halodou Ibrahima.

According to the press release, six candidates were retained for the race including Abdousalam Mahaman, Akame Mfoumou nee Mendomo Cecile Leonie, Marie Madeleine Fouda, Feutse Roger, Ousmanou Dawaye and Peh Peh Ebenezer. Of the six candidates only five will be running, Ousmanou Dawaye having passed away.

The kicker for election campaigns was given on Thursday, 17th August 2017 by Feutse Roger during a press Conference in Yaoundé where he launched his manifesto. The Ambassador of humanitarian activities and President of the Red Cross for Mfoundi who has served in the Cameroon Red Cross for ten years said he vision is to build a Red Cross of action and proximity which is able to generate its own income.

He hopes to promote the humanitarian heritage by promoting team work, training of rescuers and to redefine the management model in the institution. He will however be contesting alongside Marie Madeleine Fouda, Former Minister of Social Affairs and member of the outgoing executive. She holds dear the vision of the founder of the Red Cross which is to help the needy and increase the number of rescuers in schools and institutions. She also hopes to use her 25 years experience in the Red Cross to attract more partners and donors.

Retired police Superintendent Peh Peh Ebenezer holds that a soldier remains a soldier even for a humanitarian mission. The retired officer hopes to use his experience as a uniformed man to forge a dynamic, strong and independent Red Cross. Former Vice President of the Management board and member of the ongoing executive, Abdousalam Mahaman and Akame Mfoumou nee Mendomo Cecile Leonie member of the outgoing executive also have convincing reasons why they hope to lead the Cameroon Red Cross. At the end of the elective general assembly at the Red Cross Head quarters on Monday 21st August 2016, the new President of the body will be known after the ballots would have been counted.

Source: CRTV