Southern Cameroons Crisis: DO of Idabato in Amba drag-net

2, October 2024

Southern Cameroons Crisis: DO of Idabato in Amba drag-net 0

Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces have arrested Roland Ewane, the Divisional Officer of Idabato in the Bakassi Peninsula in Ndian Division which borders Nigeria, early Tuesday.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that the sub-prefect and a staff member of the Idabato council were arrested on Tuesday morning.

The Senior Divisional Officer for Ndian Gilbert Guibai Baldena in a statement confirmed the Ambazonia action but added that the Amba fighters were an “unidentified armed group who took direction toward Nigeria on board flying boats.”

Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces are now active in the Bakassi Peninsula of Ndian division, which was once at the center of a boundary demarcation conflict between Cameroon and Nigeria.

The Ambazonia Interim Government is yet to comment on the incident.

By Kingsley Betek in Mundemba

CPDM Crime Syndicate: French banks cancel Paris meeting with Cameroonian delegation

2, October 2024

CPDM Crime Syndicate: French banks cancel Paris meeting with Cameroonian delegation 0

Two French banks Natixis and Bpifrance cancelled a late September meeting in Paris with a delegation from Cameroon. The meeting had been scheduled to discuss a €590m motorway construction funding package for Yaoundé.

The French financial establishments made the decision after President Paul Biya decided to halt an investigation into the so-called “55 metal bridges” affair, which several government ministers have been caught up in.

Africa Intelligence reported that the President Paul Biya’s flagship project, the Yaounde-Douala highway, will cost three times more than the financing provided by Beijing.

By Rita Akana with files from Africa Intelligence

Pope Francis opens new debates on Catholic Church future

2, October 2024

Pope Francis opens new debates on Catholic Church future 0

The General Assembly of the Synod, comprising 368 religious and lay people — including women — from around 100 countries, will hold closed-door debates on potential reforms at the Vatican until October 27.

The synod had already gathered for a month-long assembly in October 2023, after a three-year worldwide consultation among Catholics organised by Francis to confront challenges facing the 2,000-year-old Church.

The 87-year-old Argentine pontiff will have the final say on any doctrinal changes they recommend.

Last year, the assembly addressed themes as varied as attitudes to LGBTQ people, polygamy, the ordination of married men and the fight against the sexual abuse of children by priests.

Although the body resisted pressure to allow the ordination of female priests, calls continue for more visibility and space for women in an institution still run by men.

No decisions are expected any time soon, with the most sensitive issues entrusted to working groups that will deliver their conclusions in June 2025.

Francis launched the Assembly with a mass in St Peter’s Square, where he urged participants to enter the discussions with an open mind.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” he said.

He added that the meeting was “not a parliamentary assembly, but rather a place of listening in communion”.

On Tuesday evening, Francis held a “penitential” vigil attended by around 2,5000 people in St Peter’s Basilica, during which he again asked forgiveness and expressed his “shame” for the abuse by priests that has overshadowed the Church’s work across the world.

People at the vigil heard from a South African former choirboy who was assaulted by a priest when he was just 11, and who denounced a lack of transparency and responsibility in and by the Church that he said had shaken the faith of millions of people.

“We are here as beggars of the Father’s mercy, asking for forgiveness,” Francis said.

“How could we be credible in our mission if we do not acknowledge our mistakes and stoop to heal the wounds we have caused by our sins?” he added.

Source: AFP

Kingsley Njoka’s absurd 10-year prison sentence: ongoing persecution of Anglophone journalists

1, October 2024

Kingsley Njoka’s absurd 10-year prison sentence: ongoing persecution of Anglophone journalists 0

Barely a month after journalist Amadou Vamoulké was sentenced to 20 years in prison, freelance reporter Kingsley Fumunyuy Njoka, who has been in pre-trial detention for over four years, was sentenced to ten years in prison for “secession and complicity with armed gangs”. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the conviction and outrageous charges, which testify to the ongoing persecution of journalists in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

On 24 September, Cameroon suffered yet another attack on press freedom: freelance journalist Kingsley Fumunyuy Njoka was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment by the Yaoundé military court for “secession and complicity with armed gangs”. His crime? Authoring reports published in 2020 on the armed conflict raging in the northwest of the country.

Arrested without a warrant on 15 May 2020 at his home in Douala, the country’s economic capital, by three members of the Bonabéri research brigade, Njoka has been held in pre-trial detention at the Kondengui Central Prison in the Yaoundé region ever since. Before his arrest, Njoka regularly published reports critical of the authorities, notably working for the English-language media outlet Canal 2 English on the “Anglophone crisis”, an armed conflict in the English-speaking zones of western Cameroon between the military and separatists that has claimed 6,000 lives since 2017.

One of Njoka’s lawyers, Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus, a former journalist who worked with Njoka, told RSF this was an “unfair trial, in violation of Cameroonian laws and international law,” stressing that “the time limit for detention without trial, 18 months maximum in this kind of case, was not respected at all.” Nicodemus appealed against this conviction on 27 September.

“This is the second prison sentence for a journalist in less than a month — following that of Amadou Vamoulké — and illustrates how Cameroon is sinking deeper into its crackdown against the right to inform, which has been underway for several years. The case of Kingsley Njoka, who was illegally held in pre-trial detention for four years before being arbitrarily sentenced, reveals the fate awaiting journalists reporting on the Anglophone crisis. His situation is not unlike that of his colleague Samuel Wazizi, who was also arrested for covering the crisis and died in custody in 2019. Kingsley Njoka’s wrongful conviction on baseless charges must be overturned and he must be released immediately.”

Barely a month earlier, the former Director General of the Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV), Amadou Vamoulké, was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for “embezzlement of public funds”, after 178 successive postponements of his trial. He had already been condemned to 12 years’ imprisonment for a similar case in December 2022, after more than seven years in pre-trial detention. He will therefore have to serve a total of 32 years in prison, which is inexcusable treatment of a journalist renowned for his professionalism and integrity.

Anglophone journalist Samuel Wazizi was also arrested and accused of complicity with secessionists in 2019. He died in custody under troubling conditions. According to the official statement, which was not given until ten months later, the journalist died due to illness a mere fifteen days after his arrest, despite being in perfect health – a story that is difficult to believe.

To date, four journalists have been unjustly convicted in Cameroon: Dimitri Wassouom Tchatchoua was sentenced to two years in prison in April 2023 for “publishing false information” electronically, and Thomas Awah Junior, correspondent in Cameroon’s northwest region for Afrik 2 Radio, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2018 for multiple charges, including “secession”, “insurrection”, “spreading false news”.

Cameroon ranks 130th out of 180 countries in the RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

Culled from RSF

Biya secretly dying of cancer in France

1, October 2024

Biya secretly dying of cancer in France 0

President Paul Biya has prostate cancer that is spreading and he has been told that he is going, Cameroon Intelligence Report correspondent in Paris has gathered from credible sources in France.

Biya is 91 years old and is Cameroon’s longest serving head of state that plans to still run for office in the upcoming presidential elections.

Cameroon government officials say the dictator is holidaying in France but those who are in the know have hinted this publication that Biya is secretly dying of prostate cancer and he is now aware his time is nearly up.

The French government is reportedly using secret channels to prepare the Cameroonian military, the gendarmerie including senior political elites in Yaoundé for the expected outcome.

We understand things took a dramatic turn for President Biya while in China and his Swiss doctors are now worried that at any time he could enter a sharp decline.

Biya’s aides have never said he has cancer and are normally fiercely defensive of the corrupt leader’s medical privacy. Unity Palace has also never said publicly that Mr. Biya has cancer.

“Treatment will be stopped because of Biya’s age and also because the cancer is spreading,” a source at the Cameroon embassy in Paris, France was quoted as saying to a secret service officer.

French diplomatic cables are saying that if fully recovered, Biya intends to attend the Francophonie Summit in France before going home to die.

At the time of filing this report, information filtered that Biya’s prostate cancer has spread to other organs.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files

FIFA bans Samuel Eto’o from Cameroon games for six months

30, September 2024

FIFA bans Samuel Eto’o from Cameroon games for six months 0

Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), has been handed a six-month ban from attending any international matches involving Cameroon by FIFA’s disciplinary panel.

The former Barcelona and Chelsea striker’s sanction comes after violations of two articles from FIFA’s disciplinary code during the Under-20 Women’s World Cup last-16 match between Cameroon and Brazil on 11 September, where Cameroon lost 3-1 after extra time.

FIFA cited breaches related to offensive behaviour, misconduct, and violations of fair play principles during the match in Bogota, Colombia, which Eto’o attended. The 43-year-old is now barred from attending all matches involving Cameroon’s national men’s and women’s teams, across all age groups.

The ban took immediate effect, and Eto’o has been informed of the decision, leaving him unable to attend Cameroon’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games against Kenya in October.

This is not Eto’o’s first disciplinary issue. In July, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined him $200,000 for breaching ethics rules after signing a contract to be an ambassador for betting company 1XBET. While Eto’o’s legal team is appealing the CAF ruling, his controversies as Fecafoot president have continued.

Since his election in 2021, Eto’o has faced criticism from within Cameroon’s football circles, with accusations of irregularities at Fecafoot, and one former teammate labelling him a dictator due to his leadership style.

Source:  Sports News

US: Hurricane Helene kills dozens as emergency supplies are rushed to North Carolina, Florida

30, September 2024

US: Hurricane Helene kills dozens as emergency supplies are rushed to North Carolina, Florida 0

The US Southeast grappled Sunday with rising death tolls, a lack of vital supplies in isolated, flood-stricken areas and the widespread loss of homes and property while the devastating toll of Hurricane Helene became more clear and officials warned of a lengthy and difficult rebuild.

A North Carolina County that includes the mountain city of Asheville, reported 30 people killed due to the storm, pushing the overall death toll to at least 84 people across several states.

The storm upended life throughout the Southeast. Deaths also were reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.

He implored residents in western North Carolina to avoid travel, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people.

“Many people are cut off because the roads are impassable,” Cooper said. Supplies were being airlifted to the region around Asheville, a city known for its arts, culture and scenery.

One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville. Another mission focused on saving a single infant. The teams found people through both 911 calls and social media messages, North Carolina Adjutant General Todd Hunt said.

Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph (225 kph) winds. A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.

There have been hundreds of water rescues, including in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were plucked by helicopter from a hospital rooftop Friday.

Several million were still without power Sunday afternoon. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster asked for patience as crews dealt with widespread snapped power poles.

“We want people to remain calm. Help is on the way, It is just going to take time,” McMaster told reporters outside the airport in Aiken County.

The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. One community, Spruce Pine, was doused with over 2 feet (61 centimeters) of rain from Tuesday through Saturday.

Jessica Drye Turner in Texas had begged for someone to rescue her family members stranded on their rooftop in Asheville amid rising flood waters. “They are watching 18-wheelers and cars floating by,” Turner wrote in an urgent Facebook post on Friday.

But in a follow-up message Saturday, Turner said help had not arrived in time to save her parents, both in their 70s, and her 6-year-old nephew. The roof collapsed and the three drowned.

“I cannot convey in words the sorrow, heartbreak and devastation my sisters and I are going through,” she wrote.

Western North Carolina was isolated by landslides and flooding.

The state was sending water supplies and other items toward Buncombe County and Asheville, but mudslides blocking Interstate 40 and other highways prevented supplies from making it. The county’s own water supplies were on the other side of the Swannanoa River, away from where most of the 270,000 people in Buncombe County live, officials said.

Law enforcement was making plans to send officers to places that still had water, food or gas because of reports of arguments and threats of violence, the sheriff said.

“If you will bear with us and be patient one more day — I hate to say that but I know how desperate water is in our community — but we are pushing as hard as we can to get them up the mountain,” Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the federal disaster agency was actively engaged across six states in meeting the requests of governors and state-level responders. She noted the Appalachian regions across North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia presented particular concerns. Criswell toured south Georgia on Sunday and planned to be in North Carolina on Monday.

“It’s still very much an active search and rescue mission” in western North Carolina, Criswell said. “And we know that there’s many communities that are cut off just because of the geography” of the mountains, where damage to roads and bridges have cut off certain areas.

President Joe Biden on Saturday pledged federal government help for Helene’s “overwhelming” devastation. He also approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina, making federal funding available for affected individuals.

In Florida’s Big Bend, some lost nearly everything they own. With sanctuaries still darkened as of Sunday morning, some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside.

Standing water and tree debris still covers the grounds of Faith Baptist Church. The church called on parishioners to come “pray for our community” in a message posted to the congregation’s Facebook page.

“We have power. We don’t have electricity,” Immaculate Conception Catholic Church parishioner Marie Ruttinger said. “Our God has power. That’s for sure.”

In Atlanta, 11.12 inches (28.24 centimeters) of rain fell orver 48 hours, the most the city has seen over two days since record keeping began in 1878.

Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it looked “like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air.

In eastern Georgia near the border with South Carolina, officials notified Augusta residents Sunday morning that water service would be shut off for 24 to 48 hours in the city and surrounding Richmond County.

A news release said trash and debris from the storm “blocked our ability to pump water.” Officials were distributing bottled water.

With at least 25 killed in South Carolina, Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone for the state since Hurricane Hugo made landfall north of Charleston in 1989, killing 35 people.

Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage.

Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones sometimes within hours.

Source: AP

Abuja: End of MOHWA as Chief Stella Ntui introduces Nyene Mawn

30, September 2024

Abuja: End of MOHWA as Chief Stella Ntui introduces Nyene Mawn 0

Nyene Mawn is the name of a new group looking to form a fresh Manyu women association in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  It is made up of individuals from the defunct MOWAH – and it intends to launch its existence with a flurry of interest on social media in the entire Nigeria.

Nyene Mawn Nigeria appears to be the brainchild of scores of Manyu women who no longer identify with MOHWA Global. The Nyene Mawn Nigeria project is also supported by hundreds of Manyu women in Europe, Cameroon and the USA.

Chief Stella Arhewoh says on her face book:

“This is an era of understanding the Manyu diaspora: empowering the Manyu girl child, moving Manyu Division forward and stop the spread of disunity among Manyus. We urgently need an answer. But MOHWA failed to provide an alternative.”

The creation of Nyene Mawn in Belgium inspired thousands of Manyu women around the globe who are oppose to corruption, lies and arrogance in leadership.

Chief Stella Arhewoh will now be overseeing the destiny of Nyene Mawn in Nigeria and the hundreds of Manyu women in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic denied a voice by the MOHWA dictatorship in Cameroon.

Speaking on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria, Chief Stella Ntui observed that Manyu Division needs a woman organization that offers real solutions that challenges the old MOHWA system and builds meaningful relationship with a wide range of Manyu women organizations all over the world.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files from Nyeme Mawn Nigeria

Biya may not be returning anytime soon!

30, September 2024

Biya may not be returning anytime soon! 0

President Paul Biya who has been hospitalized in France will not be returning to Cameroon anytime soon, a source close to the ailing leader has informed the Cameroon Concord News Group.

Mr Biya travelled to France for a prostrate cancer operation and has not been responding to treatment, the source added.

“The cancer seems to be spreading and due to his age, things are not falling in place as planned. If the president will be coming home, he might not be in front of the plane as his health is not the best. He is old and anything can happen. Our concern now is who will take over after him when the next in line is also very sick in France?”

Meanwhile, the ruling CPDM is planning to have an extraordinary congress before the end of the year based on the fact that the news from Paris is not good.

The extraordinary congress will also look at how to modify the party constitution to ensure that the position of chairman is not a lifetime affair.

The congress will also be an opportunity to look at those who might possibly step in just in case the president returned in the cargo compartment of the plane, our source said.

Our source furthered that an Anglophone was being considered for the post of party chairman and anybody who occupies the post might run in case the inevitable occurs.

However, there are also fears that the military might step in if the transition is not properly managed. Our informant hinted that one of the generals whose name the Cameroon Concord News prefers to keep under wraps was already being suspected of talking with the French government.

“A palace coup is very likely to take place in Cameroon. We might see the Gabon-style coup. Cameroon is in for dangerous times. We are scared of street violence as the level of frustration and unemployment leaves much to be desired. The days ahead are unsettling and if care is not taken, Cameroon could descend into chaos”.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Eyumema-Nyene Mawn-Mohwa: Now that the fighting is over Manyu needs complementarity and not competition!

28, September 2024

Eyumema-Nyene Mawn-Mohwa: Now that the fighting is over Manyu needs complementarity and not competition! 0

After decades of unnecessary fighting, it is becoming clear to people of Manyu Division that competition is the law of the jungle while complementarity is the law of civilization.  The Division’s women’s organization should be encouraged to embrace complementarity.

For a very long time, it has been challenging to have people of Manyu descent to work together because of bloated egos and the men who are supposed to take the lead on efforts at bringing much-needed development to the Division have been unable to get pass their unnecessary pride and differences.

Organization after Organization has been plagued by internecine fighting, causing misunderstanding and various factions to develop. And the various factions hardly deliver any good development results. Development is also about numbers. Those who have the numbers usually have a greater resource mobilization capacity.

After most fights, the various factions always seek to destroy each other, making it hard for any real reconciliation to take place.

It has always been a firm belief in Manyu that only the men can deliver great results, but this mistaken belief is gradually yielding to new ways of thinking as Manyu women organizations are springing up and the women are more determined than ever to bring about transformative change in the Division.

Today, there are three key women organizations which are seeking to engineer a paradigm shift, though the usual demons have already reared their ugly heads.

MOHWA, which has been in existence for a long time, is trying to find its feet after a very long bruising divorce. Its ranks have been diminished following the formation of EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN.

Despite its reduced numbers, MOHWA remains a determined and necessary force which wants to bring its share of development projects to the Division.

Though there is still a lot of bitterness, which is normal when a divorce occurs, MOHWA members still hold that they can put smiles on the faces of some young Manyu girls who are struggling to find their way around the complicated and confusing maze known as life.

Internal fighting could be bad business for any organization but it could also be a huge stock-taking moment if leaders keep an open mind. MOHWA can still rise from its ashes if its leaders address those issues which have caused it to lose many of its members and this organization, which has stood the test of time, will continue to be a fixture on the Manyu development landscape if new ways replace old methods of doing business.

After a long bruising fight, EYUMEMA has seen the light of day. This brand new women’s group has ignited and rekindled hope in many Manyu people. Its sheer numbers will be a development asset if old demons do not take a seat at the table.

Many Manyu women across the world have been rushing to join the organization, hoping that the organization’s growing numbers will be transformed into huge development capital.

The United States has the largest EYUMEMA branch and there is every indication that things are headed in the right direction. Besides having delivered boreholes to the Division, EYUMEMA still has a huge and long pipeline of projects with the building of the preventive hospital’s technical and physical capacity being a top priority.

Manyu Division lost its key medical facility a few years ago in a fire whose origin has been controversial. Following this unfortunate situation, the preventive hospital in Mamfe has been serving as a full hospital though it lacks the proper technical capacity.

EYUMEMA sources have indicated that endowing the preventive hospital with some modern capacity is a key objective of the organization.

With branches in various towns in Cameroon, EYUMEMA is clearly stealing the show from MOHWA, with many women joining the organization without knowing why they are joining. Many seem to be under a spell. The noise from the USA seems to be music to their ears and they want to be part of an organization which is already displaying a deep sense of purpose.

The MOHWA fragmentation has not only ended with the creation of EYUMEMA. A bomb seemed to have fallen on MOHWA and that explosion also resulted in the creation of NYENE MAWN in Belgium.

Its creation might not have put smiles on many faces, especially for those who think that unity is strength. However, division is as old as man and instead of spending time and energy fighting old demons, NYENE MAWN members feel they could be counted among those organizations which are putting the Manyu girl child at the heart of their operations.

The more, the merrier goes the saying and NYENE MAWN is a welcome addition to the Manyu development landscape. The brand new organization is currently developing a sound management structure to ensure that demons of the past do not rear their ugly heads in this organization which sees complementarity as part of its development strategy.

Now that the fighting is over, it is time to take stock of things. Fighting is something any reasonable person should shun. But if it cannot be avoided, its lessons should at least be learned.

Today, Manyu needs lots of development projects and any organization which is capable of changing things for the people of that Division should be welcome. MOHWA, EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN are all Manyu organizations and the people of Manyu should support their development aspirations and endeavors.

These organizations should understand that anger against a sister should never be the reason why there won’t ever be any collaboration.

The world is in constant movement and change is the only constant. As people of Manyu descent, we must embrace our organizations, support them in whatever they are doing, provided that they will bring much-needed development to our Division, and above all, encourage them to collaborate, where necessary.

The world is moving towards complementarity and competition clearly belongs to the past. Competition may only lead to a duplication of operations and such a situation might not be in the interest of our people.

Manyu looks forward to working with all its women’s groups and the men should donate generously to these groups as our women are pointing us in the right direction. Manyu is our land and we must develop it and make it a better place than we met it.

Dr. Joachim Arrey

This is a Cameroon Concord News Group Production.

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