20, February 2024

Widow of Haiti’s president indicted in his assassination ⁰

A Haitian judge in charge the investigation into the 2021 assassination of the Caribbean nation’s last president has charged some fifty people, including his widow and a former prime minister, according to a document leaked to local media.

According to the 122-page document from Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, made public by AyiboPost, the president’s widow Martine Moise conspired with former Prime Minister Claude Joseph to kill the president in order to replace him herself.

Moise was shot dead when armed men broke into his Port-au-Prince bedroom on the night of July 7, 2021, a raid that left the former first lady injured.

The judge’s order calls for the arrest and trial of those charged.

The former first lady did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, nor did Joseph. Moise has criticised on social media what she calls unjust arrests and political persecutions.

Joseph meanwhile told the Miami Herald the president’s de-facto successor, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, was the main beneficiary and was now “weaponising the Haitian justice system” to persecute opponents in “a classic coup d’etat.”

A spokesperson for Henry’s office said the judge was independent and “free to issue his order in accordance with the law and his conscience.”

Henry was appointed to replace Joseph, who now leads an opposition party, days before the assassination. He pledged to hold elections but has postponed these indefinitely citing a devastating earthquake and the growing power of heavily-armed criminal gangs, for which he has sought foreign aid.

The gangs are now estimated to control most of the capital, and Kenya is preparing to lead a UN-ratified international force to support Haitian police, though prior abuses by foreign missions and allegations against Henry’s government have left countries wary of volunteering support.

A separate case on Moise’s killing is being tried in Miami, where six of 11 defendants have pleaded guilty to a plot to send Colombian mercenaries to kidnap Moise, a plan which was at the eleventh hour changed to a plot to murder him.

The conspirators had according to US charges sought to replace Moise with Haitian-American pastor Christian Emmanuel Sanon.

Source: REUTERS

20, February 2024

Douala: Escalating fuel prices are hurting! ⁰

For years now, the cost of living around the world has left many people in difficult financial times. The rising housing cost in the country has left many people around the world homeless while escalating food and oil prices have left many hungry and desperate. To gain a better understanding of the tough financial times in which the increasing fuel prices have dumped Cameroonians, Cameroon Concord News sent its Douala-based reporter to the streets of the city where he talked to ordinary citizens who did not hide their pain and frustration with the government following the recent fuel price increase. To protect the identities of the speakers, Cameroon Concord News prefers to use their first names. This is what they had to say.

Jean Mark (Taxi driver): We are really dying in silence. The recent fuel price increase is going to kill us. Business is not as lucrative as it used to be. The roads are untarred, and we are already spending a lot on car maintenance. Following the government’s decision to increase pump prices, we too have decided to download the price increase on passengers. This is threatening our bottom-line as many young men and women now prefer to walk as a means of cutting down on their transportation cost. The government must do something. Cameroonians are hurting. Car owners require us to bring more money, but with this type of fuel prices, how do we balance our bosses. To cope with the new situation, I drive for almost 16 hours a day just to go home with something for my family. Things are deteriorating and if support measures are not taken, the economy will take a nosedive.

Marie-Irene (Housewife): I am happy that you have come to interview me right in the market. As you can see, the “Bonassama Market” is almost empty. The market women are complaining that they cannot sell their produce because the buyers do not have the money. Take a look at my market basket and you will see that it is almost empty. With CFAF 50,000 I could only buy a few items. A few years back, CFAF 50,000 could feed a family of five for almost ten days, but with increasing fuel prices, CFAF 50,000 cannot take us anywhere. We are straining. It is hard for us to make ends meet. My husband is the bread winner. For more than five years, he has not received any salary increase but food and fuel prices have been on the rise. The inflation has eroded our net family income, pushing us into poverty. What is even more annoying is that the government does not seem to care. Since the cost of living increased, the government has not taken any reasonable supporting measures. The best it has done is to announce a 5% increase in the salaries of civil servants. 5% is simply nothing. With average salaries in Cameroon standing at CFAF 200,000, a-5% increase will imply that someone with CFAF 200,000 will earn an additional CFAF 10,000. What can that buy for a typical Cameroonian family? The government seems to have put us on a diet, and we are losing weight amazingly fast.

Edimo (civil servant): Honestly, things are falling apart for me. As you can see, I am heading to work on foot. I am a civil servant but look at the way I am dressed. It is as if the government is punishing us for agreeing to serve our country. I am overwhelmed. With a family of six, my salary of CFAF 220,000 cannot carry us. My wife also works but we are still under enormous stress. When you look at Cameroonians, you can easily figure out that they are under pressure. Many Cameroonians are on high blood medication. Stressed-induced diabetes is taking down Cameroonians. Escalating prices are hurting us and our families. Many Cameroonians no longer go to shops to shop. The prices there are well beyond their purchasing power. We all now do purchase our clothes from the second-hand market. We are finished! The government is clearly indifferent to our plight. Many Cameroonians can no longer get the health care they need because of high care cost. This is not the country we all hoped for in the early 80s. And this explains why many people are leaving the country.

Peter Martin (Teacher): I am a government teacher. Times are hard and they will continue in for many years. Prices are constantly moving upward while salaries are stagnating. I have parked my car following the recent increase in fuel prices. I cannot afford to run a car with such a meagre salary. To make ends meet, I must organize extra classes in my home. There are many students who are missing classes because they cannot afford to take taxis to school. Cameroon has not got a real mass transit system, and this makes life challenging to the poor. In a few years’ time, drop-out rates in our schools will be high. Literacy levels are also bound to decline as many parents are instead pushing their children into small businesses. The government must take a look at the situation to ensure that rising fuel prices do not have very serious adverse effects on the economy.

By staff man Alain A. Ebot

19, February 2024

Indomitable Lions: Hugo Broos Opens Up on Why He Was Fired As Coach ⁰

The head coach of the South African national football team, Hugo Broos, has opened up on what went wrong during his time with the Cameroonian national team.

Barely 10 months after guiding the Indomitable Lions to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title, the tactician was shown the door.

Broos has detailed all that transpired before he was sacked, including allegations that he was extorting money from players before they were called up to the national team.

He explained that there appeared to be some similarities with his present situation with South Africa, having led them to a third-place finish at the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

In 2017, Cameroon lost 4-0 to Nigeria and then fell out of their 2018 World Cup campaign. Commenting on the manner of his departure, Broos said this week-

“I was in the hotel with the staff, I forget before which game, and there was a sports programme [on TV]. There were two guests, and one of them said, ‘I know the coach, team manager and team doctor asked for money for players to be in the national team. €5,000 if they want to play’.

“We were all in front of the TV saying, ‘What is this guy saying?’. The team manager and the doctor went to court. They stopped the programme and the guy got a fine. That’s Cameroon.”

Source: Sportsbrief.com

19, February 2024

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Bishop George Nkuo says God is ‘close to the broken–hearted’ ⁰

In a heartfelt homily on Sunday, Bishop George Nkuo of Kumbo in Cameroon reminded the faithful of God’s constant presence and care in times of trouble amid a new spat of violence.

He urged all parties to renounce violence and seek peace in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, where a secessionist uprising has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions since 2017.

“No more bloodshed in our land. No more violence in our land. No more hatred in our land,” the bishop said.

His message on February 18 came in the wake of attacks on February 11, Cameroon’s National Youth Day. Suspected separatists carried out these attacks on students in Nkambe, leaving one student dead and over 40 wounded.

They detonated an improvised explosive device as students marched past, killing 14-year-old Cherish and injuring several others. Armed men, also suspected to be separatists, marched into a Catholic Church in Jakiri, in the Kumbo Diocese. They ordered Christians out of Mass, accusing them of using a church service to celebrate Youth Day.

February 11 is celebrated in Cameroon as a Youth Day. However, historically it is the day Cameroon’s Anglophones – the part of Cameroon initially administered by the British before independence – voted in a 1961 plebiscite to gain independence by joining the already independent Republic of Cameroon, which is the part of the country initially administered by the French. The two entities then formed a Federal Republic of Cameroon, which only lasted for a decade.

The federal system was dissolved in favor of a unitary state. The Anglophone minority has long felt marginalized and subjugated by the Francophone-dominated administration in Yaoundé. Therefore, Feb. 11 has been a date that separatists love to hate. As one separatist put it, it was the day Anglophones were “packaged, sold and delivered.”

Impeding the celebration of that day in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions is part of a larger strategy for separatists to undermine state sovereignty as they seek separation from the country and the creation of a new state called Ambazonia. The fighting, now in its seventh year, has resulted in the loss of at least 6,000 lives, according to the International Crisis Group. Over a million people have been forced to flee from their homes.

Nkuo said that despite the escalating violence, God remains a permanent presence in the lives of the people.

“God is close to His people, He is close to the broken-hearted especially in times of difficulty,” the bishop said.

“We worship a God who is close to those who are weak. We worship a God of Peace, a God who does not tolerate any form of violence, a God who has called us to have deep respect for the dignity of every human person. It is a God who has ‘conquered every form of darkness with the light of the risen Christ,” he said.

Lemnyuy Cherish Bongeh, the lone-girl killed in the Nkambe blast, had initially escaped fighting in her native Kumbo to the economic capital Douala, where she continued schooling. However, her father preferred that she return and relocate to the relatively peaceful Nkambe. The Feb. 11 attack would shatter that peace.

“What has happened cuts a deep wound into my heart,” Cherish’s father said, asking that his name not be used.

The murdered girl’s classmate gave one of the bidding prayers, painting a gory picture of what has been going on in the two English-speaking regions.

“Merciful Lord, for over seven years now, we have known no peace. The blood of the innocent, especially young people, has been shed in many places in our country. You are our only hope. Hear our prayer and grant us peace,” the student said.

“Show compassion to the people of Nkambe in their sorrow,” Nkuo said.

In a February 14 statement, the bishop condemned “in the strongest terms” the Youth Day attacks.

“We strongly condemn and denounce any form of violence perpetrated during public and spiritual gatherings and within the sacred spaces of Churches and Hospitals,” Nkuo said. “We condemn in the strongest terms this heinous and senseless attack on innocent civilians during the Youth Day celebration in Nkambe.”

The bishop said the violence meted out on innocent civilians “shatters the very core of our moral fabric and calls for our collective condemnation.”

He said disrupting a Eucharistic celebration “not only violates the sanctity of these institutions but also undermines the values of compassion, empathy, and respect that lie at the core of our faith.”

“The Mass is a sacred and solemn occasion where the faithful gather to worship, seek spiritual nourishment, and strengthen their relationship with God. Such disruptions not only disrespect the sanctity of the Mass but also infringe upon the rights and freedom of religious expression,” Nkuo said.

“God’s house should be a haven of peace, where all can come together in reverence and unity,” he said.

The bishop cited international humanitarian law, which makes places of worship and other religious sites “sanctuaries where worshippers feel safe to practice their faith, sanctuaries of peace, healing, and solace for all individuals seeking comfort and divine intervention.”

He called on Cameroonians to stand united “against this brutality and affirm our commitment to peace, justice, and compassion.”

“We must stand together in denouncing such atrocities and demand that every child be granted the right to live in safety, peace, and dignity,” he said.

Nkuo appealed to the warring parties to “give peace a chance” by engaging in sincere dialogue.

“Let us pray for the victims and their loved ones, offering solace, support, and strength during this difficult time,” the bishop said.

Source: Crux

18, February 2024

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 8 separatist fighters killed in Ayukaba ⁰

At least eight separatist fighters have been killed in a military offensive in Cameroon’s war-torn English-speaking region of Southwest, security and local sources said on Sunday.

The raids were carried out from Friday to Saturday in the Ayukaba locality of the region.

The fighters had arrived at the locality and were preparing to set up a base there when the information reached the army, a military official in the region said.

“Our brave soldiers immediately entered the area and succeeded in driving them out for two days. Eight (separatist fighters) were killed, and several of their weapons and ammunition were seized,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

Officials said on Saturday that troops were succeeding in most operations in the region thanks to the cooperation of the local population.

Fighting between government forces and separatist fighters has persisted in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017 when separatists attempted to establish an independent nation in these regions.

Source: Xinhuanet

17, February 2024

Donald Trump hit where it hurts most in New York fraud ruling ⁰

Donald Trump’s latest legal loss hits him where it hurts most because it takes aim at his very identity.

For decades, he has marketed himself as a genius business mogul who made it big in one of the world’s most cut-throat cities.

That image – forever tied to New York deal-making and reinforced by relentless self-promotion – catapulted him to international fame, allowing him to reinvent himself first as a reality TV star and then ultimately president of the United States.

But Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling in a civil fraud case – related to the inflation of property values and lying on financial statements to obtain better loan terms – undermines Mr Trump’s entire narrative. It instead paints him as a fraud and inflicts a massive blow to his business empire and wealth.

Donald Trump once remarked that the mind can overcome any obstacle. But what an obstacle this is.

The verdict significantly curtails the Trump Organization’s ability to do business in New York. He has personally been banned from holding any directorships for three years and his company cannot secure loans with financial institutions registered with the city during that time either.

He has been hit with an enormous financial penalty of $355m (£282m; €329m) – which jumps to more than $450m once interest is included – that far exceeds how much cash he has to hand. His business will continue to be be watched by an independent monitor, with a separate independent director of compliance also signing off on major business decisions.

In perhaps the only bright spot for the former president and Republican frontrunner, the Trump empire was spared from the equivalent of the corporate death penalty – the cancellation of its business licences.

Mr Trump has for decades seemed to rally and recover from scandals and legal challenges that could irreparably damage others, so much so that he has been referred to as Teflon Don, because nothing sticks.

The nickname previously belonged to the mob boss John Gotti after he won a series of high-profile acquittals in the 1980s. But today’s verdict signals that Donald Trump’s luck, like Gotti’s, may be running out.

Judge Engoron noted Mr Trump and the other defendants’ lack of remorse and history of repeated and persistent fraud. In this case, he said the examples of fraud over more than a decade at the company “leap off the page and shock the conscience”.

Yet the defendants were incapable of admitting the error of their ways, he said, writing: “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.”

Unsurprisingly, Mr Trump sees things very differently. He says he built a “perfect company” and rejects that he should be punished for fraud because banks were paid back in full. He continues to repeat claims, without evidence, that his legal challenges are just a plot by elite Democrats to keep him out of the White House.

According to Mr Trump’s estranged niece Mary Trump, the judge’s ruling amounts to the end of the Trump family legacy. “Today is an emotional day, but one thing is for certain: the Engoron decision is absolutely devastating for Donald,” she wrote on social media.

As the son of a real estate developer whose projects included middle-class apartment buildings in the outer boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, Mr Trump always dreamed of making a name for himself among the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

A seven-year spree of construction from 1976-1983, including the eponymous Trump Tower, solidified his reputation as a real estate giant in New York. ”Not many sons have been able to escape their fathers,” he told the New York Times in 1983 – the implication being that at 37, he already had.

And it’s true that the 1980s era of greed and excess was a prosperous time for a young developer with his ambition.

Donald Trump Sign during Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" Sign Thanking New York City at Trump Tower in New York City, New York, United States. — Image caption,Donald Trump reinvented himself as a reality TV star in the early 2000s – with New York at the centre

Trump Tower, with its prime location on 5th Avenue, put Donald Trump on the map. Once his reputation was established, he subsequently put his name on every project he did.

By the early 1990’s though, Donald Trump filed for several corporate bankruptcies and nearly lost it all.

It was during this time that Rich Herschlag, the chief engineer in the Manhattan Borough President’s office, worked with Mr Trump and his organization on the Riverside South project, a redevelopment in a former rail yard on the Upper West Side.

He says it meant “everything or darn close to everything” for Donald Trump to be seen as a successful real estate developer – and in particular build an empire from his father’s legacy.

“To watch it [potentially] gutted and decimated, I can’t image that’s anything less than an emotional horror,” he told the BBC.

It is not yet clear how Mr Trump will pay the nearly half a billion dollars that he is liable for and if that will involve selling any assets or businesses to raise the cash. His sprawling real estate empire in New York is valued by Forbes at $490m but there are many other properties around the country, including hotels, golf courses, condominiums and even a winery.

He will appeal against the penalty, which would put the decision on hold until a higher court reviews the case.

But if he wants to avoid paying the fine or having his personal assets seized while the appeal process plays out, he still has to deposit the full amount within 30 days or secure a costly bond.

Selling any of his prime Manhattan real estate would be an indignity for the former president – and a decision he would not take lightly.

Whether or not Donald Trump is able to recover from this financial shock, the outcome looks sure to significantly dent his fortune.

The ruling in the city where he rose to the top – while always remaining something of an outsider – is undoubtedly a big loss. And for more than six decades in New York real estate, there’s no figure Mr Trump has derided more than the “loser”.

Source: BBC

15, February 2024

Kylian Mbappé tells PSG he will leave club at end of season ⁰

France captain Kylian Mbappé has told officials at Paris Saint-Germain that he intends to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, a source close to the Ligue 1 champions said on Thursday.

The 25-year-old, who arrived in Paris from Monaco in 2017, had extended his contract in 2022 until 2024 but last summer declined to activate a clause allowing him to stay another year at PSG.

Mbappé has been widely tipped to move to Real Madrid and, according to a source close to the matter, has already entered negotiations with the Spanish giants.

“The terms of the departure have yet to be fully agreed,” the source said, adding that the club and Mbappé will make an official statement “when everything is finalised in the next few months”.

PSG declined to comment when contacted by AFP

Mbappé will leave PSG on a free transfer but the blow to the club will be softened by an agreement they reached last summer which will see the player waive bonuses amounting to around 60 to 70 million euros ($65.6 million to $76.6 million).

After seven seasons at PSG, Mbappé, the club’s all-time top scorer, looks set to seal a move to Real Madrid, the club that the player has dreamt of since he was a child.

Real have made no secret of their desire to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu. In 2019, 2021 and 2022, club president Florentino Perez considered signing him, only to be rebuffed each time.

For PSG, the departure of their main star, a year after the exits of Neymar and Lionel Messi, marks the beginning of a new era of uncertainty.

Source: AFP

14, February 2024

Eto’o among 24 players to win the Champions League with more than one club ⁰

Here are the 24 players to have won the Champions League with more than one club, with some select notes.

Note: we haven’t included the likes of Frank Rijkaard, Vladimir Jugovic and Dejan Savicevic, who won the first of their European Cups in the pre-Champions League era (1992 onwards).

Toni Kroos – Bayern Munich (2013), Real Madrid (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022)

Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United (2008), Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)

Mateo Kovacic – Real Madrid (2016, 2017, 2018), Chelsea (2021)

Gerard Pique – Manchester United (2008), Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015)

Clarence Seedorf – Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998), AC Milan (2003, 2007)

David Alaba – Bayern Munich (2013, 2020), Real Madrid (2022)

Samuel Eto’o – Barcelona (2006, 2009), Inter (2010)

Fernando Redondo – Real Madrid (1998, 2000), AC Milan (2003)

Xherdan Shaqiri – Bayern Munich (2013), Liverpool (2019)

Daniel Sturridge – Chelsea (2012), Liverpool (2019)

Thiago Alcantara – Barcelona (2011), Bayern Munich (2020)

Thiago Motta – Barcelona (2006), Inter (2010)

Xabi Alonso – Liverpool (2005), Real Madrid (2014)

Deco – Porto (2004), Barcelona (2006)

Jose Bosingwa – Porto (2004), Chelsea (2012)

Paulo Ferreira – Porto (2004), Chelsea (2012)

Owen Hargreaves – Bayern Munich (2001), Manchester United (2008)

Paulo Sousa – Juventus (1996), Borussia Dortmund (1997)

Edwin Van Der Sar – Ajax (1995), Manchester United (2008)

Christian Panucci – Milan (1994), Real Madrid (1998)

Marcel Desailly – Marseille (1993), Milan (1994)

Didier Deschamps – Marseille (1993), Juventus (1996)

Scott Carson – Liverpool (2005), Man City (2023)

Culled from MSN

14, February 2024

International Crisis Group calls on the AU to put Southern Cameroons war on its 2024 agenda ⁰

The Anglophone conflict in Cameroon is entering its eighth year with no resolution in sight. Insurgents in the North West and South West – the country’s two Anglophone regions – are still attacking government soldiers but increasingly one another as well. Civilians bear the brunt of the fighting. Killings, abductions and sexual violence are almost an everyday occurrence, while almost half the area’s schools have stopped functioning. Pro-government militias have sprung up in the Anglophone regions, spreading more chaos. Meanwhile, in the capital Yaoundé, observers worry about the country’s future. President Paul Biya, who turns 91 in February, appears to have left daily affairs to a handful of loyalists in government. As Cameroonians turn their attention to the post-Biya era, many fear a power vacuum amid the jostling over the presidential succession. The AU should put the Anglophone crisis on its peace and security agenda, throwing its weight behind efforts to reach a settlement, before political intrigue in Yaoundé makes negotiations even more difficult.

The Anglophone crisis is rooted in longstanding grievances about the dominance of Cameroon’s mostly Francophone governing apparatus. The conflict was set off by protests by lawyers, teachers and students in 2016, who pushed back against the encroachment of the Francophone legal and educational systems on their regions. On 1 October 2017, secessionists proclaimed an independent Federal Republic of Ambazonia, as they called the North West and South West regions, which had been known during the colonial era as the British Southern Cameroons. Yaoundé responded with a heavy-handed crackdown, arresting hundreds of protesters and others suspected of sympathising with the secessionists.

These events motivated Anglophone activists to form militias. Today, a loose network of armed groups operates in the area, forcing locals to comply with school boycotts and lockdowns via the barrel of a gun. Yaoundé is trying to quell the insurgency by military means, but the army has proven unable to stop the attacks. Hundreds of thousands have fled the violence, with many crammed into makeshift housing in Francophone Cameroon.

As infighting among militias worsens, Anglophone groups are seeking outside allies. In November 2023, one such militia, the Ambazonia Governing Council, signed an agreement with a separatist group in eastern Nigeria, the Independent People’s Organisation of Biafra. Signed in Finland, the alliance could see the two movements sharing safe havens in parts of eastern and south-western Cameroon under their control, threatening regional stability.

The Cameroonian government’s attempts to mollify separatist Anglophone groups have thus far struggled to gain traction. In 2018, Yaoundé launched a disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration program to coax militants away from the insurgency, but to date this initiative has had little success.58 In 2019, the government granted the two regions special status under Cameroon’s decentralisation law, devolving some powers to regional authorities.59 Though this measure could be a good starting point for broader political talks, separatists say the reforms do not sufficiently address their concerns.60Mediation has largely stalled, meanwhile. Most efforts to orchestrate talks between the government and armed Anglophone groups, including a Swiss initiative, quickly petered out. A more recent effort led by Canada showed promise when Yaoundé committed to engaging in late 2022. Yet the government withdrew after months of secret pre-talks, saying it did not want foreigners facilitating dialogue about what it considers a domestic problem.

While AU-led efforts might be productive, particularly in urging a reinvigoration of stalled diplomacy, Yaoundé does not want the AU’s involvement and has managed to fend it off for years. Its attitude does not sit well with many AU Commission officials and member state representatives. Some see the PSC’s inattention to the Anglophone conflict as misguided, given the council’s peace and security mandate. Indeed, Crisis Group has previously recommended that the PSC table Cameroon as part of a strategy of public pressure aimed at pushing the parties toward talks.

The 2024 summit will bring another chance for the AU to pay serious attention to Cameroon, with a very measured first step. As it does every year, the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department will offer the AU Assembly an update about the state of peace and security throughout Africa. Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis is likely to be included in the report, as has been the case in prior years. The department routinely stresses the urgent need to address the crisis, as well as the importance of stability in Cameroon for Central Africa.63 This time around, the Assembly should not gloss over this part of the report, but rather use it to frame a meaningful discussion of Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, and include the results in the summit outcome documents so that they can be used as a springboard for further diplomacy.64

The AU PSC should keep focus on the crisis, with the objective of creating new momentum for a diplomatic initiative. One way forward would be to table the Anglophone conflict as an agenda item for periodic PSC discussion. It should anticipate efforts by Yaoundé to discourage this debate, but PSC diplomats should not veer away from their mandated role of ensuring peace and security on the continent. Additionally, thematic PSC discussions about women, peace and security or the proliferation of small arms, which regularly come up on its agenda, present useful opportunities to address the situation in Cameroon.

In its expanded discussions, and in consultation with Cameroonian authorities, the PSC could explore avenues for starting an effective dialogue about the Anglophone regions. The Canada-led initiative, which showed significant promise in its early stages, but seems to have stalled, is at present the most viable diplomatic track. The PSC should urge Yaoundé to resume these talks. It could also consider the option of asking the AU Commission chairperson to name an envoy for Cameroon to facilitate the process. It should ask for regular updates from the Commission chairperson about the situation, thereby sending a useful signal to Commission staff to put time and resources into monitoring the conflict. Unless and until the situation changes, all these efforts should be undertaken with the overarching goal of rekindling talks that could improve the country’s image abroad and end a conflict that has gone on far too long.

Culled from The International Crisis Group

14, February 2024

Ambazonia: Vice President Yerima makes statement on Ngarbuh ⁰

REMEMBERING THE MASSCRE OF NGARBUH

Paul Biya’s genocidal war in Ambazonia brought and continues to bring the destruction of lives, families, and communities just as we witnessed at Nkambe central Donga Mantung County a few days ago. Today marks four years since the Ngarbuh massacre. Let us reflect on that incident which at least 22 people were killed, including 14 children, 9 of whom were younger than 5 and an unborn child, examining the profound impact it had on our nation and the broader implications it holds for humanity. This should always remind us of our collective responsibility to fight for justice and peace to return to our communities and our nation.

Our villages and cities are battlegrounds for this war of genocide, and nobody can assure the safety of our citizens because Biya’s invading military have resulted to looting, targeting civilians, civilian areas, institutions such as schools, churches, and hospitals. Among the casualties we see on daily basis form the invading military of French Cameroun are mostly young men, women, and children. The images that emerged from the scenes are always haunting: rubble-strewn homes, burnt homes with human lifeless bodes inside, lifeless bodies of the innocent strewn around our communities, some in rivers and in some cases mass graves to hide the hallmarks of genocide.

As we grapple with the aftermath of the massacre of Ngarbu today, let us reflect on the very essence of humanity. How could such senseless violence be unleashed upon those who posed no threat? How many more of such incidents will be carried out in our territory before this war of extermination comes to an end? The faces of the victims, frozen in time, haunt our dreams, reminding us of the fragility of life and the brutality of Biya’s senseless war in Ambazonia. The pain and suffering inflicted upon the innocent leave scars in us that may never fully heal.

These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for justice and peace which can only come through dialogue, without preconditions, and addressing the root causes of the senseless war of extermination in Ambazonia. They underscore the importance of safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable during times of war and holding perpetrators of violence accountable for their actions. Furthermore, they highlight the critical role of remembrance in honoring the memories of those we have lost, preventing future atrocities to occur in our communities through the best means possible and as a people, stay focused, determined, and resilient to our quest for a free and peaceful Ambazonia.

In remembering the tragedy of Ngarbu and many that claimed the lives of our citizens in the ongoing Biya’s senseless war, we are compelled to confront the harsh realities of armed conflict, fight for justice and peace and strive for a future where such senseless violence is but a distant memory. As we honor the victims and their families, let us renew our commitment to fight for a free Ambazonia and contribute to building a world where peace reigns supreme, and the horrors of war are relegated to the pages of history.

God bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

Federal Republic of Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia