12, January 2024

South Africa says Israel’s response to Hamas operation breached Genocide Convention ⁰

South Africa says Israel’s response to the offensive launched by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group on October 7 had breached the Genocide Convention, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague holds a hearing against Israel for Gaza’s “genocide” case.

At the top UN court in The Hague on Thursday, South Africa said Israel had breached the UN Genocide Convention by imposing a brutal war on the densely-populated Gaza Strip for more than two months, stressing that the Hamas attack could not justify such military incursion on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Late last month, Pretoria, in an 84-page suit filed against Israel at the ICJ, asked the top court to urgently declare that the Tel Aviv regime has breached its responsibilities under international law since it launched an ongoing war on the impoverished coastal sliver.

South Africa detailed evidence of brutality being perpetrated in Gaza, making the African nation the first to file a lawsuit against the occupying regime at the ICJ, appealing to the court to force the regime to “immediately suspend” its war on Gaza.

“No armed attack on a state territory no matter how serious… can provide justification for or defend breaches of the convention,” said Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s justice minister, during his opening statement in the case at the ICJ.

“Israel’s response to the October 7 attack has crossed this line and given rise to the breaches of the convention,” he stressed, setting out South Africa’s case at the top court.

“The Palestinians have experienced systematic oppression and violence for the last 76 years, on October 6, 2023, and every day since October 7, 2023. In the Gaza Strip, at least since 2004, Israel continues to exercise control over the airspace, territorial waters, land crossings, water, electricity, and civilian infrastructure, as well as key government functions,” Lamola added.

South Africa, when faced with such evidence of genocide in Gaza, firmly decided to initiate this case in an attempt to prevent such crimes in the Palestinian enclave as contained in Article 1 of the Convention, the South African justice minister further said at the court.

After Lamola, Adila Hassim, who is an advocate representing South Africa’s case, took the floor.

“South Africa contends that Israel has transgressed Article 2 of the convention by committing actions that fall within the definition of genocide. The actions show systematic patterns of conduct from which genocide can be inferred,” she said.

Hassim went on to say that the “first genocidal act is mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza.”

“Israel deployed 6,000 bombs per week. At least 200 times, it has deployed 2,000-pound (907kg) bombs in southern Gaza, which it designated safe. No one is spared. Not even newborns. UN chiefs have described it as a graveyard for children,” she added.

Other representatives of the South African nation one after the other presented the case against Israel at the top UN court.

“Israel’s political leaders, military commanders and persons holding official positions have systematically and in explicit terms declared their genocidal intent. These statements are then repeated by soldiers on the ground in Gaza as they engage in the destruction of Palestinians and the physical infrastructure of Gaza,” said South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi.

While lawyers inside the ICJ are making the case against Israel, a large number of pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered outside the building, demanding justice and a quick end to the brutal war.

The third representative of South Africa at the ICJ was Vusimuzi Madonsela, who told the court that Pretoria had come forward “to prevent genocide and to do so in the discharge of the international obligation that rests on South Africa and all other states under the convention.”

“The consequences of not indicating clear and specific provisional measures and not taking steps to intervene while Israel disregards its international obligations before our eyes would, we fear, be very grave indeed,” he added.

After South Africa’s representatives concluded their arguments, ICJ President Joan Donoghue announced that the sitting was adjourned and that the court would meet again tomorrow to hear Israel’s oral arguments.

As it is an urgent procedure, the top UN court could rule in a matter of weeks.

The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.

Since the start of the US-backed offensive, the Israeli regime has killed at least 23,210 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 59,167 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

Source: Presstv

12, January 2024

Southern Cameroons: CDC accumulates CFA35 billion in salary arrears despite govt aid ⁰

Despite resuming operations in 2020 after a suspension in September 2018 due to the Anglophone crisis, CDC continues to struggle with paying its employees’ salaries. This challenge persists despite various financial support from the state, the sole shareholder of the company.

“The operational challenges faced by CDC do not allow it to honor its financial commitments. There is a notable overall increase in its debt… For social debt, the increase is linked to the evolution of salary arrears as of December 31, 2022, by 17.78%, despite state support, as well as the accumulation of unpaid social security contributions increasing by 15%. As of June 30, 2023, salary arrears stand at CFA35.7 billion, and the social debt to the National Social Security Fund (CNPS) is CFA26.7 billion,” reveals the report on the situation of public and parastatal enterprises in 2022 recently published by the Technical Commission for the Rehabilitation of Public and Parastatal Sector Enterprises (CTR). This equates to approximately 17 months of accumulated salary arrears, given a monthly payroll estimated at CFA2 billion according to official figures.

CDC recorded cumulative losses of CFA38.7 billion between 2019 and 2021, according to CTR data. This made it the local company bearing the heaviest burden of ongoing separatist demands in the Northwest and Southwest regions. In 2018, for instance, 12 production sites out of the company’s 29 were completely halted due to insecurity created by separatists in the plantations. The separatists even transformed some of these sites into bases for their armed militias, resulting in the killing and severe injury of several workers.

This challenging situation officially led to the loss of 6,124 jobs out of the more than 22,000. Job losses likely increased during 2022 due to the precarious situation of the CDC. “There is an increasingly significant staff turnover, despite government subsidies allocated for partial salary payments,” reveals the CTR report.

Source: Business in Cameroon

12, January 2024

5 Amba fighters killed in military offensive in Southern Cameroons ⁰

At least five separatist fighters have been killed in an offensive by Cameroon’s military against armed separatists in the restive English-speaking Northwest Region, local and army sources said Tuesday night.

The attack took place early Tuesday in the Ewai village of the region.

Cameroonian troops raided a separatist hideout, which was serving as the main base of one of the separatist groups in the region, killing the five separatist fighters, an army official in the region said.

“Our brave soldiers also captured so many of their weapons and rescued some people who were abducted by the separatist terrorists. Many of the terrorists escaped with bullet wounds,” the official who asked not to be named said.

Separatist leaders confirmed the attack on social media but claimed that only three fighters were killed.

A resident of the village, who asked not to be named, said that hundreds of people in the village fled to the bush as the offensive unfolded.

There was no word on casualties on the side of government forces during the raid.

The separatists, who have been in conflict with government forces since 2017, hope to establish an independent nation in the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

Source: Xinhuanet

9, January 2024

Biya’s new fiscal measures leading to salary cuts ⁰

Effective January 1, 2024, with the implementation of Cameroon’s 2024 fiscal law, the government has introduced new tax measures expected to lead to an inevitable decrease in salaries for some workers. According to Célestin Tawamba, the leader of Cameroonian business leaders, these measures are projected to result in a salary reduction ranging from 5% to 25% in various companies.

One significant measure involves the expansion of the list of in-kind benefits subject to the income tax scale. The related circular signed on December 29, 2023, by Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé specified that “personal income tax (IRPP) in the salaries and wages category has been rationalized by fully taxing all benefits in kind paid in cash. The list of benefits in kind subject to estimation for the determination of the taxable base of IRPP in the salaries and wages category has been extended to include: telephone 5%, fuel 10%, security 5%, and internet 5%”.

This means that along with existing benefits in kind, such as housing allowances (15%), electricity (4%), water (2%), domestic help (5% each), vehicles (10% each), and food (10%), previously subject to the income tax scale, the State is adding, as of January 1, 2024, phone allowances (5%), fuel allowances (10%), security allowances (5%), and internet allowances (5%). According to information from sources within the General Tax Directorate, under this new provision of the 2024 fiscal law, a worker receiving, for example, a phone allowance of 50,000 CFA per month will only see 5% of that amount (2,500 CFA) exempt from IRPP. The entire remaining allowance, i.e., 47,500 CFA, will be subject to IRPP.

Significant deductions for high incomes

Similarly, a worker receiving a fuel allowance of the same amount (50,000 CFA) will have IRPP deducted from 45,000 CFA, while 5,000 CFA will be exempt from paying this tax. Considering that the IRPP rate for salaries below 2 million CFA is 10% in Cameroon, the worker in this scenario (assuming their salary is less than 2 million CFA, ed) will lose 4,500 CFA from their fuel allowance due to the payment of IRPP to the tax authorities, corresponding to a decrease in their salary by 4,500 CFA. This reduction will be even more significant as the same operation is applied to the phone, security, and internet allowances.

It is worth noting that the in-kind benefits targeted by this new provision of the 2024 fiscal law related to IRPP concern higher-income workers who generally enjoy substantial salary packages. In other words, the 2024 fiscal law will allow for increased tax revenue collection from higher salaries. The larger the salary, the greater the deduction for IRPP on in-kind benefits, as the IRPP rate varies depending on income levels. It is 10% for incomes below 2 million CFA per month, 15% for incomes between 2 and 3 million CFA, 25% for incomes between 3 and 5 million CFA, and 35% for incomes exceeding 5 million CFA.

Moreover, the government, in the 2024 fiscal law, caps the flat-rate deduction at 4.8 million CFA per year (400,000 CFA per month) for the 30% deduction from the gross annual salary. “Only salaries exceeding 1,333,000 CFA per month are affected by this limitation,” the Minister’s note read.

A worker with an annual salary income totaling 100 million CFA will now only benefit from a maximum deduction of 4.8 million CFA (the rest being subject to IRPP payment), compared to the previous 30 million CFA. The nearly 25 million CFA that were previously exempt from IRPP before the new fiscal law came into effect will now be added to the taxable base, resulting in a significant loss of income to the tax authorities.

Source: Business in Cameroon

9, January 2024

Cleaning the sinful church: Bishop Bibi prohibits Bushu from celebrating Holy Mass ⁰

Bishop Emmanuel B. Bushu, who retired from the pastoral care of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea in December 2019, has been prohibited from celebrating or concelebrating Holy Mass in public in the Cameroonian Episcopal See without the “explicit permission” of his successor.

In a letter circulated on Sunday, January 7, the Local Ordinary of Buea Diocese, Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi, communicates to Bishop Bushu two prohibitions after highlighting reasons behind his decision.

“You shall no longer be allowed to concelebrate with me on any Diocesan Liturgical celebration until further notice,” Bishop Bibi tells his immediate predecessor.

In his second prohibition, the Cameroonian Bishop who has been at the helm of Buea Diocese since December 2019 as Apostolic Administrator, and later, from February 2021 as the Bishop of the Diocese, bars Bishop Bushu from celebrating or concelebrating “any public Mass in any Parish in the Diocese of Buea, without an explicit permission from me”.

In the one-page letter dated 22 November 2023, Bishop Bibi cites “deep opposition and interference” as some of the reasons behind his two decisions.

“From the very beginning of my mission in the Diocese of Buea … I have had to live through the unhappy reality of deep opposition and interference from you, that has even led you to the screen media to make this opposition public,” he states.

Bishop Bibi expresses his awareness of Bishop Bushu’s “opposition and interference in my administration for three years now, including, but not limited to your trips to the Nunciature and to Rome against my decisions over certain important sectors of the Diocese.”

“The present state of affairs indicates a total absence of communion between us, which makes you ready to align yourself with persons and groups that seek to bring down my administration,” he further writes.

The Cameroonian Catholic Bishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2017 as the Auxiliary Bishop of Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese says that his two prohibitions are aimed to “protect” his administration of Buea Diocese.

In his letter, Bishop Bibi wishes his 79-year-old predecessor “grace and peace” from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in Communion with the Holy Spirit.”

A past decision that 52-year-old Bishop Bibi had to battle with involved the administrative changes he made at the Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) in June 2020, when he appointed Professor Victor Julius Ngoh as Vice Chancellor, to succeed Fr. George Nkeze Jingwa. In his capacity as Apostolic Administrator of Buea, Bishop Bibi asked Fr. Nkeze to take a sabbatical leave.

The University Council disapproved of the 11 June 2020 administrative change, with Sobe Clive Ndikum who was serving as the legal representative of the University describing the change as “improper interference”.

He accused Bishop Bibi of causing “irreparable damage and mistrust amongst students, faculty members, the laity and other well-wishers of our Christian Community by making uninformed, ill-advised and rash decisions beyond the scope of his mandate and authority.”

However, in a 15 June 2020 clarification, the then Apostolic Nuncio in Cameroon, Archbishop Julio Murat, came to the defence of Bishop Bibi, and outlined his mandate of Apostolic Administrator as “having jurisdiction to act for and on behalf of the Diocese of Buea in all matters concerning the Diocese and all other Institutions belonging to the Diocese.”

“The Apostolic Administrator is the legitimate authority over all priests, Religious and other mission personnel within the Diocese of Buea and reserves the right to appoint, transfer, remove, or dismiss persons according to the prescriptions of the Code of Canon Law and the specific instructions given to him by the Holy See,” Archbishop Murat stated.

In March 2022, Bishop Bibi lamented the protracted controversies in the administration of CUIB and affiliate institutions, apportioning blame on the the administration that he had dismissed and that some disgruntled members “aimed at undermining (his) decisions”.

“Sadly still, up to this moment, some of the members of the then Administration of CUIB have resorted to diverse means aimed at undermining the decisions I made, and in the process, they have created confusion in the minds of God’s people and people of good will in the Diocese of Buea and beyond,” Bishop Bibi said in his 13 March 2022 statement in which he also narrated his being drugged to Cameroon’s labor court with “false or misguided” claims.

Earlier, in February 2022, Bishop Bibi weighed in on the online petition, a Facebook post and other attacks against him.

In his 25 February 2022 homily during Holy Mass to mark a year since he took canonical possession of Buea Diocese, the Catholic Church leader bemoaned the “many attacks … over social media, over some newspapers, over some TV stations by clerics, all the staged interviews that were brought out and sent out to the public” as what he termed “signs of total interference in the governance of the Diocese of Buea.”

This was days after members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) Province expressed their “solidarity and communion” with him.

In their 11 February 2022 statement, BAPEC members said that their “hearts were deeply saddened by the unfortunate turn of events in the Diocese of Buea, characterized by gross disrespect of the hierarchy of the Church, casting of aspersions on Bishop Michael Bibi.”

Last November, members of the Clergy of Buea Diocese expressed their support for Bishop Bibi, weighing in on social media posts against their Local Ordinary, including those from Nchumbonga George Lekelefac such as an ongoing apostolic visitation, Seeking Transparency and Accountability: An Examination of Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi’s Leadership, Bishop Michael Bibi, The Father, The Bishop, The Rock On Which Buea Diocese Is Built, The Truth and nothing but the truth about Buea Diocese under Bishop Michael Bibi, and Ex-cardination of suspended priests of Buea Diocese: a solution?

“We, the Priests of the Presbyterium of Buea, have watched with dismay at the smear campaign orchestrated by some individuals and even some members of the presbyterium and groups on social media against the person of the Bishop and the work he is doing in the Diocese of Buea which is already yielding fruits in abundance,” they said in their statement issued on 22 November 2023.

Despite the controversies, last September, Bishop Bibi was honored by Cameroon’s NewsWatch Newspaper for his “exceptional skills” in leading the people of God and managing the property of his Episcopal See.

Culled from aciAfrica

9, January 2024

Biya regime faces inflation challenges as rates persist above CEMAC threshold ⁰

Cameroon’s inflation rate over the past year averaged 7.5% in November 2023, according to information released by the national statistics agency INS.

Although this indicator is down by 0.2% compared to October 2023’s 7.7%, it still represents more than double the 3% threshold tolerated in the Cemac. According to the document, inflation rates remain above 7% in 9 out of 10 regions in the country, with the highest recorded in Bertoua (East) at 8.9%. Bamenda, the regional capital of the Northwest, has the lowest rate at 6.1%, but it still surpasses the community norm.

INS explains that this inflation mainly stems from “an 11.6% increase in food product prices, a 13.8% rise in transportation costs, and a 7.7% increase in the prices of furniture, household items, and everyday maintenance products.” However, the stats agency notes that food inflation has decreased by 0.4% during the period under review, following the decline in the prices of bread and cereals (-1.1%), fish and seafood (-1.1%), oils and fats (-1.1%), as well as vegetables (-0.4%). On the other hand, meat and fruit prices increased during the same period, by 0.6% and 1.9%, respectively. For non-food products, the decrease only concerns alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and narcotics (-0.1%).

In the 2024 budget, the Cameroonian government anticipates that inflation will decrease to 4% next year, compared to 6.7% at the end of December 2023, although this rate remains above the community threshold. In response to the inflationary situation, the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) tightens liquidity in banks through repeated increases in its main policy rates, suspension of liquidity injection operations into the CEMAC banking system, and intensification of liquidity absorption operations from banks. However, BEAC acknowledges that only 20% of inflation is of monetary origin.

Source: Business in Cameroon

9, January 2024

Yaoundé to introduce malaria vaccine ⁰

Cameroon will introduce the malaria vaccine on Jan. 22, according to Manaouda Malachie, the country’s minister of public health.

The move is part of concerted efforts to enhance the fight against malaria and reduce morbidity and mortality associated with the disease, the minister said in a statement released Monday night.

“The selected vaccine, Mosquirix RTS, has been chosen by the country based on its pre-qualification, ensuring guaranteed quality, efficacy, and safety for its inclusion in the vaccination programs,” he said. “The vaccine will be offered in both public and private health facilities across 42 health districts. The vaccines provided for children are safe, free, and effective.”

Cameroon took delivery in November last year of 331,200 doses of malaria vaccine, the first consignment to arrive in the central African country.

Malaria is responsible for 70 percent of deaths among children in Cameroon, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Source: Xinhuanet

9, January 2024

Yaoundé: Kamto calls for single candidate to face Biya in next election ⁰

Leaders of Cameroon’s main opposition party say they are negotiating with more than 30 opposition leaders to present a single candidate in the next election, should 91-year-old President Paul Biya be incapacitated by ill health.

The opposition reacted after Biya, who has ruled for more than four decades, made no mention of running for re-election in a New Year’s message.

Maurice Kamto, president of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Party, said scores of civil society and political opposition members have set up a platform called the Political Alliance for Change, also known as the PAC, to press for Biya to relinquish power.

The 91-year-old has been president since 1982 and is the world’s oldest political head of state.

Elections to take place by late 2025

Presidential elections are to take place in Cameroon by October 2025, but civil society groups and opposition parties expected Biya to announce, during his New Year’s message, early elections in 2024. That didn’t happen.

Kamto said he has been chosen by the PAC as a single opposition candidate, should Biya resign or is incapacitated. He said supporters of Biya’s CPDM party, who are fed up with Biya’s autocratic rule, should join the PAC.

“The PAC remains open to all those who believe that the current regime is now Cameroon’s problem and therefore can no longer contribute anything to its recovery,” said Kamto. “Our compatriots in the ruling CPDM party who demonstrate a patriotic reawakening are also welcome in the PAC. Let them come and take their place in the train of national renaissance.”

Kamto said he would revive all state institutions he said Biya has ruined, organize an inclusive national dialogue to end the separatist crisis that has claimed more than 6,000 lives in Cameroon’s western regions, and improve living conditions for those stuck in hunger and poverty.

According to Cameroon’s constitution, if Biya dies, resigns or becomes incapacitated, Marcel Niat Njifenji, the 89-year-old president of the Senate, the upper house of parliament, would take power, and organize elections for a new president within 120 days.

In his message, Biya did not say anything about plans to leave power or not, but blamed the country’s current hardships and armed conflict on high levels of corruption and external factors.

Biya said Cameroon, like other African countries, is dealing with an economic crisis caused by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Biya said when the world expected an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the resurgence last October of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict worsened rifts in the international community and further sunk the world’s economy. Biya said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is leading to price hikes in consumer products and, consequently, the cost of living. He said the conflict is also causing shortages of petroleum products.

Despite the challenges, Biya said Cameroon had a 3.7% economic growth rate in 2023 and inflation was contained at less than 7%.

Cameron’s opposition disputed that, saying the economic growth rate is less than 2% and inflation is running above 20%. They say Biya is responsible for what they say is an economic disaster in Cameroon, a country blessed with a variety of minerals that could be exploited to develop the central African state but were misused by the Biya government.

Biya hard to beat, say experts

The Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa said that Cameroon’s fragmented opposition, which is made up of about 400 political parties, will find it difficult to beat Biya or any CPDM candidate in an election.

Kamto said all the opposition and civil society groups should, for once, rally behind a single candidate, should early elections be called or when presidential elections come up by October 2025.

Source: VOA

8, January 2024

Football: Thierry Henry reveals battle with depression throughout his career ⁰

Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry has revealed he suffered with depression during his stellar playing career.

The 46-year-old, who won the World Cup with France and is Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer, told the Diary of a CEO podcast that the coronavirus pandemic made him appreciate his mental health struggles as he cried “almost every day.”

Henry has linked that to his past and a search for approval from his father, who was often critical of his performances as a young player.

“Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression,” said Henry.

“Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way. That doesn’t mean I’m walking straight, but I’m walking. You’ve got to put one foot (forward) and another one, and walk. That’s what I’ve been told since I’m young.

“I never stopped walking, then maybe I would have realised. (But during) Covid – I stopped walking. I couldn’t. Then you start to realise.”

Henry was in charge of Canadian side Montral Impact when the pandemic hit, leaving him isolated and on the other side of the world from his family.

“I was in isolation in Montreal, and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough,” he added.

“Tears were coming alone. Why I don’t know, but maybe they were there for a very long time.

“Technically, it wasn’t me, it was the young me. (Crying for) everything he didn’t get, approval.”

Henry, who is now coach of France’s under-21 team, said his father’s desire was for him to be “an amazing football player” from the moment he first held his son.

“As a little boy it was always ‘you didn’t do that well’. So obviously when you hear that more often than not, that’s what’s going to stay,” said Henry.

“(It) did to a degree help the athlete….(it) didn’t help so much the human being”.

Source: AFP

8, January 2024

German football legend Franz Beckenbauer dies aged 78 ⁰

Franz Beckenbauer, one of German soccer’s greatest players, who captained the team to World Cup victory in 1974 then won the tournament again as manager in 1990, has died at the age of 78, German news agency DPA reported on Monday.

Beckenbauer was a classy, dominant presence on the pitch for West Germany and Bayern Munich, with whom he won three successive European Cups, and had the nickname Der Kaiser, or “The Emperor”.

Source: Reuters