3, September 2023

Indomitable Lions: Mbeumo scores late goal to rescue point for Brentford against Bournemouth ⁰

Cameroon international striker Bryan Mbeumo scored in stoppage time to help Brentford salvage a 2-2 draw against winless Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Saturday.

The Cherries were poised for their first league victory after David Brooks scored in the 77th minute following a defensive error to take a 2-1 lead.

But Mbeumo collected a long ball from Nathan Collins, drove to the net and put a left-footed shot past Neto in the 93rd.

Mathias Jensen gave Brentford an early lead by beating Neto to the near post on a curling free kick from wide on the left in the seventh minute. Dominic Solanke equalized for the visitors in the 30th.

It’s the third league draw for the unbeaten Bees.

In the buildup to Brooks’ goal, Brentford’s Rico Henry tracked down a long ball and tried to pass back to goalkeeper Mark Flekken, but it was weakly struck and easily collected by Marcus Tavernier, who played it to Brooks at the far post to finish.

Neal Maupay did not dress for Brentford after returning to the club on Friday on a season-long loan from Everton. The striker scored 41 goals for Brentford over two seasons before leaving for Brighton in 2019.

Bournemouth expects newly signed midfielder Tyler Adams to return after the international break. The U.S. captain, who is nearly at full strength after hamstring surgery, transferred from relegated Leeds last month.

The Cherries have two draws and two losses in league play.

After the international break, Brentford faces Newcastle on Sept. 17, when Bournemouth hosts Chelsea.

Source: AP

3, September 2023

Obama’s Henchman Bill Richardson dies aged 75 ⁰

Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations who also worked for years to secure the release of Americans detained by foreign adversaries, has died. He was 75.

The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded and led, said in a statement Saturday that he died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts.

“He lived his entire life in the service of others — including both his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” said Mickey Bergman, the center’s vice president. “There was no person that Gov. Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom. The world has lost a champion for those held unjustly abroad and I have lost a mentor and a dear friend.”

Before his election in 2002 as governor, Richardson was the U.S. envoy to the United Nations and energy secretary under President Bill Clinton and served 14 years as a congressman representing northern New Mexico.

But he also forged an identity as an unofficial diplomatic troubleshooter. He traveled the globe negotiating the release of hostages and American servicemen from North Korea, Iraq, Cuba and Sudan and bargained with a who’s who of America’s adversaries, including Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It was a role that Richardson relished, once describing himself as “the informal undersecretary for thugs.”

“I plead guilty to photo-ops and getting human beings rescued and improving the lives of human beings,” he once told reporters.

He helped secure the 2021 release of American journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison and this year negotiated the freedom of Taylor Dudley, who crossed the border from Poland into Russia. He flew to Moscow for a meeting with Russian government officials in the months before the release last year of Marine veteran Trevor Reed in a prisoner swap and also worked on the cases of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star freed by Moscow last year, and Michael White, a Navy veteran freed by Iran in 2020.

Armed with a golden resume and wealth of experience in foreign and domestic affairs, Richardson ran for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president in hopes of becoming the nation’s first Hispanic president. He dropped out of the race after fourth place finishes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

‘Giant in public service’

Richardson was the nation’s only Hispanic governor during his two terms. He described being governor as “the best job I ever had.”

“It’s the most fun. You can get the most done. You set the agenda,” Richardson said.

As governor, Richardson signed legislation in 2009 that repealed the death penalty. He called it the “most difficult decision in my political life” because he previously had supported capital punishment.

Other accomplishments as governor included $50,000-a-year minimum salaries for the most qualified teachers in New Mexico, an increase in the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.50 an hour, pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds, renewable energy requirements for utilities and financing for large infrastructure projects, including a commercial spaceport in southern New Mexico and a $400 million commuter rail system.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., called Richardson a “giant in public service and government.”

“In his post-government career, he was trusted to handle some of the most sensitive diplomatic crises, and he did so with great success. Here in New Mexico, we will always remember him as our governor. He never stopped fighting for the state he called home,” Lujan said in a statement.

Some of his most prominent global work began in December 1994, when he was visiting North Korean nuclear sites and word came that an American helicopter pilot had been downed and his co-pilot killed.

The Clinton White House enlisted Richardson’s help and, after days of tough negotiations, the then-congressman accompanied the remains of Chief Warrant Officer David Hilemon while paving the way for Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Hall to return home.

The following year, and after a personal appeal from Richardson, Saddam Hussein freed two Americans who had been imprisoned for four months, charged with illegally crossing into Iraq from Kuwait.

Richardson continued his freelance diplomacy even while serving as governor. He had barely started his first term as governor when he met with two North Korean envoys in Santa Fe. He traveled to North Korea in 2007 to recover remains of American servicemen killed in the Korean War.

In 2006, he persuaded Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to free Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Paul Salopek.

Richardson transformed the political landscape in New Mexico. He raised and spent record amounts on his campaigns. He brought Washington-style politics to an easygoing western state with a part-time Legislature.

Scandal over equipment at Los Alamos

Lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, complained that Richardson threatened retribution against those who opposed him. Former Democratic state Sen. Tim Jennings of Roswell once said Richardson was “beating people over the head” in his dealings with lobbyists on a health care issue. Richardson dismissed criticisms of his administrative style.

“Admittedly, I am aggressive. I use the bully pulpit of the governorship,” Richardson said. “But I don’t threaten retribution. They say I am a vindictive person. I just don’t believe that.”

Longtime friends and supporters attributed Richardson’s success partly to his relentlessness. Bob Gallagher, who headed the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said if Richardson wanted something done then “expect him to have a shotgun at the end of the hallway. Or a ramrod.”

After dropping out of the 2008 presidential race, Richardson endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. That happened despite a long-standing friendship with the Clintons.

Obama later nominated Richardson as secretary of commerce, but Richardson withdrew in early 2009 because of a federal investigation into an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving his administration in New Mexico.

Months later, the federal investigation ended with no charges against Richardson and his former top aides. Richardson had a troubled tenure as energy secretary because of a scandal over missing computer equipment with nuclear weapons secrets at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the government’s investigation and prosecution of former nuclear weapons scientist Wen Ho Lee.

Richardson approved Lee’s firing at Los Alamos in 1999. Lee spent nine months in solitary confinement, charged with 59 counts of mishandling sensitive information. Lee later pleaded guilty to one count of mishandling computer files and was released with the apology of a federal judge.

William Blaine Richardson was born in Pasadena, California, but grew up in Mexico City with a Mexican mother and an American father who was a U.S. bank executive.

He attended prep school in Massachusetts and was a star baseball player. He later went to Tufts University and its graduate school in international relations, earning a master’s degree in international affairs.

Richardson moved to New Mexico in 1978 after working as a Capitol Hill staffer. He wanted to run for political office and said New Mexico, with its Hispanic roots, seemed like a good place. He campaigned for Congress just two years later — his only losing race.

In 1982, he won a new congressional seat from northern New Mexico that the state picked up in reapportionment. He resigned from Congress in 1997 to join the Clinton administration as U.N. ambassador and became secretary of energy in 1998, holding the post until the end of the Clinton presidency.

Source: AP

3, September 2023

After Bongo: Gabon announces reopening of borders with ‘immediate effect’ ⁰

Gabon’s army said on Saturday that it would reopen the country’s borders, closed in the wake of the military coup that ousted ex-president Ali Bongo.

A spokesman for Gabon’s military rulers said on state TV that they had “decided with immediate effect to reopen the land, sea and air borders as of this Saturday”.

A group of 12 Gabonese soldiers had announced on Wednesday that the country’s borders were closed until further notice, in a statement broadcast on the Gabon 24 television channel.

General Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of the elite Republican Guard, on Wednesday led officers in a coup against President Ali Bongo Ondimba, scion of a family that had ruled for 55 years.

His ousting came just moments after Bongo, 64, was proclaimed victor in presidential elections at the weekend — a result branded a fraud by the opposition.

The coup leaders said they had dissolved the nation’s institutions and cancelled the election results as well as closing the borders.

Oligui is due on Monday to be sworn in as “transitional president”.

General Brice Oligui Nguema, the man named to lead Gabon after coup

Five other countries in Africa — Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger — have undergone coups in the last three years. Their new rulers have resisted demands for a short timetable for returning to barracks.

Source: AFP

3, September 2023

Africa latest coups: There are reasons why we need more! ⁰

Adama and Moussa Sarr had lost track of the exact number of days they had been at sea.

The brothers were drifting somewhere off the coast of West Africa, in a traditional Senegalese fishing canoe known as a pirogue. They were two of 39 passengers in total – all malnourished, many close to death.

When a fishing vessel appeared in the distance one day, Adama, 21, was so weak he could only stare, he said. Moussa, 17, slipped into the water to swim.

He would almost certainly have drowned, had the fishing crew not spotted him in the water and plucked him to safety.

When they drew alongside the pirogue, they found Adama and the rest of the survivors and seven bodies. The pirogue had set out from Senegal five weeks earlier, with 101 souls on board.

Pirogues lined up on the beach in Fass Boye. Large pirogues are used for migration voyages. — Pirogues lined up on the beach in Fass Boye. Large pirogues are used for migration voyages

The survivors had drifted hundreds of miles on one of the most dangerous migrant routes in the world – the North Atlantic sea passage from Senegal to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago about 1,000 miles away by sea.

They had left on 10 July, from the coastal village of Fass Boye. Adama and Moussa came from a long line of fishermen in the village. The boys learned to fish together and worked a pirogue together.

But like many young people in Senegal, they felt the pull of Europe. “Everyone wants to go on the boats,” Adama said. “It’s the thing you’re supposed to do.”

He was sitting in the shaded courtyard of a family home, safely back in Senegal but noticeably thinner than before. The journey had begun at dusk, he said. He and Moussa, along with two cousins, Pape and Amsoutou, aged 40 and 20, joined the pirogue a little way off the coast as it set off into the night.

Unlike the Mediterranean, there are no patrols on the North Atlantic route – no-one proactively searching for lost or distressed boats. It is easy to founder without being seen. If you miss the Canaries, or Cape Verde, you can drift into the Atlantic and disappear.

For the first three days, Adama and Moussa’s pirogue, powered by an outboard motor, battled against strong headwinds. But on the fourth day, the wind died down and the boat began to progress, Adama said. The passengers believed they had only a few more days at sea.

When the sixth day passed with no sight of land, an argument erupted over whether to push on or turn back.

“The captain ruled that we should push on, because we had enough food and water and the wind was quiet,” Adama said.

The passengers grew confident again and began to eat lots of food, he said, and they used drinking water to wash their hands for prayers.

It was around day six that the food and water began to run out. There were four children on board, and some older people gave the last of their food to the young. Some hoarded even after people began to die.

Adama couldn’t remember the exact date of the first death, but it was shortly after the first week passed, he said – a fishing captain, used to being on the water but not young. It was six more days until the next person died. Then the deaths came every day.

“At first, we said a prayer for each dead person and laid their body onto the ocean,” Adama said. “Then later we just threw the bodies into the water because we didn’t even have the energy to pray. We just needed to get rid of the corpses.”

Adama's mother, Sokhna. "The young are leaving because of poverty and family pressure," she said. — Adama’s mother, Sokhna. “The young are leaving because of poverty and family pressure,” she said.

Back in Fass Boye, news was spreading through the village that the boat had not arrived. “We all knew it should be five or six days by boat to Spain,” Adama’s mother, Sokhna, said. “When a week had passed with no news I stopped eating. I became sick from stress.”

Nearly everyone on the pirogue was from Fass Boye or nearby, and everyone in the village seemed to know someone aboard. The families began to do anything they could, alerting local authorities and migration NGOs. The founder of one NGO even tweeted a warning that the boat was missing, two weeks after its departure, but the warning went unheeded and the boat drifted for three more weeks.

On the pirogue, the four men from the family stuck together, but they were growing weaker and weaker. The eldest cousin, Pape, died first, Adama said. “Before he passed, he said, ‘If death must happen, I wish that I die and you three survive’.”

Then Adama’s younger cousin, Amsoutou, disappeared. One morning they woke up and Amsoutou was simply gone.

Adama and Moussa hung on, sipping seawater and baking under the sun. Each night they looked for lights from the Canary Islands but the lights never appeared.

Nobody in Fass Boye seemed to blame the migrants for taking the risk. More than a third of the country lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. The young see few opportunities at home. “Macky Sall sold the ocean,” said Assane Niang, a 23-year-old fishing captain, referring to the Senegalese president. Fishermen in Fass Boye say the government has granted too many licences to foreign trawlers, which overfish their waters and deplete the catch.

Niang was sitting on the beach in the shade of a pirogue, knitting generator covers he can sell to help make ends meet. “If we had other alternatives we would stay, but we cannot sit here and do nothing,” he said. “We are trying to support our families.”

There is social pressure on the young to try to leave on the boats, and there can be stigma attached to those who fail or never try.

So much so that the sea route to Spain has earned its own grim slang in Senegal’s Wolof language: “Barcelona or death.”

The wooden pirogues the smugglers use are not suitable for the voyage. They are often poorly constructed. They lack navigation technology and are liable to run out of petrol and be pushed off course. And yet the number of migrants using the route to reach Spain has been rising every year.

A group of young fishermen on the beach in Fass Boye. — Young fishermen in Fass Boye say poverty is driving them to risk all on the water.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, about 68,000 people have successfully reached the Canary Islands by boat from West Africa since January 2020 and about 2,700 have been recorded dead or disappeared. But the number of casualties is likely significantly higher, because fatal accidents are more likely to go unrecorded on this route.

“We call them invisible shipwrecks,” said Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the IOM. “A boat washes ashore with nobody aboard, or a body washes ashore not linked to a known capsized boat.”

Part of the problem was that people leaving Fass Boye, particularly fishermen, were too confident in their chances, said Abdou Karim, a lifelong fisherman and the father of Pape Sarr, who died on the boat.

“The fisherman think that, if they get into trouble, they will be able to swim,” he said. “But there is a limit. You cannot swim forever. The ocean will not hold you.”

And yet, young fishermen in Fass Boye said they were still willing to take the risk.

“I am thinking about going on a boat right now,” said Niang, the fisherman on the beach. “The tragedies will not stop us from trying.”

About a month into Adama and Moussa’s voyage, a large ship appeared on the horizon and more than 20 people decided to to take their chances in the water, Adama said. But he knew it was too far.

Many of the remaining survivors were barely able to move, he said. Then on 14 August, exactly five weeks after they had departed, they caught sight of the Spanish fishing boat that would rescue them.

The Spanish crew helped them aboard and put the seven bodies into plastic sheets. Adama and Moussa lay together on the deck of the fishing vessel.

They had survived the pirogue. But Moussa was too weak. He was the last of the 63 people who died on the voyage.

“He died right there on the deck,” Adama said. “In front of my eyes.”

Assane Niang, a 23-year-old fisherman stands on the beach next to pirogue. — Assane Niang, a 23-year-old fisherman, on the beach next to a traditional fishing pirogue.

The survivors were taken to Cape Verde and spent six days receiving medical treatment, before the majority were flown back to Dakar. Those who could walk were given prescriptions and sent back to Fass Boye.

When news had broken of the number of deaths, there was a brief spasm of violent protest in the village that brought the police to town. Some relatives were arrested, including a member of Adama and Moussa’s family.

The survivors were harassed in their homes by curious residents and relatives of the dead, families said. So one day after they arrived home, they were all sent back out of Fass Boye to recuperate elsewhere. Adama and his mother Sokhna went to stay with close relatives nearby. They were spending their days resting, praying, and avoiding asking Adama about his ordeal.

The family had lost three sons and got one back. Fass Boye had seen 101 set out on the water and 37 come home.

“It changes a place,” said Abdou Karim, Pape’s father, silently counting prayer beads in one hand.

“Even one soul is a lot,” he said. “And this is more than 60. It is a lot for one place.”

Culled from the BBC

1, September 2023

‘Biya did not campaign in the last election and he was announced winner’ ⁰

A Nigerian Lawyer and Former Chairman of National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu has alleged that the Cameroon President, Paul Biya did not campaign in the last election and was strangely announced the winner. He said in an interview with Arise TV news that the democratic choices of the people in Africa have become strangulated recently. He further argued that the crisis of elective governance in Africa is crisis of interminable Presidencies.

He said, ”When government makes it impossible for people to exercise that option to renew that legitimacy properly, then the democratic choices become strangulated. And that is really what you have in many countries.

Paul Biya did not campaign in the last election in Cameroon and he was announced the winner. And anyone who looked at Paul Biya the last time he appeared in the United States will feel sorry for him. Because nobody should be exposed to the kind of indignities that he subjected himself to as an old man.”

Source: Opera News

1, September 2023

90-year-old Biya, who has ruled for over 40 years, condemns Gabon coup ⁰

The National Chairman of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate in Yaoundé has condemned the recent coup in Gabon that ousted sit-tight leader, Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Paul Biya, one of the longest-serving dictators in Africa has ruled for 41 years.

A statement issued by the Minister of Communication, René Emmanuel Sadi, on Thursday, said, “The Government of Cameroon has taken note of and is worried about the events that occurred in Gabon on 30 August 2023.

“It condemns the ongoing anti-constitutional change of Government which violates the fundamental principles and values of the Economic Community of Central African States and of the African Union.

“It calls on all the stakeholders to ensure the physical integrity of President Ali Bongo Ondimba and members of his family, the rapid restoration of constitutional order, and the preservation of peace and stability so dear to the sons and daughters of Gabon and the other Central African countries.”

The situation in Gabon reportedly forced Biya to make new appointments at the Defense Ministry’s central administrative unit.

Biya has ruled as the President of Cameroon since November 6, 1982, having previously been Prime Minister of Cameroon from 1975 to 1982.

With the latest coup in Gabon on Wednesday, Africa has experienced eight coups over the last three years, since August 2020 which is good news for the suffering new generation.

By Chi Prudence Asong with additional reporting from Ewang Miriam Metchane

1, September 2023

Biya instructs the implementation of marking reform dreaded by brewers ⁰

In his recent circular relating to the preparation of the 2024 State Budget, President Paul Biya instructed the effective implementation of the beer-marking system to fight fraud in Cameroon. The said reform was considered years ago but it was not implemented due to reservations expressed by brewing companies. In 2019, the companies even introduced an appeal asking the government to abandon the reform.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the marking will start with beers and then be extended to include cigarettes and other medicines (goods that are listed among the most exposed to smuggling). As is the case with wines and spirits since June 1, 2012, it involves fixing an identification sticker on the goods.

The government explains that the aim of the reform is to boost tax revenues by ensuring traceability and production control for products most affected by illicit trades. At the same time, we learn, the marking will provide manufacturers with solutions enabling them to protect and authenticate their production. From that point of view, it’s a win-win situation.

Another rise in the prices of beer

Despite the positive points put forward by the government, brewing companies seem not convinced. “Cameroonian brewery companies, well aware of food safety and public health challenges, have committed themselves to food safety quality standards, which obliged them, in recent years, to acquire an automated state-of-the-art traceability system,” explains a brewing company’s executive.

According to the latter, the introduction of tax marking that will be implemented by a service provider contracted by the government means brewers will have to abandon the marking and traceability system that they invested huge financial resources to acquire a few years ago.

In addition, we learn, that marking also means “modifying the layout of the production lines acquired, in order to integrate the specifications of the supplier’s equipment, bearing the losses inherent in the installation and testing phases, or bearing the costs of adapting and training staff in the use and mastery of these new technologies.” For brewing companies, these will generate additional costs that could lead to further increases in beer prices in Cameroon.

A feared service provider

In addition to the technical reservations expressed by brewers, the identity of the service provider announced by the government to implement the beer marking reform is also a cause for concern. To implement this reform, the Cameroonian government is said to have discreetly recruited the Swiss company Sicpa, which has already benefited or is still benefiting from contracts of the same type in Kenya and Morocco. In these two African countries, argue the brewers whose statements are corroborated by certain media, the contract awarded to Sicpa for the marking of liqueurs, tobacco, water, and sweetened beverages is controversial.

In 2016, for example, Kenyan politician Raila Odinga, former Minister of Finance and several-time presidential candidate, openly criticized the “dubious conditions” under which the Swiss company had been awarded the contract. The politician also accused the company of illegally collecting taxes but the Swiss company outright rejected the accusations.

In Morocco, it was Sicpa’s prices that were criticized by brewers, cigarette manufacturers, and lemonade makers. Indeed, we learn, in 2014, before renewing the contract it signed in 2010, Sicpa was supplying a cigarette sticker at a cost 15 times higher than the price it was offering in Canada and Turkey. In addition, to pay the service provider, Moroccan tax authorities imposed outrageous annual fees on the producers operating in the sectors whose goods are concerned by the marking.

For a tax expert, “these operational constraints can be overcome with collective willingness.” He believes that brewing companies should also consider the fact that the marking protects their market by helping combat “fraudulent, contraband and counterfeit products, sold at unbeatable prices.” The expert claims that only dishonest taxpayers should fear the sticker, which will enable tax authorities to control the quantities of goods produced or imported by every economic agent.

Source: Business in Cameroon

1, September 2023

Hottest Rapper, Stanley Enow, drops the ultimate pan-African anthem- ‘Take Ova’ ⁰

Long live the King Kong of Afrobeat! Stanley Enow has once again proven his musical prowess with the release of his electrifying single, ‘Take Ova.’ The song is more than just a hit; it’s an anthem of hope, a battle cry of resilience, and a call to arms for Afro descendants worldwide to rise and conquer in the name of the continent’s glory.

Enow’s journey to global stardom reaches its zenith with ‘Take Ova,’ which has stormed its way into the hearts of fans across the globe. The track has taken the music world by storm, showcasing the artist’s signature blend of infectious beats and profound lyrics.

The Maestro’s melody has caught the attention of none other than Greek tycoon Alki David’s Swissx, catapulting ‘Take Ova’ to astronomical heights. With the weight of such a powerhouse backing him, Enow’s unstoppable rise is undeniable.

But that’s not all. The musical maestro has unveiled an eye-popping, jaw-dropping visual masterpiece on his official YouTube channel. Brace yourself for a visual journey that matches the intensity of the track itself.

Enow isn’t new to the winner’s circle. With previous smashes like ‘Parapariparo,’ ‘My Way,’ and ‘Cassanova,’ this multi-award-winning sensation is no stranger to the limelight. His star has shone brightly since bursting onto the scene over a decade ago, and his meteoric rise shows no signs of slowing down.

Beyond the mic, Enow’s talents have extended to becoming a beloved radio and television personality, as well as a captivating voice actor. His versatility knows no bounds, and he continues to amaze and inspire audiences across all mediums.

Whether you’re a die-hard Enow fan or new to the Afrobeat scene, ‘Take Ova’ is a must-listen that transcends borders and unites hearts. Join the movement, feel the rhythm, and embrace the anthem that’s igniting a new era of Pan-African pride!

Ready to be swept off your feet? Tune in to ‘Take Ova,’ which has already been streamed more than 300 million times on such platforms as Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music, and witness the magic for yourself.

Source: Shockya.com

1, September 2023

General Brice Oligui Nguema, the man who destroyed the Bongo dynasty ⁰

General Brice Oligui Nguema, who was named Gabon’s new leader in the hours following a military takeover on Wednesday, served the central African country’s long-time former president Omar Bongo before turning on his son, ousted leader Ali Bongo.

General Nguema has been chief of the republican guard, the country’s most powerful army unit, since 2019, with close sources describing him as charismatic and respected. The first statement announcing the coup was read out in the courtyard of the presidential palace, a fortress protected by his military unit.

Said to be discreet and secretive, Nguema was absent from the first three statements read out by senior army officers on national television to announce the coup.

But Gabonese television kept broadcasting the same images: a man, apparently Nguema, in fatigues and a green beret being carried through the streets of the capital Libreville by jubilant soldiers chanting, “Oligui président.”

Nguema also emerged as a spokesperson in the hours following the announcement, answering questions from French newspaper “Le Monde”.

Bongo – who was declared the winner of Saturday’s elections just an hour before the coup began – had been forcibly “retired” but he still “enjoys all his rights”, Nguema said. “He had no right to serve a third term; the Constitution had been flouted and the election method itself was not good. So the army has decided to turn the page, to fulfill its responsibilities.”

He underscored the “discontent” in Gabon and Bongo’s “illness”, referring to a stroke in 2018.

As Bongo was confined to house arrest, Nguema himself was named to lead Gabon’s transitional authority, held aloft by his troops amid jubilant celebrations in the streets of the capital Libreville and the economic hub of Port-Gentil.

A ‘man of consensus’

Born to a Fang father, Gabon’s main ethnic group, Nguema, 48, mostly grew up with his mother in Haut-Ogooue province, a Bongo stronghold.

Nguema served as an aide-de-camp to Ali Bongo’s father, Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon with an iron fist for almost 42 years until his death in 2009.

“He’s someone who knows the Gabonese military apparatus very well, a good soldier, trained at good military schools,” including Morocco’s Meknes royal military academy, according to a member of Bongo’s Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) who was speaking on condition of anonymity.

“When I met him, he was a fairly intelligent man, easy to talk to and not afraid of journalists,” Francis Kpatindé, a journalist and lecturer specialising in Gabon at Sciences-Po University Paris, told FRANCE 24.

Nguema was known to be extremely close to the elder Bongo, serving him from 2005 until his death in a Barcelona hospital.

But Nguema was sidelined in 2009 after Ali Bongo was elected to succeed his father, beginning a 10-year stint as a military attaché at Gabon’s embassies in Morocco and Senegal.

He returned to prominence in 2018 as the republican guard’s intelligence chief, replacing Ali Bongo’s half-brother Frederic Bongo, before getting promoted to general six months later.

As the keystone of Gabon’s security forces, the bald and athletically built Nguema pushed Ali Bongo to improve his men’s working and living conditions by upgrading their facilities, funding schools for soldiers’ children and refurbishing accommodations.

The measures earned him respect and sympathy from his colleagues, according to the PDG source.

“He isn’t very talkative, but very appreciated by his men. He’s a Julius Caesar, and Julius Caesar cares for the comfort of his legionaries,” the source said, referring to the Roman general.

The former colleague praised Nguema as “a man of consensus, who never raises his voice, who listens to everyone and systematically seeks compromise”.

Nguema included officers from all army branches in the junta’s Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, which has been established to lead Gabon into its next political era. Coup leaders have not yet offered a timeline for a return to civilian rule.

Source: AFP

1, September 2023

Niger revokes French ambassador’s diplomatic immunity, orders his expulsion ⁰

Niger’s military junta said it revoked the diplomatic immunity of France’s ambassador and ordered police to expel him from the country, according to a statement. The French foreign ministry has said the junta, which seized power last month, has “no authority” to expel the French ambassador.

The mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger’s president more than one month ago gave French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave the country last week. The deadline expired on August 28 without France recalling Itte.

The French government says it does not recognise the coup rulers as the country’s legitimate leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the ambassador would stay in the country despite the junta’s pressure.

The latest communique sent by Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Itte “no longer enjoys the privileges and immunities attached to his status as a member of the diplomatic staff of the embassy.”

The document also said the diplomatic cards and visas of the ambassador’s families have been canceled.

Since toppling Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, the junta has leveraged anti-French sentiment among the population to shore up its support. People chant “Down with France” at near daily rallies in front of a French military base in the capital, Niamey.

Regional tensions rising

France has some 1,500 military personnel in Niger who trained and conducted joint operations with Nigerien security forces to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group. The operations have ceased since the coup, and jihadist attacks are increasing.

Insurgents killed 17 soldiers and wounded nearly 24 this month, the first major attack in half a year against the army in Niger.

Regional tensions are also rising as the junta ignores calls from other West African countries to release and reinstate Bazoum, even amid the threat of military force.

The regional bloc ECOWAS deployed a “standby” force and ordered it to transition Niger back to constitutional rule. The force has not yet entered Niger, and the bloc says the door remains open to dialogue but it won’t wait forever.

The junta has appointed a new government and said it would return Niger to the system of government prescribed by the constitution within three years, a timeline that ECOWAS has rejected.

Source: Reuters