France eye World Cup glory as Morocco loom

11, December 2022

France eye World Cup glory as Morocco loom 0

Defending champions France on Sunday trained their sights on a World Cup semi-final against surprise package Morocco as Argentina and Lionel Messi prepare to take on Croatia.

Didier Deschamps’ men edged past England in a thrilling quarter-final in the Qatar desert to move one step closer to becoming the first team to retain the trophy in 60 years.

They will meet Morocco at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday after the African team sent Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal packing to become the first African team in history to reach the last four.

France were second best for long spells against Gareth Southgate’s England on Saturday and were grateful for a late Harry Kane penalty miss as they won 2-1.

England captain Kane had earlier cancelled out Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener, firing past his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris from the penalty spot.

That goal put him level with Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading scorer.

Olivier Giroud headed France back into the lead in the 78th minute before England were handed a lifeline but this time Kane blasted over and England’s chance was gone.

Deschamps, who led France to triumph in Russia in 2018, said his side showed “hearts and guts” to defeat a youthful England team.

“There is quality in this team, but there is also a good mentality and a state of mind,” he said. “We gave them a little ammunition with two penalties, but it is with hearts and guts that we held onto this result.”

Deschamps, who also won the World Cup as a player, said France’s semi-final opponents Morocco, ranked 22nd in the world, “deserve all our respect and recognition”.

“They weren’t among the teams we were expecting there, but it’s anything but a surprise.”

Southgate said he would take his time before he makes a decision over his future as England coach as the nation’s long and painful wait for a major trophy goes on.

The 1966 World Cup winners reached the semi-finals in 2018 and the final at last year’s European Championship but have again come up short against top-class opposition.

Morocco shock

Only the most fervent Morocco fan would have bet on their side reaching the World Cup semi-finals before the tournament kicked off.

On Saturday, they beat Ronaldo and Portugal 1-0 thanks to Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half header, to go further than any African team ever has at a World Cup.

“We’re drawing on all we have, we still have guys injured,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. “I told the guys before the match we had to write history for Africa. I’m very, very happy.”

As their national team made history, crowds gathered in Casablanca and chanted “Qualified! Qualified!”

There were also celebrations across the Arab world and in Europe as Morocco are also the first Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final.

Ronaldo headed down the tunnel with tears streaming down his face after the bitter defeat, ignoring the Morocco players rushing to their fans to celebrate.

At 37, his final chance of adding the World Cup to his Euro 2016 triumph has almost certainly gone as the end of an era of global superstars looms.

Brazil’s Neymar, who has already indicated he may never pull on the Brazil shirt again, said Saturday he was “psychologically destroyed” by his side’s elimination at the hands of Croatia on penalties on Friday.

“It is definitely the defeat which has hurt me the most, which left me paralysed for ten minutes after the match, after which I burst into tears without being able to stop,” the 30-year-old said in an Instagram message.

Messi is also likely playing on the biggest stage for the final time at the age of 35 but he has a golden chance to match the achievement of Diego Maradona, who lifted the trophy for Argentina in 1986.

The South American giants will meet the beaten 2018 finalists at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday after squeezing past the Netherlands on penalties.

They will meet a Croatia team led and inspired by veteran Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who will be aiming to go one better than they did four years ago.

Source: AFP

Belgium makes EU parliament arrests in Qatar corruption investigation

10, December 2022

Belgium makes EU parliament arrests in Qatar corruption investigation 0

Belgian police arrested a European Parliament vice-president and four others in connection with an investigation into corruption implicating World Cup hosts Qatar, the prosecutors office said Friday.

Officers arrested Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili hours after four other suspects had been detained for questioning. All four were either Italian citizens or originally came from Italy, a source close to the case told AFP.

Kaili is the partner of one of the four, a parliamentary assistant with the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group, said the source.

Following reports of Kaili’s arrest, the president of the Greek socialists (PASOK) Nikos Androulakis announced on Twitter that she had been expelled from the party.

A statement issued earlier by Belgian prosecutors mentioned a Gulf country in connection with an investigation into corruption and money laundering, but did not name it. And while it said a former MEP was among those arrested, it did not identify him.

But Belgian press reports said the country concerned was Qatar, and named the former MEP as Italy’s Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who served as a socialist in the parliament between 2004 and 2019.

600,000 euros seized

Belgium’s federal prosecutor announced the earlier arrests after a series of raids at 16 addresses raids in the capital Brussels.

“Today’s searches have enabled investigators to recover about 600,000 euros in cash,” the prosecutors said in a statement.

“Computer equipment and mobile phones were also seized. These elements will be analysed as part of the investigations.”

Investigators “suspected a Gulf country (of influencing) the economic and political decisions of the European parliament”, the statement added.

It alleged this was done “by paying large sums of money or offering large gifts to” influential figures in the European parliament.

A source close to the case confirmed press reports that the investigation was into suspected attempts by Qatar to corrupt an Italian Socialist former MEP, who Belgian outlets Le Soir and Knack named as Panzeri.

‘Recognised and respected’

Kaili, 44, is a former television presenter and currently one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice presidents. In November, shortly before the World Cup started, she met Qatar’s Labour Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri.

In a video statement posted on Twitter by the Qatar News Agency she said: “I believe the World Cup for Arabs has been a great tool for… political transformation and reforms…”.

The European Parliament “recognised and respected” Qatar’s progress in labour reforms, she added.

She made similar comments during a speech at the European Parliament later in November, accusing some MEPs of “bullying” Qatar and accusing them of corruption.

Panzeri, 67, currently heads a Brussels-based human rights organisation called Fight Impunity.

According to the reports, the secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Italian Luca Visentini, was also among those arrested. The ITUC said it was “aware” of the media reports, but had no further comment to make at present.

Corruption accusations

The alleged bribery comes as World Cup host Qatar has made a major push to improve its image in the face of criticism over its record on worker protections and human rights.

Interviewed by AFP on Monday, Visentini welcomed progress made by Qatar on worker rights, but insisted “pressure” needed to be maintained once the football tournament finishes.

Migrant workers make up more than 2.5 million of Qatar’s 2.9 million population and labour conditions have been strongly criticised — particularly in the lead-up to the World Cup.

Doha has implemented reforms to its migrant labour system, but critics insist more work needs to be done to make sure the changes have an impact.

Qatar’s World Cup has also been dogged by accusations of corruption surrounding the FIFA members’ vote to award the tournament to the energy-rich Gulf state.

Belgium’s France Soir newspaper pointed out that Friday’s police raids came on the United Nations-designated International Anti-Corruption Day.

Source: AFP

World Cup: Croatia beat Brazil on penalties to reach semi-finals

9, December 2022

World Cup: Croatia beat Brazil on penalties to reach semi-finals 0

Croatia battled past tournament favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals following a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes.

The 2018 runners-up came through their second consecutive shootout after beating Japan also on penalties in the last 16 and will now face either the Netherlands or Argentina who play each other later.

In an evening filled with tension and drama, Brazil superstar Neymar thought he had won the game when he rifled in an extra-time goal for the five-time world champions.

Croatia substitute Bruno Petkovic’s left-footed equaliser three minutes from the end of extra time drew his side level, breaking Brazilian hearts in Doha’s Education City Stadium.

The Croats kept their composure from the penalty spot as Brazil’s Marquinhos and Rodrygo failed to convert.

Croatia initially refused to be intimidated by their more illustrious opponents and in the first half successfully stifled most Brazil moves early.

Apart from a weak Vinicius Jr. shot, Brazil had little else to offer in terms of attack with Neymar off the pace and shut out by a hard-working backline.

It was Croatia who looked sharper, more skilled in their passing game and with a precise game plan, and by the end of the first half they had the upper hand in terms of possession.

A Neymar free kick just before the break did not trouble Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic as the Brazilians, whose last win over a European opponent in the knockout phase came in their 2002 final victory over Germany, struggled to find any space.

They did, however, almost take the lead three minutes after the restart when Josko Gvardiol tried to clear the ball but almost turned it into his own goal.

Seconds later, claims for a hand ball by defender Josip Juranovic were shot down following a VAR review before Neymar was sent through by Richarlison in the 55th minute only to have his close-range effort blocked by Livakovic.

The Brazilians, who have now lost four of their last five World Cup quarter-finals all to European opposition, enjoyed a much better start to the second half and came close again in the 66th when Lucas Paqueta was denied by Livakovic.

The Croatia keeper was kept busy and stopped Neymar in the 76th and by that time had more saves in the match (seven) than his Brazil counterpart, Alisson, had in the entire tournament (five).

Livakovic parried another Paqueta shot five minutes later as the few hundred Brazil fans in the stands grew louder and more impatient and the game trickled over to extra time with Brazil coach Tite visibly nervous.

In stoppage time of the first period, Neymar, largely lacklustre until then, launched an attack outside the box, played two consecutive one-twos to bamboozle the tired Croatian defence and then rounded the keeper to equal Brazil great Pele’s record of 77 international goals.

But the Croats refused to surrender with Petkovic’s equaliser forcing penalties and coming out on top in the shootout with Livakovic saving Rodrygo’s spot kick and Marquinos hitting the post.

Source: Reuters

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Biya leaves for Washington via Geneva but might face a storm in the US

9, December 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Biya leaves for Washington via Geneva but might face a storm in the US 0

After being held at the Unity Palace for years because of the Southern Cameroons crisis and the global pandemic (Covid-19), Cameroon’s ailing president, Paul Biya, left Yaoundé today for Washington D.C. to attend the US-African Leaders Summit scheduled to take place from 13-15 December 2022.

As usual, Mr. Biya will be stopping over in Geneva, Switzerland, not to condole with Switzerland following the country’s trouncing in the World Cup, but to undergo a special steroid session which will enable him to operate in the highly demanding conference in the American capital. 

Over the last decade, Mr. Biya has been surviving on steroids given his poor health. He is currently a colony of diseases which require huge consumption of steroids.  According to a source close to the Unity Palace, Mr. has been psychologically depressed in recent times and the trip to the American capital is an opportunity for him to step out of his palace and demonstrate to the world that he is still in charge in Yaoundé.

Before boarding the airplane for Geneva, the Cameroonian dictator made sure that his collaborators had to bow to him like angels do to God. The country’s Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, who is out of favour with the ruling cabal almost prostrated in front Mr. Biya to demonstrate that he was still very loyal to the man who has been anything but effective when it comes to running the country. 

While in Washington, the senile Biya who is suffering from amnesia will meet with the American President in private to seek the North American country’s help in the insurgency which has been playing out in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions for more than six years.

According to some unknown Cameroonian diplomatic enthusiasts like Billy Eko, whose father was arrested with drugs on an airplane more than 35 years ago, Mr. Biya’s ineffective diplomacy seems to be delivering some good results. He based his logic on the indictment of three Southern Cameroonians in the United States on grounds of exporting terror to another country. 

The indictment was deposited by the FBI, but in the United States, an indictment is nothing. The three co-accused are not guilty until proven guilty by a legally constituted court of law in the United States. The US is not a country where the president can just order people to be locked up. The law works in the United States, and it is incumbent upon the FBI to prove its case in court.

Currently, the suspects have already lawyered up and there are more celebrity lawyers lining up to join the team of lawyers who want to prove that the problem in Cameroon is not the suspects but a man whose rank incompetence and corruption have left a once prosperous nation in the depth of abject poverty, creating massive pockets of opposition in the country.

There is also a fundraising campaign in the United States for the three Southern Cameroonians to enable them to hire the best international lawyers who can easily prove that the Yaounde regime clearly belongs to the past and if a regime change is not engineered, more people will be sent to an early grave.

Lawyers in the United States have already gathered lots of video and cable communications evidence between Cameroon’s military officials who intentionally planned a massive genocide in the two English-speaking regions of the country. The lawyers have enough evidence. Videos of Ngarbuh, Kwakwa, and Muyenge as well as multiple reports by the International Crisis Group have been shared with American Senators who are urging Joe Biden not to receive Mr. Biya who is now seen as Cameroon’s “merchant of death”.  

The Senators hold that if the US identifies with a man who has mowed down his own people, it will be calling into question its claim that it is a beacon of hope and democracy. Biya is no democrat! He is an iron fist in a velvet glove. It is hard to weave his name and democracy in the same sentence, an American human rights activist said. 

Currently, there is a massive demonstration being organized to receive the dictator in Washington. Southern Cameroonians want to prove to the Biden Administration that it is having political intercourse with a murderer, a man who has killed many women and children in Southern Cameroons, and still has thousands of Southern Cameroonians in East Cameroonian jails.

Mr. Biya is also being blamed by his fellow compatriots for corruption, financial impropriety, and incompetence. Since coming to power in 1982, Mr. Biya has transformed the country into a one-man show, where his word is the law.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Amid bitter civil war, Archbishop Andrew Nkea consecrates contested territory to Mary

9, December 2022

Amid bitter civil war, Archbishop Andrew Nkea consecrates contested territory to Mary 0

Amid ongoing violence pitting the country’s French-speaking majority against an embittered Anglophone minority, Cameroon’s leading Catholic cleric, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya, has consecrated the contested Bamenda Episcopal Province to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The province corresponds to the territorial circumscription of the North West and South West regions of Cameroon where a separatist war has been raging for six years. The two English-speaking regions constitute 20 percent of the country’s 27 million people.

For decades, people in the two regions have complained of marginalization from the Francophone-dominated administration in Yaoundé.

The pent-up frustrations reached a head in 2016 when Anglophone teachers and lawyers took to the streets to protest what they considered was the overbearing influence of French on the Anglo-Saxon education and Common Law systems practiced in the two regions.

The central government responded with lethal force. A separatist fringe developed and took up arms to fight for the independence of the two regions.

Amid the resulting violence, at least 6000 people have been killed, more than 700,000 people have been displaced, and an additional 70,000 Cameroonians have found refuge in Nigeria.

While ending the Marian Year and at the same time launching the Year of the Eucharist on December 6,2022, Nkea said it’s only when the entire family of God raise their voices in supplication to Mary that peace can return to the two regions.

“The Blessings of God have come down upon us in abundance,” Nkea told congregants at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Abango as he closed the Marian Year launched in December 2021, while launching the Year of the Eucharist.

“Because all the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda are present in this Shrine today, we have decided that we shall consecrate the entire Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace,” Nkea announced.

“We shall appeal for her maternal intercession, so that we can know peace once again in our Church province, which corresponds to the territorial circumscription of the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. This is not our choice. It is not even our decision. It is God Himself who has decided to make it this way.”

Nkea recalled the issues he raised while launching the Marian Year in 2021 during which he dedicated the Bamenda Archdiocese to Marian care.

“Our country has been passing through a lot of difficulties,” Nkea recalls telling Christians back then.

“For the last five years, we have known fighting, killing, destruction of property, and all kinds of evil associated with war. We never knew we could see these things in our country. It is not ending. It is still continuing. Our human intelligence seems to have been blocked while looking for a solution,” Nkea recalls.

Back then, he told Christians in his diocese to raise their voices in unison in prayer for a return to peace, given the incessant killings, rapes, extortions and destruction of property.

He recalled calling on the Christians to not allow “Our Lady to have any rest until peace has come back amongst us and the killings have stopped.”

“Peace must return to Bamenda. Peace must return to our society,” the priest said, to a thunderous ‘Amen’ from the congregation.

“Jesus the Prince of Peace must come back to Cameroon, so that we all can say like the Psalmist, ‘in his days justice shall flourish’…”

He had called on Christians to visit the Marian Shrine every week in prayer and supplication to Mary.

“Our Mother Mary cannot be in Heaven and we her children are suffering on earth. All Catholics are invited to pray the Rosary daily – individually, in groups, in families, in small Christian communities, etc., so that our prayer will rise up to Heaven like one big smoke of incense. She (Mary) must hear us. And Jesus must hear us.”

Nkea said those prayers were bearing fruit, a testament to the presence of all the bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province on November 6 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

“We never thought it would be this way,” the cleric said. The crisis had always meant difficulties in travelling, and Nkea implied that for clerics and Christians to have turned out in big numbers at the shrine means that peace was gradually returning to the regions.

“We shall not wait until we have total peace before we come to thank Our Lady for what she has done for us. We have gathered here in Abango to close the Marian Year and to tell Mary: “We thank you… We shall continue our prayers, and we shall continue to use this Shrine, so that our prayers shall not cease to storm the gates of heaven for us to have lasting peace.”

“Why shall we not have peace when Jesus is the Prince of Peace?” he asked. “And Our Blessed Mother Mary is the Queen of Peace?”

“Peace is a gift of God, because God is Peace. He blesses his people with Peace. That is why after the Resurrection, Jesus Christ assured his disciples: Peace I give you. My own peace I give you-A Peace which this world cannot give. Such Peace was only possible because Jesus had reconciled us with God and with one another.”

Nkea said only prayer will grant Cameroon that kind of peace.

Culled from Crux

Whole of Africa behind Morocco at World Cup

9, December 2022

Whole of Africa behind Morocco at World Cup 0

Morocco will have the backing of an entire continent when they attempt to become Africa’s first World Cup semi-finalists by beating Portugal on Saturday, said coach Walid Regragui.

The North Africans will take on Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium as the first Arab nation to reach the last eight after beating Spain on penalties in the last 16.

A World Cup semi-final against either England or France is up for grabs, alongside a place in the history books.

Cameroon in 1990, Senegal’s 2002 side and the 2010 Ghana team all fell at the quarter-final stage.

“We have nothing to lose. The challenge is to do as well as we did in the previous games,” Regragui said on the eve of the match against Portugal.

“We want to show that Africa deserves to be here, Morocco deserves to be here.

“We have a whole people behind us, a continent behind us and the Arab world behind us. That’s a lot of energy behind us. We’re going to try and do everything we can.

“We can do it, we can make history again. It (the support) can push us, help us actually to play with this pressure, not to make any mistakes.”

Morocco have the best defensive record in the tournament, having conceded only one goal in their four matches.

But Regragui warned: “We can’t rest on our laurels. We haven’t got carried away, we’ve just surprised a few people and a few algorithms who expected Belgium or Spain to be in the quarter-finals.”

Ronaldo factor

Cristiano Ronaldo was a surprise omission from Portugal’s starting XI for their match against Switzerland in the last 16, with his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.

But Regragui would prefer to see the Portuguese teamsheet without the name of international men’s football’s greatest goalscorer.

“They’re going to be fresh,” he said. “I don’t know if Ronaldo’s going to play, but I hope he doesn’t. I know he’s one of the best players in history so I don’t want him to play.”

Morocco’s success in Qatar has sparked celebrations back home, but also in several European countries where the Moroccan diaspora live.

Fourteen of Regragui’s 26-man squad were born outside the African country.

“People are identifying with us and we’ve managed to unite Moroccans behind this football team,” he said. “I think that’s worth more than anything, it’s worth more than money, it’s worth more than titles.

“We’ve made people happy, we’ve made people proud but that’s not the only reason we’re here — we’re here to win matches and go as far as we can in this tournament.”

Morocco have had a series of injury concerns, with full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui playing despite not being fully fit.

Centre-back Nayef Aguerd hobbled off injured in the Spain match but could be ready to play on Saturday.

“Lots of injuries, people sick. We’ve played lots of games without people 100 percent,” said Regragui.

“I’m proud for that because nobody has seen Morocco at 100 percent power. Aguerd is waiting tomorrow to see if he can play or not.”

Source: AFP

Indomitable Lions: Onana fuels controversy with cryptic message over his World Cup suspension

9, December 2022

Indomitable Lions: Onana fuels controversy with cryptic message over his World Cup suspension 0

Goalkeeper Andre Onana has aimed at his detractors following his controversial exit from Cameroon’s World Cup camp.

Onana was omitted from Cameroon’s starting XI for their 3-3 draw against Serbia and was eventually kicked out of camp for disciplinary reasons after falling out with coach Rigobert Song.

While the goalkeeper later defended himself saying he ‘put all efforts and energy into finding solutions,’ he has added more fuel to the incident with this cryptic message posted on social media on Thursday.

WHAT DID ONANA SAY? “In a world where lying is the most common thing, telling the truth makes you a revolutionary. But in the end, time will put everything in its place,” Onana posted on Twitter.

Onana featured in Cameroon’s opening game when they lost 1-0 to Switzerland before reserve goalkeeper Devis Epassy took his place as they fought from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Serbia and then pulled off a memorable 1-0 victory against Brazil.

Cameroon exited the tournament at the group stage but Epassy’s performance made sure Onana was not greatly missed, especially against Brazil, when he kept the Indomitable Lions in the game by pulling off six saves.

It is not known if Onana, who has 34 caps for Cameroon, will be recalled to the squad for future assignments after Song said he had to take a risk with Epassy in an effort to send a strong message to one of the Indomitable Lions’ star players.

Onana claimed he had tried to resolve the issue in an effort to remain part of the squad.

“I have put all my efforts and energy into finding solutions to a situation that a footballer often experiences, but there has been no will on the other side,” Onana said through a statement after leaving Qatar.

“Some moments are difficult to assimilate. I always behaved in a way to lead the team to success in a good manner,” he added.

Onana has linked up with the Inter Milan squad in their training camp in Malta.

Source: Goal.com

Algerian journalist assaulted by Samuel Eto’o files complaint to Qatari police

9, December 2022

Algerian journalist assaulted by Samuel Eto’o files complaint to Qatari police 0

The man allegedly assaulted by the President of  Cameroon’s Football Association  Samuel Eto’o, has explained what transpired between himself and the football star that led to the violent altercation.

An Algerian YouTuber said Momouni, in a  video on Tuesday evening said he had asked Eto’o if he (Eto’o) bribed the referee that officiated the World Cup playoff between Cameroon and Algeria that saw Cameroon qualify for the 2022 tournament and the question infuriated him.

He said:  “I’m at the police station to file a complaint against Eto’o. He hit me and someone with him pushed me.  “I asked him how is Bakary Gassama (referee that took charge of African World Cup play off) and if he gave him a bribe. He then hit me and destroyed both my camera and mic.”

The YouTuber added that he has filed a complaint to the Qatari police on the assault.

The Cameroon FA president has been in the news recently for attacking a man outside a stadium in Qatar at the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“I will take my rights here in Qatar as it is a state of law. He did hit me in the chest, in the face and on my elbow,” Momouni added.

Eto’o however apologised for his outburst on his Twitter page on Tuesday evening, saying the violent altercation did not match his personality.

Eto’o wrote:  “I would like to apologise for losing my temper and reacting in a way that does not match my personality. I apologise to the public for this unfortunate incident.”

Algeria had filed a complaint over the performance of the referee in the qualifying play-off in Blida on March 28, in which Cameroon’s Karl Toko Ekambi scored the winner with the last kick of the match.

Source: Sunnewsonline

Cameroonian passengers protest at Brussels airport after Douala bound flight cancelation

9, December 2022

Cameroonian passengers protest at Brussels airport after Douala bound flight cancelation 0

In the early hours of December 8th, a protest broke out within Terminal B at Brussels Airport (BRU). The protest consisted of a crowd of upset Brussels Airlines passengers. The passengers had departed on a flight only to be turned back around. Once at the airport, they were informed they would not be able to continue their journey. This angered many passengers to the point they attempted to block operations in the terminal.

Diverted flight

On December 7th, at approximately 11:30 UTC, Brussels Airlines flight SN369 departed BRU. The flight was bound for Cameroon’s Douala International Airport (DLA). Roughly 30 minutes into the flight at flight level 310 over Southern France, the pilots decided to turn back to BRU after noticing a technical malfunction aboard the aircraft. The aircraft in question was an Airbus A330 registered OO-SFX. Upon nearing BRU, the pilots were instructed to enter a holding pattern. The aircraft remained in this holding pattern for nearly three hours before landing at BRU at approximately 15:35 UTC.

Displeased customers

The passengers of flight SN369 remained inside Terminal B through the night, waiting to reboard the airplane once it had been fixed. Unfortunately for these passengers, no news of reboarding ever came. Eventually, they were given notice that the aircraft would not be able to complete the journey and that the flight was canceled. The airline informed the passengers that they would not provide another aircraft to complete this journey. It also informed passengers that the subsequent flight to DLA was fully booked and they would not be allowed to board that flight either.

At this point, passengers who were already upset became furious at the news that they were stranded in the terminal. The airline has been working to reroute passengers to their final destinations on other flights. Regardless of these efforts, many passengers decided to protest against the airline, and organized a sit-down protest in the terminal Thursday morning. This wall of humans completely disrupted airport operations within the terminal. Many protesters were shouting “Travel” in French throughout the protest. Airport police have been continuously working to de-escalate the situation.

A Spokesperson for BRU, Nathalie Piérard, stated the following concerning the situation,

“On Wednesday evening, a Brussels Airlines aircraft (an Airbus A330 registered OO-SFX) destination Cameroon was forced to return to Brussels Airport due to a technical problem. As a result, the aircraft could no longer return to Douala and the news was not well received by some passengers in the transit zone.

“When the passengers discovered that they couldn’t continue their journey on Thursday morning because the flight was fully booked and that they are not allowed to leave the transit area, they decided to block the access of pier B to all passengers.”

It is not yet clear if the protest has dissipated or not. Simple Flying has reached out to Brussels Airlines concerning the flight diversion and subsequent protest. This article will be updated once more information has been released.

Source: Simplyfying.com

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The Army is to blame for the killings!

8, December 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The Army is to blame for the killings! 0

Cameroon’s senile and aging president, Paul Biya, is expected in Washington DC in the weeks ahead where he will be meeting with the American President, Joe Biden, where both men will discuss a broad range of issues, including the insurgency in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions.

Over the last six years, the country’s two English-speaking regions have been open air killing fields where more than ten thousand Cameroonians have lost their lives, including some four thousand soldiers, many of whom were brought down by home-made explosive devices laid by insurgents seeking the total independence of Southern Cameroons.

While the situation on the ground might be improving, there are still fears that a recrudescence of violence is still possible as the key issues which led to the conflict remain unaddressed.

The government has not been receptive to numerous calls from Western powers and international organizations, calling for genuine and fruitful dialogue which should result in a sustainable solution.

The killings in the two regions have reduced to trickles, more so because the country’s army has stopped conducting unnecessarily violent raids in the two English-speaking regions.

The military is to blame for the murder of more than six thousand civilians as it operated based on the government’s Machiavellian and tough principle that negotiations cannot take place with non-state actors, but the insurgents picked up weapons because of the government’s indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians.

The government was clearly caught in the act when its soldiers killed many people in Ngarbuh, Muyengue, Santa, Kumbo, Kwa Kwa and other towns in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

There is ample evidence that the government is to blame for those deaths and several reports by the International Crisis Group have clearly indicted the Yaoundé government, citing the government’s inhuman approach to conflict resolution.

There are videos where religious authorities clearly state that they have evidence of the government’s deliberate killing of its own people just to prove a point.

While Mr. Biya will urge the Biden Administration to arrest many Southern Cameroonians living in the USA and send them to Cameroon, he will be facing very tough challenges as the US government never repatriates its citizens to any country for trial.

Besides, Mr. Biya and his entourage will have to produce incontrovertible evidence that those being suspected were directly involved in the commission of the atrocities the Yaoundé government is alleging.

America is no banana republic nor is it Nigeria which can be bribed and browbeaten for it to ship its citizens to a country where the rule of law is still a foreign concept.

The Yaoundé government is known abroad for its corruption and it will have to convince Americans that whatever evidence it will be providing is not doctored.

 Americans would like to conduct their own investigations, if necessary, and if there is no probable cause, then the Yaoundé government’s plea would end up as a dead letter.

The Yaoundé government is desperate. The current calm may be the calm before the storm. The Biya government has never addressed any real issues for forty years. It has always counted on time to address its issues and the likelihood of old demons rearing their ugly heads is very high.

Cameroonians living in the United States have already lawyered up and the battle, if any, will be a tough one. Even the three Southern Cameroonians indicted in the United States have vowed that they would not go down without a fight.

In the American justice system, an indictment is nothing. Lawyers, who are out looking for lucrative lawyering opportunities can end up messing up the FBI’s case and sometimes those cases could go on for years and some of those cases, could go on even after the 90-year-old Biya joins his ancestors. It will never be a walk in the park in America when it comes to legal justice.

Moreover, not all those being considered as suspects by the Yaoundé government live in the United States. Canada is also hosting thousands of Southern Cameroonians and most, if not all of them, bear Canadian passports and Canada too is not in the business of shipping its citizens to foreign countries where one man’s rule has replaced the rule of law.

Canada wants to mediate and its stance on the Southern Cameroons issue is clear. It wants a federal system in Cameroon. Canada has huge experience in dealing with linguistic minorities and the government clearly holds that a Canadian-style federal system will bring peace to Cameroon.

North American countries never disown their citizens and even when arrested in those rogue countries, Canada and the United States will find a way to bring their citizens home.

Diplomacy is always Canada’s first weapon, but when it does not yield dividends; Ottawa will use economic power to achieve its goal.

The Yaoundé government has a tough task ahead of it. It must come to terms with the fact that times have changed and peaceful resolutions can deliver better results than expensive wars against its own citizens.

If the Yaoundé government is really longing for peace, it must bend over backwards to work with the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora which is estimated at more than four million.

Fighting is not the best way forward and hoping that the United States will do its dirty work is being naive. Sending an American citizen abroad for trial has always been a bridge too far and there are always political consequences for any American administration which engages in such irrational act.

Cameroon needs peace and the Yaoundé government should use its allies to engineer that peace. Instead of wasting time and other resources to seek revenge for the humiliation it has suffered in Southern Cameroons, the Yaoundé government should grant a general amnesty to all those who have been directly or indirectly involved in the conflict.

It should also grant dual nationality to appease the Diaspora which has vast financial resources which could be used to destabilize the country. Cameroon is not yet out of the woods.

Pardoning everybody including the military is the best way forward and not revenge. The military bears greater responsibility for the massacres which have put Cameroon in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

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