21, October 2022

“In Pope Benedict I felt the closeness of God in a way that I cannot fully communicate in words” Fr Agbaw-Ebai Maurice ⁰

Retired Pope Benedict XVI welcomed Revered Father Maurice Agbaw-Ebai in the Vatican on Thursday making him feel at home and showed great concern for the Catholic community in English speaking Cameroon that is facing difficulties.

Cameroon Concord News understands Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai was granted unprecedented access to Pope Benedict with no topic on theology off-limits. This remarkable meeting provided intimate insight into the Benedict XVI Institute for Africa.

Here is the most detailed conversation of Dr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai ever granted to a Cameroonian interviewer.

Cameroon Concord News: Fr Maurice, How did you react to the invitation to meet Pope Benedict XVI?

Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai: It was truly a deeply emotional moment for me. Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI has really been the inspiration that has shaped my priesthood. If there is one person that has influenced and shaped me more than any other human being, it has been Benedict XVI. I have prayed for over twenty-one years to have the opportunity to meet with him. I have written over 1 million words on the life and thought of Benedict XVI. To finally meet him in person and spend time with him at his residence at the Vatican is a joy beyond all telling. And I must thank the following persons for this opportunity: Archbishop Andrew F. Nkea, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bamenda, Cameroon, who wrote to Benedict XVI requesting that I be granted an audience. He also personally contacted Benedict’s secretary on my behalf. My friend, George Weigel, the biographer of St. John Paul II, who did the same. And Dr. Christian Schaller of the Papst Benedikt XVI Institute in Regensburg, who too contacted Benedict XVI requesting for an audience for me. I think lots of people who know me prayed for this day. In God’s time, He has made it happen that I meet Benedict in this life. You will see me, and your joy will be complete, says Jesus. I think there is nothing else I want again, besides continuing the task of making the life and theology of Benedict known. I will never forget what he said to me today. My vocation has been confirmed. Being in the presence of Benedict is an experience of Neoplatonic ineffability. You cannot adequately describe it. In Benedict, I felt the closeness of God in a way that I cannot fully communicate or express it in words (Fr Maurice develops wet eyes).

Cameroon Concord News: How was the audience in the Vatican?

Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai: Again, it was an experience akin to the Transfiguration. Before going to meet Benedict today, I spent time praying with John 13, for Lectio Divina. It is the encounter of the Lord’s washing Peter’s feet! I knew I was going to meet the Successor of St. Peter. I wanted to immense myself in prayer, so that the Holy Spirit will help me to encounter Peter in Benedict, and by so doing, encounter the Lord who as the Risen One, says to Peter and His Successors, feed my sheep, feed my lamb. The audience was well prepared for. There was a Swiss Guard waiting at the Ste. Anne Gate that drove me and Fr. Blaise Njikang, a priest of Mamfe and a seminarian that worked with me at the Bishop’s House in Mamfe, to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, Benedict’s home at the Vatican. When we got there, the Holy Father was expecting us. Archbishop Georg Ganswein ushered us into the Holy Father’s Presence. It was truly moving to be in the presence of Peter’s Successor. You can imagine my thoughts. It was a truly deeply emotional moment for me. In Benedict XVI, I see the Face of Jesus Christ. He was truly happy to receive me. He was profoundly surprised at how much I had written about him. It was a time out of time.

Cameroon Concord News: Did you discuss the Joseph Ratzinger Institutive project for Africa with Benedict?

Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai: Yes, I did. And he was very happy with the initiative. In fact, he blessed a Memorial Plaque for the Benedict XVI Institute for Africa, which, following the decision of Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda, Chancellor of the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda, and President of the Bishops Conference of Cameroon, will become, soon, a Constituent College of the Catholic University of Bamenda, Cameroon. He is very happy with the initiative and was deeply moved by this. He was also impressed by the quality of the Program. The Archbishop of Bamenda will have to do the formal declaration, but it is a great sign of hope for both Church and civil society that Africa now comes to Bamenda and Cameroon, for a theological institute regarding a theologian of a caliber of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI. I told Benedict that the Church in Africa loves him very much, and that his writings continue to form a generation of very enthusiastic African priests. He was deeply moved to hear that.

The Lord has not forgotten his people in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda, socio-political challenges notwithstanding. The Lord will never abandon his people. That is what history teaches us. God never abandons His people. And I did mention to the Holy Father the kidnapped priests of Mamfe Diocese, my home diocese. That too, deeply moved him, and he promised to pray for them. And I ask the readers of Cameroon Concord to pray for these priests, the nun, the laity and their families, to pray for their release.

Cameroon Concord News: Our readers would like to know if Pope Benedict invoked anything on your book- Light of Reason, Light of Faith Joseph Ratzinger and the German Enlightenment?

Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai: Yes, as you can see from the photos, he was very happy, because Light of Reason is a work dedicated to his inaugural lecture as a professor of theology. So, it made a deep impression to him that someone finally provided a theological engagement at a deeper level about a lecture he delivered in 1959. He was really happy about it.

Cameroon Concord News: Any Last word?

Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai: As a child born in Egbekaw New-layout and grew up in Small Mamfe in Mamfe Town, I can only thank God for God’s blessings. I come from a very humble background, growing up and schooling all along in Mamfe town. And when I look back, I feel so grateful to God for all what God has done in my life. And today’s audience with Benedict XVI is a milestone that captures everything about my life and God’s grace. Domine, Non Sum Dignus Est! (Lord, I am not worthy).

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

20, October 2022

Priest from Mamfe Diocese meets Pope Benedict XVI ⁰

Pope Benedict welcomed Revered Father Maurice Agbaw-Ebai in the Vatican on Thursday making him feel at home and showed great concern for the Catholic community in English speaking Cameroon that is facing difficulties.

It was a wonderful feeling meeting Pope Benedict, Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai told Cameroon Concord News.

Pope Benedict was keen to know about the Benedict XVI Institute for Africa. He was pleased the Cameroonian priest was teaching his theology in the USA.

Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai told Pope Benedict that his theology is loved and cherished all over the world. Dr Agbaw-Ebai also said Benedict’s teachings is contributing much to society and to the development of humanity, especially through a course called Joseph Ratzinger and the Enlightenment education.

Below is Fr Maurice Agbaw-Ebai’s address delivered during his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI

Holy Father, first of all, I wish to thank you immensely for accepting to meet me. This is a day that I never hoped for, though I have prayed for it for over 21 years. It is truly a miracle. Thank you for your generosity in receiving me. You have been the decisive spiritual and academic director of my life. I wrote my doctoral dissertation in theology on your theology of the Logos, starting with your inaugural lecture, God of Faith, God of the Philosophers. Vielen Dank.

Secondly, thank you very much for your great theological writings. When I was going for graduate studies, my Bishop then, Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge, said to me: You are going to study the theology of Pope Benedict XVI. Remember, his Theology is very spiritual. You must grow in holiness as you study him.

Holy Father, your theology has shaped and is shaping and forming a generation of young priests from Africa.

Your theology has shown us that it is beautiful to become a priest of Jesus, a friend of the Bridegroom, to use an image from your dear Augustine of Hippo.

Your theology is loved by so many young African priests and seminarians, and for that, we say, thank you.

Holy Father, presently, I teach theology and philosophy at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, MA. There, also, your theology is loved and cherished.

In fact, I teach a course called Joseph Ratzinger and the Enlightenment. Many seminarians take this course. They sent a photo of the class for me to give you, which I will give you soon. The seminarians of St. John’s Seminary and the Faculty asked me to convey their love to you.

Holy Father, with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bamenda, Most Rev. Adrew F. Nkea, we are setting up the Benedict XVI Institute for Africa, to make your theological corpus known in the continent of Africa.

We organized a Conference at the Catholic University in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to mark the 10th anniversary of your visit to Cameroon and Angola.

We also organized a Conference at the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Africae Munus. We have also organized two conferences at the University of St, Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Chicago, bringing together African scholars who work in the US, to discuss and engage your theology, and form networks of support for each other along the pathway of Jesus Christ, which your theology clearly shows out to us.

Next month, to mark your 95th Birthday, we will be having another conference at the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda, bringing together theologians from Africa to engage your beautiful classic, Introduction to Christianity. Please pray for this Conference.

And Holy Father, finally, and most important of all, the Archbishop of Bamenda and President of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, Most Rev. Andrew Nkea, will be inaugurating the Benedict XVI Institute for Africa as a Constituent College of the Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda. I hereby present to you the program, and I ask for your blessing as we begin this Theology Institute for the Continent of Africa dedicated to the study of your great life and great theological legacy, for the good of the Church in Africa and beyond, just like the Ancient Catechetical School of Alexandria.

I beg for your prayers for all these intentions, Holy Father, and also, your prayers for 5 priests, a nun, and a catechist, kidnapped in the Diocese of Mamfe in Cameroon, my home diocese, who are currently in a terrible situation in the forest. Please pray for their release and for the comfort of the peoples so affected by this conflict in Cameroon. I will also leave a list of prayer intentions with Archbishop George.

Vergelt’s Gott, Geliebter, Heiliger Vater, und Danke schön.

Rev. Maurice A. Agbaw-Ebai

St. John’s Seminary, Boston MA/Boston College, Boston MA/Merrimack College, North Andover, MA

127 Lake St Brighton MA 02135 USA

Reported by Chi Prudence Asong

20, October 2022

Putin visits military draft training centre ⁰

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday visited a training centre for mobilised Russians for the first time since announcing a partial military call-up on September 21.

State television showed Putin visiting a shooting centre in the Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow, dressed in black, shooting a newly developed sniper rifle and hugging military men.

Wearing ear protectors and safety glasses, Putin fired several shots from a Russian SVD sniper rifle, lying under a camouflage net.

Putin then appeared to start leaving but turned back and asked one of the soldiers:

“What kind of family do you have?”

“A daughter. Five years old,” the mobilised soldier answered.

Putin hugged him and wished him “good luck.”

Military officials also showed Putin what mobilised men are equipped with, presenting him with a line of men, some of them with their rucksacks open to show what they are carrying.

“Turn around in a circle,” one commander said to a soldier to show the Russian leader the men were adequately equipped.

“These are exceptional boots,” he added, as Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu who accompanied Putin, inspected the footwear.

“Everything to fulfil the tasks,” the commander said.

The visit comes after reports that mobilised men are badly equipped, leading to some discontent.

Russian state-run news agencies said the commander-in-chief also “observed practical exercises” including fire drills, engineering and medical trainings.

Shoigu, by Putin’s side during the visit, gave him an update on the training of those called up in the draft, news agencies said.

More than 200,000 people have been conscripted into the Russian army since Putin announced the mobilisation drive, the defence ministry said.

Russia’s mobilisation is aimed at propping up Moscow’s forces in Ukraine after a series of military setbacks.

Source: AFP

20, October 2022

British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after six weeks in office ⁰

British Prime Minister Liz Truss quit on Thursday — bowing to the inevitable after a tumultuous term in which her policies triggered turmoil in financial markets and a rebellion in her party that obliterated her authority.

Making a hastily scheduled statement outside her 10 Downing Street office, Truss acknowledged that “I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

She is the third Conservative prime minister to resign in as many years and leaves a divided party seeking a leader who can unify its warring factions. Truss, who said she will remain in office until a replacement is chosen, has been prime minister for just six weeks.

Bitterly divided Conservative Party lawmakers have just a few days to agree on a successor, or face another leadership contest. Potential contenders include former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, who lost to Truss in the last leadership contest, House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace — and Boris Johnson, the former prime minister ousted in July over a series of ethics scandals.

Whoever succeeds Truss will be the country’s third prime minister this year alone. A national election doesn’t have to be held until 2024, but opposition parties demanded one be held now, saying the government lacks democratic legitimacy.

Source: France 24

20, October 2022

Ronaldo axed from Man Utd squad ⁰

Cristiano Ronaldo has been dropped from Manchester United’s squad for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea after his tantrum against Tottenham.

Ronaldo stormed down the Old Trafford tunnel with several minutes remaining in United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old star reportedly told United manager Erik ten Hag that he did not want to come on as a late substitute.

Ten Hag said after the Tottenham match that he would “deal with” the issue on Thursday.

It was not the first time Ronaldo had shown public dissent at his role in Ten Hag’s team’s and the United manager has finally responded by wielding the axe.

“Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture,” a United statement said on Thursday.

It is believed Ten Hag’s decision to remove Ronaldo from the squad has the full backing of the United hierarchy.

United chiefs are said to be weighing up a decision on Ronaldo’s long-term future after the disciplinary issue. But whether there can be a way back for the unhappy Portugal striker remains to be seen.

United would have to wait until the transfer window reopens on January 1 before they could sell Ronaldo.

Disappointed by United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, Ronaldo has been trying to engineer a move away from Old Trafford since the end of last season.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star had hoped to join a club in the Champions League, but he found offers from Europe’s elite hard to come by.

Ronaldo missed United’s pre-season tour to Australia and Asia for “family reasons” before making another show of frustration in a friendly against Rayo Vallecano.

Playing under Ten Hag for the first time, Ronaldo was substituted at half-time and responded by leaving Old Trafford before the match had finished.

Source: AFP

20, October 2022

Priests abducted in Southern Cameroons last month plead for release in new video ⁰

A video has emerged on social media that shows five Catholic priests, a nun, and three others who were kidnapped last month in Cameroon’s Mamfe Diocese pleading with their local ordinary to secure their release.

On Sept. 16, unidentified gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Nchang Parish of Mamfe Diocese in Cameroon. Nine people were abducted and buildings on the parish premises, including the church, were burned down.

The attackers kidnapped Father Elias Okorie, Father Barnabas Ashu, Father Cornelius Jingwa, Father Job Francis Nwobegu, Father Emmanuel Asaba, Sister Jacinta C. Udeagha, Nkem Patrick Osang (an assistant catechist), Blanche Bright, and Mme. Kelechukwu.

In the 45-second video circulated Oct. 19, Father Jingwa, one of the abductees, provides updates about their welfare and pleads with Bishop Aloysius Fondong Abangalo to do “everything possible” to secure their release.

“So far it has not been easy. If you look at us, you will see our faces are very dismal, very unhappy,” Jingwa says in the video.

He adds: “It is quite difficult and we are only begging My Lord that you do everything possible to get us out of here.”

“It is a matter of do or die,” the priest laments.

“You see for example, I have been very sick, my brothers too are not feeling fine at all,” he continues.

“Please kindly, My Lord, help get us out of here. Do whatever it takes to listen to this voice and do what they ask of you. Thank you.”

In a Sept. 21 interview with ACI Africa, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese said the abductors “are only asking for money.”

“Those who abducted these people and set the church ablaze are only asking for ransom,” Nkea said.

“They are demanding $100,000 and they have been arguing and coming down. They are somewhere around $50,000 but we don’t have even a dollar to pay for this kind of thing,” he added.

According to Nkea, the abductors, who claim to be separatist fighters, “see the Church as a soft target to be able to make money.”

“But the Church has no money to pay ransom,” Nkea told ACI Africa.

The archbishop further said that the abductors “are claiming that the Church has not been supporting the struggle for independence by separatist fighters and so they want money.”

“We have tried to explain to all those who have … tried to abduct ministers of the Church that the Church cannot be paying ransom to separatist fighters or to criminals,” said Nkea, who has been head of the Bamenda Archdiocese since February 2020.

The arson attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Nchang Parish is one of the latest incidents in the conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking northwest and the southwest regions. The conflict was sparked by a protest involving lawyers and teachers in 2016.

An armed separatists’ movement claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on the protests.

English is spoken by about 20% of Cameroon’s population, who have long complained about being marginalized by the French-speaking ruling class.

On Sept. 17, members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference called on those behind the abduction “to release them without further delay.”

In a statement issued Sept. 21, Bishop Abangalo appealed for prayers for the safe release of the nine abductees.

Source: ACI Africa

20, October 2022

Yaoundé battles cholera outbreak as floods ravage border areas ⁰

Cameroon says a fresh wave of cholera outbreak provoked by ongoing floods in its northern border with Chad and Nigeria has killed at least 17 people and many more are feared dead in difficult-to-access villages within a week. An emergency meeting by government officials and relief agencies on Wednesday ordered the deployment of humanitarian workers to overcrowded hospitals, especially on the border with Nigeria.

Cameroon’s Public Health Ministry officials say several hundred fresh cholera cases have been detected on the country’s northern border with Nigeria with at least 17 people dead and many other civilians in desperate conditions at hospitals.

The government of the central African state on Wednesday said the death toll and suspected infections may be higher as humanitarian workers are not able to travel to towns and villages that are difficult to access.

The government says insecurity from ongoing Boko Haram terrorist attacks prevents aid workers from providing assistance to suspected cholera patients in some localities on Cameroon’s northern border with Chad and Nigeria.

Midjiyawa Bakary, the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region on the border with Chad and Nigeria, says he presided at an emergency meeting ordered by Cameroon president Paul Biya on Wednesday.

Bakary says it was decided that all civilians on Cameroon’s northern border with Chad and Nigeria should immediately respect measures taken at the emergency meeting to reduce or stop the wave of cholera attacks. He says local councils must construct community toilets and latrines, civilians must use the toilets and people should stop drinking water from flooded streams that are likely contaminated. Bakary says Cameroon’s military will protect health workers dispatched to areas still suffering Boko Haram attacks.

Bakary said humanitarian workers in affected towns and villages are instructing civilians on consuming cooked food and boiling water to reduce cholera contamination and infections, especially among children.

Bakary called on civilians to stop the practice of defecating in streams, fields, forests, bushes, lakes and rivers and to wash their hands with soap and clean water regularly.

The government says Mayo-Sava, a department on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria, is hardest hit by the cholera outbreak.

Roger Saffo, the highest government official in Mayo-Sava, says international relief agencies are donating personal hygiene to children and medication for aid workers to take care of the needs of civilians in affected towns and villages.

“We have already received sanitary kits from the regional office of the World Health Organization based in Maroua and Doctors Without Borders which has permitted the medical personnel to take care of the suspected cases, disinfection of infected localities in collaboration with the community in Mayo-Sava division,” he said, speaking via the messaging app WhatsApp from Mora, the capital of Mayo-Sava.

The government says floods are triggering the spike in cholera cases.

Linda Esso, deputy director for the Fight against Epidemics and Pandemics at Cameroon’s Public Health Ministry, says Cameroonians should not think that the ongoing wave of infections originates in Nigeria, which reported a cholera outbreak after this month’s deadly floods on the border with Cameroon. She says there are possibilities that some civilians infected or affected by the outbreak are moving to access hospitals on both sides of the border to seek help.

The U.N. reports that up to this month, more than 1,000 cases of cholera were reported in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe — states in Nigeria that share a border with northern Cameroon and Chad.

Esso said the cholera outbreak is spreading rapidly in areas of the Lake Chad basin that are shared by Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Niger and the Central African Republic.

Cameroon government officials say they have engaged in discussions with Nigeria and Chad to jointly combat the outbreak along their borders.

Cholera is a bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration, usually spread over water. It can be fatal if not treated in hospitals.

Cameroonian health officials are asking people with confirmed and suspected cholera cases to refrain from seeking treatment from African traditional healers.

Source: VOA

19, October 2022

Football icon Shevchenko feels pain and pride in Ukraine’s resilience ⁰

Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko has admitted in an interview with AFP he cried when he “saw children running through a field strewn with missile craters” in Irpin, a commuter town outside Kyiv which was liberated from Russian control.

The 2004 Ballon D’Or winner said he was overwhelmed by the youngsters’ determination to play football despite the carnage around them.

Shevchenko, 46, the son of “a military man” who despite his upbringing “stood against wars all his life”, was so angry at the Russian invasion in February he “felt such excruciating pain I couldn’t even breathe.”

“I couldn’t comprehend the fact that bombs are falling and rockets are flying in the centre of democratic Europe now,” he said, speaking this week.

“They fly towards my home, towards everything I love. I had to decide on what I should do to help my country quickly.

“I thought about everything I’m capable of and where I can be most effective.

“And I realised that I have to use the power of my name, to fight for Ukraine publicly.”

Shevchenko, unlike some Ukrainian sports stars who took up arms, chose an ambassadorial role to showcase his country’s plight.

The 2003 Champions League winner with AC Milan and top tennis player Elina Svitolina “immediately” accepted an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to become ambassadors for a charity called United24.

He met the president in Kyiv on May 18.

“It was the first time I came to Ukraine since February 24, the war had been going on for two and a half months already, and Russian troops had only just retreated from the city.

“I saw an empty, and yet indomitable, Kyiv. It was a very emotional moment for me, as well as my meeting with the president.”

The charity was launched by Zelensky to collect donations to cover Ukraine’s most pressing needs: Defence and de-mining, medical aid and to rebuild the country which has been devastated since Vladimir Putin launched the invasion.

Shevchenko has focused on raising funds for medical aid and reconstruction.

“We are about to announce the first project this week. In total, over $200 million were collected in five months, and people from 110 countries joined in.

“I think I made the right decision.”

‘Sympathy and admiration’

Shevchenko, whose mother and sister were able to leave Kyiv around six weeks after the invasion, said he never ceased to be amazed at the resilience of his compatriots on his visits back home.

“The people I met in Borodianka, in a temporary house built for 22 families, have already arranged the living space there and met us with smiles on their faces,” he said.

“Despite the fact that these people lost everything they had, they keep enjoying their lives.

“And this is such a typical trait for Ukrainians. To raise from the darkness, always looking for the best in everything and supporting each other.

“Ukrainians evoke not only sympathy, but also admiration from the whole world.”

He says he is indebted to his former club for their support.

“There are no words to describe how I felt when AC Milan announced they were releasing a special t-shirt with my number in support of Ukraine,” he said.

Sales of the t-shirt raised 200,000 euros ($196,000) which will help reconstruct a children’s football pitch in Irpin, destroyed by Russian missiles.

Shevchenko — who has also been touched by the “great, constant support” from Barcelona’s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski — said despite recent Ukrainian battlefield successes he was reminded only last week of Russia’s ability to strike.

“A week ago, I left Kyiv by train, on the day when the most devastating strikes since February 24 hit Ukraine,” he said.

“Today (he spoke to AFP on October 17), Russia attacked civilians again.

“A residential house is on fire in the very centre of Kyiv, a family expecting a child was killed.”

However, even amid the loss of innocent lives Shevchenko saw something to hearten him.

“Among all this horror and pain, I saw a photo of a rescuer taking a small kitten out of the rubble.”

Source: AFP

19, October 2022

Brazil challenger Lula says Neymar supports Bolsonaro over debt woes ⁰

Brazilian presidential candidate Lula da Silva criticised football star Neymar’s support of far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, accusing the player of being motivated by a debt “pardon”.

Last month, Neymar endorsed hardline conservative Bolsonaro as he fights to win reelection in his October 30 runoff battle against leftist ex-leader Lula.

“Neymar has the right to choose whoever he wants to be president. I think he is afraid that if I win the election I will find out what Bolsonaro pardoned from his income tax debt,” Lula said in a YouTube interview on Tuesday.

“I think that’s why he’s afraid of me,” Lula added, laughing, when asked about Neymar’s support for the president.

Expectations of a close contest have pushed both sides to intensify their attacks before the runoff, with Lula the frontrunner after the first-round election on October 2.

“Obviously, Bolsonaro made a deal with (Neymar’s) father. He now has an income tax problem in Spain,” Lula said, alluding to a favorable ruling the player obtained in a tax evasion trial in Brazil, as well as the charges he faces in Barcelona for alleged irregularities in his 2013 club transfer.

Lula added that it was ultimately a problem for the country’s tax collection agency, and not him.

This week, Lula secured the backing of another football legend.

Former Brazilian player and Paris Saint-Germain star Rai gave Lula a silent shout-out at a gala awards ceremony in Paris, mentioning his country’s elections before flashing an “L” sign with his right hand.

Lula has 53 percent of the vote heading into the October 30 runoff, to 47 percent for Bolsonaro, according to a poll released Friday by the Datafolha institute.

Source: AFP

19, October 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Separatists agree to continue talking! ⁰

Separatist leaders flown into Canada from Nigeria to attend the Canada talks have agreed to continue talking with other faction leaders in order to give peace a chance.

Some three fighters who obtained their visas from the Canadian embassy in Abuja said they had been mandated by the fighters on Ground Zero to represent them at the talks which recently ended in Canada.

Asked if they had been bought over by the government of Cameroon, the separatist leader who spoke to Cameroon Concord News correspondent, Chi Prudence Asong, on condition of anonymity, said that he and his colleagues had not received any assistance from the Yaoundé government.

He added that their visa process had been facilitated by the talks organizers, stressing that he and his fellow fighters were returning to Nigeria and then to Southern Cameroons to update their colleagues on the ground on the way forward.

He said their bills including air tickets, visa fees and per diem were taken care of by talk organizers who had contacted them months before.

As to why some other factions were not represented, the separatist fighter stressed that those invited to the talks were people who hold that talking with other factions was the way forward.

He said Sako Ikome and Chris Anu had not been invited because they did not really represent anybody.

“Chris Anu only represents himself. He has recently been installed as the chairman of an IG faction which has no following. He has ruined his reputation and nobody in the international community has confidence in him. He has stolen lots of money and he now spends most of his time dancing and enjoying himself in the USA,” the fighter pointed out.

“For Sako Ikome, it is clear that his ambition is to keep power and not to unite the people of Southern Cameroons. His name keeps popping up wherever there are issues of embezzlement and this is hurting our cause. A true leader should be above all of those little accusations. Many young men and women have lost their lives because of this struggle and it is indeed shameful that those who have been working hard to grab power from Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe have been doing so just to steal much-needed resources,” he added.

“We cannot continue to project such people as our leaders when they cannot live up to our expectations. Julius Ayuk Tabe remains our leader and we hold that talking with leaders of other factions could result in the liberation of many of our people who have been held in jails in East Cameroon for a long time,” he pointed out.

“We want Julius Ayuk Tabe and his colleagues to be liberated. They were our best leaders. The government of Yaoundé had its representatives at the talks and some participants argued that freeing Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and his close collaborators would be the first step towards sustainable and meaningful peace,” the angry fighter pointed out.

“We have been told that there will be more talks and that the just-ended talks were designed to serve as the first in a series of negotiations which are expected to lead to a peaceful settlement,” he said.

“Though no concrete agreements were reached, it is becoming clear that most Southern Cameroonians are gradually accepting that a federal system will bring peace to our country. I have seen the way Canada is developed and organized and I think a federal administration based on the Canadian system may help address most issues plaguing Cameroon,” he said.

“We are looking forward to further talks which will help to end the bloodshed. We have lost many young men and we are out of financial resources to continue fighting. Ever since Sako and Chris Anu made the embezzlement of resources their main goal of being involved in the struggle, things have not been the same. We need huge amounts of money to turn things around. But this cannot happen when Sako and Chris Anu are permanently at each other’s throat,” he pointed out.

“I am heading back to Nigeria satisfied that it is possible to bring about peace in Cameroon through negotiations. This is my first time of leaving Africa and I must say that peace is vital for political and economic development efforts to be sustainable,” he pointed out.

“We must continue to talk though while keeping Yaoundé troops at bay. They have killed our people, raped our women, but fighting forever will not address the issues. We must make peace but we must not throw ourselves into the hands of the enemy. The Yaoundé government cannot be trusted but if we work with international actors, we will be able to come up with a peace plan which will make it easy for us to live in peace with our brothers east of the Mungo,” he concluded.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai