Rigobert Song told he is not good enough to coach the Indomitable Lions at World Cup

7, October 2022

Rigobert Song told he is not good enough to coach the Indomitable Lions at World Cup 0

Cameroon coach Rigobert Song has been criticised for his style of play and a lack of fluidity.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup bound team suffered two defeats during the recent friendly window, falling 2-0 to Uzbekistan and 1-0 to South Korea in eastern Asia.

With just over a month left before the tournament starts, the coach’s popularity in his country has waned.

And his former teammate in the Cameroon’s 2003 Fifa Confederations Cup side, Achille Emana, believes Song is not good enough to manage the Indomitable Lions at the World Cup.

“We shouldn’t have sacked (former coach) Tony Conceicao so quickly. With all the respect I have for [Rigo], he must not lie to himself, he is not up to it,” Emana said, as cited by BBC Africa.

“Of course he qualified us for the World Cup but since he took over, he hasn’t improved the team or figured out his first team. If we go to Qatar in this state, then we are heading straight for disaster.”

Despite the criticism, Song continues to enjoy the support of the president of Cameroon’s football federation, Samuel Eto’o.

The Indomitable Lions will meet Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in Group G at the World Cup.

Source: Soccer 24

‘God put you in power’, Russian Orthodox leader tells Putin on his 70th birthday

7, October 2022

‘God put you in power’, Russian Orthodox leader tells Putin on his 70th birthday 0

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill said Friday that Vladimir Putin’s reign over Russia had been mandated by God, congratulating the Kremlin chief on his 70th birthday.

“God put you in power so that you could perform a service of special importance and of great responsibility for the fate of the country and the people entrusted to your care,” the patriarch said, joining a chorus of Russian officials congratulating Putin on his birthday.

Source: France 24

Football: One dead in unrest at Argentina match

7, October 2022

Football: One dead in unrest at Argentina match 0

One person died Thursday following violent clashes that started outside a soccer match on the outskirts of Buenos Aires before spilling into the stadium and onto the pitch, authorities said.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas as they attempted to stop fans attending the match between top-flight teams Boca Juniors and Gimnasia y Esgrima from pushing into the already crowded venue.

The unrest outside the Carmelo Zerillo stadium in La Plata, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Argentina’s capital, continued inside, where shocked spectators were seen squeezing through fencing to escape the violence and get onto the field.

“There were about 10,000 people around the stadium trying to get in, some with tickets, some without. Everyone could see that the stadium was very full,” said Eduardo Aparicio, head of a government agency tasked with preventing violence in sports.

“All this is being investigated,” including “the actions of the police,” he added.

Authorities at San Martin hospital in La Plata confirmed the death of 57-year-old Cesar Regueiro from cardiac arrest as he was being transferred from the stadium to a hospital.

A cameraman for sports channel TyC was injured by rubber bullets while dozens of spectators were suffering from the effects of tear gas and had been taken to hospitals, according to local media.

‘The air became unbreathable’

The game was suspended after nine minutes due to a lack of security, referee Hernan Mastrangelo said.

“It affected all of us on the field,” he added. “The air became unbreathable. The situation got out of control and there were no security guarantees.”

Explosions were heard inside the stadium and smoke from the fumes quickly reached the pitch.

The players, the referee and technical staff members were forced to evacuate the field.

At the same time, fans, including children being led or carried by adults, rushed from the stands and onto the pitch, where people were seen sitting or lying down apparently recovering from tear gas exposure.

“The first thing I saw was that people had started to flee the stalls and I began to feel the effects of the gas. I thought about my family and I started to worry,” Nicolas Contin, a Gimnasia player, said from the locker room where he had carried his young son.

“I’m angry about everything that happened.”

The match came at a critical point in Argentina’s Primera Division, with Gimnasia trying to stay in the title race and Boca looking to move into first place.

“What was going to be a party ends in this. It hurts us all what happened, it is tremendous and we regret it,” Boca Juniors manager Hugo Ibarra told reporters.

Clashes inside and outside Argentina’s stadiums have resulted in more than 300 deaths since soccer became professional in the 1930s, with two-thirds of the deaths occurring after the 1990s, according to a local NGO.

The violence in La Plata comes just five days after one of the deadliest disasters in soccer history in which 131 people were killed in a stadium crush in Indonesia.

The incident in the city of Malang also descended into tragedy after police fired tear gas into packed stands.

Source: AFP

‘We’ve seen God’s miracle within the Southern Cameroons crisis’: Archbishop Nkea

7, October 2022

‘We’ve seen God’s miracle within the Southern Cameroons crisis’: Archbishop Nkea 0

Archbishop Andrew Nkea came to the Catholic world’s notice in 2018 at the youth synod in Rome.

Amid much hand-wringing about losing contact with the younger generation, Nkea spoke with refreshing confidence about how parishes in his west-central African homeland of Cameroon were full of young people.

In 2019, Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Bamenda in Cameroon’s Northwest Region. He took up the post as his country was wracked by a conflict known as the Anglophone Crisis, which pitted government forces against separatists intent on creating a breakaway state in Cameroon’s English-speaking territories.

The Catholic Church — which spans the divide between Francophone and Anglophone Cameroon — has suffered amid the complex crisis. Just last month, gunmen seized five priests, a nun, and three lay people at a church in Nchang, a village in Cameroon’s Southwest Region. Pope Francis appealed for their release, but at the time of writing, they remain in captivity.

The Pillar spoke to Archbishop Nkea on Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He was visiting the English Diocese of Portsmouth, which is twinned with the Archdiocese of Bamenda.

He discussed the Church’s continued growth, his approach to kidnappers’ demands, and Cameroonian Catholicism’s distinctive features.

Archbishop Nkea, what is Christianity?

Christianity is being like Christ. The name “Christianity” comes from Christ, and to be Christian is to be like Christ. And therefore Christianity is this movement of people who want to become like Christ, that in every day of their lives, they make an effort to be like Jesus Christ.

At a Vatican press conference during the youth synod in 2018, you said: “My churches are all bursting, and I don’t have space to keep the young people.” Has the Church continued to grow in your archdiocese since 2018?

The Church has continued to grow, I would say. You know that we are in crisis in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. But I will say to you without fear or favor that we have seen God’s miracle within the crisis, that our churches continue to be full, the people continue to pray, and the Church is going from strength to strength. Especially with the young people. The young people, despite the difficulties they’re going through, are very committed to their faith.

You said in a Vatican News interview that “the Church in Cameroon is already steeped in the synodal process because of the pastoral plan which we have and in the pastoral plan everything begins from the base.” What is the pastoral plan?

Our pastoral plan is for the whole ecclesiastical province of Bamenda, comprising five dioceses of what we call the Anglophone extraction of Cameroon. In this pastoral plan, we have tried to see, number one, how to consolidate our Christians in the faith and, secondly, how to guarantee a transition of the faith from one generation to another.

One of the things that comes into this pastoral plan is to get the governance of the Church to start from the grassroots and to move up. So, from the families to the small Christian communities, to the mission stations, to the parishes, to the deaneries, before you get to the diocese. And this is the way our Church functions.

Everybody belongs to a small Christian community. And therefore, all the Christians in a particular neighborhood know each other. They have fellowship together. They have small Christian community Masses. And it has built an incredible bond among our people.

That’s why I was saying that we are already within the synodal process, because decision-making begins from the grassroots and the decision is spiraled up to the top, but it must come from the grassroots. Therefore, we don’t take decisions at the top and ram them down the throats of the faithful. But the suggestions come from the bottom and find their way up. And that is how the thing works in Bamenda.

Are small communities different from parishes?

Yes, they are not parishes. Our structure is different. We have parishes and within those parishes, you have what we call mission stations, where the priest goes for Mass, but there is no resident priest there. So there are mission stations, and in those mission stations, there you have small Christian communities. Every mission station has small Christian communities. That will be a group of about five to 10 families within the mission station that kind of take care of each other, watch the back of each other, and that is what it is.

So parishes are not small Christian communities. Small Christian communities are in mission stations. In the little quarters where Christians live, they form small Christian communities, and we call that the Church in the neighborhood.

What activities do the small Christian communities do?

They do Gospel sharing. They teach catechism to their children. And if there’s any fundraising, they do it within the small Christian communities. They accompany those who are bereaved.

It is really important that the Christians feel they belong and they are not isolated when they are in times of joy or in times of trouble, that they have their Christian community as a support. And that is what these small Christian communities are meant for.

The priest only visits them now and again. And this is the important thing, because everything does not depend on the priest. We are trying to make the Church, the Christians, not depend totally on the priest for everything.

For example, if there is a sick person in the community, the small Christian community will visit the sick person and pray with them. And then one of the leaders will inform the priest, who will come for anointing. But the daily visits, or the once-a-week visits, are done by the small Christian community and not by the priest.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea with members of the Catholic Men Association,. Courtesy photo.

You’ve said it’s been difficult sometimes to involve men in the small communities. Why is that?

The men claim to be more busy, and they don’t make time to attend the small Christian community meetings. They want to come once a week to the parish church and attend Mass and go back. Then they have the time to go and watch football or do something else.

But I think slowly, slowly, we’re trying to get the men involved. We have discussed that in our men’s association, to see how to get the men fully involved in the small Christian communities. And in that way, it is the whole family that is involved in the small Christian community: It’s not just a thing for the women and children.

Have you found ways to help men to take part in the communities?

Yes, the Gospel sharing, for example. Reading the Bible and discussing it is not a thing [only] for women. The men just have to develop the interest. From the parish, we send out a text for reflection for the week. And when the men start going, they start finding it very interesting. They don’t stop anymore. They start sharing together. Sometimes when they are sick, they get the whole community coming to visit them and pray with them, and they get more involved. It’s slowly, slowly, but it’s taking root.

Do you have any news about the Catholics kidnapped on Sept. 16 at St. Mary’s Church in Nchang?

We have been talking from time to time with the kidnappers, like I mentioned on the BBC News. They were asking us for money and we don’t have money to give. And even if we had the money, we know that if we start, we’ll never stop. And it’s something we had agreed that we would not do — give money to kidnappers — because then we endanger the lives of all our priests and our Christians.

So they are trying to ask for money. They’ve been negotiating, and going down and down. We are just explaining to them, if you don’t have some food to eat, we can give you some food to eat, but not give you money to go buy guns. The Church can’t do that. So that is where we are: Going forward and backward, trying to get them to understand.

Caption: Archbishop Andrew Nkea and Bishop Philip Egan at St John’s Catholic Cathedral, Portsmouth, England. Courtesy of the Diocese of Portsmouth.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Yes, I think for one thing, we should all be united in prayer. Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, who was an apostle of peace. And you discover how much the world lacks peace, how much individuals lack inner peace, how much small communities lack peace. Now we really need to pray for peace, not just peace between fighting and warring nations, but also internal peace for our people. We need to pray.

Secondly, we need to see this thing of Francis of Assisi as personal, because Francis prayed “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” It was not to “make us,” and so let us try to see how each individual can contribute. Not to bring war, not to bring hatred, not to bring doubt, but to bring peace, to bring hope, and to bring joy to others. I think this is where all of us as Christians have to look toward one direction.

Culled from The Pillar

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Biya orders enforcement of bilingualism law to tackle discrimination

7, October 2022

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Biya orders enforcement of bilingualism law to tackle discrimination 0

To tackle complaints of discrimination against English speakers, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has ordered officials to enforce a 2019 law on bilingualism and make life easier for English speakers in the French-speaking majority country.

The sense of marginalization among the English-speaking minority in Cameroon sparked a separatist conflict that, since 2017, has left more than 3,500 people dead. Earlier this week, civilians assembled at the city council in the country’s capital Yaoundé to complain about difficulties they encounter in public offices because they speak only one of the central African state’s two official languages. Civilians who fled the fighting in western Cameroon between troops and separatists say they often face discrimination in public offices when speaking English.

A December 2019 law states that French and English have the same value and should be used equally in public offices, and says Cameroonians should be able to express themselves in either language. But according to officials dispatched to enforce the bilingualism law, people reportedly abuse public office by refusing to attend to civilians who speak either in English or French.

The Cameroon president is said to no longer tolerate French-speaking workers imposing the French language on English-speaking citizens, and English-speaking workers should also be patient when they receive French speakers in public offices. After educating citizens on the importance of the two languages co-existing peacefully, the government is now ordering Cameroonians who do not speak the two languages to register in language schools. Signboards written in one language are being pulled down and replaced.

Culled from North Africa Post

North Korea fires more ballistic missiles after US military drills

6, October 2022

North Korea fires more ballistic missiles after US military drills 0

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Thursday after the United States redeployed an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s previous launch of a nuclear-capable missile over Japan.

The latest missile launches suggest North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is determined to continue with weapons tests aimed at boosting his nuclear arsenal in defiance of international sanctions. Many experts say Kim’s goal is to eventually win U.S. recognition as a legitimate nuclear state and the lifting of those sanctions, though the international community has shown no sign of allowing that to happen.

The latest missiles were launched 22 minutes apart from the North’s capital region and landed between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The first missile flew 350 kilometers (217 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and the second flew 800 kilometers (497 miles) on an apogee of 60 kilometers (37 miles).

The flight details were similar to Japanese assessments announced by Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, who confirmed that the missiles didn’t reach Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

He added that the second missile was possibly launched on an “irregular” trajectory. It is a term that has been previously used to describe the flight characteristics of a North Korean weapon modeled after Russia’s Iskander missile, which travels at low altitudes and is designed to be maneuverable in flight to improve its chances of evading missile defenses.

South Korea’s military said it has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains readiness in close coordination with the United States. The U.S. Indo Pacific Command said the launches didn’t pose an immediate threat to United States or its allies, but still highlighted the “destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was expected to hold a telephone call with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over the North Korean threat later Thursday, said the North’s continued launches were “absolutely intolerable.”

Yoon’s office said his National Security Director Kim Sung-han discussed the launch at an emergency security meeting where members discussed plans to prepare for further North Korean hostilities, including military provocations.

The launches were North Korea’s sixth round of weapons tests in less than two weeks, adding to a record number of missile launches this year that has prompted condemnation from the United States and other countries. South Korean officials the North may up the ante soon by testing an intercontinental ballistic missile or conducting its first nuclear test explosion since 2017 and seventh overall, escalating an old pattern of heightening tensions before trying to wrest outside concessions.

Moon Hong Sik, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson, said North Korea’s accelerating tests also reflect an urgency to meet Kim Jong Un’s arms development goals. Kim last year described an extensive wish list of advanced nuclear weapons systems, including more powerful ICBMs, multiwarhead missiles, underwater-launched nuclear missiles and tactical nuclear arms.

North Korea is “moving accordingly with the timeline it set for itself,” Moon said.

On Tuesday, North Korea staged its most provocative weapons demonstration since 2017, firing an intermediate-range missile over Japan, forcing the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and halt trains.

Experts said the weapon was likely a Hwasong-12 missile capable of reaching the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and beyond.

Other weapons tested earlier included Iskander-like missiles and other ballistic weapons designed to strike key targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there.

Thursday’s launches came as the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan returned to waters east of South Korea in what South Korea’s military called an attempt to demonstrate the allies’ “firm will” to counter North’s continued provocations and threats.

The carrier was in the area last week as part of drills between South Korea and the United States and the allies’ other training involving Japan. North Korea considers such U.S.-led drills near the peninsula as an invasion rehearsal and views training involving a U.S. carrier more provocative.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the redeployment of the Reagan strike group poses “a serious threat to the stability of the situation on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity.” The ministry said it strongly condemns U.S.-led efforts at the U.N. Security Council to tighten sanctions on the North over its recent missile testing, which it described as a “just counteraction” to joint U.S.-South Korean drills.

After the North’s intermediate-range missile launch, the United States and South Korea also carried out their own live-fire drills that have so far involved land-to-land ballistic missiles and precision-guided bombs dropped from fighter jets.

But one of the tit-for-tat launches nearly caused catastrophe early Wednesday when a malfunctioning South Korean Hyumoo-2 missile flipped shortly after liftoff and crashed into the ground at an air force base in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung. South Korea’s military said no one was hurt and civilian facilities weren’t affected.

After Tuesday’s North Korean launch, the United States, Britain, France, Albania, Norway and Ireland called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. But the session Wednesday ended with no consensus, underscoring a divide among the council’s permanent members that has deepened over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Russia and China during the meeting insisted to fellow Security Council members that U.S.-led military exercises in the region had provoked North Korea into acting. The United States and its allies expressed concern that the the council’s inability to reach consensus on North Korea’s record number of missile launches this year was emboldening North Korea and undermining the authority of the United Nations’ most powerful body.

North Korea has fired more than 40 ballistic and cruise missiles over more than 20 launch events this year, using the stalled diplomacy with the United States and Russia’s war on Ukraine as a window to speed up arms development.

Source: AP

Burkina Faso: Traore officially appointed as president after coup

6, October 2022

Burkina Faso: Traore officially appointed as president after coup 0

Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as president of Burkina Faso on Wednesday, according to an official statement, after the West African country’s second coup in less than nine months.

The impoverished Sahel nation plunged into renewed turmoil at the weekend when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba — who had seized power in January — was toppled by newly emerged rival Traore, leading a faction of disgruntled junior officers.

It was the latest putsch in the Sahel region much of which, like Burkina Faso, is battling a growing Islamist insurgency.

Traore has been appointed as “Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces”, according to the official statement read out on national television by spokesman for the ruling junta Captain Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho.

The statement said that Traore would now be the “guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity… and continuity of the State.”

Damiba fled to Togo following the two-day standoff, which was defused by religious and community leaders.

Burkina is struggling with a seven-year-old jihadist campaign that has claimed thousands of lives, forced nearly two million people to flee their homes and left more than a third of the country outside government control.

Swelling anger within the armed forces prompted Damiba’s coup against the elected president in January.

Appointing himself transitional head of state, Damiba had vowed to make security the country’s top priority — but after a brief lull the attacks revived, claiming hundreds of lives.

Tensions

Delegates from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) wrapped up a fact-finding mission Tuesday and held meetings with religious and traditional leaders and Traore.

Traore said the ECOWAS visit was to “make contact with the new transition authorities” as part of the support that Burkina Faso derived from the region.

Speculation has risen that Burkina’s new leader may follow other fragile regimes in French-speaking Africa and forge close ties with Moscow at the expense of France, the region’s former colonial power and traditional ally.

The dramatic takeover coincided with violent anti-French protests and the sudden emergence of Russian flags among demonstrators.

On the streets, demonstrators’ slogans included “France get out”, “No to ECOWAS interference”, and “Long live Russia-Burkina cooperation”.

The United States has warned the junta of the risks of allying with Russia, saying they condemned “any attempt to exacerbate the current situation in Burkina Faso”.

“We strongly encourage the new transitional government to adhere to the agreed-upon timeline for a return to a democratically elected, civilian-led government,” a State Department spokesman said earlier this week.

Traore has previously said he would stand by a pledge that Damiba gave ECOWAS for restoring civilian rule by July 2024.

Source: AFP

Four Francophone soldiers killed in Amba attack on Tuesday: Cameroon Intelligence Report sources

5, October 2022

Four Francophone soldiers killed in Amba attack on Tuesday: Cameroon Intelligence Report sources 0

Four Cameroon government army soldiers were killed in an attack by Ambazonia fighters on Tuesday in Boyo constituency in the North West region, a resident and two officials hinted Cameroon Intelligence Report.

The office of the Francophone governor in Bamenda said today that Cameroon government troops had repelled an assault on the outskirts of Boyo.  It was the first major Amba attack staged in the North West region since Southern Cameroonians in Ground Zero celebrated their independence day on October 1.

The civil administrator statement made no mention of casualties but our informant in Boyo said he saw four corpses.

“Amba fighters fought their way into Boyo and killed four soldiers,” he said.

The Biya administration has been marketing slogans claiming to fortify bilingualism and saying that Amba fighters have been defeated but the latest attack shows Ambazonia fighters continued ability to stage hit-and-run raids.

Yaoundé recently replaced its previous military commander of the fight against Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces and announced the deployment of the so-called Special Forces.  Military sources told Cameroon Intelligence Report that this followed a series of embarrassing attacks by Amba fighters.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Canada: Cambridge Ward 1 leading candidate pledges to implement the Good Neighbours Initiative

4, October 2022

Canada: Cambridge Ward 1 leading candidate pledges to implement the Good Neighbours Initiative 0

Erick Takor is running for the Ward 1 seat in the City of Cambridge in Canada and as one of the leading candidates he has made public plans to implement the Good Neighbours Initiative if elected.

Takor gave the assurance in a campaign presentation published in Cambridge Times and added that housing remains an immediate concern.

According to him, he knows exactly how to work with the forces of law and order for neighbourhoods to be safe from drugs, opioids, and needles including speeding of cars.

Erick Takor who migrated to Canada from the Republic of Cameroon is an accounting manager and runs a small business.

He has been involved in the formation and leadership of multiple community-based organizations around the GTA for over 15 years. He reportedly served as chairperson of the St. Gabriel Catholic School Council in Cambridge.

Below is what he told the Cambridge Times in Canada on why he is running for the Ward I seat

WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO RUN?

I chose to run in this election because I believe the time is right for a change in the city hall. Ward one needs a leader who respects diversity, has energy and commitment to represent our community at the city hall. The demographics of the city have changed within the years and there is a disconnect between the community and the council; we need a councillor who can connect with our growing and diverse population to represent our unique perspectives or values at the decision-making table. I want to represent the voices of my community.

HOW WILL YOU EMBRACE AND CHAMPION DIVERSITY IN THIS ROLE?

We are all born unique, and tapping into our differences makes our community stronger. I believe in an all-inclusive community, a community where everyone belongs. As a councillor, I will champion diversity by encouraging and celebrating diverse cultures. I will create an open and safe environment for all and finally champion the thoughtful use of city resources equitably — champion the City of Cambridge diversity and accessibility and action plan.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE ISSUES?

The top three issues facing my community are;

• Affordability of housing is an immediate concern. We see interest rate hikes, and inflation and salaries have remained the same year over year.

• And public safety concerns; our neighbourhoods needs to be safe from drugs, opioids and needles. Many residents have talk about speeding of cars, increased traffic, and our streets need bike lanes.

• Improvements of community services for all.

IF ELECTED, WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR FIRST 100 DAYS?

• Knowing the house-learning the role of councillor and building a working relationship with other councillors and mayor.

• Plan and hold at least two information meetings with my constituent, and reviewing the out gone councillors plan of action to relay my constituents reconcilable ideas to the council

• I will also launch the “Good Neighbours Initiative”; I will help people become great neighbours by means of improving connection, implementing quick safety measures, have experts talk about mental health and social resilience, a communications line/site for better ideas,

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files from CAMBRIDGE TIMES

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Marchers Call for Peace, But Warring Sides at Odds on Talks

4, October 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Marchers Call for Peace, But Warring Sides at Odds on Talks 0

In Cameroon, thousands of people are marching to call for peace in the country’s separatist conflict. The daily peace marches, which began on Friday and are slated to continue through Tuesday, come on the third anniversary of talks designed to end the fighting. Marchers say authorities need to do more to return peace to the restive western regions, where fighting has killed about 3,500 people since 2017.

The protesters, a majority of them women, say hardly a day goes by without cases of killings, abduction, rape and torching of public edifices in the Northwest and Southwest regions.

Monday’s peace march was organized by a non-governmental organization called Cameroon, Peace and National Unity. Its president, Clementine Mvogo, said the peace march marks the third anniversary of government-organized peace talks called the Major National Dialogue.

“The culture of peace is still very much absent in Cameroon since the holding in Yaounde of a Major National Dialogue from September 30 to October 4 2019. The ongoing peace march in Yaounde is to make the quest for peace a daily struggle of all Cameroonians. All civilians and civil society movements should be concerned about the return of peace to Cameroon,” Mvogo said.

After that dialogue, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya implemented recommendations to give the Northwest and Southwest regions more power, including the creation of regional assemblies and elected regional presidents.

Zacchaeus Bakuma Elango, president of the Southwest regional assembly, said outreach efforts to the armed separatist groups continue.

“We’re doing everything we can to convince them to lay down their arms and come to the negotiation table. We have families who have been displaced, children who have not gone to schools for five years, so what becomes of them? Are we coming up with a generation of semi-illiterates?” said Elango.

Elango said some people have realized that war is not the answer.

“As the years go by, more and more people are beginning to understand that we are in the same country. There were problems and those problems progressively are being addressed and the situation is improving.”

As evidence of that, he notes that tens of thousands of people who fled the fighting have returned to Southwest towns and villages in Manyu, Lebialem, Meme, Ndian, Fako and Koupe Manengouba administrative units. Elango said several hundred schools sealed by fighters in the region have been reopened.

The government says after the dialogue, powers were given to a national commission for the promotion of bilingualism to give equal status to the English and French languages, in order to reduce domination by the French-speaking majority.

David Abouem a Tchoyi, a member of the commission, said the conflict still persists because many separatist leaders refused to take part in the dialogue.

“I regret bitterly that some of our brothers and sisters, especially those who are abroad, couldn’t be part of that jamboree. When I read the recommendations, I saw some of them which could be game changers and I think it is important to note that the head of state said that the recommendations should be implemented according to the means and the capabilities of the state.”

Three years on, the prospects for peace talks remain stalled. Some separatist groups say they are not ready for any dialogue, while others say the talks should be held outside Cameroon. Separatist leaders based in Europe and the United States have expressed concern they will be arrested on charges of terrorism if they come home for peace talks.

Cameroon maintains that the 2019 dialogue was successful and no talks will be organized outside the country.

The stalemate doesn’t bode well for peace in the western regions, and suggests that Yaounde will see more marches like the ones taking place this week.

Source: VOA

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