Nigerian Federal High Court jails French Cameroonian for human trafficking

27, January 2022

Nigerian Federal High Court jails French Cameroonian for human trafficking 0

A Federal High Court in Kano has sentenced a Cameroonian, Wamba Jean-Gaston, 41, to five years in correctional centre, for trafficking three young women and four men from Cameroon enroute Nigeria to Europe.

The three female victims are: Belinga Ovanda, 19; Koussene Agnes, 21; and Meye Uwono, 27; while the male ones are Thomas Ange, 21; Ovanda Rodrigue, 21; Boris Kouass, 20; and Yannick Poudjom, 18.

Justice Abdullahi Muhammed-Liman convicted Jean-Gaston, after he had pleaded guilty to the two-count charge levelled against him.

Liman expressed concern over the implication of the convict’s conduct to general regional insecurity affecting many countries.

He described the convict’s act as a calamity and hazard that could befall not only the victims, but could contribute to banditry and kidnapping.

Earlier, Counsel to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr Abdullahi Babale, told the court that the convict was arrested in Kano on Dec. 10, 2021.

Babale said the Cameroonian was arrested with the seven victims on their way to Algeria.

He said the convict was illegally processing entry documents for the trafficked persons to travel to Algeria and Europe through Nigeria and Niger Republic, without having a resident permit or visa.

The counsel said the offence was contrary to, and punishable under Section 26 (1) of Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement Act, 2015.

Source: NAN

Olembe Stampede: Cameroonians grieve after eight were killed and dozens injured

27, January 2022

Olembe Stampede: Cameroonians grieve after eight were killed and dozens injured 0

Before Veronique Djilo headed to the Olembe Stadium to watch Cameroon – nicknamed the Indomitable Lions – take on Comoros the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), she updated her WhatsApp status as “Lion 4 life”.

And that was the last time her niece, Leokam, whom she lived with, would hear from her.

Djilo, a 41-year-old woman living with disability, was one of the eight people killed in a stampede that occurred outside the Olembe Stadium, in Cameroon’s capital city Yaounde, in which the hosts beat Comoros 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of AFCON.

Security officers had reportedly delayed letting fans enter the gate via the southern entrance of the 60,000-seat venue before a crush developed as impatient fans tried to enter the stadium.

Tournament organisers had said only 80 percent of stadium capacities would be made available for fans wanting to see Cameroon’s games and 60 percent for other teams because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But officials said about 50,000 fans had tried entering the stadium during the game.

At least 38 people were also injured during the stampede, according to a statement from Cameroon’s ministry of communication.

Leokam said she had received a call telling her that Dilje was badly hurt and being treated in a hospital in Messassi, a neighbourhood near Olembe

“When I went there, she was already dead. I wondered, how can somebody who left home to enjoy [football] in the stadium did not return home?”

“Her corpse is still with the police who are investigating the incident. She was my mother, my everything, because she took care of my education and wellbeing,” Leokam said.

The incident at the brand-new stadium has shocked the football community.

In a news conference on Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe said the institution was devastated by the stampede and has requested an investigation.

“The CAF family is deeply hurt,” he said. “We have a duty to find out exactly what happened and more importantly to put in appropriate measures to ensure that what happened never happens again. When people lose their lives, we all should be angry.”

CAF also said a quarter-final match set to be held at Olembe Stadium would be moved to a different venue. The stadium had been scheduled to host three further matches, including the final.

The deaths have left Cameroonian football fans deeply upset, with some saying they no longer feel safe attending games.

Therese, who survived the crush said, “Next time I see a crowd, I’ll change my direction.”

Samuel, who is a motorcycle rider and a die-hard Indomitable Lions fan, had already stopped attending matches in stadiums due to the behaviour of some fans – including one time when he was urinated on.

“The incident at Olembe has only reminded me not to attend games. The AFCON is good, but I prefer watching at home.”

Meanwhile, others said they would still be prepared to attend matches.

“What happened at Olembe was just unfortunate,” Paul, a shopkeeper, opined.

“If I have the chance to watch a game in the stadium, during this period, I will go. We just need to be careful and I believe COCAN (the local organising committee) and CAF will improve safety and security.”

But while CAF has said the tournament will go on as scheduled and that all games will have a minute of silence for the people who lost their lives, Paul believed the matches should have been put on hold for at least a week.

“These are people who have lost their loved ones. CAF needs to halt these games to honour the grieving families,” he said.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

Bundes: Holocaust survivor urges nation to fight ‘cancer’ of hatred

27, January 2022

Bundes: Holocaust survivor urges nation to fight ‘cancer’ of hatred 0

In what was expected to be one of the last addresses by a Holocaust survivor to the German parliament, Inge Auerbacher appealed Thursday to keep alive the victims’ memory.

Fighting back tears as she recalled the suffering and loss she endured at the hands of the Nazis, Auerbacher told the Bundestag as it marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day that it was essential to fight the spreading “cancer” of hatred.

“I have lived in New York for 75 years and can still remember well this terrible time of terror and hate,” said Auerbacher, 87, who flew to Berlin in the face of the pandemic to take part in the ceremonies.

“Unfortunately this cancer has resurfaced and hatred of Jews is common in many countries of the world including Germany,” she said on the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

“This sickness must be healed as soon as possible,” she said to applause from MPs, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his cabinet.

Auerbacher said she had been the last Jewish child born in her hometown of Kippenheim in 1934 before the Nazis’ genocidal campaign.

While her grandmother was deported to Riga and murdered, Auerbacher and her parents were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp when she was just seven years old.

She recounted the abuse and horrific conditions she and her family endured, but also her close friendship at the camp with a Jewish girl her age from Berlin, Ruth Nelly Abraham, who was later murdered at Auschwitz.

Auerbacher will on Friday visit the family’s home to place candles at small plaques in their memory.

The speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Mickey Levy, who was also in attendance embraced Auerbacher and wept openly as he recited a prayer for the dead.

“Keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive is a difficult task, a task placed on the shoulders of the every generation,” he said.

Germany has officially marked Holocaust Remembrance Day every January 27 since 1996 with commemorations across the country.

Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit noted that Germany would “soon have to go forward without the personal recollections of the last survivors”.

Of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, more than one million were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, most in its notorious gas chambers, along with tens of thousands of others including homosexuals, Roma and Soviet prisoners of war.

Holocaust survivor Inge Auerbacher said she had been the last Jewish child born in her hometown of Kippenheim in 1934 before the Nazis’ genocidal campaign

This year’s anniversary is marked by growing concerns about extremist violence and incitement in Germany, particularly among militant opponents of government coronavirus restrictions.

The number of crimes committed by right-wing extremists jumped in 2020 to its highest level ever recorded in the post-war period, an over five-percent rise to 23,604.

Source: AFP

Africa Cup of Nations: Giant killers Equatorial Guinea edge Mali on penalties to reach quarter finals

27, January 2022

Africa Cup of Nations: Giant killers Equatorial Guinea edge Mali on penalties to reach quarter finals 0

Equatorial Guinea continued their giantkilling run as they reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 6-5 penalty shootout victory over Mali after a goalless draw in Limbe on Wednesday.

Equatorial Guinea are the final side to advance to the last eight, where they will meet Senegal on Sunday, and had their 20-year-old goalkeeper Jesus Owono to thank for their progress as he made two saves in the shootout which was concluded after 16 kicks.

Mali had been the overwhelming favourites but turned in an underwhelming performance, despite dominating possession and creating most of the chances.

Owono saved the final kick from Mali defender Falaye Sacko although it was checked first by VAR to see whether he had advanced off his line before the kick was taken.

He had indeed moved forward but his back foot was still trailing on the line as Sacko took his penalty and the kick was allowed to stand by the referee, setting off tear-filled celebrations.

Equatorial Guinea had beaten defending champions Algeria and Sierra Leone in the group stage and have now added another major scalp.

They had no real chances in the game but never allowed Mali to get into any rhythm, proving difficult to break down.

Mali were awarded a penalty in the 40th minute when Josete Miranda knocked over Moussa Doumbia.

Yet referee Bakary Gassama was encouraged to look again at his decision and, after consulting the pitchside VAR screen, changed his mind and overturned what had looked a soft penalty award.

Mali striker Ibrahima Kone shot wide on the turn early on and near the end of the first half Amadou Haidara had a good chance to open the scoring but did not connect properly with his effort.

As the game wore on, the clear-cut chances dwindled, with Mali making no progress into the Equatorial Guinea penalty area while the underdogs waited for rare opportunities on the counter attack.

Equatorial Guinea’s shootout win followed similar success for Egypt earlier in the day in Douala after they played out a goalless draw with Ivory Coast.

“It’s historic for us to get this far and it comes after excellent work by my players,” said coach Juan Micha.

His Mali counterpart Mohamed Magassouba, whose country play in World Cup playoffs in March, said: “It’s an incredible disappointment because it should not have even gone to penalties. We deserved more today.”

Source: REUTERS

Olembe Stadium Crush: CAF President Motsepe blames closed gate for tragedy

27, January 2022

Olembe Stadium Crush: CAF President Motsepe blames closed gate for tragedy 0

African football supremo Patrice Motsepe says an “inexplicable” decision to keep an entry gate closed was responsible for the deadly crush which killed eight people before an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroonian capital Yaounde on Monday.

“That gate was supposed to be open because if it was open they would have walked through, and for inexplicable reasons it was closed,” the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“If that gate was open as it was supposed to, we wouldn’t have had this problem we have now, this loss of life. Who closed that gate? Who is responsible for that gate?”

A child was among the dead, while 38 were injured as fans attempted to enter the Olembe Stadium where the hosts Cameroon were playing the Comoros, according to figures released by the country’s health ministry.

A baby was reportedly one of those trampled by the crowd and was in a “medically stable” condition, the health ministry added.

Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi said that of those injured, seven were seriously hurt.

Motsepe called for a probe after Cameroon’s President Paul Biya earlier ordered an investigation “so that all light is shed on this tragic incident,” according to Sadi.

‘Complete chaos’

The tragedy happened at gates where final ticket checks are supposed to take place.

“It was when the police opened the gates that people fell and others trampled on top of them,” said Professor Andre Omgbwa Eballe, director of the Olembe district hospital who attended the match.

“I saw the bravery of the Cameroonian people. People were resuscitating others, doing mouth to mouth, otherwise there would have been more deaths,” he told AFP TV.

One man in his 30s who was caught in the crush told AFP that it was “complete chaos” at the entrance to the stadium as supporters without tickets tried to force their way in.

“I arrived a quarter of an hour before kick-off. I had my ticket, but all of a sudden a group of people without tickets arrived and tried to force their way through and we found ourselves pushed up against the fences,” said the supporter, who gave his name as Stephane.

“I was crushed up against a woman who said she couldn’t breathe. Eventually the gate gave in and I was able to get through, but it was complete chaos.”

In a statement released by the Cameroonian Football Federation, captain Vincent Aboubakar called on fans “to be highly disciplined and responsible” and “for the preservation of security, brotherhood and shared happiness in the stadiums.”

Quarter-final match moved

Motsepe said the Cup of Nations quarter-final due to be played at the Olembe Stadium on Sunday will be switched to the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium, also in Yaounde.

He added that CAF had not considered cancelling the rest of the tournament but had contemplated the idea of postponing Tuesday’s last-16 ties.

Instead Senegal beat Cape Verde in Bafoussam and Morocco defeated Malawi in matches preceded by a moment’s silence.

Players of all teams wore black armbands while advertising boards around the pitch at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium, where Morocco played Malawi, displayed the message: “Condolences to families of departed spectators”.

Crowds at the 60,000-seat Olembe Stadium — and at all venues — had been limited to 60 percent of capacity for the tournament because of the pandemic, but the cap is raised to 80 percent when Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions play.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who is with Egypt preparing for their quarter-final against the Ivory Coast in Douala on Wednesday, said his team’s thoughts were with the victims.

“We are sorry about what happened yesterday, and hopefully the injured people will come back home safe,” Salah said.

Cameroon was initially meant to host the Cup of Nations in 2019, but the event was moved to Egypt over concerns the country’s stadiums were not ready and question marks over security.

Overcrowding at football matches around the world has resulted in scores of deaths.

Thousands of fans in the Egyptian capital Cairo in 2015 attempted to enter a stadium to watch a game, triggering panic as police fired tear gas and birdshot, resulting in 19 dead.

In April 2001, 43 people died in a stampede at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park during a game between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

In chaotic scenes at last year’s European Championship final between England and Italy in London, some 2 000 ticketless fans gained access to Wembley, with an independent review finding a tragedy was only narrowly averted.

Source:  Agence France-Presse

New evidence reveals how British soldiers help Biya keep control and train his forces accused of executing children and burning buildings

27, January 2022

New evidence reveals how British soldiers help Biya keep control and train his forces accused of executing children and burning buildings 0

British diplomats believe Cameroon, a country with 27 million inhabitants, is run by just five men and that there is “extensive corruption”.

At the top is President Biya, who has ruled the Central African state with an iron fist for nearly 40 years. Now in his late 80s, he governs mostly from a luxury hotel in Switzerland.

But Britain supports his regime and conducted six secret counter-terrorism operations in Cameroon last year, it can be revealed.

They have code names like Cylix, Bacchus and Abbadide.

Most of the operations involved training and “capacity building” for troops tackling the Boko Haram and Islamic State groups.

This included UK activity at a barracks in Cameroon’s far north, Salak, where Amnesty International says terrorism suspects were tortured.

Britain is building training villages in Salak for elite Cameroon units, documents obtained by Declassified show.

Those forces are also accused of severe human rights abuses against an English-speaking “Ambazonian” movement.

In response to fresh demands for autonomy from the Francophone central government in 2017, Amnesty says more than 20 peaceful protesters were shot and over 500 arbitrarily detained.

cameroon corruption biya uk

Our revelations of British support for Biya’s regime come as Amnesty launched a campaign on Monday to free political prisoners in Cameroon.

Fabien Offner, a researcher for the group, said: “Over the past five years, the human rights situation has grown increasingly bleak as people from Anglophone regions, including journalists, human rights defenders, activists and supporters of political opposition, have been arrested and jailed for expressing their opinions or peacefully protesting.”

The UK government is aware of such abuses. British officials have privately noted President Biya’s “frequent detention of opposition activists and unjustifiably broad use of the anti-terrorism law”.

But Whitehall is offering considerable support to Biya’s regime. One recent UK operation, codenamed ODYSSEAN, saw a British special forces officer draft a “crisis management” doctrine for Cameroon’s president.

In return for this and other services, Biya awarded the officer — lieutenant colonel “Sid” Purser — the equivalent of an MBE.

Alongside the military support, Britain signed a £200-million trade deal with Cameroon last year. A British foreign minister met President Biya in March 2021 to discuss “investment opportunities”, which include a Guinness factory.

Ngoh Ngoh and Eko Eko

Lt Col Purser — a Falklands war veteran and marine commando — is stationed in Cameroon as Britain’s “senior military adviser”.

There, he has cultivated “influential relationships” with Biya’s “right-hand man”, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, and Cameroon’s spy chief Leopold Maxine Eko Eko. Cameroon’s prime minister and defence minister appear to be the other most influential people.

Ngoh Ngoh came to Britain in May 2018 to visit the UK intelligence community.

Eko Eko runs the country’s fearsome intelligence agency, the Directorate General Research External (DGRE). British diplomats described him as a “dove” and said his spies “previously had a bad compliance reputation” until he took over in 2010.

However, Amnesty International has published allegations of torture throughout Eko Eko’s leadership of the DGRE. Former detainees say senior DGRE officers got away with torture from 2013-17.

Despite Amnesty’s detailed report, UK defence minister James Heappey met Eko Eko at a dinner hosted by the British ambassador while visiting Cameroon last spring. The British minister was briefed to “reinforce the view that protecting the civilian population is paramount”.

He was also advised to “praise” Eko Eko for his counter-extremism efforts and “thank” him for letting British troops conduct “capacity building” of the DGRE at Salak, which is “close to the area of operations”. The spy chief deployed 32 of his men at the notorious torture site to coincide with the UK training.

Ministerial visit

Ministry of Defence (MOD) briefing papers for Heappey’s visit have been obtained by Declassified. They expose the scale of Britain’s covert military role in the African police-state — where France is traditionally seen as the more dominant European power.

The documents show how British diplomats overlook Biya’s “shortcomings on human rights and democracy”, partly because he voted with the UK to condemn the use of chemical weapons by Russia and Syria.

The UK saw Cameroon as a “priority lobbying country” at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

“President Biya is instinctively a supporter of the rules-based international order,” the then UK High Commissioner Rowan Laxton insisted.

A few months later, more than 500 activists from the opposition party, the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon, were reportedly rounded up.

The crackdown earned Biya criticism from 14 UN human rights experts, who were “extremely worried about mass arrests of peaceful protesters and political activists who express dissent”. More than 100 activists from this group remain in detention, Amnesty said on Monday.

Rapid Intervention Battalion

As well as supporting Cameroon’s intelligence agency, Britain works with the regime’s special forces. “The main focus of UK capacity building in Cameroon” is on the Bataillon d’Intervention Rapide (BIR), or Rapid Intervention Battalion, the documents show.

This is a well-armed elite force of 10,000 men. They are accused of torture, executing women and children and burning down a village. French, US and Israeli support for the BIR is well known, whereas Britain’s role has remained largely hidden.

Minister Heappey was photographed on Twitter with the BIR during his visit to Cameroon last year. The MOD’s tweet said British troops were “working alongside Cameroon’s BIR force to counter the twin threats of Islamic State and Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin”.

His briefing notes reveal much more about the extent of this deployment. They show Heappey met Colonel Ndongo, the BIR Commander of what the Biya regime calls Operation Alpha — its mission against Boko Haram.

Heappey was told to congratulate the colonel on his “successful” work against the terror group and ask what more the UK could do. The British minister then observed UK troops providing capacity building in Salak, where detainees have allegedly been tortured.

A British army short-term training team was deployed to Salak from January 2021. There they conducted “train and advise activity with BIR and DGRE” until around mid-April 2021.

By that stage, Whitehall was considering “whether the capacity building should evolve to include assist, enable or accompany functions”. It is not clear if this development went ahead.

A UK Brigadier General who visited Cameroon during the deployment “noted the professionalism” of the BIR and DGRE but worried their successes were “generally short-lived”.

Britain’s former ambassador believed Cameroon security forces “have performed admirably”.

cameroon corruption biya uk
Armed forces minister James Heappey visited the BIR in 2021 (Photo: MOD)

Carriage of weapons

UK interest in Cameroon grew after neighbouring Nigeria snubbed some MOD offers to help counter Boko Haram. The militant group has kidnapped school girls and terrorises the Lake Chad region.

France asked the UK to “do more” to counter the Islamic extremist group in 2016. The then prime minister Theresa May agreed.

Purser’s military post in Cameroon was established and he focused “on delivering effect in North East Nigeria from the ‘outside-in’ ”.

He had spent the previous five years leading counter-terrorism efforts by UK special forces across north west Africa.

His more recent work in Cameroon has relied on troops from 1 Scots Specialised Infantry Group.

These soldiers are now part of the army’s special operations brigade, a new “ranger battalion” that is expected to fight alongside allies in counter-insurgency situations.

This concept has already been trialled in Cameroon, where an “exchange of notes… provides for UK jurisdiction and carriage of weapons in the far north”.

It also sets out Britain’s human rights concerns and “what our response would be to any infraction”. The files say “this is closely monitored”.

The risk is so high that UK training “has been designed to be delivered directly to force elements that are already deployed or will deploy shortly” on operations to counter Boko Haram or Islamic State in northern Cameroon.

This is “intended to minimise the risk of UK trained units being diverted to other theatres”, a reference to parts of the country where English-speakers are struggling for independence.

Training includes “mountain manoeuvres” and “targeted use of intelligence (to reduce collateral damage)”. The MOD claims the training has made Cameroon’s state security forces “highly effective”. The Red Cross provides sessions on the law of war as part of the training.

Private security companies

Air support for ground troops appears to be an issue. All three of Cameroon’s C130 military transport planes were grounded in March 2021.

Marshall Aerospace, a British firm, signed a contract in 2019 to maintain the aircraft but it is awaiting payment from Cameroon’s state oil company.

Heappey was instructed to ask Biya’s right-hand man, Ngoh Ngoh, to “unlock the bureaucracy” and let the payment go through.

Another British business, the Westminster-based Torchlight Group, has provided intelligence analyst training to “all force elements engaged in the far north” of Cameroon.

It helped “provide interoperability between all agencies” such as DGRE and the BIR over the last three years. Torchlight did not respond to a request for comment.

Ambazonia

The papers provide a rare insight into the Foreign Office’s view of the Ambazonia conflict. The region was once a British colony called the Southern Cameroons. During independence negotiations in 1961, local people voted to join the larger, French-speaking part of Cameroon.

A federal system that was meant to preserve some autonomy gradually broke down, and this marginalisation fuelled Ambazonian separatist sentiment.

The documents show British diplomats noting that “widespread human rights abuses continue to occur at the hands of both separatists and state security forces” in Ambazonia.

Whitehall believes: “There is no chance of — and little popular support for — independence… But the conflict will continue to simmer unless and until the Government addresses the reasonable demands of the moderate majority.”

These “moderate” demands are seen as greater autonomy, financial support, protection of civilians and respect for the use of English.

UK officials think President Biya had “a long period of denial” on the Anglophone crisis and that his defence minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, believes it can be “ended through military action alone”.

At Heappey’s meeting with Ngoh Ngoh, who is also Biya’s likely successor, he was told to point out: “There still appears to be too many allegations relating to the Anglophone crisis, notwithstanding the possibility of disinformation [fake news], all credible allegations must be investigated.”

An initial “dialogue plan” for the crisis was “developed in coordination with Sir Jeffrey Donaldson”, a right-wing MP in Northern Ireland.

Donaldson walked out on the Good Friday Agreement peace talks but has styled himself as an international conflict negotiation expert. He is now UK trade envoy to Cameroon.

Heappey was advised to tell Cameroon’s spy chief, Eko Eko, that “military operations must be intelligence-led and precise and that dialogue is essential to achieving a peaceful solution to the conflict”.

He was to “highlight our own examples/lessons from Northern Ireland where the UK did not always get it right”, such as internment — the mass detention of terrorist suspects without trial.

An MOD spokesperson told Declassified: “The UK is committed to working with regional allies in Central and West Africa to tackle violence in the Lake Chad Basin.

“Cameroon is an important partner in this effort and we are exploring what further support we can provide to tackle shared security challenges and further contain the spread of violent extremism in the region.”

The Cameroonian authorities did not respond to a request for comment.

Culled from Daily Maverick

Italian MPs fail in third bid to elect president

26, January 2022

Italian MPs fail in third bid to elect president 0

Italian lawmakers failed Wednesday to elect a new president in a third round of voting, as bickering party leaders blamed each other for pushing the country towards a political crisis.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who was the frontrunner for the post ahead of the election, pocketed just five votes as parties panicked at the idea of pulling him from his job.

Political analysts have warned that moving the former European Central Bank head to the presidential palace could deal a fatal blow to an already weak ruling coalition, sparking snap elections.

A fourth round of voting will be held Thursday morning and could lead to a breakthrough, as the threshold for victory now falls from a two-thirds majority to an absolute majority.

Italy’s president is a ceremonial figure but wields great power in crises. Doubts over candidates led some 412 of the 1,000 or so voting MPs, senators and regional representatives to cast blank ballots Wednesday.

Outgoing 80-year old president Sergio Mattarella — who has repeatedly ruled out serving a second term — won the most votes, with 125 ballots.

Names ‘shot down’

Draghi, 74, who was brought in to lead a national unity government a year ago, had been hailed by some as the best candidate for the seven-year presidential post because of his perceived skill in ensuring political stability.

Mario Draghi had been hailed by some as the best candidate for the seven-year presidential post because of his perceived skill in ensuring political stability.

Mario Draghi had been hailed by some as the best candidate for the seven-year presidential post because of his perceived skill in ensuring political stability. Alberto PIZZOLI AFP/File

But most insist he stay as premier to oversee reforms demanded in exchange for funds from the EU’s post-pandemic recovery scheme.

Rome is the biggest beneficiary of the programme, to the tune of almost 200 billion euros ($225 billion).

Draghi hinted last month he is interested in becoming head of state but has since remained silent on the issue.

Marco Travaglio, editor of the Fatto Quotidiano daily, compared him Tuesday to Francesco Schettino, the disgraced captain who was convicted of abandoning ship when the Costa Concordia cruise ship sank off Italy in 2012.

“The parties are asking him to stay (as PM), and he wants to escape,” he said.

‘Still in the race’

Draghi “is still in the race and still has a significant chance” of being elected, Giovanni Orsina, head of the Luiss School of Government in Rome, told AFP.

Former Chamber of Deputies speaker Pier Ferdinando Casini, 66, who got 52 votes Wednesday, had better chances, Orsina said, but warned “things change very quickly”.

Matteo Salvini, head of the far-right League party, accused the centre-left of shooting down every single name put forward by the right — which had initially backed billionaire magnate Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi, who formally withdrew from the race on the weekend, won four votes at Wednesday’s ballot.

“I’m trying to negotiate”, but “any name I put forward I get ‘no’ from the opposite side,” Salvini said.

He and others on the right flatly rejected a proposal by the leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), Enrico Letta, for a lock-in similar to a papal conclave to force them to find a common candidate.

Letta’s suggestion we “shut ourselves in a room, (with just) bread and water” prompted Salvini Wednesday to quip: “if I lose three kilos it won’t hurt, but we don’t need” a lock-in.

Source: AFP

Africa Cup of Nations: Salah scores decisive penalty as Egypt beat Ivory Coast on penalties

26, January 2022

Africa Cup of Nations: Salah scores decisive penalty as Egypt beat Ivory Coast on penalties 0

Mohamed Salah scored the decisive spot-kick as record seven-time champions Egypt beat the Ivory Coast 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Douala on Wednesday to reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

The Liverpool star smashed home his penalty with the Ivory Coast’s Eric Bailly the only player to fail from the spot, and Egypt go on to play Morocco in the last eight in Yaounde on Sunday.

It was a tense last-16 tie which for long spells resembled a battle of attrition on a poor pitch at the Japoma Stadium in Cameroon’s economic capital, and it looked for much of the game as though Egypt would pay for their poor finishing.

However, Carlos Queiroz’s team are now through to the last eight despite having scored just two goals in their four matches in Cameroon so far.

Meanwhile two-time champions the Ivory Coast are out, once again defeated by an Egyptian side who have long held the upper hand in meetings between the continental heavyweights.

This was their 11th AFCON encounter and still Egypt have lost just once to the Elephants.

Among their many successes against the Ivory Coast was their victory on penalties in the 2006 final, and a crushing triumph in the semi-finals in 2008.

This match, like those played on Tuesday, was preceded by a moment’s silence in memory of the victims of Monday’s tragic crush in Yaounde.

In the wake of those terrible events, there was none of the chaos that followed the Ivory Coast’s 3-1 win over Algeria in Douala last week, when fans invaded the pitch at the end.

This time the crowd was well below what might have been expected for such a match, but many of those who were present were clearly there to see Salah, judging by the screams every time the Liverpool star’s face appeared on the big screens.

Salah spoke on the eve of the tie of his desperation to win the Cup of Nations, with the last of Egypt’s record seven titles coming in 2010, a year before he made his international debut.

Poor finishing

He was the one who delivered the final blow, but only after he and his side squandered a hatful of chances.

The young VfB Stuttgart winger, Omar Marmoush, almost put Egypt ahead with a superb 17th-minute strike from 25 metres that crashed off the top of the bar.

Salah and Mostafa Mohamed were both denied by Badra Ali Sangare in the first half, while the Ivory Coast lost influential midfielder Franck Kessie to injury after just half an hour.

Still the Elephants almost went ahead when the unmarked Ibrahim Sangare saw his acrobatic effort pushed away by Mohamed El Shenawy.

Sebastien Haller, the Elephants’ own Europe-based attacking superstar, struggled to get into the game before two attempts, either side of half-time, tested El Shenawy.

The experienced Al Ahly goalkeeper came off injured after a long delay late on as the game petered out, with Mohamed Abogabal replacing him for extra time.

The Zamalek shot-stopper produced a fine save to deny the excellent Sangare before Haller was taken off, and as the game went to penalties Abogabal tipped Bailly’s kick onto the bar and Salah then had the last word.

Source: AFP

Disorganized Africa Cup of Nations: CAF moves two games from Douala to Yaoundé

26, January 2022

Disorganized Africa Cup of Nations: CAF moves two games from Douala to Yaoundé 0

Two Africa Cup of Nations matches will be relocated from Japoma Stadium in Douala to Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced Wednesday.

One quarter-final and the February 2 semi-final will be moved to the Cameroonian capital because of concerns over the state of the pitch in Douala, two CAF officials told AFP under the cover of anonymity.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe had said Tuesday the quarter-final due to be played at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde will be switched to the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium after a deadly crush which killed eight people.

The decision to shift that match away from the 60,000-seat Olembe Stadium was confirmed Wednesday after Motsepe hosted a meeting with tournament organisers.

“The next match that was scheduled for the Olembe Stadium will not take place until CAF and the Local Organising Committee have received the full report of the Investigation Committee (into the Olembe incident) indicating the circumstances and events that led to the injury and death of spectators at the Olembe Stadium,” CAF said in a statement.

The second semi-final, to be played February 3, is still scheduled at Olembe Stadium for the time being.

“The CAF AFCON Organising Committee also requires the assurance and guarantee that appropriate and adequate interventions and measures have been implemented to ensure that a similar incident will not occur,” the statement added.

Crowds at all venues had been limited to 60 percent of capacity for the tournament because of the pandemic, but the cap is raised to 80 percent when Cameroon play.

Source: AFP

Manyu: Ossing Development Fund gets massive boost

26, January 2022

Manyu: Ossing Development Fund gets massive boost 0

Ossing, a small beautiful town nestled between three other villages, has always been development-minded.

For decades, Ossing has been in the forefront of development efforts in Manyu Division in the country’s Southwest region, shinning the light for others to follow.

Successive chiefs have always underscored the importance of education, stressing that  for physical development to be real and sustainable, educational development must serve as the cornerstone of the towns development.

This explains why natives of Ossing invest in the education of their children, many of whom turn out to be the pillars of development efforts of the town.

Currently, the authories are focused on building a massive city hall which will make it possible to better organize the town after having installed solar street lights and undertaken the renovation of the town’s water system.

The effort to build a massive city hall has just received a shot in the arm with a CFAF 10 Million donation from the town’s illustrous son, N.J. Ayuk, a South Africa-based lawyer who specializes in oil and gas operations.

The lawyer, who has Ossing’s interest at heart,  has always demonstrated a willingness to give the town a major face-lift.

This is not the first time the lawyer is demonstrating that Ossing can count on him when it comes to development.

N.J. Ayuk had granted Ossing CFAF 4 million when the town’s traditional ruler, Professor Edward Ako, called on his citizens to help make his Ossing Transformation Project a reality.

Speaking to a native of Ossing who elected anonymity, the Cameroon Concord News London Bureau Chief in the United Kingdom could feel the joy that had invaded the native of Ossing’s mind.

“We are proud to have such an illustrous son from my native Ossing. N.J. Ayuk has clearly demonstrated that he carries Ossing in his mind. His good work will never be forgotten and we the people of Ossing are proud of him,” the Ossing native said.

“With such a massive contribution, our project will come to fruition. His example and generosity will spur other Ossing citizens to participate in this massive development effort which will transform the town’s landscape,” he added

“We are in great joy and I will use this opportinity to urge all Ossing citizens around the world to jump on the band wagon. No amount will be small and we value everybody’s contribution. We are not competing against each other. We are simply complementing each other. Ossing knows how to do things and the construction of such a modern town hall will be the beginning of a new era in our town,” he concluded.

By Joachim Arrey

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