18, January 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 8 CDC workers in Amba drag-net ⁰

Eight employees of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), the largest employer in the two Cameroons after the Francophone dominated civil service, were reportedly arrested last week Thursday on the Tiko-Douala road by Ambazonia Revolutionary Guards for defying Interim Government orders which prohibits any work in state-owned plantations in the entire Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that seven workers and a tractor driver were picked up by Amba fighters after heavy exchange of gunfire with troops loyal to the Biya Francophone regime in Yaounde.

A CDC official who confirmed the incident to our Fako correspondent noted that “There are Cameroon government soldiers everywhere. We don’t know how these Amba fighters do it, because there are soldiers everywhere. We don’t know where they were stationed, to the point of succeeding in taking the workers away.”

The CDC Head Office in a poorly worded statement stated that “It is difficult to know in which direction the employees were taken, let alone where they are being held, if they are still alive. It is also difficult to know the identity of the kidnappers. But in all likelihood, they are alleged separatist militiamen, who have often been used to this type of crime.”

It has been a long time since Amba fighters in the Fako County staged attacks against CDC employees. This latest Amba action has put the CDC back into a state of psychosis as it tries to recover from the horrors of the Southern Cameroons crisis.

By Fon Lawrence in Tiko

18, January 2022

US Politics: Joe Biden enters second year looking to fight after signature legislation stalls ⁰

Joe Biden 1.0 was a calming, grandfatherly figure, a low-key veteran coming out of retirement in 2020 to heal a nation deeply divided by Donald Trump. A year later, meet Biden 2.0 — the frustrated, angry fighter.

“I’m tired of being quiet,” he said last week in a blistering speech.

Biden was referring specifically to his many fruitless “quiet conversations” behind the scenes with senators in a doomed effort to get his signature legislation on voting rights passed. He could just as well have been summing up the exasperation of his first 12 months in the Oval Office.

And if 2021 saw mild Biden, 2022 looks set to feature a louder, more pugnacious version — a president running out of time, patience and allies to save what remain of his ambitions.

Biden took office January 20, 2021 — at 78, the oldest man to ever become US president — facing incredible challenges.

Covid-19 was out of control, Trump’s supporters had just two weeks earlier tried overturning the presidential election, the economy was comatose, and around the world US allies were reeling in Trump shock of their own.

Biden’s answer to all that — not to mention to the explosive tensions over racism after a series of Black Americans were killed during botched arrests — was to promise competency, old-fashioned decency and unity.

“My whole soul is in this. Bringing America together, uniting our people,” Biden pledged in his inaugural address.

And he even seemed to have a chance of pulling it off.

Democrats narrowly controlled both houses of Congress, Trump had been banished from Twitter, and Covid vaccines were ready.

“There were high expectations that Biden, given his experience and his knowledge of Washington, would be able… to make the trains run on time again,” said Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University.

“It was all about a return to normalcy.”

Fast forward to the start of Biden’s second year.

Beset by the Delta and Omicron Covid variants, an ever-more divided America, and the likely loss of Congress to the Republicans in November’s midterm elections, Biden’s luck at the age of 79 seems to have run short.

With a majority of just one in the Senate and barely more than that in the House, his huge social spending plan — called Build Back Better — is dead in the water. Ditto the voting rights package he says is needed to save US democracy from Trump’s supporters.

A centrist at heart, Biden has failed to connect with the right or satisfy his own party’s left. As he’s discovering, the center today is hard to find.

Average approval polls on fivethirtyeight.com are at a lowly 42 percent, down from 53. A recent Quinnipiac poll, while an outlier, posted a disturbing 33 percent approval.

Abroad, the picture is similar.

While world allies do like having a United States not governed by Trump back, the country’s humiliating military exit from Afghanistan torpedoed the Biden administration’s aura of professionalism. Certainly Russia seems unconcerned, as it masses troops on Ukraine’s border.

It all adds up to a bitter awakening from the days when the White House buzzed with idealism and talk of Biden emulating his hero Franklin Roosevelt, who led America through the Great Depression in the 1930s.

“Their optimism, combined with the public expectation that all of this would be solved, led them down a path of hubris,” Brown said.

‘Less shouting’ or ‘fight’?

There’s still a scenario where Biden comes out on top: the pandemic burns out, the economy stabilizes, inflation recedes, and with the subsequent feel-good factor Biden gets his party to reverse those legislative defeats just in time for the midterms.

Biden’s aides also point out they got Congress to pass the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, juicing a Covid-ravaged economy and preventing more widespread misery. Remarkably, Democrats also got strong Republican support in passing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package.

All that with a razor-thin majority in Congress.

The more likely outcome for 2022, though, is continued Democratic infighting, followed by Republicans winning one or both chambers of Congress in November.

At that point, Biden can expect aggressive House investigations, and even possibly impeachment, as Republicans seek to further undermine their opponents’ ability to govern.

And it would become increasingly likely a 2024 White House challenge could come from Trump, even as the former president continues to try to subvert the 2020 election.

So much for Biden’s vow to restore “the soul of America.”

David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist at the heart of the mainstream establishment, advises Biden to pivot back to “less shouting and more of Biden’s trademark common sense.”

But Biden, his back against the wall, is signaling that he sees things more darkly going into 2022.

“I did not seek this fight,” he said in another dramatic speech this month, this time commemorating the anniversary of the January 6 storming of Congress by Trump supporters.

“But I will not shrink from it either,” Biden said. “I will stand in this breach.”

Source: AFP

18, January 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Roman Catholic Priest beaten and abducted by Francophone soldiers!! Vatican won’t talk ⁰

A priest has been filmed being beaten by soldiers and dragged into a military vehicle in broad daylight in Cameroon. Father Tobias Bekong was abducted on January 12 in Buea in the South West Region. His parishioners say they have no idea why he was taken by members of Cameroon’s elite military force called the Rapid Intervention Battalion or BIR. He was released very late the same day, prompting civil society groups to question why security forces can behave with such impunity.

A local source (anonymous to protect him) says that soldiers ran into the church premises without permission, seizing the priest without asking who he was. His car was ransacked, he was dragged across the courtyard and taken away in a military vehicle.

Father Bekong’s abduction comes as global attention focuses on the Central African nation, which is currently hosting the month-long Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) football tournament. For weeks, separatist militias demanding their own Anglophone country they call ‘Ambazonia’ have threatened to disrupt football games being held in the English-speaking South West Region. Some human rights groups called for a ceasefire, urging the government of President Paul Biya to keep AFCON and civilians safe by announcing a road map toward peace talks mediated by a third party. However, the government continues to pursue a military strategy against the separatist fighters. It has been accused of heavy-handed tactics, including arbitrary arrests, burning of homes, and extrajudicial killings of civilians.

Since AFCON began in early January, there have been improvised explosions, gun battles in and around Buea causing casualties, and the assassination of a respected opposition senator. All employees of the local council have been ordered to attend matches, while academic and support staff at the University of Buea have been encouraged to fill the stadium. There are rumours that officials are paying local people to attend football matches in defiance of boycott demands from separatists. Photos of empty venues during games have circulated on social media. The teams from Mali and Tunisia were reported to have suspended practice sessions fearing they might be vulnerable to attack.

The escalating violence is a blow to the reputation of the Biya government which had assured international football officials that players and spectators would be safe. Cameroon’s plans to host AFCON have twice been postponed: first because of unpreparedness, and then due to Covid. There was embarrassment at the start of the tournament when Cameroon’s mascot was seen wearing a bulletproof vest, surrounded by soldiers. There has also been concern about the spread of Covid, following the misappropriation by Cameroonian officials of $335 million in pandemic mitigation funds provided by the IMF.

In 2021, separatist groups set off more than 80 IEDs, as violence increased in the Anglophone regions. The UN estimates 700,000 out of a population of six million Anglophones have been displaced, and a million children have been unable to attend school for five years due to a separatist-imposed boycott and insecurity. Separatists also enforce a weekly “ghost town” in the Anglophone regions, preventing normal activity every Monday, with sometimes lethal consequences for those who violate the ban. Reputable international rights watchdogs report atrocities against civilians by both government soldiers and armed separatists, charging all sides with behaving with impunity.

Religious figures have equally been targets of both sides. At least seven clergy have been assassinated since 2017, and priests and nuns have frequently been subject to intimidation and attack. As they attempt to preach peace, they face kidnapping for ransom by separatists and arbitrary arrest by government forces.

A local NGO, the Release Them Campaign, claims there are 3,500 Anglophone prisoners of conscience in Cameroon’s nine listed jails and dozens of police and military detention centres around the country. However, this estimate has not been substantiated.

Father Bekong was ordained in 2012. He serves at St Charles Lwanga Parish in Molyko, Buea, and is the principal of St Paul’s College Bojonga in Limbe where several AFCON matches are being played.

A local source who must remain anonymous lamented that the BIR is able to behave without regard to due process because there is a lack of international diplomatic pressure on the Cameroon authorities. In 2019, BIR, which reports directly to President Biya, looted a world heritage site at Bafut in Anglophone North West Region. An Amnesty International report accused the force of torturing and killing civilians.

“The BIR have been told that Biya is untouchable and has the backing of the global community,” said the Anglophone source. “They can behave like colonialist masters. That is why we are fighting them.”

Human rights groups say they regret that rather than use AFCON as an opportunity for peace, listening to the voices of clergy on the ground, the Cameroonian government has instead harmed and detained a religious authority. They say there is a need for sustained pressure by international partners of Cameroon, including the Vatican, to move the violent actors toward a just resolution around a peace table. A year ago, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, visited Cameroon, urging President Biya to join inclusive peace talks mediated by an impartial party such as the Swiss Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. The Cameroon government did not act on his suggestion.

Source: Independent Catholic News

17, January 2022

Africa Cup of Nations: Gabon’s Aubameyang leaves squad ⁰

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been allowed to leave the Gabon squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon and return to his club to continue his recovery from Covid-19, his national team coach said on Monday.

Midfielder Mario Lemina of French side Nice has also been sent back to his club, with neither having played a minute in Gabon’s two matches so far at the Cup of Nations, against the Comoros and Ghana.

“Given the medical problems that Pierre-Emerick and Mario have had, in agreement with the doctor, the president of the federation and the players, we have taken the wise decision to send them back to their clubs so they can be looked after there,” said Gabon coach Patrice Neveu at a press conference in Yaounde.

News of Aubameyang’s positive test, and that of Lemina, emerged on January 6, just four days before his team’s opening AFCON group game.

The duo then tested negative ahead of Gabon’s second match, a 1-1 draw against Ghana on Friday, but both were again left out of the team after some residue from their infection was detected.

Neveu played down concerns that the players had developed inflammation around the heart following their infections, but the Gabonese Football Federation released a statement to say the pair would return to their clubs “to undergo further examinations”.

“There is no major cause for alarm regarding cardiac problems but we are not in a position here to properly analyse what damage could be done by the residue that caused the inflammation,” Neveu said.

“We can’t take any risks, and psychologically it was becoming unbearable for them staying in their rooms. So on Sunday we spoke and decided to let them go home.”

Gabon play Morocco in their last group game on Tuesday, when a draw will secure their path to the knockout phase.

However, they have also lost forward Denis Bouanga for that game after he also tested positive for the coronavirus.

The 32-year-old Aubameyang has not played for Arsenal since December 6 and was stripped of the captaincy shortly after that by manager Mikel Arteta having reportedly returned late from a club-authorised trip to visit his ill mother.

Source: AFP

17, January 2022

Sloppy defending: Indomitable Lions may not even make the semis ⁰

After lighting up a previously goal-shy Africa Cup of Nations with a 4-1 thrashing of Ethiopia on Thursday, tournament hosts Cameroon were hoping to entrench themselves as one of the favourites to win the trophy with a formidable performance against Cape Verde on Monday. But their opponents were tougher than many predicted and held them to a draw.

Cameroon’s opening wins had already assured them of a place in the knockout rounds – but the tournament hosts were keen to keep the momentum rolling with a win against Cape Verde.

It all started out so well for Cameroon. They pressed in wave upon wave of attacks against a well-organised Cape Verde defense and it looked only a matter of time before they would score. The seemingly inevitable moment came when Vincent Aboubakar fired in a magnificent shot from the edge of the box in the 39th minute.

But Cameroon had shown some sloppy defending in the first half. After the break Cape Verde came out fighting – determined to exploit any defensive weakness. In the 53th minute a brilliant series of passes met an exquisite finish from Garry Rodrigues, and despite some threatening Cameroon attacks, Cape Verde held on right to the end.

Source: France 24

17, January 2022

China on Covid-19 high alert as Omicron reaches Beijing ⁰

Several Chinese cities went on high COVID-19 alert as the Lunar New Year holiday travel season started on Monday, requiring travellers to report their trips days before their arrival, as the Omicron variant reached more areas including Beijing.

Authorities have warned the highly contagious Omicron adds to the increased risk of COVID-19 transmission as hundreds of millions of people travel around China for the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1.

Cities such as Luoyang in central China and Jieyang in the south said on Sunday travellers need to report to communities, employers or hotels their trips three days ahead of arrival.

The southwestern city of Yulin said on Saturday those who want to enter should fill in an online form, including their health credentials and trip details, one day in advance.

Over the weekend, the capital Beijing and the southern technology hub Shenzhen each detected one domestically transmitted Omicron case.

The possibility that the Omicron case in Beijing was infected through imported goods can’t be ruled out, Pang Xinghuo, an official at the city’s disease control authority, said on Monday.

Li Ang, vice director at the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, said a local hospital had admitted nine Omicron infections, with six still being treated. He did not say when the infections arrived or why they hadn’t been disclosed earlier.

The city of Meizhou in Guangdong province found one Omicron infection linked to an outbreak in Zhuhai, state television said on Monday.

So far, at least five provinces and municipalities reported local Omicron infections, while 14 provincial areas found the variant among travellers arriving from overseas.

Run-up to Winter Olympics

China is yet to show any solid sign of shifting its guideline of quickly containing any local infections, despite a high vaccination rate of 86.6%. The strategy has taken on extra urgency in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, to be staged in Beijing and neighbouring Hebei province starting Feb. 4.

Many local governments have already advised residents not to leave town unnecessarily for trips during the holiday, while dozens of international and domestic flights have been suspended.

China’s aviation regulator said on Monday it would suspend two flights from the United States over COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cancelled flights this year from the country, where Omicron is spreading, to 76.

For Sunday, China reported 163 locally transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms, official data showed on Monday, up from 65 a day earlier.

Sunday’s increase in infections was mainly driven by more cases in the cities of Tianjin and Anyang, where Omicron has been found in local clusters.

Tianjin and Anyang reported slightly more than 600 local symptomatic infections from the current outbreaks, smaller than many clusters overseas, but authorities there still have limited movement within the cities and trips to outside.

Source: REUTERS

17, January 2022

President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe created self defense in Ambazonia, Yerima says ⁰

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Dabney Yerima says Ambazonia leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, who is currently being held by the French Cameroun regime, helped create a self defense front in Southern Cameroons against the presence of French Cameroun occupation forces.

Vice President Dabney Yerima made the comments on Saturday, while addressing an Ambazonia security forum on the way forward for the the struggle and the Southern Cameroons refugee crisis via zoom.

The Southern Cameroons exiled leader noted that the presence of Francophone soldiers in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia has brought about nothing other than destruction, bloodshed and displacement stating that the targeted killing of Senator Kemende by troops loyal to the French Cameroun regime will have severe repercussions for the entire French Cameroun administrative apparatus in Southern Cameroons after the Africa Cup of Nations.

Yerima highlighted that the late SDF Senator made great grounds across the entire Southern Cameroons, adding that all Southern Cameroons restoration groups can draw valuable lessons from his martyrdom.

French Cameroun has occupied Southern Cameroons for many years and continues to massacre Ambazonian people and looting the territory’s natural resources. It was French Cameroun that created the Atanga Nji Boys and President Biya and his gang, therefore, bears complete responsibility for the extremists’ crimes and acts of terror committed by Francophone army soldiers deployed to Southern Cameroons.

By Chi Prudence Asong

17, January 2022

Africa Cup of Nations: Equatorial Guinea hand Algeria shock defeat ⁰

Equatorial Guinea inflicted a first defeat in 36 games on Algeria on Sunday to leave the reigning champions in serious danger of a group-stage exit from the Africa Cup of Nations after an astonishing goalkeeping blunder cost the Ivory Coast victory against Sierra Leone.

Esteban Obiang, one of a host of Equatorial Guinea players who were born in Spain, scored the 70th-minute goal that gave his side a 1-0 win in Douala as Algeria lost for the first time since October 2018.

That unbeaten run ends just two matches shy of Italy’s recently established record of 37 without defeat and Algeria now need to beat the Ivory Coast in their final Group E outing on Thursday if they are to make the last 16.

Djamel Belmadi’s side could only draw 0-0 with Sierra Leone in their opening game in Cameroon and if they do not succeed against the Ivorians it will be the fifth time in six Cups of Nations that the holders have failed to go beyond the group stage of the finals.

The only exception in that time came in 2019, when reigning champions Cameroon lost in the last 16.

“Everyone was talking about our unbeaten run but now we need to focus on something else, go out and secure qualification,” said Belmadi.

An Equatorial Guinea side ranked 114th in the world and 28th in Africa are now well placed to reach the knockout stage for the third time.

The two previous occasions came when they were hosting the tournament, in 2012 and in 2015, but this time many of the fans in the crowd of almost 12,000 in Douala were supporting the ‘National Thunder’.

Equatoguinean capital Malabo, on the island of Bioko, is a short hop over the Gulf of Guinea from Cameroon’s economic capital.

“We feel very proud to beat the best team in Africa,” said their coach, Juan Micha.

It was a dramatic day at the Japoma Stadium, where Badra Ali Sangare’s incredible injury-time error gifted Sierra Leone a point in a 2-2 draw with the Ivory Coast.

With the Elephants leading 2-1, Sangare went to catch a ball headed back to him by a teammate in the third added minute in an attempt to prevent a corner, only to drop it into the path of Steven Caulker who squared for substitute Alhaji Kamara to score.

That remarkable moment prevented the Ivory Coast from wrapping up qualification for the last 16.

Tunisia cruise

Sangare, who has taken over the gloves at this tournament because first-choice Sylvain Gbohouo was handed a doping ban, then went off injured, leaving right-back Serge Aurier to see out the match between the posts.

Before the late drama the 2015 champions appeared to have a second win in as many games sewn up thanks to Nicolas Pepe’s second-half strike.

“Honestly I can’t explain that goal. You could have Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola in charge and they wouldn’t be able to prepare for that,” said Ivory Coast coach Patrice Beaumelle.

Franck Kessie had an early penalty for the Elephants saved but Ajax star Sebastien Haller put them ahead and Musa Kamara made it 1-1 before Pepe struck.

Elsewhere, Wahbi Khazri scored twice as Tunisia recovered from a controversial loss to Mali by hammering Mauritania 4-0 in the coastal town of Limbe to register their first points in Group F.

Saint-Etienne forward Khazri’s brace came after Hamza Mathlouthi’s early opener. Khazri then created the final goal of the afternoon for Seifeddine Jaziri, while Youssef Msakni missed a late penalty for Tunisia.

Mali and tournament debutants Gambia both sit a point above Tunisia on four points after they drew 1-1 at the same venue, Musa Barrow converting a 90th-minute penalty for Gambia to cancel out Ibrahima Kone’s 79th-minute spot-kick at the other end.

The final round of group games begins on Monday when hosts Cameroon play Cape Verde and Burkina Faso face Ethiopia in Group A.

Source: AFP

17, January 2022

World’s 10 richest men doubled their wealth during pandemic ⁰

The world’s 10 wealthiest men doubled their fortunes during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic as poverty and inequality soared, a report said on Monday.

Oxfam said the men’s wealth jumped from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion, at an average rate of $1.3 billion per day, in a briefing published before a virtual mini-summit of world leaders being held under the auspices of the World Economic Forum.

A confederation of charities that focus on alleviating global poverty, Oxfam said the billionaires’ wealth rose more during the pandemic more than it did the previous 14 years, when the world economy was suffering the worst recession since the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

It called this inequality “economic violence” and said inequality is contributing to the death of 21,000 people every day due to a lack of access to healthcare, gender-based violence, hunger and climate change.

The pandemic has plunged 160 million people into poverty, the charity added, with non-white ethnic minorities and women bearing the brunt of the impact as inequality soared.

The report follows a December 2021 study by the group which found that the share of global wealth of the world’s richest people soared at a record pace during the pandemic.

Oxfam urged tax reforms to fund worldwide vaccine production as well as healthcare, climate adaptation and gender-based violence reduction to help save lives.

The group said it based its wealth calculations on the most up-to-date and comprehensive data sources available, and used the 2021 Billionaires List compiled by the US business magazine Forbes.

Forbes listed the world’s 10 richest men as: Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, former Microsoft CEOs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, US investor Warren Buffet and the head of the French luxury group LVMH, Bernard Arnault.

Source: AFP

16, January 2022

Africa Cup of Nations: Salah scores, Egypt escapes with 1-0 win ⁰

Mohamed Salah squeezed a volley under the goalkeeper to give a nervous Egypt a 1-0 win over tiny Guinea-Bissau, which was denied maybe its biggest result at the African Cup of Nations on Saturday when it had a brilliant late equalizer contentiously disallowed after a VAR check.

Salah’s breakthrough came in the 69th minute after the record seven-time African champion labored to break down Guinea-Bissau.

But the Liverpool forward’s smart finish with his left foot from a tight angle wasn’t nearly the most dramatic moment of the game.

Guinea-Bissau forward Mama Baldé weaved in from the left wing and unleashed a shot that flew into the far corner of the net with eight minutes to go to seemingly stun Egypt, and the entire tournament in Cameroon.

But after a long delay, referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana of Burundi went over to consult VAR and eventually disallowed the goal for a foul by Baldé on Egypt defender Omar Kamal.

Baldé had put a hand on Kamal’s shoulder as he forced his way past him on the way to scoring, but it was a tight, tight call.

Egypt survived another scare from a shot by Moreto Cassamá in what was just about the last kick of the game. Egypt goalkeeper Mohammed el-Shenawy dived to push it away with two hands and it was Guinea-Bissau’s last chance.

Egypt hit the post three times in the game, one of those by Salah in the first half, but the sense of relief for the Egyptians at fulltime was obvious.

The victory revived Egypt’s Group D campaign after it lost its opening game to Nigeria 1-0. But it was not the convincing reaction Egypt fans demanded and there was increasing pressure on coach Carlos Queiroz, the former Real Madrid boss.

Source: AP