Manchester United Eric Djemba-Djemba announces retirement from football

10, September 2021

Manchester United Eric Djemba-Djemba announces retirement from football 0

Manchester United Eric Djemba-Djemba has officially announced his retirement from football at the age of 40.

Djemba-Djemba rose to prominence at French club Nantes with impressive performances which resulted in his dream move to United in 2003.

Sir Alex Ferguson sanctioned a £3.5million move for the Cameroonian with the view of him potentially being Roy Keane’s long-term successor at the club.

It is safe to say things didn’t work out as planned for Djemba-Djemba at Old Trafford and he would only spend two years at the club before leaving for Aston Villa in 2005.

The highlight of his United career came when he scored the winner away against Leeds United in extra-time of a League Cup tie back in 2003.

Djemba-Djemba would go on to play for Burnley and St. Mirren in his later career but has been without a club since last signing for Swiss side Vallorbe-Ballaigues back in 2016.

“I can say to you today, that I’m officially retiring from playing football,” he confirmed to BritishGambler.co.uk. “I have an academy in Cameroon and I am going to focus on trying to help educate the young players there on how to become a footballer, and how to build a successful career as a footballer. “Today, I’m stopping playing football.”

Source: Manchester Evening News

The Holy Father en route to Budapest and Orban talks, then Slovakia

10, September 2021

The Holy Father en route to Budapest and Orban talks, then Slovakia 0

Just weeks after major surgery and despite the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis embarks Sunday on his 34th international trip with visits to Slovakia and Budapest, including talks with populist leader Viktor Orban.

The 84-year-old has a typically packed schedule — half a day in Budapest for a religious event and then three days in Slovakia — during which his physical health will be closely scrutinised.

In July, the pontiff spent 10 days in hospital after undergoing an operation for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation in the intestine that required removing part of his colon.

The operation sparked rumours the Argentine might step down, but he laughed these off, insisting resigning never crossed his mind.

However, on his return from a historic visit to Iraq in March, the pope admitted it had been more tiring than other trips. As usual, his doctor will be on board Sunday.

– ‘Christian values’ –

Francis will begin his trip with a short stop in Budapest, presiding over mass at the International Eucharistic Congress, a week-long Catholic event.

It is not a state visit but a spiritual one, the Vatican emphasised, although the pope will have a meeting with Hungarian President Janos Ader and Prime Minister Orban.

Orban came to power on a promise to restore “Christian values” suppressed by years of communism, but many of the nationalist leader’s views are at odds with the pope’s, notably his anti-immigrant stance.

Asked in a recent interview what he would like to say to Orban, the pope appeared to dodge the question by suggesting the meeting was still not confirmed.

“I think he wanted to minimise the importance of the Orban meeting,” noted one observer who knows the pope well, but did not want to be named. Either way, the Vatican has confirmed the meeting.

The pope and the Hungarian leader have shaken hands twice before during events at the Vatican, in 2016 and 2017.

Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See, Eduard Habsburg, said the 2017 meeting during a reception for European Union leaders to mark the bloc’s 60th anniversary was “extremely friendly”.

Before they shook hands, however, the pope had warned that Europe “risks dying” without a new vision of the principles of solidarity on which it was founded — and said this was the “most effective antidote” to modern populism.

Orban, who has a Protestant Calvinist background, opposes migration from Muslims into Europe so as not to destroy what he describes as the continent’s “cultural Christian heritage”.

“Viktor Orban is a straight-talking Hungarian,” said Habsburg, insisting the prime minister’s words were often reported with a negative bias.

He emphasised how much Orban had in common with the pope, such as “religious freedom, or persecuted Christians”.

In the last national census in 2011, only 39 percent of Hungarians identified as Catholics and 11 percent as Protestants. Among adherents, only 15 percent attended religious services.

– Solidarity in Slovakia –

On Sunday afternoon, the pope will fly to Slovakia, for a trip that will include meetings with the Jewish and Roma communities.

Francis has travelled to five continents since his election in 2013, but continues to prioritise smaller nations, especially in Europe. With this trip he will have visited 54 countries as pontiff.

Coronavirus remains a risk, with only half of adults in Slovakia fully vaccinated, compared to the EU average of more than 70 percent.

Initially, the government restricted papal events to those who had been fully vaccinated, but after complaints, expanded participation to those who test negative or have recently recovered from Covid-19.

Slovakia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Marek Lisansky, said the pope’s visit was a “unique moment” and a blessing for the country 5.4 million people, which has recorded 12,500 coronavirus deaths.

“The pope is coming in this incredible moment of pandemic to unite us and offer his solidarity,” he said.

Source:  AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The real PCC Moderator reaches out to Ambazonia fighters in Bali  

10, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The real PCC Moderator reaches out to Ambazonia fighters in Bali   0

Presbyterian pastors of Bali origin have called on Ambazonia Restoration Forces to lift the ban on activities of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC.

The plea is contained in an emotional epistle to the Southern Cameroons Self Defense group in Bali written on behalf of Presbyterian pastors of Bali origin by Rev. Babila George Fochang (President) and Rev. Elvis Voma (Secretary).

On September 4, 2021, Ambazonia Restoration Forces in Bali Subdivision banned all activities of the PCC on grounds that the leadership of the church failed to blame the Francophone dominated Cameroon military for the August 22 incident at PC Ntanfoang which left a Christian death and the parish pastor injured.

On Sunday, September 5, 2021, the PCC Moderator Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba asked all pastors to leave Bali.

However, Rev. Babila George Fochang and Rev. Elvis Voma in a letter to the separatist fighters said the Church is a Divine institution in the hands of men with errors and flaws.

As such, they prayed that “the Holy Spirit should guide us to be careful that we do not throw the bathwater together with the child. May the Holy Spirit also help those who placed the ban and soften their hearts towards a reversal of their decision.”

Below is the entirety of the letter titled, “The Stance of PCC Bali Pastors on the Recent Happenings in Bali Nyonga”.

“In times like these, we the people of Bali, sharing our identity, culture and feeling the pains of times together, have the challenge to seek God’s face and make our community what we would want posterity to say of us. As the Scripture says:

“We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…”(II Cor. 4:8-10).

“These words of Paul to the Christians at Corinth kind of comforts us that others have had similar challenges like the ones we are facing today as the Christians of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) in Bali subdivision.

“Our faith is being tested to see how as a people we remain steadfast in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Let us make a difference in the midst of the trials and rise more mature instead of being downcast. We are the ones to make our place better and we should stand tall for that goal as a people of one common ancestry.

“Way back during the First World War, British soldiers entered Bali on October 21, 1915. They captured the Basel missionaries and interned them on October 23rd.

“From then on, the Christians in Bali suffered great persecution.

“The church house was locked and the keys were given to the Divisional Officer in Bamenda. This did not stop the propagation of the gospel. Mr. Hunt, the Divisional Officer eventually handed back the keys, and Church services recommenced.

“Today we are faced with another harsh reality whereby the PCC Christians of Bali cannot worship in their own houses of worship. The land of Bali deserves better and God alone holds the key to chat a new way forward for us all.

“We pray that the Holy Spirit should guide us to be careful that we do not throw the bathwater together with the child. May the Holy Spirit also help those who placed the ban and soften their hearts towards a reversal of their decision as He did to Mr. Hunt. Our people should have the opportunity to worship the Lord in freedom with the opportunity to make intercession for Bali, the PCC, and the world at large plagued with crises.

“The Church is a Divine institution in the hands of men with errors and flaws. May all Bali people focus on making Bali grow in lips and bounds leaving a good legacy for our progeny.

“Let us, therefore, remember the Christian saints of Bali and the founders of Bali Nyonga now resting beneath the earth and live in forgiveness to one another where we have gone wrong in all ways. We should consider the faith of our kin and reason together for God’s Church doors to be opened, that is, the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon and all her institutions.

“There is no birth without labor pain and Bali is going through labor pain. Though tears may tarry for the night, joy comes in the morning (Cf. Ps 30:5).

“May the innocent blood of Ma Grace bring in greater fruits of righteousness, justice, and peace in Bali. She is thus one of the martyrs of our time and part of History which we cannot deny. Let us as Bali people take our community’s fate into our hands and bring in a rebirth of positive history. The PCC in Bali is for the people living in Bali and we should take it and make it grow despite the stake of time.

“May a new dawn to make peace with God and one another come on Bali Nyonga.

“May God console and speak to all of us in times like these.”

Culled from CIN with additional editing from Camcordnews

Yaoundé: Biya may lose his right hand man Minister Motaze to Covid-19

10, September 2021

Yaoundé: Biya may lose his right hand man Minister Motaze to Covid-19 0

Minister Louis Paul Motaze has just been evacuated to Switzerland after five days in the VIP pavilion of the Yaoundé Central Hospital.

According to credible sources, the health of Louis Paul Motaze deteriorated on September 4 and the Minister of Finance was then hospitalized and placed on respiratory assistance.

President Biya reportedly ordered an evacuation of his nephew who also moonlights as Finance Minister on September 7, but it was then rescheduled.

Minister Motaze who headed the National Social Insurance Fund left Yaoundé on board a medical plane yesterday at 6:30 am, bound for Switzerland.

By Rita Akana

Biya regime to hold anti-terrorism simulation exercise ahead of AFCON

9, September 2021

Biya regime to hold anti-terrorism simulation exercise ahead of AFCON 0

Cameroon will carry out a series of anti-terrorism simulation exercises on September 28 to prepare against any terrorist attacks during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the country’s defense minister Joseph Beti Assomo said.

“This African football festival will be held in a context marked by tension. Because of this atmosphere, Cameroon must be able to ensure the safety of all,” Assomo said on Monday in the capital, Yaoundé during a high level meeting to plan for the simulation exercises which will be open to the public.

As part of the mock exercises, the army will simulate a terrorist attack in a stadium while a football match is in progress and stage a rescue operation, officials said during the meeting.

The army said, the exercises will not be held in response to a specific threat but noted that an armed separatist movement in the country’s Anglophone regions, Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North region and some security challenges in other parts of the Central African nation were reasons enough for the army to prepare for any eventuality.

AFCON, a biennial competition involving 24 African countries is scheduled to take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 next year.

Source: Xinhaunet

Southern Cameroons Crisis: IG decries Biya regime’s harsh measures against Ambazonian prisoners

9, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: IG decries Biya regime’s harsh measures against Ambazonian prisoners 0

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government (IG) has decried the vicious and malicious measures adopted by French Cameroun prison authorities against Southern Cameroons detainees currently being held in detention centers in Douala, Yaoundé and Dschang.

In a statement on Tuesday, Vice President Dabney Yerima warned against Biya regime’s use of excessive force and torture against Southern Cameroons detainees and prisoners of conscience, holding the 88-year-old French Cameroun dictator Paul Biya responsible for the consequences of these dangerous policies.

Yerima hailed President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides, describing them as genuine, courageous and heroic restoration leaders who are inspiring for all freedom seekers in British Southern Cameroons.

Vice President Dabney Yerima also urged international organizations and rights groups to stop the Francophone police and army violations against the rights of Southern Cameroons prisoners.

The exiled Southern Cameroons leader noted that the IG’s department of foreign affairs has raised the alarm over Southern Cameroons detainees with the EU and the UN.

“La Republique du Cameroun attacks have killed several young Southern Cameroonians. The blood of our martyrs killed at the hands of the Biya Francophone regime will not be forgotten,” Yerima furthered.

He added, “The hostility of the French Cameroun regime is continuing, and it is responsible for the destruction of Southern Cameroons.”

By Chi Prudence Asong

US defense secretary postpones visit to Saudi Arabia

8, September 2021

US defense secretary postpones visit to Saudi Arabia 0

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is on a tour of the Gulf, has indefinitely postponed a visit to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said Wednesday, citing “scheduling issues.”

“The Secretary’s trip to Saudi Arabia has been postponed due to scheduling issues. He looks forward to rescheduling at the soonest opportunity,” a defense department official told AFP.

Austin traveled to the Gulf region earlier this week, a week after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan ended.

He first went to Doha with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit the main base for the massive airlift set up by the United States out of Kabul. The United States and its allies evacuated some 123,000 people, mostly Afghans who fear Taliban retribution, in the final days of the 20-year US war that President Joe Biden ended last month.

Austin then traveled to Kuwait, where he met Wednesday with the country’s leaders. He thanked them for their “critical role” in supporting the evacuations from Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Austin is also due to travel to Bahrain.

Source: AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The truth about Mayor Ekema’s death!

8, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The truth about Mayor Ekema’s death! 0

The former Mayor of the city of Buea, Patrick Ekema Esunge, might be dead, but his name will be with us forever. Patrick Ekema was the mayor who distinguished himself through his sheepish determination to ensure that ghost towns decreed by Southern Cameroonian fighters did not see the light of day in Buea.

But Ekema failed woefully despite the support he received from some quarters in Yaoundé. His reckless behaviour, wickedness and corrupt nature only helped to send him to an early grave. 

Patrick Ekema might have died of a massive heart attack as revealed by medical sources, but there was more to his story than it met the eyes. A delegation from the Presidency of the Republic had visited Ekema to deliver him some bad news. His own party, the ruling CPDM, had clearly stated that he would no longer be the candidate for mayoral elections for the following reasons:

Ekema had become more of an embarrassment to the party because of his fake certificates;

He created a fake struggle between South-westerners and North-westerners which was hurting the party’s image, causing the Southern Cameroons crisis to escalate;

He totally disrespected senior southwest politicians such as Prof. Dorothy Njeuma and Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge;

He paid a journalist to slander Senator Mbella  Moki, alleging that the senator had HIV; a story that was totally false. Of course, being HIV-positive in modern days does not mean anything. HIV-positive people live a normal life, but CPDM barons felt Ekema had crossed a major red line and needed to be stopped and demoted; and 

He ran the Buea council as if it was a personal plantation and he had the nasty habit of dipping his hands into the till as if it was his personal ATM.

Faced with this embarrassing situation, Ekema became very desperate, looking for a way to get a visa for himself and his second wife so that he could leave the country. But things did not go according to plan. He did not know how to face the population he had antagonized while he was a mayor. 

The party he had fought for was simply rejecting him for lack of finesse on his part. Ekema was finally caught up in a downward spiral, causing him to drink liquor as if it was water. 

This was not good news to his fragile health. With his excessive weight, diabetes, and high blood pressure, Ekema did not stand a chance if attacked by another disease. He was a colony of diseases for many years and the heart attack was simply a fine finisher.  May he continue to rest in peace!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Guinea Conakry: What Next after Alpha Conde?

8, September 2021

Guinea Conakry: What Next after Alpha Conde? 0

On 22 December 2008, after the news that President Lansana Conte of Guinea, who seized power in a coup in 1984, had died, a faction of the military launched a coup. It announced that it had dissolved the government and constitution with Captain Moussa Dadis Camara as president to lead a transitional government. The junta promised to hold elections within one year after various African and Western governments denounced the coup, and Guinea was banned from several international organizations.

After two years of political turmoil that culminated to the slaughter of over 450 civilians, Guinea-Conakry held its first democratic elections. Subsequently, on 21 December 2010, Alpha Conde was sworn-in as the first democratically elected President of Guinea in a ceremony that many political commentators opined was the end of dictatorship in Francophone Africa. But in keeping with the gloomy France-Afrique tradition, the 83-year-old Alpha Conde staged a civilian coup and guaranteed his continued stay in power.

The 5 September 2021 military coup that brought Lieutenant-colonel Mamady Doumbouya to power in Guinea is no surprise to many in the continent and was the inevitable result of the lousy judgment of Alpha Conde. He had no democratic mandate and showed utter contempt for the tenets of a democratic system that brought him to power. Conde threatened the state’s fabric by amending the constitution to prolong his stay in power, and his ejection from office was his own making. By using the military last year to kill over 300 people who came out to protest his autocratic power grab, he deserves no one’s empathy at this time.

It has been clear to political scientists for many decades now, although not entirely obvious to Alpha Conde, that coups are more probable in unconsolidated democracies. Coups are more likely in countries with vast inequality between the ruling class and the citizens. So, any leader who fosters inequity, theft, and abuse of power, is carelessly preparing the fertile grounds for a coup to eject him from power.   

In a senseless distraction from the responsibilities of power, Alpha Conde was only fixated on staying in power forever.  He embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars of state funds that the country was generating from extracting the vast mineral resources that the maker of the universe endowed his country.

Like many presidents in Africa, Alpha Conde is an old crook who wandered into politics to enrich himself from state coffers. He has had eleven years to halt Guinea’s steady and alarming political and economic decline. Still, he failed woefully to live up to the considerable expectation that his people had in him in 2010. His removal from power last Sunday cannot be depicted in any way, shape or form as a loss to Guinea.

The story of the people of Guinea has been one of national challenges, brutal repressive political leadership, and military coups since the country rejected neo-colonial rule and became independent in 1958. Guinea has had three presidents from 1958 till date, but there were high hopes for democratic change and accountability when Conde was elected in 2010. Under Conde, the state was fragile in providing vital functions but callous in many other domains, especially dealing with political opponents.  

Guinea is politically and economically sick, and one need not be a rocket scientist to work this out. But under Conde, the government could not deliver its primary function of offering leadership, maintain order, provide public services, national and economic security, and economic assistance to those in need. Under him, repression and human rights abuses were aplenty.

Alpha Conde has left a trail of economic crises and misery. He had become increasingly ruthless and had little or no accomplishments to show for. The current state of economic and political calamities in Africa demands leaders equipped with empathy and integrity and Alpha Conde does not possess any of these qualities. Lieutenant-colonel Mamady Doumbouya and his team must learn from the blunders of Col. Lansana Conte and Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara, as both became presidents through military coups.

Lieutenant-colonel Mamady Doumbouya and his team need to clean up the mess created by Alpha Conde and previous regimes. They should recognize their direct shortcomings and instantly hire experts to deliver their vision. Africa has specialists in all domains that have the skill set, talents and professionalism, and above all, the continent at heart. Let them reach out to these men and women who can point them in the right direction.

The new leaders should, without delay, solicit the help of the Guinean Diaspora. The move to release all political prisoners should not be a gimmick; it must be done without delay to show the Guineans and the world that they mean what they say. They must consciously drag Guinea from economic ruin, poverty, extensive theft of state funds and lead the country into prosperity and self-pride. They can’t afford to waste time and another generation.

Since independence in 1958, Guinea has been a sad case, but now it plays a massive role in the global commodity market as it is blessed with two precious raw materials; Iron Ore and Bauxite. Aluminum is extracted from Bauxite, and Guinea is the world’s number one producer of this valuable commodity. These mineral deposits must be used as the country’s gateway to economic prosperity and national progress. 

China is always looking for markets to get iron ore, and Guinea has enormous deposits of it with massive reserves that have the capacity to produce about 150 million tons of iron ore annually, which is about 7% of global production. The new leaders of Guinea should look for creative ways to add value to the supply chain of the raw materials in their country before exporting to China and the West.

In 2020, Guinea produced around 90 million tones of Bauxite, a quarter of the global total. Guinea is responsible for more than half the Bauxite used in the global supply of aluminum. The global demand for aluminum is growing immensely, predominantly because of its weight and strength. Guinea stands to benefit enormously if the receipts from its vast raw materials are appropriately managed and invested in growing the country’s economy.

Lieutenant-colonel Mamady Doumbouya saw combats in Afghanistan when he led troops while serving in the French Foreign Legion.  The time for him to serve his people is now. He has the yam and the knife. His country has enormous potential, and the people of Guinea are exhausted of old autocrats disguised as democratic civilian leaders. These old boys are bleeding our continent dry and are using the presidency as their care homes. Africans want change, and anyone who can deliver that will be given a chance.

Guineans would pay little attention to what uniforms or suits leaders were wearing if they woke up to new roads, basic healthcare infrastructure, good schools and real hope for the future.

By Isong Asu

London Bureau Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Buffalos of Bali demand Moderator Fonki Samuel resigns

8, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Buffalos of Bali demand Moderator Fonki Samuel resigns 0

Ambazonia Restoration Forces in Bali Subdivision, fighting for an independent state of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia, have outlawed all activities of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC.

Over the weekend, the Amba fighters rolled out an audio message warning Christians to steer clear of all PCC houses of worship under pain of death. 

The Buffalos of Bali, under the command of General Grand Pa, blames PCC authorities for failing to indict the Biya Francophone army soldiers following the August 22 incident at Presbyterian Church Ntanfoang that left Rev. Voma Simon Montoh injured and Grace Titalabit death.

The disgraced Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, reported that on Sunday, 22nd August 2021, they were duly informed that:

“Church Service was in session at the Presbyterian Church Ntanfoang in Bali Sub-division, the seat of the Bali Presbytery when it was interrupted by gunshots. The Pastor of the congregation who doubles as the Presbyterial Secretary for Bali Presbytery, the Rev. Voma Simon Montoh was on duty ministering to the Christians in Church when suddenly there was a loud explosion outside close to the Church House, followed by random gunshots. It was in the course of this reckless shooting we learnt that bullets were rained on the Church house injuring the Rev. Voma Simon Montoh on the arm and killing a female Christian of the PCC by name Grace Titalabit instantly in Church.”

The corrupt PCC Moderator went on to “condemn in strongest terms this unnecessary and inhuman treatment meted on God’s children by those who are supposed to protect them. We call on both parties to cease fire unconditionally especially on Sundays and that a proper investigation is conducted by the government and other International Bodies and those responsible be brought to book.”

Southern Cameroons Self Defense Group in Bali claims that the moderator and the parish pastor lied by not out rightly blaming Biya French Cameroun troops for the incident.

After the burial of Grace on September 4, Amba fighters said the PCC would only operate in Bali if the Parish Pastor of PC Ntanfoang and the Moderator resign.

“The Bali Buffalos, the Bali restoration forces hereby ban the PCC from functioning in Bali Nyonga until the moderator and pastor resign,” said one of the rebels in viral audio. “Anybody who goes to any Presbyterian Church for any reason in Bali will be killed. All Presbyterian Churches in Bali will remain shut down.”

According to the Cameroon government military, the August 22 incident was triggered by an improvised explosive device detonated by armed separatists near PC Ntanfoang. The Francophone soldiers said rebels had detonated the explosive targeting a military vehicle. Following the explosion, the military fired deterrent shots and reportedly got a response from the militiamen.The gun exchange triggered by the separatist bomb is said to have led to the death of a Christian.

In the meantime, PCC houses of worship remain closed as faithful fear for their lives.

Culled from Cameroon Info.Net with additional editing

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