Southern Cameroons Crisis: France strengthens military cooperation with Yaoundé

24, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: France strengthens military cooperation with Yaoundé 0

The Biya Francophone regime and the French decided to strengthen their military cooperation on September 23, 2021 in Yaoundé. The two sides were represented by Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo and the French Ambassador to Cameroon, Christophe Guilhou.

Cameroon Concord News understands Yaoundé and Paris strengthened their military cooperation by renewing two military conventions.

The first agreement concerns the operation of the International War College (ESIG) in Yaoundé. The 17th class of this military establishment has recently started, with 61 officers from 20 countries, including one French citizen.

French ambassador Guilhou was quoted by Cameroon Tribune as saying “it is a question of making soldiers acquire a method of joint planning of operational level and give them keys to understanding the political and security environment in the region.”

The second agreement is to support Cameroon naval officers at sea. In this regard, “a French naval officer will be deployed to the Cameroon Navy, with the objective of supporting the design of legislative and regulatory frameworks for action at sea. He will also support training and education, through the development of a body of documentation and capacity building of training centers and training of the Navy” signaling a complete takeover of the Cameroon naval force by the French.

Joseph Beti Assomo revealed that the two conventions signed on September 23, 2021 replace the two previous ones, which have expired.

By Rita Akana

Biya regime says Amba Fighters Use Smuggled Anti-Tank Rockets to Kill 28 People

24, September 2021

Biya regime says Amba Fighters Use Smuggled Anti-Tank Rockets to Kill 28 People 0

Cameroon’s military says separatist fighters have, for the first time, used anti-tank rockets smuggled from Nigeria to attack army convoys.

The military reported rebel rocket attacks on a military convoy in the western village of Bammssing in the past week have killed at least 15 troops and 13 civilians, and destroyed several armored vehicles.

Cameroon Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said Wednesday from a military base in Bamenda, an English-speaking western town, that President Paul Biya wants a change of military strategy in handling the separatist crisis.

Without providing details on strategic changes, Assomo said Biya wants his military to immediately stop the attacks on government troops by separatists equipped with increasingly sophisticated weapons. He added that military intelligence indicates fighters are benefiting from outside human and material support.

The military said rebels attacked government troops with anti-tank rockets four times this week in western villages, including Sabga.

Assomo said troops have been adequately equipped and deployed to separatist hot spots in English-speaking western regions, especially on the border with Nigeria, suspected to be the origin of the anti-tank rockets.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon’s minister of employment and vocational training, said English-speaking civilians should help government troops by reporting those suspected of smuggling separatist weapons from neighboring Nigeria.

“We need the support of our population,” he said. “Please, denounce them. Decry it [killing]. The kind of arms they [separatists] are using is an indication that there is a kind of support they [fighters] are receiving from abroad.”

In August, Cameroon and Nigeria said Cameroon separatists, called the Ambazonia Defense Forces, and Indigenous People of Biafra, a group that wants a breakaway state in southeast Nigeria, were partnering to create an alliance.

Prince Ekosso, president of the opposition United Socialist Democratic Party, said Biya should call for a cease-fire to spare the lives of troops, civilians and separatists.

“It is time to end the war [crisis],” he said. “Everybody in the [English-speaking western regions] is bleeding in his or her heart and the whole country is bleeding. It is not helping us, it will not help us.”

Separatists have congratulated fighters on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp for using anti-tank rocket launchers to kill Cameroon troops. Videos circulating online appear to show separatist fighters asking for more anti-tank rocket launchers to fight the Cameroon military.

Cameroon has previously said that separatists use porous borders to import weapons through Nigeria.

Cameroonian and Nigerian authorities met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, August 26 to 28 and agreed to jointly fight armed separatists in both countries. They also promised to stop arms trafficking in the two countries.

Source: VOA

The War in Southern Cameroons: A Report From Ground Zero

23, September 2021

The War in Southern Cameroons: A Report From Ground Zero 0

A Cameroon Catholic priest kidnapped on Aug. 29 by separatists was freed two days later in a rare piece of good news in a country suffering from increasing internal conflict that is tearing this nation apart.

Msgr. Julius Agbortoko Abbor, the vicar general of the Diocese of Mamfe, was released after being abducted from the residence of the bishop emeritus of the diocese by a group of young separatists who entered the major seminary compound and kidnapped him, according to ACI Africa.

Just days before the kidnapping, Catholic bishops in Cameroon’s Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province renewed an appeal to end the protracted five-year conflict in the country’s two Anglophone regions in the nation’s northwest and southwest.

“A lot of violence, insecurity, kidnappings, torture, and senseless killings, sometimes of innocent people and children” is continuing in Cameroon, the bishops said, and they appealed to all warring parties to stop the ongoing violence “with immediate effect.”

Cameroon’s internal conflict, which began in 2016 and has worsened since 2018, revolves around marginalization of the Anglophone minority in the country (20% of the population) and its grievances against the majority Francophone population and administration.

Anglophone lawyers had complained in the mid-2010s that the English legal system was being undermined and overwhelmed by the civil law system, dominated by Francophone jurists, lawyers and magistrates. Meanwhile, teachers in the Anglophone part of the country grew resentful that non-English-speaking educators were being sent to teach students in English.

These and other resentments, coupled with inadequate leadership from President Paul Biya, 88, led to a brutal military crackdown by the government in 2017 of peaceful demonstrations. Violence was also perpetrated against lawyers, there were incidents of torture and rape, including of students at the nation’s Anglophone university, along with the arbitrary arrests and detention of peaceful protesters, many of whom remain in prisons around the country.

These injustices led to the growth of of more than 30 Ambazonian militia groups, known locally as “The Boys,” in the historically English-speaking regions. Formed in 2016, they are pushing for a new autonomous region called Ambazonia, covering territory that had been the former British colony of Southern Cameroons, but which became part of unified Cameroon in 1961.

The Ambazonian separatists have since embarked on destroying everything that belongs to the Francophone government — houses, markets and goods, and have killed some of those who fail to respect them and their objectives.

Particularly damaging has been the closure of schools in the two regions since the beginning of the crisis. Only a few of the schools manage to operate, and they are vulnerable to attack at any time, with teachers and principals at risk of death and school buildings set on fire. One was gutted last week just before the start of the new academic year by unidentified persons.

An Ambazonian fighter told the Register he joined the separatist cause, “because of the torment Anglophone citizens have been suffering from La Republic [Francophone] government.”

“I therefore decided to join the fight for independence,” he said. “I have been fighting for over four years now.”

Others told the Register they joined because the army had destroyed their houses, killed family members and committed acts of torture, and so they joined to retaliate.

Humanitarian Crisis

More than 3,500 people have been killed since the current conflict began in 2016 with killings taking place on daily basis, according to humanitarian organizations.

Over 67,000 people have fled across the border and are now living in Nigeria or remain as refugees there. According to a U.N. report, 4.4 million people are threatened by the war, while 2.2 million are directly affected. Thousands have been internally displaced, living in unbearable conditions in other French-speaking regions.

Emmanuel Lampaert, operations coordinator for Doctors without Borders (MSF) in Central Africa, said that many of those in hospital are suffering from malnutrition.

“We cannot stay any longer in a region where we are not allowed to provide care to people here,’’ Lampaert said in reference to the government suspending MSF activities in the region last December after accusing it of supporting the armed groups.

“The suspension significantly reduces access to medical services in an area where communities are badly affected by armed violence,” he said. “Those who have fled the violence often take refuge in the bush, far from any health facilities, vulnerable to malaria, infections or snakebites, in locations often inaccessible for emergency vehicles such as ambulances, or even motorcycles.”

“When two elephants are fighting, the grass suffers” goes the old African saying and it is particularly apropos to this five-year old conflict that has brought great suffering to the local population, caught as it is between the military and secessionist fighters. It also shows no sign of ending, as the government continues to be reluctant to build a general consensus and truthful, inclusive national dialogue with all the protagonists to find a lasting solution.

The Catholic Church has been deeply concerned about the crisis. Christians represent the majority in the region and have been badly affected. The bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province wrote a memorandum in 2016 outlining the cause of the conflict and proposing solutions but it received no response from the Biya administration.

The late Cameroonian Cardinal Christian Tumi, who died in April aged 90, tried to convene an all-Anglophone conference but it required government and international support which were not forthcoming. Church leaders, meanwhile, have used their pulpits and give interviews to local TV channels to make their voices heard.

In an interview with a local TV channel on Feb. 24, 2020, Archbishop emeritus Cornelius Fontem Esua of Bamenda — who was once taken hostage by secessionists — said, “The position of the Church is that we are neutral, neither for the government nor the Amba boys. We tell them: no violence, no killings, that God’s law is ‘Thou shall not kill’ whether it’s the military or the Amba boys.” To resolve the conflict, he said there should be a total amnesty: “Let the military go back to their barracks and the Amba boys should put down their arms.”

Without mincing his words, Cardinal Tumi said in 2019 that most of the killings in the regions are by the military because they are the ones with sophisticated weapons. The separatists do kill, but their targets are the military and those whom they suspect are enemies of the Ambazonia, be they Anglophone or Francophone. For example, five police officers were given a state burial last month after being killed by a mine laid by separatists on Aug. 10 in Bafut, in the northwest region.

Last week, 15 soldiers were killed in an ambush by the separatists fighters led by a commander of the Bambalang Marine Forces who calls himself “General No Pity.” Separatists have also recently burned down a market, the office of a local mayor, and the residence of a senior law enforcement officer in Balikumbat, northwestern Cameroon. These acts of violence have even led to some Francophones calling on the army to step up their fight instead of calling for peace.

Many civilians continue to perish regularly. On Aug. 20, a 7-year-old girl, a pupil of St Therese Primary School in Kumbo, was shot and killed in crossfire. Two weeks earlier, seven civilians were killed by the military in Meluf, including local citizen Jude Thaddeus, a nephew of this correspondent.

In July 2018, Mill Hill Missionary Father Alexander Sob Nougi was accidentally killed by a stray bullet on Church premises. In May 2018, many people mistaken as separatists were fatally shot by the military in Pinyin, while what has become known as the Ngarbuh incident, which took place on Feb. 14, 2021, 21 civilians, including 13 children, were killed in their sleep by Cameroon soldiers and Fulani militia, a predominantly Muslim group better known in Cameroon as “Mbororos,” who claim to be victims of separatist groups.

According to a report from Human Rights Watch, 350 people have been kidnapped since October 2018, including 300 students and released after a ransom was paid in most cases. Cardinal Tumi was also kidnapped in 2020, as priests and religious seem to be targets. The report also condemned regular use of torture and secret detention from Cameroon authorities.

Cameroonian Voices

Father Gaston Yuven, a curate of St. Paul’s Parish, Kikaikom Kumbo Diocese, a stronghold of the armed secessionist group, told the Register, “It’s disastrous but this doesn’t stop people going about their daily activities. One just needs to enquire before taking any step. Then you’re safe.”

“There is an increase in faith; more people come to Church,” he added. “Those who want to come always make it but when it is not safe, the liturgies go ahead while the others keep themselves safe. More people turn to put God at the center, but a few seek protection elsewhere.”

“The present situation is getting worse because more casualties are being registered,” Deacon Doh Lawrence of the Diocese of Kumbo said. “Many innocent civilians are killed, and gun battles have intensified. Nearly everything is at a standstill because many roads are blocked, and battles continue. Poverty has increased, people are dying in houses because of no medical attention. Churches are empty because people have been displaced. Many schools remain closed because of threats from separatists, economic activities are experiencing a heavy downturn. Kumbo market is nearly empty since many people can’t sell their goods.”

A separatist fighter told the Register that “right now the situation here is not calm. We have been losing lives here about a week now. A child of 7 years was shot in Kumbo by the military and they’ve also been raping our women, burning down people’s houses, stealing from people’s houses, keeping military bases in villages. The situation is getting worse and worse.”

A military source who spoke on condition of anonymity said a lot of uniformed men have been lost since last month in the two regions, with daily reports of them being killed either during confrontations or setting off mines laid by the separatist. Some reports even mention 3,000 military deaths since the beginning of the crisis, and the number could be higher.

To make matters worse, the blockage of roads is forcing civilians to cover miles on foot to either get to the hospital, markets, etc., since no vehicle is allowed. Bishop George Nkuo of the Kumbo Diocese once had to trek many miles with his Mass kit for his pastoral mission to a neighboring village.

But despite all these difficulties, faith in the region remains robust: thousands of Christians hold firm to the belief that God is the one to bring an end to this war. Thus their unflinching trust in God persists through all the difficulties they are going through.

The unwavering faith of Christians is something to behold — they constantly pray for a return to peace. The pain is great, the damage irreparable. Enough blood has been shed, and human life has lost its value in the troubled regions. There is fear, insecurity looms all over the conflict-torn regions. The end of the war is not a matter of today nor tomorrow. The government vehemently refuses to adhere to numerous proposals, instead offering solutions that are far from bringing an end to the conflict.

A so-called “grand national dialogue” between the warring parties took place Sept. 30 -Oct. 4, 2019, but it seems to have been a place to squander billions rather than to discuss a path to peace, the result being that after the talks, atrocities increased, with the number of killings more than ever, and schools still closed in most areas.

As Archbishop Esua of Bamenda said during his interview, some topics like the form of the state were considered taboo during the national dialogue, which is the major concern of the Anglophones. This has led people to question the seriousness of the government in finding a lasting solution to this problem. The creation of a national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration committee (DDR), the special status of the two English regions, and a special fund for the reconstruction of the two destroyed regions are merely dormant measures that have yielded little fruit because the situation on the ground remains chaotic.

Epilogue: A Correspondent’s Analysis

Speaking as a Cameroonian who has witnessed this conflict first-hand, I can say that never in the history of this nation has it been on such a divided course. People are divided more than united, opinions are opposed, clergy are against clergy, politicians against politicians, Francophones against Anglophones, Anglophones against Anglophones.

Some who are radical want total independence while the majority want a complete federal system of government, separate from the current centralized system of government. But even with decentralization, it still doesn’t answer the wish of the Anglophones.  

As division continues while more blood is shed, the majority of government workers — teachers and other public workers — have fled the regions but continue to earn their monthly salary. Some have not taught for the past four years. They are targeted by separatists. The region has gone backwards by 20 years — economically, socially and spiritually. Those areas that have been the most resilient, such as Kumbo, which is one of the biggest and more active parts of the region, has become a shadow of itself.

As long as both sides are unwilling to discuss the issues fairly, a compromise will remain elusive. People are afraid to talk, even some bishops have forbidden their priests from speaking publicly on the issue. Because the truth is hidden by lies, the military and separatists are unable to accept responsibility for the atrocities they commit.

The international community needs to act so these atrocities will stop. Mere words of condemnation are not enough; they need to act. Young people are frustrated, some becoming armed robbers or prostitutes in other towns. Hundreds have joined the separatists because their future has been destroyed by the brutal government. Their homes, businesses, means of transport have been confiscated.

Only God knows the end and how long this will go on. One particularly regrettable fact is that since the beginning, this crisis has never even been considered an important issue in both houses of the parliament, serving to only increase the anger of the oppressed. But another thing is certain: If the damage that has been caused and is still being caused is never redressed, the conflict will only increase hatred between the oppressed and the oppressor.

Source: National Catholic Register

EU to impose universal phone charger, setting up clash with Apple

23, September 2021

EU to impose universal phone charger, setting up clash with Apple 0

The European Union announced on Thursday that it will impose a universal charger for smartphones, setting up a clash with Apple and its widely used iPhone.

The European Commission believes a standard cable for all devices will cut back on electronic waste, but Apple argues that a one-size fits all charger would slow innovation and create more pollution.

The bloc is home to 450 million people, some of the world’s richest consumers, and the imposition of the USB-C as a cable standard, once approved by member states and European Parliament, would affect the entire global smartphone market.

“European consumers have been frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers,” said EU executive vice president Margrethe Vestager in a statement.

“We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger,” she said.

Consumers currently have to decide between phones served by three main chargers: “Lightning” for Apple handsets, the micro-USB widely used on most other mobile phones and the newer USB-C that is increasingly coming into use.

That range is already greatly simplified from 2009, when dozens of different types of chargers were bundled with mobile phones, creating piles of electronic garbage when users changed brands.

‘Inconvenient’ and wasteful

The EU said the current situation remained “inconvenient” and that European consumers spent approximately 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) annually on standalone chargers they bought separately.

Thierry Breton, the internal market commissioner also pushed back against the industry’s argument that innovation would be harmed.

He told reporters that US tech giants “are always making this argument, that (EU law) is against innovation … It is not against innovation. It is for European consumers, it is not against anyone.”

Apple, which already uses USB-C connectors on some of its iPads and laptop computers, insists legislation to force a universal charger for all mobiles in the European Union is unwarranted.

“We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world,” Apple said.

‘Ample time’ to switch

Some in the industry argue that phones already in use with a legacy charging cable will lose their resale value if it cannot be replaced, and add to the glut of digital waste.

The European Commission had long defended a voluntary agreement it made with the device industry that was set in place in 2009 and saw a big reduction in cables, but Apple refused to abide by it.

In the commission’s proposal, which could yet be considerably changed before ratification, smartphone makers will be given a 24-month transition period, giving “ample time” for companies to fall in line, the commission said.

Apple said that it believed the two-year transition period was a worry for the industry and too short to prevent the sale of existing equipment.

EU consumer group ANEC cautiously welcomed the proposal but urged that the plan be expanded to wireless charging systems, which are increasingly being adopted by phonemakers.

“It is therefore important to avoid any fragmentation in this area as well,” the group said.

Source: AFP

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Beti Assomo in Bamenda

23, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Beti Assomo in Bamenda 0

Cameroon’s defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, was in Bamenda in the Northwest region to reassure the country’s soldiers that the government was changing its military strategy in order to reduce the number of army soldiers being killed by brave and determined Southern Cameroonian fighters who have vowed to root out the “army of occupation” from their territory.

Responding to Mr. Assomo’s announcement in the Northwest regional capital of Bamenda on Thursday, a senior Southern Cameroonian fighter who elected anonymity said that Beti Assomo’s comments were simply a pep talk and a bluff to the soldiers whose stomachs are full of butterflies.

The fighter said that “we have shaken the military to its core. The hunter has now become the hunted. We will continue to strike those hastily trained troops where it hurts the most.”

“It is up to the soldiers to determine their own fate and destiny. The defense minister thinks a change of strategy may reduce the number of cadaver bags heading to East Cameroon. He is deceiving himself. We have tons of IEDs which are waiting to be used and we will only use them on those young soldiers who do not even know why they are being killed,” he said.

“Most of those young soldiers joined the military for the salary, but many of them may never enjoy that money as we are determined to send them back home in cadaver bags. We will fight to the last man. We did not declare this war. It was imposed on us and we will do what it takes to win it,” he stressed.

“Their change of strategy might require us to fine-tune our own strategy. We have been holding on our chemical weapons plan. This could be the time for us to roll out our deadly plan to roll back the occupier from our territory,” the angry fighter said.

Meanwhile, a senior Southern Cameroonian commander had contacted the Cameroon Concord News Group on Tuesday and he said their job was to kill as many soldiers as possible.

 He said that “our job is to kill the soldiers and we are doing a great job. There seem to be a distribution of labor and each group is doing its job. The government sends the troops to the ‘slaughterhouse’ and we, the dreadful ‘butchers’ kill the cattle the government sends to us and the military takes the ‘carcasses’ in cadaver bags to family members of the fallen soldiers.”

“The military thought it would just walk into our territory and kill thousands of our people and just walk away with sang-froid. We could not allow that to happen to our people. We have developed new ways to fight the enemy and these ways are working like charms. We are no longer fighting them in our towns and villages but on their way to those towns when they are on their genocidal missions. This strategy is producing the desired results,” the commander said.

“The days when they used to arrive in Southern Cameroons like knights on white horses are long gone. We have succeeded to kill their bluff and propaganda. The soldiers are now scared of us. Their tanks are being disabled by our effective IEDs and they know they can be blown up at anytime,” he said smiling.

“We cannot thank our comrades abroad enough for their support which is both financial and moral. We have received good training from mechanical and chemical engineers in the building of IEDs and this training has gone a long way in maximizing the number of military corpses that we produce every month. We had a special contingent of engineers from the United States and China who gave us sound training in Nigeria. We buy the materials in Nigeria and mount the IEDs in Cameroon. Our IED manufacturing factory is working at full capacity and we are determined to make the Yaounde government regret its mistakes. We must rob the government of its legendary arrogance and we have really bad news for Mr. Biya and his stooges,” he stressed.

“The production of chemical and biological weapons has been put off by our bosses. We know once the production of those chemical weapons goes under way, we will change the game forever. We have a message for those soldiers who are making the mistake of coming to Southern Cameroons. ‘With our chemical weapons, we will roast you alive and your parents will not have the luck of burying you. You have a choice. Quit the military or get roasted. We are not joking. We want our independence’,” he said.

“The world will soon be noticing a new way to achieve independence. We are not participating in any talks with the Yaoundé government. It is not trustworthy. It speaks from both sides of its mouth and it has never been as good as its words,” he pointed out.

“If the soldiers think the IEDs are producing any results, then they are mistaken. Let them wait until we come up with one of the crudest chemical weapons the world has ever seen. We want to kill as many soldiers as possible. We have been reading that we have already killed three thousand soldiers. That is really small. We should be at five thousand by now. It therefore implies that we are behind schedule. We must become Africa’s leading producer of military corpses by the end of the year. The Yaounde government has transformed us into destructive monsters and we must be up to the billing,” he stressed.

“Killing soldiers is a lucrative business. Our financiers are happy with us. The money and praises are flowing. All our backers are telling us is that we should reduce civilian casualties and enable kids to go back to school. We are now urging parents and teachers across Southern Cameroons to go back to school. They are not targets. The government and its backers are our targets,” he underscored.

“Our independence is in the offing. We have brought fear to the enemy. We have also succeeded to transform Senior Divisional Officers (SDO) into Senior Dead Officials (SDO). They have all fled their duty stations and they continue to run even in their sleep. They are permanently having nightmares and we want to keep things that way,” he concluded.

The world is watching Cameroon and many around the world are condemning the Yaoundé government for its constant refusal to seek a peaceful way out of this conflict that has already killed some 15,000 Cameroonians, including more than 3,000 soldiers.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Defense minister in Bamenda, vows to end incessant killing of soldiers

23, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Defense minister in Bamenda, vows to end incessant killing of soldiers 0

The Minister of Defense, Beti Assomo in Bamenda the chief city in the North West region on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, vowed to end attacks on Francophone soldiers by Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

The minister was in the region to assess military operations and to change combat tactics which he claimed have been designed under the direct supervision of the 88-year-old President Paul Biya.

Joseph Beti Assomo (to use his three names) was received by the Governor of the North West region Lele Afrique and top commanders prosecuting the ongoing senseless war against English speaking Cameroonians.

During the visit, the minister assured the military that Biya is still committed to ending the Ambazonia uprising by force and restore peace in Southern Cameroons.

Beti Assomo said Cameroon government troops will get all their entitlements as at when due and will be motivated to take the fight to the Amba fighters.

The French Cameroun political elite also said that the Commander-in-Chief has promised to give the full assistance needed for the Francophone dominated army to succeed in its war in Southern Cameroons.

“We are here in Bamenda, the North-West Region today for an emergency,” said Beti. “The High Military Command and myself, dispatched by the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the aftermath of the bloody and treacherous attacks whereby the Defense and Security Forces have been subject to of late in this Region by irredentist separatists, obviously equipped with increasingly sophisticated equipment and benefiting, this is an established fact, from human and external material support. ”

Cameroon’s defense minister proceeded to announce a change in military strategy against separatist fighters active in the North-West and South-West Regions.

His words: “This new paradigm of the security situation, which is already in the process of consolidation in this Region, as in that of the South-West, warrants a change of approach in the action of the Defense and Security Forces.

“We wish to convey to the biological bereaved families and the large military family, the deep and sincere condolences of the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Paul Biya, and those of the Nation, following these tragic incidents.

“We equally extend same condolences to the families of civilian victims, sometimes butchered with incredible barbarity, by these armed gangs. The Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces hails and encourages the Defense and Security Forces for their bravery, their tenacity, and their rock-solid morale which has enabled them to preserve the territorial integrity of the country and thus, preserving many human lives in this Region. Likewise, he commends and congratulates those of our compatriots who, on a daily basis, braving fear and threats, provide their civic support to the Defense and Security Forces in operations.

By Fon Lawrence with additional reporting from Cameroon Info.Net

Southern Cameroons Crisis: “Our job is to kill,” Amba commander says

22, September 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: “Our job is to kill,” Amba commander says 0

As a nation, not in our wildest imagination did we ever think that killing will be a sport in Cameroon, but ever since the country’s English-speaking minority protested against the government’s marginalization and the Biya regime responded with its legendary violence, killing has become normal.

The government was the first to start the slaughtering, using the most gruesome methods, sometimes even killing women and children just to prove a point and to send a tough message to the separatists it erroneously branded as terrorists.

Today, Southern Cameroons has become an open killing field. The government kills to prove a point while separatists kill to revenge. The government kills with impunity and separatist fighters must also kill for the military to feel the pain citizens of Southern Cameroons are feeling.

In a bid to understand the new mindset of the separatist fighters, the Cameroon Concord News Group has been talking to the fighters and finally had exclusive access to a major Southern Cameroonian commander following the spectacular killing of scores of army soldiers in the country’s northwest region and the commander had a lot to reveal.

Regarding the setback in the Northwest, the jubilant but cautious commander who elected anonymity said that “our job is to kill the soldiers and we are doing a great job. There seem to be a distribution of labor and each group is doing its job. The government sends the troops to the ‘slaughterhouse’ and we, the dreadful ‘butchers’ kill the cattle the government sends to us and the military takes the ‘carcasses’ in cadaver bags to family members of the fallen soldiers.”

“The military thought it would just walk into our territory and kill thousands of our people and just walk away with sang-froid. We could not allow that to happen to our people. We have developed new ways to fight the enemy and these ways are working like charms. We are no longer fighting them in our towns and villages but on their way to those towns when they are on their genocidal missions. This strategy is producing the desired results,” the commander said.

“The days when they used to arrive in Southern Cameroons like knights on white horses are long gone. We have succeeded to kill their bluff and propaganda. The soldiers are now scared of us. Their tanks are being disabled by our effective IEDs and they know they can be blown up at anytime,” he said smiling.

“We cannot thank our comrades abroad enough for their support which is both financial and moral. We have received good training from mechanical and chemical engineers in the building of IEDs and this training has gone a long way in maximizing the number of military corpses that we produce every month. We had a special contingent of engineers from the United States and China who gave us sound training in Nigeria. We buy the materials in Nigeria and mount the IEDs in Cameroon. Our IED manufacturing factory is working at full capacity and we are determined to make the Yaoundé government regret its mistakes. We must rob the government of its legendary arrogance and we have really bad news for Mr. Biya and his stooges,” he stressed.

“The production of chemical and biological weapons has been put off by Vice President Dabney Yerima. We know once the production of those chemical weapons goes under way, we will change the game forever. We have a message for those soldiers who are making the mistake of coming to Southern Cameroons. ‘With our chemical weapons, we will roast you alive and your parents will not have the luck of burying you. You have a choice. Quit the military or get roasted. We are not joking. We want our independence’,” he said.

“The world will soon be noticing a new way to achieve independence. We are not participating in any talks with the Yaoundé government. It is not trustworthy. It speaks from both sides of its mouth and it has never been as good as its words,” he pointed out.

“If the soldiers think the IEDs are producing any results, then they are mistaken. Let them wait until we come up with one of the crudest chemical weapons the world has ever seen. We want to kill as many soldiers as possible. We have been reading that we have already killed three thousand soldiers. That is really small. We should be at five thousand by now. It therefore implies that we are behind schedule. We must become Africa’s leading producer of military corpses by the end of the year. The Yaoundé government has transformed us into destructive monsters and we must be up to the billing,” he stressed.

“Killing soldiers is a lucrative business. Our financiers are happy with us. The money and praises are flowing. All our backers are telling us is that we should reduce civilian casualties and enable kids to go back to school. We are now urging parents and teachers across Southern Cameroons to go back to school. They are not targets. The government and its backers are our targets,” he underscored.

“Our independence is in the offing. We have brought fear to the enemy. We have also succeeded to transform Senior Divisional Officers (SDO) into Senior Dead Officials (SDO). They have all fled their duty stations and they continue to run even in their sleep. They are permanently having nightmares and we want to keep things that way,” he concluded.

The government has a choice. It can either swallow its pride or call for peace talks with third neutral parties moderating things or it can continue with its arrogance and obstinacy which will only lead to secession.

The time for arrogance is over. The world knows that the government cannot win this war. Manipulation cannot lead to anything meaningful. The game people like Prime Minister Dion Ngute are currently playing in Buea will not help. The Grand National Dialogue was roundly rejected by Southern Cameroons and going to Buea this week to talk about the implementation of the conclusions of the Grand National Dialogue is buffoonery in its superlative degree.

It is time to see the truth and act appropriately. The Yaoundé government is not deceiving anybody. Its half-hearted actions are simply pushing it into a very tight corner. It is currently in a cul-de-sac and with an 88-year-old driver at the steering, the government does not even have a fighting chance in a war that is far from being conventional.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

US: Three Southern Cameroonian Men Facing Charges Related To $2.7M Unemployment Fraud Scheme

22, September 2021

US: Three Southern Cameroonian Men Facing Charges Related To $2.7M Unemployment Fraud Scheme 0

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging three Maryland men on federal charges related to a scheme to receive more than $2.7 million in unemployment benefits.

The three men charged were 34-year-old Gladstone Njokem of Hyattsville, 32-year-old Martin Tabe of Bowie and 31-year-old Sylvester Atekwane of Hyattsville.

According to the 13-count indictment, from February 2020 through February 2021, Njokem, Tabe, Atekwane along with others impersonated victims in order to submit fraudulent UI claims.  To do this, the defendants obtained the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims. The defendants shared the PII amongst themselves and with others and used the victims’ PII to submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits in Maryland, Michigan, and Tennessee.

The applications contained false information like contact information, addresses, work availability and that they were newly unemployed. They used false physical addresses for the applications so that any money paid to them by the state would go to them and not the victims.

The indictment also details that once the defendants received the unemployment debit cards, they made cash withdrawals and other transactions throughout Maryland.

The indictment says that due to the conspiracy, Njokem, Tabe, Atekwane, and others caused at least 600 fraudulent UI claims to be submitted in Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, and at least sixteen other states, resulting in more than 2.7 million dollars in actual losses.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for each of the nine counts of wire fraud.

The defendants each also face a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.

Source: Baltimore.cbslocal

Football: Under-fire Koeman refuses to answer questions in Barca press conference

22, September 2021

Football: Under-fire Koeman refuses to answer questions in Barca press conference 0

Barcelona’s under-pressure coach Ronald Koeman delivered a bizarre press conference on Wednesday as he read a pre-prepared statement before leaving without answering questions.

Koeman’s position is fragile, after Barca followed up a 3-0 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week with a 1-1 draw at home to Granada in La Liga, with the team’s tactics and style coming under scrutiny.

In his press conference, Koeman sat down and was introduced by the club’s press officer, who said the Dutchman wanted to read a short statement.

Reading from a piece of paper, Koeman said: “Hello everyone. The club with me as coach is in a situation of rebuilding.

“The financial situation of the club is connected to the sporting activities and vice-versa. This means we as a team have to rebuild the team without being able to make any big financial investments. This needs time.

“The young talent today could be the next big world stars in just a few years. To rebuild this team, young players will be given opportunities like Xavi and Iniesta had in their day. But we must ask for patience.

“Achieving a high ranking in La Liga is a great success. In the Champions League we can’t hope for miracles. The defeat by Bayern Munich last week has to be analysed with that perspective.

“The process we’re in now with the staff and the team deserves unconditional support, in words and actions. I know the press recognises this process.

“It’s not the first time in Barcelona’s history this has happened. We count on your support in these difficult times.

“As staff and players, we are very happy with the great support of the fans, like we had in the match against Granada. Visca Barca, thanks to everyone.”

Several names, including Xavi Hernandez, Roberto Martinez and Antonio Conte, have been mentioned as possible successors to 58-year-old Koeman, whose relationship with club president Joan Laporta has been strained in recent weeks.

After the defeat at home to Bayern, Laporta posted a video addressed to Barcelona supporters in which he said: “I am as disappointed and upset as all of you are… Do not doubt we will resolve this situation.”

Koeman was asked about the club’s loss of identity after the draw against Granada on Monday.

His team had delivered 54 crosses and ended the game with central defenders Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo playing up front.

“If you see the list of players, what do you do? Play tiki-taki? Tiki-taki when there are no spaces?” said Koeman.

“We did what we had to do. We tried to win another way. We don’t have players one-on-one or with speed. We’re talking… I’m not going to say more because it seems I have to argue about everything.”

Barcelona head to Cadiz on Thursday in La Liga, having won two and drawn two of their opening four league games.

Source: AFP

Roman Catholic Cleric tells Biya: “We do not want this war in Southern Cameroons”

22, September 2021

Roman Catholic Cleric tells Biya: “We do not want this war in Southern Cameroons” 0

A French Cameroun Roman Catholic priest has launched a scathing attack on the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime calling on the 88-year-old dictator to stop the senseless war in Southern Cameroons.

“We do not want this war anymore. The children who are dying in Southern Cameroons are the children of the poor. We have never heard that the son or daughter of an army general has died there, that an army colonel’s child has died there in Southern Cameroons. Let’s stop, let’s stop!” the man of God told a predominantly Francophone audience during the funeral Mass of a soldier killed on the front line.

In the video widely circulated on social media networks, the Roman Catholic cleric can be heard shouting his indignation at the ravages of war in Southern Cameroons.

The much respected Minister of the Word also took the opportunity to appeal directly to the President of the Republic Paul Biya.

“I would like to ask you to please convey the message of the grieving families, the poor families, the families who have lost their children in this nasty way, we ask you to convey this message to the Head of State, that he should help us not to mourn our children anymore. The Cameroonian nation has all the possibilities to stop this murderous war. I pray in the name of the church that the Head of State will help us to stop crying for our children, please pass this message on to him,” the priest said.

By Rita Akana

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