29, October 2020

Prof. Lumumba names Biya among his four worst African leaders ⁰

Prof. PLO Lumumba, who is widely acknowledged in Africa as a fearless and outspoken statesman and an advocate of change, was the latest guest to be hosted on Real Talk with Nana, a virtual talk show based in the UK.

Speaking on the topic, The Impact of Slavery and Colonisation on Africa, he applauded and acknowledged a few African leaders, who he said were beginning to realise the need for change on the continent and successfully taking on the African agenda; one which seeks to make the continent and it’s people, major stakeholders, in the discussion and implementation of global issues and policies for the benefit of Africa.

He described them as leaders who were thinking in the right manner and direction. These Presidents are Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Mogweetsi Masisi of Botswana, John Magufuli of Tanzania and Hage Geingob of Namibia. He expressed gratitude for such leaders and their dedication towards a new Africa.

He quickly lamented and expressed disappointment in certain African leaders, who through their actions and policies have inevitably opposed the development of Africa and inhibited the nation and her people. These were presidents, Alpha Conde of Guinea, Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’Ivoire, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Edgar Lungu of Zambia.

Source: Ghanaweb

29, October 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Meme County holds Vigil to Remember Children Killed in School Attack ⁰

Residents in Kumba paid their respects to the seven lives lost, and those injured during the attack over the weekend.

In the latest tragedy to come from Cameroon’s historically violent clash between Anglo and Francophone citizens, seven children were murdered after attackers stormed a school with guns and machetes over the weekend.

In what has been deemed as the “darkest and saddest day,” by Bishop Agapitus Nfon of Kumba, armed attackers stormed the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy, targeting students aged 9 to 12. The tragic event saw dozens of children injured, some critically.

The attack has shocked the nation, with both local and international agencies condemning the horrible offense. On Monday, Cameroonian President Paul Biya denounced the “horrific murder” of the school children, and alluded to the “appropriate measures” being taken in order to bring justice to the families of the victims. Prime Minister Dion Ngute Joseph shared his condolences via a tweet saying, “I bow before the memory of these innocent kids.”

The Cameroonian presidency and governing body have blamed Anglophone ‘separatists’ for the attack, though the group claims no part in the attack.

Human rights groups, however, have blamed both opposing parties, as the conflict has led to the death of over 3,000 deaths and resulted in more than 700,000 Cameroonians fleeing their homes and the country.

Source:Okayafrica

29, October 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: National mourning for school attack victims ⁰

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya declared a day of national morning Wednesday to pay homage to victims of last week’s deadly shooting at a school in Kumba that killed at least seven.

The national flag will be flown at half-mast on Oct. 31 throughout the nation, according to a presidential decree.

At least seven children were killed and several seriously injured after a separatist group attacked the school in the southwest region.

Pope Francis joined the international community Wednesday to condemn the “barbaric” killing of school children.

”May God enlighten hearts, so that similar acts may never be repeated! I send my affection to the families and all Cameroon, and I invoke the comfort that only God can give,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said he was “shocked by a horrific attack.”

Following the massacre, several opinion leaders took to social media with the hashtag, #EndAnglophoneCrisis, to denounce the attacks and urge the government and secessionists to solve the crisis which has affected hundreds of thousands.

The Central African country has been marred by protests and violence since 2016, with residents in English-speaking regions saying they have been marginalized for decades by the central government and the French-speaking majority.

They have demanded independence or a federal state.

Violence in the Anglophone regions in the last three years has claimed an estimated 3,000 lives and caused the displacement of more than 730,000 civilians, according to the Human Rights Watch.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said in June, for a second year running, Cameroon topped the list as the most neglected crisis on the planet in 2019.

Source: Anadolu Agency

28, October 2020

US early voting surpasses 70 million, continuing historic pace ⁰

More than 70 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election, more than half the total turnout of the 2016 election with one week to go until Election Day, according to a Tuesday tally from the U.S. Elections Project.

The tally, which shows a record-breaking pace that could lead to the highest voter turnout in percentage terms in more than a century, is the latest sign of intense interest in the contest between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. It also highlights voters’ desire to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19 as the pandemic regathers strength heading into winter.

Democrats hold a significant advantage in early voting due to their embrace of mail balloting, which Republicans have historically cast in large numbers but have shunned amid repeated and unfounded attacks by Trump, who says the system is prone to widespread fraud.

Overall, Democrats hold roughly a two-to-one advantage in early voting numbers. However, Republicans in recent weeks have narrowed the gap in early, in-person voting, data shows.

The high level of early voting has led Michael McDonald, the University of Florida professor who administers the U.S. Elections Project, to predict a record U.S. voter turnout of about 150 million, representing 65% of those eligible to vote, the highest rate since 1908.

U.S. voters have already cast far more early votes during this presidential campaign than they did in all of 2016 when they passed the 47 million mark earlier this month, data shows.

(REUTERS)

28, October 2020

Why every priest and religious needs a social media ministry ⁰

Many Catholic Priests and Religious do not, in theory, oppose technology or the social media. Many tend to reluctantly embrace newer technologies. There seem to be a slow adoption of social media. The majority of Catholic Priests and Religious lack a social media presence.

From my observation, there is an insufficient commitment on the part of many Catholic Priests and Religious as regards to the use of social media. There is complacency and ignorance in the communication apostolate. Some are biased that the social media is not meant for Priests and Religious. Some perceive the social media more as a threat than a partner. This can be seen in the fact that some Priests and Religious do not use social media and some who use it do so anonymously. Some tend to use it without revealing their personal identities or personalities.

Though some Priests and Religious point out the evil and harm of social media, we all have the choice to use the social media for our own personal gratification or use it as a tool to bring glory to God. We can choose to use social media for good! It is unfortunate that many Priests and Religious who use the social media use it only for personal gratification. They use it to post pictures when they have put on new dresses, new shoes, visiting a new place, eating a good meal, personal achievements like buying a new car, graduating from some studies, etc.

It is the responsibility of the Priest and Religious among other things to teach and proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the responsibility of the Priests and Religious to bring the Church’s teaching into the “digital continent” (Pope Benedict XVI). The Priests need to approach the social media as a powerful means of evangelization and to consider the Church’s role in providing a Christian perspective on digital literacy.

It is urgent that every Priest and Religious should use the social media for sowing the seeds among the Christians, secular audience, proclaiming the Gospel to “housetops”, catechesis, and spreading the Gospel of salvation.

Social media offers to Priests and Religious more space to actively engage with sermons, preachings, public prayers, religious music, Holy Masses, penitential services, present parish events. It enables Priests and Religious to reach and engage those in and outside the Church-the lapsed Catholic, the divorced, the marginalized, the unchurched, and the young.

If you are concerned with the crisis of faith, the decrease of faith and you as a Priest and Religious are not fully committed to employing this massive communications infrastructure that is free to use and at everyone’s disposal, then you share in the blame.

It is time for you the Priest and Religious to effectively join the social media and use it for evangelization. Create accounts of Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and use it to make disciples of all nations. Create Websites, Blogs, and Online Platforms to proclaim the Gospel. Share daily and weekly reflections, create videos, voice, visual and text content, present Parish Events for the purpose of reaching lost souls. Live stream or record Holy Masses, prayer meetings, praise and worships, concerts, preachings, teachings, catechesis, charities, retreats, etc to fulfill the reason for which God called you-to save some from the Fire!

Why are you afraid of social media? Why are you reluctant to use it? Why don’t you reveal your personality on social media? Is it because you have skeletons in your cupboard? Is it because you do not want some individuals to know you are a Priests or Religious because you have compromised your state of life and vows? Are you in to a kind of double lifestyle? Take seriously the encouragement about social media and engage urgently in the mission of evangelization. This is the golden age of evangelization and apologetics. Seize the opportunity! This is a tremendous opportunity not to let pass by. Let it not be said or witnessed that you were a Priest or Religious who did nothing in spreading the Good News through social media by which you could reach millions of people in a short time than just a hundred in your parish or mission station or diocese. You are entrusted with the teaching office. The world waits for you to fully engage in it through the social media.

Rev. Fr. Constant Leke

Spiritual Director

Fresh Anointing Ministries

Germany

28, October 2020

Tanzania to hold election marred by violence, concerns over fairness ⁰

Tanzanians will vote Wednesday amid rising concern for democracy under President John Magufuli, who is seeking a second term, and with tensions high in volatile Zanzibar, where violence erupted ahead of the vote.

Long deemed a haven of stability in East Africa, observers say Tanzania has seen a worrying crackdown on the opposition and freedom of speech under the 60-year-old Magufuli and his Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power since 1961.

Magufuli is counting on his ambitious programme of infrastructure development and fiery anti-corruption stance to secure him a second mandate and called for a peaceful vote.

“For those who qualify, vote and go home. Let the electoral body do its work. Peace is very important and I pray it dominates the polls,” he said Tuesday.

Magufuli’s main challenger among 15 presidential candidates is Tundu Lissu, 52, of the Chadema opposition party.

He returned to the country in July after three years abroad recovering from 16 bullet wounds sustained in what he believes was a politically-motivated assassination attempt.

Lissu’s return has reinvigorated an opposition demoralised by a ban on political rallies outside of election time, multiple arrests, attacks, and what rights groups have slammed as the squeezing of democracy.

“I have witnessed through the campaign that Tanzanians are ready for changes and I believe they will turn out to vote tomorrow,” he said at his final rally.

Early vote –

In a boost for the opposition’s chances, Zitto Kabwe, the head of the popular ACT-Wazalendo party, has endorsed Lissu for the presidency on the mainland.

In return, Chadema is backing veteran opposition candidate Seif Sharif Hamad in his sixth bid for the presidency in Zanzibar, this time against CCM candidate Hussein Ali Hassan Mwinyi.

Zanzibar has a history of tense elections plagued with violence and irregularities and the opposition has again accused the ruling party of seeking to steal the vote.

The archipelago held an early vote for security forces Tuesday which prompted violence that the opposition says left 10 dead and scores injured.

“How can you have an election were you have teargas everywhere and live ammunition? It is in no case a fair election, it is just a farce,” said Hamad.

Trucks loaded with soldiers, police and a militia linked to the ruling party known as “zombies” — clad in black with their faces covered by bandanas — whizzed throughout the city and on Tuesday were seen rounding up and beating several civilians.

“I’m alarmed by reports from Zanzibar and elsewhere of violence, deaths, and detentions,” United States ambassador Donald Wright wrote on Twitter.

Britain’s envoy, David Concar, urged “all involved in the elections to act with restraint and integrity to ensure the will of the people can be expressed peacefully at the ballot box”.

Increasing intolerance –

Magufuli, elected in 2015, at first made wildly popular moves such as curbing foreign travel for government officials or showing up in person to make sure civil servants were doing their work.

Then, he banned political rallies and became increasingly intolerant of dissent.

A series of tough media laws were passed, arrests of journalists, activists and opposition members soared and several opposition members were killed.

The opposition and analysts have expressed serious concerns about the fairness of the election, pointing in particular to a polls body comprising commissioners personally appointed by Magufuli.

Magufuli touts his expansion of free education, rural electrification and infrastructure projects such as railways, a hydropower dam set to double electricity output and the revival of the national airline.

However analysts say while the economy grew at an impressive pre-coronavirus average of six percent, there was little job creation and aggressive tax collection has hurt the private sector and made doing business harder.

The IMF expects growth to slow to 1.9 percent this year.

The election campaign has taken place with little regard to the coronavirus pandemic. Tanzania stopped giving out official data on infection numbers in April, and Magufuli has declared the country Covid-free, which he attributes to the power of prayer.

On the mainland, just over 29 million registered voters will cast their ballots, while some 566,000 will vote in Zanzibar from 7 am (0400 GMT) until 4 pm (1300 GMT).

Source: AFP

28, October 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Turkey condemns deadly school attack in Kumba ⁰

Turkey on Monday condemned a deadly attack on a private school in southwestern Cameroon.

“We are saddened by the news that many children lost their lives and were injured in an attack on a private school in the city of Kumba in Cameroon on 24 October 2020,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn this heinous attack on the innocent children. We extend our sincere condolences to the friendly and brotherly people and Government of Cameroon and wish a speedy recovery to the injured children,” the statement added.

At least seven people died and 12 were injured on Saturday in an attack by gunmen with machetes in a classroom in southwestern Cameroon.

They are calling for independence or a federal state.

Violence in the Anglophone regions over the last three years has claimed an estimated 3,000 lives and caused the displacement of over 730,000 civilians, according to Human Rights Watch.

In June, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said for a second year running Cameroon topped the list as the most neglected crisis on the planet.

Source: Anadolu Agency

28, October 2020

Amnesty International says Killing of 8 schoolchildren is a new low in devastating Ambazonia crisis ⁰

Following the killing of eight schoolchildren in the town of Kumba in the Anglophone region of Cameroon, Tity Agbahey, Amnesty International’s Central Africa Campaigner, said:

“The killing of eight schoolchildren inside their classroom is an atrocity that underscores the urgency of protecting ordinary people from the ongoing violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. This horrific attack shows how badly the situation is deteriorating and we call on Cameroon’s authorities to immediately take all possible measures to protect the population.

“At least 12 other schoolchildren were injured in the attack. Over the past year there has been a surge in attacks in the Anglophone region, with many people killed, abducted or injured.

“The Cameroonian authorities must send out a strong and clear signal that such appalling crimes will not be tolerated, by immediately investigating these killings. The perpetrators must be identified, arrested, prosecuted and tried in a fair trial.

“We also call on authorities to guarantee at all times and in all places the free exercise of the right to education, which is under threat.”

28, October 2020

Governing Via Twitter: Biya condemns Kumba mass shooting ⁰

President Paul Biya has condemned the killing of seven children in a mass shooting at a private school in the Anglophone region.

The president termed Saturday’s shooting as a “barbaric and cowardly crime against innocent children”.

He said he had instructed security agencies to “ensure that the perpetrators of these despicable acts are apprehended by our defence and security forces and brought to justice”.

The president tweeted his condolences to the bereaved families:

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, urged the authorities to investigate the attack and ensure those responsible are held accountable.

“He calls on all armed actors to refrain from attacks against civilians and to respect international humanitarian and international human rights law,” read a statement from his office.

Source: BBC

28, October 2020

Kumba Massacre: Pain lingers on for parents who lost their sons and daughters ⁰

“Daddy, I am going to school.”

Those were the last words Victory said to his father, Tamangoua Boniface, as he grabbed his school bag and walked to his school on October 24.

And that was also the last time Boniface, the pastor of World Restoration Ministry in Kumba, a town in Cameroon’s Southwest Region, would see his 11-year-old son.

Victory was one of the seven children who were killed when unknown attackers armed with guns and machetes stormed Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy.

The brazen attack, which also left a dozen students wounded, shocked Cameroon. It also drew widespread condemnation from within and outside the country, including from United Nations agencies, international rights groups and local civil society organisations.

On Monday, President Paul Biya also denounced the “horrific murder” of schoolchildren and said “appropriate measures” would be taken to ensure the people responsible are arrested and prosecuted.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place in a part of Cameroon where separatist armed groups have been fighting government forces for almost four years.

In 2016, lawyers, teachers and others in Cameroon’s largely Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions took to the streets to protest against the dominance of French in the education and legal systems, echoing long-running grievances among the country’s English-speaking minority over their region’s perceived marginalisation by the Francophone-dominated central government in the capital, Yaounde. The government’s heavy-handed response to the protests was followed by the emergence of several separatist armed groups seeking to form a breakaway state.

Human rights groups have accused both sides of committing atrocities in a conflict that has killed at least 3,000 people. Amid a wave of arbitrary arrests and kidnappings, as well as extrajudicial killings and wanton destruction of homes and public facilities, the crisis has forced more than 700,000 Cameroonians to flee their homes in search of safety, with almost 60,000 crossing the border to Nigeria.

‘Lifeless on the floor’

The night before the school attack, Victory had stayed up until midnight studying and transferring notes to an exercise book, according to his father. After the family’s morning prayers, Victory cleaned the house and prepared for school. His mother, who was convalescing from a surgery, promised to make lunch before he returned home by 2pm.

But not too long after he left, a child came running towards the family’s home, his cries loud and unrelenting.

“When the child who was wailing got to our home, he fell to the ground and shouted ‘Pastor! Pastor! They have killed Victory; Victory is dead,’” said Boniface, 48.

“The child said some armed men came to school on motorbikes, went into classrooms and killed some children.”

Speaking on the phone, he paused for a very long time.

“When I got there [the school], I saw my son lying lifeless on the floor alongside two other kids,” the pastor said. “The deep wound on the left side around the ribs showed that he had been stabbed.”

He took a deep breath and paused again.

“Victory,” his father continued, “was among the first three victims who died.”

Anger over the attack has boiled over into expressions of public solidarity and street marches in some towns, including in Yaounde,

The hashtag #EndAnglophoneCrisis has also been widely used in recent days to reignite calls for an end to the conflict that has devastated villages, towns and livelihoods.

Some newspapers also mourned the dead by running a black cover page.

“Honestly, we did not find any words to express how we felt after the Kumba killings,” said Tarhyang Tabe, publisher of The Advocate Newspaper, a local weekly.

“As a newspaper which advocates for peace, we used our Monday publication to advocate for peace.”

But for parents who lost their children in the attack, the journey to recovery is arduous and thorny.

Njulefac Kingsley, who lost his 11-year-old daughter, Jennifer Anangim, sounded inconsolable.

A father of four (Jennifer was his second child), the 45-year-old architect said he went to his farm after his daughter had left for school, only to receive a phone call later from a friend informing him of the attack.

“I rushed to Jennifer’s school and found my daughter lying lifeless in the pool of her own blood with her head blown off,” Kingsley said, taking a breather.

A short period of silence followed. When he began to speak on the phone again, he said he became unconscious for nearly four hours after the incident.

“I had to go and try to gather pieces of my daughter’s head,” Kingsley said. “It is very difficult for me and my wife and Jennifer’s sisters and brother.”

Analysts say the shooting shows that there is a need to seek urgent solutions to the conflict and the endless cycle of violence that it has caused so far.

The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, an NGO in Cameroon, said the attack violated children’s rights to education and life, and called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Meanwhile, residents in Kumba continue to berate the attackers.

“There is no condemnation strong enough to articulate our full sorrow at the brutal attack and killing of innocent children struggling to pursue education which is their right,” said Shengang Richard, president of the Association of Family Welfare and Development, an NGO in Kumba.

Richard, whose organisation started a centre to teach children displaced by the crisis, is worried that the attack might derail efforts to get boys and girls back to school.

Separatist fighters often enforce a lockdown on Mondays in the Anglophone regions, keeping schools closed for nearly four years.

Teachers and students continue to face threats while the violence shows no signs of slowing.

“I am afraid that this school attack will undo our efforts to enable children to go to school,” Richard said. “When schools are attacked and children killed, it will scare kids from schools and undo the efforts of humanitarian workers who are working hard to help children have an education.”

For Boniface and his wife, the grief lingers on.

Victory was in the first year of junior secondary school. He loved gospel music and was an active member of the church choir, his father said. He played drums in church and loved playing football.

But, above all, he loved school, Boniface remarked. “He dreamed of becoming an engineer,” he added, saying his son’s death is “very difficult to process.”

“My wife has been collapsing since Saturday,” he said.

Victory’s family is overwhelmed with hundreds of residents who have been visiting his home to sympathise with his parents.

“It is unbelievable the crowds that are trooping to our home to condole with us,” Boniface said.

But that is also because of the circumstances surrounding his birth.

Victory was conceived nearly nine years after his parents’ marriage. Couples without children are often stigmatised in some African societies, and married women without children are often described as “barren”.

“Victory was my first and only child,” Boniface said.

“My wife and I had him after eight years [and] six months in marriage with no child. When he was born it was a big testimony for us, that’s why we named him Victory.”

SOURCE : AL JAZEERA