30, October 2020

Pope Francis appeals for peace in Cameroon after deadly school attack ⁰

Pope Francis appealed for an end to violence in Cameroon Wednesday after seven students were killed in an attack on a school in the city of Kumba.

“I participate in the suffering of the families of the young students barbarically killed last Saturday in Kumba, in Cameroon. I feel great bewilderment at such a cruel and senseless act, which tore the young innocents from life while they were attending lessons at school,” Pope Francis said at the end of his general audience Oct. 28.

“May God enlighten hearts, so that similar gestures may never be repeated again and so that the tormented regions of the northwest and southwest of the country may finally find peace. I hope that the weapons will remain silent and that the safety of all and the right of every young person to education and the future can be guaranteed.”

Gunmen attacked Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy, a school in Cameroon’s Southwest region, on Oct. 24 and opened fire on students in a classroom. A local education official told Reuters that all seven victims of the attack were between 12 and 14 years old.

Bishop Agapitus Nfon of Kumba will offer a Mass for the repose of the souls of the murdered students and for the consolation of their bereaved families at the diocese’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Oct. 30.

“We shall also pray for the forgiveness and conversion of the Herod(s), the perpetrators of this heinous and barbarous act, while asking our loving Father in heaven to intervene for a lasting solution to be found so that true justice and peace may reign,” Bishop Nfon said in a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner.

“Let us pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit He may turn the wicked and stone hearts of the Herod(s) (the murderers of our children) into hearts of love and flesh.”

The school attack took place amid conflict between separatists and government forces in the English-speaking territories in the country’s Northwest Region and Southwest Region. Tensions escalated after Francophone teachers and judges were sent to work in the historically marginalized Anglophone regions in 2016, and the dispute has come to be known as the Anglophone Crisis.

Schools in the Anglophone regions of the nation, which is located at the junction of western and central Africa, were previously closed due to the skirmishes. In September, separatist leaders in the country called for the resumption of schooling in the warring regions. The government announced the reopening of learning institutions for Oct. 5.

After the attack, Bishop Nfon questioned this reversal on the region’s schools: “Were they not allowed to go to school by those who previously restricted them for the past four years? How could they then ask children to go to school and turn around to massacre them?”

The bishop also noted that the killings came less than a year after 22 people, including children and pregnant women, were killed in another attack in the Diocese of Kumbo in the Ngarbuh village in February.

“What is holding back those concerned, I mean the international bodies and the government of Cameroon, to look for a lasting solution to this problem that will restore justice and peace?” the bishop asked.

“We are painfully weeping and pondering; what is so important other than peace that will make us sit back in indifference and watch tender and precious lives being wasted away?”

Source: Catholic News Agency

30, October 2020

Southern Cameroons International Conference Starts Today ⁰

The International Conference on the Armed Conflict in the Southern Cameroons will start today October 30th in the USA.

Though initially planned for March 2020, the COVID pandemic forced the organizers to re-schedule and convert to a virtual event. Cameroon Concord News Group understands that the planning team has been working very hard over the past few months to put together a virtual event that would allow significant deliberation and opportunities to interact with other conference delegates and observers.

The virtual Southern Cameroons Auditorium has also been designed to enable participants engage with others throughout the conference.

Amongst those scheduled to speak during this 3-day Conference are H.E. Dr Amos Sawyer, Ambassador Herman Cohen, Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, Pa Augustine Ndangam, Frontline leaders, Civil Society, German Parliamentarians and French Parliamentarians. International observers will be present including the United States Congress, diplomats, international non-governmental organizations and many more.

Some 700 delegates have so far been approved to participate in Working Groups and through the various Working Groups, delegates will assess, analyze and propose a path out of the conflict that addresses the root causes in a sustainable manner.

There has been a very strong grassroots involvement with ordinary citizens, those internally displaced and refugees participating in the process.

The conference continues to accept 2-minute video statements from Southern Cameroonians with proposals on the way forward. The people of Southern Cameroons are encourage to kindly record a 2-minute video using your cell phone and send to this WhatsApp number: +13126177280

29, October 2020

Algerian president Tebboune transferred to German hospital amid Covid-19 fears ⁰

Algeria’s president was transferred from hospital in Algiers to Germany on Wednesday, officials said, days after the 74-year-old went into self-isolation following reports of suspected coronavirus cases among his aides.

“The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune was transferred… to Germany for in-depth medical examinations on the recommendation of medical staff,” a statement from the presidency said.

The transfer comes after officials said Saturday that Tebboune had “voluntarily” gone into self-isolation for five days amid reports several officials in the presidency and government had contracted the Covid-19 disease.

On Tuesday, Tebboune, a heavy smoker, was admitted into a “specialised care unit” in a military hospital in Algeria’s capital.

The presidency said at the time that his “state of health does not raise any concern”, but gave no further details.

On Wednesday, Tebboune had been expected to inaugurate the prayer hall of the new Grand Mosque in Algiers, the third largest in the world.

The president’s hospitalisation also comes ahead of a referendum on November 1 on constitutional reforms that the government hopes will satisfy a protest movement. The vote is a flagship initiative of Tebboune.

Algeria has seen a resurgence in novel coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

Over 57,000 cases have been recorded in the country of 44 million, including more than 1,940 deaths.

(AFP)

29, October 2020

Blood of Southern Cameroons Children: World churches join UN in condemning brutal Kumba killings ⁰

World Council of Churches interim head Rev. Ioan Sauca has joined global Christians and the United Nations in expressing horror at the brutal attack on schoolchildren in Cameron in which assailants slaughtered at least eight students with firearms and machetes.

The children were killed at the Mother Francisca International Academy in Kumba, Cameroon, on Oct. 24.

Unidentified gunmen killed at least eight children in their classroom with guns and machetes, while 12 others were injured.

“The WCC joins with the churches and all people of good will in Cameroon and around the world in condemning this abhorrent act, in commiserating with the families and communities affected, and in praying for the healing of the wounded children,” said Sauca.

Cameroonian church leaders reacted to the recent bloodshed with outrage and demands for action.

Bishop Agapitus Nfon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kumba lamented the loss of the young lives in the same statement.

‘BLOOD OF OUR CHILDREN’

“How much of the blood of our children need to be shed before something concrete and immediate is done? How long will the powers that be and are capable of restoring peace and tranquility in the distressed North West and South West Regions sit and wait?”

The attacked was strongly conemned at the UN in Geneva by a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani.

She said that the population continues to pay a heavy price in the ongoing crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon and described the attack as “vile”.

“Serious human rights violations and abuses continue to be reported, involving both security and defense forces and armed separatist groups amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shandasani.

“The killing and maiming of children as well as attacks on educational facilities constitute serious violations of international law and the perpetrators must be held accountable with due regard for international human rights standards.”

She also said that the Cameroonian authorities have an obligation to protect access to education.

No group has claimed responsibility though local authorities have accused separatist fighters of targeting the school, CNN reported.

People have been raising awareness of the incident on social media under the hashtag #EndAnglophoneCrisis.

LINGUISTIC CRISIS

This was a reference to ongoing movements which advocate a separation between English-speaking Cameroon from the French-speaking part of the country. Separatists in Anglophone regions have been fighting with government forces and government-backed militias for several years.

Both sides faced accusations of violence against civilians, which began in 2016 after residents in the country’s Anglophone provinces, where 20 percent of Cameroon’s population live, protested the government led by French speakers.

The Anglophone conflict has internally displaced more than 670,000 people in affected areas, while 60,000 Cameroonians have fled escalating violence to neighboring Nigeria, according to the United Nations’ estimates in February.

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, the Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, on Oct. 25 prayed for justice for the victims and accountability for those responsible.

“May those behind these gruesome killings of God’s children be imprisoned by the judge of the human conscience even before they are found out, prosecuted and sentenced,” he said.

The WCC appealed for renewed efforts for a comprehensive and more inclusive dialogue to address the current security, humanitarian and human rights challenges in the affected regions.

“The WCC stands in solidarity with and offers its support and accompaniment to the churches of Cameroon as they seek to fulfil their essential ministry for justice, peace and human dignity and rights,” said the council.

Source: ECUMENICAL NEWS

29, October 2020

Rights groups call for ceasefire in Southern Cameroons ⁰

More than 35 human rights organizations have signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Cameroon after a massacre at a school on Saturday. At least seven pupils were killed and more than a dozen wounded when gunmen stormed the school in Kumba in the southwest of the country.

Signatories to the letter include organizations from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as Africa-based rights groups.

The letter, published by Global Campaign for Peace and Justice in Cameroon, stresses that Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict needs a political, rather than a military, solution.

“We are killing ourselves, we are killing our brothers and sisters, we are killing our kids,” said Christopher Fomunyoh, senior associate for Africa with the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, who is also involved with the group that published the open letter.

‘”We must sit around a table and discuss the grievances of the Anglophone minority that are genuine and legitimate. Unless we sit down and have this conversation, this crisis will endure.”

Call for international sanctions

Fomunyoh, who is from Cameroon, believes that the open letter can make a difference, given the global attention now focused on the country following the killing of the schoolchildren.

“The world is seized with the current crisis in Cameroon and I hope that this global appeal for peace and justice in Cameroon, and for the cessation of atrocities and hostilities, will resonate internationally as well as within the country,” he told DW.

Two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, the Southwest and Northwest provinces, have become the center of a fight for secession from the French-speaking majority areas. The conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives and forced over 700,000 people to flee their homes since it flared in 2017.

The letter, published on Tuesday, calls on the United Nations to obtain a ceasefire.

It also asks diplomats and their countries to use all means possible, including sanctions, to encourage both Anglophone separatists and government forces to put down their weapons.

In the letter, the government of President Paul Biya is accused of urging children to return to school, but doing little to protect their safety.

Cameroon’s government has blamed secessionists for carrying out the attack on the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba.

Separatists have often targeted schoolchildren for attending classes in spite of a school boycott promoted by the insurgents.

But rights groups have documented abuses against civilians carried out by both Anglophone fighters and government forces.

Fomunyoh calls for caution when it comes to assigning blame for the latest atrocity. “As long as the investigations have not been completed, it is really difficult to pinpoint how these latest atrocities in Kumba came about,” he said.

‘UN Security Council must act’

After the killing of the schoolchildren, United Nations’ secretary-general Antonio Guterres asked Cameroonian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those responsible accountable.

He also extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved families

While appreciative of the UN secretary-general’s reaction, Fomunyoh stressed that there has been only one informal hearing at this year’s UN Security Council on the Cameroon crisis so far.

“That is not sufficient, because since then, hundreds of people have died and thousands have been displaced.”

Concrete action by the Security Council is “long overdue,” he said.

Source: Indianexpress

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