Southern Cameroons Crisis: Gov’t soldiers allegedly rape students in Bachuo-Akagbe village

8, October 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Gov’t soldiers allegedly rape students in Bachuo-Akagbe village 0

Cameroon Intelligence Report chief correspondent in Manyu on Wednesday confirmed the alleged rape of several girls at the Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Bachuo Akagbe by soldiers of the Mamfe and Besongabang Artillery Brigade of the Cameroon Army in Manyu Division.

The Cameroon government army soldiers were said to have raped the girls recently after they were deployed to the village some 12 kilometers from Mamfe to counter armed Ambazonia militia fighting against the resumption of schools in Southern Cameroons.

We gathered that many of the girls have reportedly narrated their ordeal to the Bishop’s House in Mamfe via Revered Father Chamberline Arinze, the Parish Priest in Bachuo Akagbe.

A spokesperson for the Bachou Akagbe traditional council confirmed that the ruler Chief John Etchu who is presently out of the country for medical reasons was aware of the incident, and had ordered investigation into it.

Our Manyu reporter who visited Bachou Akagbe village on Monday said the girls are willing to identify the soldiers and revealed that they were raped serially by the French speaking servicemen.

By Kingsley Betek in Mamfe

US Election 2020: Pence and Harris clash on coronavirus pandemic

8, October 2020

US Election 2020: Pence and Harris clash on coronavirus pandemic 0

US Vice-President Mike Pence and Democratic running mate Kamala Harris have clashed fiercely over the coronavirus pandemic in a TV debate.

Ms Harris accused President Donald Trump of “the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country”.

Mr Pence said Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s pandemic plan was “plagiarism” of the current White House’s.

Mr Biden leads Mr Trump with 27 days to go to the vote.

In Wednesday night’s 90-minute debate at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Ms Harris was asked whether she would take an approved Covid-19 vaccine distributed ahead of the election.

The 55-year-old California senator said she would not take a vaccine touted by Mr Trump without the approval of medical professionals.

Mr Pence – a mild mannered former Indiana governor known for his steadfast loyalty to Mr Trump – retorted: “The fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine if the vaccine emerges during the Trump administration I think is unconscionable.

“And, senator, I just ask you, stop playing politics with people’s lives.”

The plexiglass barriers separating the two debaters seated 12ft (3.6m) apart was a vivid reminder of the pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

The president – who is himself recovering from the virus – returned to the White House on Monday evening after three nights in hospital, with his opinion poll numbers drooping.

On Wednesday he declared that catching the disease was a “blessing from God” that exposed to him to experimental treatments he vowed would become free for all Americans.

Source: BBC

US Politics: Pence and Harris to square off in ‘most important VP debate in history

7, October 2020

US Politics: Pence and Harris to square off in ‘most important VP debate in history 0

Given the age of the two White House contenders, and President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis, Wednesday’s debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris is being billed as a critical test in an increasingly acrimonious election campaign.

The televised clash in Salt Lake City, Utah, comes at a precarious moment for the incumbents, less than a week after the president announced he had contracted Covid-19 amid a White House outbreak that has infected numerous high-profile Republicans.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, is ahead of Trump in national polls, enjoying a lead of 12 percentage points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey of likely voters, with less than four weeks until the November 3 election.

The traditional view among analysts is that presidential debates are unlikely to dramatically alter the dynamics of a presidential contest – and vice-presidential debates even less so.

Four years ago, only 37 million people tuned in for the debate between Pence and Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine, less than half the number of viewers recorded for the first Trump-Clinton face-off.

Source: France 24

Thousands killed and tortured in Southern Cameroons under South Africa’s watch

7, October 2020

Thousands killed and tortured in Southern Cameroons under South Africa’s watch 0

When South Africa assumed the chairpersonship of the AU in February 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed to prioritising a long-standing objective of silencing the guns on the continent within this year. But while we were celebrating the signing of the Sudan peace agreement in Juba on October 3, Southern Cameroonians were engaged in acts of resistance. The people have been forced to defend themselves from the Biya regime due to being ongoing subjects of the most brutal murders, detentions, sexual violations and physical and psychological torture.

Southern Cameroon, a self-governing territory since 1954, was expecting to be granted full independence during the 1960s wave of decolonisation, like their neighbours Le Republique du Cameroun (LRC), which became independent on January 1, 1960, and Nigeria, which became independent on October 1, 1960. Despite having been accorded a distinct international status by virtue of UN General Assembly Res 1608 (XV) of April 21, 1961, it was forced to choose between amalgamating with one of the two countries.

As an independent sovereign state, LRC passed many laws in its Parliament, and Law No 24/61, promulgated by its President Ahmadou Ahidjo on September 1, 1961, laid the basis for the annexure of Southern Cameroonian territory and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Cameroon on October 1, 1961. Despite the forced integration, there had been a general commitment to convivial relations within the Cameroons since independence; the decades of abuse of English-speaking Cameroonians have however reached intolerable levels. October 1 has accordingly become a symbol of annual remembrance.

Protests by Ambazonians, the preferred name used by many Southern Cameroonians, including school boycotts due to the marginalisation of English practises in schools, escalated in 2016, and have now reached the levels of armed resistance. As of September 2019, it was estimated that over 2 000 people have lost their lives and more than 100 towns and villages in the anglophone regions had been targeted with arson attacks by state forces, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

The UN, the AU, the Economic Commission for West African States are all conscious of the savagery being inflicted upon the people of Southern Cameroon, as clippings of rape, amputation of breast and limbs, killings, scorching of villages and crops and the vilest forms of torture, circulate widely. These include footage of a 2-month-old deceased child who was reportedly shot in the back of the head by Cameroonian military officials; people having been tied up, set alight, and burnt to death; and the burning of genitalia during interrogation. It is known that hundreds of detainees are held incommunicado, many of whom are tortured, in a detention facility in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. A sense of urgency to substantively intervene however, seems to be absent.

South Africa appears to be complicit in the inertia. It has shied away from having the matter addressed at the UN Security Council and is seemingly doing little to ensure that the AU intervenes. Southern Cameroonians, who actively contributed to the fight against apartheid through international solidarity, feel abandoned. They feel that the continent’s former liberation movements have all abdicated their functions as liberation movements and have forgotten their roots.

South Africa, given its strategic position on the continent and internationally, can play an important role in stopping the endless human rights atrocities in Southern Cameroon. The separatists are willing to negotiate, but on territory that they trust. South Africa is that territory. Our government should reach out to the separatist leaders, reach out to the state, and urgently facilitate a process that can end the genocide and restore peace. Silence will be a shameful scar on the conscience of humanity.

Source: iOl.CO.ZA

Russia: President Putin says relatives, associates vaccinated for COVID-19

7, October 2020

Russia: President Putin says relatives, associates vaccinated for COVID-19 0

Russian President Vladimir Putin says some of his close relatives and people in his inner circle have already been vaccinated against the new coronavirus.

“My close ones, my close relatives, people who are working around me got vaccinated. I’m speaking about dozens of people — approximately about 50,” Putin said on Tuesday, according to TASS.

“Almost the entire command of the Russian Defense Ministry and other special services were inoculated,” the Russian president added.

Russia was the first country to register a vaccine against the coronavirus, and Putin announced that one of his daughters had received the inoculation and developed sustainable immunity against the disease in late August.

French intervention in La Republique du Cameroun could turn Kamto-Biya crisis into civil war

7, October 2020

French intervention in La Republique du Cameroun could turn Kamto-Biya crisis into civil war 0

A senior Southern Cameroons political elite, Dr Patrick Ayuk has warned that French government intervention in La Republique du Cameroun could turn the current Kamto-Biya political crisis into a civil war, saying Ambazonian Restoration Forces should be on a high alert.

“We want security, stability and peace in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, particularly on our borders East of the Moungo River,” the South Africa based Southern Cameroons academic said in a telephone conversation with our London Bureau Chief.

He stressed the importance of putting an immediate end to Biya’s rule in French Cameroun and said, “The Ambazonia Interim Government should be ready to take any measure to protect Southern Cameroonians as things continue to deteriorate in French Cameroun.”

Dr. Patrick Ayuk further raised concerns that the French Cameroun protest may turn into urban warfare in the cities of Douala and Yaounde including Maroua that would lead to the killing of innocent civilians and massive displacement, in what would be a very painful and dangerous development in the French dominated CEMAC region.

Since the last presidential elections in French Cameroun, the opposition has staged huge protest rallies with both Prof Maurice Kamto and President Paul Biya blaming each other for initiating the conflict.

For four years, Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun have been locked in an armed conflict over the independence of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia mainly inhabited by British Southern Cameroonians.

During the telephone conversation with Cameroon Concord News on Tuesday, Dr. Patrick Ayuk called on French Camerounians to reject any foreign interference in their country, warning that the two Cameroons cannot tolerate a new war.

By Chi Prudence Asong

US: Trump Covid infection puts Secret Service bodyguards at risk

6, October 2020

US: Trump Covid infection puts Secret Service bodyguards at risk 0

The White House bodyguards of the Secret Service are ever ready to “take a bullet” for the US president, but a danger they now face is Donald Trump himself, infected with Covid-19.

Trump’s rejection of masks in the White House and on the campaign trail helped foster a lack of vigilance that led to an outbreak among presidential staff and attendants, including several in the Secret Service, according to reports.

While being treated at the Walter Reed medical center near Washington on Sunday, Trump stretched protocol even further when he had a Secret Service team drive him around to wave to supporters outside the hospital.

The president and his bodyguards wore masks, but they were all in one vehicle with the windows shut, at a time when experts say he was highly infectious.

The White House later sought to justify the brief outing, saying “appropriate cautions” had been taken and that it had been “cleared by the medical team.”

But Walter Reed physician James Phillips described the drive as “insanity.”

“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,” he tweeted.

“They might get sick. They may die. For political theater.”

– ‘Part of the job’ –

Risk is part of the job for the elite presidential protective division of the Secret Service. The agents travel with the US leader and the vice president at all times, famously putting themselves between attacker and target.

In 1963 Agent Clint Hill threw himself over the bodies of president John F. Kennedy and his wife Jaqueline after Kennedy, riding in an open car, had been hit by an assassin’s bullet.

“If I had reacted just a little bit quicker,” Hill later regretted. “I’ll live with that to my grave.”

In 1981 agent Tim McCarthy likewise shielded Ronald Reagan with his body and pushed him into his limousine after a shooter wounded the president and two others.

“That’s just part of the job,” says Ronald Kessler, who has written two books about the service. “When they sign up, they understand that they are going to be at risk, they could be shot.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has posed a different threat.

Battling an uphill fight to hold on to the White House in the November election, Trump has traveled the country holding rallies and fundraisers without requiring masks or social distancing.

Several Secret Service agents were forced to self-quarantine after a June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the same happened again after a July speech to sheriffs in Tampa, Florida led to positive Covid-19 tests, according to the Washington Post.

The service also had an outbreak at its training academy in Maryland.

For what it called “operational sensitivity,” the Secret Service would not discuss how coronavirus has impacted them.

“The Secret Service will continue to follow established protocols to ensure the safety of our employees. The Secret Service does not discuss our protectees or the specific means and methods regarding our protective mission,” said spokeswoman Justine Whelan.

Kessler, who has also written a book about Trump, said the agents were “very loyal” to the president, whom he said “treats them with respect and consideration.”

Nevertheless, he added: “My opinion is, why take unnecessary risks and send the wrong message in this case when he took his jaunt?”

Michelle Obama, who as the wife of former president Barack Obama continues to enjoy Secret Service protection, took aim at Trump in a tweet on Tuesday.

“My heart goes out to everyone touched by this virus,” she wrote, “especially the Secret Service and residence staff whose service ought never be taken for granted.”

Source: AFP

419: Cameroon, Philippine teachers arrested for Thai mask fraud

6, October 2020

419: Cameroon, Philippine teachers arrested for Thai mask fraud 0

Two language teachers, from Philippines and Cameroon, have been arrested in Thailand for alleged involvement in a face mask fraud that cost investors about 27 million baht, the Bangkok Post reports.

Pol Maj Gen Jirapop Puridet, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said last week, Filipino Tanko Romo Jr, 27, was arrested in Kantharawichai district of Maha Sarakham, and Cameroonian Asaka Mbah, 38, in Nong Nakham district of Khon Kaen, both on Tuesday.

The two suspects are allegedly part of a gang that claimed in March to be a large manufacturer of surgical masks.

The fraudsters created a fake website with a company name and logo and false procurement and transport documents. They offered surgical masks for sale in large amounts. They attracted purchases worth 27 million baht, which buyers transferred to the gang’s bank accounts.

During the investigation, detectives managed to warn off one victim who was just about to make payment for an order, Pol Maj Gen Jirapop said.

The two suspects were working as language teachers. Police targetted them after the earlier arrest of a Thai woman who was also part of the fraud, he said.

Source: The Standard.com.hk

Schools reopen in French Cameroun amid COVID-19

6, October 2020

Schools reopen in French Cameroun amid COVID-19 0

Primary and secondary schools in French Cameroun reopened on Monday after close to seven months of suspension amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The country’s Minister of Secondary Education, Pauline Nalova Lyonga officially launched the new school year in Mbalmayo, a town on the outskirts of the capital Yaounde.

Officials said classes commenced with every learner in class and teachers wearing face masks and maintaining social distance.

“I am pleased that teachers and students are respecting the anti-COVID 19 measures. We ask them to be more cautious because the virus is still there,” Lyonga said.

Universities will resume next week, according to officials.

French and Southern Cameroons have so far recorded more than 20,000 coronavirus cases. COVID-19 prevalence in the country is generally decreasing with a recovery rate of over 94 percent, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Source: Xinhaunet with additional editing from Camcordnews

US: Democrats slam Trump for setting ‘dangerous’ example as infected president returns to White House

6, October 2020

US: Democrats slam Trump for setting ‘dangerous’ example as infected president returns to White House 0

US President Donald Trump has come once again under scrutiny for downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus — this time his own illness — as he returned to the White House after less than three nights in hospital for COVID-19 treatment, calling on people not to be afraid of the virus that has killed more than 210,000 people in the US.

Democrats have slammed Trump of rushing his release for the sake of politics, accusing him of politicizing his illness, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he might become “a long-hauler”, someone who experiences longer-term consequences.

“He should not be dealing with it politically to make it look like he overcame the virus because he’s had such good policies,” Pelosi said. “He has been very destructive and dangerous to the country.”

Trump was admitted to the Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

He left the hospital on Monday and went back to the White House, where he is expected to continue his recovery, according to his doctor.

The president tweeted before leaving the hospital that he “will be back on Campaign Trail soon.”

“Don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it,” Trump said in a recorded video message.

“We’re going back, we’re going back to work. We’re going to be out front. … Don’t let it dominate your lives. Get out there, be careful,” Trump said.

His campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the president plans to participate in the second presidential debate, to be set in Miami, on October 15.  

This has raised concern among health experts, including within his own administration, and drew criticism from politicians, including both Democrats and Republicans, who described his latest remarks on the disease as “irresponsible” and “shocking.”  

“COVID-19 is something that is killing a lot of people. And it’s definitely a threat to people’s overall health,” said Otto Yang, a professor of infectious disease at the University of California.

“I think it’s up to the individual to judge if that’s something to be afraid of or not,” he added.

Source: Presstv

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