22, September 2020

Rwanda: I will always remember you ⁰

Dear Rwanda,

I will always remember you. A small but beautiful and amazing country nestled in the bosom of Mother Africa like a well-loved child.

I will always remember the five years I spent with you, enjoying your cool climate, lush green lands, serene lakes, and majestic mountains.

I will remember your leaders for the vision, principles, values, and integrity that characterized the management of this land. While I lived here, I saw leaders more focused on the needs of their people than on their own.

I will always remember the outstanding Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Director-Generals and government staff that I worked with, and the way they embraced me as a partner in their nation’s development. I will always remember the great work we did together, the strength of the partnership we forged, and their warmth and friendship.

I will always remember your murakoze cyane and muraho neza, and the Rwandan smile that always accompanied these words, making me feel like a brother among family, rather than a stranger in a foreign land.

I will always remember the way your leaders and your people shook my hand and then held on to it – at first, this was strange to me, an outsider, but then I understood that it was a sign of friendship and brotherhood.

I will always remember my team – fine, outstanding Rwandans who believed in their country and its leaders, and the expatriate staff who came and made Rwanda not just a home but a mission. It was an honour to serve alongside these wonderful women and men.

I will always remember the development partners I collaborated with – some exceptional Ambassadors, Heads of Cooperation and their staff, the wonderful UN Resident Coordinator and Heads of UN Agency with whom I had the honour to serve and many of whom I have the privilege to call friends.

I will remember all the partners, both those who believed in Rwanda and those who didn’t, because, like you, I always knew that what was truly important was that you believed in yourselves.

I will always remember the days I spent by the shores of your lakes, basking in the glory of God’s creation.

I will remember seeing the mountain gorillas, our close relatives, living under the protection of not just God, but a government that believes in their preservation. And what a sight it was to behold these rare and regal creatures!

I will remember the delightful grilled tilapia and the heavenly mizuzu which reminded me of home. I will remember the sambaza, deeply fried with a touch of lemon and Akabanga chili. I will remember going night fishing on Lake Kivu, with the fishermen who caught these tiny specks of delight and sang songs that their ancestors sang to the star-filled nights.

I will remember everything that we did together, with the aim of building this great country. In some areas we may not have achieved all that we hoped for, but in so many other areas we made huge progress, our sleeves rolled up, working side by side, giving encouragement and feedback to each other, always with the past at our back and the sun shining towards the future.

Among other things, I will remember how we strengthened the media and civil society, championed the cause of the disabled, promoted gender equality, protected the environment, fostered unity and reconciliation, facilitated young entrepreneurs and innovators, tackled Covid19, and worked to build one country for everyone. I will remember the Drones and the Robots, and so many other innovations

In Jamaican patios we’d say Rwanda’s ambition “cyan dun”, meaning your ambition is endless. But you not only dream big, you act and you implement your vision.

I will remember you Rwanda, because I was blessed to have been here, to join you in your remarkable journey of transformation.

Who could have known that the country the world ignored, would one day become a lighthouse showing the way for others to follow. The stone that the builder rejected, has indeed become a cornerstone for the development of this continent.

I will always remember you Rwanda.

And I hope that you will always remember me, as a friend. I hope that you will always know that wherever in the world I may be, if there is anything at all I can do to help, I will. I will always be a friendly ear that still listens, and a warm heart that still cares.

I will remember you Rwanda, for all the days of my life. I will always remember you, with love

Source: Newtimesrwanda.com

22, September 2020

East Cameroon Crisis: Citizens threatened with life imprisonment if they take part in anti Biya protest ⁰

Soldiers have been deployed onto the streets of Cameroon ahead of protests planned for Tuesday which call for President Paul Biya to resign amid escalating ethnic tensions.

Those planning to take part in the demonstrations, called by opposition leader Maurice Kamto, have been threatened with “life imprisonment” after government figures accused him of insurrection.

His Cameroon Resistance Movement has called for peaceful protests to demand Mr Biya’s resignation and that regional elections in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon be reformed to include marginalised communities.

Some 17 per cent of Cameroon’s population of 17 million live in the two Anglophone regions.

The military mobilisation comes as the government fears that demonstrations could spark severe public disorder as tensions continue to rise.

At least 3,000 have been killed and 730,000 people internally displaced in clashes with the security services over the past four years.

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

Opposition figures claim that scores have been arrested ahead of Tuesday’s protests.

According to eyewitnesses, men in military fatigues detained at least eight motorcycle-taxi drivers who were reading opposition newspapers.

Government minister Paul Atanga Nji said: “I want to sound a stern warning to unscrupulous politicians looking for cheap popularity with a hidden agenda that they will face the law in case of any public disorder.”

But Mr Kamto, who claims that the 2018 presidential election won by Mr Biya was rigged, insisted the protests would go ahead despite state oppression.

“Our fight against the dictatorship is heading towards its critical phase. Despite the essentially peaceful nature of our struggle for the freedom and development of our country, the regime once again resorts to terror and judicial barbarism,” he said.

“As I have said repeatedly, we want to get out of the dictatorship.”

Source: Morning Star Online

21, September 2020

Another way to placate the West: French Cameroun soldiers jailed for murdering women and children ⁰

Four Cameroonian soldiers received 10-year prison sentences on Monday for the killing of two women and two children in an incident that sparked international outcry, their lawyers said.

They and three other soldiers were arrested after a video surfaced on social media in July 2018 showing uniformed men levelling rifles and firing at the victims, one of whom had a baby strapped to her back.

The video was one of several to emerge in recent years of alleged atrocities by Cameroonian forces during operations against Islamist Boko Haram militants in the north and Anglophone separatists in the west.

The trial started in January and has been conducted behind closed doors. On Monday, the court found three of the soldiers guilty of murder, while their commander Etienne Fabassou was found guilty of complicity in murder, according to his lawyer Sylvestre Mbeng.

All four were given ten years.

Another soldier received a two-year sentence for violating orders, while two others were found not guilty on all counts and released, Mbeng told Reuters.

Under Cameroonian law, some of the defendants could have faced the death penalty, although Cameroon has not executed anyone since 1997.

Mbeng said Fabassou would likely appeal the verdict as witnesses gave contradictory accounts of whether he gave the order to shoot.

Government and army officials initially dismissed the video as “fake news”.

But the soldiers’ eventual arrest and prosecution were welcomed by activists, including Amnesty International, who accuse government soldiers of repeatedly engaging in torture and extra-judicial killings in the far north.

The government denies systematic abuses.

“All victims of human rights violations perpetrated by Cameroonian security forces in the fight against Boko Haram deserve fair justice granted by ordinary courts,” said Amnesty’s regional director Samira Daoud in response to the ruling.

(REUTERS)

21, September 2020

Ambazonia Self Defense Patriots issues a statement on the crisis in French Cameroun ⁰

EVENT

The 15 September 2020 declaration by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) calling for an anti-government protest, nationwide, on Tuesday, 22 September 2020 is an internal regime-change struggle by the citizens of La Republique du Cameroun (LRC).

It detracts from the core aims of Ambazonia war of independence. However, 22 September is a significant national day in the historical evolution of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. On 22 September 2017, under the then Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council (SCAGC), headed by His Excellency Sissiku Julius Ayuk-Tabe, Ambazonians worldwide demonstrated their collective will for self determination.

On that day, more than four-million armless and peaceful Ambazonians marched on the streets. They protested at chiefs’ palaces and colonial administrative offices within Ambazonia. Worldwide, over 2 million diaspora-based Ambazonians gathered in front of foreign missions and multilateral organizations including the United Nations Headquarters in New York, European Union in Brussels, and African Union in Addis Ababa.

Notably, on 22 September 2017, Ambazonians sent a clear and unmistaken message to the international community expressing their collective will and determination of freedom from illegal occupation and to become an independent sovereign state.

Consistent with the collective and unanimous will of the people of Ambazonia, His Excellency Sissiku Julius Ayuk-Tabe declared an independent state of Ambazonia on 1 October 2017. Our war of independence is the struggle of our lifetime. It aims to break the chains of slavery in our homeland and remains our collective responsibility and heritage to bequeath a free and sovereign Ambazonia state to our children and future generations. We must focus on our fight for freedom and stay true to our commitment without missing our goal.

ADVICE

Given the significance of 22 September in the independence struggle of Ambazonia and taking into consideration the current war environment, Ambazonians at home and in LRC are advised to:

⎯ Follow all guideline and order issues by Restoration Forces.

⎯ Ignore all instructions and orders issued by LRC administrators and government

officers.

⎯ Avoid all call for protest or demonstrations NOT called by Restoration Forces and

Ambazonia movements

⎯ Remain alert and vigilant at all times to stay safe.

⎯ Support and cooperate with our RF in our fight for freedom.

⎯ Stay home on 22 September 2020 as much as possible.

⎯ Celebrate 22 September 2020 only where RF approve and guarantee to provide security.

Long Live Ambazonia

ERIC O. EYOR

CHAIRPERSON, ASDP

21, September 2020

East Cameroon Crisis: The wait is over!! ⁰

For close to a decade, Cameroon has been going through many crises and for many Cameroonians, it is almost impossible to flush out the corrupt Yaounde government led by its old and sick president, Paul Biya, who has been in power for 38 years with no results to justify such a long stay.

Corruption has become the regime’s hallmark and it has sent millions of Cameroonians to an early grave. The country’s economy has collapsed, and unemployment is at its highest level as the senile president has been switched off by ill-health and incompetence.

For years, East Cameroonians who constitute the majority felt that real democratic change would come through the ballot box and this has pushed them into the type of indifference and docility which have made the government to make intimidation a national policy and a tool of choice when it comes to dealing with issues that are blighting the people’s lives.

Each time the people expressed disagreement with a government policy or questioned a government decision and wanted to make their disagreement known even through peaceful means, the government simply rolled out its military equipment and deployed its military across the country as if there was an external aggressor threatening to invade the country.

This strategy has worked for more than three decades, but it has failed to produce the fear that is it is intended to generate in Southern Cameroons where the country’s English-speaking minority has brought down the fake wall of fear that the government had erected.

Following peaceful demonstrations in October 2016 by English-speaking lawyers and teachers against systemic and institutionalized marginalization and discrimination, the Yaounde government rolled out its armada with the objective of intimidating the English-speaking minority. The violence that ensued turned out to be counter-productive, as the people of Southern Cameroons came out with their clubs and hunting rifles to defend themselves against government brutality.

Today, the government understands that it could be challenged and that the wall of fear is gone for good. The challenge has come today from a different source. The country’s opposition parties have made common cause and they want to dig Mr. Biya and his useless government out of their hiding places. Their incompetence and corruption have hurt so many Cameroonians and the country’s citizens know that they can no longer wait for the ballot box to change their fate.

The current government is unreliable and will stop at nothing to change the verdict of the ballot boxes in the event of an election. The government cannot be trusted. It has transformed the country’s treasury into the ruling party’s ATM. Jobs only get given to those who are loyal to the party and public contracts only get awarded to supporters of the president’s party.

This is very revolting and the country’s opposition parties are tapping into this frustration and bitterness to take Mr. Biya out. This is not a coup d’état. The sovereign people of Cameroon can bring whoever they want to power and can also recall such a person in the event of incompetence or corruption. It is the prerogative of the people of Cameroon to change their minds when things are not working. Mr. Biya and his government have triggered that change of mind after more than three decades of incompetence and corruption. The people are not ready to wait. In their view, the wait is over. It is time to for them to act and now is the time.

The Biya regime has been rattled ever since the opposition leader, Prof. Maurice Kamto, called on East Cameroonians to take to the streets on September 22, 2020, to demonstrate against the government with the long-term objective of ousting the corrupt Biya regime.

The population seems to be prepared for the show and the government is struggling to preempt such an event. People power revolutions seem to be working in Africa and many African dictators have been either chased out of the country or sent to jail as the people take control of things. The collapsing Biya regime is aware of this phenomenon and it is not taking any chances.

More brutal dictators have been brought down by such means and tomorrow’s demonstrations could mark the end of a regime that entirely relies on the military which has also called on the people to come out to challenge the status quo. Egypt, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Mali have all chased their dictators through people power revolutions and this spirit seems to be spreading across the continent like wildfire.

Currently, the Yaounde government is vulnerable. The government is clearly fighting a war on many fronts. The English-speaking minority has left the regime with a sticky situation and the Southern Cameroonian crisis has left the government with a bloodshot eye.

The government is out of money and the military which has spent the better part of the last four years battling an insurgency in Southern Cameroons is tired and is reluctant to engage in another battle with the majority Francophone. The disaster that Boko Haram, the deadly religious sect, has unleashed in the country’s far north region is robbing the regime of much-needed financial resources. These conflicts have become permanent nightmares to the regime. The mere thought of having to take on another fight is leaving regime supporters with a bitter taste in their mouths.

While Southern Cameroonians are in support of the tragicomedy that is about to play out in East Cameroon, they have however clearly indicated that they will not be involved in the internal affairs of their neighbors. For now, their concern is to get the army of occupation out of their territory as independence from East Cameroon is their objective.

September 22, 2020 is therefore an important day in Cameroon. It will either see Biya out of the national palace he has occupied for 38 years or demonstrate that French-speaking Cameroonians are not courageous enough to take care of business. The Francophone Cameroonian must step out of his comfort zone to change his destiny.

Those living abroad have been protesting for a long time and they have been calling on those back home to join the fray. What should be obvious is that the military that is all over the country will not kill everybody just because it wants to keep Biya in power. If all Cameroonians come out, the military will stop protecting Mr. Biya who has failed to meet the glorious expectations of his people. The time has come, and the Francophone Cameroonian must act now. The ball is in his court!

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

21, September 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Bamenda police officer shot and killed ⁰

A French Cameroun police officer deployed to Bamenda was shot dead on Saturday, September 19, 2020. Our correspondent in Bamenda reported that a police patrol was ambushed by Ambazonia Restoration Forces on Saturday afternoon at Mile 10. Two other Francophone police officials were injured in the ambush.

On 1 September 2020, another French Cameroun police officer was killed at Town Chemist, another bustling area in the city of Bamenda.

The war in Southern Cameroons that started following directives from the 87 year dictator in Yaoundé on October 2016 has prompted Southern Cameroonians to form self defense groups all over the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

The Francophone dominated army recently launched the so-called “Bamenda Clean” Operation that instead helped in pushing many young men and women to join the Southern Cameroons Liberation Force.

According to the Ambazonia Interim Government, the war in Southern Cameroons has already resulted in at least 35,000 deaths and forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homeland.

By Fon Lawrence

21, September 2020

Exiled ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero claims he was duped into flying back to Kigali ⁰

Paul Rusesabagina, depicted in a Hollywood movie as a hero who helped save Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide, told the New York Times he believed he was flying to Burundi at the invitation of a pastor, but was instead lured to Rwanda and arrested on terrorism charges,

Rusesabagina was speaking to the US daily in an interview the paper said had been authorised by the Rwandan government and had taken place in the presence of government officials. “How I got here – now that is a surprise,” he told the newspaper. “I was actually not coming here.”

The 66-year-old Hutu political dissident and former hotel manager was propelled to fame after the Oscar-nominated film “Hotel Rwanda” portrayed him using his connections with the Hutu elite to protect Tutsis fleeing slaughter during the 1994 genocide. The Hollywood film credits him with saving the lives of more than 1,200 people as they sheltered in the hotel he ran.

Some 800,000 mostly Tutsi but also moderate Hutu were killed in the genocide.

He had been living in exile since 1996, where he was a prominent critic of Tutsi President Paul Kagame, accusing him of stifling political opposition, authoritarianism and anti-Hutu sentiment. He holds both Belgian citizenship and a US “green card”.

Rusesabagina ‘delivered himself’, Rwanda’s spy chief says

Rusesabagina suddenly appeared in custody in Rwanda earlier this month, prompting accusations from his family that he had been kidnapped. But he says he voluntarily boarded a private plane in Dubai that he believed was bound for Burundi’s capital Bujumbura, where he had planned to speak to churches at the invitation of a local pastor.

Instead, he landed in Kigali, where he now faces 13 charges, including terrorism, complicity in murder and forming or joining an irregular armed group with children involved. The NYT quoted Rwanda’s spy chief as saying “he delivered himself here”.

The plane was operated by GainJet, a charter company based in Greece that is often used by Kagame, the report said.

Bail denied

A spokesman for the prosecution on Wednesday told Reuters that Rusesabagina, who once called for armed resistance to the government in a YouTube video, faces a possible life sentence. He was denied bail on Thursday and will stay in jail for 30 days as the prosecution ends its investigations.

The NYT was not able to speak to the pastor, and says Rwandan officials believe he was actually heading there to coordinate with armed groups based in Burundi and Congo.

In 2018, Rusesabagina co-founded an opposition group, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), which is said to have an armed wing called the National Liberation Front (FLN).

In multiple speeches, Rusesabagina has expressed support for the FLN – which has carried out armed attacks and is described as a terrorist organisation by Rwanda – but the extent of his involvement in its actions is unclear.

He has nevertheless denied forming the group.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

21, September 2020

Football: AC Milan’s interest in signing André-Frank Zambo Anguissa confirmed ⁰

AC Milan have a concrete interest interest in signing André-Frank Zambo Anguissa from Fulham before the window shuts, a report claims.

Milan are seemingly determined to add another midfielder before the window shuts in order to give head coach Stefano Pioli the four starter-level players he wants for his double pivot.

Although Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko continues to be the player most concretely linked, the name of André-Frank Zambo Anguissa has emerged in recent days as a potential alternative.

According to what is being reported by MilanNews, confirmations have arrived regarding Milan’s interest in Anguissa. The Cameroon international is one of the options considered to strengthen the Rossoneri midfield department.

In addition to the 24-year-old former Marseille anchorman, there is also Bakayoko and Lille’s Boubakary Soumarè, but the negotiations for the French duo are currently stalled as things stand.

Source: Sempremilan.com

21, September 2020

French Cameroun: Army deploys ahead of Tuesday protests ⁰

All military personnel have been put on alert in Cameroon for four days starting Monday, over fears the Tuesday protests could cause severe public disorder.

Members of the government have been quick to criticise the call for protests made by opposition leader Maurice Kamto, labelling his movement as an insurrection, forbidding all demonstrations, menacing any protestors with “life imprisonment” should they answer Kamto’s call on Tuesday.

Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement has been calling for peaceful protests, demanding that President Paul Biya step down, and that regional elections in the anglophone regions be reformed, so to include the marganilised communities.

Since 2017, Security forces have been violently repressing activists demanding the Independance of the Anglophone regions. Instability, that has forced Half a million people from their homes.

Source: AFP

21, September 2020

Football: Eto’o Beats World Cup Winners In FIFA 21 Ranking ⁰

Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o has one of the highest ratings of the new FUT Icons added to FIFA 21.

The African superstar was not only a devastating finisher, but gifted with pace and trickery. He used all of his assets to win three UEFA Champions League titles, while scoring in two finals himself.

The former FC Barcelona star joined some elite company in FIFA 21, with the likes of Manchester United legend, Eric Cantona, and former Real Madrid star Ferenc Puskas.

The two stars mentioned above have a slightly higher overall score than Eto’o, with Cantona at 93 overall, while Puskas has the highest of all the newcomers at 94.

The only other player of all the new icons that has a higher score than Eto’o is Xavi, while the Cameroonian beats a number of other World Cup-winning stars such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Fernando Torres.

Source: Soccerladuna