19, April 2025

Second round of indirect US-Iran nuclear talks begins in Rome ⁰

A convoy carrying US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived Saturday at the Omani Embassy in Rome, the site of the second round of talks with Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had already arrived at the embassy in Rome’s Camilluccia neighbourhood.

Representatives from Iran and the United States are holding a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran’s atomic aims, under the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.

Araghchi and Witkoff will negotiate indirectly through mediators from Oman, a week after a first round in Muscat that both sides described as constructive.

Araghchi said in Moscow on Friday that Iran believes reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme with the United States is possible as long as Washington is realistic.

Tehran has however sought to tamp down expectations of a quick deal, after some Iranian officials speculated that sanctions could be lifted soon. Iran’s utmost authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said this week he was “neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic”.

For his part, Trump told reporters on Friday: “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”

Trump, who ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six powers during his first term in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran since returning to the White House in January.

Washington wants Iran to halt production of highly enriched uranium, which it believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb.

Tehran, which has always said its nuclear programme is peaceful, says it is willing to negotiate some curbs in return for the lifting of sanctions, but wants watertight guarantees that Washington will not renege again as Trump did in 2018.

A senior Iranian official, who described Iran’s negotiating position on condition of anonymity, listed Iran’s red lines as never agreeing to dismantle its uranium enriching centrifuges, halt enrichment altogether or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below levels agreed in the 2015 deal. Iran also rejects negotiating about defence capabilities such as missiles.

While both Tehran and Washington have said they are set on pursuing diplomacy, there is still a wide gap between them on the dispute that has rumbled on for more than two decades.

Witkoff and Araghchi interacted briefly at the end of the first round last week, but officials from the two countries have not held direct negotiations since 2015, and Iran said the Rome talks would also be held indirectly through the Omani mediators.

Russia, a party to Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement, has offered “to assist, mediate, and play any role” that will be beneficial to Iran and the United States.

Source: AP

18, April 2025

Indomitable Lions boss taken to FIFA by own agent ⁰

Brys has been in charge of the Indomitable Lions since 2024 and has gone undefeated in the 10 games he has coached the team. However, the Belgian now finds himself at the hands of FIFA.

Afrik-Foot revealed that Belgian publication Voetbalnieuws said that Brys’ agent, Ivo Chi, filed a complaint with FIFA over continued non-payment of commissions. It was estimated that the owed amount was more than €112,000 (R2.4 million).

Chi reportedly was key in helping Brys land the Cameroon job and now FIFA has been informed of the situation after it had been pending for a couple of months.

Brys has publicly clashed with Cameroon legend and president of the Cameroon Football Federation, Samuel Eto’o and he has been criticised for it by Tom Saintfiet, who has coached in Africa for years.

“If the government and the federation do not agree, there is a problem,” the current Mali coach said.

“And despite the egos, as a coach, you must always have respect for your chairman. The discussion we saw on television is unacceptable,” he added.

Source: Soccer Laduma

18, April 2025

French Cameroun: Bamboutos FC exits league after FECAFOOT harassment claims ⁰

The management of Bamboutos FC de Mbouda recently erupted in anger at the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), alleging a campaign of harassment and announcing their withdrawal from the ongoing MTN Elite One championship.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to Fecafoot President Samuel Eto’o Fils, the club stated, “We rightly note that our club is the target of a smear campaign orchestrated by the leadership of the football governing body in Cameroon. Match officials constantly distort the results of our games, with immediate effects on our ranking.” The letter served as notification of their decision to pull out of the league.

Attempts to contact Dechateau Kamdoum, the deputy president of Bamboutos FC de Mbouda, were unsuccessful. However, a senior figure within the team’s locker room corroborated the club’s claims, confirming that complaints regarding refereeing decisions have been a persistent issue since the season’s outset. “Last Sunday against Dynamo, it was impossible to play calmly because of the refereeing,” the source, who requested anonymity, disclosed. Dynamo de Douala ultimately won the match 1-0, much to the dismay of the “Mangwa Boys,” the club’s moniker.

This latest setback marks Bamboutos’ tenth defeat in 19 matches this season. With only three victories, their poor performance has relegated them to the bottom rungs of the league standings. Bamboutos FC de Mbouda currently sits in 14th place out of 16 teams, accumulating a mere 17 points – a relegation zone position that starkly contrasts with the club’s historically strong showings in MTN Elite One, where they were once considered a formidable contender.

The club’s management attributes this decline squarely to the federation, accusing them of orchestrating biased officiating. This is not an isolated incident, as Donald Ngameni, the former president of Unisport de Bafang, previously voiced similar concerns about refereeing standards. Fecafoot, however, has consistently denied these allegations. The federation maintains that Samuel Eto’o Fils’ leadership has elevated the quality of refereeing in Cameroon’s professional leagues.

“Samuel Eto’o brought Eddy Maillet to Cameroon to improve the quality of our referees and share his experience with them,” stated Stéphane Foko Kamga, president of Fecafoot’s Central Referees Commission (CCA), in February 2023. He added that this training aimed to align Cameroonian refereeing with the vision of the African Football Confederation (CAF) and continental standards.

Beyond refereeing disputes, financial grievances also fuel the conflict between the Mbouda club and Fecafoot. Bamboutos’ management is demanding over 90 million FCFA from the federation, representing various outstanding bonuses. The most significant portion of this sum is linked to Bamboutos’ triumph in the 2022–2023 Super Cup. This unpaid debt is cited as another key reason for their withdrawal from this year’s championship.

This is not the first instance of the club’s officials lodging such financial claims. They firmly believe that this demand, initially submitted in 2023, prompted Fecafoot to deny them a CAF license that same year, preventing the “Mangwa Boys” from participating in pan-African competitions. Fecafoot, however, contends that the club failed to meet all the necessary licensing requirements, citing outstanding player salaries as the primary reason for the rejection.

That particular episode significantly widened the chasm between the two entities. Many observers believe the ongoing feud is deeply intertwined with the deteriorating relationship between Samuel Eto’o Fils and Justin Tagouh, the former honorary president of Bamboutos FC. Once a fervent supporter of Fecafoot’s president, Tagouh has since become one of his most vocal critics.

Sources close to Samuel Eto’o Fils offer a contrasting perspective. Some suggest that Bamboutos FC is grappling with a severe internal crisis that threatens the club’s very foundation. A central issue is the departure of fans who were also significant financial contributors. This sentiment is echoed by the aforementioned player, who confided, “When the fans come to training, it’s to insult us.”

This toxic atmosphere, according to these sources, would explain the club’s financial woes. Indeed, the players staged a strike for several days at the beginning of the second half of the season, a fact confirmed by the anonymous source. Their protest centered on demands for several months of unpaid wages.

Source: Business in Cameroon

18, April 2025

World Bank to inject extra CFA20bn into Cameroon’s Social Safety Program ⁰

The World Bank has announced an additional CFA20 billion (about $35 million) in funding for Cameroon’s adaptive social safety net and economic inclusion project. The funds will help support vulnerable families affected by the 2024 floods in the Far North region.

Cheick Fantamady Kanté, the World Bank’s Country Director for Cameroon, made the announcement on April 14 during a portfolio review meeting with government officials in Yaoundé. He said the extra funding is in its final stages of preparation and will be used to strengthen emergency support for about 100,000 more households in need.

With this new commitment, total funding for the program will rise to roughly CFA166 billion. Of that, the World Bank will have provided CFA112 billion, with the remaining CFA54 billion coming from Cameroon’s national budget. The program was originally designed to help 356,000 people between 2023 and 2028. The new funds are expected to push that number even higher.

Launched in December 2023, the project marks the second phase of Cameroon’s broader social safety net strategy, which began in 2013. Like the first phase, it aims to support the country’s poorest households and promote entrepreneurship among young people between the ages of 18 and 35, especially in cities.

The project is structured around five core components. First, it offers regular cash transfers to low-income families, combined with basic guidance to help them become more resilient and productive. Second, it includes emergency cash payments for families affected by climate shocks, conflict, or large-scale displacement. Third, it provides money in exchange for participation in labor-intensive public works programs in both rural and urban areas.

The fourth component targets urban youth working in the informal sector, helping them launch small income-generating activities as a way to survive through self-employment.

Finally, the program also offers financial and technical support for young entrepreneurs with viable business plans, aiming to help them bring their ideas to life and join the formal economy.

Source: Business in Cameroon

18, April 2025

Abdul Karim Ali: Southern Cameroons activist sentenced to life in prison ⁰

The Francophone dominated Yaoundé Military Tribunal has sentenced renowned Muslim scholar and activist Abdul Karim Ali to life in prison in a case considered by many international observers as politically motivated.

Abdul Karim has already spent more than two years in prison without being convicted.

He was found guilty of lame and ridiculous charges related to the Southern Cameroons uprising that started in 2016.

Karim denied the charges and in May 2024, he announced that he did not recognize the jurisdiction of the Yaoundé military court.

Abdul Karim Ali was sentenced on Wednesday 16 April by the Yaoundé military tribunal in absentia.

The Abdul Karim-Cameroon government affair all started with a video he recorded on 9 July 2022, in which he accused a military official of torturing civilians.

Two of his friends are also being held because of their links with him. All three were officially remanded in custody on 2 February 2023 on charges of ‘hostility towards the homeland’, ‘failure to report’, “secession” and ‘rebellion’.

Karim Ali and two of his co-defendants had already appeared several times before the Yaoundé military court. At the third hearing, they were officially remanded in custody by the examining magistrate.

Karim Ali’s conviction has already provoked numerous reactions from the Southern Cameroons public including the diaspora.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

17, April 2025

Afrobeats star Davido says Nigerian culture is having a moment ⁰

“We’re very popular, not only in music,” the 32-year-old Afrobeats star told AFP during a recent interview in Paris, pointing to the film, food and fashion influence his country is increasingly exporting to the rest of the world.

Even amid criticism from some that American artists are starting to crib from Afrobeats’ sound, his response is: “I like it.”

And yet, the Nigerian-American artist — a self-described citizen of the world — sees the future of the continent tied to those who stay home, rather than its influential diaspora.

“Everybody always has the American dream,” he told AFP. “Every kid that grows up in Africa wants to visit America. That’s cool. It’s okay to visit, but don’t leave your people and go there.”

Those might be tough words to swallow for his compatriots battling the worst economic crisis in a generation.

In recent years, “japa” — the Yoruba word for “escape” — has become country-wide slang for emigrating to greener, and richer pastures.

Davido, born David Adedeji Adeleke in Atlanta, in some ways straddles the tension between a growing, bustling Nigeria of more than 200 million people and a world that finally seems to be waking up to the so-called Giant of Africa.

Speaking to AFP ahead of the release of his new album, “5ive” — out Friday — he confidently says the record “is going to touch every part of the world.”

“We have music for the French people. We have music for the Caribbean people. We have music for the Americans, Africans, everybody,” he said.

“It’s like a full, global package album.”

– Eight million monthly listeners –

With some more than eight million monthly listeners — including Britain’s King Charles — Davido is riding, and shaping, the global Afrobeats craze.

But Davido himself is also a product of African music.

Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer Davido, poses during a photo session in Paris on April 14, 2025.

“I grew up in an African household where we were always throwing parties, music was always playing in the house, going in the car to school, my parents playing music,” he enthusiastically recalled.

As a teenager, a cousin in the industry took him to a studio, where “for the first time, I saw somebody create music… African music.”

“That’s when I fell in love with it,” said Davido, spotting a grey conical woollen cap and jewellery dangling over a black T-shirt.

A few years later, he was mixing and mastering his own tunes by the age of 16, drawing inspiration from artists such as P-Square, a Nigerian duo that drew some of their hits from American influences such as Michael Jackson.

Davido now sees artists’ musical influence flowing across the Atlantic in the other direction.

“It’s a privilege for another culture to try to imitate what you’re doing,” he told AFP in response to a question about critics who accuse American artists of trying to mime Afrobeats’ style.

“In Nigeria we do hip hop too. We have rappers that rap. We have people that do R&B.”

“Music is a universal language. So I don’t see any problem with that.”

Davido counts among some of his popular tracks “Unavailable” and “Aye”.

– ‘African music has changed narrative’ –

For all his worldly outlook, Davido said he hasn’t lost focus on Nigeria.

'African music has changed the narrative of how Africans are looked at around the world,' says Nigerian-American singer Davido — ‘African music has changed the narrative of how Africans are looked at around the world,’ says Nigerian-American singer Davido © JOEL SAGET / AFP

“We’ve been going through hard times,” he told AFP. “Nigeria is a very rich country with so much talent, so much grace, so much opportunity.”

“I was asked a question saying, why don’t we sing about (Nigeria’s struggles) in our music?” he recalled. “I was like, man, that’s not the type of music my people would really like to hear.”

“I have sung about it in the past. But I’m very vocal about it more in Africa than in America.”

As he prepares to embark on a world tour — including stops in Paris, London, New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles — he knows where at least part of his success has come from.

“African music has changed the narrative of how Africans are looked at around the world.”

Source: AFP

16, April 2025

Football: Gabon forward Boupendza dies aged 28 in China ⁰

Gabon international Aaron Boupendza has died at the age of 28 after reportedly falling from a building in China.

The forward featured for his country at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Cameroon and won a total of 35 caps for the Panthers.

He had joined Chinese club Zhejiang FC, based in the city of Hangzhou, from Romanian outfit Rapid Bucharest in January.

Boupendza began his career in his homeland with CF Mounana and went on to have spells with sides in France, Portugal, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Gabon’s football federation (Fegafoot) announced the news of his death on social media.

“Boupendza is remembered as a great striker who made his mark during the [Afcon] in Cameroon,” the statement said.

“Fegafoot and the Gabonese football family offer their sincere condolences to his family.”

Gabon’s president-elect Gen Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was among those to pay tribute to Boupendza, describing him as “a talented centre-forward who brought honour to Gabonese football”.

Source: BBC

16, April 2025

Cameroonian youth urged to embrace hope despite multiple challenges ⁰

Over the weekend, several dioceses in Cameroon, comprising Kumbo, Douala, Edéa, and Buea, celebrated the Diocesan 40th World Youth Day and entrance into Holy Week in each of their dioceses. The three-day event was a powerful demonstration of the capacity of young people to mobilize and reinvigorate the Church’s mission in Africa and the world.

More than a traditional annual event, the celebration of the 2025 edition of World Youth Day in Cameroon was a lively occasion ushering-in Holy Week.

The Diocese of Kumbo, located in the English-speaking part of Cameroon saw a long procession of young people carrying palms during the liturgical celebration. Saint Sylvester’s College of Sop was the convergence point and gathering place for thousands of young people who in unison acclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of Mary.”

Accompany Christ to Jerusalem

In his introductory speech, the Bishop of the Diocese of Kumbo, Bishop George Nkuo, urged the youth, in his diocese, to work and walk together not as a confused, agitated, and disorderly crowd pushing Jesus on the path of His Passion, but as a people marching with a clear purpose: “to accompany Christ to Jerusalem, to walk with the Savior, and to experience the power of our redemption.”

In the Archdiocese of Douala, thousands of the Diocese’s young people also gathered around Archbishop Samuel Kleda to close the Archdiocesan three-year Synod for Youth, which first convened in September 2022. The Archbishop published an exhortation for this occasion.

Following the three-year Synod, the Archdiocese of Douala has since made recommendations designed to address pertinent issues arising from the three-year process.

Meetings of communion and friendship

4,000 youths from the Archdiocese of Yaoundé also spent two days and two nights on pilgrimage at the Saint Peter and Paul Parish in Nsimalen, guided by their chaplains and mentors.

In the Diocese of Edéa, hundreds of young people spent three days at the Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Dyzangue under the guidance of Bishop Jean Bosco Ntep and diocesan youth chaplains.

Speaking at the end of this gathering, Father Bikéna Tonyè emphasised that theirs was “a meeting of communion, friendship, and knowledge of the Word of God. We invited the youth to be optimistic in a context that we know is difficult. They must persevere and hope for better tomorrows,” the Bishop urged.

Stay steadfast in faith and hope

And finally, in the Diocese of Buea, the youth gathered on a Sunday with Bishop Michael Bibi at the Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral, an event that coincided with the continued celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of this Diocese.

Bishop Bibi called on the youth to embrace greater commitment to the Church and to “proclaim Christ with pride in word and deed: learn to become exemplary leaders, steadfast in faith, despite the multiple challenges that confront you, and imitate the spirit of obedience of Christ,” he said.

Source: Vatican News

16, April 2025

Bishop of Bafoussam calls on voters to ‘make no mistake’ in this year’s election ⁰

As Cameroon gear up for a presidential election later this year, a Catholic bishop in the central African country has urged citizens to vote their consciences and to avoid errors in their choice of president that they may live to regret.

Cameroonians are scheduled to vote in a Presidential election in October, with the country’s 92-year-old President, Paul Biya – in power now for over 43 years – still expected to seek an eighth mandate.

The world’s oldest leader will face a fractured opposition-with the leading names including Professor Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement who claims to have won the 2018 Presidential election; Lawyer Akere Muna, one-one time President of Transparency International – Cameroon and a leading actor in the fight against corruption; Joshua Osih of the opposition Social Democratic Front; and Cabral Libii, a journalist, law lecturer and opposition member of parliament.

Convinced that this year’s election could be an inflection point in the country’s political story, Bishop Paul Lontsie-Keune of Bafoussam, in Cameroon’s West Region, has called on Cameroonians to massively register and vote in the election.

Addressing thousands of Christians who took part at a recent pilgrimage at the Our Lady of Maria Sanctuary in Douelong, Bamougoum, West Region, the cleric warned Cameroonians against choosing the wrong person that could lead to a lifetime of regret.

“Cette année no make erreur,” the bishop said in a mixture of French and English – a lingua-franca developed by Musician Lapiro de Mbanga. The statement loosely translates as “this year, make no mistake.”

He recognized the freedom of every citizen to vote for any candidate of their choice, but noted that if citizens vote against their consciences – as often happens when money is used to buy votes – then they would be opening the highway to a lifetime of regret that they had a chance to make history, and they busted it.

“Vote your conscience, it is decisive. You can engage in politics but be guided by your conscience. You can be a good Christian and a good politician,” the bishop said.

“You have an assignment to participate in elections… remain engaged to build this beautiful country that belongs to us all,” he said.

He urged the Christians to resist what he called the “demon of intimidation.” Without citing names, Lontsie-Keune made references to the intimidating tactics employed by Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji.

Nji has frequently made reference to the blender and what it does to spices to demonstrate how the state would deal with those who go against the law.

“When you maintain law and order, you do so without qualms… I’d like to tell you that the maintenance of law and order, you have to understand, is like the blender and the criminals for us are the condiments. When you put peanuts, pepper, tomatoes and garlic in the blender, it’s the paste that comes out, you have to remember that,” Nji has said. He recently warned political parties against any form of protests, using the same metaphor.

“Don’t be discouraged; don’t die before your death,” the bishop said as he called on Cameroonians to resist all forms of intimidation.

“Cameroon is neither a grave nor paradise,” Lontsie-Keune remarked.

“The real country of ‘If I had known’ is not prison but hell fire and the master there is Lucifer. Be afraid of the country of ‘If I had known and also be afraid to stay away from the Kingdom of God,” he said.

The reference to Hell in connection with the next presidential election aligns with what the Bishop Barthélemy Yaouda Hourgo of Yagoua in Cameroon’s Far North region said earlier in the year.

“We’re not going to suffer any more than this. We’ve already suffered enough. The worst is not going to come. Even the Devil should first take power in Cameroon and then we’ll see,” the bishop said, insisting that Biya should have no more business at the helm of the state.

“Resist the demon whose mission is to silence you. The characteristic of the demon is to reduce others to a silent mood; so that they can reign…they will also warn you that if you talk you will see,” he told his flock.

Catholic bishops had in a pastoral letter released on March 28 not only urged citizens to massively register and vote, they also insisted on the values of integrity, patriotism, morality, vision, and a capacity to manage transparently as some of the criteria voters should look for in any of the candidates.

They also called for a code of conduct to guide the election-one that will make for a peaceful, free and fair election, whose outcomes should be accepted by all.

Source: Crux

16, April 2025

World Bank increases funding to Cameroon by 21% ⁰

The World Bank has stepped up its financial support to Cameroon. Since April 2023, the institution has added $826 million, or about CFA475 billion, to its local portfolio. The total now stands at $4.5 billion, or roughly CFA2,700 billion, up from $3.7 billion (CFA2,220 billion). This marks a 21% increase in just two years.

Cheick Fantamady Kanté, who oversees the World Bank’s Cameroon portfolio, shared the news during a review session held on April 14, 2025, focusing on the projects funded by the institution.

There are 22 active projects in Cameroon backed by the World Bank. These include both national and sub-regional programs, with 17% of them classified as national projects that include direct budget support. Kanté highlighted that the energy and transport sectors alone absorb $2.3 billion (about CFA1,380 billion), making up half of the total commitment.

Figures from Cameroon’s Ministry of Economy show that 66% of the funds are going into infrastructure. That translates to ten ongoing projects: four in energy, five in transport, and one focused on digital transformation.

The rural development sector has four projects. Governance accounts for three, education has two, and social development is represented by just one.

The significant increase in funding reflects the World Bank’s continued commitment to building up Cameroon’s key infrastructure, while still supporting essential social programs.

Source: Business in Cameroon