18, June 2019

Ambazonia: Four Cameroon police killed by Restoration Forces ⁰

Cameroon’s government said on Sunday that separatists in its restive English-speaking region had detonated an improvised explosive device that killed four police and wounded six.

“The government condemns in the strongest terms this criminal act, perpetrated by armed bandits and terrorists with no faith or law,” the statement said. It also said the attack occurred along a road near the district of Eyumojock in the south west of the country late on Saturday.

There was no immediate reaction or claim of responsibility from any separatist group.

What began as peaceful protests in Cameroon’s southwestern Anglophone region in 2017 have degenerated into near daily violence between the forces of Cameroon’s mostly French-speaking government and several separatist groups.

The English-speaking Northwest and Southwest of the country complain of being marginalized by the French speaking majority.

Since 2017, about 1,800 people have been killed and more than 530,000 displaced with 1.3 million in need in the region

It is rare but not unheard of for the separatists to use bomb technology, but this would mark their first deadly strike using a bomb.

The attack came after both sides claimed to be open to dialog, which rights groups doubt will happen under current conditions. Prime Minister Joseph Ngute has said the government would be willing to talk to the rebels, but would not consider their demand for secession.

Eleven movements representing Anglophone Cameroon, including the main armed factions, last month said they were willing to enter mediated discussions with the state.

The United Nations estimates that, since 2017, about 1,800 people have been killed and more than 530,000 displaced with 1.3 million in need in the region.

Cameroon’s linguistic divide has existed since the end of World War One, when the League of Nations divided the former German colony of Kamerun, in central Africa, between allied victors, leaving most of Cameroon French-administered but a small part run by Britain.

Source: National Post

17, June 2019

Mexico detains nearly 800 undocumented migrants ⁰

Mexican officials detained nearly 800 undocumented migrants on Saturday, the government said, in one of the biggest swoops against illegal immigration in recent months, as members of the National Guard began patrolling the southern border.

Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) said in a statement late on Saturday that 791 foreign nationals were found in four trucks stopped in the eastern state of Veracruz, confirming earlier reports about a mass detention.

The apprehension came as Mexico steps up efforts to reduce a surge of migrants toward the US border under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who vowed to hit Mexican goods with tariffs if Mexico does not do more to stem illegal immigration.

As part of those efforts, Mexico has pledged to deploy 6,000 National Guard members along its border with Guatemala.

Although there have been few signs of that deployment so far, a Reuters reporter near the border in Tapachula this weekend saw a handful of security officials wearing National Guard insignia and spoke to others in military outfits who said they were part of the guard.

Mexico made a deal on June 7 with the United States to avert the tariffs, setting the clock ticking on a 45-day period for the Mexican government to make palpable progress in reducing the numbers of people trying to cross the US border illegally.

There has been a jump in apprehensions at the US-Mexico border this year, angering Trump, who has made reducing illegal immigration one of his signature policy pledges.

Most of those caught attempting to enter the United States are people fleeing poverty and violence in three troubled Central American nations, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

PressTV-‘Mexico prosecuting migration activists to appease Trump’

Mexico’s decision to tighten its border and respond to Trump’s threats has caused tensions within the government, and on Friday, the head of the INM, Tonatiuh Guillen, resigned.

He was replaced by Francisco Garduno, who had previously served as the head of Mexico’s prison system.

(Source: Reuters)

17, June 2019

Sudan: Bashir appears before prosecutor ⁰

Sudan’s deposed President Omar Al-Bashir has appeared in public for the first time on Sunday, when he was taken to the prosecutor’s office in charge of corruption cases in Khartoum.

He was taken to the prosecutor’s office to have the charges against him officially presented to him, according to reports; a process which lasted shortly.

“The principles of the prosecutor’s office were presented to the accused, former President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, and a charge was laid under Articles 5 and 9 concerning the possession of foreign currency, as well as Article 6 concerning illegally acquired resources,” a representative from the prosecutor’s office said.

On Saturday, the Attorney General specified that Bashir faces charges of “corruption and illegal possession of foreign currency”.

Corruption cases have also been opened against 41 other former officials, the prosecutor, Alwaleed Sayed Ahmed, said at a news conference in Khartoum

The former President, who came to power by a coup d‘état in 1989, was dismissed and arrested by the army on April 11 in Khartoum, following an unprecedented protest movement.

Source: Africa News

17, June 2019

Why President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and Vice President Yerima Leadership Will Endure ⁰

The appointment of a Vice President by the Southern Cameroons leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe pre-dates the infighting deep within the Ambazonia Interim Government. To be sure, it has strengthened the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and will likely endure in the post-war years.

Interim President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe ever since his arrest and extradition to Yaounde has played a careful long game in the war in Southern Cameroons. One component of his game has been to outsource leadership. By doing so, he has successfully minimized Ambazonia casualties. Another component is to work with the Southern Cameroons Diaspora to train and fund Ambazonia Self-Defense Forces into a military structure.

President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and the Ambazonia Interim Government do not need the disgraced former Acting President Sako or the now very unpopular Communications Secretary, Chris Anu to solidify his hold on leadership. Having emerged victorious from the Ambazoniagate in Abuja, Nigeria, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe now leads over a destroyed Southern Cameroons nation, a deeply polarized Diaspora population, and a Self-Defense Force that will need millions of dollars to strengthen its capacities. The appointment of Vice President Dabney Yerima was simply in line with Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s ambition to restore and hold control over all of Southern Cameroons territory which requires sustained financial support from the Diaspora.

Moreover, Sako and Chris Anu including some of the corrupt criminal cabals of the Ambazonia Restoration Council do not have European or South African allies they can trust. Unlike SCBC, ABC TV is not the reliable and trustworthy channel that Southern Cameroonians rely on for news.

Vice President Yerima’s prioritization of the IG’s relationship with Europe, the US and South Africa has also been very productive. While maintaining the need for the IG to regain control of the revolution structures, Yerima has been engaging in talks with the leadership of other Ambazonia groups about future governance arrangements.

A claim by some frustrated exile leaders that Interim President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has been removed from office is a double-edged sword for the leader’s detractors. On one hand, it denies Sako and Chris Anu the argument justifying the raising of funds for the war in Southern Cameroons. On the other hand, it has made Chris Anu to become very irrelevant to the struggle.

Vice President Yerima’s Olive Branch operation to Chris Anu and Sako reflects the Interim Government’s intention to play a central role in shaping the future of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. The failure of Sako and Kometa pushed many Southern Cameroons leaders into a scramble about who will get to decide the future of the revolution and eventually destroyed Barrister Fru John Nsoh.

The so-called impeachment of the Interim President has instead give Sisiku Ayuk Tabe all the cards. There are indirect talks between the Vice President and other Southern Cameroons groups for a negotiated endgame that will ensure that the struggle is won.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

17, June 2019

Ambazoniagate: “Biya Regime Killed Prof Martin Belinga” ⁰

A senior Beti Ewondo official has told Cameroon Intelligence Report that the Yaounde regime killed Prof Martin Belinga. The Biya acolyte who shared a very intensive conversation with our undercover reporter recently in Paris, France revealed that the late Martin Belinga pocketed a huge chunk of the money President Biya dished out to the Buhari administration for the arrest and subsequent extradition of the Ambazonia leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his cabinet from Abuja to Yaounde.

The Cameroon government official whose name we are withholding also promised to share Martin Belinga’s role in the killing of late Bishop Balla of Bafia. “Belinga had issues with money and in many occasions had failed to obey the Head of State” the Francophone official told CIR.

He pointed out that Martin Belinga became irrelevant and many of his actions were counterproductive to the Biya administration. “The State took care of him during his last days, paid his medical bills abroad, but I can tell you that the regime had to get rid of this dangerous man,” he said.

Many prominent men and women suffered the most under Martin Belinga as he reportedly ran a killer squad that committed innumerable atrocities against senior citizens of the country including some leaders of the Roman Catholic Church.

Roman Catholic priests in the Yaounde Arch Diocese blatantly refused to organize a requiem mass for the late politician. Nevertheless, he was finally laid to rest in a typical Roman Catholic tradition in his village where he had constructed a church.

The infighting continues, with intermittent clashes among barons of the regime on who will replace the 86 year old Biya.

By Chi Prudence Asong

16, June 2019

US: Bernie Sanders warns against Trump’s ‘pretext for war’ with Iran ⁰

US Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has slammed Washington’s attempt to blame Iran for purported attacks on oil tanker vessels in the Sea of Oman, warning that the move is aimed at generating a “pretext for war.”

“The Gulf of Oman incident must not be used as a pretext for war with Iran,” said Sanders on Twitter, insisting that any military action on Iran would not only be illegal, but “an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world.”

The development came as officials from multiple countries, the United Nations as well as one of the owners of the ships struck in the recent incidents have discounted or contradicted Washington’s claim accusing Iran of staging the attacks.

While it remained unclear what exactly happened to the ships, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted on Thursday that Iran had carried out the attacks on the two tanker vessels without offering any evidence. US client states in the Persian Gulf as well as the UK also followed suit the next day.

Moreover, the US military further published a blurry video clip on Friday with Pentagon officials claiming that it proves commandos of the Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had planted explosives on one of the ships. The footage, however, proved not very convincing to authorities of other countries and organizations.

PressTV-US releases grainy video of boat to accuse Iran of attacks

Japanese ship owner contradicts US version of attack

Yutaka Katada, the owner of the Japanese tanker attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, however, offered a different account of the attack on Friday, saying that the Filipino crew of the Kokuka Courageous believed that their vessel had been hit by flying objects rather than a mine.

“The crew are saying it was hit with a flying object. They say something came flying towards them, then there was an explosion, then there was a hole in the vessel,” he told reporters. “Then some crew witnessed a second shot.”

Further contradicting the US version of events, Katada added: “To put a bomb on the side is not something we are thinking. If it’s between an explosion and a penetrating bullet, I have a feeling it is a penetrating bullet. If it was an explosion, there would be damage in different places, but this is just an assumption or a guess.”

“Not enough” to prove Iran’s guilt.

On Thursday, company officials said the vessel had first been hit by what appeared to be an artillery shell toward the stern, causing a fire in the engine room that was extinguished.

Three hours later, the ship was again attacked on the same side in the center of the hull, at which point the captain felt it was no longer safe and ordered the crew to take to the life boats, officials said.

“When the shell hit, it was above the water surface by quite a lot,” Katada further underlined on Friday. “Because of that there is no doubt that it wasn’t a torpedo.”

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who recently visited Tehran to meet with his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, emphasized that the video was “not enough” to prove Iran’s guilt.

Tehran, meanwhile, categorically denied any involvement in the suspicious incidents, with Zarif pointing to the odd timing of the alleged attacks and accusing Washington of moving to “Plan B: Sabotage diplomacy” in a bid to “cover up its economic terrorism” against the Islamic Republic.

16, June 2019

Ten killed as roadside bomb hits Kenyan police vehicle ⁰

At least 10 Kenyan police officers have been killed after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants struck their vehicle near the Somali border.

Local Kenyan officials said those killed Saturday in Wajir County along the porous Kenya-Somali border were among 13 officers who were pursuing militants for an earlier assault in the troubled region.

This came a day after Somalia-based Takfiri al-Shabab terrorists claimed responsibility for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir in northeast Kenya.

“Last night, we captured a village called Konton in Wajir county. We left the village and took three Kenyan policemen with us,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, said on Friday.

Al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabab militants have long carried out similar attacks on Kenya soil targeting security officers and the Nairobi government installations.

Al-Shabab has become one of Africa’s deadliest terrorist groups in recent years through its use of IEDs. In 2018 more than 100 Kenyan police forces were killed in a series of IED attacks along the extensive border.

In the latest attack in mid January, an apparent terrorist attack on an upscale hotel in the Kenyan capital Nairobi killed several people and sent shockwaves across the country.

PressTV-Kenya hotel attack ends after 2 days, death toll hits 15

Kenya is part of a regional peacekeeping operation that supports the Somali government in its battle against the militants.

The al-Shabab militant group, which once had control over many parts of Somalia, including the capital city Mogadishu, aims to topple the weak central government and push out the African Union (AU) peacekeeping forces, which are made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia, and other African countries.

In 2011, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali troops drove al-Shabab out of all major urban strongholds and ports, but the group still stages attacks on targets in smaller, more remote areas, posing a threat to peace.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab armed group often targets Kenyan security forces, vowing retribution after Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the fighters.

The Kenyans, along with allied Somali forces, wrested back control of the territory from al-Shabab after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.

Source: Presstv

14, June 2019

Romancing with the EU: Francophone governor lifts travel ban in Bamenda ⁰

Cameroon’s English-speaking region of Northwest on Friday removed an overnight travel ban on persons and property, according to a statement signed by the region’s governor Adolph Lele Lafrique.

Lafrique did not give any reason why the ban was cancelled in the region that is ravaged by armed separatism. The ban was imposed in November last year restricting movement from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time in the region in a bid to limit persistent separatists’ attacks at night.

Fighting is still ongoing in the two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest where armed separatists want to create an independent nation they call “Ambazonia.”

Source: Xinhuanet

14, June 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Three university students kidnapped in Bamenda ⁰

Three students of the University of Bamenda in Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone region of Northwest were kidnapped Thursday night in the town of Bambili, local officials said Friday.

“Gunmen invaded the student hostels in the night and took them away. We have no idea where they were taken,” Michael Djomo, a student of the university who witnessed the abduction said.

“It was a terrifying experience.” School authorities said government forces have started a search and rescue operation. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Adolph Lele Lafrique, governor of Northwest region, has repeatedly said that kidnappings, which have become rampant in the region where separatists have been fighting government forces in a bid for independence, are orchestrated by “gang of criminals.”

Source: Xinhuanet

14, June 2019

Sudan: Ex-president Bashir charged with corruption ⁰

Sudan’s ex-president Omar al-Bashir was on Thursday formally charged with corruption, following the completion of an investigation by state prosecutors.

Bashir was overthrown and arrested in a coup by the military on April 11 after months of mass protests against his autocratic 30-year rule.

The charges were related to laws on “suspected illicit wealth and emergency orders”, the public prosecutor’s office said without giving more details.

Bashir had already been charged in May with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters.

Prosecutors had also ordered his interrogation on suspicion of money laundering and financing terrorism.

It has not been possible to get a comment from Bashir since his ousting.

Sudan was placed on a U.S. list of sponsors of terrorism under Bashir, an Islamist former general who is also under indictment by the International Court of Justice over war crimes in the country’s western Darfur region.

On Wednesday, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa joined an international effort to press Sudan’s military rulers and the opposition toward a deal on a transition to democracy following the toppling of Bashir.

Stability in Sudan is crucial for a volatile region struggling against Islamist insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya. Various powers, including Russia and the Gulf Arab states, are trying to influence its path.

REUTERS