Publisher/Editor: OJONG Steven AYUKOGEM. Tel: (+237) 77 07 27 79. E-mail: themedianpaper@yahoo.com
Tuesday, 26 February 2019
Bamenda, NW region:
Journalists Kidnapped & Freed “Unharmed”
By Njodzefe Nestor in B’da
 |
| Ambe Macmillan Awa |
Ambe Macmillan Awa, journalist cum blogger practicing in the
restive North West region of Cameroon has been released after spending several
hours in captivity.
He was
released at about 11 AM on Friday February 22, 2019 “unharmed” and without
paying any ransom as it is the case with recent kidnappings.
Awa,
who is the North West Chapter President of the Cameroon Association of
English-Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ and also Secretary General of the
Cameroon Journalists' Trade Union, Northwest Chapter was kidnapped by gunmen
suspected to be separatist fighters on Thursday, February 21, 2017.
It is
not clear what prompted the kidnappers to set him free but social media
advocacy likewise pressure from national and international journalism
associations and trade unions likewise human rights groups have been
sufficiently credited.
This
unfortunate kidnap triggered an avalanche of condemnation from journalists,
national and international journalism associations, trade unions and human
rights groups who were unanimous that “journalism is not a crime” and that
journalists like doctors should not be targets during crisis.
Consultant Cardiologist, Wali Muna, Dies
 |
| Prof. WalinjomTerenricha Muna |
The death has been announced of Cameroon’s celebrated cardiologist, Professor
WalinjomTerenrichaMuna son of the former vice president and statesman of
blessed memory Solomon TandengMuna. A
statement from his brother Barrister Bernard AchoMuna indicates that, the medic
died in the early hours of Sunday February 24th.
The
National Times gathered that, the professor emeritus of Cardiology and Internal
Medicine passed on to eternity in Paris, France.
WaliMuna
as the deceased was popularly known across Cameroon is the fifth of eight
children of onetime vice president and speaker of the National Assembly S.T
.Muna.
The
founding member of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences occupied the position of
the National Epidemiology of Cameroon for over two decades. He was equally a World
Health Organisation (WHO) expert and adviser on cardiovascular diseases. He
equally occupied several other portfolios at the local, national, sub Regional
and world level especially task -forces
on tobacco control.
Wali
was also a former president of the tobacco control commission for Africa.Among
others, he served as Chairperson of the Ethical Committee of the Chantal Biya
International Research Center. He led the WHO technical advisory council group
on eHealth. He is a former president of the Cameroon cardiac Society. He
belonged to the American College of Cardiology.
After Predicting Lion’s 2017 AFCON Victory:
Prophet Predicts Biya Will Free All Ambazonia Detainees
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
After predicting the victory of the Indomitable Lions of
Cameroon in the 2017 African Cup of Nations footballer tournament in Gabon, Kumba
Based man of God has thrown thousands of his Christians and followers into
frenzy in yet another powerful prophesy.
The
Senior Pastor and founder of Faith Ministries International in Kumba, Prophet
Agwu Bertrand, during his live church service on Sunday February 17, 2019
prophesied the imminent release of all the incarcerated Ambazonia leaders and
other Anglophone detainees through a decree.
“Good
news! I see surprisingly, the release of all the separatists, surprisingly they
took people unaware. Just… just decree just came out and everybody was released
and that was the beginning of peace. So people should keep themselves calm now.
Very soon… very soon, there will be good news. Very soon, there will be
restoration… it will come to pass” prophet Agwu prophesied.
Supreme Court Judge Decries Abuses in Social Media
Views over the roles of social media in the neo-colonial
African state’s security differs among the population based on age, position in
government, ethnicity, and most importantly whether you are a friend or enemy
to those in power.
Overall,
government and security agencies have expressed concerns over the emergence of
social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and messaging apps such as
Whatsapp. They argue that these cyber spaces are undermining the rule of law
and government’s ability to enforce the rule of law. Speaking at the opening
ceremony of the Cameroon’s Judicial Week, the country’s prominent Supreme Court
Justice, DanielMekobeSone on Thursday disparaged what he described as the abuse
of social media.
“Cyber
space has become an excellent platform for freedom of expression without law
and faith. It has become a court where everybody is judged and condemned
without recourse to courts of law. A veritable space for defamation” he said.
But
several social activists will disagree with the government’s views. To these
activists the social media and cyber space has helped minority population and
marginalized communities to express their voice, to expose government
atrocities, and also sexual and other abuses by powerful against the weak, who
couldn’t access the law courts because of corruption or bureaucracy.
According
to these activists, people no longer need to travel to Yaounde or Buea to lay
their complains against their abusers.
People Power Defeats Terror in Kupe Muanenguba:
Populations Save Minister’s Residence from Arson Attack
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
Minister Elung Paul’s Bangem residence was not burnt afterall
|
The populations of Bangem in Kupe-Muanenguba Division, South
West Region have once more shown their unflinching and undying love and support
for their son and brother, Minister, Assistant Secretary General of the
Presidency of the Republic, Elung Paul Che, by rescuing his residence from an
arson attack by yet unknown persons.
Some
unidentified persons had on Sunday 17 February, succeeded to set fire on one of
the buildings within the family compound of the Elungs, situated adjacent to
the municipal grandstand facing the Paul Biya Stadium in the Bangem city
centre. But before the flames really got serious, an alarm was raised by
neighbours and within minutes a huge crowd had gathered. Using their bare hands
and buckets of water, the crowd succeeded to put out the flames, a source on
the ground in Bangem told this reporter.
Asked
about the cause of the fire, our source said it was yet unclear. He said nobody
was found at the scene when the fire was discovered. “Attention of neighbours
was drawn by the thick black fumes that emanated from inside the compound,” the
source said.
Denying
claims that the fire might be the handiwork of pro-separatists activists, the
source said that had the fire been set by separatist fighters, they might have
stayed back to stop the population from putting it out this with the
understanding that Minister Elung being very popular in Bangem, the populations
were likely to intervene and stop the fire.
War Crimes:
Soldiers Aren’t Responsible for Fire Attacks in Kumbo
-Rene Sadi, Gov’t Spokesman
By Njodzefe Nestor in B’da
 |
| Houses in Kumbo’s city centre are now in rubble due to arson |
Few weeks to the beginning of the rainy season, not fewer
than 42 houses have allegedly been reduced to ashes in Kumbo, Bui division of
the North West region. The height of the burning spree took place on the 16, 17
and 18th of February 2019 with so many houses and property burnt.
Human Rights Watch in a statement published on
their website on Feb. 21, 2019 said the gruesome burnings were committed by the
Cameroon military.
Human
Rights Watch is an international Non-governmental Organization that monitors
and reports human rights abuses over the world.
“Over
the weekend, in what appears to be an act of retaliation against residents
perceived as sympathetic to the separatists, security forces burnt down scores
of private homes and shops across Kumbo. Destruction of private property by the
Cameroonian security forces has been rife since the crisis started” denounced
Lewis Mudge, researcher at the Africa
Division of Human Rights Watch.
In
Lewis Mudge regretted that “destruction of private property by the Cameroonian
security forces has been rife since the crisis started” noting that “Human
Rights Watch has documented the burning of more than 20 villages by members of
the security forces between 2017 and 2018 in both the North and South West
regions”.
He
added that “soldiers looking for wounded separatists broke into the Shisong
hospital and fired several shots in the air and “also threatened to kill a man
in front of hospital staff”.
In
response to these accusations, the government of Cameroon through the Minister
of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi has formally debunked these allegations
against the Cameroonian soldiers.
In a
communiqué signed on Feb. 21, 2019, Minister Rene Sadi insisted that soldiers
in the area were rather protecting the population against the separatist
fighters who have been causing havoc in the division.
Who Is Fooling Who in NO-SO?
Ministers, Governors in Gun-Proof Vests, Beckon Citizens
with Bare Chests
 |
Minister NarcisseMouelleKombe clad in
bullet-proof vest and saddled in an armored car
|
The picture of Sports and Physical Education Minister, Prof.
Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, being ferried to Buea for the Mount Cameroon Race of
Hope, sitting inside an armored car and saddled to his seat with a bullet-proof
vest on top of his navy blue suit, speaks volumes of the precarious security in
the NW and SW at this time. It dramatizes in spectacular fashion the scare that
even senior government officials are subjected to, by the Amba boys, who seem
to have finally seized control and are now dictating the pace of events in
these parts of the country.
The
picture captured the minister sitting like an “Apollo” headed for the moon. “He
looked no better than a prisoner on death row waiting to be electrocuted.”
How can
a cabinet minister be subjected to such dehumanizing and humiliating
conditions? An observer wondered on Facebook. It would have been hilarious,
were it not so pathetic, the observer remarked.
“See
how the government is ridiculing itself to the wide world. This is an
unbelievable national shame.” opined another commentator on facebook. He
regretted how times have changed in a country that was once considered an
island of peace, in a turbulent sub-region.
To Le
Jour’s Haman Mana, it was a pitiable sight, for a state dignitary in Cameroon
to be dressed like a US Marine fighting the Al Qaeda in the restive
Afghanistan. Mana said it is laughable because the minister was going to
preside over a sports event, in a region where the government had said two
years ago that there was no problem.
“The
gun-proof vest affords provisional protection against an eventual danger of a
gunshot. But it doesn’t guarantee complete protection to he who wears it. This
is because when the real danger comes; if an expert is the one handling the
gun, the damage it can cause could go as far as causing death,” notes Haman
Mana, who also regrets that “the disastrous effect produced by such
unimaginable images of a minister clad in bullet-proof vest, only speaks
volumes of the attitude of the governing class in latter-day Cameroon: Here,
the master is protected; he must live, alone, all alone, while, by his side,
the citizens he swore oath to protect are living in unimaginable vulnerability.
Your Lies Will Not Deter Me
- Chantal Biya Tells Jean Afrique
 |
| Paul & Chantal |
Cameroon’s first lady Chantal PulcherieBiya has indicated
that, she and her supporters will not be distracted by ‘lies and wickedness’ to
pursue humanitarian works in the face of controversy over her supposed rising
influence in the decision making process of the state.
In a
tweet, Thursday February 21st, the First Lady said, she and her supporters
remain determined to carry on with her humanitarian work. She stated that “to
all those who have accompanied me in my humanitarian works, let’s stay
motivated and committed. Slander, Lies
and wickedness cannot distract us. Thank you all”.
Her
tweet comes one week after a publication in the Pan African Magazine Jean
Afrique stirred controversy suggesting her supposed rising influence in the
decisions of the head of state Paul Biya.
Before
this tweet, the state owned broadcaster and Newspaper have since the controversial
publication surfaced been digging into the humanitarian works of president
Biya’s better half. Commentaries, news reports and specific write ups have been
done on these state owned media platforms to emphasize the humanitarian works of the president’s
wife.
In one
of the commentaries, the state broadcaster described the authors of the Jean
Afrique publication as “losers who have run short of ideas”. The same state
broadcaster has interpreted such publication are being meant to destablise
Cameroon.
Innovations in 2019 Edition:
FCFA 15m Toyota Car Up for Grabs at Limbe FESTAC
-Try Your Luck; Rush for Raffle Tickets in L’be, Buea, Tiko,
D’la&Y’de
-The 6th edition of the FESTAC has been billed for April
2019
By TichaMelanis in Limbe
 |
| Steering Committee members announcing the 6th edition of the Limbe FESTAC |
The sixth edition of the Limbe Festival of Arts and Culture
has been scheduled to take place from the 6-13 of April 2019 with the theme:
‘Taking Limbe FESTAC to the next level’.
The major innovation in 2019 will be the introduction of a raffle draw
where lucky winners will win handsome prizes including a brand new 15 million
fcfa Toyota Yaris car. Tickets for the Tombola will be out by March 1, 2019 and
will cost 1000FCFA. They can be got at the three sub-divisional councils in
Limbe, the Tiko, Kumba, Buea and at the Younde and Douala city councils.
The
Government Delegate of Limbe, Andrew MotangaMonjimba, on Wednesday 20 February
announced the holding of the 6th edition of the FESTAC at a press briefing in
Limbe.
Speaking
in the conference hall of the City Council, Andrew Motanga said the
announcement is coming a lot earlier this time because of the lessons learnt
from past editions with the most important being inadequate preparation due to
shortage of time.
Motanga
who doubles as the chairman of the steering committee of the Limbe FESTAC said
the decision to introduce a raffle draw in this year’s festival is with the aim
to get the population more involved in the events, especially the grassroots
populations. It is also to diversify the sources of income for the FESTAC, he
said.
According
to the Secretary General of City Council, Charles ArreyNkongho, the draws shall
be made up of fifty prizes with 35 being consolation prizes which include
Standing fans, Juice mixers, Electric irons, Android phones amongst others. The main prizes are ranked from 1-8 and
include 32 inches flat screen TV sets, two laptops, a gas cooker with six
burners, two deep Freezers, Nanfang
and/or Sanili bikes and a brand new Toyota Yaris car 2018 model worth
15million FCFA.
New Year Wishes Event:
Gov’t Delegate Condemns Corruption at L’be City Council
By TichaMelanis in Limbe
 |
| Limbe City Council |
The GD
was speaking as he received New Year wishes from staff of the city council, on
Friday 22 February at the city hall.
Motanga
advised the staff to align themselves to the council's current focus
henceforth. He assured them of that hierarchy will continue to pay attention to
their worries but exhorted them to remain focused to the goal of transforming
Limbe into a veritable OPEC city.
Speaking
on behalf of the Staff, the Secretary General of LCC, hailed the GD for the
regular payment of salaries, which cover housing allowances, health insurance
and basic salary. The SG enjoined the entire staff of LCC to rally behind the
GD for greater achievements for the city as a whole.
To
demonstrate their appreciation to the GD, the staffs handed a symbolic gift of
a gas cooker with six burners to the GD.
2019 Mt. Cameroon Race of Hope:
NW Athletes Demystify Epas’a Moto
- Athletes from up country dominated the race in both the
male and female categories, taking home all the jackpots allocated for winners.
By Boris Esono in Buea
 |
| Female Athletes from NW came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions |
Mbatcha Eric and TatahCarine, both from the North West
Region of Cameroon are the winners of the 24th edition of the Mount Cameroon
race of Hope in the male and female categories respectively. The race was run
on Saturday 23 February in Buea.
Athletes
from the North West Region occupied all six available places on the podium,
emerging 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both male and female senior categories.
Mbatcha
Eric won the race for the third time after wins in 2011 and 2014. He covered
the 43km distance up and down the mountain in 4hrs, 40mins, 09secs.
Reacting
after his victory, Mbatcha said 2019 has not been an easy one giving the
socio-political unrest which made training impossible. He said his trainers
advised him to move over to Nkongsamba where he trained for 10 weeks on the
Muanenguba Mountain.
"It
was not easy this year. I was first to arrive at the summit but on descending I
was overtaken at Hut 3. But due to my experience I was able to pass the guy in
the forest which made me to come first.
Ali
Mohamadou came second using 4hrs, 44mins, 30sec, while last year's winner
GodloveGabsibum came third after 4hrs, 46mins, 09sec.
Hopes
for LyongaEssombe from the SW winning this year’s race were dashed. Essombe
came 3 two years ago, but finished at a disappointing 6th position this time.
His
facial expression was very telling of his disappointment. He was visibly
"crying". He had emerged second during the test race in Buea was with
hopes that he could perform even better in the main event.
Amba Threats, Scary Military presence:
Buea Goes Dead As Race of Hope Comes & Goes
Insecurity across the restive South West region coupled with
threats from separatists’ activists dealt a severe blow to the ambiance and
turnout at this year’s Mountain Cameroon race of Hope that was staged in Buea
on Saturday 23 February.
This
24th edition of the race had an outlook never seen before in decades of the
age-old race. The festive atmosphere that saw huge crowds feasting, partying
and feeling at home was completely absent this time.
In the
MolykoOmnisport Stadium where most of the activities were staged, the seats at
the tribunes remained empty all along. Despite the beautiful and attractive
sports infrastructure, too few persons bothered to come.
The
city of Buea remained completely deserted with most people functioning within
the comfort of their home.
The
absence of the populations only exposed the unusually heavy military presence
at all strategic corners of the city. Some of the military paraphernalia that
moved up and down the hilly slopes of Buea were at times frightening to say the
very least.
The
Minister of Sports and Physical Education Professor NarcisseMouelle Kombi was
escorted in out of the stadium by a security motorcade comprising
state-of-the-art armoured vehicles.
MT. Cameroon Race of Hope:
Gov’t Rewards Athlete Who Ran for Peace
Cameroon’s Sports and Physical Education Minister Professor
NarcisseMouelle Kombi took a spontaneous decision Saturday February 23rd rewarding
an athlete who ran up and down the Mount Fako carrying a peace plant and
the nation’s flag calling for a return to peace in the conflict-ravaged
English-speaking for citizenship and
patriotism.
The
athlete Jules KomKom surfaced at the MolykoOmnisport Stadium 7am Saturday at
the starting line with Cameroon’s flag and a peace plant. He ran to the summit
and returned hours later when the stadium was already deep in the frenzy of
celebrating winners.
Kom
touched the hearts of spectators as he ran to the finish line of the race
showing forth the peace plant. He will then kneel down lifting his eyes to the
skies as though praying for peace to return. In the wake of the ripples of
applause that trailed his action, Kom was live on state television for an
interview.
Moments
later, the Minister asked to see the athlete. Muelle Kombi thus offered Kom a
special Prize of FCFA 200.000 for patriotism and citizenship.
Towards a Cashless & Paperless Tax Sector:
DGI Explains Dematerialization & Digitalization
Officials of the Directorate General of Taxation, DGI, used
the occasion of the Promote that ended last week to edify the public on
innovative and modern taxation procedures that seek to discourage the use of
cash and papers, while encouraging online transactions
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde
 |
| Taxation DG, Modeste Mopa Fatoing, presided over the seminar/workshop |
The Directorate General of Taxation is determined more than
ever before to put an end to taxation procedures that go by cash and paper work
(dematerialization), while at the same time encouraging the use of on-line
procedures (digitalization). This was the subject of the information and
sensitization offensive that the DGI embarked upon during the 10-day
international trade fair for small and medium-size businesses, Promote, that
ended on Sunday 24 February in Yaounde.
In the
course of the ten days, officials of the DGI set aside Thursday 21 February to
bring taxpayers and other stakeholders together and explain to them the new
policy of digitalization and dematerialization. This was during a one-day
seminar/workshop they organized in one of the conference halls of the Yaounde
Conference Center.
Presided
over by the Director General of Taxation, ModesteMopaFatoing, and with
University don, Prof. Biwole acting as moderator, the head of the division of
information technologies, Kinyuy John, schooled participants on the stakes and
challenges of the new policy of dematerialization. And this was not before the
DG of taxation had opened the seminar with a cursory but brief lecture on the
stakes, challenges and prospects of the Taxation sector in Cameroon.
Mt. Cameroon Race of Hope:
Minister Hails Serenity of Buea amid Heavy Military Presence
Sports and physical education Minister, Professor
Narcisse Mouelle Kombe saluted the serenity in the city of Buea as he launched
the kick-off of the 24th edition of the Mt. Cameroon Race of Hope, in the early
morning on Saturday 23 February. Minister Kombi saluted the courage of the
organizers and the participants, noting that, all in all, the race remains a
unique and historic occasion for Cameroon.
The
minister had earlier on Friday, launched the activities leading up to the race.
This was done under a heavy military presence. Traditional rulers were present
to pour libation for a successful event.
It was
a deserted city of Buea that witnessed this 24th edition of the Race of Hope,
as very few persons had the courage to step beyond their balconies to watch the
athletes as they raced up the mountain on Saturday.
Promote 2019:
CSPH Explains Petroleum Prices Fixing
 |
| CSPH DG, Okie Johnson Ndoh, reassures Prime Minister Dion Ngute of a constant supply of petroleum products in the home market |
Officials of the Hydrocarbons Prices Stabilization Fund,
CSPH, on Wednesday 20 February, presented to the public the mechanisms used in
fixing the prices of petroleum products (petrol, gas, kerosene and cooking gas)
that is, from when the products leave the National Oil Refinery, Sonara, Limbe,
to when they get to the filling stations throughout the country where they are
pumped into the tanks of vehicles. This was at a media outing that CSPH
organized during the 10-day Trade Fair, Promote that ended in Yaounde on Sunday
24 February.
According
to officials of CSPH, price fixing is a complex process that takes into
consideration several instruments including equalization, regulation, stabilization
and dialogue with social partners. But the factors that come into play in the
price fixing process include the price on the international market, the price
at Sonara, the cost of transportation to Douala for storage, as well as the
cost of transportation to the final destination that is, at the filling
stations in the different towns of the country.
“The
costs at all these individual stages are factored in the final price of the
product at the pump,” explains Alain Pascal Ekollo, chief of service of prices
at CSPH. He noted that to these costs are added taxes (VAT).
The
explanation by the service head for prices was buttressed by the General
Manager of CSPH, Okie Johnson Ndoh, who revealed that the prices of petroleum
products at the pump are not what they should be if other things were equal.
Okie noted that the prices are made affordable to the average Cameroonian in
Douala like in Kousseri, thanks the government’s policy of subvention.
“The
retail prices of petrol (Super), gasoil, kerosene and cooking gas are not what
they should be if the government did not absorb some of the cost of making
these products available to users. In fact, the prices at the pump are far
lower than they should, and this is thanks to the huge subvention by the
government,” said Okie Ndoh.
To Boost Decentralization:
Gov’t Allocates 49bn to Local Councils
 |
| Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute |
Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute has allocated a whopping
FCFA 49 billion to local councils as part of the General Grant of
Decentralization (DGD).
According
to sources at the Prime Minister’s office, the funds will help local
authorities to pay salaries, build vital infrastructure for local communities,
and also to train local authorities to better handle the government’s strive to
decentralize power from Yaounde.
Wildlife Protection:
Two Notorious Pangolin Scales Traffickers Arrested in Y’de
 |
Trafficker carrying bags of pangolin
scales shortly after his arrest in Yaounde.
|
Two men trafficking in pangolin scales have been arrested in
Yaounde during a crackdown operation carried out by the Centre Regional
Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife and police officers from the 10th police
district in Bastos, Yaounde.
During
an operation that was carried out with the technical assistance of a nongovernmental
organization called LAGA, the men were found in possession of 42kg of pangolin
scales. This is totally forbidden by the law.
The two are specialized traffickers who, for several years, had been
trafficking in pangolin scales. They transported the load in a taxi and when
one of them realized police was moving in on them, he tried to escape but was
chased and rounded up by wildlife officials. The second trafficker profited
from the confusion and ran into a nearby hotel but was searched and arrested.
According
to sources close to the matter that spoke on condition of anonymity, the two
who have been trafficking in pangolin scales from their base at the
Nkolndongoneighourhood for several years are popular with bushmeat sellers in
the neighbourhood. They activated several smaller poachers and traffickers in
Nanga Eboko and villages around the town, where they regularly made trips to
buy pangolin scales. Investigations about their illegal activities were started
there before moving to Yaounde, the sources said.
Worsening Insecurity:
Another Police Constable Killed in Kumba
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| Moumi Said Bapa |
Less than two days after few women and youths mostly
suspected to be disguised security persons took to the streets of Kumba, Chief
Town of Meme Division in the crisis hit South West Region to condemn activities
of separatist fighters, the population of Kumba wake up with the sad news of the
brutal murder of a police constable by unknown gunmen.
News of
the death of constable Moumi Said Bapa spread across the town of Kumba like
bush fire in the early hours of Monday February 18, 2019 when the attack is
suspected to have occurred. Moumi Said was serving at the Special Branch Police
Station in Kumba before his untimely death.
Unknown
gunmen are feared to have killed him early Monday. The young officer we
gathered has spent less than a year in Kumba. Sources close to the deceased
revealed that, the officer owns a private motorbike with which he rides around
town in the dispatch of his duty.
World Pangolin Day:
Over Seven Tons of Pangolin Scales Seized in Years
The 8th annual World Pangolin Day was celebrated throughout
the country on February 16, 2019. Activities to mark the day included
sensitization to draw public awareness to the plight of the pangolins that is
facing existential threats.
According
statistics from wildlife law enforcement body LAGA, the organization has
assisted wildlife officials in the seizure of 7.5 tons of pangolin scales
during the past five years. 55 people were arrested during operations leading
to the seizures. While some
are facing trial at the moment, the majority have received varying prison
sentences and fines.
Last
year, an international network comprising four countries; Nigeria, Cameroon,
CAR and DRC, was dismantled in Douala with over 700kg of scales seized and six
traffickers arrested. In January 2017, an illegal shipment of 5 tons of
pangolin scales that was on the verge of being exported was seized from a two
Chinese nationals who were arrested, tried and sent to prison.
Faced
with increasing illegal trade, pangolin enthusiasts, conservationists and the
entire world shall next Saturday celebrate the World Pangolin Day. The alarming
and sudden spikes in the illegal trade in pangolin scales is unsettling many
conservationists who fully understand the devastation this is causing pangolin
populations. According to Francis NchembiTarla, a wildlife specialist and
coordinator of a bushmeat network called CABAG: “three years after the CITES
meeting in Johannesburg, there are still large seizures in Asia of African
scales”. After the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) meeting that held in Johannesburg in 2016 and upgraded the animal to a
class of totally protected species, the government of Cameroon followed suit
immediately and reclassified all three species of pangolins in the country to
totally protected status. But the butchering is ongoing and Tarla agreed: “In
most local restaurants, pangolin meat is openly offered on the menu. At road
points on the major highways, live pangolins are openly sold”.
In
recent years, governments, institutions and organisations have been frantically
initiating measures and structures for pangolin conservation following the
realization that not much had been done to save the species. On the occasion of
the World Pangolin Day and to face the ever-growing conservation challenges,
pangolin lovers and conservationists shall be meeting, under the auspices of
TRAFFIC – a global wildlife trade monitoring network, to create a pangolin
working group that shall specifically target measures aimed at the protecting
the animal in the country. This is just one of the ways experts in the sector
are trying to come to terms with the problem and Tarla declared: “Our task is
still immense and we need to build a lot more capacity and triple our
sensitization campaigns to reduce demand”.
Bafang, West Region:
Forces Clash with Population as PiereKwemo is Freed
 |
| Piere Kwemo Mayor of Bafang |
Clashes erupted
inBafang, Upper Nkam Division, West Region of Cameroon, Sunday February
24 as security forces attempted to disperse crowds of people who streamed to
the streets to welcome home mayor
PiereKwemo.
Troops
used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the hundreds of Bafang inhabitants who
thronged to the roads celebrating the return of the municipal authority. Kwemo
had been in detention at the Kondengui
Maximum Security Prison in Yaounde.
Though
reports of casualties remain unclear, the atmosphere across Bafang Sunday was
tensed. Troops from Bafoussam were reportedly drafted into Bafang as fears
heightened that, the clashes with the population could go out of hand.
Despite
the tensed atmosphere, the municipal authority entered the city of Bafang to a
joyous crowd of women, youths and bikers who flooded the major streets in
celebration.
After attack in West Region:
Another Gun Attack Rocks Littoral Region
-Two killed in Mombo as panic stricken inhabitants beg for
protection from gov’t
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
Gunmen whose identify still remain confusing to local
administrative authorities of Littoral Region have wreaked havoc in the
locality of Mombo in the Moungo Division, leaving inhabitants of the area in
total panic.
The
attack in the village of Mombo occurred in the night of Sunday breaking Monday
February 18, 2019. The attack left two Mombo villagers dead as well as stormed
the chief’s palace, the Gendarmerie brigade and the car of the Gendarmerie
commander packed outside was partially destroyed in the course of the sustained
gun firing.
The
incident created an atmosphere of uncertainty and panic in the entire village
which completely grounded activities as schools and businesses remained closed
on Monday while security forces rushed to carryout out investigations.
We Are Tired Of Burying Our Children
 |
Women protesting similar woes of armed conflict in 2018
across
North West and South West Regions demanding for an end to
hostilities
|
-Women Tell Biya
A group of women in the civil Society have launched a
renewed appeal for dialogue to end
the armed conflict in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon stating
that, they are tired of burying the dead.
The
appeal is the substance of a meeting which the women staged in Douala, over the weekend in partnership with the
Stand Up for Cameroon Movement of Edith Kah Walla. It coincided with the black
Fridays which the Stand Up for Cameroon has been observing demanding for an end
to the hostilities in Cameroon.
According
to one of the women of the Civil Society Elizabeth Nkwa, since the leader of
the Separatists’ Movement SisikuAyukTabe and the president of the republic Paul
Biya are all in Cameroon, it is good for them to dialogue to end the suffering
of the population.
Nkwa
told journalists that, it is time for both the powers that be and the
separatists to dialogue and asks their camps to drop their guns for peace to
return. Nkwa believes that, through dialogue, president Biya can order soldiers
to retreat while Sisiku will ask the armed fighters in the troubled regions to
drop their arms.
In a
statement read to the media on behalf of the women, Nkwa questioned if the
suffering masses of the two English-speaking Regions means nothing to the
people of Cameroon and the world at large.
Other
women who made declarations at the Douala gathering lamented that, the crisis
has forced them to learn how to bury the dead. They cried that, they are tired
of burying their loved ones owing to the crisis.
WHO Africa Director Ends Cameroon Visit
 |
Dr Matshidiso Moeti , Africa Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO
|
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Africa Regional Director of the World
Health Organisation (WHO) ended her three days visit to Cameroon on Saturday
February 23rd without making a strong public pronouncement on the recent
attacks and killings of health personnel
and others at risk in the
conflict-hit North West and South West Regions of the country.
Controversial
narratives and condemnation from stakeholders have trailed arson on health
facilities and killing of personnel in many trouble spots in the
English-speaking Regions. The case of the Kumba District Hospital razed on
February11 remains fresh.
Most
health facilities in the affected regions have been razed and others cutoff
from the national grid leaving thousands without access to basic health care
mostly affecting women and children.
During
her stay in Cameroon, the WHO official discussed with state authorities on a
new government drive to make universal health coverage a reality.
DrMatshidiso was received in audience at the presidency of
the Republic by the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency
FerdiandNgohNgoh, the Minister of external Relations, the Prime Minister and
the minister of public health.
Besides,
she equally visited the BiyemAssi District Hospital in Yaounde, The Mother and
Child Center of the Chantal Biya Foundation and the Faculty of Medicine and
Biomedical Sciences in the University of Yaounde I. At the University, the WHO
Africa boss did a presentation on Universal Health Coverage.
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