Tuesday 26 February 2019

Front page


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 communiquĂ© 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 Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council Andrew Motanga Monjimba has cautioned staff of the Council against Anti-work practices especially bribery and corruption which he said is still very much present at the city council. He told staffers of the LCC to watch out, saying that a word to a wise is sufficient.
                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.