Wildlife Protection:

Three Arraigned in Court for Trafficking Wildlife Products

Three traffickers at the wildlife office in Douala

Three traffickers shall again take to the stands at the Bonanjo court of first instance on November 23 to answer to charges of illegal possession and circulation of thousands of wildlife products. They were arrested with 158 ivory tusks, over 1000kg of pangolin scales 124 parrot heads and over 1300 parrot feathers a year ago as they were loading the contraband on board a truck that was heading to Nigeria.

                The operation was carried out at the Bois de Singes neighbourhood in Douala by the police mobile intervention unit (GMI) following investigations that provided enough evidence of the activities of the three according to a source close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity. The debates had been going on in the case that shall be heard for the 10th time and a wildlife law enforcement body LAGA is technically assisting wildlife officials in the follow-up of the matter. Witnesses shall to take the stands during the hearing to testify in the case that may soon draw to an end.

Actress Advocates Improved Menstrual Hygiene for Underprivileged Girls

By Sylvester Atemnkeng

One of Cameroon’s finest actress and philanthropist, who doubles as the CEO of EMBI COMPANY LTD, a Corporate and Movie Production company and also the Founder of EMBI Charity Foundation., Stephanie Tum, has embarked on the advocacy to subsidies sanitary pads to promote good menstrual hygiene among girls in the country.

                The objective of the campaign called "#GirlsAndHygiene" is to create a holistic approach to the issue of menstruation, which is an experience that transcends culture and class.

                The United Nations according to her has recognised menstrual hygiene as a global public health and a human rights issue across the globe. "Period poverty" as some call it, is a reality for millions of women and girls.

                Speaking to the press recently during one of her campaigns, the ace actress said, she is happy to be associated with a much-needed awareness campaign.

                The subject of menstrual hygiene to her “is more about a change of mindset than simply about the use of proper menstrual products and this (mindset change) is happening, but much more needs to be done.”

                Menstruation to the beauty Queen is much more than just about losing blood and unused eggs, equally important is the safe disposal of used sanitary pads, which actually are an environmental disaster. Education about menstruation and menstrual hygiene changes everything”, she said.

                “I am delighted to run the #GirlsAndHygieneCampaign to sensitize young girls and women and donate free sanitary pads to underprivileged young girls and women in our communities. We are having a massive positive response from the general public as they are delighted to come in and be part of this empowering for young girls and women in our communities. Also, the reaction of these young women has been nothing short of gratitude and excitement. Our target is to distribute 10 thousand sanitary pads before the end of the year 2019”, she said.

                “Being an Actress and having this huge platform too, has enabled me to use the platform and voice through the Charity Foundation to educate and create awareness on critical issues in the society, this by far is my most cherished passion at the moment. When I am not working or acting, I focus all my time and energy on my Charity Foundation which is so dear to me because it is named after my beloved late mum”, she added.

Total Cameroon Gets New Managing Director

By Ning Gaston in Yaounde

Adrien Béchonnet

Adrien Béchonnet has been named Managing Director of, petroleum company Total Cameroon.

                He takes over from Imrane Barry who stepped down after occupying the position for more than four years.

                Adrien Béchonnet formerly served as Managing Director of the Togolese branch of Total Group.

                Total Cameroon is the leading retailer of petroleum products and related services in the country.

                In 2015, the company owned 170 fuel stations across the country.

2018/2019 School Year:

UB Matriculates 5813 Freshmen

By Boris Esono in Buea

UB VC and Orange Cameroon official exchanging books after signing MOU

The University of Buea, which is the only Anglo-Saxon style University in Cameroon has matriculated its 26th batch of freshmen and women for the 2018/2019 academic year.

                On Saturday 17 November, some 5813 students took the matriculation oath at the open amphitheater of the University, making them official students of the University.

The registrar of the University, Prof. Roland Ndip Ndip, and the VC, Prof. Horace Ngomo, led the oath taking ritual, during which the students promised to be loyal, honest, committed and to take part in all academic and extra-curricular activities at the universities.

                The Vice chancellor used the event to call on the students to make use of social media to foster their educational pursuits.

                “Social media is the greatest liability depending on how you use it… Many people have wrote on the positive aspects social media plays but there are others who have also warned on the greatest danger posed by it. Use it to support your studies because your studies are the very reason you cameto UB. In the next three years, we will be here again to graduate you”.

                The students have defied all odds to make it to the place to be…. Many applied despite the precarious situation we are going through. The Matriculation exercise is the surest sign you are a bona fide person of UB. In response to the Minister's call for the computerization of the payment method, students of the College of Technology, COT developed a software application which we have judged to be the best”.

                Statistics provided by the vice chancellor indicates that close to six thousand five hundred (6500) students applied for admission into UB, while five 5813 students were accepted, excluding those of the Higher Technical Teachers Training College (HTTTC) Kumba, and post graduate students of all the 10 colleges.

                The Faculty of Social and Management Sciences has the bulk of the new entrants with 2019 students. The Faculty of Laws and Political Science follows with 1291 students, Faculty of Science 1058, the Faculty of Education 778, Faculty of Arts 288, Faculty of Health Sciences 242 students. 

                Words of gratitude were extended to the Head of state for his recent decision to recruit two thousand lecturers.

                “We are assuring the head of state that these lecturers will help in no small measure to advance the professionalization of programs in the school”.

                The VC called on the new students to make use of the student guide and be vigilant and guard against detractors who may derail them in their education.

Conflicts Prevention:

CHRDA Condemns Propagation of Hate Speech in Cameroon

By Boris Esono in Buea

Cameroonians should use social media to preach love, peace and call the government’s attention problems faced by the population, and not to propagate hate speech. These were the remarks of Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, CEO of the Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA, at a two-day symposium on 16 – 17 November, in Buea. The symposium was jointly organized by CHRDA and CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation).

                “It is incumbent on everyone to try to use the social media to fight against hate. It is causing division in our society. It is bringing a lot of hatred and we owe it a duty to try and fight it. We should not only wait for there to be hate speech for us to counter,” Agbor Balla said.

                The objective of the workshop was to train young people on hate speech, what it is, how they can combat it and how they can draw a line between hate speech and freedom of the expression.

                “We are going through a very difficult period in this country wherein hate speech is the order of the day. We have communities that have lived together for decades but because of hate speech and incitement of violence against each other, people have started looking at their neighbors as targets. Xenophobia is running riot in the country,” 

                To communication expert, Prof. Enow Tanjong, “human virtues and vices are randomly distributed across populations and sub-populations. There is no scientific evidence to apportion human virtues or vices to a particular nation, region, ethnic group, tribe or village.”

                He identified some sources of hate speech to include ethnicism, extremism, the fear of political and social change, stereotypes and lack of psychological attention.

                 “You have to be careful with people who are aligned to extremism. They are very much present in Cameroon. They are the cause of hate speech and they have no convergence because they have no meeting point”.

Kumba, Meme Division:

Four Arrested for Attempting to Steal Church Offerings

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Four persons have been arrested in Kumba for attempting to make away with the sum of FCFA 25 million raised by Christians of Presbyterian Church Kumba-Mbeng in Kumba, Chief Town of Meme Division in the South west Region.

                The four were arrested during the church service and 2018 harvest thanks giving ceremony thanks to the intelligence and timely intervention of forces of law and order that were brought in to secure the church premise on Sunday 4 November, 2018.

                A Christian of the church narrated to The Median that at about 7am when service was going on in the church, some five men of the underworld disguised as Christians had positioned themselves at strategic locations within and outside the church premises without the knowledge of any Christian.

                She added that some of the bandits were positioned on strategic locations with a standby motorbike that will ease their escape after they must have carried out their robbery. She recounted how one of the bandits who pretended to be a church member walked up to where the offertory of the day was kept while the harvest thanksgiving was ongoing.

                There, bandit saw some money but didn’t immediately take them. He questioned those he met at the vestry on few issues and asked if all was moving well with the conduct and count of the harvest thanksgivings before stepping out.

2019 AFCON Qualifiers:

Morocco Beat Cameroon 2-0 and Qualify

Morocco qualified for next year's Africa Cup of Nations without kicking a ball on Saturday while Mali won 1-0 in Gabon to progress.

                The Atlas Lions qualify with a game to spare after Comoros' shock 2-1 home win against Malawi.

                Morocco beat Cameroon 2-0 on Friday in Group B, while Mali made it through from Group C.

                The Eagles' narrow win means they are guaranteed to finish in the top two.

                Gabon, meanwhile, must win in Burundi to have any chance of making the finals but a home win will take the East Africans to their first Nations Cup.

                Mali boast 11 points from Group C, while Burundi - who beat South Sudan 5-2 on Friday - have nine, two more than Gabon while the South Sudanese have yet to win a point.

Morocco Milestone

                In Casablanca on Friday, Hakim Ziyech scored twice to condemn the African champions to their first defeat under Clarence Seedorf.

                Mali and Morocco join Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda in next year's finals.

                "Congratulations to players and staff for this brilliant qualification," tweeted Morocco coach Herve Renard on Saturday.

                The North Africans finally beat Cameroon at the twelfth time of asking, having lost seven and drawn four of their previous encounters, which date back to 1981.