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After Successful Mission:

 6th Cameroon Battalion to MINUSCA Return Flag
-Mindef, Beti Assomo hails troops for gallantry, professionalism
By Ayukogem Steven Ojong in Yaounde
Some over 1000 soldiers who formed the 6th Cameroon contingent to the Integrated Multi-dimensional UN Mission for the Stabilization of CAR – MINUSCA, have been hailed by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, MINDEF, Joseph Beti Assomo, for their show of exemplary bravery and professionalism.

Commander of 6th Minusca batallion hands flag to Mindef

The MINDEF made the remark while receiving the national flag (standard) from the commander of the returning battalion, on Friday, 23 October, at the esplanade of the military headquarters brigade in Yaounde.
    The Battalion was returning after a successful one-year mission to the CAR.
    “It is an honour and a pleasant duty for me to preside over the handing over of the standard, which is directly in line with that of 3 September 2020 in Mouchiboum for the departure of the 7th battalion,” Beti assomo said, noting that the country was making the remarkable sacrifice of sending the soldiers on the delicate mission in spite of the covid-19 menace.
    “One year ago the 6th contingent left for the CAR, after successfully completing a training on UN Peace-Keeping Missions,” the MINDEF recalled, noting that the soldiers accomplished their mission with honour and loyalty. He hailed them for doing honour to Cameroon.
    The MINDEF however regretted that 4 soldiers fell on the field of battle.
    He noted that President has since taken a commitment to help friendly countries in security distress, and the 6th contingent gallantly defended the qualities and the image of the country’s defence forces, reason he ordered the renewal of the mission.
    He said the professionalism of our forces was appreciated both by the CAR authorities, as well as the authorities of MINUSCA, even though a few recriminations were made.
    The Mindef said all those who were involved in unprofessional acts would be punished accordingly

United Councils & Cities of Cameroon:

 Wum Mayor Reveals Quest for Presidency
-Unveils ambitious manifesto, road map ahead of 3 November EGA
By Essan-Ekoninyam in Yaounde
The mayor of the Wum council, Dighambong Anthony Mvo has rolled out a strategic plan for the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon, UCCC. The plan was unveiled Saturday in Yaounde during a press conference.
  

Mayor Dighambong declaring his candidature to the press on Saturday

 Mayor Dighambong’s ambitious strategic document for the said association is the content of an attractive and development-oriented manifesto issued ahead of the November 3 elective general assembly of the body.
    The document which was made available to newsmen during the press conference contains both short and long term projects he intends to realize if elected president of the outfit.
    Mayor Dighambong said Saturday that he is amongst candidates vying for the top job of the organization.
    He will be challenged by at least four other candidates but he has so far been tipped favourite.
    He is the lone Anglophone gunning for the presidency of the UCCC and if voted, he will be the first ever mayor from the English-speaking regions of the country to have occupied the position.

What he has in offing for the UCCC
    Mayor Dighambong Anthony who currently serves as the president of all CPDM mayors in the North West region says his intention is to transform the UCCC into a veritable organization which plays a key role in influencing policy.
    Amongst other things, the Mayor Dighambong has pledged that if voted, he will organize General Assemblies every year to improve the visibility and governance of the association by, inter alia, giving their regional and Divisional representatives the opportunity to share their worries and needs directly to the National Bureau.
    He has also promised to construct or lay the foundation of a multipurpose complex for the "Mayor's Hotel" which would permit local elected officials and other municipal authorities to have access to affordable accommodation and modern work facilities on preferential conditions while in the capital city of Yaounde.
    Mayor Dighambong says his team will facilitate the construction of a Headquarters for the National Office of the UCCC and support all regional offices to do the same as well as establish a health insurance and social assistance scheme for local elected officials.
    He has promised to revive the process of recognition of Mayors as a constituted corps by the state during official ceremonies as well as re-launch the process of recognition of UCCC as an important arm of the state.
    The mayor says if elected, he will prioritize the best practices in social and economic development and stimulate healthy competition between municipalities by creating a Municipal yearly award within councils of each Division.
    He has also committed to strengthen and enhance the participation of UCCC in the activities of the pan-African and international municipal movements.
    He has said the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon ,UCCC, under his leader will be given new impetus, to continue to advance the process of decentralization and local development in the Country as per the instructions and directives of President Paul Biya.
    To do this, he continued “We will have to bank on our achievements over the past few years, putting in mind that the process of decentralization is irreversible…”.
    “Our Association should, more than ever before, strive to improve on governance and strengthen capacities by way of dialogue, negotiation as well as trainings, involving all local actors in the preparation and monitoring of these policies that have a great impact on our different municipalities” he stated in the manifesto.
    He said 17 years after its creation by merging two former associations of Cameroon municipalities, the UCCC has gradually become part and parcel of the institutional landscape of decentralization, thanks in particular to the rich road map portfolio of the state and other partners, both national and international.
    However, he regretted “this recognition has hardly given our Association the influential and imposing position it deserves, allowing the Mayors show case their expertise and practical experience on various important issues of the decentralization process and local development. In a bid to fast track Decentralisation as prescribed by the Head of state and marked by the ongoing zeal, determination and reinforcement of its prescription, the effective implementation of the new legal instrument must necessarily be influenced by the practical experience of Mayors in the domain of local governance”.
    The stuff mayor Dighambong is made of Dighambong Anthony MVO is a native of Aghem-Wum in Menchum Division of the North West region, where he has served as Mayor of the Wum Council since the municipal elections of September 2013.
    He is therefore a municipal magistrate, experienced with many achievements, notably in the domain of infrastructure and health that has improved the living conditions of the people of his municipality.
    After a successful first mandate, in a context marked by the effective transfer of certain competences to the Municipalities, Mayor Dighambong was able to appraise and evaluate the difficulties and challenges faced by mayors in order to better and commonly seek for sustainable solutions to the needs of the populations, especially in an area which is hard hit by the socio-political crises.
    His commitment and believe for a strong and united municipal movement is motivated by the conviction that the significant increase in council resources (Financial and Human) especially the effective transfer of those provided for by the Law, and the improvement of local governance are the pillars on which the acceleration of successful decentralization will be built.

Election of City Mayor: Greg Mewanu Is New Poster Boy of K-Town

 -Hysteric denizens dance in triumph, parade new ‘Super Mayor’ along the streets of Kumba

By Ekoko Willies in Kumba

The suspense as to who becomes the pioneer City Mayor of Kumba has finally ended. Councillors of Kumba on Thursday 22 October 2020 gave their votes overwhelmingly to Greg Mewanu Ntemoyock to become the pioneer City Mayor.
Mewanu emerged the winner in a tension-packed election that sanctioned the re-run first session as of right of the Kumba City Council holding at the City Hall on Thursday.
 

Super Mayor, Greg Mewanu, celebrates his hard-won victory

   He first grabbed 43 votes against 33 for Nkelle, in primaries conducted by CPDM representatives from Yaounde. He would later collect 65 of the total 75 votes cast, in the election proper, conducted by the eldest and youngest councillors of Kumba. There were 11 blank votes.
    Mewanu’s victory though hard-won, was not surprising to many. It was no secret to anyone that Victor Nkelle Ngoh, who had served the City for 11 years as Government Delegate, and seven months as City Mayor, had lost face with the inhabitants of Kumba, who reckoned that his performance at the council was anything but impressive.
    He inherited the City Council from the legendary Cavin Nnoko Mbelle, who had put Kumba among the fast growing cities in Cameroon, thanks to his development vision and drive. But Nkelle failed to live up to the standards his predecessor, Nnoko, had set for the City. Some Kumba denizens said maybe Nnoko raised the bar of achievements too high for Nkelle to measure up.
    Even though Nkelle’s admirers rushed to his defence, blaming his poor performance on a weak treasury at the council, informed observers dismissed him as lacking in vision and drive. They said he was at a loss of solutions to the many problems that are stalling Kumba’s development. Many did not conceal their desire to see a change at the helm of the city council.
    Greg Mewanu thus presented himself as that change that was badly-needed at the Council.
    Born and bred in Kumba, Mewanu did his early education in Kumba before travelling for further studies in Germany. He would later return to Kumba to embrace business and politics.
    An active militant of the CPDM party, he was elected as councillor of the Kumba 1 council during the 9 February 2020 Municipal election.
    Mewanu would then put forth his candidature for the post of city mayor of Kumba. But he lost the vote to Nkele Ngoh, in the election on 28 February 2020. Dissatisfied with the outcome of the vote, Mewanu petitioned the administrative court, arguing that the election was marred by irregularities.
    Though the SW administrative court dismissed the petition as invalid in substance, the Supreme Court upheld it at last and final instance, ordering a re-run election.
    During a pre-election meeting on Wednesday 21 October, a two-man team from the CPDM headquarters in Yaounde led by Minister Paul Tasong, urged councillors to concert and come up with a unique candidate for the post of City Mayor. It turned out that Nkelle and Mewanu could not come to a compromise.
Tasong later called for a vote to get a consensus candidate, but later revisited his decision, maintaining that a unique candidate must be found through compromise. This hesitancy and ‘Bafia dance’ by Tasong created suspicion among the councillors, many of whom accused him of wanting to impose Nkelle as City Mayor. The councillors said they must go to voting to get the unique candidate.
    “We must vote; we must vote,” chanted the councillors at the top of their voices.  
    As tension mounted, Tasong postponed the proceedings to the following morning at 8 am. He invited all the councillors for dinner at a popular hotel in town.
    But, suspecting the motive and the venue, many councillors, mostly Mewanu’s supporters, boycotted the dinner, saying the hotel was Nkelle’s campaign headquarters.
    Mewanu and his supporters said that Nkelle’s political masters from Yaounde, notably Senator Otte Andrew and Hon. Tabot Njalla, had asked for the postponement to give them time enough to buy over councillors to support their protégé – Nkelle Ngoh.

The Ultimate Victory
    The events on Thursday proceeded very fast. The party primaries in-house saw Mewanu collecting 42 votes, with just 33 for Nkelle. Greg’s victory drove the hundreds of anxious denizens who had crowded the precincts of the city council, into hysteria. Kumba denizens literally went wild in celebration. Bike riders packed their bikes; shop owners closed their shops; market women abandoned their merchandize, with all rushing to the City Hall to join the crowd in the celebration.
    Before long the information was all over on social media networks that Greg Mewanu is the new City Mayor of Kumba.
    But the celebration was not to last for long. It turned out that Mewanu had only won the primaries, but not the rerun election proper, which still had to take place, in the presence of the Meme SDO.
    But no sooner did the SDO arrive at the City Hall and the proceedings began than Nkelle Ngoh got up and introduced a point of order. He said Mewanu is an ex-convict and cannot be eligible for election as city mayor. However, the motion by Nkelle was overruled by the presiding eldest councillor, and this was not before Minister Paul Tasong and the SDO evoked a lack of jurisdiction, competence and relevance.
A lawyer, who was on stand-by, edified the sitting that Mewanu was convicted for a land matter and not a criminal offence. Besides, the lawyer said a convicted person can be rehabilitated after three years of the end of his conviction. He said Mewanu had been rehabilitated reason he has a non-conviction certificate.
    Having failed to get his motion through, Nkelle threw in the towel, allowing Mewanu to run unopposed. Mewanu got 64 of the 75 votes cast, with 11 blank votes.

A Victory of Hope
    Commentators say Mewanu’s victory sets a new dawn for K-Town. They said 12 years of Nkelle Ngoh has taken Kumba far behind in terms of development and Mewanu’s coming brings joy and hope that K-Town may regain its hustle and bustle of yore.
    Speaking to reporters shortly after his election, Mewanu said: “It is not a victory for Mewanu, but a victory for Kumba and all those who have been yearning for a new era of development in Kumba.”
    He beckoned the councillors and the populations to join him so that together they can implement his vision for K-Town, the difficult context of the Anglophone conflict and the covid-19 pandemic notwithstanding. He said brighter days lie ahead for Kumba.
    Mewanu thanked his predecessor, Nkelle Ngoh, whom he calls ‘grand frere’, for his selfless service to Kumba.
    Meanwhile, the two deputy city mayors from the 28 February election, Balike Esuka Victorine espe Ebanja and Sako Umana Mcmillan, were retained by the councillors.

Unprecedented Euphoria
    The euphoria that gripped the city following Mewanu’s election was uncontrollable. Many said it was unheard of in Kumba in the last three decades. A reporter likened the celebrations to the fever that gripped Cameroon when the Indomitable Lions defeated Argentina in the 1990 World Cup.
    Reports said Okada riders packed their bikes and waited outside to be sure that the result of the vote was not doctored. Market vendors abandoned their shops and crowded the arena. Others trooped into the bars to celebrate over a drink.
    Literally lifting their new ‘Super Mayor’ to the skies, the crowds paraded Mewanu from the city hall to his Alaska Street, Buea Road residence, with hundreds of bikes displaying in front.
    The Police were helpless in the face of the over 10.000-man crowd. But it was a peaceful and happy parade after all.
    Commentators said at long last the will of the masses has prevailed over selfish interests in Kumba. They said for several decades now candidates for political office were selected only on tribal and/or self-seeking interests.  
    Yet, for Mewanu as City Mayor, there is no time for celebration especially giving the circumstances of his victory and the context of the times.
    Perhaps the point should be made, that, Kumba is the economic capital of the SW region. It is also the largest city and has a typically business-inclined population that needs to be reassured and re-galvanized to action once again. Of course, the expectations are very high. 
    Getting the populations to ignore the separatists’ calls for ghost town will be a veritable litmus test for Mewanu. Let’s wait and see!
 
 

Kumba School Shooting: Ambazonia IG, Gov’t Trade Accusations

 -At least eight school children were murdered in Kumba at Mother Francisca Bilingual College by armed men, described by the Senior Divisional Officer of Meme, Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlin, as Ambazonia Separatist fighters. But the Separatists have said the perpetrators are Government forces. 

A statement from the Ambazonia Defense Council, reads that the Ambazonia Governing Council holds Government forces for carrying out the attack. The Interim Government adds that while they are carrying out investigations, they are not ruling out Government forces’ involvement in the massacre.
    “Let me also seize this opportunity to talk to all the parents, because I cannot understand that during the day Amba boys are attacking innocent children and the surrounding population are there without doing anything, all of them should be arrested, who do not support the affected children.” Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlin, SDO Meme Division, told reporters.
  

Volunteers transporting wounded victims to the hospital

 The Ambazonia Defense Council has also said their investigations have been launched but that as they go further to examine what happened, they have already been reliably informed that Government forces carried out the attack.
    The Communication Secretary of the Ambazonia Interim Government, Chris Anu, in a live broadcast said that previous events like the 14 February 2020 Ngarbuh massacre by government forces are indication that they are responsible
    “At the Interim Government we condemn this massacre and pay our sympathy to the families of the bereaved. We condemn this massacre that continues to be perpetrated by French Cameroun regime. We are urging the UN and international community to consider an investigation in Kumba.”
    The Divisional Officer for Kumba 1, Ali Anougu, on his part urged the people of Kumba to carry out their weapons and stand firm against the Separatists.
    “Please everybody must come out today. Please, everybody, come out and defend your children. What kind of independence do they want? Please I am telling you, my brothers and sisters…I am crying for the first time in my life, allow children to go to school,” he said to a wailing crowd.

UN Coordinator Condemns Shooting
    

Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator, Matthias Naab, has condemned the Kumba school shooting that left at least eight schoolchildren dead and twelve wounded on Saturday afternoon.
    “I am shocked and outraged by the killing of innocent school children which were attending school to get an education. On behalf of the United Nations and the wider humanitarian community in Cameroon, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of the children killed and our support to the wounded and their families and to all the community”, said Mr Naab.
    On 24 October, a group of armed men attacked Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba. At least eight children were killed as a result of gunshots and attack with machetes. Another twelve were wounded and taken to local hospitals.
    The World Health Organization has provided medical supplies to the district hospital and Médecins sans Frontières is supporting the hospital with medical supplies and personnel. The United Nations will continue to support efforts by the Government and non-Governmental organizations to provide necessary medical assistance to the wounded.
    The attack against school children is the worst atrocity since the resumption of the school year on 5 October 2020 in which more students enrolled in the North-West and South-West regions than in recent years.
     “Children have a right to education. Violence against schools and innocent school children is not acceptable under any circumstances and can constitute a crime against humanity if proven in a court of law. I call on the competent authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this tragedy”, reiterated Mr. Naab.
    Mr Naab reiterated the United Nations’ call for all armed actors to refrain from any attacks against children and other civilians, and ensure that schools, medical facilities and their personnel are not subjected to violence or threats in any way.

Agbor Balla: Unacceptable
    

The Founder of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA, Barrister Agbor Felix Nkongho, has condemned the Mother Francisca school shooting in Kumba, calling on thorough investigations that will lead to arrest and trial of perpetrators,
    “I strongly condemn the killing of school children at Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba. These gruesome and barbaric killings are gross violations of the right to life of these kids. It is unacceptable for anyone or groups of persons to harass, attack, and or kill children. It is a fundamental right for children to be educated. Hence, the perpetrators of these heinous crimes should be held accountable. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to their families,” Barrister Nkongho said.

Election of Regional Assemblies: ELECAM Reviews Candidates’, Parties’ Lists - The 4th Session as of Right of the Electoral Board of ELECAM has on 20 October 2020 held in Yaounde

 By Ashi Kwobo in Yaounde
The electoral board of Elections Cameroon, Elecam, has met in Yaounde for its 4th session as of right, by virtue of section 19 and section 259(3) of the electoral code.
    The session devoted to the adoption of resolutions to reinstate, disqualify and correct clerical errors on lists of candidates in view of the holding of regional elections on 6 December 2020, was chaired by the Chairman of the Electoral Board, Governor Enow Abrams Egbe.
    The review of the candidates’ and parties’ lists was with the aim to execute the decisions of the courts on pre-electoral petitions filed by candidates and political parties. This is in view of ensuring a smooth continuation of preparations towards a hitch-free elections on 6 December 2020.
    At the end of the session, it emerged that one (1) list submitted by one political party, and two (2) lists for the category of representatives of traditional rulers were reinstated. Also, clerical corrections were done on two lists from two political parties, and four lists for representatives of traditional chiefs.
    Meanwhile, one list of a political party initially accepted for the election was disqualified.
    In all, 10 lists were examined and either reinstated, disqualified or corrected.
    In view of campaigns for the regional election to kick-off in a month’s time, members of the electoral board of elecam will in the days ahead embark on field trips to the 52 divisional constituencies across the country, it was revealed.
    The field trips are with the view to sensitize and educate stakeholders, in the election, notably the traditional rulers, on salient aspects of the electoral process including the legal and institutional frameworks of the elections; the organization and functioning of polling stations and mixed electoral commissions; and the scope of the election and the distribution of seats.
    Stakeholders will also be reassured of Elecam’s steadfast commitment to comply with democratic principles and laid down regulations guiding elections this so as to ensure a massive participation at the polls.
    The Electoral board members will as well use the occasion to assess the state of preparedness of their collaborators on the field in view of ensuring a free, fair, transparent and hitch-free election on 6 December.

Horror in Kumba: Gunmen Kill Six Students in K’ba, Injure Ten Others

 By Doh Bertrand Nua in Yaounde
There has been nationwide condemnation following the gruesome killing of six students of Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy (MOFRIBA) in Fiango Kumba.
    

Parents of killed school kids were unconsolable

The murder of the kids took place on the school campus Saturday 24 October 2020. Administrative authorities in Kumba have blamed the act on Ambazonia separatist fighters.
    The gunmen stormed the school campus while catch-up classes were going on and opened fire on the students at close range, reports said.
    Gory images and videos of the macabre act went viral on the social media, with Cameroonians of all walks of life expressing unreserved indignation and condemnation. 
    The corpses of the slain kids were deposited at the Kumba District Hospital mortuary. Four out of the 13 badly injured students were evacuated to other hospitals for intense medical attention, while medics at the Kumba hospital battled to save the lives of the others. 
    Meme SDO, Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong condemned the act, promising that the perpetrators will be hunted and arrested by the military. He equally blamed the population for failing to intervene to save the lives of the innocent kids.
    “…Let me also seize this opportunity to talk to the parents because I cannot understand that during the day Amba boys will attack innocent children and the surrounding population are there witnessing without doing anything,” he wondered, ordering security officers to arrest all those living around the college.
    “…I have instructed that all of them should be arrested. All the surrounding population who did not support the affected children,” Ntou’ou Ndong said.
    He also blamed owners of private institutions that are operating without indicating their effectiveness to the administration as was recommended.
    “Without such notifications, it is difficult for security elements to know which schools to secure,” he opined.
    The Divisional Officer for Kumba I, Ali Anougu on his part, challenged the population of Kumba to rise up like one man and put an end to the barbaric acts of the Amba fighters.
    “…We call on the population to stand firm on their feet and let us face these terrorists today in Kumba. Let us stand firm and put an end to this nonsense happening in Kumba today,” he said, reiterating that no matter the tactics put up by the gunmen, the population will not continue to risk the future of their kids by keeping them home.
    The Member of Parliament for Kumba Urban, Tabot Lawson Bakia also added his voice to serial condemnations. Hon. Bakia called on the population to federate forces with the military to denounce separatists hiding in their neighbourhoods. He promised to collaborate with Mayors of Kumba councils and pick up the bills of all those injured by the gunmen.