Politics

Boko Haram militants have largely been routed by the Nigerian army, but they have not disappeared and still pose a threat in the northern part of Borno State.

Boko Haram controlled some of northeast Nigeria at the start of last year, but it has been pushed out of most of that territory by the Nigerian army, aided by troops from neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad, Reuters reported in September.

Geneva-based officials representing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) say security in northern Nigeria remains fragile and that people who have suffered for years at the hands of Boko Haram are living in fear of renewed attacks from the militant group.

Over the past two weeks, U.N. aid workers have been interviewing community leaders and individuals in a number of newly accessible areas of Borno State to learn their needs and concerns.

UNHCR spokesman William Spindler says they have assessed the situation in towns like Monguno, Bama, Damboa and Shani.

“They have found similar patterns in these places of a high level of vulnerability among people displaced by Boko Haram,” he said, “with nearly every family affected by very worrying protection issues and that some of these people live in fear that the insurgency group could attack them again.”

Spindler says the displaced people are living in desperate conditions.

For example, he said more than 60,000 people who fled to Monguno largely from the Marte local government area, are living in dilapidated school buildings and makeshift shelters in nine sites.

They are suffering food shortages, he said, yet they continue to arrive in Monguno to escape the Nigerian military’s ongoing operations to dislodge Boko Haram from the northern part of Borno State.

Spindler says women and children are particularly vulnerable. Many families are headed by women, he said, because their husbands were killed by Boko Haram, were forced to join the insurgents or disappeared.

He tells VOA these people have lived under the brutal rule of Boko Haram for a long time and are having difficulty recovering from the experience.

“They are traumatized,” he said. “They are in need of help. Some of the problems that we see are related to the fact that they do not have the necessary aid or livelihoods. So, that is why we see some of these negative coping mechanisms like survival sex and other practices.”

Spindler says women are forced to send their children, some as young as 5, to sell small items or beg in the street so they can buy food and medicine. Others, he says, send children to collect firewood to sell. This puts the girls at risk of sexual attack.

Few of the refugees are likely to return to their home villages soon because of continuing insecurity and the presence of land mines in their villages and fields, Spindler said.

Boko Haram is blamed for about 20,000 deaths since beginning its insurgency in northern Nigeria in 2009. The Islamist extremist group says it wants to create a strict Islamic state in Muslim-majority northern Nigeria.

Details

Rita Akana

08.Oct.2016

Hits: 3305

Police in Kumba, Southwest Region, Thursday, September 29, arrested an activist of the Sothern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, in possession of a Southern Cameroons Passport.

Simon Nfor Ngwa, was fished out of a public transport bus at the Mabonji police check point on the Kumba-Buea Road.

Ngwa was reportedly travelling to Douala for a personal business venture when the security elements spotted him.

The Post gathered that his National Identity card, mobile phone and other belongings were confiscated. Reports further state that Ngwa was later released on Monday, October 3.

He is said to have been freed on the orders of the police hierarchy unconditionally.

While in detention, Ngwa is said to have benefitted from the sympathy of a police officer. The officer is said to have given him his mobile phone to inform relatives of his arrest.

The Post was unable to confirm if the Southern Cameroons Passport was retained at the police station or given back to Ngwa at the time of his release.

Ngwa’s arrest came in the wake of security measures Government put in place to circumvent any secessionist activities on October 1.

Within the ranks of the Southern Cameroon National Council, Ngwa is said to occupy the position of National Youth Officer.

In Kumba, security measures kept public manifestations at bay. Known activists who had promised mayhem could not be traced between September 28 and October 1.

Yet, soldiers and police officers combed the whole of Kumba. All through the night, police contingents paraded the major boulevards and access roads into town.

On the night of September 30 breaking October 1, public gatherings, beer parlours and even church vigils failed to hold into the new month.

Even commercial motorcyclists that are known for hustling till dawn were few on the streets.

Other presumed SCNC strongholds such as Ekombe in Mbonge Subdivision and parts of Kupe-Muanenguba and Manyu were not missed out on by the forces of law and order

Restaurant Owners, Bikers Peddling Signature Lists

Before October 1, makeshift restaurant owners and bikers in Kumba were reportedly collecting signatures for the SCNC course.

These groups of persons are said to be agents of persuasion that easily get people to append their signatures on the lists in line with Njoh Litumbe’s 2million signature demanded by the United Nations, UN, for the Southern Cameroons referendum.

Cameroonpostnewsline

Details

Rita Akana

08.Oct.2016

Hits: 4609

The Head of the SDF National Executive Committee, NEC, team for the reorganisation of the basic organs of the party in the Littoral, Senator Jean Tsomelou, has confirmed that the overdue election for the bureau will finally hold on Sunday, October 16.

Senator Tsomelou, who is also the SDF Interim Regional Chairman,said the remaining Electoral Districts and Divisional Coordination that have not yet been reorganized would all be reorganised, October 8-9.

Tsomelou has vowed that come rain or shine, the protracted reorganisation of the Littoral SDF, which was started in 2013 by the SDF National Reorganising Secretary, Ferdinand Asapngu, must end this month.

On the argument by other candidates in the Littoral race that Hon. Nintcheu is not supposed to contest, Tsomelou said Nintcheu is free to run for re-election.

He said NEC dissolved the Nintcheu-led bureau because they were seen to be interfering with the organisation of elections in Littoral. But he said before NEC took the decision to dissolve the bureau, Nintcheu had already declared his intention to run for re-election.

Tsomelou also explained that Nintcheu did not face the SDF Disciplinary Committee and so NEC could not bar Nintcheu from running for re-election.

But the Chairman of the Bonaberi Electoral District, John Ndangle Kumase, who is also a candidate in the regional election, like Celestine Djamen and Abel Elimbi Lobe, disagrees with Tsomelou’s position.

Kumase, former Mayor of Douala 1V Urban Council, has questioned the sense behind the Article 18.8 that NEC slammed on the Nintcheu-led bureau leading to its dissolution if Nintcheu is to be allowed to run for re-election .

Asked if Djamen in the face of an alleged scandal committed by him will be allowed to run for the post of Littoral SDF Chairman,Tsomelou did not give a clear response. He, however, said Djamen has some questions to answer.

As for the complaint that Djamen and Elimbi Lobe raised at a joint press conference in Douala on September 21that the registration fee of FCFA 400,000 is too high, Tsomelou said it is ridiculous for any person who wants to be Chairman of the Littoral SDF to complain that the amount is too high.

Elimbi Declares Candidature

SDF’s 1st Assistant National Secretary for Communication, Abel Elimbi Lobe,a councilor at the Douala V Urban Council, last weekend declared his candidature for Chairman of the Littoral SDF.

Elimbi was the only candidate who faced incumbent Nintcheu at the last election in 2009.His declaration to contest came as a surprise to many reporters because when he appeared with Djamen at the joint press conference on September 21, the impression was that he was supporting Djamen.

Even Djamen expressed surprise when Elimbi announced his candidature.

It is worth noting that the camp opposed to Nintcheu backed Elimbi’s candidature for the post of Chairperson of Douala V Electoral District.

But at the last minute Elimbi dropped out of the race, accusing the then Regional Chairman of the party, Hon.Nintcheu, of having brought in fake delegates to the Elective District Conference to vote for his candidate, Rodrigue Carlos Ngoualem.

Opposition Camp Weakened

Elimbi’s entry into the race now brings to three the number of candidates from the camp opposed to Nintcheu’s leadership. There were initially six aspirants in the camp. They chose Kumase as their candidate.

But rather than support their camp’s choice, Djamen and Elimbi have instead declared their candidatures.

Djamen and Elimbi, who are known to do their politics over private TV and radio stations, are likely to end up as spoilers, to Nintcheu’s advantage.

Elimbi is also infecting a controversial idea into the election; that election to the post of the Chairperson of the Littoral SDF should be reserved for Sawas. He has asked whether a Sawa can be Chairman of the SDF in the West or Northwest Regions.

In reponse, Kumase retorted by asking whether any Sawa has ever put his candidature for the post of Regional Chairperson of the SDF in the Northwest or West Region, and it was rejected.

Nonetheless, Elimbi insists that Nintcheu as a Bamileke has been Littoral Regional Chairman for 12 years, and that neither Nintcheu nor any other Bamileke has to be candidate again. Sawa Influence

In addition to Kumase’s Sawaness, he alleges that the decision of Elimbi to declare his candidature was taken at a village meeting. He, however, noted that there are very few Sawas in the SDF. He said a majority of Sawas are CPDM.

Kumase then questioned the interest of Sawa CPDM elite and militants to discuss and take decisions about candidatures in the SDF elections.

Another controversy about Elimbi in the SDF is that he has for some time now beendodging NEC meetings,apparently to avoid being scolded by the SDF hierarchy for some provocative declarations that he has made recently.

A Deputy Mayor at the Douala III Urban Council, Achiille Momo Azemba, who is on Nintcheu’s list for the election of new Bureau, recently declared over Equinoxe Radio that having deliberately kept away from more than three consecutive NEC meetings for no tangible reason, Elimbi is no longer supposed be a member of NEC.Yet, he wants to be the Regional Chairman of the party.

Meanwhile, Elimbi Lobe has complained that Kumase has been the Bonaberi District Chairman of the SDF for 25 years and is supposed to be stepping aside for younger people.

Cameroonpostnewsline

Details

Rita Akana

08.Oct.2016

Hits: 2203

The security situation in the Far North region remains of concern. Despite the security measures taken by the Cameroonian authorities to prevent Boko Haram’s attacks, the Islamist sect continues to perpetrate raids in the border areas of Cameroon. The Logone et Chari and Mayo Sava Divisions were particularly targeted resulting in killings, lootings and cattle robbery.

On the other side of the border, the Nigerian army continues to strike bases occupied by Boko Haram. Thus on September 13, a total of 194 Nigerian refugees (139 children, 36 women and 19 men), coming from Djakoua, a Nigerian village belonging to the town of Bama, arrived in the town of Kerawa in Mayo Sava Department.

Held captive by elements of Boko Haram since 2014, these newcomers have escaped after their place of captivity had been bombed by the Nigerian army. As other new arrivals, these refugees lack personal identity documents, are in urgent need of shelter, access to drinking water and basic health care as well as food and non-food items (mat, kitchen utensils, jerry cans, blankets etc.).

Due the considerable number of refugees that Cameroon is hosting, President Paul Biya was invited to the Leader’s Summit on refugees and migrants organized by US-President Obama at the margins of the 71st UN General Assembly. In his intervention, the Head of State of Cameroon reiterated the commitment of his country to continue its policy of hospitality and solidarity towards refugees.

He also appealed to the international community to step-up support to countries dealing with large and protracted refugee situations, including Cameroon. The President furthermore emphasized the strong engagement of UNHCR and its partners in reinforcing basic services in refugee hosting areas and underlined the importance of the recently signed convention between the Ministry of Public Health and UNHCR, which guarantees refugees UNHCR Factsheet | Cameroon | September 2016 access to public health services, and applauded the efforts underway to deliver refugee identity cards after biometric verification.

Details

Rita Akana

07.Oct.2016

Hits: 1699

After announcing in August 2013 the relocation of the project for the construction of the deep water port of Limbé, from the Ngeme site to Isonge, the State of Cameroon has come back to the initial option, “after assessing several hypotheses”, reveals a report just made public by the National Port Authority (APN).

At the time, the then-Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, had justified the relocation of this project by the narrowness of the Ngeme site, and above all, the costs linked to the payment of compensations. Indeed, he specified during a site visit, in addition to being bigger, the Isonge site is almost uninhabited, is close to the site hosting the project for the construction of the Afko Cement factory, and has a depth of 17m, thus 2m more than the Ngeme site, which would enable bigger vessels to berth.

All these particularities of the Isonge site, whih were then presented as advantages for the implementation of the project, are finally brushed aside since, according to APN’s revelations, it is finally in Ngeme that the deep water port of Limbé will be built. We can however note that these hesitations on the site meant to host the project considerably slowed down the start of the works.

As a reminder, it was on 1 November 2013 that the Cameroonian government signed an agreement with the Cameroonian-Korean consortium called Limbe Port Industrial Development Corporation (LIPID), for the construction of the deep water port of Limbé, in the South-West region of the country. This infrastructure, which should cost no less than FCfa 300 billion, according to updated estimates, should be delivered in 2018.

With the 2-year delay in the implementation of this project, and in order to make the deep water port of Limbé quickly operational, LIPID “proposed to the Cameroonian government to start with the construction of multifunctional floating pier, with the capacity of berthing 20,000-ton vessels, whose cost is estimated at approximately USD 35 million (FCfa 17.5 billion)”, the government had announced at the end of a meeting held on 15 January 2015 in Yaoundé.

Nine months later, this floating terminal, which according to the timeline presented in January 2015 by LIPID, “could be built and delivered in six months”, is still expected. Likewise for the other components of this port, which “will be specialised in the transport of heavy products such as hydrocarbons (the only refinery of the country is located in Limbé), cement (a cement factory will be built in the town of Limbé), containers and other agricultural products (CDC operates thousands of hectares of banana, palm oil and rubber tree around Limbé)”, the Cameroonian government specified.

BIC

Details

Rita Akana

07.Oct.2016

Hits: 4929

Late Professor Bole N Butake is among the group of young Cameroon intellectuals who got to Yaounde some time after independence - as big university boys.

 In his case, he really had to drudge hard at every turn, given that he was an orphan of both parents, and had managed to go through his pre-university education studies thanks to the charity of benefactors, who had been rightly convinced to have seen him a very intelligent and focused young man.

 From his St Patrick Primary School Nkor, through SAHECO to CCAST Bambili, the young Butake was a bubble of mettle and teeming potential. By tye time he got to the Yaounde university, freshman's proclivity for letters was already evident. His creative streak first came to light especially as a post-graduate student, with the founding and managing of The Mould magazine in 1976; thus would serve as the creative magazine of the then Faculty of Letters, Arts and Foreign Languages for long.

 Butake's initial love was poetry as his many poems in the copies of this mag showed & he was editor while it lasted and came to feature many who later became writers: the Ndumbe Eyohs, the Kitts Mbebohs, the Nalova Lyongas, the Edward Akos, the Tala Kashims, the Tangyie Suh-Nfors, the Tah Protuses, the Bumuh Martins,etc. Even masters like the eminent Bernard Fonlon of blessed memory, who trained them to be writers and critics, as he loved to put it,like the Prof Ze Amvelas, etc, published in that famous mag.

 Prof Butake would later study in Leeds University,after which he became a full time university don in UNIYAO - not yet the splintered I and II. With his peers the likes of late Lambo, late Siga Asanga, late Mbeboh, Lyonga, Futcha, late Jikong Stephen, late Ebot, late Tambi Jot, Alobwede d'Epie, etc and under the mentorship of their venerable Professor Fonlon and his co- professors, the late Butake was among the first group of Cameroonian teachers recruited to man the English Dep't. He would later on move to the African Literature Department, where he made a name as theatre guru and playwright and established an enviable reputation with peers the likes of late Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh, Gilbert Doho,etc.

It was sometime in 1984, after a creative writers' training course which he attended in Iowa in the US of A that Bole Butake abandoned his first love, poetry, to adopt drama, especially drama for "conscientisation" and social awareness. He retired from the Faculty of Arts, Letters and Human Sciences in 2012 and was given a rousing send-off from that dep't that spanned 2 days, 14/06/2012 & 15/06/2012, with testimonies from the likes of Prof Breitinger from Bayreuth Germany, Prof Odhiambo from Moi University Kenya and the cream of the Cameroon intelligentsia.

 He leaves behind a rich legacy of plays: The Rape of Michelle; Lake God; The Survivors; And Palm Wine Will Flow; Shoes and Four Men in Arms; Dance of the Vampires; Family Saga; Bethrotal Without Libation; Zintgraff and the Battle of Mankon (coauthored with Gilbert Doho)

Details

Valentine Nfon Tameh

03.Oct.2016

Hits: 3372