Politics
Boko Haram's elusive leader Abubakar Shekau said in an audio message on Thursday he is still around despite his reported ouster as head of the Nigeria-based jihadist group by the Islamic State.
"People should know we are still around. We will never cause any discord among the people, we will live by the Koran," Shekau said in a 10-minute audio message.
"This is our stand and we remain in our capacity as Jama'atu Ahlissunnah Lidda'awati Wal Jihad," he said using the Islamic name for the hardline jihadist group.
His voice was recognised by an AFP journalist familiar with previous messages he has posted on social media.
It was also confirmed as Shekau's voice by Berlin-based expert Yan St-Pierre of the Modern Security Consulting Group (Mosecon).
"The person who posted on the internet is a very reliable source," he said.
Shekau's audio message was released in response to reports that he had been purportedly replaced by Sheikh Abu Musab al-Barnawi, a former IS spokesman.
In the latest edition of IS's online weekly magazine, Al-Naba, which was published on Tuesday, an interview with Barnawi introduced him as Boko Haram's new leader
In March 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to IS.
But Shekau dismissed Barnawi as an infidel who condoned living in an un-Islamic society without waging jihad.
The shadowy leader's absence in recent months has sparked speculation about his fate and whether or not he had been deposed as leader.
He became Boko Haram leader after Nigerian security forces killed the group's founding chief, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009, sparking an insurgency that has left 20,000 people dead and forced 2.6-million people to flee their homes.
Boko Haram has been pegged back by an aggressive fightback from the Nigerian military since January 2014, losing territory and its capacity to mount conventional attacks.
AFP
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- Rita Akana
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Dr Samuel Fonkam, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Cameroon(ELECAM) said he was pleased with what he saw when visiting polling stations in Pretoria and Soweto on Wednesday.
Fonkam is visiting South Africa on a commission to commission observer mission.
“We are here to see what we can learn and to make recommendations to our colleagues,” he said.
Fonkam said he was impressed with voter turnout, the number of party agents, and the discipline and organisation.
But he noted that there were a lot of people at some polling stations. He said that at the first polling station they stopped at, there were 2,000 voters expected to make their mark, and that’s “too many people.” “In Cameroon the maximum number of people allowed to vote at one polling station is 500. That is the law,” he said.
He pointed out that on voting day in Cameroon, there are sufficient polling stations to allow people to vote at a station that is within walking distance.
Fonkam was part of a Commonwealth observer mission to South Africa in 2009 and he said that since then the situation had improved with a lot more polling stations than before.
But he would still be recommending more polling stations to South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Fonkam said that even though its expensive, “it’s a fairer system to create more polling stations as voting goes quicker and you can get results in faster.”
eNCA
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- Rita Akana
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This is what Cameroon Tribune carries on front page in its today's August 4th, 2016 edition. Inclusing picture below.
Part of the article reads... " According to
the motion of thanks read by Martin Steve Zang Ambassa, a student of the Yaounde Higher Teachers’ Training College, the students pledged to stand by all actions initiated by President Paul Biya .... They reaffirmed their unconditional support to the Head of State, Commander in Chief of armed forces. " end of quote.
Dear Cameroonian Students I have the following questions.
1 Did all University Students Thanked Biya?
2 Did all who marched speak for every student and the university student community? If not we need to hear from the other students.
3 Is the provision of the laptops( which we have not seen) a loan Cameroonians and their children's are going to pay or a gift from Mr Biya?
4 Are you aware that in some countries, the government sponsors its students in a well organised manner and no noise is made about it?
5 Is the 2500 Frs each of those who marched received a solution to your problems of lack of lecture halls, (especially those in University of Bamenda) no free wireless on campus etc?
6 Are you aware that by marching for a gift you have not seen is clear proof that your mentalities and brains have all been damaged? That you are no longer thinking rightly and or independently?
Truth be told, historians are keeping all the pictures of your confused and sorry faces, which you displayed on social media after this buffoonery of a march. Your children will have to see and read how stupid you were when you were students and cast doubt on the qualifications you obtained there off.
And if you think that you are going to continue with this system by having a matricule number and getting into public service, you are wasting time. You better start thinking like students and normal human beings.
It would be better to hear from the students who did not ask those who marched to represent them!
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- Solomon Amabo
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ISIL has announced a new leader for the insurgent group, Boko Haram. ISIL referred to Abu Musab al-Barnawi--who was previously spokesman for Boko Haram-- as the new leader, replacing Abubakar Shekau. Al-Barnawi was featured in the latest issue of an ISIL magazine.
Boko Haram, which has lost most of the territory it controlled 18 months ago, is fighting to overthrow Nigeria's government.
Its seven-year insurgency has left 20,000 people dead, mainly in the country's north-east.
In the interview in IS's weekly Arabic magazine al-Naba, Mr Barnawi said his group "remained a force to be reckoned with" and said it had been drawing new recruits.
He described the group's battle against West African states as a war fought by Muslims against "apostates" and "crusaders".
Al-Barnawi was Boko Haram's spokesperson until he and other members defected to form the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Lands (Ansaru) group in 2013. The splinter operates in north-eastern Nigeria and, unlike Boko Haram, does not attack Muslim civilians and does not force women and children to carry out suicide bombing missions.
"Al-Barnawi has been the spokesman of Ansaru after the 2012-2013 split. He personally distanced himself from the killing of Muslim civilians by Boko Haram in 2012," David Otto, CEO of global security provider TGS Intelligence Consultants, told IBTimes UK. "The split was seen as a leadership disagreement on soft targets that killed Muslims , women and children."
Although Ansaru is a splinter of Boko Haram, Otto said that the two groups reintegrated in the Nigerian-Cameroon border region, where they exchange resources and militants "towards a common goal."
IBTimes
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Nigerian troops have killed five Islamists who were planning an attack in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.
During the incident on Monday, the troops managed to confiscate a cache of arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles and a machine gun.
The troops successfully thwarted the plans on the insurgent group Boko Haram.
Over 2 million people have been displaced and thousands have been killed during the groups seven year insurgency, which has seen Boko Haram launch cross-border attacks.
Boko Haram seeks to establish an Islamic state adhering to strict Sharia law in Africa’s biggest economy.
Recently, the European Union signed a 50 million Euro agreement in support of a multi national task force that is fighting the militants.
The multi-national joint task force is drawn up by Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin.
AFP
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A group of Pentecostal pastors in Cameroon have "pressured" for an extension of the 34-year-rule by Cameroon's president, Paul Biya, according to a signed letter officially published Tuesday in the state-run newspaper, Cameroon Tribune.
Most of the names endorsing the 83-year-old leader appear to be from the French-speaking regions in the West African nation. However, critics have been quick to rubbish the move, arguing that a marriage between religion and politics ruins governance, democratic accountability and the rule of law.
"In Botswana, the church was instrumental in speeding up democratic processes. They assisted in holding leaders accountable and pushing forth good governance policies. In Cameroon, it is the opposite. Religion and politics marry, and pastors and priests bless their union on the altar," Fai Pontius says.
"I will never go to church again. It is unacceptable," Moh Cletus tells me on Facebook.
But others claimed pastors and priests have the right to participate in politics because they are citizens. "Give to Biya what belongs to Biya and to God what belongs to God," a Facebook user told me on grounds of anonymity.
In 2013, Cameroon's President Paul Biya ordered the closure of nearly 100 Christian churches in key cities, citing criminal practices organized by Pentecostal pastors that threaten the security of the state. Biya used the military to permanently shut down all Pentecostal church denominations in the nation's capital that were not registered.
Security analysts dismissed Biya's actions as a "ploy" to seal up lips that speak against the regime in churches. More than 500 Pentecostal churches operate in Cameroon, but fewer than 50 are legal, according to state reports.
In 2018, Biya would be running for another term in office despite growing discontent about his heavy-handed rule of his citizens.
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- Tapang Ivo
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Biya Article Count: 73
# Paul Biya and his regime
Explore the political landscape of Cameroon under the rule of Paul Biya, the longest-serving president in Africa who has been in power since 1982. Our Paul Biya and his regime section examines the policies, actions, and controversies of his government, as well as the opposition movements, civil society groups, and international actors that challenge or support his leadership. You'll also find profiles, interviews, and opinions on the key figures and events that shape the political dynamics of Cameroon.
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