Politics
Two years ago, an IMF official at a press conference in Yaounde said: “Cameroon spends more than it earns. Incurring huge debts is inevitable in such a situation." In a 2016 report, the world Bank named Cameroon as the most indebted country in Francophone Africa with an estimated public debt rate over 8%.It is now safe to say that part of the money is being used to fund Brenda Biya's lavished lifestyle in America.
The Cameroon's first daughter lives alone in a $26,000 (about 15 million FCFA) a month mansion in California, attends University of California, Los Angeles which charges a whopping $60,000 (about 34.6 million FCFA) in tuition (that if she didn't get a scholarship) and drives a $100,000 (about 57.7 million FCFA) white G class Mercedes Benz.
According to a real-tor, the home is worth approximately $10,199,522 (about 5.8 billion FCFA) if the Biya family wanted to purchase it and Brenda Biya has allegedly been living there since 2014. It might be worth noting that these are just her basic needs. Do the maths!
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- Eng David Aseneh
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Depicting the Special Criminal Court established to prosecute alleged corrupt government officials and the several Alibabas responsible for pilfering from the public treasury as the President’s court is no misnomer. We call it the President’s court because it is one instrument of power through which the President is reining in on perceived opponents from within his CPDM power conduit. An attribute of a genuine court is the fairness of the trial proceedings in cases which are brought before the court for trial. It is not the number of convictions entered against accused. A court is legitimate and recognized as such because of its exercise of judicial, executive, legislative and administrative independence. A court that is independent must be accessible to all citizens after all, is equality before the law, not a constitutionally protected value? The Special Criminal Court is lacking in these attributes of impartiality, judicial independence and accessibility. It is perceived more as the President’s Court than a Court of Justice.
Establishing this court was President Biya’s way of saving himself the embarrassment of being humiliated during his perennial trips abroad as the President of the most corrupt countries in the world. This ranking of the country as the most corrupt or one of the most corrupt countries had a potential to hamper President Biya’s personal pecuniary interests far from the borders of Cameroon. There was therefore a personal interest need to establish the court. Another personal interest need was to avail himself of a legal tool under his direct control to consolidate absolute power, blackmail potential rebels and competitors within the system and to stifle any form of institutional opposition. He perceived the court as a tool with which to whitewash his more than thirty years of corrupt governance and the rape of the economy.
Depicting the Special Criminal Court established to prosecute alleged corrupt government officials and the several Alibabas responsible for pilfering from the public treasury as the President’s court is no misnomer. We call it the President’s court because it is one instrument of power through which the President is reining in on perceived opponents from within his CPDM power conduit. An attribute of a genuine court is the fairness of the trial proceedings in cases which are brought before the court for trial. It is not the number of convictions entered against accused. A court is legitimate and recognized as such because of its exercise of judicial, executive, legislative and administrative independence. A court that is independent must be accessible to all citizens after all, is equality before the law, not a constitutionally protected value? The Special Criminal Court is lacking in these attributes of impartiality, judicial independence and accessibility. It is perceived more as the President’s Court than a Court of Justice.
Establishing this court was President Biya’s way of saving himself the embarrassment of being humiliated during his perennial trips abroad as the President of the most corrupt countries in the world. This ranking of the country as the most corrupt or one of the most corrupt countries had a potential to hamper President Biya’s personal pecuniary interests far from the borders of Cameroon. There was therefore a personal interest need to establish the court. Another personal interest need was to avail himself of a legal tool under his direct control to consolidate absolute power, blackmail potential rebels and competitors within the system and to stifle any form of institutional opposition. He perceived the court as a tool with which to whitewash his more than thirty years of corrupt governance and the rape of the economy.
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- Elangwe Pauline
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The populations of the towns of Fotokol, Waza and Mozogo, all located in the Extreme-North region of Cameroon, have just become the recipients of the Orange Foundation’s support, who offered them wells to lessen their burden in accessing drinking water. According to the local authorities, approximately 208 families will thus be relieved by this donation.
The above-mentioned towns, we learn, have the particularity of suffering from the shortage in groundwater levels, a reality which led to the failure of most of the village water projects initiated in this area. Additionally, there is the desert encroachment which further complicates the access to drinking water for the populations.
According to the management of the Orange Foundation, this donation of wells confirms the commitment of this structure to the populations in the Extreme-North, “subjected to the certainly insidious encroaching desert and the crimes of the terrorist sect Boko Haram”.
This terrorist organisation has indeed increased the attacks in this part of Cameroon in the past two years, leaving the local populations in an even more vulnerable situation, with some travelling several kilometres every day to search for drinking water.
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- Rita Akana
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At least three Cameroonian soldiers were wounded on Tuesday morning after their vehicle was hit by a landmine planted by Boko Haram, a ruthless terrorist organisation waging a war against Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger to carve out a caliphate.
Cameroonian newspaper, L’Oeil du Sahel, said the three soldiers were hit along Kolofata-Ganse road in Cameroon’s far north where the Nigeria-based militants often launch many attacks.
The latest attack came hours after not less than ten Cameroonian fishermen were killed around Lake Chad on Monday night following an attack by Boko Haram.
Last week, at least 30 soldiers from Niger and two from Nigeria were killed by Boko Haram in Niger. Sixty seven others were wounded.
Boko Haram has killed more 1300 civilians in Cameroon since 2013 and over 25,000 in Nigeria since 2009. Millions of people have been displaced and the local economy in the region has collapsed.
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- Rita Akana
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10 Cameroonian fishermen were killed yesterday night at Touboun Ali (Darak) in the Lake Chad area, in an attack orchestrated by Boko Haram.
Last week a 16 year old Cameroonian girl succeeded in escaping when the Nigerian military launched a raid on a Boko Haram camp. She wandered through Sambisa Forest in northeastern Nigeria for several days until, tired, weak and hungry, she was found by members of a local defense group fighting the extremists, who handed her over to Cameroon's military, said Midjiyawa Bakary governor of the Far North region of Cameroon.
"When the Nigerian army attacked the Boko Haram camp where we were, there was confusion everywhere and I escaped to the forest where I walked for a week and handed myself to the first people I saw," she said.
The teenager is among thousands of people who have been kidnapped by the Nigeria-based Islamic extremists since they launched their insurgency nearly seven years ago. Recently the abductions have reached across Nigeria's borders to Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
The Cameroonian girl is among hundreds freed since January. On Sunday, she was reunited with her parents but her daughter, she said tearfully, had been left with the man she was forced to marry after her kidnapping.
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- Rita Akana
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Thirty soldiers from Niger and two from Nigeria were killed in a Boko Haram attack by "hundreds of assailants" on Friday on the southeastern town of Bosso close to the border with Nigeria, the Niger defense ministry said on Saturday.
It was the deadliest attack carried out in Niger by the Islamist group since April 2015, when at least 74 people, including 28 civilians, were killed at the Lake Chad island of Karamga.
"The counter-offensive conducted early this morning helped to retake control of all the positions in the city of Bosso. The situation is under control," the defense ministry said in a statement. "A sweep is ongoing in the area with the mobilization of all land and air means".
Seven others from Niger and eight from Nigeria were injured in the attack that targeted a military post, according to the ministry, which reported "several deaths" among the assailants.
The town of Bosso is part of the Diffa region, where many refugees and internally displaced people have sought shelter from Boko Haram violence elsewhere. The region has been targeted numerous times in attacks blamed on the militants.
Around 200 people took the streets on Saturday in the capital Niamey to voice support for the population in Diffa and to ask for an audit of military spending as they denounced a "lack of results" from army action.
Along with Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Benin, Niger has contributed troops to an 9,000-strong regional task force dedicated to fighting the group that has so far survived attempts by African armies to destroy it.
"The terrorist threat remains a concern to our subregion," said Senegal's president Macky Sall, the incumbent chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).
"We must face it by combining all our resources in a comprehensive long-term perspective," he told an Ecowas summit in Dakar on Saturday.
"We must at the same time remove any confusion in terminology: there is no Islamic state in West Africa matching the terrorist aims of Boko Haram. Boko Haram remains Boko Haram and Islam has nothing to do with terrorism and its killing spree".
Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamic state adhering to strict Sharia law in northeast Nigeria since 2009. About 2.1 million people have been displaced and thousands have been killed during the seven-year insurgency.
Reuters
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- Rita Akana
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Subcategories
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.
Southern Cameroons Article Count: 549
.# Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia
Learn more about the history, culture, and politics of Ambazonia, the Anglophone regions of Cameroon that have been seeking self-determination and independence from the Francophone-dominated central government. Our Southern Cameroons section covers the ongoing conflict, the humanitarian crisis, the human rights violations, and the peace efforts in the region. You'll also find stories that highlight the rich and diverse heritage, traditions, and aspirations of the Southern Cameroonian people.
Editorial Article Count: 885
# Opinion
Get insights and perspectives on the issues that matter to Cameroon and the world with our opinion section. We feature opinions from our editors, columnists, and guest writers, who share their views and analysis on various topics, such as politics, economy, culture, and society. Our opinion section also welcomes contributions from our readers, who can submit their own opinions and comments. Join the conversation and express your opinions with our opinion section.
