Politics

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has left Cameroon after a four-day official visit to the country. President Paul Biya accompanied the Italian head of state, Sergio Mattarella to the Nsimalen International airport on Sunday 20 March 2016, for the farewell ceremony to mark the end of the state visit to Cameroon. 

The cooperation ties between the two countries was reaffirmed in a joint statement that was read at the Nsimalen International Lounge. President Mattarella was very elated and confident in the solidity of the economic, cultural and diplomatic ties between his country and Cameroon.

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CRTV

21.Mar.2016

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The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front party, NI John FRU NDI has told the press that he is ready to take arms in a civil war if President Paul Biya calls for anticipated elections. Mr. FRU NDI said “If he anticipates elections he is calling for civil war and when the civil war comes, I will fight because I am a shooter”.
He was speaking in Cameroons economic capital, Douala during a visit paid to the family of late Monique KOUMATEKE whose controversial death sparked outrage in Douala and worldwide.
NI John FRU NDI personally handed over bags of Irish potatoes, meat and undisclosed money in an envelope.
The SDF chairman after extending condolence from the party, used the opportunity to decry the bad states of Cameroon hospitals which he says are as bad as the regime itself.
The frontline leading opposition party leader called on Cameroonian authorities to take their work seriously.
It was also an occasion for the SDF chairman to call on Biya not to only declare war and live in another man’s land, but should be on the ground.
Observers say the massive attendance within a short notice at the MBOPPI residence of MOKUM MBAH,husband of late Monique ,is an indication that FRU NDI atill has followers.

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NFOR Hanson NCHANJI

19.Mar.2016

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The six nations that make up the Central African Economic and Monetary Community wrapped up their eighth annual “CEMAC Days” event with a dismal assessment: Central Africa is failing its efforts to achieve regional integration.

CEMAC consists of Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic.The regional bloc was formed in 1994. Since then, CEMAC President Pierre Moussa said, little has been achieved to improve daily lives in the region.

He said central African states have been working at regional integration since they gained independence in the 1960s but are still not able to ensure the free movement of people and goods. This has kept the countries among the least developed in Africa. He said member nations are preoccupied by self-interest and a belief that each state can develop on its own. He thinks that is the major obstacle to integration. He also cited security issues as keeping the region from concentrating on economic development.

The CEMAC chief offered a dismal report card: 30 percent of people in the region go hungry, he said, while 70 percent live on less than $1 a day.

Experts say the conflict in the Central African Republic and the regional spillover of the Boko Haram insurgency have diverted attention from development.

Ambitious plans to create a regional airline, to build roads linking regional capitals and to create a regional stock exchange have remained just that: plans and aspirations.

Only Cameroon and Gabon have started issuing biometric passports, despite a January 2014 deadline.

The region is not yet a visa-free zone. So far only Cameroon and Chad allow their citizens to travel between the two countries without visas, following a bilateral agreement.

Member states have however reached agreements on reduction of customs duties of up to 70 percent for some basic goods like sugar and farm produce.

Besides CEMAC, the region is also part of a larger economic bloc, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). ECCAS shares many of the same objectives as CEMAC and also includes Angola, Burundi and Sao Tome and Principe.

Gabonese analyst and integration expert Emmanuel Bimbo said there has been a misallocation and duplication of resources.

"The impact of this overlapping scheme is negative because since they are working on the same program, it means that they are wasting resources and time. The region is not advancing too well as the other sub regions of the continent. They have to put in practice what the heads of state have decided. The objective of the African Union is to move to one economic community for the continent around 2028,” said Bimbo.

Economic growth last year for the six CEMAC member states did not top three percent, a disappointment compared to the six percent growth that was forecast.

(Moki Edwin Kindzeka)

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Elangwe Pauline

18.Mar.2016

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Cameroonian soldiers killed 20 Boko Haram fighters on Wednesday during a raid in northern Nigeria carried out by a multinational force tasked with stamping out the Islamist militants, military sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Commander General Jacob Kodji said the Islamist fighters were killed in the Nigerian town of Djibrila, which is about 10 km (six miles) from the Cameroon border. A spokesman for Cameroon's Defence Ministry, Colonel Didier Badjeck, said 12 hostages were freed and munitions and armoured vehicles were seized during the operation.

Boko Haram wants to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria and has waged a six-year campaign of violence to that end, killing thousands of people and displacing two million others. Boko Haram is thought to have killed around 15,000 people, according to U.S. military figures.  

Attacks have spilled over Nigeria's border into neighbouring countries including Cameroon, which has been the target of a stream of suicide bombings in recent months. Along with Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin, Cameroon has contributed troops to an 8,700-strong regional task force dedicated to fighting the group.

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Elangwe Pauline

17.Mar.2016

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Cameroon’s Local Newspaper L’Oeil du Sahel reports that 89 members of the Boko Haram  Terror Group were sentenced to death at a high court in Maroua Far North Region of Cameroon. Over more than 1000 captured insurgents are still awaiting their fate as trial goes on.

 Cameroon has become a major target for Boko Haram attacks. Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said earlier this month that the insurgents have killed nearly 1,200 people since they began attacks in Cameroon in 2013. Tchiroma has frequently said that "the days of Boko Haram were numbered." But the most recent attack suggests otherwise. Cameroon is part of an 8,700-member Multinational Task Force to fight the terrorists, and the United States has contributed 300 troops as well as equipment to assist.

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Elangwe Pauline

17.Mar.2016

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The honorable members of parliament took advantage of the first regular session for 2016, to renew the office of the Chamber. The election process began today Tuesday, March 15, 2016. The MPs voted for a president, a first vice president, five vice-presidents, four secretaries and 12 quaestors. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril and Etong Hilarion were elected President and Vice President respectively. The names of the other bureau members have not been made public. 

Hon. Cavaye has held the post of speaker since 1992. Upon his reelection, the 76 years old sports teacher from the Far North North region recited the CPDM rhetoric: I affirm and reaffirm my loyalty to President Paul Biya, today, tomorrow like yesterday". Cavaye Djibril also moonlights as the traditional ruler of Mada his native village.

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Rita Akana in Yaounde

15.Mar.2016

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