Politics

Gunmen have killed a dozen villagers in the Central African Republic in the first violent incident since Faustin-Archange Touadera took office as president this week. Local officials said on Sunday the attacks took place in three different villages near the central town of Bambari and were likely linked to livestock theft or inter-ethnic disputes. Bambari has seen numerous attacks in the last year despite the presence of United Nations peacekeepers. The UN designated the city a weapons-free zone last September, but the Seleka rebels and the anti-Balaka militia continue their armed presence in the town. Touadera has pledged to focus on peace and disarmament in his government. 

The constitutional court confirmed former mathematics professor Touadera's victory on Tuesday following a run-off election on February 14, setting the stage for him to be sworn in later on March 25. The CAR has been hit by turmoil since 2013, when Christian armed groups launched coordinated attacks against the mostly Muslim Seleka group that had toppled the government in March that year. In December 2013, France deployed military forces to the CAR, a former French colony, after the UN Security Council gave the go-ahead to sending troops to the country.

However, violence has not ended. According to the latest UN estimates, the conflict in the CAR has internally displaced 399,000 people and forced more than 460,000 to flee to neighboring countries. The UN World Food Program (WFP) announced in late January that the three-year crisis in toll has taken a huge toll with half the total population facing hunger.

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Presstv

07.Mar.2016

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Cardinal Christian Tumi. the former Archbishop of Douala, 85 who retired in 2009 has made a clarion call to President Paul Biya to step down from office. The much respected Cardinal said at 83, President Biya should ask the political bureau of the ruling CPDM party to nominate someone else to take over. 

Since last month,senior government officials and prominent elite deep within the ruling class have been clamoring for President Biya to continue as head of state. Some Biya acolytes have even gone further suggesting that he changes the constitution and demanding early presidential election legally scheduled for 2018.

Asked by the pan African newspaper, Jeune Afrique why the Cardinal was against Biya's candidacy? Cardinal Tumi revealed that: "I am not against the candidacy of the head of state, but you see, we have almost the same age, and that age regardless endurance or physical strength, we are weakened. When one is old, he may be good to play an advisory role. But we can no longer run such a young and complex country".

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Chi Prudence Asong

07.Mar.2016

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Things are reportedly falling apart deep within the ruling Francophone Beti Ewondo regime as former highly placed government officials are making serious revelations on the goings-on in the CPDM government. In his new book depicting the many lies told by some members of the Biya regime, a former Minister of Health, Olanguena Awono has accused two senior personalities to have plotted the demise of Polycarpe Abah Abah and Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara. Both men served as minister of finance and secretary general at the presidency of the republic respectively. 

Olanguena Awono revealed in a frank, candid and thoughtful document to be published soon that Minister Alain Edgar Mebe Ngo’o, Minister of Transport and his brother; Ze Meka Remy concocted the G11 imaginary conspiracy that eventually destroyed the political, administrative and social foundation of the state of Cameroon. Alain Mebe Ngo’o at the time was Director of the Civil cabinet at the presidency of the republic with strong links with the police while his brother Ze Meka Remy was Minister Delegate at the presidency in charge of defense.

The two men are originally from Zoetele, Dja and Lobo Division in the South Region and enjoy a close relationship with the head of state. Olanguena Awono hinted that they invented and popularized the story of G11- a group of top Cameroon government officials who they claimed wanted to seize power in the 2011 presidential election. The so called G11 was created in 2005.

This story is still developing

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Elangwe Pauline

07.Mar.2016

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A Cameroonian gendarmerie captain has been killed by a Boko Haram landmine in the Far North region. We gathered that Captain Ekoume was aboard a military vehicle when it hit a "landmine". Military sources say  he led an emergency mission to Gouzda- a town in the Mayo Moskota division. Captain Ekoume alongside other wounded comrades were rushed to the intensive care unit at the Koza Adventist Hospital where he died. 

Cameroon Concord was reliably informed at the time of filing this news brief that another senior gendarmerie officer, Captain Wadai was responding to treatment. The dead of Captain Ekoume brings the tally to three senior Cameroon servicemen killed by landmines in the Far North. 

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Chi Prudence Asong

06.Mar.2016

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Hundreds of young people from the town of Maroua, the regional capital of the Far North have disassociated themselves from the current political trend aimed at addressing a motion of support to President Biya to seek another term in the next presidential election to be held in 2018.
 
The youth massively attended a national forum last February 26 at the council hall in Maroua and openly challenged the idea of Mr Biya running again for president. The young men and women chanted anti Biya slogans in the room at the time when a girl picked from the crowd was about reading a motion reportedly prepared by an acolyte of Minister Amadou Ali.  
 
Our Maroua correspondent hinted that the youth predominantly from the ruling CPDM party made it abundantly clear that the motion was not included in the official program and that it was an attempt by government officials to politicize the workshop on youth.
 
Asabe Issatou who spoke to the media immediately after the controversy started revealed that "In our country, we want to politicize everything. Why must we submit a motion of support to the president just because we attended a workshop? I think we have been misruled for three decades. This is how they will collect signatures from workshop participants to say they strongly support Paul Biya".
 

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Rita Akana

06.Mar.2016

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There will not be new Bishops in the Bamenda and Buea Arch Diocese and Diocese respectively this Easter even though the frail Arch Bishop Cornelius Esua and Bishop Bushu (seen here on photo with a Marist priest) no longer have the physical strength to do justice to their offices.

It was reported to Cameroon Concord by a priest of the Buea Diocese that both Archbishop Cornelius Esua and Bishop Bushu have very serious health problems. Yet both men have blatantly refused to take the  brave and humble action from the former Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to retire.The Bamenda and Buea Diocese are run like a CPDM section with ailing Bishops not willing to step aside and indulged their lives to study, prayer and reflection. 

Archbishop Cornelius Esua is not considering stepping down even though he reportedly spent more than six months in an Italian hospital and doctors had advised him not to take any more pastoral missions and trips. We learnt that,  ArchBishop Esua has increasing difficulty walking but resignation as part of a natural process is off the table.  Age is weighing on him but the Archbishop wants no rest.

The  strength in mind and body of Bishop Bushu of the Buea Diocese has deteriorated to the extent that he recognizes his incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to him by the Holy Father. We gathered from our recent visit to the Bomaka and Molyko parishes that the strengths, due to an advanced age and cancer are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry by Bishop Immanuel Bushu

We of this publication are well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, like Pope Benedict XVI noted: “In today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary”.

For this reason, it is vital for both ArchBishop Cornelius Esua and Bishop Bushu to renounce the ministry of Bishop of the Bamenda ArchDiocese and Bishop of Buea entrusted to them by the Holy Father.If both ArchBishop Cornelius Esua and Bishop Bushu should step aside,many will recognise it to be a decision of great courage and characteristic clarity of mind and action.Many Roman Catholic christians in the Bamenda eccleciatic provimce  recognises the challenges facing the Church and that strength of mind and body are necessary for the tasks of governing the Church and proclaiming the Gospel which ArchBishop Esua and Bishop Bushu no longer have.

We of Cameroon Concord are asking people of faith to keep both ArchBishop Cornelius Esua and Bishop Bushu in their prayers with great affection and the highest esteem for their ministries. Both Esua and Bushu have  worked tirelessly to strengthen the Bamenda ecclesiastic province with great respect and affection. Like Bishop Emeritus Francis Lysinge, they now need rest.  This editorial has been written most carefully and after much prayer and reflection. If both ArchBishop Esua and Bishop Bushu should resign, it will be seen as a profound act of humility. The Lord Jesus now wants ArchBishop Esua and Bishop Bushu to use their remaining physical and spiritual energies to serve the church in prayer.

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Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

06.Mar.2016

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