Politics

Special prayers for a nation battling insecurity were prominent at Bamenda anniversary celebrations. The Mezam I CPDM Section President, Minister Atanga Nji Paul, set the pace with a message that urged the population to stand by President Biya whose 33 years at the helm of the State inspires hope. Special prayers for the nation’s defense and security forces battling the Boko Haram in the Far North region and threats of insecurity in the East set the tone for anniversary activities. 

It was against this backdrop that Minister Atanga Nji Paul said in 33 years, President Biya has emerged as a tolerant, available and steadfast leader with a listening ear. He said it is proper for the North West to stand by him because it was his love for the region that caused Bamenda to host the 5oth anniversary celebrations of the Armed Forces in 2010. Minister Atanga Nji Paul revisited President Biya’s ascension to power on November 6, 1982 and said it is a day of joy for Cameroonians.

He challenged the population to remember and appreciate President Biya’s good work as they celebrate. He also took time off during the event to reveal that some 17.000 CPDM faithfuls have enrolled towards the reorganization of basic organs in Mezam I section and advised them to stay united and avoid conflicts that could jeopardise peace.

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Ngwa Bertrand

09.Nov.2015

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The International Criminal Court is holding a two-day hearing on the health of former Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo, whose trial in The Hague has been postponed until January. 

Gbagbo and Ivorian militia leader Charles Ble Goude were both supposed to stand trial at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.  Instead, the court is holding a closed hearing, as experts testify about Gbagbo’s health.

“The defense of Mr. Gbagbo asked the ICC judges to allow the defense and other parties to put questions to the experts so that is basically what will be happening during the two-day hearing,” explains ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah.

Both Gbagbo and Ble Goude face crimes against humanity charges linked to Ivory Coast’s post-election violence in 2010 and 2011.  About 3,000 people were killed after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to election winner Alassane Ouattara.  

In the past, Gbagbo’s lawyers have questioned his fitness to stand trial, but spokesman El Abdallah says the possibility of canceling the proceedings - which are now set to open January 28 - is not under discussion.

That will make Gbagbo the first former president to face justice at the ICC. The court also tried unsuccessfully to bring his wife Simone to trial.

“The fact that Gbagbo is in The Hague speaks volumes about the potential for international justice,” said Singh.

Param-Preet Singh is senior counsel for Human Rights Watch’s international justice program.  While Gbagbo’s trial is a coup for the court, she says, there is a lingering sense in Ivory Coast that the ICC’s justice has been one-sided.

“There were forces loyal to President Ouattara who also committed crimes and they haven’t yet been pursued by the ICC,” said Singh.
                                        
Ouattara, who was reelected last month, has promised to bring perpetrators of the election violence to justice.

ICC spokesman El Abdallah says the court’s prosecutors are continuing to probe allegations against both sides.  The court will take action, he said, once there’s sufficient evidence to merit doing so.

Source(VOA)

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Ngwa Bertrand

09.Nov.2015

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The on going reorganization of the basic organs of the ruling CPDM party, suffered a major set back in Kumbo, Bui Division in the North West Region and home constituency of Prime Minister Philemon Yang. The North West Regional team leader, Chief Dr. Dion Ngute at a rally in Kumbo lamented that “if the CPDM cannot win elections in Kumbo, headquarters of the PMs Division of origin, then we are wasting our time”.

The regional leader was visibly comparing the crowd that turned out for the exercise [about a hundred people] to the massive attendance in Ndop, Ngoketungia division. Dion Ngute also regretted that most Sections appear only on paper contrary to the real situation on the ground, reason for the poor results in elections. The CPDM member of government added that the party hierarchy has decided to reorganize the basic organs so as to master the situation in the field. He said the low turnout was due to the lack of enthusiasm and commitment and cautioned supporters of the six sub sections in Bui against infighting and disunity noting that when militants get together, the party becomes stronger hence the need for the CPDM to fortify.

Other speakers included former Minister Ngafesson Emmanuel who lampooned the people of Bui saying they were “cutting down the branch on which they were sitting”. Both Hon. Kwei Andrew and Prof. Uphie Chinje, President of the Bui Divisional reorganization committee called on the Bui militants to rally behind the government. Despite constant appeals from party officials in Yaounde on a nationwide consensus where need arises, there are visible signs that the plea is falling on deaf ears.

Some incumbent Section presidents are not willing to relinquish power to the new comers despite their age and health reasons. New comers are warming up and are determine to flush out some sit-tight old guards by any means. There have been continues call on Yaounde authorities to stay clear of grass root politics as they do not master the terrain. The sum of 500.000frs. was distributed by the North West reorganization team leader to each of the six subsections in Bui Division as support and warned that the money was meant for logistical expenses related to the exercise only.

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Ngwa Bertrand

07.Nov.2015

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The African Union (AU) has warned that the continuation of the political crisis in Burundi poses a major threat to both the country and the region. AU Commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma made the remarks in a statement on Thursday, calling on the conflicting sides in the country to work to resolve their differences peacefully. 

Dlamini-Zuma warned that if the conflict continues, the situation will “create conditions for more instability, with devastating consequences for Burundi and the whole region.” She also said the situation could send the country back into a civil war and called on leaders in Burundi to “demonstrate the sense of responsibility that the situation demands and to place the interests of the Burundian people above any other consideration.”

The AU official also repeated threats of “targeted sanctions” previously made by the union against some of the warring sides’ leaders. She further voiced the AU’s support for mediation efforts by Uganda.

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Ngwa Bertrand

06.Nov.2015

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305 militants of the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement including a former municipal administrator have resigned from the party. Their resignation came on the day that marks the 33rd anniversary of the accession to power of the party’s chairman President Paul Biya. In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CPDM, the 305 members from the Yagoua Section in the Mayo Danay Division revealed that they could no longer tolerate tribalism which has rocked the section under the leader of Hon. Silikam Isabelle.

Some of the militants who spoke to the press on condition that their identity should be concealed said President Biya has failed and that his new agenda is focus only on keeping his kinsmen in power. The CPDM militants argued that they were at a loss to understand why Yaounde has made it completely impossible for them to change comrades Makassia Jean and Isabelle Silikam-Section and WCPM Section presidents respectively of Yagoua.

One of the many resigning, Ousmanou Yaya, noted that ever since the last parliamentary elections, the leadership of the Yagoua section has been targeting the Fulani ethnic group painting them as supporting Boko Haram. For his part, Aliou Gobio Hamadou, the former mayor of Yagoua explained that “today’s resignation is justified through deplorable findings and deficiencies related to the management of the party”.

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Ngwa Bertrand

06.Nov.2015

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The 4th of November 2015 marks 33 years since Cameroon’s first President, the late Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned. The former President’s resignation was announced on Thursday, 4th November 1982 during the 8 pm news on radio. When it was time for the news, the jingle played on and on and people began to speculate that it was a cabinet reshuffle.

Earlier in the day, those at the radio house noticed that the neighbouring building which was the Prime Minister’s Office (now the Ministry of External Relations) had some unusual movements. Speculations were rife that the President was preparing to change his Ministers. The news presenter of the 8 pm news that day, Jean Claude Ottou explained how he got the information.

He mentioned that his boss took him to the studio just before the news, gave him the tape to play and told him it contained the then President’s resignation message.

Some Cameroonians who listened to the message that evening, especially historians, still retain the late President’s words, “Camerounaises, Camerounais, mes chers compatriotes, J’ai décidé de démissionner de mes fonctions de Président de la République du Cameroun.”

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Ngwa Bertrand

05.Nov.2015

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