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Over 500 Nigerians who fled into northern Cameroon to escape Boko Haram Islamists have been forced to return to Nigeria, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday.

Thousands of Nigerians have been displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has been staging deadly attacks since 2009 in pursuit of a caliphate in northern Nigeria.

In a statement to AFP, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it was "very concerned" after 517 Nigerians were expelled, including 313 who had requested asylum.

The agency said it planned to sign an accord with Cameroon and Nigeria on March 2 for the voluntary return of 85 000 Nigerian refugees.

But it also said it was continuing to urge the Cameroon government to offer asylum and respect international conventions against forced repatriation of asylum seekers.

As of February 17, more than 61 000 Nigerian refugees were at the Minawao camp in northeast Cameroon, but there are many others outside the site.

The humanitarian crisis has strained Cameroon's government and aid agencies, and Boko Haram attacks have also driven people from Cameroon villages along the border.

On Wednesday, the Red Cross distributed food to 2 500 displaced households at a camp in Kolofata, Cameroon.

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Rita Akana

23.Feb.2017

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The population of Bamenda has responded to the government's provocation tour of the AFCON trophy by enforcing ghosts towns today. Major streets around Abakwa are deserted as a sign anger towards the Yaoundé regime.

Apart from some team officials, only one player: Johnathan Ngwem is amongst delegation. After the failed CPDM rally last year, and the killings and arrests, the population has decided to stay indoors.

It has been revealed that, the nation tour will cost 500million CFA of public funds.

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Stanley Njoh from Bamenda

22.Feb.2017

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Information coming in from Bamenda indicates today's ghost towns in Bamenda is the best. Information says Bamenda has never experienced this type of Ghost towns. Everywhere is dead such that you can shout in Santa and someone will hear you in Kumbo. This is the force of the people. As the lions come into the town with their cup, reports say they have been met only a few guys the government had arranged with a few bikers from neigbouring French speaking city, Mbouda in the West region. Our people are standing tall.

 

 

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Rita Akana

22.Feb.2017

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Two more people died Tuesday in demonstrations supporting striking teachers after Guinea's government announced an agreement with the country's two largest teacher unions on ending walkouts that have closed schools since the beginning of the month.

A total of seven people were killed on Monday and Tuesday as police clashed with students protesting in support of teachers and demanding an agreement so they could return to classes. Violence on Monday also injured 30 people, and police arrested 12, the government said.

In a statement Tuesday, the government condemned violence, and said an investigation had been opened into the deaths.

The government said teachers would have to wait until September for pay increases, but other details of the agreement signed late Monday were not available. The strikes began in early February demanding pay raises and better training for contracted teachers.

Souleymane Sy Savane, secretary-general for Guinea's Free Trade Union of Teachers and Researchers, said schools would re-open Wednesday as negotiations continue.

But others said they did not agree with the settlement and wanted the pay increase immediately.

"This agreement is binding only for the trade union officials who signed it, and we are basically challenging it until the re-evaluation (pay raise) is effective," Kalidou Diallo, administrative secretary of the union, told private radio station Lynx FM early Tuesday.

The unions said Monday that they were seeking a pay raise of between 7.5 percent and 10.3 percent.

Police responded with force to Monday's demonstrations by hundreds of students. The dead were shot at close range by riot police and gendarmerie, a hospital worker said. The staffer insisted on speaking anonymously because he was not permitted to speak to the media.

teacher unions.

Boubacar Diallo, Associated Press

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Rita Akana

22.Feb.2017

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Attacks and looting of Nigerian-owned businesses in Pretoria West were confirmed by the Nigerian Community in South Africa on Saturday. Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, President, Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, that the attacks began at 4.00 a.m.

He said that the union had reported the incident to the Nigeria mission and South African police.

“As we speak, five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a church have been looted and burned by South Africans. One of the buildings is a mechanic garage with 28 cars under repairs, with other vital documents, were burned during the attack. Also, the pastor of the church was wounded and is in the hospital receiving treatment,” he said.

Anyene said the union had informed Nigerians in South Africa to be vigilant in the face of renewed xenophobic attacks. According to him, the union received information that there will be xenophobic attacks against foreigners on February 22 and February 23.

“We began taking precautionary measures when the incident took place today. The attack in Pretoria West is purely xenophobic and criminal because they loot the shops and homes before burning them,” he said.

Anyene called on the Federal Government to persuade its South African counterpart to protect Nigerians in their country.

“These attacks should not be allowed to continue because it is a big setback,” he said.

The Nigerian government has called on the African Union and the South African government to take decisive and definitive measures to protect Nigerian citizens and other Africans within South African borders. The Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the call Monday amid reports of renewed violence against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa described the attacks as an “unnecessary setback”. She advised Nigerians to be extra cautious as it looks like South African government seems to have no control over these attacks. The SSA, however, urged restraint on the part of Nigerians and warned that further attacks without any reprimand may have dire consequences. Mrs Dabiri-Erewa said the attention of the AU was being called because of reports of planned attacks against foreigners on February 22 and February 23.

“These attacks should not be allowed to continue because it is a big setback,” she said.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa had two weeks ago met with South African High Commissioner in Nigeria, Lulu Aaron-Mnguni, on the killing of Nigerians in South Africa. Mr Aaron-Mnguni promised that the South African government was investigating the matter.

“We have lost about 116 Nigerians in the last two years. And in 2016 alone, about 20 were killed,” this is unacceptable to the people and Government of Nigeria, Mrs Dabiri-Erewa said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian High Commission and consulate in Pretoria and Johannesburg have been instructed by the federal government to investigate the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, explained that the findings of the probe would be on his table this week.

He advised Nigerians in South Africa to remain calm and law-abiding and assured them that everything would be done to protect them and their properties.

“In terms of what we have done so far, I have asked our mission in Pretoria and Johannesburg to file a full report, to investigate the alleged reported killing so that government would consider what is appropriate to the circumstance,” said Eniokanolaiye.

He stated that the government could not do anything now until it received a full briefing of the attacks, adding that the report of the investigation would be analysed and decisions on appropriate response taken.

Ventureafrica

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Rita Akana

21.Feb.2017

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Gambian police said they arrested 51 people in a former stronghold of ex-president Yahya Jammeh for harassing followers of new leader Adama Barrow, amid lingering tensions following Jammeh's flight into exile.

Jammeh narrowly lost a Dec. 1 election to Barrow after 22 years of authoritarian rule. Jammeh initially refused to step down but fled to Equatorial Guinea last month as international military forces descended on the capital Banjul to uphold the election result.

The 51 were arrested on Sunday in the western town of Kafenda, a Jammeh stronghold, for insulting people returning from Barrow's inauguration celebration at the national stadium on Saturday, said police spokesman Foday Conta. Some threw stones, Conta added.

Twenty-six of the arrested were juveniles and were released on bail, while 25 were being detained pending an investigation, Conta said.

A spokesman for the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), Jammeh's party when he was in power, said those arrested were APRC supporters and were wearing t-shirts bearing an image of Jammeh's face.

"They were provoked by the supporters of the coalition (Barrow's party) who ... were calling Jammeh all sorts of names and saying he was a killer. Then a quarrel ensued," said spokesman Seedy Njie.

Human rights groups accuse Jammeh of torturing and killing opponents during his time in power. Barrow has pledged to reverse many of Jammeh's policies, including arbitrary detention.

Barrow vowed in his Saturday speech to enact sweeping reforms including bolstering a weakened economy.

VOA

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Rita Akana

21.Feb.2017

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