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The Africa Cup of Nations is set to come to a conclusion, with two of the continent's most successful countries reaching the showpiece.

Egypt and Cameroon, two of the most successful teams in Africa Cup of Nations history, are ready to do battle in the 2017 final on Saturday.

Record seven-time winners Egypt won three tournaments in a row between 2006 and 2010, with more glory now in their sights.

After failing to qualify for the three competitions to follow that famous hat-trick, the Pharaohs have resumed their dominance after returning to the tournament proper this year by reaching the final, conceding only once in five games.

Egypt have only ever lost one AFCON final and represent formidable opposition to Cameroon.

Hugo Broos' side, though, should not be underestimated. Despite losing key players through injuries and withdrawals prior to the event, they have seen off two of the competition's most fancied teams in Senegal and Ghana without conceding to reach this stage.

Cameroon are four-time champions – a record only bettered by Egypt – but are looking for a first title since 2002.

The Indomitable Lions have won four of their six trips to the final. Their two defeats, though, both came at the hands of Egypt – in 1986 and 2008.

Goals and excitement may be at a premium in Libreville. The last six AFCON finals have only produced three goals – scores of 0-0, 1-0, 1-0, 0-0, 1-0 and 0-0 – while Egypt have only scored four goals in five games in this year's event, compared to Cameroon's five.

Egypt head coach Hector Cuper, though, is expecting drama, saying: "This is going to be a great final - that is the feeling I have.

"I have a great team. I am talking about those who came to the tournament and those who did not come after their participations in the qualifiers."

Details: Rita Akana; 04.Feb.2017; Hits: 1693

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Yaounde-Cameroon:For the first time, since the outbreak of the Boko Haram insurgency in Cameroon, Paul Biya, will be present at a ceremony to pay tributes to military officers, engaged in the defense of Cameroon's national borders, specifically General Jacob Kodji and three other members of his crew that perished in the helicopter crash on January 22nd in Mora extreme north.

According to the official program, the ceremony will take place at the courtyard of the brigade headquarters in Yaounde, from 11 AM this Friday 3 February 2017.

The Cameroonian president, supreme commander of the armies, will hand over the attributes and honorary attributions, posthumously to the four soldiers who died in the helicopter crash.

The last trip of Cameroonian officers who were victims of the helicopter crash on 22 January began yesterday at the Yaounde General Hospital mortuary.The precincts of the Yaounde General Hospital were jammed to capacity as some Cabinet Ministers, a cream of senior officers of the Defence Forces, family and friends of the four deceased turned up to pay their last honour to the brave soldiers who perished in the January 22 helicopter crash in Bogo, Far North Region.

As the caskets bearing the remains of the Brigadier General Jacob Kodji, Colonel Alphonse Kameni, Lieutenants Basile Soulounkna Ngrassou and Brice Aurélien Chinda were brought in by cadet officers of EMIA, colleagues, relations and friends could not hold back their emotions as they grieved to the loss of the brave soldiers.

Details: Rita Akana; 03.Feb.2017; Hits: 1918

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Anglophone Civil Society Consortium leader Tapang Ivo reacts to claims that the consortium is manipulating citizens back home in Cameroon.Below is a statement he released to that regards:

I have read aptly how a few social media users claim leaders sit abroad to manipulate minds back home. Well, let me for once react:

1. This is an ideology. It cost nothing for you to either accept or reject it depending on where you sit. And if truly, more than 98 percent of citizens accept the ideology, therefore, there is a problem of reasoning with the insignificant 2 percent.

2. The spiral of silence theory states that a silent minority often fear to express their views when faced with a majority opposition. But with the advent of the social media, this is not the case because citizens could create blogs and stand against the "majority." However, I have not seen any of such opposition blogs run by West Cameroon admins. That tells you we are too UNITED and they are too few and insignificant to cause a storm in a teacup.

3. So leaders should come back home before they could run affairs? What about those who sat back home? Are they not in jail? Anyone who claims leaders should come back are black legs. In fact, they badly want the winning struggle to end, and they are calling for their arrests just like the others. When they send you money from abroad, why don't you also ask them to come back home and work for it?

4. Because Cameroon allowed for diaspora voting since the 2011 elections, so too is the clear rational condition for all citizens to actively participate in politics back home from abroad. When did that become a crime, by the way?

5. I am not a fan of distance learning because it could sometimes be ineffective. However, it is amazing how we all coordinate effectively from behind the screens without seeing or knowing each other. It shows that we are too UNITED and that we all have common inalienable problems to express and fix using peace. Who then is manipulating whom?

6. OMG! For those who vaguely think this is struggle to grab political power, you missed it. The struggle is non-partisan. In fact, after we will reach an inclusive dialogue and find a common ground, I, for example, will back off and enjoy collective success. Who wants to become a dirty politician? This is an advocacy for change and not a regime-change-seeking opportunity.

7. The statistics are available online on the CIA World Factbook for 2016. Less than 4 percent of all Cameroonians are above 55 years. These are not cooked up. They are also available in the Cameroon gov't database. I have published both evidence here about four times. As for West Cameroon alone, less than 2 percent are above 55 years. Therefore, the majority are tired of self-rule and tyranny. They want a restoration.

*** Here, I am only a freethinker and a solution- oriented critic.

Details: Tapang Ivo; 03.Feb.2017; Hits: 3295

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Dear Mr. Musonge,

I have been monitoring the events playing out in West Cameroon and I do appreciate your efforts to encourage parents to send their children to school. As we all know, education, indeed quality education, is the key to a bright future and any child who does not have access to such education will unfortunately spend the rest of their life in perpetual darkness. This message has always been reiterated by the government of our country. Unfortunately, each time the children acquire their certificates which are supposed to be the right keys to that bright future, the government changes the lock, making their education worthless. Is it not strange to give these children life and then withhold the ingredients that make life beautiful? Most of these graduates remain unemployed for long periods of time, with many returning to their villages to become desperate farmers because of poor policies and incredible corruption.

I would, however, encourage you to continue your crusade, but will be prompt to advise that you deal with the issues that are keeping our children out of school rather than pushing them to the same schools that are not worth their weight in gold. Isn’t it wise to strike the roots of the problem, rather than spend time trying to break the branches of the problem?

Your effort to reunite the southwest region is laudable, but you must understand that the centres of power and decision-making have changed. Those of us in the Diaspora have been financing the studies of our family members as if there is no government to take care of them. Indeed, we have been responsible for their lives, making sure they go to the hospital when they are sick, sending money for their survival and paying those exorbitant bills that you and your government have imposed on them. Today, you must understand that he who pays the piper calls the tune. You should have understood this a long time ago as the people no longer listen to you. Your masters should have understood this and should have cut you and your folks out of the corridors of power.

Similarly, those of you who have erroneously been thinking that you represent all of us from the southwest region have been rejected by the people because of the arrogance with which you have been bearing yourself in public. If you represent anybody today, it is clearly your family which has reaped the benefits of your association with a government that has not made many of us to develop a sense of belonging to that country.

I would like to remind you that the Southwest Diaspora constitutes a huge and meaningful factor in our region’s economic and political g g. You and your likes should understand this and you must work hard to bring the Diaspora on board in whatever venture or project you are designing for the Southwest region. The old days are behind us and if you still want to be relevant in today’s Cameroon, then you must reach out to the Diaspora that has borne the brunt of the mismanagement and corruption that have become our country’s hallmarks.

Allow me to also draw your attention to something that is very important to many Anglophones today. Anglophones across the country have come together to make their fate better. A few of you have benefitted from the system through flagrant manipulation and dishonesty. In many cases, in order for you to continue feathering yours nest, you fan the embers of division between the North-West and South-west. While those differences may exist, the people from Mamfe to Jakiri, Tiko to Kumbo and Mankon to Buea have decided to work together to achieve what you politicians have failed to achieve in 55 years. Anglophones have experienced a lot of marginalization in that country, but because of self-interest, you and your so-called politicians have never bothered to draw the government’s attention to their sorry plight. The people have decided to take the bull by the horn this time around and they will not be passing through anybody to get that message across. The ghost towns and school closures constitute eloquent proof of their determination to make their voices heard.

The writing on the wall is very clear. Your time is over. The southwest region needs a new political elite; an elite that will place the people’s interest at the centre of every action and policy. Old ways have only dumped the people in grinding poverty. They have been robbed of their happiness for decades. They have decided to try something different and new. They can no longer listen to the politicians who have robbed them of their dignity and denied their children the opportunity to have a taste of good life.

Mr. Musonge, this letter is not intended to disrespect you and all those attending the hastily organized meeting in Buea. It is designed to enable you see the writing on the wall. No money, no beer, no rice and no promises will convince the people of the Southwest that you are genuinely representing them. The issues on the table must be dealt with for the smart people of the Southwest region to listen to anybody. Times have changed, so too must the political elite. If you and your folks do not come out of the self-imposed cocoon of miserable importance, you might never understand why all your strategies are failing. South-westerners have moved on and they will surely achieve their goals without you and your folks.

The Diaspora is willing to work with you to make the lives of our people better. But if you stick with your old ways and mentality, then you are clearly advising that you are irrelevant in the new and modern Cameroon.

I look forward to a change of mentality and strategy so that our country can make giant strides towards meaningful and sustainable development.

Sincerely,

Joachim Arrey.

About the Author: The author of this letter has served as a translator, technical writer, journalist and editor for several international organizations and corporations across the globe. He studied communication at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and technical writing in George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. He is also a trained translator and holds a Ph.D.

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"Exemplary" Cameroon are well worth their place in the Africa Cup of Nations final after beating Ghana, according to coach Hugo Broos.

Cameroon coach Hugo Broos believes there is no question his "exemplary" players deserved to reach the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final after beating Ghana 2-0.

The Indomitable Lions went into Thursday's match as the underdogs and were expected to replicate the pragmatic approach on display in their quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over Senegal.

But they came out with great purpose right from the start in Franceville and, although Ghana improved and had the better of things in the second period, Cameroon deserved the win, which was secured by goals from Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui and Christian Bassogog in the final 18 minutes.

"It's a dream for us to go to the final," Broos told reporters. "I am very happy, especially for the team.

"It is an exemplary group on and off the field and they deserve to be in the final.

"Look what they [Ghana] did in the recent tournaments [reaching six successive AFCON semi-finals]. But since the beginning of this tournament we have shown that we play to advance in every game."

Cameroon will face Egypt in Libreville on Sunday, with Broos' men looking to avenge their nation's defeat when the two teams met in the 2008 final.

Details: Rita Akana; 02.Feb.2017; Hits: 1487

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The head of a gang of robbers notorious for stealing vehicles, have just been arrested in Douala by Cameroon security agents(Gendarmes). The two suspected criminals were arrested while attempting to sell cars they had stolen.

After their arrest, the gang leader and his accomplice were detained at the Gendarmerie head office of Ndogbong, a district in the Bassa neighbourhood of Douala.

According reports revealed by the police, robbers had acquired fraudulent registration papers for the stolen vehicles with the help of corrupt agents at Cameroon's ministry of Transportation in the Central and Eastern Regions of the country.
The car snatchers had sold over 20 stolen cars before their arrest.