National And International News Roundup – 18th January 2020

After fighting for his life, a worker of Hysacam in Bamenda has succumbed to bullet wounds sustained yesterday evening. Reports say he was shot by gunmen who took him out of a relaxation spot. Nothing was taken away from him by his assailants.

Team Tanzania has trained this evening at the Molyko Omnisport Stadium in Buea ahead of their match tomorrow against Zambia. Earlier at 5 p.m., the Zambians trained in the same stadium. At 8:00 p.m. Guinea will play against Namibia at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium.

Fear of the unknown in Buea as separatists continue to threaten attacks in the town to disrupt the African Football Championship. Earlier today, residents say there were sounds of gunshot around the University Junction.

Twenty-five years after the putting in place of Cameroon’s 1996 constitution, its full implementation remains an issue. Despite this, some institutions stated have been put in place although Cameroonians think daily lives have not improved after the putting in place of these structures.

Paul Atanga Nji has been criticized by separatists for declaring that President Paul Biya has won the four-year war in the Anglophone regions. In a security meeting today in Bamenda today, Atanga Nji called on parents to get to the bushes and bring out their children.

The Intermediate Lions of Cameroon have resumed training in Yaounde ahead of their second outing against Mali. Coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Antonio Conceicao equally watched the Intermediate Lions of Cameroon train today.

The Network for the defense of human rights in Central African (RHEDAC) has reiterated calls for the release of political prisoners in Cameroon. In a press conference in Douala, the executive director of RHEDAC, Maximilliene Ngo Mbe equally condemned violence in the Central African Republic.

A family has rejected a medical report in a hospital in Ngaoundere attributing their daughter’s death to COVID-19. The body of the girl was later taken away for burial. Close to 50 COVID-19 cases have been registered in Ngaoundere in a week.

Sporadic gunshots have been heard in Bambili in the North West Region. Locals say they are yet to decipher the source and cause of the gunshots. It comes after gunshots heard early this morning in Buea, South West region. This is despite the government’s promise of security during the ongoing African Football Championship, which separatist fighters promised to thwart.

Cameroonians have been taken to social media to vent their anger with CHAN organizers after a power outage was recorded during a live game. Lights at the Douala Bepanda Omnisport Stadium went off for a few minutes during the first half of the Group C game between Uganda and Rwanda

The discovery of a species of bat previously unknown to scientists has generated a lot of excitement. It has a fiery orange body and black wings, and has been named Myotis Nimbaensisis after the mountain range where it was found – the Nimba Mountains which span Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia. One of the scientists who documented the creature is Jon Flanders, director of endangered species interventions at Bat Conservation International.

The authorities in Mozambique have expressed concern over the increasing number of its staff infected with Covid-19. More than 40 health workers tested positive for the virus over the weekend in the northern province of Nampula alone. Some 133 health professionals have contracted the virus in Nampula since last year, with no deaths recorded. Local officials say their major concern is that the health services are understaffed, with a poor doctor to population ratio. They fear that a rapid spread of the virus among health workers with see capacity collapse.

The Constitutional Court in the Central African Republic has confirmed the outright victory of Faustin-Archange Touadéra in last month’s elections, with 53.16% of votes cast against nearest challenger Anicet Georges Dologuélé’s 21.69%. The proclamation of Mr Touadéra’s win came despite reports of a poor voter turnout, and the loss of much of the country to rebel factions. Six of the main rebel groups have allied and say they will march on the capital, Bangui.

The United Nations says a deepening row in Somalia over postponed elections is putting the country’s progress towards stability under threat. It says security is also at risk after the withdrawal last week of US troops responsible for training Somalia’s special forces. The UN’s special representative, James Swan, has accused local politicians of brinksmanship following the delay in parliamentary polls originally due to be held last month.

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the world is on the verge of what he called a catastrophic moral failure over the way Covid-19 vaccines are being shared out to global populations. Speaking at the WHO’s executive board meeting, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said many wealthy countries were bypassing the Covax global vaccine distribution scheme in order to organise their own access to vaccines, leaving poorer countries at risk

Schools have reopened in Nigeria despite concerns about rising cases of Covid-19. Pupils arrived wearing face masks and were instructed to wash their hands at the school gates. It’s the first time they’ve been back since mid-December, when the country declared a second wave of new infections. The academic calendar has been staggered after schools were closed for more than six months last year due to the pandemic.

Foreign news: BBC