National And International News Roundup – 19th August 2020

Jailed separatist leaders, Ayuk Tabe and Co are due to appear at the Mfoundi appeal court in Yaounde tomorrow Thursday. Ahead of the hearing, their lawyers say the hearings are often characterized by human right violations and have called on diplomatic missions and well wishers to witness the hearing.

The hearing of journalist Joseph Abena Abena continued at the Kribi magistrate court today Wednesday, August 19. Since the start of his trial in July this year, the National Syndicate for Cameroonian Journalists, SNJC, has assured him of support against any attempt at silencing free speech.

Tchoumen Fabrice of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM political party has been summoned for questioning by the police. The summons from the police commissioner for Nkongsamba, Mamadjan Joseph claims Bar Tchoumen Fabrice violated a ban from the D .O for Nkongsamba 1, on a planed CRM rally in his area of command on August 15th 2020.

“No to the activities of separatist fighters.” That is the call made by the Fon and notables of Mbu Wat village Donga Mantung Division in the North West region. The custodian of tradition has performed traditional rites calling on the gods to strike dead any one that adheres to the activities of separatist fighters.

Internally displaced Chiefs and Fons from the Anglophone regions are reluctant to return to their palaces. This follows threats from separatist fighters . In a meeting with the Minister of territorial administration today, Paul Atanga Nji said the security situation has improved thus they have to return to their palaces. To him, regional election demands the presence of all chiefs in their palaces.

Some youths under the banner of indomitable patriotism are calling on the US government to arrest and deport Cameroonians living in USA and fanning terrorism in Cameroon. They marched in front of the US embassy today in Yaounde.

Lawyers in Cameroon say a petition filed by the Bar council president against the activities of gendarmes against lawyers has not been given due consideration. This follows the arbitrary arrest and detention of Bar. Ayukotang Ndep Nkongho in Limbe. His colleagues say he was abusively arrested while gathering information for a case he is defending.

Cameroonians have taken to social media making a mockery of an order from the Minister of Territorial Administration restricting the purchase of cutlasses and iron rods in the North West and South West regions.They have written and posted mock application letters to Divisional Officers on the social.

There have been widespread condemnation following the killing of a secondary school teacher by suspected separatists in Bamenda. Njamnsi Nelson was shot dead yesterday as he attempted to stop the boys from kidnapping his daughter. Sources say he was driving home from school with the daughter when the killers blocked the car.

The soldiers who ousted Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta say they plan to set up a civilian transitional government and hold new elections. The spokesman for the soldiers said they acted to prevent the country falling further into chaos. President Keïta resigned on Tuesday night saying he did not want “blood to be spilled to keep me in power.”

The African Union’s commissioner for peace and security has told the BBC that the body condemns the way in which soldiers stormed through Mali’s capital Bamako to take power on Tuesday. “Whenever you have a crisis and the military people have a coup and say: ‘We are responding to the will of the people’, this way of responding is not acceptable at all,” Smail Chergui said on Focus on Africa radio. The AU has suspended Mali and is demanding the release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who was arrested by mutinying soldiers.

Authorities in Ghana are planning to open a sex offenders’ register to keep names of people convicted of sex-related offences. The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service has said that the Sex Offenders Register will concentrate on convicted rapists. The move, they say, is to serve as a reference point for potential employers and deter people from committing sexual offences.

A 16-year-old from Sudan who disappeared at sea has been found dead on a French beach. French politicians believe the boy, whose body was found in Calais, went missing while attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat. A search operation began after another migrant was found with hypothermia on the shore at about 02:00 BST.

Uganda’s opposition leader Kizza Besigye has announced that he will not stand in the upcoming presidential election.

He made the announcement while speaking to supporters at the Forum for Democratic Change offices in the capital, Kampala. Local media reported that the supporters took away the podium while demanding that Mr Besigye picks presidential nomination forms.

Namibians Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula has warned people against using elephant dung to “cure” Covid-19. Some traditional healers say the elephant dung can be steamed and inhaled as a treatment for flu, headaches and nosebleeds but the practice has not been scientifically tested.

Foreign news; BBC