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It may be a long night or better still, a sleepless night for Ndop residents who have complained of a severe gunshot for hours now. Residents have testified of getting “large sounds from a distance”. Some say they fear for their safety as they can not tell who the shooters are. It has almost become a lifestyle in the restive Anglophone regions of Cameroon at night.
The government of Cameroon says the military is responsible for Ngarbuh massacre in the North West region of Cameroon. A commission to investigate the killings made public it’s report today. Families of victims will be compensated while those who carried out the killings will be prosecuted.
President Biya has ordered the arrest of some soldiers for their role and implication in the killing of women and babies in Ngarbuh-Ntunbaw- North West region of Cameroon. This follows the result of findings conducted by the Head of State’s commission of inquiry created to investigate the incident which took place in on February 14th this year.
The professionalism of Cameroon military brought under questioning. The Ngarbuhassacre inquiry commission acknowledges that military men from Nkambe in Donga Mantung Division killed innocent civilians in Ngarbuh on the 14th of February. Some Cameroonians say many of such killings have taken place in the North West and South West regions since the beginning of the Anglophone crisis in 2016 with impunity.
Cameroon’s North West region confirmed its first Coronavirus case on Monday April 20th, 2020 became the ninth out of Cameroon’s ten regions to be affected by the deadly virus. The patient is a Cameroonian resident in Douala who travelled to the North West according to a release signed by the North West regional Governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique.
An inmate who has spent 20 years at the New Bell prison in Douala upon release following a presidential decree says he cannot thank president Paul Biya for releasing inmates. The man arrested in Nkongsamba and imprisoned in Douala since the year 2000 says Cameroon judicial system is the most dubious and corrupt. He condemns the leadership of President Paul Biya for giving a blind eye to the bad deals.
Prices of basic commodities in markets in Douala and elsewhere in the Littoral region are on a rise since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Traders have taken advantage of the situation. The regional Delegate of trade visited some markets in Douala today.
The Yaounde administration has not reacted to allegations that several inmates have died of COVID-19 at the kondengui prison. Inmates in the prison have been sending videos since last week with claims that some people have been infected of COVID-19.
Residents of Batibo in the North West region have received items to enable them respect coronavirus preventive measures. They were handed by the Batibo council’s new Mayor, Acha Kennedy who advised locals to remain vigilant saying, “coronavirus is real”.
Residents of Douala have complained of an “unofficial” hike in the prices of basic commodities in markets. Some traders have taken advantage of the coronavirus pandemic. The Delegate of trade in the Littoral Region visited some markets in Douala today to ensure prices are strictly respected.
The theme for the celebration of the National Day this year is “United against the COVID-19 pandemic to resolutely steer Cameroon on the path of resilience, peace, stability and economic development “. The celebration comes at a time when Cameroon like most countries worldwide is battling with the coronavirus pandemic with over 1000 persons infected.
The national order of doctors of Cameroon has criticised the disclosure of patients’ health statuses as government handles the COVID-19 outbreak. Condemning the non-respect of medical confidentiality by the administrative authorities in a press release, the body says “respect for medical confidentiality is an inalienable right of the patient and must be preserved in all circumstances to avoid stigmatisation of the affected person, their family, their property”.
Part of Cameroon reportedly spent last night in total darkness. A tanker transporting fuel had an accident Monday evening in Nomayos, a neighbourhood in the outskirt of Cameroon’s political capital Yaounde and destroyed an electricity supply unit. Reports say the incident affected some seventeen lines providing electricity to six regions in Cameroon, the Centre, South, South West, North West, West and Littoral.
Uganda has confirmed two new cases of Covid-19, including a Burundian refugee who is said to have arrived into the country through Tanzania. He arrived in Uganda on 12 April and had been in quarantine at the time of the test. Though Uganda closed its borders a month ago, it is difficult to police all entry points, as many tend to be informal crossings through village paths. Last week, Uganda also started testing all inter-state long-distance truck drivers driving to or through the country.
The United Nations has warned that the coronavirus pandemic could almost double the number of people around the world suffering from acute hunger, expressing concerns for people in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN’s World Food Programme said the virus could be catastrophic for millions of people whose lives are already hanging by a thread – who can only eat if they are earning a wage. A report compiled by the organisation said the total number suffering from hunger could be pushed from 135 million last year to more than 250 million.
A Ugandan journalist was arrested on Monday night shorty after leaving work. The NBS television news presenter Samson Kasumba was detained at a police station overnight. He has so far not commented on the arrest. Ugandan police spokesperson Fred Enanga on Tuesday said the journalist’s arrest had nothing to with his work and would share more details later.
A Ugandan court has suspended the allocation of 10 billion Ugandan shillings ($2.6m; £2.1m) to members of parliament to fight the spread of coronavirus in their constituencies, the Daily Monitor newspaper reports. Each MP was due to receive about $5,300 to, among other things, fuel ambulances and pay allowances for the drivers involved in the Covid-19 taskforces at district level, the newspaper reports quoting sources in parliament. The proposal sparked a public outcry and an online petition. The petition said the money should go to the Covid-19 Task Force instead of MPs. It said that many of the MPs were not in their constituencies because of lock down.
The death toll from a mudslide in western Kenya has risen to 12, after eight more bodies were recovered. The mudslide occurred at the border of West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet counties on Saturday night after a heavy downpour. A search and recovery operation is underway for more than 20 people who have been reported missing. Mud and downpours in the area have hampered the operation as roads and bridges were swept away by the floods.
A major private hospital in Nigeria’s commercial capital has suspended operations because of exposure to coronavirus. St Nicholas Hospital said in a statement that it would stop offering services for two weeks. The hospital’s clinical director said the premises would be disinfected and closed during the period as recommended by government agencies. Patients have been urged to consult the hospital’s doctors remotely by calling in. Local media outlets are reporting that five other private hospitals in Lagos have also closed because of exposure to the virus.
Rwandans are adhering to a government directive for mandatory wearing of face masks in public during the ongoing lockdown. The order was announced on Saturday by the health ministry and took effect from Monday. In the capital Kigali, police could be seen questioning those with no face masks, but no arrests were made, reports BBC Great Lakes. Affordable masks are yet to hit the market in Rwanda although the government has announced a list of local companies allowed to make face masks.
The Nigerian government has apologised for “mistakes” made during the burial of President Muhammadu Buhari’s chief of staff, Abba Kyari, who died from coronavirus. This is after people were pictured in huddles around the grave site on 18 April, not observing strict rules on mass gatherings, social distancing or personal hygiene. Officials say it is not the message they have been giving to the nation.
Mauritania has recorded no new cases of coronavirus, two days after the last patient tested negative. The west African country has in the last two days been conducting tests but none had turned out positive. It had seven confirmed cases of the virus but six patients recovered and one died. The ministry said all the six recovered patients will remain in isolation for 14 days to rule out any chances of infection. On Saturday, the ministry of health “praised God” for what it termed as the absence of the virus in the country.
(Foreign news: BBC)
