668 COVID-19 patients have recovered. The Minister of Public Health has announced the figures while calling for the respect of preventive measures. Positive cases now stand at 1334.
668 Cameroonians remain stranded abroad since the borders were closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Government says it plans to repatriate them in the days ahead. 675 Cameroonians have already been repatriated since the birders were shutdown.
Muslims have expressed regrets over the cancellation of pilgrimage to Mecca this year. The religious journey has been cancelled because of the spread of coronavirus. The faithful start fasting today ahead of the celebration of the feast of Ramadan.
176 prisoners were released from Buea central prison today. They have benefitted from presidential clemency signed last week releasing some prisoners to decongest prisons and limit the spread of coronavirus.
Over 74,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the release of Wilfried Siewe, a German engineer of Cameroonian origin He’s detained since February 18th, 2019 in Yaounde. Wilfried was accused of partaking in a riot at the Cameroon embassy in Germany and despite denying his involvement, he has been in jail for a year now.
Samuel, a resident of Bamunka in Ndop, North West region has been laid to rest after he was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon by government forces. “It is an unfortunate situation for us. He was shot by the military the day before yesterday,” a resident says adding that “Seven people have been killed in this same place”. There is still tension in the area.
The Minister of Transport has sanctioned fifteen automobile technical control centres. Handing them a one-month suspension each, the Minister said they failed to comply with the clauses of their specifications. The suspension will be enforced by Senior Divisional Officers and the Divisional Delegates of Transport of the divisions concerned.
2018 Presidential candidate, Barrister Akere Muna has called for funds meant for May 1st & May 20th Labour Day and National Day celebrations to be diverted to support the fight against coronavirus. Asking that the budget be disclosed in all transparency, he says “savings could be converted into bonuses for our frontline health workers”.
A suspected bandit almost lost his life today after his ear was chopped off by an angry crowd at SOCATEX Ndokoti in Douala. His partner was not as fortunate however as he was stoned to death. The two boys were caught red-handed trying to steal a telephone of a commercial motorcycle rider.
Some inhabitants of Douala say harassment from bandits has been on the rise since the release of some over three hundred inmates from the New Bell central prison. In a related view, a presumed bandit was beaten to death this afternoon at Ndokoti in Douala. He was caught attempting to steal a phone.
The North West Region of Cameroon has recorded its second case of COVID-19 Thursday April 23rd, 2020 according to Governor Adolph Lele L’Afrique. In a press release, the Governor said the victim is one of ten family members who arrived the North West from Douala on April 17th, 2020
for a symbolic burial of their father, victim of COVID-19 in Douala. According to the Governor, the 10 family members were identified and taken at Nsongwa village, for a COVID-19 test. The test result came out Thursday April 23th, 2020 and one tested positive.
After 1984, 2020 will be the second year that Cameroon will not have a public celebration to mark National Day on the 20th of May. The decision has been taken by the President to maintain social distancing and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Some politicians have accused the government of having a hidden agenda for cancelling National Day celebration on the 20th of May. Some Cameroonians were anxiously waiting to see the President on the 20th of May after rumours of his demise and close to 40 days of absence.
Labour trade unionists in Cameroon say despite the cancellation of public celebration to mark International Labour Day in Cameroon, they will use both the social and traditional media to decry the maltreatment of workers by their employers in Cameroon. They regret that the labour code is not respected by employers in Cameroon.
A coalition of Cameroonian civil society organizations at home and in the diaspora have demanded the firing of Christophe Guilhou, French Ambassador to Cameroon. In a petition filed to the French President Emmanuel Macron, the Cameroonians say Christophe Guilhou be sacked for accepting to act a “movie” to announce the appearance of President Paul Biya after close to 30 days
Cameroon counts 1334 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 23rd 2020 according to the Ministry of Public Health. In its daily press briefing in Yaounde, the Ministry said 174 cases of the total number are hospitalised, with 668 recovered cases and 43 deaths. The Ministry of Public Health expressed its appreciation of the government of Cameroon to the council of Imams in Cameroon, for their decision to call of gatherings through out the Ramadan period
The SDO for Ndian division has begged the the newly installed Mayor of Mundemba and his deputies not to abandon the Council to the SDO and escape to other towns again like what he witnessed last year. Forwang Lawrence was speaking recently in Mundemba and that his eyes will be on them for sanctions for anyone who doesn’t respect the law.
Muslim faithfuls in Cameroon begin fasting and observing the holy month of Ramadan Friday April 24, 2020 amidst the ravaging coronavirus which compels social distancing. This was according to a release issued by Imam Pr Souleyemane, spokesperson of the National Moon Crescent Commission on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
Prison warders at Chichiri prison in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre, have lit bonfires at the entrance protesting against the government’s move to exclude them from coronavirus funds. The warders said they will not release the 184 prisoners who were recommended by the prisons inspectorate, according to the Nation Online newspaper. The prison warders say they should be included as beneficiaries in the Covid-19 fund and be given allowances just like the police service and immigration department that have been included, according to the Nyasa Times newspaper.
A Syrian national based in Lebanon has been arrested for allegedly putting up a Nigerian maid for sale. The Facebook advert caused uproar on social media after it was spotted by Nigerians. A passport photo of the 30-year-old domestic worker was included in the advert, saying she was for sale for $1,000 (£807)
More than 20 people have been killed by flash floods since the weekend in western Kenya. Dozens of others are missing. In Kisumu, Lake Victoria has swelled and flooded nearby businesses and the country’s largest dams are now threatened by the deluges. The authorities have warned people living near bodies of water to move to higher ground. Weather experts predict that heavy rainfall will continue to fall, affecting other countries in the region.
The number of deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa could be double the annual rate this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. African countries usually account for over 90% of the more than 400,000 deaths from malaria recorded each year. But new analysis by the WHO indicates nearly 760,000 people in the region could die from the mosquito-borne disease.
The governors of Nigeria’s 36 states have banned inter-state travel for two weeks to curtail the spread of coronavirus. Their statement says that only essential services will be permitted to move between the states – more than 25 of which have Covid-19 cases. Africa’s most-populous nation has so far recorded more than 800 coronavirus cases – with new infections confirmed this week in the north-east, where there is an ongoing militant Islamist insurgency.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $363m (£293m) aid package to help the Democratic Republic of Congo deal with the effects of coronavirus. DR Congo was experiencing “a severe shock as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic”, it said. “The short-term economic outlook has deteriorated quickly due to the fall of minerals’ prices and the impact of needed containment and mitigation measures,” the organisation said in a statement.
Chelsea footballer Antonio Rüdiger has launched a campaign to raise money to buy face masks for market traders in Sierra Leone. Rüdiger says he hopes they will help protect them and stop the spread of coronavirus. He tweeted that his foundation would be partnering with Mary-Ann Kaikai of Madam Wokie Fashion and the charity Lunchbox Gift to provide 60,000 face masks.
(Foreign news: BBC)
