Ngwa Pius, a local of Bafut in the North West region was killed yesterday in a military raid. “He is my brother living with my mother in the village…. This is my brother killed and beheaded” a close family member laments. Blaming the military for the act, he says Pius had no links with separatist fighters and was the only one taking care of his old mother.
Paul Tasong, director of reconstruction for the North West and the South West regions says government plans will soon commence. The process of rebuilding the two English speaking regions ravaged by the war for the restoration of independence of the people of Southern Cameroons Paul Tasong says will start in areas where insecurity no longer exists (Green Zones) while areas where fighting is still taking place (red zones) will be constructed later.
Days after promising to repatriate Cameroonians stuck abroad due to the border shutdown, the Cameroon government has kept to its word by reaching out to those in the United Arab Emirates. Among conditions for them to return is a compulsory COVID-19 test upon arrival and compliance with quarantine measures. Their departure date government says will be communicated in due time.
The row between government and Prof Maurice Kamto has intensified following a decision by the Territorial Administration Minister today. Paul Atanga Nji has called on MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon to close accounts receiving funds for the Survie Cameroon Survival Initiative. He had earlier called for a similar action on the initiative’s bank accounts declaring that its operations were illegal.
Cameroon’s economy at the brink of recession as several enterprises have been affected by coronavirus pandemic. Cameroon employers association known as GICAM has pointed that enterprises have laid off some workers to curb devastating effects of the pandemic.GICAM warns that the situation might get worse.
Workers of the Cameroon national engineering pool- Matgenie have embarked on an indefinite strike today. They have promised not to call off the strike until government calls for the payment of their over 10 months salary arrears. Officials of the company are yet to officially react to the action.
Abanda Marcel will be buried tomorrow Tuesday April 28th. The Donga Mantung Divisional President of National Youth Council died in Bamenda yesterday sunday. He’s credited for championing the process of peace youth empowerment and community development in Donga Mantung.
Close to nine thousand ghost workers in Cameroon’s public service stand the risk of severe sanctions from the government. They were identified during a physical head count of civil servants that took place in 2018. The ghost workers have been called to contact the Ministry of Public Service and administrative reforms.
Contrary to a call by some transporters for the observation of a nationwide strike action today, transporters carried out their activity unperturbed. A section of the transporters’ trade union says this is not the right time to further paralyse an economy that is already under the weight of coronavirus pandemic.
Health officials say the number of gastric related health complications in Cameroon is on the rise. According to an expert in gastronomy Prof Tzeuton, the rise is as a result of an increase consumption of garlic, onion, citric fruits, turmeric and ndole by Cameroonians. He noted that the items have been advanced by some individuals as cure for COVID-19
A strike action planned by workers of the National Laboratory for the control of the quality and norms of pharmaceutical products Monday April 27th 2020 in Cameroon has been thwarted by forces of law and order. Police and gendarmarie officers stormed Yaounde in the early hours of the day to prevent any form of demonstration. Workers complain of having over three months pending salaries.
Runaway contractors in some parts of the conflict hit North West region of Cameroon have been demanded to resume work or face the law. In the Donga Mantung division of the region, officials of the Divisional follow-up committee for the execution of public investment projects say over 80% of contracts have been abandoned in the area since the start of the Anglophone crisis in 2017. They are urging contractors to resume work or face the law with relative calm observed in some areas.
International human rights groups have told the BBC that reports of “forced quarantine” of African nationals in the Chinese city of Guangzhou amounts to “arbitrary detention”. For weeks, Africans in the southern Chinese city say they have faced discrimination over fears that coronavirus is spreading among African communities. The BBC has been told that Africans nationals have faced extended quarantine in hotels, hospitals wards and university campuses, despite testing negative for the virus on multiple occasions.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has announced plans to construct more than 90 hospitals to beef up Ghana’s health system in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. According to the president, the pandemic has exposed the weakness in the country’s health system following years of under investment. But critics have questioned how the government intends to pay for its plans. In a televised address to the nation, Mr Akufo-Addo said that there will be 88 new district hospitals, six regional hospitals and three infectious disease centres. They will be built in coastal, central and northern Ghana. The majority of health facilities in the country are poorly resourced and many parts of the Ghana do not have hospitals at all. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently around nine hospital beds for every 10,000 Ghanaians.
A Ugandan policeman who gave permission to a businessman to hold a party and then attended it himself has been arrested and charged with the disobedience of lawful orders and committing negligent acts likely to cause the spread of diseases, a police spokesman told the BBC. Samson Lubega, a police commander in Agago, northern Uganda, was detained on Sunday after being at the party organised by someone who had visited the UK and travelled back through Dubai, reports the Daily Monitor newspaper. President Yoweri Museveni banned social gatherings in Uganda to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The United States’ military has admitted there were civilian casualties as a result of an airstrike in Somalia. A statement from US Africa Command (Africom) says two civilians were “regrettably and unintentionally” killed and three were injured during the incident in February. It says the same attack killed two members of the Islamist militant group, al-Shabab. Amnesty International says the airstrike killed a banana farmer and an employee of a telecoms company. It says over the last year more than 20 Somali civilians have been killed during air strikes. The US military denies this.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has pardoned 833 prisoners in an attempt to reduce overcrowding in prisons during the Covid-19 pandemic. A list of more than 1,000 convicts was presented to Mr Museveni for consideration. It included people who were found guilty of petty offences and had served three-quarters of their sentence. Petty crimes can include being idle and disorderly, theft or common assault, and can attract a sentence of anywhere between one month to two years in custody. Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and the elderly were given priority for the pardon. The number, however, does not greatly reduce the country’s prison population of almost 63,000.
Kenya’s health minister has allowed restaurants to reopen and issued guidelines that must be adhered to when offering services. Mutahi Kagwe has said all restaurant workers will be tested before the premises are reopened. He told restaurant owners not to offer buffets – to avoid people walking up and down the premises. Sitting arrangements should also ensure patrons are 1.5 metres apart. Operating time will be between 05:00 local time (03:00 GMT) to 16:00 to allow workers reach home before the start of the 19:00 curfew time. Mr Kagwe said all bars in the country would remain closed.
The authorities in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, have made the wearing of face masks mandatory in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus. The number of confirmed cases in the city stands at 731, more than half of the total confirmed cases in Nigeria. The government said that anyone who fails to use a face mask in a public place in the city will be penalised. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the government will distribute face masks to residents.
(Foreign news: BBC)
