National And International News Roundup – 3rd September 2020

Today marks the fourth day of continuous shooting in the town of Bamenda in the North West Region of Cameroon. Shooting started today at about 7:00 at Miles 3 and 4. Residents say military do that always to scare separatist fighters. To business men, it has been poor business since the beginning of this week.

An unknown number of traditional rulers in Boyo Division in the North West have spent the second day in the hands of separatist fighers. The custodians of tradition were kidnapped yesterday in Ngwah village as they travelled to Fundong to attend the Boyo Fons Conference. Inhabitants say it’s a way of punishing them for attempting to attend the conference.

Workers of Rainbow FM radio in Mbengwi in Momo Division are on the run following threats of attacking the radio by unknown individuals. Cameroon Journalists Trade Union North West chapter has condemned the act while calling on the powers that be to take action and stop the attack of media houses and their workers.

Donga Mantung Division in the North West region begins preparation ahead of school resumption for 2020/2021 academic year. The SDO has convened an enlarged meeting for the 16th of September 2020. Stake holders in the Division are expected to propose ways of a successful school year. Donga Mantung enjoys relative calm as compared to other places.

PM Joseph Dion Ngute says ensuring peace, school resumption and reconstruction in the North West and South West regions are some of the objectives of the follow up committee of the grand national dialogue. Members of the committee met today for the first time since it was put in place in March 2020.

Cameroon’s Health Minister says the country’s active COVID-19 cases now stand at 742. In a tweet this Thursday, Minister Manaouda Malachie said 18,448 people have recovered from the virus that has so far infected 19,604 persons in the country. 414 persons he added succumbed to the deadly pandemic.

Activities are gaining steam ahead of the organisation of regional elections. A Presidential decree signed yesterday has stated the number of councillors each division in Cameroon will have after the election.

Three persons died today and several others were injured in a road accident in Ndikinimiki, along the Yaounde-Bafoussam road. The Bagante road which recently underwent rehabilitation works has been the scene of numerous accidents, often attributed to overspeeding.

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry says it will begin repatriating about 2,000 migrants stranded in Saudi Arabia from next week. The announcement comes after a UK-based newspaper, The Telegraph, reported that hundreds, if not thousands, of Ethiopian migrants had been locked up in squalid conditions in detention centres in Saudi Arabia to curb the spread of coronavirus. Conditions were so appalling that people were dying of heatstroke, disease or by taking their own lives, it reported.

A third police offer has been arrested in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies near his home Johannesburg’s Eldorado Park neighbourhood. The teenager, who had Down’s Syndrome, had gone out to buy biscuits when he was shot on 26 August. Two other officers appeared in court in connection with his death earlier this week and were charged with four counts, including premeditated murder.

Zambia’s main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has demanded $3m (£2.3m) from former finance minister Edith Nawakwi after accusing her of falsely linking him to corruption during the privatisation of state agencies in the 1990s. Ms Nawakwi, now an opposition politician, alleged that Mr Hichilema had used his position as a consultant during the privatisation programme to amass wealth.Mr Hichilema has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyers have written to Ms Nawakwi to demand an apology and a retraction by Thursday, failing which they will go to court.

South Africa is no longer among the five countries most affected by coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. Peru now has the fifth highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 663,437 reported by Wednesday. South Africa, which accounts for half of all the cases confirmed in Africa, has had 630,595 cases.

Foreign news: BBC