National And International News Roundup – 5th January 2021

The day has come to an end in Bamenda, North West Region of Cameroon without the eight dialysis machines promised yesterday by the Minister of Public Health. Dr Manaouda Malachie promised the delivery of the machines today to help handle the situation of kidney patients in the region.

SDF member of Parliament, Hon. Jean Michele Nintcheu has called the ongoing saga at the Bamenda Haemodialysis Centre a “Medical vampirism”. According to the MP, the contradictory statements that are coming from the hospital establishment concerning the state of affairs of the hospital is a deliberate act of killing suffering patients. A statement earlier from the centre had come out claiming that patients of the centre were going to be transferred to other hospitals pending the repairs of machines.

Separatist leaders jailed at the Kondengui prison in Yaounde have made an appeal for justice to prevail. They include Ayuk Tabe and others extradited from Nigeria. Reiterating their innocence, they have in a message stated that their basic human rights have been violated. “All we ask is justice, freedom and our people’s rights…” The leaders stated.

Two students in Yaoundé have been apprehended for smoking marijuana. They were caught red-handed in their school uniforms early in the morning before classes. The boys were arrested by police officers of the Emana neighbourhood after they were filmed by a resident of the area smoking weed near a bush. The boys initially denied this but later confessed to being addicted to smoking weed after video footage of them smoking was shown as proof.

The Diocese of Buea now has a new Bishop in the name of Mgr. Michael Bibi. His appointment today comes one year after he served as interim Apostolic Administrator of Buea taking over from Rev. Immanuel Bushy who had resigned. In 2017, the man who hails from Bamessing in Ndop was appointed auxillary Bishop of the Bamenda Archdiocese.

National Electricity supplier Eneo has set as target to replace over 20,000 poles in the West Region by December 2021. So far, the move which started in 2020 has already seen more than 7000 electricity poles changed across the region. The aim is to reduce the number of accidents caused by rotten electricity poles in the region.

Police agents in the town of Bafoussam have been commended as they were able to dismantle a gang of alleged assassins that have been disturbing the peace of the inhabitants of the town. The four criminals were arrested whilst in possession of several weapons like pistols, bullets and daggers as well as mobile devices which they had robbed from individuals.

The director general of Elections Cameroon has officially launched 2021 process for the revision of Electoral lists in Cameroon. Dr Erik Essouse did the launching in Garoua. Beside organising the regional election rerun in Menoua Division, in the West Region of Cameroon, ELECAM will have a seemingly free 2021.

Coton Sports of Garoua has defeated the Green Eagles of Zambia one goal to nil. The match counting for CAF cup took place today in Garoua. In December 2020, Coton Sports equally defeated the Green Eagles in Lusaka.

Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboa says Douala is ready in all aspects to host the African Football Championship from January 16th. The Governor of the Littoral Region made these remarks while visiting the state audiovisual media house in Douala. To him, the population is thirsty to watch quality football. He says particular attention will be given to security.

Coach Martin Ntougho Mpile has stated that he will do all to prepare the Intermediate Lions for a good performance during the African Football Championship. He has reacted to Cameroonians who say the boys have not put up any convincing performance at the ongoing pre-CHAN tournaments.

The United Nations has started to move some of the 56,000 Ethiopian refugees in Sudan into a new camp as the existing one is nearly full. The UN refugee agency said enough tents for 5,000 people had been pitched at the new Tunaydbah camp, with more to be set up in the coming days. It said refugees were continuing to flee into eastern Sudan, with 800 arriving since the New Year.

Police in Nigeria’s Lagos state have raided several nightclubs, arresting 71 people for allegedly violating Covid-19 protocols. The police say the raids happened in the Lekki and Surulere areas of Lagos city and the suspects will be prosecuted for allegedly violating guidelines put in place in an attempt to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Ethiopian police have released Reuters cameraman Kumerra Gemechu after detaining him without charge for 12 days, Reuters reports. Police had told his lawyer Melkamu Ogo that their lines of inquiry included accusations of disseminating false information, communicating with groups fighting the government, and disturbing the public’s peace and security. However, Mr Melkamu said he had seen no evidence.

United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo say more than 20 people have been killed by a rebel group in the east of the country. It said the civilians, 10 of them women, were “savagely” attacked by militiamen from the Allied Democratic Forces in the mountainous Ruwenzori region. The ADF, which was formed as an Islamist group in Uganda, has been blamed for about 800 deaths in the past year.

A court in China has jailed 17 people for smuggling more than $28m (£20m) worth of pangolin scales. The gang had been trafficking skin from pangolins – the world’s most trafficked mammal – from Nigeria to China, disguising the animals’ scales as slices of dried ginger.

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has insisted that he won the just concluded elections fairly. This is despite a petition, alleging irregularities, filed at the Supreme Court against the result by the opposition. In his final state of the nation address ahead of his inauguration for a second term on Thursday, President Akufo-Addo said it was good for the nation that the opposition had resorted to legal means to address their concerns.

Secondary school students in Malawi are finally sitting exams which were cancelled in November after exam papers were leaked. Students were initially scheduled to sit the Malawi School Certificate of Education exam in June but schools were closed in an