The North West Delegate of public health, Dr. Kingsley Che Soh says the region now has 44 COVID-19 cases. “Among these, there are 26 active cases, 9 recoveries and 9 deaths” he says. The delegate adds that all cases of death were buried under the required conditions.
A Divisional Officer in Cameroon’s South Region today threatened to dismiss a Chief. This was after the latter rejected a gift from President Paul Biya in the ongoing war against COVID-19. In a video where he was presented a bucket by a Divisional Officer, the Chief says he is not interested.
Road transporters in Sangmelima in the Dja and Lobo Division of the South Region of Cameroon were on strike today. The transporters plying the Sangmalima – Oyem stretch denounced financial extortion from police and gendarmarie officers on the road. They also vowed not to resume work untill the officials are sanctioned.
Cameroonians have criticised frequent attributions of deaths by medical doctors to coronavirus pandemic. Some families have grudges against the government for burying their relatives immediately on claims that they die of coronavirus.
Benjamin Mboutou, Senior Divisional Officer for Wouri Division has given 72 hours to clinics in the Division treating COVID-19 patients to transfer the patients to Laquantini hospital, specialised in the treatment of coronavirus patients. The administrator says failure to do so will attract administrative punishment.
A family in Cameroon’s South West region is mourning four of its kids. Three dies moments after eating roast plantains and the fourth died in hospital. Another is receiving medical treatment.
Cameroon will soon get 14 automatic toll gates. This is the result of a public private partnership agreement reached yesterday between Cameroon’s Public Works and Transport Minister and French group, Fayat. The agreement covers the design, construction, equipment, operation and maintenance of the stations.
The forces of law and order today searched many houses at MIRAC Street – Ngomgham in Bamenda, North West Region. While many residents were observing ghost town this day imposed by separatist fighters, critics say ghost town this time around is useless given that there will be no public celebration to mark National Day tomorrow.
Chopon Joseph, 2nd Deputy Mayor of Ndop Council in the Nkoketunja Division of the North West Region of Cameroon has spent almost a week in the hands of his abductors. Suspected to be separatist fighters, they’re demanding a ransom of 15 million FCFA for his release.
Ghost town in Bamenda North West Region of Cameroon. Imposed by separatist fighters, the ghost town is to continue tomorrow May 20th. Many people in Bamenda have criticised the ghost town arguing that it has no meaning given that there will be no public celebration. They consider it as punishment to the local inhabitants.
Cameroonians will tomorrow May 20th, observe the 48th National Day in low gear, – no public celebration. This is as a result of coronavirus pandemic and the need to maintain social distancing .
The Rwandan businessman alleged to have been the main financier of the 1994 genocide has appeared before a public prosecutor in Paris. Félicien Kabuga, 84, arrived at the court under heavy police protection. He was arrested in a Paris suburb on Saturday, where he was living under a false identity. It is expected that he will be tried by a UN tribunal. A group which supports victims of the genocide said it was considering legal action to determine how Mr Kabuga had managed to live in France for so many years without being caught.
For the first time in Mozambique, a person who is known to have had coronavirus has died. But health authorities say it may not have been the actual cause of their death. Public Health Director Marlene Magaia said the patient at Maputo Central Hospital, who was aged between 60 and 70 but has not otherwise been identified, seemed to have died of another illness. A post-mortem is now under way.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Congolese police of using excessive force against members of an outlawed sect who want to revive the pre-colonial kingdom of Kongo and banish people of other ethnicities from the area. The rights group says 55 members of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) were killed last month in clashes with police – more than double the 22 deaths reported by the interior ministry. HRW says in addition to two raids, one of which resulted in the arrest of the group’s leader in Kinshasa, there were other incidents in which sect members were killed and injured.
Namibians have been better behaved thanks to a ban on the sale of alcohol during the state of emergency, the police chief is quoted by the Namibian Sun newspaper as saying. Sebastian Ndeitunga said people had sobered up, crime was down and hospitals were no longer full every weekend as a result of fights. He urged MPs to consider increasing the price of alcohol after coronavirus restrictions ended so as to reduce consumption.
Six members of Mozambique’s elite police unit have gone on trial for the murder of a well-known election observer. Anastacio Matavele was shot dead in his car in the city of Xai-Xai shortly before last year’s elections. The suspected involvement of the police came to light after the alleged attackers had a car crash as they fled the scene. Four police officers have confessed to taking part in the murder plot. The alleged ringleader is on the run.
Tanzania’s civil aviation authority has lifted all restrictions on passenger flights operating in the country. The body said in a tweet that the development follows a “decrease of Covid-19 cases”. The Ministry of Health on Monday said arriving international travellers would be screened for Covid-19 symptoms at entry points before being granted entry.
US President Donald Trump has criticised the World Health Organization (WHO) for not responding strongly to reports of racism and discrimination against Africans living in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Mr Trump has also called the WHO a “puppet of China” and is threatening to permanently freeze US funding. The US president has repeatedly accused China of failings in its response to the pandemic. In his letter to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, President Trump accused the health body of not commenting on “China’s racially discriminatory actions” despite complaints of “forced quarantines, evictions and refusal of services” by African nationals.
(Foreign news: BBC)
