National and International News Roundup – March 4th 2020

-Following accusations of crimes against humanity, rights violations and opposition crackdown from the international community, the government of Cameroon has embarked on a mission to lobby favour from some world powers. The start of the mission echoed in a tête-à-tête between Cameroon’s minister of external relations and Ambassadors of two world powers, members of the UN Security Council. After an audience with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Cameroon on Tuesday, the Minister of external relations Lejeune Mbella Mbella, today received in audience by the Russian Ambassador to Cameroon

-US Secretary of State in charge of African Affairs Tibor Naggy says the US supports a unified Cameroon and not another state for Africa that will be full of suffering and poverty. Tibor Naggy further challenged the government of Cameroon to be serious about a genuine peace process, a genuine decentralisation and a genuine power to the local level.

-At long last, Mbassa Dine is elected Pioneer mayor of the city of Douala. He was elected with 235 votes, as opposed to 25 for his challenger, Jean Jacque Ekindi, 7 Nul bulletins were recorded.

PIONEER CITY MAYORS OF CAMEROON

1.Luc Messi Atangana- Yaounde

2.Roger Tafam- Bafoussam

3.Andrew Motanga Monjimba- Limbe

4.Emmanuel Albert Nlend- Edea

5.Victor Nkele Ngoh- Kumba

6.Paul Achombang Tembeng- Bamenda

7.Jean Marie Dimbele Sodea- Bertoua

8.Ousmaila Mohammadou- Garoua

9.Daniel Edjo’o- Ebolowa

10.Ferderick Nzoki Epoh- Nkongsamba

11.Bobo Salihou- Ngaoundere

12.Guy Emmanuel Sabikanda- Kribi

13.Douala-Roger Dine Mbassa

14.Maroua election yet to take place

-Fourteen city mayors elected in Cameroon are all militants of the ruling CPDM party. A decision selecting the city mayors came from the Central Committee of the CPDM party. This urged some Cameroonians to conclude that projects to be carried out in the cities will definitely be those approved by the Central Committee of their party.

-The pioneer city mayor of Yaoundé will be installed tomorrow. Luc Messi Atangana was elected yesterday as the first city mayor. He takes over a city that is equally the political capital of Cameroon. He will have to handle amongst other issues urban disorder.

-After close to forty-eight hours, the city mayor of Douala has been elected. Roger Mbassa Ndine will be at the helm of affairs in the city for the next five years. He won with 235 votes as opposed to his challenger Jean Jacques Ekindi who had 25 votes. The delay in electing the city mayor follows a disagreement within the CPDM party of who was to be the city mayor.

-For two days, the election of the city mayor of Douala caused unnecessary traffic congestion around Akwa – Douala. The deployment of several military men and curious onlookers at the venue of the election caused traffic congestion.

-Cameroon Minister of women affairs and the promotion of the family has not issued a word concerning the daily killings of women and children in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon as women prepare to observe Women’s day 2020. Marie Therese Abena Ondoua in a press briefing today called on women to participate massively in march past on the 8th of March to mark international women’s day. She says women should not fail to March because they don’t have women’s day fabric of this year.

-A robbery is said to have taken place yesterday in broad daylight in the economic capital of Cameroon- Douala. Heavily armed men reports say attacked a business person returning from a bank at Ancien Dalip and seized money from him, later escaping on a motorbike.

-Victims of the Babanki killings last week have cried out for help through the Delly Singha Foundation to enable them to get back on their feet. Days back, over ten inhabitants of Small Babanki village in the North West region were killed in a military raid, leaving others homeless and in fear of losing their own lives.

-Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) has indicated its readiness for a rerun if the February 9 election in some constituencies in the North West and South West regions as ordered by the constitutional council. This comes after a session held yesterday to prepare for the process. Many are still doubtful however on how successful the process will be due to the fighting between separatists and government forces in the regions.

-Public Works Minister, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, today started a working visit in the South Region. He is expected to visit a number of public construction sites as he goes through the head of state’s region of origin.

-The bodies of two babies have been discovered in Garoua. The communication unit of the national fire brigade said the body of the first newborn was discovered in a garbage bin in the Kolere. The second was found in a septic tank in Roumde Adjia still in Garoua. The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain a mystery.

-The West Africa Newsletter has reported an increase in what it says is a rift between Government officials, deepened by the Anglophone crisis. Highlighting Ngoh Ngoh’s “fall from favour” because of his “stance diametrically opposed” to that of other top state officials including Biya’s chief of staff cum nephew- Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, the newsletter reveals that the divide is getting wider as days go by.

-Cameroonian-born tech lady, Rebecca Enonchong has featured in the Forbes Women’s Day edition. One of four women on the cover, Rebecca has over the years been vocal on a range of other issues regarding Cameroon including politics and business. Months back, she was one of the first to speak out against Jumia Cameroon’s treatment of workers prior to its shutdown.

-Human Rights Watch has maintained that its latest report on Ngarbuh-Ntunbaw massacre has not been deleted from its official website as Eric Martial Owona Nguini, a staunch supporter of the Yaounde government claims. HRW researcher, Illaria Allegrozi took to twitter to describe it as “fake news”, sharing links to the report to support her argument. Owona Ngini in an interview relayed on CRTV also accused HRW researcher, Illaria Allegrozi of complicity with separatists.

-2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers are on. The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon will take on Zambia female national team tomorrow. The match will take place at the Amadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde. Coach of the indomitable lions Alain Njenfack says the Lionesses are prepared to book a place at the Olympic Games.

-Partial results of the Day 26th of playing in the Elite One Championship:
AS FORTUNA-YOSA 4-0
CANON-UMS 1-0
PWD-DRAGON 1-0
PANTHERE-AVION 0-0
FEUTCHEU-TKC 0-0
05/03/2020
EDING-BAMBOUTOS
COLOMBE-APEJES
COTON-FOVU
USD-STADE RENARD

-The start of the first season of the Basketball Africa League has been postponed because of coronavirus fears. The first BAL campaign was due to start in the Senegalese capital Dakar on 13 March, and no new date has been given. It was set to feature 12 African club teams.

-The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has banned handshakes between players before the start of a match. The TFF said it was following advice issued by the ministry of health as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. There are so far no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the East African nation.

-Ghana’s former football chief Kwesi Nyantakyi has been charged with fraud at a high court in the capital, Accra. He pleaded not guilty to the charges that arose from an undercover investigation for the BBC in 2018 which sought to expose corruption in African football.

-Kenya is the first African country to suspend direct flights from two cities in northern Italy over concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Tunisia and Nigeria are dealing with confirmed cases involving patients who had travelled from Italy. A second person in Senegal has tested positive for coronavirus, the country’s health ministry confirms.

-African Airlines have lost $400m (£312m) since the outbreak of the coronavirus in China in February, according to the global airline industry body. The epidemic is not as widespread in Africa as in other continents, but it has led airlines like South African Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Air Tanzania, Air Mauritius, EgyptAir, RwandAir and Kenya Airways to suspend flights to and from China.

-The Head of World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is now faced with the daunting task to tackle one of world’s deadly epidemics; the coronavirus. The first African head of the WHO, who took office two-and-a-half years ago promising to reform the organisation, and to tackle the illnesses that kill millions each year: malaria, measles, childhood pneumonia, or HIV/Aids. Dr Tedros’ time in office has been dominated first by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and now by Covid-19.

-Kenya’s parliamentary speaker has asked 15 MPs, who were due to travel to a UN conference, to refund allowances given to them as their trip to New York has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Member states had been advised to be represented at the Commission on the Status of Women next week by their permanent missions based in the US, the speaker said.

-Violence has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in South Sudan’s Jonglei state – an area which has suffered repeated communal clashes. Last month, South Sudan’s political rivals signed a power-sharing deal in the hope of providing a lasting solution to five years of civil war. (Source Foreign News: BBC Africa).

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