National and International News Roundup – March 6th 2020

There is a general fear among Cameroonians following the announcement of two cases of coronavirus in the country. To some, the country’s health care system is too weak to handle a deadly disease such as coronavirus. Others are blaming the government for not taking appropriate measures to stop the disease when it was declared in neighbouring Nigeria.

Cameroon’s Minister of public health has called on Cameroonians not to panic but to adopt preventive measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. Dr Manaouda Malachie in Douala Friday said, the government is doing everything to curb further spread of the disease. He visited Douala Laquantinie Hospital, the Douala International Airport and the Sea Port where machines have been put in place to detect the virus. Over 3500 people have died globally and over 100.000 infected since the virus was declared in China’s city of Wuhan.

Dr Nick Ngwayam, medical a doctor and political activist says Cameroon is not ready to handle coronavirus. He cited insufficient toilets, poor sanitation and personal hygiene. He also calls on Cameroonians to adopt hygiene both environmental and personal hygiene.

The Cameroon Renaissance Movement political party thinks Cameroon is ill-prepared to control and handle the spread of Coronavirus,  COVID 19. In a press release Friday, March 6th, the CRM outlined Cameroon’s vulnerability to coronavirus, which according to the party makes Cameroon vulnerable to a rapid and further spread of COVID 19

Legislative election rerun will take place in some constituencies in the North West and South West regions will take place on the 22nd of March. In a decree today, President Paul Biya says polls will open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The election was cancelled in these constituencies by the constitutional council on account of malpractices.

Members “Mothers of Nation”, a group created by Edith Kah Walla to fight against injustice, bad governance and rights violations insist that Sunday, March 8th 2020 will be a veritable platform for them to call for an end to wanton killings in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. They believe that the situation prevailing today in Cameroon doesn’t call for any celebration but mourning for those killed in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. To “Mothers of Nation”, celebrating the women’s day in black should be for all women who want political transition in Cameroon. Hundreds of women are expected to dress in black on Sunday in solidarity with their peers in the conflict-hit Southern Cameroons.

Southern Cameroonians in several parts of the US are planning a huge mobilization this in front of foreign media houses and international organizations this evening. “We are tired of the killings, women and children are dying and the world is silent, we need to expose the Biya regime,” they say. Some of the protests will hold in front of CNN and NBC News, posters circulating on social media have announced. The conflict in Anglophone Cameroon which began peacefully in 2016 has caused the death of close to 4000 people, causing over one million to flee.

Roger Mbassa Ndine is the official local administrator at the helm of the City of Douala. The transfer of power from Dr Fritz Ntone Ntone; former government delegate of Douala to Roger Victor Mbassa Ndine took place today in the presence of the SDO of Wouri. The urban disorder will be the major challenge of the pioneer city mayor.

Over fifty women doing business as the Douala central market have seen their shops demolished.  The traders mainly dealing with breakables woke up early on Friday, March 6th 2020, and found their business premises destroyed. The demolition exercise was conducted by the DO for Douala 2 subdivisions. It comes less than a day, after a campaign against urban disorder launched by the Governor of the Littoral Region in Douala

The decision by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara not to seek reelection at the end of his third mandate has generated multiple reactions among Cameroonians. On the street of Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital city, people say the move should set the pace for African leaders who have tried to amend or have changed the constitution to protect their life presidency project. Cameroon’s President Biya amended the constitution in 2008 and has been in power for almost forty years now.

Political analyst and University lecturer Louisiane Essomba has saluted Ouattara’s decision describing him as a leader who respects the constitution, democratic values and wants to spare his nation from chaos. The analyst said the Ivorian leader could have been pushed by his ECO currency failure and his failure to respect the accord signed with political allies in Ivory Coast

Touristique Express Voyage has confirmed that one of its buses with the number plate:  444 comfort lT801IX was involved in an accident on the national road number 3, at 5 am Friday, March 6th 2020, leaving several persons injured. The road accident, the company said took place at Saint Andrew, in Pouma, in the Sanaga Maritime Division of the Littoral Region of Cameroon.  According to Touristique Express Voyage, the victims are being treated at a hospital in Akwa Douala. No life was lost, management said.

Thousands of children are dropping out of school in Zimbabwe amid an economic crisis caused by drought, high inflation and unemployment. Last year at least 60% of the children in primary school were sent home for failing to pay fees. The school year began in January, but in Fanta, a privately run college in the deprived Harare suburb of Epworth, some classrooms remain empty.

An attack has taken place near the US embassy in Tunis Friday. It was carried out by two people who approached a security checkpoint in the vicinity of the US embassy. In a statement, Tunisia’s ministry of interior said the suicide bombers were targeting a security patrol in the area. Five policemen sustained various types of injuries and one civilian was lightly wounded, according to officials.

Egypt’s health ministry has announced 12 more cases of people carrying the coronavirus in the country. They were passengers on a cruise on the River Nile heading to the southern city of Aswan from Luxor.

Togo on Friday confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus after a 42-year-old woman tested positive following her return from a trip to Benin, Germany, France and Turkey. Togo has become the fifth country in sub-Saharan Africa to confirm a case of coronavirus.

The health minister of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, has confirmed the authorities have isolated three people suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus strain.

The Kenyan government has opened a quarantine centre in the capital, Nairobi, for suspected coronavirus cases.

The facility at Mbagathi District Hospital has been opened in the wake of public concern about the country’s preparedness to deal with a possible outbreak of the new strain of the virus, which causes the respiratory disease Covid-19.

More than 100 journalists and other public figures in Europe have called for the release of Rui Pinto, the source behind leaked documents which showed how Africa’s richest woman made her fortune, from pre-trial detention. Mr Pinto, the author of the Football Leaks website, is being held on remand in Portugal since his extradition from Hungary a year ago.

France has granted permission to extradite François Compaoré – the brother of a former president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré – who is wanted at home over the murder of a journalist in 1998. François Compaoré is accused of involvement in the 1998 killing of Norbert Zongo who was investigating the death of Mr Compaoré’s driver and the charred remains of three other people. Mr Zongo’s murder sparked mass protests in Burkina Faso.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has announced that, for a second year running, it has not found a suitable winner for its annual Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The award, launched in 2006, recognises former African leaders who have shown “outstanding governance of their country, brought peace, stability and prosperity to their people”. The winner receives a $5m (£3.8m) cash award paid over 10 years. (Source Foreign News: BBC Africa)

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