1 Nathan Forgan a 36 years-old English teacher of government school Avebebce in the South Region has been behind bars since September 14, 2019. The English teacher was arrested by the DO of the area for pronouncing the name of opposition leader Maurice Kamto in one of his lessons. He was reported to the DO by a parent of one of his pupils. Trade Unionists in the South Region of Cameroon have condemned the arrest of the arbitrary teacher.
2 The vast majority of locals in Kumbo Subdivision boycotted a consultation meeting organised today Friday, September 20 by the Divisional Officer (DO) of Kumbo, Menyong Gilbert Sunday. The DO called on the people of his subdivision to contribute effectively in the ongoing process of national dialogue as he chaired Friday’s preparatory meeting in view of the Major National Dialogue. Kumbo is one of the hotspots of violent clashes between the military and Ambazonian fighters.
3 Honourable Jean Jacques Ekindi says they of the peace initiative platform is assembling key proposals on how to bring back peace in Cameroon. Speaking at the end of a meeting of members of a platform of Peace crusaders, the former MP says their objective is to give every Cameroonian the opportunity to present a lasting peace idea for the best to be taken.
4 Senior Divisional Officers of the Six Divisions in the South West Region have been tasked to bring leaders of armed separatists to the dialogue table. The orders came from Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai at the end of a pre-dialogue consultation meeting in Buea. In prompt reaction to the Governor’s Order, the SDO for Meme Division, Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlain has invited Amazonian Generals within Meme to participate in a pre-dialogue consultation meeting Saturday, September 21, 2019, at the Kumba City Council Hall. He invites Generals Obase Ekeku of Dieni, Mokube Mbamene alias boss Divine of Marumba, Masango Mukete Karl alias Buscard of Malende, Sam of Small Ekombe, Efang of Teke and Bita Cola of Metta Quarters. On his part, Forwang Lawrence, SDO for Ndian Division says those in the bushes in Ndian laid down arms and he took them to the South West Regional centre for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.
5 There is uncertainty if six Ambazonian generals invited for a consultative meeting Saturday, September 21, 2019, in Kumba will honour the invitation. The Senior Divisional Officer for Meme, Chamberlain Ntou’ou Ndong in a press release called on the fighters to attend the meeting and propose what Meme Division will be taking to Yaoundé for the Major National Dialogue. Other personalities of the Division were equally invited.
6 The Catholic Church in Cameroon has warned that a national dialogue in the absence of truth will not produce the expected results of peace. Monsignor Abraham Kome, President of the National Episcopal Conference was received in audience today by the Prime Minister, Head of Government Joseph Dion Ngute. Other religious leaders like the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon and the President of the Council of Imams have equally tabled their proposals.
7 The security situation in the North West Region remains tense despite continues military deployment. The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji in a security meeting in Bamenda Thursday called for more vigilance and collaboration with vigilante groups to maintain security.
8 Several persons have been wounded in a confrontation between elements of the Douala City Council Municipal Police Unit and Traders at the Douche Municipal Market commonly known as “Maché Chinoise”. The council agents forcefully seized items from traders who were said to be occupying unauthorized spaces. In a rather spirited response, the traders retaliated, leading to a bloody confrontation.
9 The remains of General James Tataw Tabe have arrived Ossing village in Manyu Division in the South West Region of Cameroon ahead of burial this Saturday. Before departure from Yaoundé, the Minister Delegate in Charge of Defence posthumously decorated the fallen Major General. The deceased James Tataw Tabe was equally the paramount ruler of Ossing village. He was born in 1933.
10 The national football team of Cameroon now has a new coach. 58-year-old António Conceição da Silva Oliveira from Portugal was appointed Friday evening by the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi. The new coach has coached fourteen football clubs in Europe and has never stayed at the helm of a club for up to a year. One of the conditions of recruitment is that the coach will live in Cameroon. He replaces Clarence Seedorf fired shortly after the 2019 African Cup of Nations.
11 The Nigerian military has declared the humanitarian Agency Action Against Hunger ‘persona non grata’. This came after Action Against Hunger was accused of “aiding and abetting terrorism”. Action Against Hunger was ordered to close its main office in Maiduguri, in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state by soldiers who forced the organisation to stop its humanitarian work in the region. Action Against Hunger which has carried out humanitarian and development work for 40 years, is accused by the Nigerian military of supplying terrorists with food and drugs.
12 The leader of Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab, Ahmed Diriye, in a rare audio message delivered on Thursday night, has accused the West of plundering the country’s natural resources. He also criticised Kenya’s claim on the disputed maritime waters with Somalia. In what is his first audio delivered since 2016, recent events such as contentious elections in the semi-autonomous state of Jubaland at the end of August are mentioned, thereby giving it authenticity in terms of date. Diriye, succeeded Ahmed Godan after the latter was killed in an American drone strike in September 2014. It should be recalled that Kenya has been embroiled in a diplomatic spat over its maritime border with Somalia.
13 South Africa is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session of its parliament to deliberate on ways to tackle gender-based violence. This comes after recent protests were triggered by a spate of high-profile female murders. The World Health Organization has highlighted that South Africa’s femicide levels are almost five times the global average, with sexual offences haven risen by 4.8 per cent this year. These latest gender-based violence statistics corroborate a rise in the rates of sexual offences.
