National and International News Roundup: Tuesday 04 February 2020

Muslim scholar, Abdulkarim has asked Southern Cameroonians to stay away from BAS and their Leader, Maurice Kamto. To Abdul Karim, Kamto does not have the people of Southern Cameroons at heart. While at a rally in Paris, Abdul says “out of the fifteen names the gentleman read, NOT a single of ours was among. NOT even Sesekou Ayuk-whose personality he pretends to enjoy”.

Inhabitants of Douala using the Ndokoti roundabout to get to their destinations will have to endure the pains of traffic congestion for weeks. This is as a result of road rehabilitation works taking place in the area. From 5 a.m. this morning, the roads were blocked causing traffic in the roundabout.

In health, today is World Day for the fight against Cancer. 15,000 Cameroonians are affected by cancer each year. 15% of those suffering from the disease die while 90% of patients suffering from cancer get to the hospital when the disease is already in its chronic state. Women remain the most vulnerable. Medical doctors say cancer is curable while calling for frequent medical checks.

Hon. Fritz Ngeka Etoke of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) is determined to win a parliamentary seat in Fako East. To the former militant of the CPDM party, the major problem his constituency is facing is that of unemployment and insecurity.  He says he will focus on women and youth to reduce the level of poverty in the constituency. Few days to the end of the campaign, the parliamentary aspirant for re-election says he has toured all towns, villages and quarters in his constituency including Muyuka subdivision where no other politician has dared because of insecurity. In a TV interview yesterday, he challenged his opponent to present a list of her activities for the past years, which she failed to do.

The Minister of Public Works threatens to terminate a road construction work carried out by a Chinese company in Bafoussam. Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi on a working visit today regrets that the work has been executed just at 30% while over 60% of the time has been consumed. He blames the company equally for destroying water pipes in the town thereby causing water shortage. He has given 24 hours for water supply to be re-established.

Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute is expected to pay a working visit to the Littoral and South West regions of Cameroon from the 5th to the 7th of February 2020. He is to visit infrastructure to host the African Football Championship (CHAN) and African Cup of Nations, AFCON. Commentators think it is a disguised campaign move the head of government is undertaking.

Jean Robert Wafo, SDF municipal election candidate at Douala 2 has called on the public to be witnesses of electoral fraud prepared by the CPDM party. Mr Wafo says CPDM has instructed quarter heads to get photocopies of voting cards and telephone numbers of potential voters ahead of February 9, 2020.

At Wouri East, Legislative election candidate of the Cameroon People for National Reconciliation, PCRN is equally accusing some individuals of planning fraud. Nourane Mouluh Hassana says she has been reliably informed that the network for election rigging has been operating at Wouri East for many years.

Youth and Civic Education Minister, Mounouna Foutsou officially opened the Youth Village yesterday at the Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex. This is ahead of this year’s Youth Day celebrations set for February 11. Following the launch, activities to mark the day are currently ongoing.

Two people were reportedly killed in an attack on the town of Mozogo last night. The attacks were allegedly carried out by the Boko Haram terrorist group. Even though declared defeated in Cameroon in 2018, Boko Haram keeps making incursions in the Far North region, leaving a lot of human and material loss.

The director of the Network for Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa, RHEDAC,  Maximilienne C Ngo Mbe has engaged a #BringBackTheChild campaign on social media against child theft. Her action comes after an 8-day-old baby was reportedly stolen from the Cite des Palmiers District Hospital in Douala yesterday.

A fire incident ravaged parts of Lycée Général Leclerc in Yaoundé last night. The fire which broke out in the school canteen burned three shops made of planks. Classrooms, however, remained untouched and classes have continued taking place normally.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea, Dr Ngomo Horace Manga has reiterated the fact that classes on Sundays are prohibited. This was in a release made public today. With the approaching lockdown called for by Ambazonian fighters to disrupt the Sunday Elections, several teachers are said to have been using Sundays for Continuous Assessments and Lectures.

The Spanish government says the number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands from Africa was 18 times higher last month than in the previous January. The interior ministry said 708 migrants arrived, compared to 40 the year before.

The wife of the prime minister of Lesotho is to be charged with murdering the PM’s previous wife. First Lady Maesaiah Thabane handed herself in to be questioned by police. Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has also been questioned about the killing. His estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, was shot dead outside her home in the capital Maseru two days before his inauguration in 2017.

The Nigeria Customs Service says $8m (£6m), wrapped in large brown envelopes, were found hidden inside a car at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the commercial capital Lagos. The cash was allegedly being smuggled out of the country by a “money laundering syndicate assisting corrupt government officials,” customs boss Hameed Ali said. Arrests have been made.

Kenya’s former President Daniel Arap Moi has died at the age of 95. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced his death, saying the nation had lost a “great man”. Mr Moi was Kenya’s longest-serving president. He was in office for 24 years, until intense pressure forced him to step down in 2002. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has said the passing of Kenya’s former President Daniel Arap Moi was “a great loss for the continent.”

The UN envoy to Libya has said the warring parties have a “genuine will to start negotiating”, as talks to create a lasting ceasefire get underway in Geneva. But the envoy, Ghassan Salame, said an arms embargo was being violated by both sides. The two sides have not yet begun talking face to face.

(Source for Foreign News: BBC Africa)