1 North West/South West women’s task force demands presidential clemency to permit all political prisoners to be part of the national dialogue. Received by the Prime Minister today, the women say women and girls are enduring the greater part of the suffering of the war in the anglophone regions.
2 At least five persons have been wounded at Marche Congo in Douala particularly at a place called anciene triozieme as police officers and agents of Douala city council clashed with traders in the market. The security service was in the market to supervise the demolition of a storey building that used as a commercial centre in the area.
3 An uneasy calm has returned in some parts of Bafut in the North West region of Cameroon after a tense atmosphere characterised by shooting in the afternoon. Military men are reported to have invaded the village and even the Fon’s palace was not spared. The whereabouts of the Fon of Bafut remains unknown.
4 The prime minister has dismissed information that the government is currently receiving financial contributions from the public to sponsor the organisation of the national dialogue. In a release, PM Joseph Dion Ngute restated that the national dialogue website is for the public to forward proposals. No contact or account has been given for contributions he said.
5 People living with physical disabilities in Cameroon have called on the government to ensure they are included in decision-making processes in the country. At the Prime Minister’s office in the course of the consultation today, they equally noted that those with physical disabilities are more exposed to atrocities committed in the anglophone regions of Cameroon.
6 There are mixed feelings in the minds of students and some lecturers of the University of Buea. This follows a closed-door meeting held earlier today by lecturers originating from the South West Region. They put together proposals ahead of the national dialogue. The unanswered question now is what particular issues are affecting lecturers from the South West and not those of other regions?
7 Major activities have been paralysed in a locality called Namba situated around Nkongsamba in the Moungo Division in the Littoral region where for over two months there has been no electricity. Inhabitants say workers of the lone electricity distribution company say a technical fault in the locality will not be repaired soon because they did not vote for the ruling party during the 2018 presidential election.
8 President Paul Biya of Cameroon is not attending the 74th session of the United Nations General assembly in New York. He is represented by Le Jeune Mbella Mbella, minister of external relations. US President Donald Trump while addressing the UN general assembly today said US’ increase in military expenditure is yielding fruits of peace.
9 The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has banned the sale of imported milk. This move is aimed at supporting local farmers who have been struggling to compete in an increasingly global market. The move has, however, been criticised by commentators who hold the view that local producers may struggle to supply enough milk to meet the demand from 200 million Nigerians. Should this be the case, the move could backfire, causing dairy shortages and thereby forcing price increases.
10 A school that collapsed in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi led to the death of at least seven children according to officials. The wooden structures of Precious Talent Top School collapsed just minutes after the start of the school day on Monday 23rd September. Dozens of others were also injured and were taken to a hospital in the city.
11 Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and her husband continue their visit to South Africa. After wearing a headscarf to visit South Africa’s oldest mosque, she and the Duke attended talks on interfaith dialogue. Speaking about the people of South Africa, the Duchess said that “meeting the people, the energy, the fun, again the positivity, the optimism and the hope in the face of such incredible adversity” was something she was always going to cherish. She, however, further added that “There are young people and older people, men and women trying to change what effectively has become the norm” when reflecting on the recent challenges that have faced South Africa. The Duchess further discussed issues related to mental health by stating that the key to breaking the stigma was by just getting “people to talk about it and talk to each other” no matter where they are in the world.
