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The President of the Republic of Cameroon did not attend the inauguration ceremony of Denis Sassou Nguesso.He sent his chief of staff , Martin Belinga Eboutou to represent him.
He made the announcement public through a statement signed by the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh and read yesterday Friday, April 15, 2016 on CRTV.
Last Sunday, Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation , Jean -Marie Gakosso , had come personally and received in audience by the PM to hand Paul Biya's invitation.He specifically said that Congolese President attached great importance to the presence of the president of Cameroon . "This is why President Sassou think if he has only three guests ,then his brother and friend Paul Biya should be among those three to witness his inauguration " according to the envoy .
Denis Sassou-Nguesso who has been in power for 26 years, was re-elected by over 60 percent of the vote for a disputed third term after the first round of elections on March 20.
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- Njoh Walters
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Four years after their last meeting in Yaoundé (May 2012), President Paul Biya and Vincent Bolloré, Chairman and CEO of the Bolloré group have met again on Wednesday in the Cameroonian capital. At the end of the audience granted him by the Cameroonian dictator on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, the French investor made public a series of announcements which signaled that our nation has completely been taken over by the French.The CEO of the Bolloré Group revealed that he took stock of investments by his group in Cameroon.
He also hinted his group intends to pursue new projects in the fields of transport and logistics, especially regarding the Kribi port industrial complex, railways, energy and culture. For the new port, Vincent Bolloré told the press that his group will be signing shortly a concession contract with the Cameroon government which will lead to the management of the container terminal at the port of Kribi.
Regarding the railway, the company "Cameroon Railways (CAMRAIL)", a subsidiary of Bolloré Africa Logistics, the French businessman promised to bring the journey time between Yaoundé and Douala -the two main cities of the country to less than three hours. Culturally, the French investor also promised to open in June, a movie theater in Yaounde, under the Vivendi-Canal + activities. In the renewable energy sector, Vincent Bolloré, revealed he plans an extension of the solar panel system inside the country, experienced with real success at the University of Yaounde I.
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- Chi Prudence Asong
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Cameroon is operating the Israeli Saymar Musketeer armoured vehicle, and using it for presidential protection. According to IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, Cameroon’s Presidential Guard Reconnaissance and Support Group includes a Musketeer platoon, as well as fire support, anti-aircraft, and anti-terrorist units. The publication reports that Cameroon's Presidential Guard is the first known user of the vehicle, which is based on a Toyota Land Cruiser chassis. Although one of the Musketeers was seen by IHS Jane's in the capital Yaounde during the official state visit by Italian President Sergio Mattarella on 18 March, it is believed the vehicles have been in service since 2014. The six-seat vehicle was seen earlier this month fitted with a remotely operated weapon station with a 7.62 mm FN MAG machinegun.
The Musketeer was unveiled in 2009 by Saymar, which subsequently was taken over by Elbit Systems. It features Stanag Level 1 ballistic protection, that can be upgraded to B7 level if requested, or Stanag Level 3. The vehicle is powered by a 4.2 litre Toyota diesel engine. IHS Jane's Defence Weekly reports that Cameroon’s Presidential Guard also has Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) RBY Mk 1 and RAM Mk III vehicles, with some of the RBY Mk 1s being armed with TCM-20 twin 20 mm anti-aircraft guns.
Cameroon has received a variety of new military equipment in recent times, with its Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) now equipped with Ratel 20 infantry fighting vehicles. Deliveries began in December 2015, according to a source quoted by IHS Jane’s, and the BIR now has 12 with its Light Intervention Units deployed to the Far North province, where the force is leading operations against Boko Haram militants. The Ratels join around two dozen LAV-150 Commando infantry fighting vehicles, 30 AML-90s, six AMX-10RCs, a dozen Ferrets, eight M-8s and half a dozen VBLs.
Some of the equipment Cameroon’s armed forces have acquired in the last five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), include five Type-07 armoured personnel carriers, six Type-07P/VN-1 infantry fighting vehicles, 12 WMA-301 Assault armoured fire support vehicles, four Z-9 helicopters and two P-108 patrol craft from China; a second hand OPV-54 patrol boat from France, two Mi-17 helicopters from Russia; two Aresa-3200 patrol craft and a single CN235 transport aircraft from Spain; and two Bell 412 helicopters from the United States.
Last year the United States ordered 15 Acmat Bastion armoured vehicles from France for Cameroon. Cameroon also received in February, the first two of six refurbished Mi-24 attack helicopters. They will be placed at the disposal of the BIR’s Operation Alpha Command, tasked with tackling Boko Haram militants in the Far North Province of Cameroon, joining two Mi-17s acquired from Russia in 2013 as well as Bell 412 and Gazelle helicopters, the latter equipped with HOT missiles.
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- Defenceweb
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The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella who arrived in Yaounde on March 17, 2016, is the highest Italian official ever to have visited Cameroon. Barely four hours after setting foot on Cameroonian soil, President Sergio Mattarella was at State House in Yaounde where for over 60 minutes, the two men seemed to have engaged a very significant turnaround in Cameroon-Italy relations which, although already so good, have a potential to be even better. Since 1962 when the two countries established diplomatic relations, there have been high-level visits by officials of the two countries and although President Biya has visited Rome several times on the invitation of The Vatican, he has often availed himself of Rome stays to discuss with Italian officials and so President Mattarella’s State visit deservedly carried all the accoutrements and accompaniments of a most triumphant event beginning at the airport arrival ceremony with a 21-gun salute and then at State House with a thick red carpet stretched out right to the limousine from which he stepped out at exactly 4.15 pm and the impressive waterworks which gave State House precincts a real feel of feasting.
Upon arrival, the Italian President was welcomed by President Biya before the two headed for the latter’s third floor office where they went into a conclave for some thirty minutes before other senior officials accompanying them joined in the discussion. What is remarkable about this meeting is the fact that in just 60 minutes of talks, cooperation between the two countries had been given a significant booster if one were to go by the number and quality of the Accords and Agreements signed after the meeting by accompanying ministers and other top officials, under the watchful eyes of the two Presidents.
There are altogether five agreements, ranging from the exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports of the two countries, a framework agreement on cultural, scientific and technical cooperation, a framework document on the use of resources devolving from the cancellation of Cameroon’s debt by Italy, a protocol agreement between the University of Padua and Cameroon’s National Advanced School of Public Works as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Padua and Cameroon’s Ministry of Urban Development and Housing on the promotion of sustainable town planning in Cameroon. Mr Mario Giro, Italy’s Minister-Delegate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of Cooperation and Development signed the agreements on visa exemptions and cultural cooperation while his country’s Ambassador to Cameroon Samuela Isopi signed the one on debt cancellation windfalls and the Rector of the University of Padua Professor Rosario Rizutto signed for the other two. The signatories on the Cameroonian side included External Relations Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella (visas), Jacques Fame Ndongo (cultural cooperation), Louis Paul Motaze (use of debt relief windfalls), Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi (University of Padua and the National Advanced School of Public Works) and Jean Claude Mbwentchou (MoU with University of Padua).
The Agreement on visa exemptions, for instance states that “nationals of either contracting party who are holders of valid diplomatic or service passports and not accredited to the territory of the other contracting party, shall be exempted from the vise requirement required to enter, transit, stay and exit from the territory of the other Contracting Party for up to 90 days for one or several times, within a period of 180 days. For nationals from the Republic of Cameroon, the 90 days will start to run from the date of entry into the Schengen Space.”
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- Cameroon Tribune
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President Paul Biya is reportedly planning a trip to Qatar. Information has filtered to the press that the Cameroonian chief executive recently instructed the Prime Minister and Head of Government to constitute a huge delegation to an economic forum between Cameroon and Qatar. Our intelligence unit is yet to establish whether the Biya planned visit is on the invitation of the Emir of Qatar.
Prime Minister Yang Philemon has held high profile meetings at the Star Building grouping ministerial departments dealing with economic issues including private sector operators. Our Etoudi informant say the Cameroonian dictator will hopefully be traveling to Qatar on March the 27th, 2016 for the first time on an official visit. Qatar is a middle east country that has become an international attraction for any investment researcher.
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- Sama Ernest in Yaounde
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The Cameroon Football Federation aka FECAFOOT has issued a motion of support to the Head of State, President Paul Biya calling on the 83 year old dictator to run for president in the upcoming presidential elections in Cameroon. The Cameroon football governing body held its general assembly meeting for the first time in its history out of the nation's capital, Yaounde.
Sports commentators who traveled to Buea, the capital of the South West region wondered aloud that the association has been politicized and now functions as an auxiliary wing of the ruling CPDM party. In today's conference in Buea, FECAFOOT made a dramatic U turn and extended the mandate of the Cameroon Professional Football League for another one year period claiming "due to the state of unpreparedness by the federation for any election and also to keep with General Pierre Semengue,who they said is their father".
The mafia leadership announced that tickets for this Saturday encounter against the Bafana Bafana will be on sale from Wednesday this week. They range from 3000,5000,10000,15000 and 50000 FCFA respectively.
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- Cham Victor Bama in Buea
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