Inside Cameroon

The deputy spokesman of the UN, Farhan Haq, said in a press briefing on Monday, March 7, 2016 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, that more than 5.6 million people do not have enough food in parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger affected by deadly Boko Haram attacks. 

The UN top diplomat noted that "the prevalence of stunting among displaced reached 49% in Niger and 47% in Chad -the highest rate in West and Central Africa. While rapid assessments recently conducted in the Lake Chad Basin region showed underweight rate as high as 30%. "

Farhan Haq revealed that the low rainfall of the last rainy season and Boko Haram mines have also contributed to farmers not being able to cultivate. The UN top official said, the Boko Haram crisis was putting pressure on the World Food Programme (WFP) to meet the growing food insecurity, malnutrition and persistent movements of population in the Lake Chad Basin.

Farhan Haq added that the UN will "increase its food aid to support nearly 750,000 people against 600,000 beneficiaries last year.”

Details

Chi Prudence Asong

13.Mar.2016

Hits: 2187

Write comment (0 Comments)

The National Plan of Action for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Cameroon from the 2015-2019 launched in Yaoundé last December 15th, 2015 by Prime Minister Philemon Yang, have been presented to the South West Region.

The launching ceremony took place Thursday 10 March 2016 in Buea under the patronage of the South West Governor Mr. Bernard Okalia Bilai. The programme of Action which is a recommendation of the world conference on Human Rights adopted in June 1993, stipulates in paragraph 71 that each state should consider the desirability of drawing up of a national plan action identifying steps whereby that state would improve the promotion and protection of human rights.

It is against this backdrop that African states, including Cameroon reaffirmed, at the first OAU Ministerial conference on human rights, held in April 1999 in Grand Bay-Mauritius, their commitment to develop national plans of action. A zoom into the Cameroon national plan of action for the promotion and protection of human rights content into a 404 page document, spotlights major situational analysis on the legal and institutional framework, the current state of affairs that highlights advances and challenges, identifies the strategic issues and presents guidelines based on the different rights.

In the second part wherein the operational framework contains actions, activities and implementing institutions includes technical programmes such as civil and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights; rights of special groups and cooperation, control, monitoring-evaluation. According to the Assistant Research Officer in the department of human rights and international cooperation in the Justice Ministry Madam Atabong Angeline, the programme is aim at “highlighting a human rights approach in state action and generally to inculcate a human rights culture in Cameroon” she stated.

“In drafting this human rights report, it was important to take stock on what have been done, what were the challenges along the road and what can we do to make the promotion and protection of human rights successful” she noted. In his key note address, Governor Bernard Okalia reiterated the efforts by the Cameroon government in the protection and promotion of human rights in Cameroon. He materialized the presentation ceremony to show case the setting up of The National Commission on human rights and freedoms among others as additional force to the current drive. To him the struggle to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the national action plan is indispensable to meet up with the objectives set.

He challenged all stakeholders to uphold the successful and efficient implementation of the document while maximizing strategies to combat human rights violation in the South West Region. The National Acton plan is expected to improve on the free exercise of human rights enshrined at local and global charters. The launching ceremony brought together the judicial family in the south west region and members of the civil society organizations.

Details

Bama Victor Cham

12.Mar.2016

Hits: 2519

Write comment (0 Comments)

The employer of an American anti-poaching pilot who died in a plane crash in Cameroon in 2014 says his remains were recovered from the wreckage and delivered to a morgue.

African Parks, a Johannesburg-based group, said Monday that arrangements are being made for the repatriation of pilot Bill Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick disappeared on June 22, 2014 while flying to a job in Odzala-Kokoua National Park in Republic of Congo. African Parks manages the wildlife area.

Local residents discovered the plane wreckage in April 2015. The remoteness of the area and dense vegetation made it difficult for a helicopter to land and bureaucratic procedures in Cameroon delayed the recovery of Fitzpatrick's remains.

Details

Elangwe Pauline

07.Mar.2016

Hits: 3322

Write comment (0 Comments)

Over 36,000 motorbikes in Douala (90 per cent of the total), be them commercial or private, are without number plates. Since they ply the road unidentified, it does not only pose great danger to the population, but contributes to the already worrying urban disorder that prevails in the economic capital.

To curb the prevailing situation, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Wouri, Naseri Paul Bea, last January launched a registration exercise, giving up to March 1, 2016, for motorbike owners to comply. Unfortunately, during an evaluation visit to the Douala I, II, III and V council areas on March 1, it was discovered that the exercise was still timid. According to statistics as at the day of visit, Douala V had not started the exercise, very few motorbikes were registered in Douala I and II, while Douala III registered an encouraging number of 210 motorbikes.

After the visit, Naseri Paul Bea expressed his discontentment and gave 30 more days for rigorous checks and repressive measures to be taken. “I am not satisfied with the outcome of the evaluation. I call on all proprietors, motorbike unions and associations to go to their various council areas and register in order to avoid the rigorous checks beginning on April 1, 2016,” he reiterated. 

It is only during the repressive phase that most bike riders will know the importance of identification. Since an unidentified bike is likened to a child without a birth certificate, the SDO encouraged owners to get their bikes registered. On her part, the Divisional Delegate of Transport for Wouri, Marie Delphine Nfong-Yette, said identification will curb crime wave since perpetrators will easily be identified through their number plates.

(Cameroon Tribune)

Details

Rita Akana

04.Mar.2016

Hits: 3090

Write comment (0 Comments)

The Douala International Airport have suspended flights for over twenty-one days due to ongoing rehabilitation works. The Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport is now a massive theatre of air traffic – the lone entry and exit route from Cameroon. This is sequel to the commencement of modernization works at the Douala International Airport with the runway, aircraft taxiways and aprons expected to be refurbished as well as the passenger terminal to be renovated and restructured. 

Government sources have maintained all management and operational staff are ensuring that their operations are successful as regard safety and security. In the main hall of the airport, some 150 staff transferred from the Douala International Airport for the three-week exercise were spotted sorting out last-minute operational guidelines. The office attendants of the Director of the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority where batches are issued and staff of airline companies who are temporarily lodged at the airport have finalised preparatory tasks.

Temporary offices set up for airline companies in the main hall and at the East wing of the tarmac have gradually been taken up by their occupants. Meanwhile, technical, logistical and managerial aspects have already been handled, with the Cameroon Airports Company, ADC,claiming it is coping with the heavy traffic. The Director of the Airport, Thierry Nkodo revealed that apart from Arik Air and Taag Angola Airlines that decided to suspend their flights during the three-week re-routing to Yaounde, the other airline companies operating in Cameroon have confirmed their flight schedules. The hitherto near-idle Nsimalen-Yaounde Airport is witnessing a pretty different scenario since it went operational in October 1994. Traffic flow has more than double, with close to 20 aircrafts, as against 10, arriving and departing everyday. It has been busy flight schedule with the first flights that landed in the wee hours of March 1.

The management of the airport have insisted on safety and security measures. A safety and security assessement impact carried out identified vulnerable areas that have since received reinforcement. All safety and security threat indices at the Douala International Airport have been transferred to the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport, said Thierry Nkodo. Measures to limit any threats have been put in place with access to some parts of the airport strictly forbidden. Passengers have been invited to scale down their accompanying delegations.

Details

Elangwe Pauline

02.Mar.2016

Hits: 5726

Write comment (0 Comments)

Hon. Cavaye Djibril, speaker of the National Assembly has summoned members of parliament to their first annual session.Traditionally, this first annual session is devoted to the renewal of the Bureau of the National Assembly. But given the current political climate marked by calls from militants of the ruling CPDM party for Biya to stage another constitutional reform in order to organize early presidential election initially scheduled for 2018, some political observers have sounded a note of caution that the Cameroonian government may table in parliament a draft law on amending the Constitution. A reform that is needed if Paul Biya has to continue as head of state after 34 years. 

Details

Elangwe Pauline

01.Mar.2016

Hits: 3131

Write comment (0 Comments)