Society

The Mabanda community in the economic capital Douala has continued to call on the government to help them since the rains of Sunday night put them in the cold.

Since the windy rain of sunday destroyed houses, schools and other public utilities, life has not been the best for the inhabitants of Mabanda. Inhabitants of that community have been calling on the government ceaselessly to come to their aid.
“In this incident, we don’t know what is wrong; we are praying that the government and the council should help to reestablish us again. This windy rain is not something we were prepared for” says a victim of the storm.

Some inhabitants put thing s in the hands of God. “We are putting everything in the hands of God” says a frustrated landlord as he looks at his recently unroofed investment. We don’t know what is coming in the days ahead” he recounts.
Generally the rains this year seems to have come with “things” behind it as explains an inhabitant of Ndu were a somewhat similar incident almost took place.

In Ndu of the Donga Mantung Division, many label the rains of Sunday night as war. Hail stones filled the whole town in what was described by many as snow, something that has never happened in the past. Inhabitants were stunt at the new view the hailstones had given to their community.

The question on mind remains: are these the products of climate change? If so what are we doing as individuals and as a country to promote the protection of our environment?

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Ndi Derek Giyoh

28.Mar.2017

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Clad in robes, more than 60 teachers carrying placards are presently staging a protest in-front of the Ministry of Finance in Yaounde-Cameroon. They are  demanding 25 months of unpaid salaries and other benefits.  
One of the teachers told Cameroon Concord that  government has not paid them since their posting 2 years ago. Most of them have been transferred to remote areas under very difficult conditions. 

Most of are struggling to survive. When they forwarded their worries to the Ministry of Higher Education, they were told their files have been forwarded to the Ministry of finance. But they are yet to touch their salaries.

Their frustrations have been worsened by some unscrupulous officials who are demanding motivation“gombo” before their files could be looked into
Armed security forces have blocked the entrance of the Ministry, preventing the demonstrators from entering. No official has come tto listen to them.
More than 20.000 teachers are affected by the situation.

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Rita Akana

27.Mar.2017

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The computer software of the popular Cameroon General Certificate of Education board malfunctioned yesterday amidst tension from unregistered students in some schools in Douala.
After 3 postponements of the registration for the 2017 General Certificate Examination, the GCE board was supposed to bank its doors yesterday 20th March 2017 at 2:00pm. Unfortunately, its registration software had closed registration on an earlier date.
Some students, who fled the crisis from their regions to register in English schools in Douala, were unable to do so.

“We are facing difficulties because the software instead of ending at 12:00 midnight breaking Tuesday, it instead ended at 12:00 midnight breaking Monday and for that reason some candidates coming from North West and South west regions, wanting to register could not be registered” says the principal of a private secondary school in Douala.

Registration in most schools has witnessed a great drop in GCE registration compared to last year. The few students who have registered are worried over the situation of their friends in the North and South West who have not registered.
“We are disturbed because some of our friends, brothers and sisters who are in the North West and South West are not going to write with us” says a registered student.

Others praise the lord for the strength to prepare for the GCE amidst disturbing happenings in the 2 Anglophone regions but worried over the fact that their certificates may not be recognized internationally.
“We all are discouraged. It is just by God’s grace that we are still pushing on to read and to prepare for the exams; because majority of the students are in the north west and south west. We don’t even know whether our certificates will be recognized internationally” recounts another registered candidate.

The multi-million dollar question remains: How effective will this year’s GCE be given the upheavals that have characterized the learning year?

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di Derek Giyoh

21.Mar.2017

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A United Nations road safety performance review mission is presently in Cameroon to oversee government's policies on road safety.

The team comes to the country to ensure that road safety measures put in place strictly conforms to the United Nations latest action on road safety proclaimed in 2010.

The crew is made up of experts in road safety, the UN Secretary General's envoy on road safety missions and a delegation from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

The mission is expected to hold working sessions with stakeholders within the road safety domain. 

These stakeholders are drawn from the Ministry of Transport, Members of the National Road Board and the road safety task force of the National Gendarmerie.

The evaluation mission comes at a time when government has been on the offensive in its road safety campaign.

A number of repressive measures have been put in place to punish recalcitrant road users.
 

Also regular supervision missions are being jointly organised by the Ministry of Transport and National Gendarmerie to ensure the strict implementation of the measures.

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Rita Akana

20.Mar.2017

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In an official press release just made public, the deputy Minister of Finance, Elung Paul Ché, denounces the activities of “ill-intentioned people organised into networks”, who “use multiple tricks and subterfuges to con senior civil servants of the Republic and economic operators, promising them the acquisition, under preferential conditions, of luxury vehicles in demurrage at the Customs offices” at the port of Douala, the economic capital of the country.

Indeed, after several warnings at the end of the recently ended year, the Cameroonian Customs administration started auctioning about 400 containers and other luxury vehicles (there were initially 800, but half was cleared by the owners after the Customs press releases) abandoned by importers at the port of Douala. 

Auctions which are today subjected to various manoeuvrers. “There are people coming with recommendations or requests from high personalities, for the purchase of tens of containers at once. And this, at prices corresponding to nothing. These are sometimes false recommendations”, one of the persons in charge of this auction operation revealed to the pro-government daily.

Port regulars do not exclude that the real owners of containers or vehicles thus auctioned are hiding behind these potential buyers. As, we learned, this type of operation often enables importers who have abandoned their goods to buy them back at a lesser price, thus avoiding customs duties deemed too expensive

BIC

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Rita Akana

18.Mar.2017

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The Governor of the Littoral region has declared a ferocious war on armed gangs and drug cartels who have been terrorizing the population and robbing them of peace and properties.

Samuel Dieudone Ivaha Diboua who was chairing a security meeting in New bell Thursday March 16, on the aftermath of violent clashes in the area between rival gangs and youths, he observed that insecurity is growing in leaps and Bounds.  Contrary to claims that it was a war between Hausa and Bassa communities, the Regional chief shepherd noted with dismay that armed robbers have taken the Douala 2 area hostage installing fear on the people and depriving them of their money, phones and other valuables. Extending their enterprise to nearby neighborhoods of Bali and bonapriso.

Quarter heads and traditional rulers of the municipality revealed that it has become a daily occurrence the latest being the rampage by armed gangs over the killing of one of theirs in Ngange and babylon for allegedly stealing a bike.

Reacting to the state of affairs, the littoral Governor strongly condemned the spate of attacks on the population promising tough times for them. "I have not come here to joke. It is unlawful for children to take the city hostage disturbing public peace. Tell those gangs because I know you then that they won't have peace. I descend on them till the very last man is wiped out" the visibly angry administrator exploded.

Governor Diboua also announced impromptu patrols on drug cartels who are growing in leaps and bounds. He has cautioned local authorities to ensure that the population go for their national identity cards to avoid any embarrassment with security officials. And has prescribed the creation of vigilante groups to limit the rate of jungle justice.


The state counsel of the region  on his part advised the population to avoid jungle justice and transfer all suspected individuals to the forces of law and order.

Douala, Cameroon's economic melting pot has a population of over 2 million inhabitants with most of them living below poverty line . The high crime wave has been attributed to massive unemployment of youths who are forced to indulge in deviant activities. It is even alleged that some of these gangs operate with the complicity of senior police and Gendarmerie:

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Mbi James

17.Mar.2017

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