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Details: Society

The villagers of Bangolan in Ngoketunjia division of the North West region, a village which has been at the center of chieftaincy wrangling, tension and strife has once again been hit with another wave of unrest following the death of a gendarme officer who was guarding the palace of Bangolan.
The gendarme officer whose names we got as Ngehson Wilson, 24 was shot dead in unclear circumstances during a commotion at the funeral celebration of one of the king makers of the palace, Taah Fomishi Mathew.
While the authorities and supporters of the Fon of Bangolan are pointing accusing fingers at the camp which seeks to oust the fon, other villagers claim that the officer was mistakenly shot by his colleague in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
One of the villagers who opted for anonymity due to security reason told The SUN that during the funeral, a famous troubleshooter, Fomishi Gilbert Sunday aka Borro, started provoking the family members of the deceased and other villagers, boasting that the villagers had once vowed that he and Fon Chafah Isaac will never set foot in the village again but they have failed.
Our source continued that Fomishi started destroying the food that was prepared for the funeral and that is when the other villagers confronted him but he was immediately protected by the gendarmes.
The gendarmes shot some canisters of tear gas which blanketed the area with thick smoke, and that is when, the villagers claim, one of the gendarmes in an attempt to fire a warning shot in the air to disperse the crowd, suddenly realized that his colleague had mistakenly caught the bullet.
Following the officer’s death, more troops were immediately deployed to the already besieged village of Bangolan. Villagers are however worried that instead of investigating the circumstances which led to the young officer’s death, the troops in cahoots with the administration and Fon Chafah have engaged in targeted justice. They claim that the troops have indulged in mass arrests, torture and destruction of houses belonging to villagers suspected to be anti-Fon Chafah.
Reports have it that since the incident occurred on November 4, 2016 till date, schools have been shutdown. Also, markets, stores and hospitals have also closed their doors.
However, The Sun cannot independently confirm either versions of how the young officer died as investigations are still ongoing but reports have it that villagers are fleeing in droves for fear of being targeted.
It should be recalled that tensions in Bangolan started some months back when some villagers called on the Fon, Fon Chafah Isaac to step down for desecrating their tradition. They immediately crowned another fon to replace him but were met with stiff resistance from the administration and other villagers who supported the Fon.

The Sun

Details: Rita Akana; 16.Nov.2016; Hits: 1801

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Details: Society

Five persons have died and several others injured in a road accident which occurred around the Penda Mboko roundabout along the Douala-Bafoussam highway On Tuesday, 15.November 2016.

Witnesses say a 19 Seater Hiace Bus collided frontal with an oncoming truck transporting gravel. Five passengers from the Bus died on the spot while several others with severe injuries were taken to the Mbanga district hospital.

Details: Prince Nfor Hanson; 15.Nov.2016; Hits: 1547

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Details: Society

The Mayor of Buea Council, Patrick Ekema, Tuesday November 8, played traffic policeman at the scene of the motor accident that killed a taxi driver in Buea.

The presence of the Mayor and his dreaded council police at the accident scene caused quite a stir and obstructed traffic as taxi drivers and other denizens demanded the rule of law to take its course.

The Mayor’s act for deciding to tow the vehicle that hit and killed the Cab driver before the police appeared is being interpreted as an attempt to to interfere with justice.

According to eyewitness accounts, the accident happened as early as 6:30 am, when a motorist driving a car matriculated LT 953DX on top speed on Buea’s lone pathway from Mile 17 narrowly missed a boy doing early morning jogging, only to crash into the Cab driver who was loading a passenger’s luggage at the roadside.

The impact of the accident was so loud that the early risers on the highway reportedly ran in all directions before coming back to the aid of the victims of the accidents.

Celestine Yufetigo, an eyewitness, said after the accident happened, a man reportedly called and informed the Mayor who appeared at the scene shortly afterwards and instructed Council workers to tow the offending car away.

According to Yufetigo, when they tried to persuade the Mayor to act accordingly, one of the Mayor’s bodyguards slapped him and his friend warned that if they continue to bug the Mayor, “they would be made to disappear from the streets of Buea.”

Irate drivers and a crowd that had gathered at the scene questioned why the Mayor was anxious to tow that accident car away before the police made their investigations if it wasn’t for personal interest.

They said the Council often delays for weeks before clearing cars from accident scenes.

Many also questioned why the scene had to be distorted before traffic police and other officials could appear, and why the Council did not take away the cab also.

Lyonga Mbella, a family member and cousin of the deceased driver, who spoke to The Post, lamented why the Mayor wanted to obstruct law from taking its course. “Is the Mayor a new police force in Buea…is his job not clearly described by the State?” Mbella questioned.

He said, “The Mayor is acting against the very common man who voted him into office, forgetting that he can be elected out of office.”

According to Mbella, it was clearly the supposed Mayor’s friend who was at fault, leading to the death of his cousin since his car was being rushed out of the scene before the forces of law and order could arrive.

The Post learnt that the cab driver was later discovered to be a native of Bova II in Buea, the village where the Mayor hails from.

Meanwhile, the police arrived and put back some order while the State Counsel intervened and ordered for the accident car towed away by the Mayor to be brought back to the accident scene for police to proceed with their investigations.

Details: Rita Akana; 14.Nov.2016; Hits: 2031

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Details: Society

CANPA Condemns Police Brutality on Common Law Lawyers, Supports Crusade against Anglophone Dehumanization, Recommends Dialogue

Members of the Cameroon Anglophone Newspaper Publishers’ Association- CANPA have observed with dismay and total disbelieve how security forces in the North West and South West regions have descended on Common Law Lawyers exercising their rights to peaceful protests against the wanton discrimination against Anglophones of former Southern Cameroons extraction, reducing us to subhuman standards.

The Common Law Lawyers have, from every indication exhausted all avenues open to dialogue to resolve some of the teething problems affecting not only their profession, but Anglophones and their cultural heritage in the Republic of Cameroon. The Lawyers held meetings in Bamenda and Buea and came out with memoranda addressed to the government with clear proposals on how this so-called unified country could continue to forge ahead with all its people looking in the same direction and shaping a common destiny.
Several months on, the government continues to behave as if all was well; because these lawyers happen to be of English expression and practicing in an area considered “Conquered Territory”, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, Head of Government and the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals to whom petitions were addressed have maintained a defiant silence, waiting for any move to go out maiming and torturing innocent citizens.

CANPA wishes to remind the government that nowhere in the world would any trial of an accused person in a language both he and his lawyer do not master would be called fair hearing! That is why every other international instrument to which Cameroon is a signatory generally talks of ensuring that any judgment must be passed in such a way that any person declared guilty of any offense would have been so “beyond reasonable doubts”, a principle that immediately falls to the ground when there is a clearly established language barrier.
The Cameroon BAR Council, led by its President- Barrister Ngnie Kamga who is of French expression, has come up with a strongly worded press release admitting that it was wrong to appoint magistrates, court registrars and judicial police officers with little or no knowledge of Common Law to Common Law jurisdictions in the North West and South West regions of the country. The BAR Council called for an immediate redress of the situation, yet no one is paying attention.

What happened in Bamenda and Buea, where policemen battered, maimed and wounded lawyers, went from hotel to hotel violating privacies and seizing robes reminds us all of an era where there was no freedom of speech and of expression as well as assembly in Cameroon. It makes nonsense of President Paul Biya’s claim that he is the father of democracy and wishes to be seen as the one person who promoted, implanted and nurtured democratic principles in Cameroon.

In Kumba, the First Assistant Senior Divisional Officer demonstrated total ignorance and inconsistency; it is surprising she rose up one morning to claim that an association which had been operating in Kumba and organizing activities the administration took part at regularly was illegal. As if that was not enough, policemen were instructed to literally quarantine any individual dressed in black suit and white shirt; they were systematically searched to ascertain they had no robes or wigs, as if the country was under siege!

CANPA is calling for an immediate end to all those excesses, and is reminding the powers that be that Cameroon is a signatory to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Article 11 of that Charter stipulates that; “Every individual shall have the right to assemble freely with others. The exercise of this right shall be subject only to necessary restrictions provided for by law, in particular those enacted in the interest of national security, the safety, health, ethics and rights and freedom of others”.
The African Charter focuses mainly on the State in Article 25, outlining its responsibility in this regard when it clearly states; “States parties to the present Charter shall have the duty to promote and ensure through teaching, education and application, the respect of the rights and freedoms contained in the present Charter and to see to it that these freedoms and rights as well as corresponding obligations and duties are understood”.

It is thus observable that the Cameroon government has failed in its duty to play its role; that of dialogue in the first instance and total refusal to protect and guide the Common Law Lawyers carrying out peaceful demonstrations from police brutality. Viewing what happened and the consequent silence, it could even be said that the government cautioned the action in total violation of its local and international engagements.

CANPA is by this token expressing its solidarity with the Common Law Lawyers in the noble fight for the common good of all Anglophone Cameroonians from former Southern Cameroons extraction, including even the misguided ones who are taking sides with the Yaounde authorities against their children, brothers and sisters as well as future generations.

Dear brothers and sisters of the legal profession, we hereby pledge to stand by you throughout this highly justified struggle until victory is ours! We also pledge to throw our weight behind the teachers’ associations that are beginning their own industrial action on Monday the 21st of November, 2016.
Done in Yaounde this 12th Day of November, 2016-11-12

John Mbah Akuroh
President

Details: John Mbah Akuroh; 13.Nov.2016; Hits: 2292

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Details: Society

The Cameroon Association of English speaking Journalists CAMASEJ, is outraged by the use of force against unarmed lawyers protesting peacefully in the country.

For some time now, the Cameroon common Law lawyers association has been staging peaceful marches in Bamenda, Limbe, Muyuka and Buea to protest against the government`s lackluster attitude to look into their grievances triggered by the non availability of the English version of the OHADA Law.
The well renowned Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, in a publication “Facilitating Peaceful Protests” revealed that “everyone must be able to express their grievances or aspirations in a peaceful manner, including through public protests without fear of reprisals or of being intimidated, harassed, injured, sexually assaulted, beaten, arbitrarily arrested and detained, tortured, killed or subjected to enforced disappearance’. Specifically, the ‘right’ to protest depends on and exercises several rights that are at the heart of a democratic society, including to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.
The Cameroon Common Law Lawyers are therefore no exceptions to that. Unfortunately, they have met with stiff opposition from the country`s law enforcement officers who are using every available means, including beatings and other forms of intimidation to stop them from making their voices heard and worries known.
As journalists, we do not condone this kind of lawlessness from those who are called upon to maintain peace and order in the country and the perpetrators should not be allowed to evade justice.
We are calling on the various stakeholders; the government, security officials and the lawyers to respect each others’ rights. We appeal to authorities to carry out prompt and reliable investigations and prosecute perpetrators of these abuses. These barbaric methods against citizens must not be allowed to prosper and must stop forthwith.
At a time when President Paul Biya's is touting personal freedoms as one of his achievements, these armed tactics only go to negate those achievements and rewind the hands of the clock.
The national President
Simon Lyonga

Details: Rita Akana; 11.Nov.2016; Hits: 2776

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Details: Society

Taxi drivers in Buea, chief town of the South West Region of Cameroon yesterday went on rampage over the killing of one of their colleague in the early hours of Tuesday. The drivers who halted circulation for close to five hours demanded that justice must be done to the person responsible for the act. According to reports, the driver whose name Cameron Concord only got as Motoh Franklin, parked his taxi around check point area in Buea and went to the trunk to help an elderly passenger load her luggage into the car. But unfortunately for him, a private car which eye witnesses described as a red Toyota Avensis hit him from behind, lifting him to the air before smashing his body to the boot of his car.

The driver was quickly rushed to the Solidarity clinic found some few meters away from the incident where he was pronounced dead. Meantime, an eye witness who spoke to Cameroon Concord, noted that after the accident which occurred only meters from the Buea Mayor's residence took place, the driver of the car took out his phone and made a call after which a toll truck belonging to the council came and toll his vehicle to an unknown destination.

Upon returning to the scene of the incident some of the drivers questioned why the vehicle at fault was removed from the scene of the accident without the police officers carrying out investigations to ascertain who was at fault. This aroused tempers as the drivers swore that the vehicle must be brought back to the scene of accident for law enforcement officers to carry out their duties to determine the cause of the accident.

After interrupting traffic and taking Buea by hostage, the Mayor of the Buea Council, Ekema Partick Esunge accompanied by the Divisional Officer for Buea, Kouam Wokam Paul and law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and tried to calm the angry mob that had gathered at the scene. But their efforts all proved futile as the angry mob made up largely of other taxi drivers and bystanders demanded that the vehicle carried away be brought back.

The president of the National union of taxi drivers, SN CHAUTAC for Buea, Mr Samuel, after all attempts could not bring his drivers to order as they mounted “human walls” on the road preventing circulation for hours.

After a long attempt to restore peace, the angry drivers decided to quite the roads but maintained that the council must bring back the car involved back to the scene of the accident.
According to one of the drivers, after any incident occurs police forces are expected to come to the scene and collect data before any of the cars leave the site. The driver who pleaded for anonymity noted that, after the accident occurred the mayor authorized the car to be removed without the police coming access the scene.

This he said has never happened before. While putting the blame on the door steps of the Mayor, Cameroon Concord questioned why the Mayor authorised only one car to be removed and that of the taxi driver abandoned at the scene?Was the culprit a personal relation to the Mayor?Was the Mayor taking the law into his own hands? This to him is injustice perpetuated on one of their colleagues.

Even though we of this publication cannot independently confirm the role played by Mayor Ekema Patrick Esunge in the act, sources close to the Mayor informed us that the municipal head was to address the situation publicly as soon as possible. At about 2PM, after spending close to four hours at the scene of the incident, the state counsel for Buea is reported to have descended to see things for herself. After all efforts to get the drivers to go back to work met with heavy resistance, the red Avensis was ferried back to the scene of the incident for police officers to collect data for what is popularly known in French as “constart”. The operation took place under the watchful eyes of the commissioner of the Buea central Police station and some elements from the Molyko Police station.

Details: Amos Fofung; 09.Nov.2016; Hits: 3518

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Details: Society

Nigerians and Malians are expected in Buea while Kenyans and Ghanaians will stay in Limbe.

Any of these days the Parliamentarian Flats, Cameroon’s most history-packed hotel based in the South West Regional capital, Buea, will book in two national female football teams from Nigeria and Mali. The teams are part of the eight flying in for the 2016 female AFCON competition hosted by Cameroon in two localities of Yaounde, nation’s capital for pool “A” and Limbe in the South West Region for pool “B”.

Pool “B” of Limbe hosting four teams will spread its accommodation to neighbouring cities of Limbe and Buea. The official play ground will be the Limbe Omnisports Stadium. Buea, the capital city of the South West Region situated some 15 kilometres from the play ground will host games officials in the famous Mountain Hotel. Meanwhile two teams from Nigeria and Mali will lodge in the nearby Parliamentarian Flats. Kenya and Ghana will stay in a Limbe-based privately owned FINI Hotel. The managements of all hotels have promised to offer princely treats to their guests.

The Parliamentarian Flats Hotel in Buea, staet-owned, has undergone a nine-month renovation raising their status to a five-star hotel. Their rooms are designed with balconies either facing the second tallest mountain of Africa called Mount Cameroon northwards or overlooking the interminable Atlantic Ocean Southwards. Historically, the Parliamentarian Flats was initially a 30-room rest house conceived during the Cameroon federation to host Members of the then West Cameroon Parliament, the Members of the then West Cameroon House of Chiefs, and the civil servants who just returned from training abroad.

Today, Parliamentarian Flats has been remodeled and extended from 30 to 76 rooms. It now has state-of-the-art fittings for the Kitchen, restaurant, and swimming pool. There are playing courts for volleyball, handball and other sports. A well-spaced gymnasium is located on the ground floor with displayed photos of sports legends like the all-time footballer, Roger Milla, Eto’o Fils, and the local female mountaineer, Sarah Etonge.

Cameroon Tribune

Details: Rita Akana; 02.Nov.2016; Hits: 2467

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