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The  prosecution has conceded to the bail of leaders of the consortium Barrister Felix Balla Nkongho and Dr Fontem Neba.
This decision was revealed May 24, 2017 following an application by the lawyers of the accused for their clients to be granted bail at the onset of the case, an application to which the prosecuting counsel asked for an adjournment to reply in a later session. The application it should be noted was made by seven erudite lawyers including London based Strass Khan.

The final decision however lies on the presiding judge who will deliver her ruling on June 7th 2017. Hopes are rife that with the prosecution not opposing, the chances that the judge will grant the bail come the 7th of June, are 90%.
The prosecution pleaded for the presiding judge to place the accused persons under judicial supervision to enhance their presence anytime need be. Judicial surveillance means Drs Balla and Fontem could be freed but given a fixed zone to live in and not go out, and could be forced to always sign a document weekly in a competent service to show that you are present in the territory.

The defense lawyers  have also pleaded that they should be confined but allowed to stay in the south west region. But a lawyer who is observing the case has told this reporter that it is likely the court will not subscribe to that, and might instead rule that they be confined  in Yaounde.
Unfortunately, the bail of the other accused persons including Mancho Bibixy were rejected on grounds the lawyers did not put a convincing case to the judge.

Coincidentally, the next court session which clashes with the Higher Judicial Council convened by the Head of state, Paul Biya will hold a day after that of some Anglophone Church leaders who have been dragged to court by a consortium of parents demanding reparation for a lost school year though school fees were collected by mission schools.

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Rita Akana

24.May.2017

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Amnesty International has been denied access to organise a planned news conference scheduled for Wednesday 24 May 2017.

The rights group, together with local civil society groups, had invited international and national media persons to the media outing at Hotel la Falaise in Yaounde.

The contents of hundreds of letters from across the world demanding the release of some three young persons sentenced to ten years in prison were to be made known to the media persons.

But Amnesty International later declared that access to the hall had been denied by hotel personnel, according to Cameroon-info.Net.

In the meantime, the team is looking for a second option, Cameroon-Info.Net reports.

The three men who are currently behind bars have been found “guilty” of complicity with terrorism and failure to denounce terrorist acts.

Fomusoh Ivo Feh and two of his friends were arrested in Limbe (in the South Region) in 2014 for sharing a joke by SMS on Boko Haram.

The message which they had gotten from a soldier (a friend) read, “Boko Haram is recruiting 14-year olds and above. Requirements: passed in four subjects plus Religious Studies.”

Terrorism in Cameroon is tantamount to a death penalty, according to a controversial terrorism law passed in 2014.

The three men have appealed the court ruling.

This is certainly not the first time special events have been called off by the hosting structure for reasons known only to those who can alter the course of things in Cameroon.

Recently, Canal2 International controversially annulled a programme featuring the leader of the Cameroon Doctors’ Trade Union (Symec). The labour union’s boss had planned to shed more light on the bone of contention between the doctors and the central machinery in Yaounde.

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Rita Akana

24.May.2017

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President Paul Biya has ordered that those responsible for the Eseka Train Incident which killed at least 76 according to government song birds will be sanctioned following the release of the findings of the Eseka Commision Tuesday May 23, 2017

The report which will be sent to judicial authorities for all legal intents and procedures blames the railway transport outfit, CAMRAIL for being the main architect of the wreck on October 21, 2016 in Eseka. The Commission placed under the leadership of Prime Minister Philemon Yang worked with experts in railway safety who studied documents and made trips to the crash site to dig further.

Investigations show that over speeding of the train 152 that afternoon caused wagons to overturn into . As the train was running twice it's normal speed on the slopes. This was  principally due to lack of safety norms by CAMRAIL who amongst other misdeeds  did not heed to the conductor's concerns over the faulty nature of train evident in defective breaking system and lack of proper check up from Yaounde.

Shockingly critics who were demanding the head of Transport Minister, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o over the tragedy were stunned as Biya cunningly dodged the issue. They argue that if the report is urging government to review the concession agreement between the state and CAMRAIL, then the ministry of Transport who is directly involved must also be held responsible since the agreement has failed to guarantee safety or railway users.  Besides  Mebe Ngo'o adviced on state radio that the railway be used without taking into account the company's capacity to deal with mass influx of passengers following the collapse of the Manyai bridge on the Douala- Yaounde road earlier that day. The ministry of public health has also come under fire from critics for not putting in place an effective Emergency response mechanism which increased the deaths. They wonder how the helicopter which brought three ministers from Yaounde to the crash site could not ferry wounded victims for quick recovery. Yet Mama Fouda of public Health is safe.

As some families struggle  with a lawsuit against CAMRAIL and Bolore, Biya has ordered the disbursement of 1 billion francs to compensate families who lost their loved ones as well help those in hospital and said the exercise should be through as early as possible. A monument will also be erected at the crash site to honour fallen Cameroonians.

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Rita Akana

24.May.2017

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The three Social Democratic Front (SDF) Mayors of Kumba, May 19 defied the orders of the Senior Divisional Officer(SDO) of Meme, Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong, and boycotted a unity march which was organised in the metropolis to tell the  international community that the country is one and indivisible and that its citizens are living in peace, tranquillity and harmony.

In prelude to the unity march, the SDO told reporters that if the Mayors failed to partake in the unity march and the May 20^th celebrations, he was going to take drastic actions against them.

Despite the administrator’s threat of sanction, the three Mayors failed to take part in the unity march, but they, however, showed up at the Grandstand on May 20^th dressed in their mourning attire, according to the prescription of the party.
The SDF National Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi, had in a two-page communiqué called on all the militants of the party to boycott the May 20^th celebrations.

According to the SDF chieftain, the party’s National Day boycott was going to be a strong protest against the State.

Fru Ndi had stated that Mr. Biya’s inability to provide simple solutions to pertinent problems posed by respective trade-unions and associations and his unwillingness to provide Cameroonians with an inclusive Electoral Code and general government inertia were at the core of the socio-political crises rocking the country.

“The on-going crisis which may result to a blank academic year for our children is an important part of our nation’s fundamental questions, our Government’s ability to inclusively and democratically guarantee social cohesion and our national unity is a cause for concern,” Fru Ndi had said.

He further stated that the party has called on President Biya to engage in genuine and inclusive dialogue in order to settle the many fundamental problems plaguing the nation.

 “As such, we are therefore taking a stand not to participate in the upcoming celebrations of our highly endangered national unity. This is in strong protest against the current decaying state of our nation,” Fru Ndi added.

Meanwhile, he told his party militants that the 27^th Anniversary of the party on May 26 will be celebrated without any feasting. “This will be in remembrance of all those who have lost their lives and in communion with all those unjustly locked-up by the Government.”

 

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Rita Akana

23.May.2017

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A blast on Monday night at a concert in the English city of Manchester where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing left at least 19 people dead and about 50 injured in what British police said was being treated as a terrorist incident.

Police said they were responding to reports of an explosion and that there were a number of confirmed fatalities and others injured at the arena, which has a capacity for 21,000 people.

A witness who attended the concert said she felt a huge blast as she was leaving the arena, followed by screaming and a rush as thousands of people trying to escape.

"We were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming," concert-goer Catherine Macfarlane told Reuters.

"It was a huge explosion - you could feel it in your chest. It was chaotic. Everybody was running and screaming and just trying to get out."

Witnesses reported that many children were at the concert.

Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.

A spokesman for Ariana Grande, 23, said the singer was "okay". A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, screaming and running from the venue.

Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.

 

Reuters

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Rita Akana

22.May.2017

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A blast on Monday night at a concert in the English city of Manchester where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing left at least 19 people dead and about 50 injured in what British police said was being treated as a terrorist incident.

Police said they were responding to reports of an explosion and that there were a number of confirmed fatalities and others injured at the arena, which has a capacity for 21,000 people.

A witness who attended the concert said she felt a huge blast as she was leaving the arena, followed by screaming and a rush as thousands of people trying to escape.

"We were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming," concert-goer Catherine Macfarlane told Reuters.

"It was a huge explosion - you could feel it in your chest. It was chaotic. Everybody was running and screaming and just trying to get out."

Witnesses reported that many children were at the concert.

Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.

A spokesman for Ariana Grande, 23, said the singer was "okay". A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, screaming and running from the venue.

Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.

 

Reuters

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Rita Akana

22.May.2017

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