At least 11 injured in a lion attack in Woulki village, Far North region of Cameroon.  were the animal was later shot dead by security forces.

The incident occurred in the night of February, 20, 2021 in Makary Sub Division ,  Logone and Chari, in the course of the attack security forces  rushed to Woulki and killed the lion out of self defense.

The victims had  immediately been transferred to the Makary District Hospital to receive medical care besides, no death was registered.

In a Communiqué issued by Njigba Jean David, the Far North Regional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife indicated “that the animal was  shot by security forces out of self defense while the lifeless body of the lion was handed over to the Makary Sub Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife”, he said.

The Far North Regional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife reassured the populations that, the lion was killed and they can “freely move around and carry out their daily activities since the danger is over”.

However, the lion's head was later cut off and his head was being  exhibited by armed forces as a trophy, following  an image circulating on social media. This image have sparked controversy amongst Cameroonians as  many considered the slaughtering of the animal as an illegal act.

It remains unknown whether the lion escaped from a park before attacking residents or not but   one of Cameroon’s main National Parks known as the Kalamaloué National Park, which is located in the Logone and Chari Division is not too far from  the Woulki Village.

A similar event recently occurred in 2019 where farmers  fled from their homes after lions attacked and killed 53 of their cows within two weeks in the villages of Adimbi, Djole and Djinga in the Far Noth region.

By Fabiola Kemegni

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-22

The Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, Osawa Tsutomu, signed a partnership worth FCFA 53 million  with the President of the Catholic Education Secretariat and Diocese of Buea, Michael Mbuwir, for the construction of a nursery and primary school in Tiko , Southwest region of Cameroon.

The signing ceremony took place  at the residence of the Japanese Embassy in Yaounde, on February 8, 2021, in the presence of the Minister of Basic Education, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa.

This  financial support will be beneficial for the establishment of the Buea Diocese's project entitled; “The Project for the Construction of the Saint Laetitia Catholic Nursery and Primary School in Tiko Subdivision of the South West Region”

According to the Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, Osawa Tsutomu, The assistance will serve to build a one-storey building for the nursery and primary sections of St Laetitia Primary school in Tiko. Besides,  Japan attaches importance in promoting nursery and primary education in Cameroon and Africa.

“It is about improving the study environment for children in Tiko district, Fako department. the objective of the Japanese government through this work of generosity, is to contribute to the laudable efforts undertaken by the Cameroonian government to restore the education system in the English-speaking region”. Osawa Tsutomu said.

However, since the beginning of the socio-political crisis in Cameroon’s  North-West and South-West regions, over 4,500 schools have closed while some have been destroyed  by  alleged separatists fighters. The United Nations Children's Fund ,UNICEF, revealed that more than 800,000 children are deprived of education because of the civil war in the English-speaking regions. Many teachers and students have been beaten up, kidnapped and even murdered.

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-11

The None Governmental Organisation, Human Rights Watch  has urged  the Cameroon government  to investigate on the killing of nine civilians on January 10, 2021, in Mautu, a village in Muyuka Subdivision, South West Region.

“Cameroonian authorities should rein in abusive units and, with the assistance of the African Union and United Nations, establish a credible, impartial inquiry into the Mautu killings and prosecute those responsible.”Ida Sawyer, Africa's deputy director for Human Rights Watch declared.

In a telephone interview made on Thursday February 04, Human Right Watch indicated that, the Cameroonian Army allegedly killed at least nine civilians in the SouthWest region, on January 10, 2021,  “The dead included a woman and a child, and four civilians were injured. The soldiers also looted scores of homes and threatened residents.” Read the report quoted from Cameroon- info.net

Besides, the NGO specified that Navy Captain Atonfack Guemo Cyrille Serge, Head of Communication Division at the Ministry of Defence  admitted that soldiers from the 21st Motorized Infantry Battalion ,BIM, conducted an operation in the village, but did not acknowledge that troops killed and injured civilians.

According to Ida Sawyer, “Killing civilians and looting their homes in the name of security are serious human rights crimes that fuel the escalating cycles of violence and abuse in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, ” she said.

Going by the Human Right Watch’s report, eyewitness confirmed that the killings were orchestrated by the Cameroon army and not separatist fighters. Residents told Human Rights Watch that the attack was a reprisal against the populations. The army accuses them of sheltering and supporting separatist fighters. Five witnesses said that, during the attack, soldiers addressed scores of residents, including women, who had been rounded up in the center of the village and threatened them.

“They warned us that they would come back and kill more people if we did not show them where the amba (separatists) were,” a 60-year-old man told Human Rights Watch. Cameroon-info.net quoted.

However, This is not the first time that Cameroonian authorities have denied that army troops killed civilians in the Anglophone regions. On February 2020, government forces killed 21 civilians, including 13 children and a pregnant woman, in Ngarbuh, North-West region, in a reprisal attack against the population accused of supporting separatist fighters. The government initially denied the army was responsible, but later established a commission of inquiry leading to the arrest of two soldiers and a gendarme. Their trial started on December 17.

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-05

The Cameroon Military Killed at least four terrorists from the Boko Haram Islamic group in an ambush on Monday, February 15 in Mozogo, Far North region.

After several terrorist attacks in the Far North region, the military planned a successful  operation in collaboration with  Vigilant groups of the area, against the Boko Haram sect in the Municipality of Mozogo, which  led to the killing of four terrorists  and leaving many of them  in precarious conditions.

Another group of terrorists was equally captured in the raid on the group, including two minors of about 13 years-old. They  were  caught with    sophisticated weapons in their possession and confessed of being directly involved in the kidnapping of two girls from the village of Mavari, according to locals.

 Local populations equally reported that,  Boko Haram Islamic group has caused untold havoc on them with constant raids and lootings. Besides they great expressed satisfaction towards the military exploits.

 As early as January 8, the terrorist group carried out an attack that killed  dozens of persons in Mozogo including 8 children.

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-18

A group of three men dresses in female clothing  charged with homosexuality penalty in Cameroon's economic  capital , Douala.

The court in charge of the affaire took the decision yesterday February 10, after a video of the three men being taken to a detention facility went viral on social media.

It is worth noting that, a transvestite  is an individual wearing clothing  of the opposite sex or someone who adopts the sexual role or manners of the opposite sex.

However, the Cameroon law considers homosexuality  as a crime. According to article 347-1 of the country’s penal code, which stipulates that, sexual relations between persons of the same sex is punishable with a penalty of between six months to five years imprisonment, as well as a fine.

Besides, Article 83(1) of a December 2010 Law on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime stipulates that any person who makes sexual propositions to a person of their sex through electronic communications shall be punished with imprisonment of one to two years and a fine of 500,000 to 1,000,000 CFA francs or only one of these two penalties.

Subparagraph 2 of the same law establishes that the penalties are doubled when the proposals have been followed by sexual intercourse.

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-11

The National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, NCHRF, has called on stakeholders ensure the respect of the right to food given the surge in the number of persons in need of humanitarian assistance as well as the number of IDPs.

The call was made during the 28th Ordinary Session of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms held on December 22, in Yaounde.

Talking to press, James Mouangue Kobila, Interim President of the NCHRF said the increase in IDPs and those in dire need are led by the crisis in the two English-speaking regions of the Northwest and Southwest, the Boko Haram insurgencies in the Far North region and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The human rights situation worsened because the number of persons in need of humanitarian aid left from 3.9 million people to 6.2 million people. This implies that, there had been an increase of 2.6 million persons. That is the right to food is not respected. We equally have the situation of Displaced Persons that is spiking due to the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest that gave rise to 711,000 displaced persons. Repeated Boko Haram insurgencies in the Far North led to the displacement of more than 300,000 people. So in all, with about one million displaced persons, the situation worsened itself,” explained James Mouangue.

Given the intensity of the situation that has been accentuated by the coronavirus pandemic, NCHRF interim President emphasised that, these millions of people (IDPs and Needy) have and are still struggling for food and decent shelter. Thus, their right to housing and to a home have severely been compromised.

Likewise, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic entered Cameroon back in March 2020, it grossly contributed to the worsening conditions of human rights which was already at a deteriorating stage caused by insecurity prevailing mainly in four regions of the country.

According to the national rights commission, “the response measures taken by the State against this pandemic led to the restriction of certain Freedoms which, combined with the budgetary adjustments imposed by the economic crisis provoked by the pandemic, ultimately affected several fundamental rights of the people: the right to life, the right to safety of goods and persons, the right to education, the right to health care, the right to shelter, the right to food, etc.”

Citing dreaded cases of human rights violations recorded in Cameroon, the commission highlighted the dead Samuel Wazizi, the Ngarbuh massacre of last February 14, 2020, attacks on civilians- teachers and students inclusive of October 24, 2020 in Kumba. Also, the atrocities perpetrated by independent armed groups in the Northwest and Southwest regions and criminals in the Adamawa against the Bororo people with 350 plus death.

Adding to this, the commission made mention of “the murder of a woman and her two children, burnt alive by members of the armed independence groups, not to mention the defence and security forces performing their duty, who are regularly Murdered by the same armed independence groups.”

Natural disasters such as Landslide and floods that took away the lives of some, deprived others of a hole and education are not exempted from the list. Thus, amidst the laudable actions undertaken by the commission to ensure the proper respect of human rights in Cameroon, the pandemic halted some of the activities as they were postponed to 2021.

By

Annie Odounlami Society 2021-01-05

At least 60 people drown and 200 missing after a boat capsized near Longola Ekoti on Sunday night. Humanitarian affair Minister, Steve Mbikayi said 300 people survived the accident.

He made this declaration on Monday on Twitter. According to Mbikayi the boat was overloaded and had been carrying passengers at night in breach of the law.

“These are the reasons that caused this wreck with over 60 dead. We have managed to rescue 300 survivors while search and rescue operations are on-going,” he said.

The boat was on trip drop  the capital Kinshasa to Mbandaka when it capsized near Longola Ekoti.

Similar boat accidents are very common in the Democratic Republic of Congo since boats are frequently overcrowded with passengers who are rarely given safety jackets and often cannot swim.

At least 167 people died in two boat accidents on Lake Kivu on April. This prompted President Félix Tshisekedi to make it mandatory for passengers to wear life jackets.

However it is not clear whether all safety measures were being respected or if  passengers present in the boat that sank on Sunday were wearing life jacket.

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-16

The Captain of Cameroon  Navy and Head of the Communication Division at the Ministry of Defense, Atonfack Guemo Serge Cyrille, reported  the arrestation of the instigator of the Kumba massacre, self-proclaimed general "Above The Law" who had been neutralized in the town of Balangui ,Southwest region of Cameroon.

This declaration was contained in a press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on  Tuesday, February 9, 2021, giving  details of a raid carried out in strategi area  located  in Balangui in the Department of Meme, South-West region, on the night of February 7 to 8, 2021.

The statement  reports that, among the neutralized armed men were the notorious T-Boy and the self-proclaimed General Above The Law, two gang leaders responsible for the worst atrocities in the region.

 Besides, the army spokesperson in the communiqué   described “Above the Law” as an assassin and repeated rapist, who is the instigator of several attacks in the locality of the Meme division, including the massacre of seven students of the private complex Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy located in Kumba on October 24, 2020.

“ It is worth noting that “Above the Law” (also called Mirror)  is the  leader of the barbarian horde who perpetrated … the attack on the private school complex Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy and coldly opened fire on students in the classroom killing seven pupils  and  fifteen seriously injured” reads the communiqué.

The operation was carried out in a bid to capture armed separatists  planning  attacks in the town of Kumba and its surroundings. During this remarkable intervention of the Cameroon army, five separatist fighters were neutralized while others fled.

“On the night of Sunday 7 February to Monday 8 February 2021, with information from the population, the defense forces carried out a major search operation in the locality of Balangui , Mbongue district, Meme department in the Southwest region. The objective of this operation was to put out of harm's way armed terrorists gathered to plan attacks in the city of Kumba and its surroundings. ”read part of the Communiqué

 “As they approached the pedestrian infiltration section, these individuals, effectively gathered and stuffing themselves with psychotropic substances, immediately opened fire on the Defense forces who reposted   appropriately.”

“The balance sheet at the end of this violent clash is five terrorists neutralized and others wounded and on the run, several weapons and ammunition have been recovered”, reads the press release.

By

Fabiola Kemegni Society 2021-02-10

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunication, MINPOSTEL, has officially launched the national campaign to promote a culture of cybersecurity and raise awareness of the responsible use of the myriad social networks, thereby curbing the rate of cyber rimes in Cameroon.

Held under the theme, “All mobilised for cybersecurity in Cameroon”, from December 17 to 18 in Douala, the campaign that was officially launched by MINPOSTEL boss, Minette Libom Li Likeng aimed at mobilising all levels of the society to join hands in the fight against cybercrimes.

Also, the campaign geared towards awakening “the attention of Cameroonian citizens on the threats coming from global cyberspace and to get their support in the implementation of cybersecurity measures, draw the attention of decision-makers and officials of State structures as well as enterprises, with a view to raising awareness and implementing network security cybersecurity protocols. To raise awareness among all levels of society about the responsible use of social networks, which are increasingly being used for malicious purposes. To set up a NATIONAL COALITION for the promotion of the citizen use of social networks,” highlighted the Minister during the official handing of posters to the Governor of the Littoral region.

Staying the need for the creation of social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube amongst others, Minette Libom Li Likeng said the latter play a crucial role in the daily life as well as on the society.

“Created for a noble purpose, which is that of conveying and sharing information in more or less real time, these networks also bring many abuses in our society. Social networks play an important role in daily life. Indeed, in the era of the digital economy, the role of social networks in the dissemination and circulation of information and images in the public space has become crucial. It’s a free and easy way to communicate with friends, family, anywhere in the world instantly. You can share thoughts, messages, photos, and other videos with a simple click. Today it is also a useful tool for daily work in Administrations, organisations and companies, as it allows direct contact with employees and customers. They are also an effective means of advertising,” she stated.

Likewise, they serve as tools to monitor and promote publication, measure the effectiveness of an article and detect trends or produce new content, as it is also a medium of learning and leisure needs for the younger generation. Aside the benefits of social network in an ever growing digital world, they has negative effects as it leads to addiction, seclusion of privacy, loss of ownership of data exchange, forgery, identity theft, harassment and cyberbullying and misinformation.

Following educational talks with primary, secondary and university students, followed by the handing over of posters to respective institutions in the economic capital of Cameroon, MINPOSTEL boss urged them to ensure the respect of civil and moral rules as they use the social network thereby fostering the fight against cybercrime. This it aimed at preventing all Cameroonians, adults, youths and children, and giving them appropriate advice, for an effective sensitisation and for all to mobilise to fight against what we call cybercrime.

“But just because you are on the internet does not mean that you no longer have to respect civic and moral rules, or even that you no longer have to respect others. Even if you can’t be seen when you are surfing, you should always show respect, courtesy and truthfulness. That is why you must not spread misleading information on the Internet. Don’t be those who follow without trying to understand, don’t be those who allow themselves to be led by their peers. This is what President Paul BIYA calls passive and naïve followers. This means that I should not tell false stories about my country on the Internet. Those who do this are the defenders of the Republic. It also means that I have to love my country, and that everything I do on the internet has to value my country. At the same time, I must be a good student to build the future of Cameroon.”

“According to our conception of development, man must be the product and the beneficiary. We must therefore provide comprehensive education for young people. The media are called upon to play a decisive role in this. More generally, the media has the responsibility to contribute to the achievement of national development while respecting their freedom. Cybernetic media, in this case social networks must be exploited with a view to strengthening national unity, consolidating peace, preserving territorial integrity, enhancing the image of Cameroon abroad and encouraging the adhesion and support of our compatriots for national causes,” she stressed.

Thus, due to the development of ICTs and the growing use of the Internet, the current context in Cameroon is marked by the rise of cybercrime: incitement to revolt against state institutions, erroneous information and images fabricated from scratch to disinform, shock, sow psychosis among the public and discredit the country, are circulated in a loop through social networks, hacking websites and Facebook accounts of high-profile personalities and institutions just to name a few.

This Campaign, it should be pointed out, constitutes a vast project in the preoccupations of the highest Cameroonian authorities, in terms of the development of our country and specifically, the expansion of the digital economy, with regard to the stability and resilience of communication networks and related services, a guarantee of public welfare and economic development.

 Also, the last two decades have seen the exponential and progressive development of information and communication technologies and their integration into almost all aspects of lives. The Internet today is under siege as the volume, speed, variety and complexity of threats in cyberspace and connected infrastructures continue to increase globally.

It is however estimated that G20 economies have lost more than 2.5 million jobs to counterfeiting and piracy, and that governments and consumers lose just over $150 billion in a yearly basis in tax revenues. This implies that, cybercriminals have shown that they can exploit bits and bytes with precision to attack institutions and services.

In several countries, attacks against cyberspace have led to increased crime, radicalisation of youth, and financial losses. The scale and evolving nature of cyber threats, and the proven vulnerability of nations to them, are leading them to adopt new strategies. However, it is clear that the more connected a country is, the greater its vulnerability to cyber attacks, cyber crime and cyber dissidence.

It is therefore becoming necessary for each country to ensure the integrity and security of cyberspace as well as of the infrastructures or systems and the data that derive from them, emphasised Minette. Meanwhile, in Cameroon, the digital revolution, prescribed by President Paul Biya, has been adopted to boost the economy and use the potential of information and communication technologies to boost development through job creation, facilitation of access to information, development of trade, and improvement of education through online content.

“Over the past decade, our country has made great strides in establishing the necessary information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and increasing and widespread access to high-speed Internet. From less than 10% in 2007, Internet penetration in Cameroon reached 30% in 2020. Proof of the interest that the highest State authorities have never ceased to take in the development of the digital economy,” Minette processed.

Therefore, the activities launched in Douala constituted additional stages of the National campaign to promote the culture of cybersecurity and raise awareness on the responsible use of the social media earlier launched last August 12, 2020 in Yaounde.

By

Annie Odounlami Society 2020-12-24