Metro

Cameroon separatist forces enforce curfew in English-speaking northwest region

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2023

Separatist forces in Cameroon on Monday, enforced a curfew in the English-speaking Northwest region districts of Oku, Kumbo and Kakiri after President Paul Biya announced he had ordered troops to move to the region and crush the rebellion.

In a statement, Cameroon’s military said it deployed scores of troops to the troubled region where the Ambazonia separatists declared independence and have been fighting for self determination.

In the statement, the military said armed gangs sealed markets, chased people and vehicles from the streets and abducted scores of civilians who did not comply with their orders.

A resident who fled the conflict told reporters that there has been serious gun firing between the Ambazonia rebels and federal forces from Saturday to Monday while the towns have become ghost-towns with empty streets as many residents were forced to flee to safety in neighbouring Nigeria.

He said the situation, especially in Kumbo for the past two days “has been very, very precarious,” he said.

The resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said battles between troops and rebels intensified after President Biya’s New Year’s Eve speech where he said many rebel groups have been crushed and the threat from separatists has been significantly reduced.

A deputy defense chief for the Ambazonia Defence Forces, Capo Daniel, however, dismissed Biya’s claims that their forces have been significantly reduced.

“That Paul Biya mentioned that peace is returning is laughable. Ambazonia-controlled areas have largely increased. Nineteen Cameroon military men were targeted in Bui and some of them were airlifted for treatment.

“There have been some arson attacks by the Cameroon military in Bui as well as in Oku. Ambazonia will not give up their fight until we have achieved our goal of independence,” Daniel said.

Separatist groups in the English-speaking Cameroon launched their rebellion in 2017 after what they said was years of discrimination by the country’s French-speaking majority, with the United Nations saying the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and displaced over 750,000.

Related Topics:Ambazonia Cameroon Curfew Featured Paul Biya Rebellion

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

Published

6 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

12 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.