Metro

Scores killed as Ambazonian separatists attack Cameroonian city of Douala

Published

2 years ago

May 2, 2023

Cameroonian authorities say Ambazonian separatists from the English speaking region of the country killed six people and injured several others when they staged audacious attacks on military posts near the country’s port city of Douala on Monday.

In a statement by the country’s military, about 15 heavily armed fighters attacked a military post in Matouke, a farming village less than 40 kilometers west of Douala where six people were killed while many others were wounded.

In another attack on another military formation, five soldiers and a civilian were reportedly killed by the rebels, the military statement said.

Governor of Cameroon’s Littoral region which includes Matouke and Douala, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, who also confirmed the attacks, said the separatists carried out the attacks as part of their campaign for self- determination for the English speaking parts of the Central African country.

Diboua said both the military and civilians would not accept separatists extending attacks and disorder to Douala, which is an economic hub in the country.

He added that military presence had been increased on the border between Cameroon’s Littoral region and the English-speaking Southwest region where the fighters came from, while civilians had been mobilized to denounce suspected fighters in their towns and villages.

Local media reports that the attack was the first time the rebels had struck close to Douala, a seaport of about four million people that supplies 80% of imported goods for the landlocked Central African Republic and Chad.

A clearing agent at the Douala seaport, Francis Mbah told journalists that any attacks on the economic hub would impact all of Cameroon and central Africa.

“This attack close to the economic capital of Cameroon is a sign that the government still has a lot to do to reinforce security permanently,” Mbah said.

“It is a bad signal given that there are many citizens, Cameroonian citizens, living in the economic capital. This is a call for the government to step in and say this crisis must be stopped.”

The Ambazonia region, an English-speaking part of Cameroon, has been fighting since 2017 to break out of the country and carve out an independent state from the French-speaking-majority nation, citing marginalisation.

On numerous occasions, the Ambazonia rebels have vowed to attack military posts along the borders with Cameroon’s Francophone regions, and have been credited with over 40 attacks on military formations and bases across the country, killing around 6,000 people and displacing more than half-a-million, according to the International Crisis Group.

Related Topics:Ambazonia Attacks Cameroon Featured Separatists

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Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

5 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.

Metro

Zambia: President Hichilema urges traditional leaders to invoke rainmaking powers amid drought

Published

22 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema, has called on traditional leaders to call upon their rainmaking powers by praying for rain as the nation continues to face the menace of drought.

Hichilema, who made the plea while speaking during the Shikaumpa traditional ceremony of the Ila people in Namwala on Sunday, expressed hope for divine intervention and sufficient rains.

“We pray that this year, God will give us rains, sufficient rains, so we can grow more food, so we can take care of the things, the assets that we keep,” the President stated.

He noted that he was informed of certain chiefs known for their rainmaking abilities, including Senior Chief Mwamba of Northern Province, Chief Sailunga of North-Western Province and Mwami Monze from the Southern Province and urged them to use their powers to invoke rain, adding that the chiefs should continue their prayers for rain, believing that “God will hear our cry.”

The President also encouraged not only the chiefs but also the churches and the entire nation to join in prayers for rain.

“All of us, the churches, everybody, we must pray for rains so that we can take care of God’s people properly,” he said.

The head of state further urged farmers to intensify efforts at planting crops and maximizing their harvest for national food security once the rain comes.

The drought in Zambia in recent
seasons have left 84 districts severely impacted, leading to food shortages and a worsening electricity deficit due to low water levels.