National And International News Roundup – 24th September 2020

My Media Prime TV journalist, Tah Javis has recounted his ordeal after spending over 24-hours in detention. Jailed for covering an opposition protest, he says at one point the security forces tried to attribute a whistle to him, insisting he and his cameraman were part of those who protested demanding for the resignation of president Paul Biya.

The late SDO for Mfoundi, Jean Claude Tsila will be laid to eternal rest in his native Obua village in the Mefou and Afamba Division this Saturday. His corpse was removed from the mortuary of the Yaounde General Hospital today in the presence of his family, friends and well wishers. Jean Claude Tsila had served as SDO for ten years before his demise on 12th August 2020 at the age of 64.

Two people have died today in Bonaberi with one person seriously injured, after a fuel tank explosion on Wednesday 23rd September evening. The injured person is currently under medical attention in the Bonassama hospital. The victims were reportedly welding the tanker when it suddenly exploded, tearing the tank to pieces.

A man is reportedly on the run after assaulting a female lawyer in Tiko. It happened at the lawyer’s office after he was provoked by the female lawyer who wielded a broom, threatening to use it on him. Reports say he had stormed the lawyer’s office in anger after the lawyer, Evelyne Egbe Eyong, who works with Nnoko Ngaaje Chamber, defended Mr. Sinju’s siblings against him in a court case. His side of the story is yet to be heard as a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The countries of the Congo basin have unanimously agreed that the exportation of unprocessed timber will be banned from 2022. The decision was taken via a video conference by the ministers of the countries in the Congo Basin in charge of Forests, Industry and the Environment, including Cameroon on 18th September 2020.

Election of Kumba City council executives has been cancelled. That is the verdict of the Supreme Court today in Yaounde. The court established that the signature of the Senior Divisional Officer for Meme Division; Chamberlain Ntou Ndong was erroneously on the documents of the election. Elections rerun will take place within a month.

The Governor of the North West Region of Cameroon has threatened hard times on teachers that will not resume work when school resumes on October 5th. Adolph Lele L’Afrique was speaking today in a preparatory meeting ahead of school resumption. He has equally called on parents and students to shun fear of insecurity. Administrators in the North West Region are counting on vigilante groups to stay safe from separatist fighters.

The challenge of having just 50 students per class when school resumes, remains an overwhelming issue affecting proprietors of schools in Douala. In a preparatory meeting today, the Secretary General at the Littoral Governor’s Office called on school officials to scrupulously observe COVID-19 preventive measures in schools.

Christoph Eken has been installed as President of the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce. This follows his appointment by the President of the Republic. He has been the President of the chamber since 2008 and this will be his fourth mandate.

Four suspected fraudsters have been detained at the Nlongkak Gendarmerie Brigade in Yaounde. The men were caught with fake bank notes amounting to 2 million francs cfa. The men attested that they produced the fake money in the West Region before moving to Yaounde. They confessed that 7 million of the fake money is already in circulation in Cameroon.

People living in northern Nigeria’s Jigawa state have told the BBC that recent floods have been the worst that they have ever experienced. Habiba Sani lost her farmland which feeds 15 family members. “Every year or two, we get floods due to our town’s topography but this year’s is the worst in my lifetime. This farm is now destroyed,” she said.

The Nigerian government has announced that it will build a major new rail line linking the country with its neighbour Niger. President Muhammadu Buhari gave the approval to the nearly $2bn (£1.6bn) project, with construction expected to start before the end of this year, a government spokesperson told the BBC. This rail project is ambitious – about 400km (250 miles) – passing through the desert from northern Nigeria’s commercial hub Kano, up to Maradi – the economic hub of Niger.

A human rights group has accused Uganda of channelling gold mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo that funds conflict, but the authorities insist that refiners are not processing metal from illicit sources. Ugandan gold exports have more than doubled in one year, fuelling the concerns. Its biggest market is the United Arab Emirates, having overtaken countries of the East African Community.

Six Sudanese artists have been sentenced to two months in jail at the central Khartoum court following charges of public nuisance and disruption of public safety. Five of their colleagues including acclaimed Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka received the same sentence a week ago. Hajooj Kuka is a member of the Oscars academy. They were arrested in August after their play rehearsal was disrupted by attackers

Mozambique has formally asked the European Union (EU) for support to battle Islamist militants in its gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado. It has requested support in logistics and specialised training for its soldiers. The southern African nation has been fighting the insurgents for three years with little success. At least 1,500 people have been killed and an estimated 250,000 have fled their homes.

A court in France has rejected a request by the former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to dismiss an investigation of allegations that he received bribes from Libya to finance his election campaign in 2007. The ruling by the court of appeal in Paris means that Mr Sarkozy and several of his associates are now likely to have to stand trial over the claims that they benefited from millions of dollars from Libya’s late leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

Foreign briefs: BBC