Day: May 23, 2023

The resolution adopted by the recent summit of the League of Arab States with regard to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is blatant interference in the affairs of other countries, Addis Ababa University lecturer Samuel Tefera said.

Recall that the Government of Ethiopia expressed dismay over the resolution stating that the resolution is an affront to the African Union and its member states that are working to bring an amicable negotiated resolution to the matter.

The statement issued by the government also noted that Egypt’s attempts to exert pressure on Ethiopia through the Arab League forum represents its lack of good faith and violation of the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles it concluded with Ethiopia and Sudan.

Similarly, the scholar told ENA that the resolution adopted by the Arab League is a blatant interference in the affairs of others.

In particular, the erroneous statement which mentions that Ethiopia refrain from filling the dam without any agreement reveals the interference of the League of Arab States, he noted.

Also, the resolution adopted by the Arab League that the water security issue of Egypt and Sudan is that of the entire Arab world reflects the wish of the bloc to extend the one-sided longstanding desire of Egypt, the scholar elaborated.

Hence, this biased resolution is unacceptable and impedes the efforts being exerted to bring mutually benefitting solutions and confidence in relation to the dam, Samuel stated.

The resolution is not only biased and one-sided but has not also taken the historical relations of Arab countries with Ethiopia and future relations.

The resolution adopted by the Arab League is no different from its previous, the scholar noted, urging the bloc to adopt a resolution beneficial to the riparian countries.

He finally stressed the importance of finding solution to the dispute regarding GERD based on the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015 by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Ambazonia Governing Council, has confirmed that their armed wing, the Ambazonia Defence Forces, are keeping Councillor Stephen Ujambeng and others.

The group did not specify the number of captives but said they were picked up in Ngie, Momo division in the North West region, for taking part in National Day parade.

Councillor Stephen Ujambeng is a member of the North West Regional Council and the CPDM Section President for Momo IV.

“Stephen Ujambeng Ando have been arrested after taking part in the banned 20 May celebrations in Ngie along several others.

We all know the punishment for high treason.

I don’t wanna hear of any mafia again,” another confirmation was made by Activist, Ngong Emmanuel also known as Capo Daniel.

CNA learned that the YCPDM section President for Momo IV, Asumba Agharih, was also kidnapped.

Since 2016, the Cameroon government carried out a crackdown on peaceful protests in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. By 2017, some youths picked up arms to fight the central government and subsequently heralded the call for a Separate state , called Ambazonia.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Africans needs to be united in order to effectively fight the internal and external challenges that the continent is facing, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Misganu Arga underscored.

African Day panel discussion organized by the African Leadership Excellence Academy (AFLEX) is underway in Addis Ababa.

The event is organized in connection with the OAU-AU 60th anniversary.

Speaking at the occasion, Foreign Affairs State Minister said our brave forefathers came together to realize African vision by establishing this organization in Addis Ababa.

He recalled that our visionary leaders Julius Nirerie, Nkuwame Nkrumah and Emperor Haile Selassie among others defended the sovereignty of the continent with the spirit of pan Africanism.

Ambassador Misganu said as we celebrate the anniversary of OAU-AU, we need to renew our commitment to ensure prosperous and united Africa by changing the dark history of poverty.

He explained that significant achievement has been registered in the continent despite multifaceted challenges.

For instance, the AFCFTA is one of the flagship project that aimed at realizing prosperous continent, he said adding that we need to invest on infrastructure to allow free movement of the people.

Ethiopia continues to advocate the vision of Africa we want, he said.

AFLEX Chief of Academy, Mehret Debebe on his part said we need to work together to realize what our continent deserves.

African ambassadors, academician, and other invited guests are attending the panel discussion.

The African Union Commission (AUC) is celebrating the historical commemoration of the OAU-AU 60th anniversary under the slogan of “Our Africa Our Future”.

The objective of the celebration is to raise awareness around the Pan African ideals of the OAU Founding Members as well as educate the population on the history of Africa, while shaping the narrative and journey of the continent towards achieving its socio-economic and political development for “ The Africa We Want ”.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The use of hate speech in Cameroon has become rampant recently, with state officials urged by the population to serve as examples.

This comes after the release of a communique by Minister of Territorial Administration Atanga Nji Paul, raising awareness on the issue.

The release rather reminded many of the various circumstances in which government officials have addressed the people of some ethnicities in the country with disregard.

“No one can forget statements made by authorities like Governor Okalia Bilai who called anglophone protesters ‘dogs’, Jacques Fame Ndongo who compared the two English regions to ‘two cubes of sugar’, and the list is long,” Robert in Yaounde said. “I don’t think those authorities were held accountable for their actions” he added.

Some have said the ineffectiveness of the practice of bilingualism is “the cause of everything”.

“More importance is still given to French, which is why those from that part of the country feel superior and have the tendency of minimizing the anglophone minority,” a student in Yaounde said.

In his May 22 communique, Paul Atanga Nji said “The laws punishing contempt of tribe or ethnicity, shall hence be applied strictly”.

Quoting section 241-1 of law No. 2019/020 of 24 December 2019, he noted that “Whoever, by any means, makes hate speech against people or incites them to violence due to their tribal or ethnic origin shall be punished with imprisonment, one or two years, and with a fine of 300,000 to 3 million francs”.

This comes on the heels of the arrest of a man in Yaounde who said internally displaced persons from Cameroon’s English-speaking regions were infesting the capital city with unbearable stench from their bodies.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Following the frequent rise of hate speech and xenophobia in the country, Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji on Monday night, reminded Cameroonians about the law and punishment that await offenders.

According to the minister, hate speech and xenophobia are mostly spread by politicians through the media.

“These grievous acts seriously threaten our living together and social cohesion, which is so dear to the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya. The Government of the Republic, therefore, wants to put an immediate end to this deviant behavior”

The resurgence of hate speech was visible during the South West Peace and Development Forum SW Peace Forum: Gov’t to examine challenges and trace way forward in which some politicians were accused of spewing hatred against other Cameroonians from different regions, especially the North West region.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The late freedom fighter and veteran of the liberation struggle, Paulus Hilandulwa Dumeni, will be laid to rest at Oshidimo cemetery in the Oshikango Constituency on Wednesday.

This was announced by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in a media statement, which also said a memorial service would be held at Dumeni’s residence at Omafo in the Ohangwena Region on Tuesday.

Dumeni died at the age of 77 on 08 May 2023, and was accorded an official funeral by the government of Namibia.

According to the statement, Dumeni was born at Oihambo village in the Ohangwena Region on 14 May 1946.

He joined the struggle for Namibia’s independence in 1959 as a mobiliser and an expert in information supply and logistics.

“During the long years of the liberation struggle, the late Dumeni remained steadfast in his commitment to the cause, providing accommodation, ammo storage and food supply to the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) fighters,” the statement read.

It also said Dumeni constantly inspired and encouraged young people to join the fight against the apartheid regime.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Botswana Competition and Consumer Authority (CCA) to formalise its cooperation arrangement in the fields of competition law, enforcement and policy.

Speaking at the event in Windhoek on Tuesday, NaCC Chief Executive Officer Vitalis Ndalikokule stated that by signing this MoU, the competition authorities will promote competition in the two countries by addressing anti-competitive activities in accordance with the two countries’ laws and regulations in order to facilitate the development and operation of well-functioning markets in the two countries.

“Now that we are ready to sign or formalise the cooperation agreement between our competition agencies, let us remember that the benefits of a cooperation framework like this MoU will only be realised with good execution of the MoU,” he said.

Ndalikokule added that the implementation of the MoU will benefit all competition authorities as well as the two countries by creating a fair playing field in the market through competition.

CCA’s Chief Executive Officer, Tebelelo Pule stated that by signing the MoU, the two agencies are upholding the spirit of the SADC Declaration on Regional Cooperation in Competition and Consumer Policies, which advocates formalised and cross-border cooperation, as well as the SACU Regional Cooperation Framework on Competition Policy and Unfair Trade Practices.

“This MoU will help our two governments carry out their missions and accomplish their strategic objectives. We commit to sharing experiences in the practical enforcement of competition law; collaborative planning and start of investigations; and staff exchanges as we formalise our cooperation by signing this MoU today,” she said.

She stated that if these projects are effectively implemented in this spirit of cooperation, they will yield significant benefits for the two institutions and, by extension, the people of Botswana and Namibia.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency