Day: June 24, 2023

At least five men were summarily executed on Saturday June 24, 2023, by government forces in Ekona, Muyuka subdivision, South West region, CNA confirmed from videos and witnesses.

Houses were also set on fire.

“The guys were in a friend’s house, discussing and entertaining themselves. The military surrounded the house and shot them at close range. After k!lling them, some were b*tchered with axe,” a witness who visited the scene said.

CNA was able to review videos and pictures from the scene, confirming the authenticity.

“My neighbors son was among the victims,” another source added.

Videos show a man axed in his jaw while others had bullets ripped into their bodies.

No one has explained what provoked the killing. Surrounding residents have been helping to gather their corpses.

Earlier on June 21, a news blog handled by a separatist group announced that government forces were going to attack Ekona.

State sponsored Activists on their part shared pictures of the incident, insinuating that those killed were separatists who gathered to celebrate the birthday of a fighter popularly called Sagat.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Some 14 survivors of a boat accident in St Kitts, near Texas, USA, have demanded to be released. The Cameroonians who said they were fleeing from armed conflict in the Anglophone regions, have been held in detention centers since the incident in March.

On March 28, 2923, about 30 passengers were onboard a fishing boat that sank in the Caribbean off the coast of St Kitts. At least 3 people died and 13 went missing after the boat capsized.

Of the 14 survivors, all Cameroonians, 3 are women, 4 are teachers, with the majority coming from Lebialem division in the South West region.

The victims say they have been held for too long in detention centers. They want to:

Freedom to get our United Nations ID cards.

Freedom to speak with US Embassy and US Congress.

Freedom to get home to our community in Texas.

The founder of the Cameroon American Council, Sylvie Ngassa Qwasinwi Bello, told CNA that “I am a sailor myself. So their survival stories are so improbable.” She confirmed that she has been advocating for their plights to be heard by the US.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Outgoing Chairperson of the SADC Chiefs of Police Sub-Committee and Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, recommended that member states lagging behind in securing their communication systems should consult other states.

Shikongo made the call at the opening of the 28th Annual General Meeting of the SADC Sub-Committee Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO) in Swakopmund on Thursday.

He emphasised that it is only through consultations and constant engagements that member states can find ways to improve on their level of cooperation, as well as exchanging good practices, in efforts to combat Transnational Organised Crimes (TOCs), for the benefit of safety and security in the region and beyond.

“Cooperation and joint engagements undoubtedly provide the necessary ingredients needed, for the growth of knowledge and skills required to facilitate the formulation and development of effective interventions to combat transnational and cross-border crimes,” Shikongo explained.

The police chief highlighted SARPCCO’s achievements, noting that it has made significant headways towards strengthening cooperation and fostering joint strategies, for the management of all forms of transnational and related crimes, which have regional implications.

Incoming SARPCCO Chairperson IG of the Zambian Police Services, Graphael Musamba, in his acceptance speech congratulated Namibia’s chairpersonship during the one-year tenure, while appreciating the SADC INTERPOL department for the support constantly offered to SARPCCO to ensure its success.

He further emphasised the need to equip law enforcers with the right tools to enable them to fight transnational crime within the region.

“We are mindful that crime and the methods of committing it has tremendously evolved over the past years, the advent of social media and the ability to utilise it across the continent, has not only eased the ways in conducting business but has also opened up many avenues for the perpetrators of crime.

Therefore, our collective responsibilities as law enforcers is to ensure that we put our decisions into action to combat these crimes,” Musamba emphasised.

Namibia took over the Chairmanship during the 27th SARPCCO annual general meeting held in South Africa in June 2022.

Source: NAMPA

The Oshikoto regional council has spent N.dollars 40 million on infrastructure development for the 2022/23 financial year.

This was revealed by Oshikoto Governor, Penda Ya Ndakolo during his state of the regional address at Omuthiya on Wednesday.

He said the regional council budgeted a total of N.dollars 46 million towards infrastructure development, of which N.dollars 40 million was spent, accounting for a 88 per cent execution rate.

Ya Ndakolo said the development focused on the provision of clean drinking water, electrification of rural areas, settlements and growth centres, surveying of settlements, implementation of the sanitation programs, and the construction of roads and offices.

He further highlighted that during the year under-review, the region budgeted for 17 areas to be electrified, of which seven were fully electrified with medium and low voltage networks, noting the other ten are in progress and the majority of them are above 80 per cent progress rate.

“Infrastructure development is important as it does not only ensure the provision of critical goods and services to the communities, but it also provides the much needed employment through tenders awarded, especially to private companies,” he noted.

Ya Ndakolo noted that the region continues to face water scarcity challenges, especially in the deep rural areas, where water pressure is low or salty. However, despite those challenges, the regional leadership is fully conscious of the responsibility they bear to mitigate them.

He indicated that the division of rural water supply conducted experimental interventions towards the water challenge by digging five deep boreholes at an amount of N.dollars 4 million in the rural constituencies which are historically prone to saline underground water, however, it was found that none of the five boreholes were safe for human and animal consumption.

“In order to cleanse the water and make it suitable for consumption, the division is currently busy implementing the desalination process,” he noted.

He revealed that the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) is working on the environmental impact assessment study for the Ondangwa Omutsegwonime water-pipeline replacement phase-one, which is budgeted at N.dollars 80 million as well as the Oshivelo-Omutswgonime water supply scheme, which is at the initiation phase and budgeted at N.dollars 27 million.

Source: NAMPA

The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs said it is working with UNICEF to protect children from online abuse.

A study indicated that one in four young people in Ethiopia between the age of 12 and 17 are internet users and 98 percent of them are accessing it via smart phones.

Ministry of Women and Social Affairs State Minister Alemitu Umut told ENA that the ministry is working in partnership with UNICEF to protect children from online abuses nationwide.

“We have plan working with the UNICEF on child abuses. So we are working with the regional states to organize and build the network systems in the regional states and at the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs,” Alemitu said, adding that we work on awareness creation to enable children on how to use the internet system.

She affirmed that creating awareness for every child on the use of the internet will protect them from exposing them to online abuses and exploitation.

“If everyone is aware of on how to use the internet, I think every child will be protected from the cyber and child abuses and online exploitations.”

A study indicated that one in four young people in Ethiopia between the age of 12 and 17 are internet users and 98 percent of them are accessing it via smart phones.

The ministry has recently established a technical working group drawn from concerned governmental and non-governmental organizations to coordinate interventions on child online safety nationwide, it was learnt.

UNICEF Ethiopia is working in partnership with the ministry of Education, Ministry of Women Social Affairs and Ministry of justice to strengthen child protection systems in the country.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen emphasized the need to protect national interest and strengthen diplomatic activities based on understanding the current global and regional dynamics.

A consultative forum on Ethiopia’s diplomacy is underway, which aimed at examining evolving regional dynamics of the Horn of Africa and their implications for Ethiopia’s foreign relations.

The forum also serves as a venue to share experts’ opinions on contemporary challenges of the world and Ethiopia’s position.

High-level government officials, ambassadors, veteran diplomats, researchers, and academicians are attending the meeting.

At the opening of the meeting, Demeke said this consultative forum is crucial for devising a diplomatic plan for the next Ethiopian year and carrying out subsequent activities.

The forum is also more important than ever before in protecting the national interests of the country, forging partnerships, increasing friendships as well as gaining influence on international stage by understanding the current global and regional situations, he added.

The deputy prime minister and foreign minister stressed that strong efforts should be intensified in diplomatic activities more than ever to maintain Ethiopia’s national interest by understanding the current regional and global situations.

Noting Ethiopia’s diplomatic path faced many challenges over the past three years, however, he said the challenges and pressures were averted due to the coordinated efforts and hard work of the diplomats and Ethiopian diaspora as well as the people.

As we are witnessing unpredictable and changing global order, Demeke emphasized the importance of wisdom and thoughtfulness in approaching the situations.

Noting diplomatic work requires commitment to stand up for the national interest, he said it is necessary to properly understand the current situation and elevate the country.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency