Day: June 25, 2023

Since the extension of the “Safety Net Emergency Cash Transfer Component” to the English speaking regions of Cameroon, millions of FCFA and thousands of internally displaced persons alongside less privileged have been empowered in many communities. In the North West region, just 11 of the existing 34 councils have benefited from the joint Cameroon-World bank project. “It is our wish that government could extend this initiative across the region… Many lives have been impacted and several communities have been developed thanks to this Safety Net project” Denis Awoh Ndang, president of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon for the North West who doubles as Mayor of Funding council pleaded.

Years after the dispatch of funds to IDPs and less privileged persons in the crisis hit region, mayors from various councils assembled in an extraordinary meeting in Bamenda on June 24, 2023 at the head office of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon, to evaluate achievements recorded through the project and brainstorm on how to extend it to councils yet to benefit.

Council officials who have received money from the cash transfer programme are asking for more “We received money from the Safety Net project in 2017 in my council area, I can tell you that we have been able to construct some community roads and the livelihood of the vulnerable persons has improved significantly ” Felix Njia Njofendeh, Elak council in Oku sub division.

They have tabled an appeal to administrative authorities urging them not to stop the cash transfer, trainings on income generating activities and public works programmes that come with the Safety Net project but also implement the Human Intensive Labour Approach in the next phase of the Safety Net project.

The Safety Net Emergency Cash Transfer Component was launched in Cameroon in 2012, to alleviate poverty in communities across the country. In 2015, an additional financing of 35 billion FCFA was granted Cameroon by the World bank with 50% as loan and the other half as grant to cater.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Human Rights lawyer Barrister Tamfu Richard on Saturday night shared a piece of information about the alleged torture of a young man working in an inter-urban transport agency, called ‘Nso Boys’.

The legal mind disclosed that one of the loaders of the company, Manjong Henry, was arbitrarily picked up from around the Biyem-Assi neighborhood in Yaounde on June 6, 2023.

He was “taken to their headquarters opposite the National Assembly where they handcuffed him on a mango tree and tortured him with machetes, cables and other hard objects that damaged his left eye. The deathly torture was in an attempt to force statements out of his mouth.” Barrister Tamfu said in a Facebook post.

The victim was accused of communicating with separatists fighters and was aware that some bombs were planted in a bag that arrived at their agency, ” Luggage was dispatched from Nso boys travel agency Bamenda to Nso boys travel agency Yaounde containing a bomb wherein they alleged he communicated with someone or someone communicated with him about the said luggage,” the lawyer narrated.

Manjong Henry was later transferred to the Judicial service of the national gendarmerie where he remained detained until June 23, 2023, “when he was released after three weeks of intense intervention mounted on the authorities by Barrister AMUNGWA Nicodemus.”

The management of Nso Boys reportedly abandoned him. CNA reached out to the management of Nso Boys for a reaction, and they said, “This is a matter whose investigations are still ongoing and at my level, I don’t think am allowed to comment much about it. As per Manjong Henry being abandoned, I wish to state that we are not guilty of such allegations. I am sure that when the ongoing investigations are over we might be able to talk further on the matter.”

The lawyers have said they are charging the gendarmes who tortured the victim.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

A building hosting several shops has been consumed by wild flames on Saturday night in Limbe, South West region.

Flames burst out in Marshall Home, a popular building in the Cassava farm neighborhood. The Plaza hosts a credit union, provision shops, and other services.

Residents said they saw chunks of smoke in the air, accompanied by sharp lighting, then overwhelming flames in the plaza.

The cause is still unknown.

Early Sunday, business owners, trooped to the area to pick up their broken pieces of life-for, nothing was left, just ashes and dark walls.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The River Nile riparian countries need to support Ethiopia’s effort to ensure equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary water resources, Ugandan Journalist Kungu Al-mahadi Adam said.

The second Africa-run High-Level Forum on Equitable and Reasonable Utilization of Transboundary watercourses in Africa was held recently in Addis Ababa under the theme: “Equitable and Reasonable Utilization of Transboundary Watercourses: A Key to Africa’s Prosperity.”

The overall purpose of the conference remains to ensure equitable and reasonable utilization of the transboundary water resources through promotion and exchange of experiences and scientific researches, it was learned.

Plus News Uganda Managing Editor, Kungu Al-mahadi Adam, who attended the forum told ENA that today, most countries are tapping into the existing resources with the hope that their people get out of poverty.

Adam stressed that the upper and lower riparian countries of River Nile, all of them can equally tap into the benefits of this resource.

Praising Ethiopia for its effort to ensure equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary watercourses, he urged other riparian countries to support Ethiopia’s effort based on the international principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of trans-boundary waters.

Citing that Nile has eleven riparian countries, however, he underscored that countries have not extended deservedly enough support to Ethiopia to end the historical injustice imposed on utilization of the Nile.

In this regard, every country in a river basin or in a transboundary water resource has all the rights to use this resource to their own benefit based on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of trans-boundary waters, he affirmed.

Stating that Nile is one of those trans-boundary waters resources, he said “I urge other riparian countries to support Ethiopia in rejecting the historical injustice of the utilization of the Nile River.”

Similarly, Kenya-Ethiopia Friends Association Chairman Joe Akech said that what Ethiopia has done, should be commended for contributing quite well in enhancing the cooperation.

“The cooperation that is going to bring the East Africa and Central African countries particularly the ones very close to the River Nile, what Ethiopia has done should be commended because it is contributing well.”

During the second Afri-run high-level forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen urged riparian states for an equitable and reasonable use of the Nile River.

He further noted that lack of political will and hegemonic tendencies over shared resources immensely contribute to little or no cooperation.

“It is high time that we redouble efforts to deal with the challenges building on the great strides we have made in the past to ensure equitable and reasonable use of trans-boundary resources,” he pointed out.

Nile, which is the longest river in the world, has eleven riparian countries; namely- Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

A total of 11 officers of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) in Windhoek have lost employment due to their involvement in smuggling of prohibited goods into the correctional services facilities in over a period of three years.

This was revealed by the Namibia Correctional Services’ Deputy Commissioner, Veikko Armas, here on Saturday during an anti-contraband annual campaign aimed at sensitising inmates and the public on the effects of contraband, under the theme; ‘Uniting the Nation against Contraband’.

He said during the last three-years the facility has lost 11 officers, of which one was dismissed, while six resigned and currently four are on suspension.

Armas further revealed that between January to June 2023, 40 mobile phones; 67 sachets of cannabis (283 grams of cannabis); 40 pieces of crack cocaine; two mandrax tablets and 42 sachets (941g) of tobacco, were found at the facility.

He explained that the prohibited items were mostly confiscated during searches, stressing that often the drugs are planted around the facility, courts and public hospitals by officers who work with the inmates.

“The smuggling of contraband poses a substantial threat to the overall mandate of the Namibian Correctional Service of providing safe, secure and humane custody to offenders. It also poses a substantial threat to the safety of correctional staff, inmates and the public at large as these illicit items can be used by inmates to perpetuate violence against officers, fellow inmates and members of the public,” he stressed.

He noted that smuggling equally has been observed to be detrimental to the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts aimed at offenders, fuming that instead of focusing on their restoration as law-abiding citizens, smuggling continues to support criminal attitudes and behaviours.

Armas highlighted that the challenge of shortage of staff at correctional facilities increases security threats and incidents due to the disproportion it causes in the ratio of offender to staff, as inmates tend to outnumber the correctional officers at the facilities.

“Let us work together to make our facilities free of contraband for the effective rehabilitation of inmates. Do your part in playing a role in uniting the nation against the smuggling of contraband,” he urged.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Namibian female sprinters and a long-distance runner were on Saturday crowned winners of their respective categories at the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region 5 Regional Annual Sports Awards (RASA) Awards.

The awards aimed at recognising, rewarding and celebrating the region’s sportspersons for iconic and laudable achievements in sports, were held at Matshapa, in Eswatini.

The awards were made up of 12 categories recognising athletes, coaches, member countries, regional confederations, journalists and teams that had produced outstanding sports performances at regional and international levels.

Namibia received five nominations in different categories at this year’s awards.

Long-distance runner and 2022 Namibia Sports Awards Sportswoman of the Year, Helalia Johannes was crowned as the 2023 AUSC Region 5 sportswoman of the year, overcoming a challenge from Naledi Marape, a chess player from Botswana and Lara van Niekerk, a South African swimmer.

T11 female sprinter and NSC sportswoman of the year, Lahja Ishitile, won the sportswoman of the year with a disability award, outclassing her competitors Ivy Chanda of Zambia (football) and Minkie Janse van Rensburg (swimmer) from South Africa.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency