Month: June 2023

The Fon of Bambalang, His Royal Highness, Yakum Kevin Teuvih Shumetang II who doubles as the President of the Northwest House of Chiefs was released on Thursday, June 1, 2023. He was set free following a military raid in the Bui division where he had been held hostage for nearly 18 months in separatists’ captivity.

According to sources, he was released, thanks to the collaboration of a former Separatist fighter self-styled ‘general’ Mbashie Ferdinand alias Shina Rambo who informed the military on where the Fon was being kept.

Since Fon Yakum Kevin was abducted, the North West House of Chiefs, exerted very little pressure on the government to secure his release.

The silence of the authorities and Fons Union was questioned by some villagers who were worried about their Fon “Yes of course they abandoned him, for close to 18 months he has been in captivity, the government and Fons Union did nothing to secure his release” a villager said

The President of the Northwest House of Chiefs was on 7 December 2021 kidnapped by armed separatists. He was being interrogated over his close ties with the Francophone-dominated Cameroon government military deployed to the English-speaking regions.

This kidnap happened during a planned 84th edition of the Cultural Festival of the Mbaw Yakum People dubbed “Sha’atang”, which is an annual event that had not been held for close to 4 years due to the Anglophone crisis.

A senior Ambazonia official hinted to the media that Fon’s arrest was ordered by “General No Pity” who himself hails from Bambalang.

Amid speculations that he had been killed, he surfaced in a video on November 13, 2022, and revealed he was being held by “General No Pity”.

In the video which was visibly masterminded by the separatists, the traditional ruler who appeared in shabby clothes said: “I came out today to cry because I have been held by No Pity and he has vowed not to release me until his family members are released. I am using this medium to cry and to plead to the powers that be that they should facilitate the release of his family members so that I can be freed.”

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The President of the Cameroon Bar Association, Barrister Mbah Eric, has condemned the arrest of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Activist and lawyer, Fabien Kengne, and has cautioned authorities concerned about the consequences such acts could have on public order.

Barrister KENGNE Fabien was arrested by elements of the Military Security Service, SEMIL in front of Equinox Tv building in Akwa, Douala on Monday, May 29, after participating in the “Équinoxe Soir” program.

According to the Cameroon Bar president, the arrest of his colleague is an “illegal and villainous act, unworthy of a rule of law, perpetrated against a citizen, who happens to be a lawyer,”

He stated that Barrister Kengne was subject to harsh interrogation without any legal assistance.

“ Fabien was subjected to a harsh interrogation without any legal assistance after being forced to undress with his cell phone and watch taken away from him as well” he revealed,

He regrets the fact that such violations of public rights and liberties are becoming frequent in the country.

He demands clarifications on his arrest and calls on the security forces to respect the Laws and Regulations of the Republic in general, and specifically issues concerning freedom of expression and human rights.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Kavango East Regional Council has donated eight tents to the families of the 16 people who died as a result of food poisoning at Kayova village this week.

In an interview with Nampa on Thursday, Kavango East Governor Bonifasius Wakudumo said the donation forms part of the support initiatives from society towards the burials of the deceased, including the Office of the Prime Minister’s assistance of food and coffins, as well as the Namibian Defence Force, which provided transport.

“This is a national catastrophe and it needs efforts from everyone to ensure that we give our people who departed a befitting burial,” said Wakudumo.

The governor, along with other members of the regional council, visited the family of the deceased on Wednesday and described the situation at the home as calm but said that it is clearly visible that the family is in bereavement.

The Office of the Regional Director issued a statement on Thursday saying that the total number of people involved in the food poisoning incident was revised from the initial 18 to 24, with the youngest being a one-year-old child and the oldest, 33 years old.

To date, 16 people have died, two of whom succumbed to the food poisoning at Nyangana District Hospital.

According to the statement, only one person is admitted at the Rundu Intermediate Hospital, while seven people are at Nyangana District Hospital.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration, Tobie Aupindi has opposed the issuing of mineral resources rights to foreigners, who do not have Namibian shareholding interest.

Aupindi made these contributions on Wednesday in Swakopmund during the ongoing oversight Workshop on Maximising the Potentials of the Mining and Energy Sectors in Namibia.

The week-long workshop is assessing the state of mining, energy and oil sectors in Namibia, including their contribution to the country’s economy, employment and sustainable development among others.

“I am aware that there are some mining rights owners of foreign nationality who do not have Namibian shareholding rights in whatever form and that should be completely done away with, and the proposed Bill must make it clear that you simply cannot get a mineral licence in Namibia if you do not have the interest of Namibians who are the owners of these natural resources,” Aupindi noted.

The proposed Bill is providing for Namibians to procure and maintain ownership of not less than 5 per cent of its equity shares in mining companies as may be prescribed by the mining charter.

The proposed provisions area results from a growing public concern that the country is not benefitting equitably from its mineral resources because most mining companies are owned without local participation.

Currently the Act does not prescribe only ownership in either exploration and prospecting licences (EPLs) or mining licences (MLs).

Aupindi has further proposed that it should become illegal to export raw material from Namibia in terms of mineral resources.

“There has been mention of the beneficiation law that is coming, but there must be a transition period in this Act that allows that at a particular date, that Namibia will no longer export its minerals in raw form and it should not just be left to the beneficiation discussions or proposals that are going on here,” he said.

Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo in his keynote address at the opening of the workshop on Monday already noted that raw materials are highly sought after globally and should therefore not be exported in raw form.

“We cannot mine these minerals where they are exported in their basic raw form or where minimal value has been added. We must insist that critical raw materials are not exported without value being added locally and where possible,” Alweendo expressed.

The workshop ends on Friday.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency