Category: General

At the Mbankolo neighborhood in the Yaounde 2 Council area, everyone who came to witness the scene was moody, walking on muddy roads- passing beside what used to be called houses, now displaced. Where the houses were, “crater lakes” could be seen on the site of the incident early Monday. Voices could be heard from a distance, the digging, the lifting; and the long search for survivors started around 6 AM. It is Monday, October 9, 2023, the day started with the terrible news that left every Cameroonian worried about the unprecedented landslide in the Mbankolo area.

The rescue unit of the army had worked all night until 1 AM when they retired promising to resume at cockcrow.

As the rescue team resumed early Monday, the death toll began to increase – from 3, it climbed to 12, then 13 and 30 before 5 PM, the time this reporter left the site. More than 20 are also said to have been taken to the hospital for treatment.

Survivors were stuck in the debris while others were simply not found- family members moved around wailing and pointing in the direction of their houses- they saw their lives and all they had worked for, reduced to nothing.

Victims and survivors of Sunday’s landslide expressed pain, despair, and desperation, for the loss of their loved ones.

The landslide occurred in the Mbankolo neighborhood in Yaounde 2 Municipality, at about 9 pm on Sunday, October 8, 2023. Experts on the site blamed the incident on the rapture of a dike retaining the waters of an artificial lake whose bounds swelled.

But the dike gave way because of a downpour that Sunday. These heavy rains freed the dike to pour its anger on the population.

“We were already asleep because of the rain. Then we heard a heavy sound, pushing us outside. The flood took down so many houses and the lives of many people. One man who was standing outside shouted and almost entered the water upon seeing his house go down with his entire family inside including a three-week-old baby. It’s a miracle that the baby was found alive after the incident,” one of the victims Ornella Gouama recounted to CNA.

“I went for a meeting and the rain blocked me. My wife and kids were home and unfortunately, they were carried away by the flood. When I got home, I had to identify where my home was and indicate the number of people that were inside so their corpses could be found. So far, they have seen just that of the kids we a still searching for my wife” another victim said.

An eyewitness who has been there throughout the search of corpses recounted; “Since last night, we have been struggling to retrieve the people buried by this landslide. Whenever someone that was not home at the time comes to the site, he indicates where their house was located and tells us the number of people that were home, then we start the search in that area,”.

The Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji who also visited the site, asked the people living in the area to evacuate for their safety. He further said humanitarian assistance is being prepared for the victims from the Head of State.

This landslide occurred just a year after about 15 people died from a landslide in the Damas neighborhood in Yaounde.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

At least 12 people have died in Mbankolo, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Yaounde 2 subdivision, Cnetre region. This happened in the late hours of Sunday, October 8.

Rescue units started search and rescue operations but paused at about 1:00 on Monday, October 9, because of darkness and the inaccessibility of the site.

Earlier information had assumed that the incident was caused by a landslide but it has since been understood to be a flood that resulted from an artificial lake whose bounds swelled and flooded nearby homes, destroying property and killing a dozen people.

Security and local administrative authorities were on the scene of the incident.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The former member of government who resigned on April 20, 1997, and tabled his candidacy for the presidential elections has said that he is ready to lead a transitional regime in Cameroon.

“Today, I am ready to assume this transition and once the transition is over, I will withdraw myself…being with the CPDM is not an obstacle,” Titus Edzoa told Equinxoe Television.

The man who served as Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic and Minister of Public Health said the Biya regime has centralized powers to himself.

He added that it was time for Paul Biya to hand over power to another person come 2025, “As this will be a symbol of democracy,” he added.

Titus Edzoa was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for embezzlement, he was eventually released from jail.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol)’s Deputy Inspector-General for Operations, Major General Elias Mutota, has commended the collaboration between the public and law enforcement agencies in the combating of crime.

Speaking to the media in Windhoek on Friday, Mutota attributed the success of a high-profile police operation last week to public’s trust in law enforcement.

During a sting operation in the capital on Tuesday, NamPol arrested 20 foreign nationals who allegedly recruited Namibian youth to conduct cryptocurrency scams on foreign nationals.

During the intelligence-led operation, the police raided six residences in the upmarket suburbs of Auasblick, Klein Kuppe, Klein Windhoek, as well as the offices of Raylon Investment at Shapumba Towers in the city centre.

Mutota said the suspects included 11 Chinese, five Zimbabweans, two Namibians, a Singaporean and a Cuban national.

In addition, 88 Namibian youth have been arrested for being accomplices to the crime.

He said the police received a tip-off about an alleged fraudulent scheme concerning a pig butchering cryptocurrency investment scheme.

“Young Namibians, mostly students, were recruited by suspected foreign nationals and trained to create false profiles on Facebook and Instagram to lure unsuspecting United States citizens into the scheme,” Mutota said.

The students, who were accommodated at various residences across the city, worked at night from 17h00 to convince American clients that the scammers were indeed in America.

“The students’ movements were strictly controlled, and they were also provided with company cellphones, which were collected when they went off duty—twice a week,” Mutato explained, adding that they were paid salaries ranging from N.dollars 3 000.

The suspects face criminal charges ranging from human trafficking to money laundering, fraud, and tax evasion. However, a total of 50 youth, aged between 20–25, have since agreed to collaborate with the police.

Mutota paid tribute to the police officers and stakeholders for their dedication to crime prevention.

“Moreover, to the public, because their trust and cooperation plays a vital role in assisting law enforcement officers in the execution of their mandate. May this success serve as a reminder of the importance of stakeholder, community and police collaboration. Together, we can create a safer Namibia,” he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Fon of Guzang village in Batibo, HRH Fon Mbanyamsig III has said the killing of two young men in his village is abominable.

In a press release signed by the Traditional Ruler, he revealed that the act was carried by ‘armed terrorists who have lost all sense of humanity ‘

“I, therefore, condemn in the strongest of terms this heinous, horrendous, abnormal, satanic…act committed by terrorists’ gangs, who for absurd, selfish, and unacceptable motives, continue to kill honest and innocent citizens…”

The Fon further called on the population of Guzang to stay away from all separatist activities.

“I therefore call on all Guzangees to continue to distance themselves from all activities of separatists and their ideology…”

On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at about 5 p.m., a group of separatist fighters stormed the Guzang market and ordered everyone to gather at the avenue.

The armed men asked two men identified as, Mbanyamsig Hans and Aburo Cletus to step forward, telling the crowd that both men have been acting as informants to government forces “black legs”

In a video that widely circulated on social media, both men were seen seated on a tarred toad. They were later shot dead in front of the crowd.

The men said they belonged to the ADF armed group.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Irreechaa has been celebrated colorfully today at Hora Harsadi in Bishoftu town of Oromia region in the presence of Aba Gadas, Haadha Siinqees with a large number people from across the country.

Ireechaa festival is an annual event celebrated every year among the Oromo community and it is becoming one of the big outdoor festivals in Ethiopia.

The People of Oromo celebrates the event annually in Addis Ababa and Bishoftu town of Oromia to thank GOD for the good things he has done for them.

Hora Finfinnee was colorfully celebrated on Saturday in Addis Ababa in the presence of Aba Gadas, Haadha Siinqees and with a large number of Oromos and other ethnic identities coming from different parts of the country.

Similarly, today Hora Harsadi has been celebrated in Bishoftu town of Oromia colorfully.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The traditional attires portrayed the celebration of Irreechaa has been flourishing from time to time making it more visible and beautiful, participants of the festival said.

Ireechaa festival, which is marked annually among the Oromo community, was colorfully celebrated this weekend in Addis Ababa and Bishoftu town in accordance with its values and assets.

The event is becoming one of the big outdoor festivals in Ethiopia decorated with skillfully designed traditional attires which have also been granting additional symbol for the festival.

Participants of the event are very much impressed and amazed by the beautiful traditional clothes as the designs can be taken to the international stages too.

The dresses are intricately embellished with multicolored designs, showcasing the artistry of domestic craftsmanship in Ethiopia.

Participants approached by ENA said that the traditional attires being demonstrated at Irreechaa festival have been flourishing from time to time making this grand event more visible and joyous.

Bayisa Arersa said “I am very happy to see Oromo people wearing different traditional attires from all corners of the region at this festival.”

Celebrating the event in this beautiful manner would create a great opportunity to promote the essence and values of Ireechaa to other nations and nationalities in the country and beyond, he elaborated.

“The traditional attires, ornaments and the over all activities performed by the participants at the Ireechaa festival have been making it more beautiful and attractive.”

Bayisa further stressed the need to promote the beauty of the festival in order to make economic and social benefits out of it by respecting its values.

Another participant of the festivity, Girma Mekonnen said Irreechaa is our culture and identity pointing out that the traditional attires and other cultural costumes depicted by the participants have been increasing from time to time both in terms of type and artistry.

He said we should be proud to have such splendid cultural wealth that could be vital instrument to attract more tourists.

Kumira Seifu on her part expressed her joy to celebrate this festival with such beautiful traditional clothes urging for more efforts to promoting the event.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency