Saturday, November 12, 2016

Mozambique police rescue two girls 'sold as wives for $64'


Police in Mozambique say they have stopped an attempt to traffic two teenage girls who had been allegedly sold as wives for $64 (£51).
The group was caught by police on the border with Swaziland.
The girls, aged 17 and 13, told the independent TV station STV that they had been lured in by one of their relatives with a promise of jobs in South Africa.
Maputo police spokesperson, Orlando Mudumane, said the girls were kept in captivity for a week in Mozambique before their traffickers attempted to move them to South Africa.
The older girl told STV that they were unhappy when they were told of the plan to marry them off:
I didn’t want to marry someone who was buying me. He said my reaction wasn’t logical because he had already paid for me."
A woman has been taken into custody, and denies that she was trafficking the girls.
Mr Madumane said it was believed that there was a network of traffickers selling children from Mozambique into sexual slavery in South Africa. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Wole Soyinka promises 'Wolexit' after Trump win


Nigeria's Nobel-Prize winning author Wole Soyinka says he will leave the US on the day Donald Trump is inaugurated as president, the Abuja-based The Interview magazine reports

It says that in response to e-mailed questions, Mr Soyinka said: "Come January 20, 2017; watch my WOLEXIT!".
But the US-based  Newsweek magazine reports that he is biding his time until Mr Trump is inaugurated. "Why don’t we wait until Trump actually takes office?” it quotes Mr Soyinka as saying. “I’m just going about my normal commitments, but definitely not getting into any more commitments. Let’s put it that way for now.”
Wole Soyinka In Ibadan 1946 - 1965

Mr Soyinka promised last week that he would tear up his green card if Mr Trump were elected.
The green card is a permanent residence permit for the US - prized by many African immigrants to the US.
His comments emerged in a filmed conversation with students at Oxford University in the UK.
The famous author appeared to have been taking a swipe at Mr Trump over his radical stance on immigration.
Mr Soyinka is one of Africa's most celebrated literary figures. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 - becoming the first African to be honoured in that category.


South Africa's Jacob Zuma faces new no confidence vote

Two previous votes of no-confidence were easily blocked by ANC majority in parliament

South Africa's parliament is to debate a vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma amid growing calls for him to resign.
An anti-corruption probe last week raised allegations of misconduct against Mr Zuma.
But the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has said the motion "has no chance of succeeding".
This is the third time in less a year the president is facing a no confidence vote.
An investigation by the country's anti-corruption watchdog said a judicial inquiry should be set up to further investigate allegations of criminal activity in Mr Zuma's government.
The investigation found evidence that the Guptas, a business family with links to Mr Zuma, may have wielded undue political influence over the appointment of ministers.
Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas have denied any wrongdoing.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) brought the motion, accusing Mr Zuma of wreaking "havoc on our infant democracy".
"President Zuma's brand of corruption, economic mismanagement and lies can no longer continue to exist alongside the project of building a better South Africa," the party said in a statement.
But calls for the president to quit have been described as "premature" by ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe who said the report had not found anyone guilty.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Cameroon: Teachers of GTHS Bamenda locked out of the school Campus by the Principal

GTHS Bamenda was constructed by the SOFATI Company with Canadian ain in 1991

Teachers of the famous Government Technical High School (GTHS) Bamenda commonly known as Canada have for about a month have decried the administration of the newly appointed principal who is 2 months old in the school.
 They say the principal  humiliates them while trying to exercise his administrative duties.
Talking with a senior staff of the school, he said "the principal started by calling a General assembly of Teachers and Students where he surprisingly called out some teachers and asked the students to shout "shame" to them for coming late to class. The general staff of the school got angry and was thinking of a protest. He called another General assembly of teachers and students where he again said if the teachers protest, he will ask the students to beat them up".


The actions of the principal did not end there, later the principal became one of the gate men. At 7:35am (5 mins after the start of classes), the principal locks everyone outside and take the keys to his office.
The teachers are saying the school which has been registering best results in technical schools might see a drop in performance if the attitude has to continue.
Administrators also kept out of school

Observers have said it is not a good move, they say something else could have been done to those coming late to classed for example their incentives could be deducted or an administrative sanction taken following a well structured administrative procedure. Keeping the teachers out of school wont help the situation but worsen it.

The staff of thew school has termed the principal "A dictator"


Pictures curtsy of Esibe Clifford - GTHS Bamenda

Monday, November 7, 2016

Nigeria schoolgirl missing from Chibok 'found with baby'


One of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria has been found with a 10-month-old baby son, the military says.
The girl was discovered in Pulka in northern Borno state, spokesman Sani Usman said.
The announcement came nearly a month after another 21 Chibok girls were freed after negotiations with Boko Haram Islamist militants.
More than 270 schoolgirls were seized from the north-eastern town in April 2014, sparking international outrage.
Mr Usman said the latest girl to be found was discovered by soldiers screening escapees from Boko Haram's base in the Sambisa forest.
Boko Haram has been fighting a long insurgency in its quest for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. The conflict is estimated to have killed more than 30,000 people.
What lies ahead for freed Chibok girls?
Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of other people during its seven-year insurgency in northern Nigeria and many people have been made homeless.

The freeing of 21 girls in October came after talks mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Swiss government.
Until then, there had only been one confirmed release of a student kidnapped from Chibok - a 19-year-old woman found by an army-backed vigilante group.
More than 50 managed to escape on the day they were captured.
Officials have promised to find the remaining 200 still being held

Economy: Cameroon imports palm oil from Gabon


The  Awala oil refinery in Gabon owned by Olam Group on the 27th October 2016, effectively carried out the exportation of palm oil and palm destined for Cameroon and Spain.
This exportation which  involved about 300 tons on palm oil and 180 tons of kernel oil was carried out in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and Animal husbandry in charge of the Seed Program Yves Ferdinand Mamfoumbi

This first Palm oil exportation in Gabon is part of the economic diversification program lunched by President Ali Bongo few years back.

The Awala factory has found Cameroon as an excellent market because it has had a defficit of palm oil production of about 100 000 tons yearly.

the Cameroon government has authorized the importation of about 60 000 tons to boost the production of vegetable oil, soap, etc.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Yaya Toure: Man City midfielder apologises for 'misunderstandings'

Yaya Toure's only appearance in a Manchester City shirt this season came in a Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucharest - with his team already 5-0 up after the first leg

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has apologised to the club for "misunderstandings from the past".
City manager Pep Guardiola has said he will not pick Toure until his agent Dimitri Seluk apologises for criticising the decision to leave him out of the Champions League squad.
"I wish to apologise - on behalf of myself and those who represent me," said the Ivory Coast player.
The 33-year-old added that he wants "to help City succeed further".
Seluk said Toure, whose £200,000-a-week contract expires next summer, had been "humiliated" when he was not included in City's Champions League squad.
Guardiola, who was Barcelona boss when Toure was sold to City in 2010, responded at the time by saying: "Seluk must apologise. If he doesn't, he won't play.
"I cannot accept as a coach, when his player doesn't play, going to the media to speak and speak and speak."
Asked by BBC Sport about Guardiola's stance, Seluk then said: "What do I need to apologise for?"

"Those statements do not represent my views on the club or the people who work there," added Toure on Friday, who has not played for City since 24 August.
"I have nothing but respect for Manchester City and only wish the best for the football club.
"I am immensely proud to have played a part in the club's history and want to help City succeed further. I live to play football and entertain the fans.
"On that note, I would like to thank all of the fans for their messages through this difficult period. This means a great deal to me and my family."
Toure, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, has scored 75 goals in 267 appearances for City since arriving from Barca for £24m.
He was won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his time in England.

Gambia goalkeeper dies trying to reach Europe

Fatim Jawara's friends created this tribute page to her

The 19-year-old goalkeeper of Gambia's national women's football team has drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe.
Fatim Jawara was on board a boat that ran into trouble last month while crossing from Libya to Europe, the country's football federation says.
Her family confirmed news of her death, according to association president Lamin Kaba Bajo.
Many of the undocumented migrants who arrive in Italy are Gambians.
The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh has been accused of intimidating the opposition - charges he denies.

Jawara made her debut with the national women's side a year ago, after playing in the junior team.
"She will be remembered for saving a penalty kick in a friendly encounter involving the national soccer team and the Glasgow Girls from Scotland," Mr Bajo told the AFP news agency.

In a Facebook post, the federation said the manner in which she had died was "shocking".
The coach of the Red Scorpions, a local team she played in, described Fatim as a very lovely person who always smiled.
Chorro Mbega told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that Jawara was a member of the squad that represented the Gambia in the 2012 under-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan, having first joined the team in 2009.
"Fati was a player who can play anywhere on the field. I'm really sad about this because she fought so much to be number one," Ms Mbega said.
She said she was not aware of Jawara being frustrated but added that Red Scorpion players were not paid salaries.
More than 4,200 migrants fleeing conflict and poverty have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean this year, figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show.

'Everyone's friend' by Lamin Cham, Banjul

Fatim Jawara's absence was nationally noticed when The Gambia national female team was schedule to play Senegalese club Casa Sports during celebrations to mark a girls football festival recently.
She played for local club Red Scorpions FC in Serekunda town, just outside Banjul, where she made her way to being first-choice goalkeeper, leading to her selection for the national team.
Her death in the Mediterranean has shocked Gambians and brings back the issue of illegal migration facing the country into a shaper focus.
Rumours started flying that Fatim had gone on the "Back Way", the now famous name for the boat journey across the Mediterranean to Italy, according to Red Scorpions captain Fatu Fatty.
"A few days later we confirmed from her family that an agent had contacted them to say Fatim was among those on the boat that capsized," Ms Fatty explained in tears."She was everyone's friend in the team. Jovial and funny to an extreme," Ms Fatty said.
A Gambia Football Federation official noted she was not the first footballer to have suffered such a fate but she was one of the most high-profile to have died this way.


Equatorial Guinea: Vice President Obiang's cars seized in Switzerland


These are two of the cars which were seized
Prosecutors in Switzerland have seized luxury cars belonging to the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, who they are investigating for corruption.
Teodorin Obiang Nguema, the son of the country's president, is accused of money laundering. He has not commented.
Swiss authorities have seized 11 cars in total.
Among them was reportedly a Porsche valued at more than $830,000 (£667,000) and a Bugatti Veyron which sells for $2m (£1.7m).
The accused is due in court next year in France on similar charges, which he denies.
Prosecutors in Geneva say he has plundered his country's oil wealth to buy luxuries, including a private jet and Michael Jackson memorabilia.
Equatorial Guinea, a small country on the west coast of Africa, struck oil in 1995.
Its president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, is Africa's longest serving leader. He has been described by rights organisations as one of Africa's most repressive leaders.
He seized power in 1979.

Teodorin Obiang Nguema has been made Number 2 of Equatorial Guinea by his father

Mr Obiang, 47, was promoted in June by his father to be vice-president.
He was already set to face trial in France next year on corruption and embezzlement charges.
He is challenging those charges at a UN court and is not expected to appear before the French judges.