Security forces opened fire on demonstrators who were calling for independence at rallies on Sunday, killing at least eight people

A BBC reporter in Bamenda says the city is now in lockdown with no cars or people on the streets.

The authorities blocked the internet for three months earlier in the year amid similar unrest.

Main opposition leader John Fru Ndi told the BBC he believed that at least 30 people had died in clashes.

At least 50 people were wounded and about 200 arrested, reports say.

President Paul Biya, 84, has condemned the violence and called for dialogue.

The divisions in the central African state date back to the post-colonial settlement.

Cameroon was colonised by Germany, then split into British and French areas after World War One and was eventually reunified in 1961.

Since then the English-speaking minority has always complained that it has faced discrimination.

Protests over the last year were prompted by the imposition of French in schools and courts in the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions.

Sunday’s rallies were held on the 56th anniversary of reunification of the country, with activists calling for the release of prisoners arrested in earlier demonstrations.

The BBC’s Randy Joe Sa’ah in Bamenda says MTN, the country’s biggest mobile-phone operator, sent out text messages on Sunday evening, saying it had problems with its internet connections.

But many suspect the internet is again being deliberately blocked by the authorities embarrassed by the protests.

Our correspondent says anyone caught out on the streets in Bamenda is being arrested and security forces are reported to be breaking into homes in Bafute, 20km (12 miles) north of the city, making arrests.

A study last week found that government shutdowns of the internet have cost sub-Saharan Africa nearly $250m (£186m) since 2015, undermining economic growth and affecting the delivery of critical services.

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Source: BBC

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The rights group accused soldiers of deporting refugees escaping Islamist violence, as well as attacking and sexually exploiting them.

Cameroon is “punishing” refugees for Boko Haram attacks, HRW said.

Cameroon has rejected similar accusations previously, saying Nigerians have returned willingly.

“Since early 2015, the Cameroonian authorities have summarily deported at least 100,000 Nigerians living in remote border areas back to war, displacement and destitution in Nigeria’s Borno state,” HRW said in a report.

“In carrying out these deportations, Cameroonian soldiers have frequently used extreme physical violence.”

A 43-year-old man from Borno state told the rights group that his brother had died of internal bleeding after Cameroonian soldiers beat him with a stick.

“They humiliated us like animals and beat us like we were slaves,” he said.

HRW’s associate director for refugee rights, Gerry Simpson, said the Cameroonian army often accused the asylum seekers of being members of Boko Haram themselves, “including women being Boko Haram wives”.

Earlier this year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) criticised Cameroon for forcibly returning hundreds of refugees to north-east Nigeria.

It said the returns had “continued unabated”, despite the signing of an agreement ensuring that any returns would be voluntary.

The Cameroonian authorities have previously claimed that Boko Haram militants have been entering the country disguised as refugees.

The UNHCR says forced return constitutes a serious violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, both of which Cameroon has ratified.

It has previously called on Cameroon to honour its obligations under the conventions and continue keeping its borders open to allow access to territory and asylum procedures for people fleeing the Islamist insurgency.

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Source: BBC

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African champions Cameroon cannot qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia after a 1-1 draw with Nigeria in Yaounde on Monday.

The result means Cameroon have just three points from four matches and can no longer finish top of Group B.

“There’s no-one in life who achieves all his goals [but] it’s a disappointment,” Indomitable Lions coach Hugo Broos said after the game.

In Monday’s other match, Libya earned a 1-0 win over Guinea in Group A.

Nigeria took the lead in Yaounde after 30 minutes through Moses Simon but their hosts equalised with 15 minutes to go through a Vincent Aboubakar penalty.

The Super Eagles’ goal came after Cameroon failed to clear and Simon profited after touches from Odion Ighalo and Victor Moses.

On the hour, Cameroon coach Hugo Broos made two changes as Vincent Aboubakar and Christian Bassagog came on to replace Benjamin Moukandjo and Jean-Pierre Nsame.

The changes had the desired affect as the Indomitable Lions pushed forward and forced Nigeria’s third choice keeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa into a foul in the area.

Aboubakar stepped up to score the penalty in the 75th minute firing the ball straight down the middle.

But Ezenwa made amends for the penalty error with two saves in quick succession to deny first Nicolas Moumi and moments later Collins Fai.

The other match in Group B sees Algeria host Zambia in Constantine later on Tuesday.

A win for Zambia will take them to seven points, just three behind Nigeria with two games to play – while Algeria must win to keep alive any slim hopes they still have of going to Russia.

In Monastir, Libya got their first points of this stage of the campaign despite being down to 10 men for the last quarter of their match against Guinea.

Hamdou Mohamed scored the only goal of the game towards the end of the first half.

Should Tunisia get a point against DR Congo on Tuesday, then both Libya and Guinea will be formally ruled out of contention for Russia 2018.

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Speaking on a trip to Burkina Faso, the CAF President gave his clearest indication yet that Cameroon could be stripped of hosting rights for the newly extended event.

The 2019 Nations Cup will feature 24 teams instead of 16 and president Ahmad confirmed an inspection team will visit Cameroon later this month.

“Cameroon will have to work to convince CAF on its ability to host the event,” Ahmad said.

“We will send the experts and we will decide at the end of their inspection mission” he added.

On Friday, Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary revealed details of the eight-day inspection visit which will begin on 20 August and played down fears of sanctions if preparations were deemed to be behind schedule.

But Ahmad says CAF will put much weight behind the inspection team’s report.

“We have decided that it is no longer the CAF Executive Committee who will inspect the countries selected for the organization of the AFCON.

“It is now experts who will do it and CAF will decide based on their report,” Ahmad said.

President Ahmad also announced that a symposium for women’s football will take place in Morocco in 2018.

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Source: BBC

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Broos, who led the team to the trophy in Gabon in February, said he is “seriously considering whether I should continue or not”.

He also said his players and staff have to work in “poor conditions” while Cameron Football Federation officials “sit in their chairs doing nothing”.

“I cannot accept this,” he added.

Broos made his comments in a news conference after a 2-1 defeat by Guinea in a friendly in Belgium on Tuesday, revealing the extent of the problems he has faced since his appointment in February 2016.

“One year ago when I started working with Cameroon I met many problems. Despite all this we worked hard and reached a new level. But the working conditions are not professional,” he said.

“For example, when we had to go to South Africa last year we were forced to wait for more than two hours on a plane because some officials wanted to put more people than necessary on the plane. It is not fair to pay for other people’s mistakes.

“Also when we went to Nantes the doctor had to pay for some drugs and bandages with his own money for the first two days. He has yet to be refunded.

“We travelled without training kit and equipment because it was too expensive to put it on the plane.

“At mid-day before the match against Guinea, the players didn’t have lunch because the hotel had not been paid. The bad performance against Guinea was a consequence of the poor preparations we had.

“No food? Hotel not been paid? This is the national team. We want better conditions.

“Today I am saying that this is the last straw.”

Cameroon’s Football Federation (Fecafoot) said on its Twitter page that it would launch an inquiry into what led to the comments from Broos.

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Source: BBC

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The UNHCR said forced returns had “continued unabated” despite an agreement earlier this month.

Under the deal, any returns would be voluntary and only “when conditions were conducive”.

Cameroon has rejected the accusation and said people returned willingly.

According to the UNHCR, more than 2,600 refugees have been forcibly returned to Nigeria from Cameroon this year.

Many are unable to go back to their villages in Borno state for security reasons and have ended up in camps for displaced people.

In some cases, the UNHCR said, people had been returned “without allowing them time to collect their belongings”.

UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch spoke of “chaos” in the returns process and said “some women were forced to leave their young children behind in Cameroon, including a child less than three years old”.

Many of the returnees are now settled in the Banki camp for internally displaced people.

UNHCR staff also recorded about 17 people who claimed to be Cameroonian nationals, who it said had been deported by mistake to Banki.

It is common in the region to find people who have no documentary proof of their nationality.

Cameroonian Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme: “I strongly deny this accusation” of forced returns.

He said the Cameroonian army had been working “hand-in-hand” with the Nigerian army against Boko Haram and any civilians who had returned to Nigeria had done so of their own accord.

“This repatriation has taken place willingly,” he said.

The Cameroonian authorities have previously said Boko Haram militants have been entering the country disguised as refugees.

Militants have carried out a number of attacks in northern Cameroon in recent years, often using suicide bombers.

The UNHCR said forced return constitutes a serious violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, both of which Cameroon has ratified.

It called on Cameroon to honour its obligations under the conventions and continue keeping its borders open so as to allow access to territory and asylum procedures for people fleeing the Islamist insurgency.

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Source: BBC

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Mane, Africa’s most expensive player, was denied by Fabrice Ondoa, Vincent Aboubakar hitting the winning penalty.

Much fancied Senegal had a great chance to win it in normal time but Moussa Sow volleyed wide from close range to leave the game scoreless after 120 minutes.

Cameroon are four-time winners of the tournament.

The result means Mane is likely to make a swift return to his club Liverpool, who suffered a surprising 2-1 home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderersin the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.

There were striking similarities to this game and 15 years ago, when Cameroon and Senegal met in the 2002 final in Mali.

On that occasion, Cameroon beat Senegal 3-2 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

Senegal were made to pay for missing a number of chances in both normal time and extra time.

West Ham’s Cheikhou Kouyate headed an early chance over the bar while Stoke City’s Mame Biram Diouf was close with a lob from inside the area.

Cameroon, who will now face the Democratic Republic of Congo or Ghana on Thursday for a place in the final, failed to register a noteworthy shot in the opening hour.

Their first serious attempt on target came in the 65th minute when Robert Ndip Tambe volleyed straight at Abdoulaye Diallo before the Senegal keeper produced a low one-handed save to keep out Benjamin Moukandjo.

Diallo was responsible for ensuring the tie went to penalties after a fine stop to keep out Jacques Zoua in extra time.

In the shootout, there was nothing to choose between the two teams as the first eight penalties went to plan.

At 4-4, Mane stepped forward but Ondoa saved his kick. That presented Aboubakar with a chance to seal victory and the Besiktas forward made no mistake.

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Source: BBC

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The UN refugee agency said one of its teams had earlier this month managed to visit previously inaccessible border areas of Cameroon’s Far North Region — including Fotokol, Makary and Mogode districts.

The UNHCR staff had helped pre-register more than 21,000 refugees who had fled deadly Boko Haram attacks in north-east Nigeria over the past two years and had been living for months with often impoverished host families, spokesman Leo Dobbs told reporters.

“It was the first time we have been able to visit these people and there are believed to be many more,” he said, with UN figures indicating a total of around 27,000 refugees were living outside of camps in the region.

Dobbs said the refugees “urgently need assistance”, adding that the UNHCR “would like to help and have helped in a little way, but the continuing Boko Haram threat is a hinderance to regular access”.

Boko Haram, which is seeking to impose strict Islamic sharia law in neighbouring Nigeria’s mainly-Muslim north, has killed at least 20,000 people in the region and left more than 2.6 million homeless in its six-year insurgency.

Cameroon has been fighting the group since 2014, and operations by a joint regional force have helped the Nigerian military retake swathes of territory from the insurgents, although the jihadist group still poses a security threat to civilians.

Dobbs said that while some of the refugees in Cameroon’s far north were staying with destitute host families, most were sleeping out in the open, in makeshift shelters or on dirt floors in dilapidated classrooms.

“Others were in abandoned villages whose residents had fled Boko Haram attacks earlier,” he said.

UNHCR is encouraging people to relocate to the Minawao camp further from the border, which is home to nearly 60,000 refugees and where they can safely access assistance, Dobbs said.

He pointed out that the UN agency was having difficulty intervening in the far north due to Boko Haram attacks in the area, which have also internally displaced some 199,000 Cameroonians.

Across Cameroon, UNHCR said it ensures protection and assistance to some 370,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from the Central African Republic and Nigeria.

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Source: AFP

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The Carthage Eagles were held in check by the visiting West Africans and had to wait for almost an hour to break the deadlock.

Central defender Abdennour headed home from Ali Maaloul’s corner on 58 minutes before German-born Ben-Hatira sealed victory with the second goal on 80 minutes. Ben-Hatira was at the receiving end of a long pass from Hamza Lahmar, and let in a spectacular shot from his left that beat Guinea goalie Naby Yattara.

Tunisia trail DR Congo who beat Libya 4-0 in the other Group A match with lesser goals despite both having three points apiece.

Elsewhere in Blida, visiting Cameroon came from behind to snatch a vital point off Algeria in their Group B fixture.

‘Les Fennecs’ took the lead after only seven minutes through El Arabi Soudani who notched home from close range.

The Indomitable Lions responded through captain Benjamin Mounkandjo on 24 minutes with a shot through the legs of Algeria goalie Rais M’Bolhi, after Edgar Salli put him through.

However, Cameroon had goalkeeper Joseph Ondoa to thank for keeping the scoreline intact after Islam Slimani early in the second half and Adlanre Guediora six minutes from time.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles sit at the top of Group B after beating Zambia 2-1 away in Ndola. Cameroon and Algeria follow in that order with a point each with Zambia at the depth with no point.

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Source: CAF

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Mr. Prempeh believes MPs will gain more experience if they are made to serve longer in Parliament.

“They[MPs] only get experienced and then they are thrown out so let us retain our MPs…, let us devise means whereby MPs can stay in Parliament,”Mr. Prempeh opined.

Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Prempeh said the rate of alteration in Ghana’s Parliament is too high.

According to him, MPs in United Kingdom, Germany and the United States are more experienced due to their decision to retain their MPs in Parliament.

“Parliamentarians in UK, Germany, US, people are able to stay in Parliament for forty years and they become very experienced but our Parliament is not like that. You go to Parliament and after every four years almost half of the experienced members go away. What are we building?”Mr. Prempeh quizzed.

Mr. Prempeh further attributed the country’s problems to Ghana’s refusal to institutionalize its Parliamentary democracy.

“We are not institutionalizing democracy in terms of Parliamentary democracy and that is where the problem is coming from…”

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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