CPJ Hosts Press Conference for Journalists Convicted in Absentia in Egypt

On September 29, CPJ hosted a press conference in its New York offices for three journalists--Peter Greste, Dominic Kane, and Sue Turton--who have been convicted in absentia in Egypt. Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director, introduced the journalists and spoke about the threats local and international journalists face in the country.

In the press conference, Greste, Kane, and Turton called on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to pardon them and expressed solidarity with other members of the press who have been charged by the Egyptian government.

Kane and Turton said they fear being extradited to Egypt if they travel and that the convictions have made it difficult for them to work. "Once I was released from prison, I thought I was going to be free," Greste told journalists at the press conference. "It turns out that I'm not. I still have this conviction and all of its consequences hanging over my head."

On September 23, el-Sisi pardoned more than 100 individuals, including Al-Jazeera journalists Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy. Greste was not on the list. Neither was Kane or Turton.

A few days later, the president told The Associated Press that he was open to pardoning journalists who had been convicted in absentia. At least 18 journalists are behind bars in Egypt in relation to their work, CPJ research shows. At least 12 journalists have been convicted in absentia in the country, whose cases Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, documented in a blog published after the press conference.

CPJ's press conference was covered in local and international media, including Newsweek, the Guardian, and the Egyptian news website Ahram Online. The Associated Press also published a story about it, which was picked up by The New York Times.

Earlier that day, Greste, Kane, and Turton attended CPJ's Leadership Council meeting, where they met and spoke with a group of CPJ's key supporters and friends. The meeting was also attended by Ali Rezaian, the brother of Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist who has been imprisoned in Iran since July 2014.

In April 2015, The New York Times reported that Rezaian had been formally charged with four crimes, including espionage. His lawyer said that his case file presents no evidence to justify the charges. On the one-year anniversary of Rezaian's imprisonment, CPJ's board members wrote a letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, asking him to intervene in his case.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

NUL 40th Graduation: Bravo "Ma Meilleure Amie"-Lomile Ramakatsa

Lomile Ramakatsa: The Teacher

Rudyard Kipling once said that “if you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat the two the same, yours is earth and everything that is in it”.  There is no doubt that Kipling had in mind the success story of  the brilliant young girls who have stood the taste of time to accomplish their dreams. Rudyard Kipling surely had this inspiration from the obstacles and barriers young girls repeatedly defeat to get to prominence especially in a masculine dominated world.

This inspiration ties with "Mon meilleur ami" (My best Friend) an Italian movie which explores the challenges of friendship and the challenges we seek to attain to reach life-goals. I like this movie because the main character in it Francois had only 10 days to learn about the "three S's" in life – that is being sociable, committed and genuine.

In fact life is like a blanket because once you pull it up, your toes rebel, you haul it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful people manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night in it says Marion Howard. If you are looking for someone has been able to draw her knees up and had passed comfortable nights in her blanket, I know one. Her name is Lomile Ramakatsa. Her intelligence is a historical object. I feel she is going to be the most trusted teacher of the 2,160 graduands of last September 26, 2015 (40^th graduation ceremony) from the National University of Lesotho-NUL. After

Nothing more than Mama's love

spending four years without pulling or hauling the blanket of books, Lomile entered into records last weekend as she bags a Bachelor of Education (in English Language and English Literature). Nothing defines a gentle lady than her dedication to accomplish something. She has always admired Ph.D holders and she is now inspired to be one.  That she graduated from NUL last Saturday September 26^th in flying colours was thus not surprising to those who know of what stuff she is made.

What is important about this young and talented female young graduate is that her brain is a relic which makes her a webster. She falls within the ranks of the new breed of young women born with extra abilities to surmount all sorts of barrier to emerge successful. If we go by Albert Einstein who declared that genius is 1/10 inspiration and 9/10 perspiration, Lomile Ramakatsa is a genius. This means that for somebody to be termed a genius that person must be a workaholic. In this light, Lomile merits to be mentioned first among women celebrities if not the story of women who young girl look up to as role models will remain unfinished. What inescapably catches your attention when you first meet Lomile is her striking elegance. Being a gentle woman of the modern generation, she knows only too well what good, attractive outfit does to polish a teacher’s image. And so she

It takes years of hard-work to smile

never hesitates to put on the best outfits, the most fashionable, the flashiest and the snazziest of shoes. Take it for overconfidence and you are wrong because you won’t fail to turn behind to look at her again in admiration that she is really prepared for her job as a teacher. But there is more to this substantial personality that Lomile is than just stylishness. This is principally so when we take into consideration her brilliant educational background and the efforts she deployed to stand out of the madding crowd of women…Bravo and Congratulations "Ma meilleure amie" (My best Friend).

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Ahead of Paris Summit: Cameroon Submits Its Climate Change Plan

The Republic of Cameroon submitted its new climate action plan to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

This Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) comes well in advance of a new universal climate change agreement which will be reached at the UN climate conference in Paris, in December this year.

This INDC and all others submitted by countries are available on the UNFCCC website here. Including Cameroon, 86 parties to the UNFCCC have formally submitted their INDCs. The UNFCCC secretariat provides relevant background data for Cameroon in the PDF below.

The Paris agreement will come into effect in 2020, empowering all countries to act to prevent average global temperatures rising above 2 degrees Celsius and to reap the many opportunities that arise from a necessary global transformation to clean and sustainable development.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres is encouraging countries to come forward with their INDCs as soon as they are able, underlining their commitment and support towards this successful outcome in Paris. Governments agreed to submit their INDCs in advance of Paris.

All information such as documentation on designing and preparing INDCs as well as on sources of support for INDC preparation, is available here.

Countries have agreed that there will be no back-tracking in these national climate plans, meaning that the level of ambition to reduce emissions will increase over time.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

French Ambassador Applauds CBC Health Services as She Lays Foundation Stone of Nkwen Health Center

French Ambassador Laying foundation stone at CBC HB

French Ambassador to Cameroon Christine Robichon has declared that the Cameroon Baptist Convention-Health Board truly embodies the best civil society can offer in Cameroon. Christine Robichn made that statement on September 28, in Bamenda before proceeding to the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the Nkwen Baptist Health Centre Maternity. Harping on the partnership between the French Development Agency, C2D and the CBC Health Services, Christine Robichon said that “by providing health care in rural areas to all the population, the CBC HB has helped over one million patients”. She also applauded the CBC HB due to the fact that more than ten thousand women were able to give birth in safe conditions. “The quality, availability and compassion of its staff does not need to be proven anymore. This is why supporting CBC-HB is an evidence for France”. She emphasized that the direct loan provided by the French Development Agency to CBC will allow them to expand and improve services in four hospitals and four health centers. She revealed that the reason for teaming up with the CBC HB to put in place good infrastructure cannot be over emphasized given that upon completion, “this building will house 80 beds, an ante-natal clinic, a dental and eye service, turning the Nkwen Health Center into a regional health solution hub for the population of Bamenda and Mezam”.

In presenting the CBC Health Services to the French Ambassador and entourage, Prof. Tih Pius Muffih, the Director of Health Services said that the structure is more than 60 years old and addresses both clinical and public health problems affecting individuals, families and communities in Cameroon.  “We run 7 hospitals, 29 integrated health centers, 50 primary healthcare centers, a pharmaceutical production and distribution department, a training school for health personnel, residency training programs in general surgery and internal medicine, services for people with disabilities, a comprehensive AIDS care and Prevention program and many other services. He expressed gratitude to the French Government for the partnership which will go a long way to upgrade healthcare facilities of the Cameroon Baptist Convention –Health Services through the construction/completion of 9 healthcare infrastructures, the procurement of medical equipment and upgrading of the management systems of the structures. “We committed ourselves to implementing the projects in accordance with the terms of the agreement. We have kept to that commitment. In line with our vision of providing quality healthcare to 100.000 more Cameroonians annually”, Prof. Tih added. 

The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) where Prof. Tih is Director is a nonprofit, Faith-based healthcare organization, which started over 60 years ago in a small village (Mbem), Nwa Sub Division in Donga/Mantung Division of the North West Region. It has over the years expanded into six of Cameroon's 10 regions: Northwest, Southwest, Center, West, Adamawa, and Littoral. Prof. Tih oversees these structures that range from village Primary Health Care to highly specialized hospital based care with an integration of other social services. Worthy to note that the CBCHS comprises of 6 hospitals (2 of which are 250 bed hospitals), over 25 integrated Health Centers, 50 primary Health Centers, Pharmaceutical procurement and distribution department, a Baptist Training School for Health Personnel (BTSHP), a Center for Clinical Pastoral Education and Social Services (CECPES), Services for People with Disabilities, among others. The CBCHS works in partnership with national and international governmental and nongovernmental health care organizations, and funding agencies in Africa and other parts of the world.

 Besides, Prof. Tih thought of the rural poor women when he initiated with a friend a loan scheme for women. This was another action similar to that of de Montaigne’s Duress for  the scope of activities within the CBCHS spans beyond healthcare provision as it equally participates in poverty alleviation by sponsoring microproject loans to women through the Women’s Initiative for Health Education, and Economic Development Cameroon (WINHEEDCAM). To better manage these loans and provide trustworthy banking services, the Board created the Mutual Guarantee Financing Company (MUGFIC), a microfinance institution, which functions with credibility, efficiency and transparency to enable the rural poor to invest in productive activities and become self dependent.

In the domain of training, the CBCHS’s Baptist Training School for Health Personnel (BTSHP) trains certified nurses, midwives, dental assistants; laboratory, pharmacy, xray, physiotherapy, biomedical assistants and primary health care technicians. The school also offers personnel of the CBCHS screening and other specialized trainings. One important achievement of the CBCHS is the fact that the organisation has gone beyond first level training to offer specialized training in various domains like the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) residency program, the Christian Internal Medicines Specialization (CIMS) program, and so on. Medical students and residents from Cameroon, the United States, Canada, Britain, Switzerland and Germany visit the CBCHS every year for practical experiences in Tropical Medicines. The organisation also offers unique opportunities for medical and paramedical practitioners to volunteer their services for patients while at the same time giving the Cameroonian staff the chance to upgrade their skills. Cameroonian and expatriate physicians equally offer high quality health services in many institutions of the CBCHS around the country. This has raised the organisation’s institutions to some of the most excellent medical infrastructure in Cameroon and the Central and West African subregions. In fact Mbingo and Banso Baptist Hospitals today rank among the highest referral hospitals in Cameroon.


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Tombi A Roko Elected FECAFOOT President

Former secretary general of Cameroon Football Federation has been elected to head the federation. Tombi A Roko crushed Atah Robert to emerge winner. According to what we gathered Tombi A Roko had 59 votes out of 64 while Atah had 02 votes. (details soon)

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Hajj Stampede: 21 Cameroonians Declared Dead in Saudi Arabia

21 Cameroonians have been declared dead during the stampede that occurred at the Hajj Pilgrimage outside the Holy city of Meca, Cameroon Radio Television said in its 5pm news today. Panic has gribbed   It should be recalled that more than 700 people died and at least 800 were injured during that incident.

It was the deadliest incident to hit the annual Hajj in years and the second this season, coming less than two weeks after 107 worshipers were killed when strong winds toppled a crane at Mecca's Grand Mosque.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense directorate said the crush happened at around 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) after there was a "sudden rise" in the number of pilgrims traveling along a major road leading to the site of a stone-throwing ritual. In the hours after the tragedy, the death toll steadily climbed. By 3:30 p.m. local time, the number of dead stood at 717 and the number of injured at 805.More than 220 rescue vehicles and 4,000 people were helping respond to the incident.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Nigerian Troops Rescue More Women, Children as Boko Haram Members Make a Run

Nigerian troops have recorded massive success against members of the Boko Haram sect as more weapons have been recovered, major arrests have been made and several other victims rescued from the terrorist group.

A recent statement by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman has given the general public a vivid insight into the level of progress made in the ''Operation Lafia Doyle'' which is bent on wiping out members of the Boko Haram sect.

 The statement read thus:

 

Nigeria soldiers securing remote villages

Please recall that yesterday advancing troops along Banki axis were making tremendous progress in which they cleared 2 Boko Haram terrorists camps at Jangurori and Bulatori villages.
In addition to that, the troops have also arrested 43 suspected Boko Haram terrorists including one of the Boko Haram kingpins in the area, Bulama Modu who is an ‘Amir’ of Bulakuri. The troops also rescued 241 women and children during the operation.

To further confirm what was said earlier about the terrorists abandoning their commanders and burying weapons, one Mohammed Modu led troops to where he buried his AK-47 rifle at Jangurori village. Apart from arms and ammunitions, bows and arrows recovered from Bulama Modu, the kingpin. He confirmed that the terrorists also gave him a horse to enhance his deadly pursuits.
Similarly, the gallant troops arrested one suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Aji Gambo, at Wudla village who revealed that the Boko Haram terrorists that attacked Kirawa and Kolofata in the northern part of Cameroon were from Dara Jamel village Nigeria, where they had an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory. He further stated that the suicide bombers and the IED were prepared by Abdulrahaman Alkali Isa, Ba’ana Hisuba and Alkali Isa Karami, natives of Dara Jamel. He however added that the perpetrators have fled to Sumbulum village.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai who keeps close tap on the progress of the troops has commended them for their impressive performance thus far.
The troops who are on very high spirits have reiterated their determination to continue with the fight against Boko Haram terrorists till they clear them from all known camps and enclaves.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

"FECAFOOD" Elections: Two Contenders for One Plate of Food

Classified sources say two main contenders have been retained by the Normalization Committee ahead of the September 28, 2015 FECAFOOT elections. According to what we gathered only two candidates have fulfilled the conditions and standardization process prescribed by the Committee.  The list head by Atah Robert and Tombi A Roko were retained, The Eye was hinted. Reports say the Normalization Committee headed by Joseph Owona was busy scrutinizing the documents. As speculated, “FECAFOOD” mafia has once again triumph. However, tongues are waging as to what happened to the candidature of Joseph Antoine Bell who earlier announced his ambitions to contest in the elections. Joseph Antoine Bell’s file has not been examined by the Electoral Commission because the latter did not submit any documents.

More so, it is feared that the results of the elections could be nullified by the Olympic Committee given that Abdouraman Hamadou Babba, the President of Etoile Filante of Garoua seized the courts to request the cancellation of the FECAFOOT standardization process for irregularities. Worthy to note that two female candidates, Céline Eko and Brigitte Mebandé also declared their intentions yet they are not on the list that is circulating among Committee members. It should be recalled that six candidates submitted their lists but as of now, only two have been retained to contest for the one plate of food at "FECAFOOD".

 



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Meet Doumana Louis Roger: The Award Winning Best Regional Delegate of Transport

Aristotle once said that all human actions that are aimed at gladness and cheerfulness should be geared towards a life of virtue. If we accept this starting point of Aristotelian ethics, the next question that should automatically be asked is: how do we learn to become virtuous men and women? In answering this question we should be able to make out the distinction between intellectual virtues, such as practical wisdom, and moral virtues, such as courage, generosity, and the like. Intellectual virtues is acquired by education; moral virtues by habit. This is so because people with conscience and character are affinity for excellence or virtue and they that love what is noble and feels disgust at what is base. They are commonly the locomotives of society.

Since Life as widely acclaimed is a combination of ups and downs, trials and tribulations, great men and women always look beyond these obstacles to emerge. Doumana Louis Roger is the Regional Delegate of Transport for the North West Region. The most interesting thing about this lively young man is that he looks beyond the orb that appears to be the end of the world to see other opportunities that nobody imagines can exist.

Last month Doumana Louis Roger received two distinctive from two different structures for his trappings at the helm of North West Regional Delegation of Transport. Having proven his worth in developing expansionism trenches within the transport sector, everything seems to come naturally. On August 31, 2015, The Eye Newspaper honoured Doumana Louis Roger as Best Regional Delegate.

Aristotle in the idea of virtue ethics also states that society relies substantially on the effects role models. Aristotle believes that we learn to be moral (virtuous) by modeling the behavior of moral people. Through continual modeling we become virtuous out of habit. Of course, people can learn both good and bad habits depending on the role models they have. Aristotle believed that it was the moral duty of every citizen to act as a good role model. This is especially true for people who are most likely to be in the public eye, since these people had so many eyes on them. Who are the role models in contemporary society? When asked, many youths state that they want to be like their role models. Aristotle would argue that this is not a choice a person can make. Since these people are so prominent in our society they are role models and should take this responsibility seriously.

Doumana Louis Roger is a role model and he worked hard in the year 2014/2015 to the point that his exemplary successes also caught the admiration of a USA based organization to the point that he was honoured with another award. This is so because Doumana just decided to mark out transparent management as precedence of priority. He has transformed the once dormant and corrupt sector to a beehive of activities. Transparency is the key in the issuance of driving licenses in the North West Region. Meet him in the field carrying the routine checks and you would agree with this reporter that the man doesn’t only sit and dish out instructions but follows up in the field to demonstrate. Since he became Regional Delegate, the numbers of accidents in the region have reduced considerable. Doumana’s success story is similar to that of William Still who as a young boy helped a slave to escape. And over his lifetime, he went on to help as many as 800 more slaves escape to their freedom.  To say that Doumana has rescued the population from the pangs of useless drivers is to use one of the weakest diction ever to describe the work of a workaholic. But to say he has rescued the population from the pangs of useless driver and holders of fake drivers’ licenses makes his actions to similar to those of William Still.

Seemingly, these fascinating acts of transforming, acting and realizing positive multiplier upshot are gifted.

This is because with talent one can make things happen to the very essence of the general good. Nevertheless, innovation distinguishes between a great administrator and a charlatan. But unlike ordinary visionaries who see far and remain on the spot, Doumana does not wait on the spot to be told, he goes for everything that can make the transport sector look better. He has eradicated corruption in the transport sector. That is why as a youth he is succeeding where others have fumbled, stumbled and tumbled over. 

Rudyard Kipling, one of the finest English writers once said that “if you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat the two the same, yours is earth and everything that is in it”. This is a straightforward reality and in fact there is no doubt that Rudyard Kipling had this inspiration from the obstacles and barriers we often crush to get to prominence. In our contemporary society this statement could only be referred to one person, Doumana Louis Roger. 

What is important about this award winning dynamic young man is that he is inventive, down to earth and fertile in expedients. When you meet him for the first time, you are attracted by his elegance and simplicity.

John Quincy Adams confirms it that if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. Doumana is not just a self-motivated person in charge but an administrator with incomparable management qualities (leader). In getting to where he is today and especially being voted as Best Regional Delegate of The Year at his age, he toiled laboriously to transform lives. That is why today he is building common frontiers for all segments of society. In doing this, he followed the principle outlined by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that ‘heights by great “men” reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companies slept, they were toiling upward in the night’ burning the midnight candle to change lives around.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Devastating Flood Leaves Over 247 Persons Homeless in Ngoketunjia

More than 247 people have been rendered homeless in Baba I village in Babessi Sub Division (Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region). This is following a devastating flood that hit the village on September 13, 2015 after a heavy downpour of the rain. As a result, 38 houses collapsed. Though material damaged is estimated in hundreds of millions of FCFA,  no human casualty was recorded. Yet, it is feared that the pools of water created by the flood could serve as habitats for mosquitoes and other loathsome creatures which may eventually lead to another disaster. Majority of the farmers whose houses sang have lost their entire harvests. Inhabitants of the Garri quarter where most of the houses are located have been ordered to moved out of the disaster area by the Administration for Babessi Sub Division. 
According to the Fon of Baba I, HRH Fon Fuekemshi II, the degree of destruction caused by the flood is immense. He told this reporter that when he received a phone call from the quarter head of Garri quarter announcing to him that houses were being sucked in water, he immediately rushed to the scene. “When I got there, the houses were already deeply sucked in water and the best  we could do at that moment was to ordered the people to leave the houses. Few minutes after, some of the houses collapsed”, he said. “I immediately called the Divisional Officer who came to the scene and “we all asked the population to leave the area immediately. My fear was that we did not know the volume of the water that will be coming more”.

Harping on the cause of the flood, the Fon of Baba I village said that when SATOM working on the ring road, they raised road to be higher than the houses leaving avenues for water to flow. “Though their roads are good, the technicians did a lot of wrong work as far as the drainage of water around this area is concern. Formerly the houses were at the same level with the road but it is not the same. The road is higher while the houses are lower”.

On his part, the mayor of Babessi Council, Choh Issah Buba said three ago Babessi village suffered the same problem. He said before the construction of the ring there were no floods and after the construction, flood is becoming rampant in the area. “This flood is coming as a result of the construction of the ring road. Before the construction of the ring road we have not been experiencing floods”. He said the numbers of culverts are not enough to ease the easy flow of water from the hills of Bui Division. The council he said has embarked in the cleaning of gutters to ease the movement of water and above all, has also bought didactic materials and mattresses to donate to victims. “At the level of the council we thought it necessary to provide children with books so that they could go back to school. And we also acquired some mattresses, so that if you are begging on the neighbours to house them, they should at least have something to sleep on”, the mayor continued.

Pa Joseph, one of the victims whose two houses collapsed said he has lost almost the harvest. “I am still thinking how we will survive to meet next farming season. We are thankful to the mayor of Babessi for his support”.

Habiba is a mother of five. Her four-room house collapsed when she just returned from the farm. “I went to the farm and when I reached home at about 4:48pm I discovered that there was water everywhere. It was a horrible scene. I shouted and some young men rushed and helped in evacuating my kids. It maybe they were sleeping”. Habiba, has lost all her harvest. “We rely only on our farm produce to meet up with our needs. I do not know how we will survive, everything has been sucked. Maize, beans, groundnut etc...”

85% of those affected by the flood are in a similar situation. About 60 houses were touched. Majority of the houses that resisted were those constructed with pillars made up of cement while those with sun dried bricks sang.  Elite(s) of Ngoketunjia we gathered met in an emergency meeting to adopt strategies on how the victims could be assisted. Tongues are waging as to what happened to the FCFA 80 million that Government donated to help victims of the Babessi flood. Seemingly, those who were assigned to manage the funds ended up as victims and benefited the greater part while the real beneficiaries had not even a bundle of zinc.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)