COVER-UP in ESEKA Train Accident: At Least 400 Died

By Ndi Samson, October 27, 2016

Cameroon Journal, Yaounde – The death toll in last Fridays’ train incident in Eseka according to government sources has risen to over 90 with over 600 injured. But survivors and immediate residents who took part in rescuing victims at the scene have told The Cameroon Journal that the Cameroon gov’t is covering-up the real figures of the dead from the incident.

Patrick Goldman, a Journalists and survivor recounted to our reporter that before he left the scene at 6pm that Friday, the death toll, going by his personal count had risen to close to 400.

He said the government is telling one of those lies it did after the Lake Nyos, Nsam disasters by intentionally reducing the number of deaths. “Can you imagine that a runs at 300km/hour, a train which loaded over 1000 persons, which is really on high speed and derails and falls in a valley and you are talking of only 80 deaths? I think we need to wake up, these are things that have nothing to do with what I saw.” Goldman said.

Goldman insisted his counted corpses were five times more than official figures given by gov’t – close to 400 deaths he said.

The train as seen at the scene of the accident.

Goldman revealed that after the incident, gov’t officials including Ministers immediately locked up themselves at Eseka stadium where they discussed how to handle the situation and the numbers to release – numbers that should not present the gov’t in a position of embarrassment.

Another survivor of the incident, one Oliver Leke, a Yaounde resident who was heading to Douala when the fatal accident occurred, concurred the account of Goldman. He told The Cameroon Journal that the heap of dead victims piled up only at the scene was more than 400. Children alone, he said, were over one hundred. And the number here doesn’t include victims who died later in medical care.

He recounted how for him, immersed in the muddy waters where the train lost control, he had to force his way out by shoving away corpses over him to find his way out.

Goldman said government’s lies are more than a catastrophe. Cameroonian authorities have become experts in lies telling he said.

The question being widely asked now is who the principal cause of the tragic incident is .Accusing fingers are pointing at Transport Minister, Edgar Alain MEBE NGO’O. He had on national media, CRTV revealed that he instructed CAMRAIL after the road split between Douala and Yaoundé, to take special measures to make sure that Cameroonians get to their destinations. In the Interview on Friday October 21, NGO’O said, “Due to the gravity of the situation at hand, I have prescribed that CAMRAIL authorities take special measures and make sure that they increase capacity of the train.”

After Eseka, Johnson Suleman Predicts Another Doom For Cameroon – Calls it “Black Sunday”

By Tapuka Gerald, October 27, 2016

Cameroon Journal, Yaounde – The Apostle and Spiritual Leader of Omega Fire Ministries International, Johnson Suleman has stated that after the tragic train accident of Friday October 21 in Eseka, there will be another tragic incident which he termed “Black Sunday” in Cameroon.

Speaking during his Church service of on Sunday, October 23, the Nigerian based preacher said even though Cameroon is still about coming out of the tragic incident, he said he sees another one coming up and will be even more catastrophic. Before making this pronouncement

last Sunday on Cameroon, he reiterated that what happened in Eseka last Friday was a confirmation of the prophecy he made on August 14, 2016. “Some Sundays ago I told us to pray for Cameroon, and you heard what happened…..now again I saw a black Sunday in Cameroon,” Suleman said.

Even though he didn’t give any specific period or date, he stated it will happen on a “Sunday”. He, however, reassured the public that the tragedy can be averted if Cameroonians go down on their knees and pray.

It is in this light that Suleman, while sympathizing with Cameroonians employed Pastors and Church leaders of the country to declare a 4 day continues fasting and prayers for their nation. According to the Mega Pastor, if well done, God will save the nation and its people would be free.

This is the second message Suleman is delivering concerning Cameroon within two months. The message on August 14 was also destined for Syria but nothing significant is yet to happen there.

UB Lecturers Unite Against Merger of Social Sciences With Arts Faculty

By Amindeh Blaise Atabong, October 20, 2016

Cameroon Journal, Buea – The University of Buea Chapter of the National Union of Teachers of Higher Education, SYNES UB, has opened up on the planned split of UB’s largest faculty – Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, FSMS, into four new faculties.

In an October 15 communiqué sent to our newsroom, SYNES UB officials stated that the syndicate was informed the Ministry of Higher Education intends to create new Faculties out of the present FSMS.

In the communiqué signed by SYNES UB President and Secretary General James Abangma and Fontem Neba, respectively, the lecturers noted that a Special Committee has been setup to finalise the possible options and come out with the university lecturers’ position. Nonetheless, SYNES UB insisted that the Faculty of Social Sciences has to be preserved for cultural reasons.

A similar concern had earlier been raised by the Senate of FSMS. During an October 5 meeting chaired by the Dean of FSMS, Prof. Martha S. Tumnde, the Senate didn’t support the new formulation of three structures with new classifications.

The Cameroon Journal gathered the proposal to merge the Social Sciences with the Arts to form a new Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Humanities, did not augur well to the Senate.

Local media had reported that the Senate held that the planned merger of the Social Sciences with the Arts had no scientific basis as they were independent faculties in English speaking Universities. Also, they argued that the latter and Social Sciences are distinctly different in content and approach.

In addition, the Senate argued that the splitting of FSMS was to decongest its size, and as such merging the Departments of Geography, Women and Gender Studies, Sociology and Anthropology and Political Science and Public Administration with the Faculty of Arts would also lead to congestion of the proposed new Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Lecturers are suggesting that it will not be proper to remove the designation “Social Sciences” which has been used since the inception of the University of Buea because the appellation “Social Sciences” reflects the Anglo-Saxon tradition and dream of education and not Arts and Social Sciences as obtains in the Francophone system.

Other establishments to be calved out of FSMS are the Faculties of Law, Economics and Management, Law School and School of Journalism and Mass Communication, we learned.

Other Matters

SYNES UB announced that the syndicate is verifying whether payments for the third quarter of Research Modernization Allowance have commenced, before an industrial action could begin should the payments not have begun after October 15.

The lecturers also frowned at the poor funding of the University. “For several years, subsidies have been very small and the situation is having a biting effect on teachers as bonuses cannot be paid on time. The GA noted that more and more teachers are parking their cars and moving on foot. Some lecturers’ cars have even run empty on campus, a situation that doesn’t speak well of our intelligentsia,” the communiqué read in part.

Anglophone Lawyers Set Out Agenda to Cripple Gov’t, Down Tools for Second Week

Anglophone Lawyers during their first strike action in Bamenda last week

By Mua Patrick, October 18, 2016

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Cameroon Journal, Yaounde – In what appears to be their last pitch to get the Paul Biya gov’t to heed to the demands of Northwest and Southwest lawyers, commonly referred to as Common Law Lawyers, the men of law in both regions  have in a joint communiqué issued Saturday announced a one week strike action.

The strike action which began Monday in several towns across the two Anglophone Regions comes exactly two days after the layers ended a similar protest.

The announced extension of the strike  beginning yesterday, October 17, according to a joint communiqué, a copy of which The Cameroon Journalprocured, is intended  to mount more pressure on government to critically look into their demands and react to them appropriately, instead of what the lawyers refer to as government’s  “divide and rule policy.”

The grievances of the lawyers prompting the second strike action which is expected to end Friday October 21 are addressed to President Paul Biya who has been out of the country for 32 days now.

In their statement titled “Joint Communiqué of the Leadership of the Constituent Associations of Cameroon Common Law Lawyers,” the lawyers noted; “We thankfully congratulate members of  our four Associations (FAKLA, MALA, MELA & NOWELA) for their heeding to the call to protest and observing it across the entire common law jurisdictions of the North West and South West Regions;

“After duly evaluating the strike of 11^th to the 14^th of October 2016, and carefully deliberating on the way forward at the local levels of our various Constituent Associations, we have synchronized the common position which provides us with a consensual platform as follows…”

In the position, the lawyers stated: “That on account to the deaf ear given to our protest strike, we have unanimously agreed to extend the strike for another working week beginning from Monday 17^th to Friday 21^st of October 2016.”

 The communiqué, signed by representatives from the Fako Lawyers Association, FAKLA, the North West Lawyers Association, NOWELA, Meme Lawyers Association, MELA and the Manyu Lawyers Association, MALA, the lawyers regret that government, instead of responding to their demands which are at the origin of the strike, is rather trying to use some of theirs to divert attention.

“Consequently, we call on our members to remain resolute, determined, steadfast and focus and not to lend themselves to any government manipulation,” said the communiqué.

 In expressing their anger over government’s continuous silence on their grievances, the lawyers have also announced a crucial enlarged meeting which will take place in the days ahead to decide on the next steps to be taken should the government continue to ignore their demands.

 “We shall be calling on all elected public representatives from the North West and South West Regions, to discharge their obligations to their constituencies which fall within the Common Law jurisdiction of North West and South West Regions to make their joint statements in the protection of the legal and legitimate rights of their constituents-cum-users of the Common law in Cameroon, failing which they shall be adjudged as having compromised their representative positions vis-a-vis their constituencies” the Buea statement read in part.

 Before disclosing that they will be synergizing with other Anglophone groupings in the months ahead to push forth the fight, the Common Law lawyers also enjoined members of the North West Fons’ Union to reassert and reconstitute their Union and stand up along with the South West Chiefs’ Conference, as one person, to protect the children of their respective Fondoms and Chiefdoms in their efforts to protect their constitutional rights to have the Common Law restored and protected.

 “We call on our sister syndicates, with similar sectoral plights to continue pursuing their demands trusting on the support of Cameroon Common Law Lawyers in any legal pursuit of their complaints, whether separately or jointly with us until such time that we would have exhausted local remedies within the national jurisdiction.”

“We shall be synergizing with SYNES, Cameroon Teachers’ Trade Union, CATTU, Teachers Association of Cameroon TAC, Traders Associations, Taxi Drivers Unions, Bus Companies, and Commercial Motorbike Riders’ Associations, as well as ‘Buyam Sellam’ Associations, across the North West and South West Regions” the communiqué further announced.

In conclusion, the lawyers pointed out that: “We are not against any personnel of the courts and consequently they are enjoined to eschew any hostility against us or our clients for they are better placed to understand the legality and legitimacy of our demands as corrective and protective measures in the recovery and rebuilding of judicial integrity and performance for the benefit of all out of our diversity.”

Kribi Cameroon

photos from kribi

Cameroon classed 15th in Africa in the Global Hunger Index, which lists countries according to the share of malnourished population

(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon lies in the 15th place in Africa (out of 42 countries) and 80th in the world (out of 118 countries), in the Global Hunger Index 2016, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFRI). This annual ranking, which focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals aiming to totally eradicate hunger in the world by 2030, lists the countries according to the share of their undernourished population.

With an indicator of 40.3 in year 2000 and 22.6 in 2016, Cameroon, Global Hunger Index 2016 reveals, is among the countries having achieved the feat of reducing by more than 45% the proportion of its population afflicted by undernourishment during the last 15 years. This performance has already been recognised by the FAO in June 2015. Indeed, this specialised organisation of the United Nations awarded a certificate to the Cameroonian Ministry of Agriculture, on 8 June 2015, for having succeeded in achieving the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) even before the target of 2015. This MDG consisted in reducing the proportion of people afflicted by hunger.

«You have overcome great challenges in difficult world economic conditions and political surroundings», indicated the MD of FAO, the Brazilian Graziano da Silva, announcing the list of the 13 countries in the world concerned by this FAO recognition. Among these countries lauded by FAO, we also find Gabon, a country in the CEMAC region that outperformed Cameroon in the Global Hunger Index 2016. First country in Central Africa in this ranking, Gabon is among the top 5 in Africa and lies in 54th position in the world. Chad and Central African Republic, two other countries in the CEMAC area, are at the bottom of this table. However, it is to be noted that countries such as Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Sao Tome, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan were not included in the 2016 table, due to lack of adequate information, we learn.

BRM

Relatives Search for Victims of Deadly Cameroon Train Crash

YAOUNDE — 

Thousands of Cameroonians have been flooding hospitals in the country's political and economic capitals Yaounde and Douala in search of corpses and survivors after a train crash that left more than 70 people dead and 600 injured. The overloaded train was carrying about 1,300 passengers. It normally carries 600.

Forty-five-year-old Mustapha Abbo arrived at the mortuary of the Yaounde general hospital in search of the body of his younger sister who died in last Friday's train crash in Esseka, 120 kilometers west of the capital, Yaounde. He said his sister's husband, who survived the crash, confirmed she died.

He said he has no information on the whereabouts of his sister's corpse, so he has decided to go from one mortuary to the other in search of her body. He said he is surprised to hear his friends saying the corpse was taken from the accident site by the military and the government is taking care of it, yet there is no one to say with certainty where her body can be found.

After the accident, the government of Cameroon announced it had removed 55 bodies from the wreckage and sent them to mortuaries in Douala and Yaounde, as Esseka's mortuary has room for only 15 bodies.

Sixty-two-year old Nlend Prudence mourns at the Yaounde Military hospital mortuary where she has found the corpse of her fourth son who died in the crash. His elder brother 42-year old teacher Nlend Rigobert said they found the dead body in Yaounde after searching for it in vain in Douala.

He said a survivor who was travelling with his brother told him that no medical staff or rescue worker attended to him while he was trapped under the rubble for 24 hours before he died. He said he strongly believes his brother's life could have been saved if rescue workers arrived early enough.

People gather near Friday's train crash in Eseka, Cameroon, Oct. 22, 2016.

People gather near Friday's train crash in Eseka, Cameroon, Oct. 22, 2016.

Lack of equipment, transportation

The government of Cameroon deployed medical staff and rescue workers to the accident site, but they lacked the necessary equipment. The Eseka hospital barely has 60 beds.

Bad roads made it difficult to transport the victims to bigger hospitals by bus, so officials waited for 20 hours for railway workers to remove the wreckage from rail lines before trains could evacuate the injured travelers.

While waiting, Eseka villagers could only give first aid and local traditional treatment to the wounded.

Most of the victims are now receiving treatment in hospitals in Yaounde and Douala, but without their family members who do not know where precisely they are.

Government spokes person Issa Tchiroma said delegations have been dispatched to assist the victims while waiting for their family members.

"An inter-ministerial delegation has been dispatched on the field with the necessary means from the minister of defense, the minister of minister of public health, of civil protection and other security services were immediately mobilized to provide assistance and rescue to the victims."

After the accident, Cameroon president Paul Biya extended a message of condolence to the bereaved families and asked the government to assist all victims with what ever they need for their treatment.

Cameroon president Paul Biya has declared Monday a day of national morning in honor of the dead.