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☆ After Biden’s Withdrawal, Other Aged Leaders Get Some Serious Side-Eye
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When President Biden abandoned his re-election campaign this month, citing the need to “pass the torch to a new generation,” some of the most envious accolades he received came from 6,000 miles away. In central Africa, in coastal Cameroon, many are longing for their president, Paul Biya — at 91 the world’s oldest leader — to take a leaf out of President Biden’s book. But most think he never will. “He’ll do everything to remain in power,” said Lukong Usheno Kiven, a human rights advocate based in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, where Mr. Biya has been in power for 42 years. Mr. Biya is just one of dozens of notably aged leaders who are also far older than the populations they serve.

Persons: Biden, Paul Biya —, —, Biden’s, “, ”, Lukong Usheno, Biya, Mr Locations: Africa, Cameroon, Yaoundé

☆ Morocco and East African co-bid to host future Africa Cup of Nations finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Morocco won by default after Algeria, Zambia and a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria all withdrew before the vote of the Confederation of African Football's executive committee in Cairo on Wednesday. The north African country was a runaway favourite and will see the decision as a boost to their hopes of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain. It is only the second time that Morocco will host Africa's most popular sporting event, almost four decades after the previous time in 1988. The joint East African bid for 2027 returns the finals to the region for the first time since 1976. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Mark Gleeson, Christian Radnedge, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Soccer Football, Africa, of Nations, Olembe, Nations, REUTERS, Rights, Portugal, CAF, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Egypt, Yaounde, Cameroon, Rights CAIRO, Morocco, Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Algeria, Zambia, Benin, Nigeria, Cairo, Spain, Botswana, Cape Town

☆ Algeria withdraw bid to host Cup of Nations finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

“The FAF will now focus its efforts on the reorganisation and revitalisation of football in Algeria, as it reiterates its unwavering commitment to the development of African football. Algeria built new stadiums and upgraded other infrastructure to host the African Nations Championship at the start of the year. Algeria, Morocco, Zambia and a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria were in the running for the 2025 finals. Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Senegal and a joint candidacy from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda submitted bids to host the 2027 tournament. In 2014 Guinea were award the right to host the 2023 finals, along with Cameroon (2019) and Ivory Coast (2021).

Persons: Thaier, Ivory Coast, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Soccer Football, Africa, of Nations, Olembe, Nations, REUTERS, Algerian Football Federation, “, African Nations, CAF, Guinea, South, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Egypt, Yaounde, Cameroon, Algeria, Cairo, Morocco, Guinea, Zambia, Benin, Nigeria, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Libya, Ivory Coast, Ivory, West Africa

☆ Titan of Cameroon's opposition politics John Fru Ndi dies at 81
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It is with sadness that we announce the transition into eternal glory of John Fru Ndi on June 12, 2023, at 11:30 p.m.," it said. "I salute the memory of a singular, charismatic and courageous leader," said current opposition leader Maurice Kamto. An English-speaking businessman from Cameroon's northwest region, Fru Ndi formed the SDF, the first opposition party in the bilingual Central African country, which is dominated by its French-speaking majority. Fru Ndi claimed the vote had been rigged and he was placed under house arrest as riots swept opposition strongholds. As Biya's grip on power tightened, Fru Ndi secured fewer votes, according to official figures.

Persons: John Fru Ndi, Paul Biya, Fru Ndi, Moussa Faki, Maurice Kamto, Ndi, Cameroon's, Akere Muna, Akintunde, Cabral Libii, Biya, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Nellie Peyton, Anait, Edward McAllister, Conor Humphries Organizations: Social Democratic Front, Union's, Central, REUTERS, Cameroon People's Democratic, Thomson Locations: YAOUNDE, Central, Cameroon's, Central African, Cameroon, Yaounde, CAMEROON, U.S

☆ Joel Embiid's 'improbable' journey from newcomer to NBA MVP
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“He’s the biggest film nerd there is in the NBA,” Hanlen laughs. The ultimate scorerDespite his ‘Joel Troel’ alter-ego, Embiid’s approach to the game shows he is everything but a joker who fools around. Speaking after being named MVP, Embiid said: “I’d say the biggest key of it is, obviously, I’m all about family. Arthur is named after Embiid’s late brother who passed away shortly after the 2014 NBA Draft. But improbable doesn’t mean impossible.”Hanlen then summed up Embiid’s overall approach by saying: “I would just say he’s obsessed with greatness.

☆ Nineteen athletes wounded after blasts at race in Cameroon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Nineteen athletes were being treated for blast injuries on Saturday after multiple small explosions during a running race in part of western Cameroon where English-speaking separatists are fighting government forces, a local doctor said. There was no immediate comment from authorities in the town of Buea in South-West Region, where 529 athletes were running up the highest mountain in West and Central Africa as they competed in the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope. "Our primary target was the Cameroon elite forces ... that were providing security for the athletes. Another video showed a different explosion going off near a pack of runners elsewhere on the route. Participants in the race included athletes from East, Central and Northern Africa and France.

☆ Cameroon detects two suspected cases of Marburg virus near Eq. Guinea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Equatorial Guinea officially declared its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, an illness similar to Ebola, on Monday. Neighbouring Cameroon had restricted movement along the border to avoid contagion following reports of an unknown, deadly hemorrhagic fever in Equatorial Guinea last week. Forty-two people who came into contact with the two children have been identified and contact tracing was ongoing, he added. The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier on Tuesday that it was increasing its epidemiological surveillance in Equatorial Guinea. He added that the country's authorities had not reported any new suspected cases in the last 48 hours.

☆ Five killed in gun attack on Cameroon farm workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - At least five banana plantation workers were killed and several wounded on Friday in Cameroon’s Southwest region that is riven by separatist violence, a union leader said. The unidentified assailants shot at a truck carrying employees of Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) - the country's largest state-owned agro-industrial firm whose workers have previously been targeted by Anglophone armed separatists fighting for an independent state. The ambush took place at around 5:30 p.m. local time near the town of Tiko after the labourers finished their work, said Gabriel Mbene Vefonge, president of the Cameroon Agricultural and Allied Workers Trade Union (CAAWOTU). They killed three other workers who were sitting in front before shooting sporadically," Vefonge told Reuters by phone, confirming that five were killed in total. Since then, thousands have been killed in the central African state, and rebels and government troops have taken turns to commit grievous atrocities.

☆ Equatorial Guinea quarantines 200 after unknown hemorrhagic fever deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People wait to cross the border into Equatorial Guinea by car and by foot in Kye-Ossi, Cameroon, May 23, 2015. Authorities have restricted movement around the two villages that are directly linked, he said, and contact tracing was ongoing. Equatorial Guinea's neighbour Cameroon on Friday restricted movement along its border after the "unexplained deaths", its Health Minister Malachie Manaouda said in a statement. Equatorial Guinea said on Wednesday that it had registered the "unusual epidemiological situation" over the past weeks in Kie-Ntem province's Nsok Nsomo district that caused nine deaths in two adjacent communities over a short period. A Cameroon district health official near the border area said around 20 deaths had been recorded on Wednesday in villages in Kie-Ntem province, which borders Cameroon's Olamze district.

☆ Prominent Cameroon journalist found dead after abduction
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The mutilated body of a prominent Cameroonian journalist was found on Sunday near the capital Yaounde five days after he was abducted by unidentified assailants, the press union and a colleague said on Sunday. Media advocates described Martinez Zogo's disappearance and death as a further sign of the perils of reporting in the African country. "Cameroonian media has just lost one of its members, a victim of hatred and barbarism," Cameroon's journalists' trade union said in a statement. "Where is the freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in Cameroon when working in the media now entails a mortal risk?" Outspoken reporter Paul Chouta, who worked for private news website Cameroon Web, was beaten and stabbed by unknown attackers in 2019.

☆ Canada says Cameroon warring parties agree to enter peace process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The government of Cameroon and some separatist factions in the English-speaking regions of the country have agreed to enter into a process aimed at resolving a conflict that has killed over 6,000 people, Canada's foreign ministry said. "Canada welcomes the agreement by the parties to enter a process to reach a comprehensive, peaceful and political resolution of the conflict," foreign minister Mélanie Joly, said in a statement on Friday. The statement said Canada had accepted a mandate to facilitate the process and the parties have agreed to form technical committees to begin work on confidence-building measures. The parties further express the hope that other groups will join the process," the statement said. Spokespersons for the separatist factions could not be reached for comments.

DOHA/RABAT, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Moroccans slumped with disappointment on Wednesday after their team's semi-final defeat to France, but were still pumped with pride for a World Cup run that spurred tears of joy across Africa and the Arab world. In the first World Cup held in an Arab country, and one already marked by upsets, Morocco won supporters far afield as the first Arab team to reach the quarter-finals and the first African team to reach the semis. It is already an honour and we are proud to see people from different countries root for the Moroccan team," said Taoufiq Ouchikh. We lost to a world Cup champion and we dominated," said Abdelilah Sair, another fan watching in the same cafe. Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch lauded a team he called heroes that brought joy to Moroccans and made the country's name "resonate on every tongue during the World Cup".

In an Abidjan cafe where people were watching the game and drinking beer to celebrate the win, customer Jules Goule said Ivorians were proud of Morocco's win. "Through Morocco Africa has just shown that it can compete with other continents in football," he said. As the game wound on, Morocco fans screamed "Ole, ole, ole!" In the media box, a security guard, screaming with triumph, hugged a Moroccan journalist who was weeping with happiness. But in Rabat, joyful fans thronged the streets, people poured towards the downtown square where Morocco's victories are celebrated.

☆ Angry passengers blockaded a terminal after spending a night in the airport because they weren't allowed to leave
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

About 40 passengers had to stay overnight in the airport because they didn't have Belgian visas. After further delays they began a sit-down protest blockading the international terminal. He added that airport staff were taking passengers to the other side of the terminal by bus to reach their gates. Most passengers on the flight did hold visas and were able to stay in a hotel on Wednesday night. Brussels Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ Cameroon: Landslide kills at least 14 attending funeral in capital Yaounde
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Opinion | Something Remarkable Is Happening in African Football
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Sean Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

African players are increasingly on the center stage of world football. Though African players have a long history in Europe, it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that they began to star in the top leagues there. And there is a kind of continental solidarity that emerges for many African fans during the World Cup. African teams, meanwhile, usually showed poor form and were quickly eliminated. In the years that followed, as African teams began to have more success, drawing on their diasporas in Europe, many of us began to cheer for teams from the continent instead.

☆ Landslide kills at least 14 attending funeral in Cameroon capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

YAOUNDE, Nov 27 (Reuters) - A landslide in Cameroon's capital Yaounde on Sunday killed at least 14 people who were attending a funeral, the region's governor said. Dozens of people were attending a funeral on a soccer pitch at the base of a 20-metre high soil embankment, which collapsed on top of them, witnesses told Reuters. Yaounde is one of the wettest cities in Africa and is made of dozens of steep, shack-lined hills. Heavy rains have triggered several devastating floods throughout the country this year, weakening infrastructure and displacing thousands. Reporting by Amindeh Blaise Atabong; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Swiss striker Embolo refuses to celebrate goal against Cameroon
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AL WAKRAH, Qatar, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Switzerland striker Breel Embolo scored against the land of his birth Cameroon in their World Cup Group G clash at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday but refused to celebrate and looked almost apologetic as his team mates rushed to congratulate him. Embolo swept home a Xherdan Shaqiri cross to give the Swiss the lead in the 48th minute after they struggled to break the deadlock in the first half and were second best in the game, which was 0-0 at the break. The 25-year-old striker, who was born in Yaounde but raised in Basel, stood still with an apologetic frown on his face after he scored while the Switzerland players celebrated around him. The goal was a first shot on target for the Swiss, who had battled to contain the African side in the opening 45 minutes. Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Air traffic controllers suspend strike in West and Central Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAKAR, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A 48-hour strike by air traffic controllers in West and Central Africa has been suspended, their union said on Saturday. The strike, which started on Friday, has disrupted flights across the region and left hundreds of passengers stranded at airports on Saturday. The Union of Air Traffic Controllers' Unions (USYCAA), which called the wildcat strike, said in a statement it decided to suspend its strike notice for 10 days immediately so as to allow for negotiations. The union said more than 700 air traffic controllers joined the strike to demand better working and pay conditions. The controllers work under the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) an 18-member state agency that manages air traffic over an area covering 16 million square km of airspace.

☆ Air traffic control strike disrupts flights across West Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterDAKAR, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Dozens of flights were cancelled across West and Central Africa on Saturday as a strike by regional air traffic controllers entered a second day, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at airports. The 48-hour strike was called by a union representing workers of the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), which regulates air-traffic control in 18 countries. The air traffic controllers, who have threatened to prolong the strike if their demands are not met, are seeking better working and pay conditions. "In spite of the prohibition of the strike by all the courts ... the Union of Air Traffic Controllers' Unions (USYCAA) has launched a wildcat strike," ASECNA said on Friday. National carrier Camair-Co said on Friday it had cancelled all its flights due to the strike.

☆ Camerunezii, acuzați că au apelat la vrăjitorie pentru a câștiga un meci! Ce a descoperit antrenorul advers pe teren
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-18 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +1 min

Camerunezii, acuzați că au apelat la vrăjitorie pentru a câștiga un meci! Ce a descoperit antrenorul advers pe terenScandal la Campionatul Africii pe Națiuni - spiritele s-au încins chiar de la partida inaugurală dintre Camerun și Zimbabwe. Meciul a avut loc în capitala Camerunului, Yaounde, pe un stadion în care au avut voie să asiste fanii la un sfert din capacitatea arenei. Antrenorul ”războinicilor”, croatul Zdravko Logarusic, a fost cel care a descoperit un liliac mort pe gazon cu un semn pe care scria ”vrajă din Camerun”. Gazdele s-au impus cu 1-0, iar la camerunezi a fost titular Jacques Zoua, fostul jucător de la Astra și Viitorul.

Persons: Jacques Zoua, Thomas Nkono Organizations: Astra Locations: Africii, Camerun, Zimbabwe, Camerunului, Mali de

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