Day: May 23, 2023

The Angolan Head of State João Lourenço left Luanda Tuesday bound for Rome, Italy, to start as of Wednesday a two-day state visit at the invitation of the local authorities.

The statesman received farewell greetings from the Vice-President of the Republic Esperança da Costa and government officials.

João Lourenço is expected to meet his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgina Meloni.

João Lourenço visiting agenda includes a dinner to be offered by Sergio Mattarella.

The programme also features Angola-Italy business forum and audiences to businesspeople.

Angola and Italy established diplomatic relations on June 4, 1976.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The National Assembly (AN) Speaker Carolina Cerqueira reiterated Tuesday in Luanda the engagement of the Angolan state to promote democracy, good governance, defence of human rights and achievement of lasting peace and security in the Great Lakes region.

Speaking at a round table on the “foreign policy of the Republic of Angola in the Great Lakes region,” organised by the AN, the Speaker spoke of the need for everyone to take up the challenge to transform the Great Lakes region into a political and social stability area, with growth and shared development.

The politician added that it is crucial to guarantee the political, economic, social and humanitarian stability through political channels “of our countries and of the region.

Cerquira said to achieve these common objectives the states should show solidarity in all circumstances, acting on the basis of the values and best customs of African culture and respect for differences.

“Unfortunately our region is still, in a way, considered the least stable in the continent due to emerging and prevailing conflicts recorded in some states and belligerent groups that, in a certain way, contribute to the creation of several constraints that jeopardize the development of our countries,” the Angolan politician said.

The Angolan Speaker emphasised that these conflicts have delayed the implementation of the goals set in the framework of the sustainable development objectives and other relevant challenges for the region such as regional integration, with a focus on the free movement of people and free trade between states.

Cerqueira added that the holding of the roundtable, with the participation of the South Sudan Parliament Speaker and president-in-office of the Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) and other African entities, “is a good example for the definition of common solutions in a concerted manner.

The Speaker of the Sudan Legislative Assembly and acting president of the Parliamentary Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR-RR), Jemma Nunu Kumba, praised the Angolans for having achieved sustainable peace and the leadership of President Lourenço, “after going through difficult times.

Kumba added that South Sudan was also going through the same experience “and that once in Angola, his country could learn from Angola and its people, having defended the need for Africans to work together to solve their problems, always using the African approach.

On the conflict that emerged in Sudan on 16 April this year, and which has already displaced some seven million people, Kuma called on the warring parties to immediately cease all forms of violence and respect the ceasefire.

“It is our responsibility, as the region, to act and call on the parties in conflict to reach a ceasefire and stop the destruction that has been taking place and give an opportunity for dialogue to resolve the problem,” Kuma said.

The South Sudan politician also advocated an inclusive participatory dialogue to end the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and thanked member states that have contributed to Peacekeeping contingents to the region, including Angola and South Sudan.

Women’s Empowerment

The acting president of the FP-CIRGL praised President João Lourenço’s policy on the empowerment of women and having considered inclusive gender balance in the Angolan government, including in the judiciary. Underlining that “This is what is looked for in the Great Lakes region.”

The roundtable that attended by the president of the Kenyan Senate, the representative of the Zambian Parliament, among other individuals, aimed to sensitise African parliaments of the Great Lakes in particular to contribute to building peace based on solid pillars in that region.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The remains of the former journalist of the National Radio of Angola (RNA), António Muachilela, were buried Tuesday at Santa Ana cemetery, in Luanda.

Family, colleagues, friends, members of the Executive, political parties and the population attended the funeral of the RNA’s former journalist.

The late RNA journalist died Saturday at the cardiopulmonary hospital at the age of 61.

Born in Nharêa, Bié province, Muachilela was director of the Communication and Institutional Information Office of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and of the Angolan Football Federation.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Ambazonia Governing Council, has confirmed that their armed wing, the Ambazonia Defence Forces, are keeping Councillor Stephen Ujambeng and others.

The group did not specify the number of captives but said they were picked up in Ngie, Momo division in the North West region, for taking part in National Day parade.

Councillor Stephen Ujambeng is a member of the North West Regional Council and the CPDM Section President for Momo IV.

“Stephen Ujambeng Ando have been arrested after taking part in the banned 20 May celebrations in Ngie along several others.

We all know the punishment for high treason.

I don’t wanna hear of any mafia again,” another confirmation was made by Activist, Ngong Emmanuel also known as Capo Daniel.

CNA learned that the YCPDM section President for Momo IV, Asumba Agharih, was also kidnapped.

Since 2016, the Cameroon government carried out a crackdown on peaceful protests in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. By 2017, some youths picked up arms to fight the central government and subsequently heralded the call for a Separate state , called Ambazonia.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The use of hate speech in Cameroon has become rampant recently, with state officials urged by the population to serve as examples.

This comes after the release of a communique by Minister of Territorial Administration Atanga Nji Paul, raising awareness on the issue.

The release rather reminded many of the various circumstances in which government officials have addressed the people of some ethnicities in the country with disregard.

“No one can forget statements made by authorities like Governor Okalia Bilai who called anglophone protesters ‘dogs’, Jacques Fame Ndongo who compared the two English regions to ‘two cubes of sugar’, and the list is long,” Robert in Yaounde said. “I don’t think those authorities were held accountable for their actions” he added.

Some have said the ineffectiveness of the practice of bilingualism is “the cause of everything”.

“More importance is still given to French, which is why those from that part of the country feel superior and have the tendency of minimizing the anglophone minority,” a student in Yaounde said.

In his May 22 communique, Paul Atanga Nji said “The laws punishing contempt of tribe or ethnicity, shall hence be applied strictly”.

Quoting section 241-1 of law No. 2019/020 of 24 December 2019, he noted that “Whoever, by any means, makes hate speech against people or incites them to violence due to their tribal or ethnic origin shall be punished with imprisonment, one or two years, and with a fine of 300,000 to 3 million francs”.

This comes on the heels of the arrest of a man in Yaounde who said internally displaced persons from Cameroon’s English-speaking regions were infesting the capital city with unbearable stench from their bodies.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Following the frequent rise of hate speech and xenophobia in the country, Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji on Monday night, reminded Cameroonians about the law and punishment that await offenders.

According to the minister, hate speech and xenophobia are mostly spread by politicians through the media.

“These grievous acts seriously threaten our living together and social cohesion, which is so dear to the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya. The Government of the Republic, therefore, wants to put an immediate end to this deviant behavior”

The resurgence of hate speech was visible during the South West Peace and Development Forum SW Peace Forum: Gov’t to examine challenges and trace way forward in which some politicians were accused of spewing hatred against other Cameroonians from different regions, especially the North West region.

Source: Cameroon News Agency