Free Republic

The strategic framework and the correlation of forces in the Gulf of Guinea — one of the most significant and growing energy resource regions of the world — is changing rapidly. A new era in security arrangements for the region is beginning. The region is moving from an area of low technology defense and security systems, and minimal command and control at national levels, to one of growing sophistication, higher mobility, and the potential for military confrontation. The five-year, $250-million Equatorial Guinea maritime security program - essentially the build-up of an integrated naval and air capability - announced on February...

Jihadists are murdering, raping, torturing, kidnapping, enslaving, and, in some instances, burning people alive — across Africa, and now in Syria. Local jihadist organizations go by different names, but the ideology that drives them is the same: Every one of them deeply believes that Allah wants him to wipe the world clean of the kuffar (infidels). More than 16.2 million Christians in Sub-Saharan Africa have been driven from their homes by jihadi violence and conflict, reports the human rights organization Open Doors. Women and girls are abducted, forced into "marriage," forced to convert to Islam, raped, and subjected to forced...

Four killed in a late-night Israeli airstrike near a Beirut hospital... An overnight curfew in the French Caribbean territory of Martinique extended until next Monday... President Paul Biya of the African nation of Cameroon returning home from Switzerland... In the midst of Sudan's civil war the shooting down of a cargo plane... The US State Department investigating an Israeli military unit that guards Palestinian detainees for alleged human rights violations. Israeli authorities have charged several soldiers in the unit... An Israeli strike on a car in Damascus... The United Nations relief agency UNRWA says Israel continues to ban entry of...

N'DJAMENA, March 23 (Reuters) - Chad has nationalized all the assets and rights including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), the Central African nation's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Exxon Mobil said in December that it had closed the sale of its operations Chad and Cameroon to London-listed Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government contested the agreement, saying the final terms were different from what Exxon Mobil had presented. It warned that it may ask courts to block Savannah's...

Cameroon launched the world's first routine vaccine programme against malaria on Monday. It is one of 20 African countries planning to introduce the drug this year, according to global vaccine alliance Gavi. Here are some key facts. THE VACCINE The RTS,S malaria vaccine, developed by British pharmaceutical GSK (GSK.L), opens new tab and sold under the brand name Mosquirix, was backed by the World Health Organization in July 2022. It underwent trials in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. Advertisement · Scroll to continue It acts against P. falciparum, the deadliest strain of malaria spread by anopheles mosquitoes, and the most common...

Democrats across Congress are calling on President Biden to allow Palestinians entry into the U.S. on humanitarian grounds as war drags on in Gaza. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., together with Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Was., led a letter of 103 colleagues to the president asking him to grant the Palestinian territories Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and/or authorize Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Palestinians already living in the U.S. The TPS program allows those from war-torn or crisis-wracked countries to legally live and work in the U.S., but does not give them permanent residency. It allows...

Whether she's walking the halls at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, or catching up with the other athletes on the basketball court, Andrea Tchinda exudes star quality. Wednesday was her first time back on campus since the graduating senior found out she was named valedictorian. Proud principal T.J. Florie called to give her the news. "It was just a moment that made me emotional," Florie said. "That means a lot for somebody that looks like her to look up to her and say, ‘She can do this, I can do this.’" It's another crowning achievement for a girl who was...

The United Nations General Assembly's first committee, which deals with disarmament, global challenges, and threats to peace that affect the international community, voted 152-5, on Friday, on a resolution concerning "the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East". The resolution states that Israel must dispose of all its nuclear weapons and place its nuclear sites under the International Atomic Energy Agency's purview. The resolution, which is submitted every year to the UNGA in New York, was submitted by Egypt and sponsored by the Palestinian Authority and 19 counties including Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. Canada, Israel,...

According to Radio France Internationale, Cameroon's national soccer team and the soccer federation are using spells and magic. The October 6 report alleges that most Cameroonian footballers rush to remote villages deep in the equatorial forest, in search of traditional healers. Cameroon's Football Association President Samuel Eto'o has described the allegations as ridiculous and defamatory. Eto'o, a football legend, added that the such reports are not in keeping with a renowned media house and that it was both disrespectful and unpleasant. He added that he believes in freedom of expression but that he does not believe in defamatory articles. Eto'o...

In a moment of woeful irony in the Obama-administration documentary “The Final Year,” UN Ambassador Samantha Power travels to Cameroon to offer photo-op comfort to families terrorized by Boko Haram — only to have her motorcade kill a 7-year-old boy. Greg Barker, director of this fan film, does his best to downplay the accident: It is discussed while we watch a clip of Power’s convoy moving at a crawl when in fact it was reportedly traveling at over 60 miles an hour when it struck the boy. Despite Barker’s intentions, the handiwork of the Road to Hell Paving Co. is...

In describing a volcanic eruption from a high mountain towering over the sea Hanno mentions such details as sulphuric fumes and streams of lava. The only volcanic area in West Africa is represented by Mount Cameroon, which is still active today. It is located at the deepest point of the Gulf of Guinea, where it rises suddenly from the seashore, reaching a height of over 4000 meters... Those who have seen it from the sea consider it one of the most impressive sights in the world. The natives call it Mongana-Loba, "Mountain of the Gods," which well agrees with the...

Thanks to archaeological research undertaken in the 1950s, a great deal is already known about the ancient occupation of the island. Phoenician merchants established a trading counter there in the 7th or 6th century BC, followed later by more temporary stays on the island during the reign of the Mauretanian King Juba II. According to a statement made to the press by Abdeslem Mikdad, co-director of the current research programme, the Romans were also present on the island towards the end of the 3rd century AD. The programme also envisages prospections in the Essaouira region, in order to discover the...

The Republic of Cameroon has approved the sale of a herbal remedy that a Catholic bishop in the Central African nation has concocted to treat people with COVID-19.Cameroon's Ministry of Public Health told Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala the government authorized his medicinal recipe as an "adjuvant" or supplementary aid to fighting coronavirus infections. "This is in response to your application for a Cameroonian marketing authorization for your improved traditional medicines called...

Goulfey, a town located about fifty kilometers from Kousseri in the northern region of Cameroon, is experiencing a new captivating look. Most tourists who arrive here are fascinated by the design of this small sultanate situated at the edge of the Logone River and close to Ndjamena, the Chadian capital. Goulfey, is a clay dwelling built centuries ago. It was converted to a museum and also acts as a cultural centre where young people come to learn about the rich culture of the Kotokos. "First and foremost. this museum serves the history of the Kotoko principality. So this mass of...

Yaphet Kotto, an actor known for his performances in “Alien,” the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” and the television series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” has died, his agent Ryan Goldhar confirmed to Variety. He was 81.

Star of ‘Live and Let Die’ who also featured in ‘Alien’ and played Idi Amin in movie about Israel’s Operation Entebbe, said Judaism was a guiding force in his life LOS ANGELES — US actor Yaphet Kotto, who rose to fame in the 1970s fighting James Bond in “Live and Let Die” and an extraterrestrial stowaway in “Alien,” has died, his agent told AFP. He was 81. In a statement Monday on Facebook, his wife Sinahon Thessa described her late husband as a “legend.” “You played a villain in some of your movies but for me you’re a real hero...

The Warriors have accused the hosts of turning to the dark arts to influence the outcome of the tournament openerZimbabwe coach Zdravko Logarusic has accused hosts Cameroon of ‘witchcraft’ ahead of their African Nations Championship opener in Yaounde on Saturday, which the Indomitable Lions won 1-0. A photograph was shared with Goal ahead of the match which depicted the Croat coach displaying the carcass of a bat, accompanied by a sign which reads ‘witchcraft in Cameroon’ ahead of the two sides’ Chan bow. The fixture, taking place at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde, was played in front of a...

Secretary General. Joined by 34 other countries, the document enshrines the Trump administration’s pro-life diplomacy on the official record of the General Assembly. “The United States strongly supports the dignity of all human beings and protecting life from the moment of conception throughout the lifespan,” Ambassador Kelly Craft wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres transmitting the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family. Following the letter, the declaration was issued as an official document of the United Nations last week and circulated on December 11, after having been translated into all six official UN languages....

No fewer than three villagers were killed and one other abducted when Boko Haram terrorists raided a community in Cameroon’s Far North region. The raid took place overnight till Thursday morning, according to local sources. The terrorists attacked Gabass village of Koza subdivision of the region when the villagers were deep asleep. A search and rescue mission of the abducted civilian was in progress in the region, according to the army. On Wednesday night the terrorist group attacked Guidi village, torched five houses and made away with clothes. Authorities said the villagers escaped unharmed. ...

A civilian was killed and two others injured after an incursion by the terrorist group Boko Haram on Saturday night in Cameroon's Far North region, local sources learned on Sunday. The attack took place in Gansé, a small town in the district of Mora, capital of the department of Mayo-Sava which is a hotbed of terrorist attacks. According to the testimonies of residents, arrived in the locality, the jihadists began to shoot, sowing panic in the process in households. A villager, fleeing the scene, was fatally shot; two other villagers were also injured, said a member of the local vigilance...