Greed is a disease which can destroy a country or community if its leaders do not rid themselves of this illness. This is exactly what is happening to MOHWA which was once a hope-inspiring organization.

MOHWA leaders do not seem to understand that leadership is about selflessness, service and humility. Leadership is an opportunity for any leader to immortalize their names. It is an opportunity to serve humanity and to give back to a community which could have been instrumental in our own growth and development.

MOHWA leaders hold that leadership is an opportunity for them to intimidate their people into submission. They see leadership as an opportunity to rob their own people blind and to use their influence for political purposes.

And this mentality has destroyed MOHWA. The leaders have shot themselves in the foot. Their following has reduced considerably. The organization’s finances have been diminished as donors lose appetite for MOHWA operations.

In Mamfe, there is a mad rush to join EYUMEMA due to the scandal which has reduced MOHWA to an empty shell. MOHWA Mamfe is dead. Its members are converting even when EYUMEMA is not yet firmly established in Mamfe. Young women just like their mothers are begging to join EYUMEMA. They have been disappointed by the MOHWA leadership which has fallen short of their glorious expectations.

In Cameroon, if EYUMEMA decides to include a membership test in its registration process, most Manyu women will sit the exam without complaint.

Following calls from Cameroon from women who want to get registered as EYUMEMA members, the Cameroon Concord News decided to send its reporters to interview a few women in order to gauge the level of enthusiasm to join EYUMEMA and the extent of disappointment with MOHWA, and the women had this to say.

For purposes of anonymity, the Cameroon Concord News has decided to use only the first names of those who spoke to our correspondents.

Lydia, a mother of two who is a small business owner in Mamfe said that: “I was a strong supporter of MOHWA. It hurts me to see that this association is being destroyed by greed and arrogance. I have been reading the articles published by the Cameroon Concord News and they are really overwhelming and devastating. The president of MOHWA should think of resigning or commissioning an investigation into those allegations. Most of the allegations border on money, manipulation and arrogance. A leader is supposed to be humble and selfless but from what I have read so far, the MOHWA president is not a people person. If I were to advise her, I would tell her to resign and let time prove her right. I am really disappointed and I am already thinking of joining EYUMEMA which is already demonstrating that it can deliver some great projects to Manyu.”

In Kumba, the same disappointment was exhibited by a member of MOHWA who is completely overwhelmed by the negative press the organization is receiving due to Comfort Beyang’s greed and manipulation.

“The negative press is not a surprise to me. When members of our delegation returned from the Yaoundé AGM in June, the feedback was totally negative. We were told that Comfort Beyang and Agbor Tambe Martina were very domineering and that put off many delegation members. Even the Bamenda delegation members who attended the AGM were very disappointed with the manner in which things were conducted. The organization’s finances were not discussed and Martina and Comfort were just there to ensure that nothing financial was discussed.

In Kumba, we have already advised our executive not to send a dime to the national branch until the current president and her people resign. For now, nobody is even paying in the CFAF 10,000 that members are supposed to pay when a member dies. This is what greed and manipulation can do to a people.”

But it was really in Yaoundé that a lady who elected anonymity was totally unhinged. She lambasted Comfort Beyang, stressing that she uses her Machiavellian charm to destroy people and endeavors which are supposed to be in the common good.

“I think the Manyu woman has learned that she is not supposed to vote her leaders based on emotions. Comfort Beyang was already a disaster waiting to happen but many women fell for her Machiavellian charm and she is destroying an organization which is supposed to work for the Manyu girl child. Comfort Beyang is supported in this bad behavior by Martina Agbor Tambe, Joan Enow and Pamela Assam TanyiTiku who all behave as if they have massive skeletons in their cupboards. This bunch of women must be expelled from MOHWA if this organization has to rebuild its lost image. Many people are decamping and the hemorrhage is too much to bear.”

According to our sources, Manyu chiefs are coming up with a strategy to get the issue addressed. They want to talk to Comfort Beyang and our source said that they would be urging her to resign because her image and the organization have been tainted.

Our source added that Chief Moses Obenefunde is taking the lead on how to address the issue and many Manyu chiefs are solidly behind him. According to our source, a Senator has also called Comfort Beyang but details about their discussion have not yet filtered out.

The heat is on and Comfort Beyang is slowly breaking down. The scandal has hit her like a ton of bricks and all her rantings are just like the last kicks of a dying horse.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman and Editor-in-chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

A Cameroonian social media activist and government critic has not been seen since his arrest three weeks ago and his lawyers believe he has been extrajudicially returned to Cameroon from Gabon, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

The activist, Steve Akam, was last seen in a video circulated online that showed him handcuffed and surrounded by Cameroonian police near the border with Gabon.

Akam had been living in Gabon for the past decade. Human Rights Watch said the video was filmed about three weeks ago in the Cameroonian town of Kye-Ossi, near the border with Gabon.

Akam is better known by his social media profile Ramon Cotta on TikTok, which has over 30,000 followers. In his last video, Akam accuses President Paul Biya of pursuing a war in Cameroon’s anglophone regions in order to remain in power.

“The Cameroonian government has for years cracked down on opposition and free speech, jailing political activists, journalists, and dissidents,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement. “Ahead of elections in 2025, it has increasingly restricted freedoms of expression and association.”

A spokesperson for Cameroon’s police declined to comment by text message.

Lawyers for Akam could not immediately be reached. Human Rights Watch said that his lawyers believe Akam was extrajudicially returned from Gabon to Cameroon.

Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto has previously called on the government to provide proof that the activist is still alive.

In a case that roiled the Central African nation last year, prominent journalist Martinez Zogo’s mutilated remains were found near the capital Yaounde after he was abducted. Zogo had reported on air about a case of alleged embezzlement involving a media outlet with government connections owned by business mogul Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga.

The two leaders also called for all other ongoing efforts to create an environment conducive to a lasting resolution to the conflict.

Seventeen people, including Belinga and the head of the counterintelligence service Maxime Leopold Eko Eko, are standing trial in connection with Zogo’s torture and murder.

The media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Cameroon authorities to be transparent over Zogo, and also account for the death of another journalist in government custody in 2019.

Source: Reuters

On August 6, Cameroon’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, officially launched the F-Cyber security Cameroon project in Yaoundé. This initiative, spearheaded by “La Tutelle,” the women’s association within her ministry, aims to educate and engage women from both the public and private sectors on cyber security issues. The project is part of a broader effort to promote digital inclusion for women.

Rolande Pende, president of the association and a senior official at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, explained that the goal is to prepare more women to use digital technologies and the internet responsibly. “While statistics show that women have less access to digital devices, they are still significant users of the internet. Although technology can be extremely beneficial, improper use can turn it into a threat. The project is designed to raise awareness about best online practices and prevent cyber attacks that can affect anyone,” she said.

The project began with a seminar for women in the public sector focused on cyber security issues in Cameroon. It will continue with similar sessions for the private sector. The initial meeting emphasized training in the responsible use of digital technologies and best online practices. It also addressed combating fake news and online hate speech, aiming to make participants key figures in their respective administrations and communities. The theme of the event, “Women: Leading the Way in Promoting Cyber security and Responsible Social Media Use,” reflects the intent to make women central players in the fight against cybercrime.

Minister Libom Li Likeng noted that this initiative aligns with the broader national coalition-building efforts launched on August 12, 2020. This campaign seeks to mobilize various societal groups—administrations, businesses, operators, civil society, students, and local populations—to build a “national coalition” for responsible social media use. The campaign comes as electronic fraud and identity theft continue to rise in the country. “Women, as educators of families, are at the heart of this transformation. Cameroon, aspiring to emerge by 2035 and succeed in digital transformation, cannot achieve its goals without the involvement of women,” she told the press.

In 2021, the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (Antic) reported identifying 27,052 vulnerabilities in the cyber security systems of public and private entities in Cameroon. These vulnerabilities resulted in financial losses totaling CFA12.2 billion, with CFA6 billion attributable solely to phishing and scamming. These figures underscore the urgent need to enhance cyber security skills, especially among women, to protect data and systems from growing cyber threats. “ICTs are not only the backbone of the digital economy but also, and more importantly, tools for socio-economic advancement and personal growth. If women cannot access the internet or feel unsafe online, they cannot fully engage in digital spaces, limiting their contribution to Cameroon’s emergence,” Minister Libom Li Likeng stated in her address. She emphasized the government’s challenge to build a “thriving digital society” resilient to cyber threats while ensuring equitable digital access for all, particularly women and youth.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Officials in Cameroon say people are again fleeing towns in western regions as separatists block traffic on the streets, burn vehicles that defy their orders and abduct and torture civilians for ransom. Rights groups are accusing Cameroon’s central government of neglecting and abandoning oppressed civilians.

In a video circulated on social media, a fighter brandishing knives and an AK-47 said he would cut the throats of every civilian who refuses to collaborate with separatists in Ngoketunjia, Bui and Mezam, administrative units in Cameroon’s Northwest region.

The man, accompanied by about a dozen other armed fighters said he has ordered separatists to make sure no market is open and no vehicle enters several villages in Ngoketunjia until further notice.

Cameroon’s military on Monday said the video is that of English-speaking fighters expressing anger over the killing of several separatists within the past two days of heavy fighting. VOA could not independently verify the claim.

But in the video, the fighters said they lost two separatists and killed several Cameroon government troops.

Fighters advocating for the creation of an English-speaking state separate from majority French-speaking Cameroon have been waging war against the government since 2017.

Fresh fighting was provoked by a wave of violence including torture and abduction of civilians for ransom, the Cameroon government said.

Officials say at least 50 civilians were abducted and tortured in Bamali village within the past three weeks. Villagers said families had to pay at least $500 for each kidnap victim to regain freedom. The government says dozens more who were abducted are still in separatist camps.

Cameroon’s military says in some separatist-controlled areas, fighters have ordered drivers to paint taxis blue and white, the colors separatist groups are using in the flag of Ambazonia, the republic they hope to create out of Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions.

Several dozen taxis that defied the separatist order have been torched, the government says.

Deben Tchoffo, the governor of the Northwest region, said more troops will be deployed in the days ahead to make sure civilians are protected from a new wave of separatist abductions, rape, maiming, killing, looting and torching goods. He also said Cameroon President Paul Biya has ordered that civilians can assist government troops by creating local militias to fight and stop separatists from causing atrocities.

Tchoffo said fighters who drop their weapons and surrender will be pardoned as ordered by Biya.

Separatists say the new wave of attacks is to make Cameroon’s predominantly English -speaking regions ungovernable for the central government in Yaounde until they achieve what they say will be their complete independence.

According to rights groups, the current fighting and atrocities committed by both government troops and separatists has displaced several hundred civilians including recent returnees.

Gaby Ambo, the executive director of FGI, a rights group with headquarters in Bamenda, capital of the Northwest region, said civilians are particularly angry because the Cameroon government is not doing enough to protect people and their property.

“The government has not been able to live up to its responsibility in ensuring that such acts don’t happen anymore. The military too do their own worst. They use guns to intimidate the people and extort money from them. The reign of impunity is beyond measure, it is beyond control and this is how gross the violations are actually growing by the day and so we are expecting some serious actions that can actually make the government understand that the rights of these people are cardinal,” he said.

Ambo said many people who returned, trying to rebuild their lives, are leaving troubled towns and villages.

During his visit to Cameroon last week, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk called for an end to Cameroon’s separatist conflict.

The International Crisis Group says more than 6,000 people have been killed and the unrest has deprived 750,000 children, especially girls of education.

Source: VOA