Cintia A. , Lebledparle.com
This morning’s big headline in Emergence is the shocking verdict in a feminicide case. The abusive husband of the victim, Diane Yangwo, got away with a suspended sentence of 5 years and a fine of 52,000 CFA francs. Public opinion is outraged.
La Nouvelle Expression also features this scandalous case with the headline: “Wife’s killer set free.” Following the death of his wife, a teacher in the city of Douala, all evidence collected by investigators concluded that the victim had died from the abuse inflicted by her husband. A judge simply gave him a suspended sentence.
In its Friday edition, L’Indépendant focuses on the causes of power outages. Decades of underinvestment in the construction of energy transport and distribution infrastructure have taken a toll. About 900,000 outdated wooden poles need replacing. The commissioning of the Nachtigal dam currently injects 420 MW into the Southern Interconnected Network (RIS). Read more on pages 6 and 7.
This issue is also on the front page of Le Drapeau. Power outages are intensifying across the country, highlighting the deterioration of the energy transmission and distribution network. Out of 1.6 million wooden poles, 800,000 are defective, leading to frequent interruptions, especially during the rainy season. ENEO, heavily in debt, is struggling to invest in infrastructure modernization. In response to the urgency, the government has launched a program to replace wooden poles with concrete ones. More details on page 3.
Le Témoin headlines: “Special status for teachers: Joseph Le brings hope back to the lords of the chalk.” The Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, Joseph Le, received on Tuesday the proposed amendment to the special status of teachers. This key step, marked by a ceremony attended by the Minister of State for Higher Education, is the result of a long process undertaken by the government and steadily implemented by the Ministry of Public Service.
World economy: “The American shockwave” is the headline of Cameroon Tribune. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that all products imported into the United States would now be subject to a minimum 10% tariff (20% for the European Union and 34% for China), shaking the foundations of free trade at a time when the World Trade Organization, supposed to regulate global trade, remains inactive. However, beyond the threat, Africa can turn the situation to its advantage by processing its natural resources to benefit from duty exemptions under the AGOA program, which runs until next September and may be renewed. Pages 10-11.
We wrap up this press review with Info Santé, which reports that many cases of poliovirus have been detected in Cameroon. Confirmed in the health districts of Ndélélé, Batouri, Ngaoundéré Urbain, Deido, Vele, and Kousséri, these cases put the entire country at risk of silent circulation of poliomyelitis variants. Full story on page 5.
