Cameroon Grants FCFA 500m Assistance To Haiti

The government of Cameroon through the President of the Republic, Paul Biya has dispatched the sum of FCFA 500 million as financial assistance to Haiti, following the earthquake disaster that claimed some 200,000 lives recently.

This information is contained in a press release issued last January 27 by Communication Minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who had earlier announced the assistance at a press conference in Yaounde on January 22.
It was on January 10 that the Caribbean Island country was hit by a devastating earthquake reportedly resulting in the death of some 200, 000 people.

The financial assistance and a pontifical mass in Yaounde last January 28 showed Cameroon’s solidarity towards its friendly bothers and sisters of Haiti. Some two weeks ago President Paul Biya sent a message of condolence to them.

The Minister of Communication said in the release that Cameroonians who have relatives or friends in Haiti can call officials of the Ministry of External Relations using the following telephone numbers: (237) 74 62 83 81 or (237) 22 20 57 47 from where they could be linked up with people either at the UN Headquarters in New York or in Haiti itself for further inquiries.

During the press conference, Issa Tchiroma justifying why it took so long for Cameroon to make such a public declaration on the Haitian earthquake situation, revealed that Cameroon has no diplomatic mission in Haiti and that they had to rely solely on the United Nations for any information.

Meanwhile, Minister Tchiroma said eventhough Cameroon has no diplomatic mission in Haiti, it has permanent representatives at the UN who he said are in contact with the secretariat of the UN Secretary General.
According to the Minister, government has sent civil servants to be part of the UN team in Haiti and a contingent of 12 policemen who are part of the UN Peace Keeping Force in that country.

He gave assurances that all the 12 police officers are alive and secured but that one of the civil servants, Ngeke Roseline, is presumed dead. "We also have a brother whose two legs have been fractured and is under intensive care in a hospital in the neighbouring Dominican Republic," Tchiroma stated.

By DOH JAMES SONKEY IN YAOUNDE