YAOUND, Feb 18, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Host nation Cameroon will face Mali,
Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe in Group A of the African Nations Championship
following the draw on Monday.
The tournament, which exclusively features players from each nation’s
respective national championships, was supposed to be hosted by Ethiopia but
was moved to Cameroon after the Ethiopian football authorities admitted the
country was not ready to hold the event.
Elsewhere DR Congo will play neighbours Congo in Group B alongside Libya
and Niger, while in Group C holders Morocco face Togo, Rwanda and Uganda.
The tournament, which will kick off on April 4 when Cameroon take on
Zimbabwe, is rounded off by Zambia, Guinea, Namibia and Tanzania in Group D.
The event will be hosted by the cities of Yaounde, Douala and Limbe and
will also serve as a warm-up for Cameroon ahead of the arrival of the Africa
Cup of Nations (CAN) next year.
The 2019 edition of the CAN was moved from Cameroon to Egypt after delays
to infrastructure works needed for the tournament to take place.
The country is also faced with two bloody conflicts. In the north of the
country, assaults from jihadist group Boko Haram have intensified in recent
months, while more than 3,000 people have died and at least 700,000 have been
forced to flee their homes since October 2017 as English-speaking separatist
groups clash with security forces.
Groups at 2020 African Nations Championship:
Group A: Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe
Group B: Libya, DR Congo, Congo, Niger
Group C: Morocco, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda
Group D: Zambia, Guinea, Namibia, Tanzania