Monthly Archives: August 2025

6, August 2025

US demands $15,000 deposit for visa applicants from two African countries ⁰

The US will require citizens from Malawi and Zambia to pay a $15,000 (£11,300) deposit for a tourist or business visa, according to the US state department.

The 12-month pilot programme aims to curb visa overstays “or where screening and vetting information is considered deficient”, according to a notice published by the state department.

Officials say that citizens of countries other than Malawi and Zambia may soon also need to pay a similar deposit, which will be returned at the end of their visit to the US.

The US administration has taken several steps to further President Donald Trump’s agenda of stemming illegal immigration.

Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term to this effect.

The state department notice, published on Tuesday, says: “Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program.

“Consular officers may require covered non-immigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.”

Figures published in 2023 by the US Department of Homeland Security show that about 14% of visitors from Malawi overstay their visas, compared to 11% of Zambian visitors.

Other countries with high overstay rates include Haiti (31%), Myanmar (27%) and Yemen (20%).

Zambia Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe told the BBC that the government was “engaging our counterparts to get a full understanding of the implications and what can be done, if anything, to address the underlying issues”.

Since coming to office in January, Trump has signed orders to roll back humanitarian programmes for migrants from certain countries who are already in the US.

The Republican president has also banned foreign nationals from 12 countries from travelling to the US, and imposed partial restrictions on another seven.

His administration has revoked visas for hundreds of international students and detained several others on college campuses across the US, often without any warning or recourse for appeals.

The state department has said it is targeting those who were involved in activities that “run counter” to US national interests.

Many of those targeted have participated in some form of pro-Palestinian activity.

But there have been other cases where cancellations appear to be connected to those with some sort of criminal record, or legal infractions like driving over the speed limit, immigration lawyers have said.

Source: BBC

5, August 2025

Cameroon’s debt to China now 2.5 times that owed to France ⁰

As of June 30, 2025, China remains Cameroon’s largest bilateral creditor, according to the Caisse autonome d’amortissement (CAA), the country’s public debt agency. China accounts for 65% of Cameroon’s bilateral debt, representing 20.2% of total external debt, officially estimated at CFA2,648.3 billion.

This puts China’s share at 2.5 times that of France, a historic partner, which holds 25.6% of Cameroon’s bilateral debt, or 8% of total external debt. The CAA said China continues to be “a preferred partner in the infrastructure and energy sectors.”

China has become Cameroon’s main investor over the past decade, driven by large infrastructure projects launched in the 2010s. These include bridges, roads, and dams, mostly financed by Eximbank China. The loans are tied to Chinese firms, meaning each agreement designates a Chinese contractor to carry out the work.

Chinese companies remain active in Cameroon’s infrastructure and energy sectors. Major players include CCCC, CWE, CHEC, and Sinohydro in construction, and Huawei and ZTE in telecommunications.

While these loans have funded key infrastructure, they come with high repayment obligations. Chinese loans are typically non-concessional, adding pressure to debt servicing. In the first quarter of 2024, Cameroon repaid CFA148.2 billion to Eximbank China—CFA34.7 billion in interest and CFA113.5 billion in principal. These were the country’s largest repayments to any creditor group during that period.

The size of China’s loan portfolio has created repayment difficulties. In July 2019, Cameroon secured a rescheduling agreement with Eximbank to avoid default. The deal covered 22 projects valued at about CFA150 billion and allowed 70% of the principal due from July 2019 to March 2022 to be rescheduled.

Source: Business in Cameroon

5, August 2025

2025 Presidential Election: if Kamto cannot run at the ballot, millions will run to the streets ⁰

In a calculated act of cowardice dressed in political theater, the electoral umpire, ELECAM, on Saturday, July 26, 2025, invoked the “double investiture” clause, selectively and maliciously, to disqualify Maurice Kamto from contesting the upcoming presidential election. Let us call this what it is: a constitutional coup against the Cameroonian people. The law was not applied; it was weaponized. The investiture pretext – that MANIDEM fielded two candidates – is a ridiculous, electoral farce that is laughable and should attract no further comment. Anicet Ekane was the party’s legitimate leader. The Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT)’s website confirmed it; until demons crept in and rewrote digital reality to install a mendicant political jobber, Yebga Dieudonné, as party head. MINAT’s fingerprints are all over this digital crime scene. ELECAM and MINAT have committed a crime against the nation and Cameroon is now teetering on the edge of institutional collapse and civil explosion. By blocking Kamto, the regime is lighting a fuse it cannot control. Repression has never birthed peace; it births resistance. If Kamto cannot run at the ballot box, millions will run to the streets. If choice is denied at the polls, it will be demanded elsewhere. If the Constitutional Council has one atom of independence left, it must annul this grotesque electoral perversion and injustice. But if it too kneels to power, then let the people rise. For when democracy is betrayed from above, it must be reclaimed from below. ELECAM and MINAT have declared war on the Cameroonian people. The Biya regime has set fire to the social contract. And when the flames reach Etoudi, let them not pretend they weren’t warned.

And let us not forget: while Kamto is disqualified over a fabricated procedural excuse, Paul Biya – 93 years old and in power for 43 years – remains a candidate. ELECAM’s own website confirms that the CPDM submitted two candidates: Biya and Onana Leon Theiler. Univers also fielded two: Akere Muna and Membouet Chantale Adelaid. So why were Biya and Muna cleared, but Kamto rejected? Because only Kamto poses a real threat to Biya’s lifelong grip on power. The message is clear: only Kamto must fall, because only Kamto can win. ELECAM is not an electoral umpire; it is a political hit squad. It doesn’t count votes; it butchers hope. It doesn’t defend democracy; it buries it. With MINAT as its accomplice, ELECAM has turned the 2025 election into a funeral for Cameroon’s democratic dreams. Let there be no illusions: this is not democracy. It is gangsterism disguised as governance with a ballot box for a mask. Cameroon is ruled by a cabal of power mongers and their cronies; draining the state and now destroying even the idea of electoral choice.

At the head of this cabal is Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, secretary general at the presidency and the true power behind the empty throne. Unelected and deranged by delusions of grandeur, Ngoh Ngoh suffers from incurable money-mindedness, and he will stop at nothing in his quest for personal financial gain! The palace’s invisible hand, has proven himself the true head of state; Biya is now just the ceremonial ghost of a bygone dictatorship. Ngoh Ngoh rules by proxy, bypassing state institutions and dictating who lives or dies politically; while Paul Biya, the embalmed relic of tyranny, is wheeled out for ceremonial deception. Alongside Ngoh Ngoh is the MINAT boss, Paul Atanga Nji, a political vandal with neither conscience nor competence. In 1997, Atanga Nji, (then head of a money-laundering outfit called Highland Corporation Bank) paid The Herald newspaper FCFA 1,000,000 to run a fake story, alleging Fru Ndi had ordered the kidnapping of the wife of then Ambassador Christopher Nsahlai in Bamenda. The reason was to frame Fru Ndi with bogus charges that will disqualify him from contesting the 1997 presidential election; after his victory in 1992 was stolen. The plan did not materialize because the SDF boycotted the election after their demand for an independent electoral commission was ignored. Today, the same Atanga Nji repeats that script; now with state institutions as his weapon. This is not just déjà vu – this is systemic political cannibalism.

And then, there’s first lady, Chantal Biya, the unelected queen of opulence, who struts through Etoudi like Marie Antoinette with a wig and no throne. Her only credential is proximity to the corpse of power, but she has turned the presidency into a private estate; wielding influence like a scepter showcasing her addiction to conspicuous consumption, primitive accumulation and material aggrandizement. Together with Jacques Fame Ndongo, a Beti ethnic supremacist and pseudo-intellectual mercenary, they have formed a quartet of ruin throttling the soul of the nation- a criminal syndicate, dragging Cameroon deeper into the abyss of lawlessness, tyranny, and impending collapse.Kamto was not disqualified – he was politically lynched. His only crime? Being viable, principled and electable. He represents the last hope of democratic redemption, so they decided to bury him beneath a mountain of fabricated procedure. This must not stand. If the constitutional council; that hollow chamber of cowards and sycophant careerists, dares to rubber-stamp this injustice, it will be acting as an accomplice. And if voters are denied their right to choose, they must reclaim it with every tool of resistance available. For no regime, however entrenched, can survive the fury of a people united in their quest for freedom.

Let it be shouted from every rooftop: ELECAM’s rejection of Kamto’s candidacy, aided by MINAT, is not just a legal abomination – it is a national scandal, and a disgrace. But this is no error; it is a calculated strategy. ELECAM has declared war on Cameroonian democracy, transforming from electoral umpire to regime enforcer and hit man. With a single contrived technicality, it erased not just a candidate, but the hopes of millions who believe in change. Kamto posed a threat to the crumbling oligarchy, which is why he was rejected for the same infraction that Univers and the CPDM were exonerated. Kamto wasn’t eliminated by justice, but by a political death squad masquerading as an electoral umpire. Even more damning is MINAT’s role. Anicet Ekane, MANIDEM’s legitimate leader, endorsed Kamto. Yet overnight, Yebga Dieudonné emerged from the shadows as party leader and presidential candidate. It stretches credulity for Atanga Nji to blame hackers for the name swap on MINAT’s website. Really? This isn’t just administrative incompetence; its fraud, and political treason. What we’re witnessing is a coordinated demolition of electoral integrity and a betrayal of democracy’s core principles; that casts doubts over the credibility of the electoral process.

Let it be clear: Biya’s Cameroon is not a functioning state; it is a prison, where the rule of law lies buried in unmarked graves. Here, law serves power, truth is forged in secret backrooms, and the people are spectators to their own disenfranchisement. To ELECAM and Atanga Nji: your names will be recorded in the book of betrayal, alongside traitors, and enablers who helped murder the dreams of a nation. History will not remember you as public servants, but as arsonists – you drenched the constitution in gasoline and struck the match. When the flames consume what remains of the nation, your names will be written in the ashes. To Cameroonians: do not despair. This is your moment of reckoning. Do not plead for dignity; demand it. Do not wait for justice from compromised institutions; deliver your own verdict. Do not sit idle while democracy is strangled. In 1992, Fru Ndi was robbed and bribed into silence by regime apologists like Enow Abrams Egbe – now ELECAM Board Chairman – who, in the manuscript of his unpublished memoir, admits that as Secretary General at the Northwest Governor’s Office, he received billions of francs from Yaoundé to buy Fru Ndi’s silence, leading to the Chairman’s ultimate betrayal of the cause for change. The monies exchanged hands at Fru Ndi’s farm, sometimes, in the presence of then-Northwest Governor, Bell Luc Rene.

Knowing how the regime operates, Cameroonians must now ask themselves: are we citizens, or captives? Will we watch silently as a vampire elite devours the nation’s soul, or will we rise and reclaim our stolen future? Fru Ndi was silenced. Kamto is being sidelined. Who will be next? Without Kamto, the 2025 presidential poll will not just be a stolen election; it will be a stolen nation. Let us speak plainly: ELECAM and MINAT are now enemies of the Cameroonian people. They have not just failed in their duty; they have betrayed it. The people must now become liberators. To all Cameroonians of conscience and goodwill; let your anger be righteous. Let your resistance be relentless. Let your voices be the thunder that breaks 43 years of Biya’s kleptocratic dictatorship. Cameroon belongs to its people; not to tyrants or their parasitic cronies that defile it. Rise. Resist. Reclaim. A new Cameroon must be born, and those who try to bury it will face the judgment of history.

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

5, August 2025

Cameroonian Passport – A Symbol of Shame and Global Embarrassment ⁰

Cameroon’s passport, once a symbol of national identity and pride, has become a glaring emblem of institutional failure. Ranked a dismal 92nd in the 2025 Henley Passport Index (HPI) – unchanged from 2020 and only slightly improved from 2023 – Cameroon’s passport is among the least powerful in the world, trailing behind even some war-torn nations, and granting visa-free access to a paltry 50 countries; most of them obscure, tin pot shithole countries on the world stage. This places it below dozens of African peers with far fewer resources. The miserable ranking is not just a number. In an era when global mobility defines economic opportunity, diplomatic prestige, and national credibility, this is a public indictment of the government’s chronic inability to project global trust, reform immigration systems, and restore dignity to its citizens.

The HPI ranks 199 passports against 227 travel destinations; based on the number of destinations a passport holder can access without a visa. The data used comes from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For the past five years, Cameroon has hovered in the 90th to 93rd position globally, offering little to no improvement in mobility for its citizens. Despite the fanfare over the biometric CEMAC passport, this so-called modernization has done next to nothing to bolster Cameroon’s global standing. Instead, it has become part of a corrupt and opaque system riddled with bribery, delays, and inefficiencies. The production of these biometric passports; outsourced to a foreign outfit with a deeply tainted reputation, has only deepened public mistrust. The pipeline from birth certificate issuance to national ID cards to the final passport has become a minefield of graft, where foreigners with the right bribes can acquire Cameroonian nationality, while actual citizens languish in bureaucratic limbo for months or even years. The result? A passport system so compromised that it is no longer trusted by the international community – and rightly so.

Today, the Cameroon passport stands as a bitter reminder of how far a nation can fall when leaders abdicate their responsibility. This is more than a domestic shame; it is a diplomatic liability that has contributed to Cameroon’s failure to negotiate meaningful visa waiver agreements, and to its citizens being treated as second-class travelers across the globe – detained, denied, and humiliated at foreign ports of entry. The implications are staggering. Students miss academic opportunities. Entrepreneurs are cut off from global markets. Families are separated by borders they cannot cross. And the country’s already battered international image sinks further into the mud. How did a nation of such rich resources, vast potential, and proud people become shackled by a passport that increasingly resembles a scarlet letter on the world stage? The answer lies in years of neglect, corruption, mismanagement, and a complete lack of ambition from those entrusted with Cameroon’s image management abroad.

For too long, Cameroonian authorities have buried their heads in the sand, oblivious to the humiliation their citizens face daily at airports, embassies, and border crossings. Students, professionals, and families are forced to jump through endless hoops and endure degrading scrutiny because the Cameroon passport carries little weight. The root cause? The state’s failure to uphold even basic standards of passport security, transparency in issuance, and international diplomatic engagement.

In a globalized world, a passport is not merely a travel document – it is a declaration of a nation’s credibility. And Cameroon’s declaration is loud and damning: we are not trusted. We are not taken seriously. We do not protect the integrity of our identity.

Compare this to African peers. Seychelles, still leading the continent despite a slight dip to 24th globally, enjoys visa-free access to 156 countries – more than three times what Cameroon offers. Even nations with fewer resources –Botswana, Rwanda, and Benin consistently outperform Cameroon in passport mobility, reflecting their relative success in investing in passport security, tightening internal controls, building strong international partnerships and trust with foreign governments, strengthening domestic institutions, and enhancing global engagement. Cameroon, by contrast, has stagnated; content to let its citizens be treated like pariahs abroad while those in power jet across continents on diplomatic or special passports. This is unacceptable.

The global passport rankings are not about printing fancy passport booklets; or reducing passport application wait times; or electronic visa applications. They reflect how the world sees Cameroon – its internal security, governance, diplomatic capital, economic reputation, and respect for human rights. Cameroon’s low mobility score is not a clerical error. It’s a direct result of persistent security challenges, from insurgency, terrorism to kidnapping and banditry. Also, weak identity management systems, raises doubts abroad about passport authenticity. Besides, corruption in immigration processes, fuel visa fraud and human trafficking. In addition, limited diplomatic outreach undermines the ability to forge bilateral or multilateral visa waiver agreements.

Passport power matters; and this is not just a matter of national prestige. A weak passport constrains everything from business and academic exchange, to emergency travel, to diaspora engagement, and tourism development. When Cameroonian professionals, students, or artists are repeatedly denied access to international opportunities due to onerous visa restrictions, the entire nation loses. It also exacts a financial toll. Visa applications for Cameroonians often come with high fees, lengthy processing times, and humiliating scrutiny. Meanwhile, potential foreign investors and partners take note of these signals: a country whose citizens struggle to move freely often seems closed for business.

Cameroon remains entrenched in dysfunction, with its passport system becoming a microcosm of the broader rot in its public institutions. But why has the government failed to act? Why are fraudulent passport rings still operating with impunity? Why are international partners reluctant to extend visa waivers or bilateral travel agreements to Cameroonians? The answers are as obvious as they are painful – a reputation for corruption, weak governance, and little interest in reciprocal diplomacy. Let’s be clear: this failure is deliberate. It is the product of apathy, corruption, and a systemic disregard for the rights and aspirations of Cameroonians. And it must end.

If the ossified Biya regime is serious about transforming Cameroon’s global standing, passport power must become a national priority. The government should, as a matter of urgency, strengthen diplomatic outreach and engage in serious diplomatic efforts to negotiate visa waivers and reciprocal travel agreements, particularly with strategic trade and education partners. Secondly, audit and overhaul the entire passport issuance pipeline, terminate contracts with corrupt vendors, digitize and secure the process to ensure the integrity of records, and cleanse the system of corruption. Third, invest in national security and governance, which boosts global confidence and opens doors for mobility. Fourth, engage the diaspora, whose positive contributions abroad can help rebrand Cameroon and build goodwill. And finally, restore trust in the Cameroon passport by tackling fraud and prosecute passport racketeering. The government must recognize that global mobility is not a luxury; it is a basic element of national development, human capital strategy, and international influence.

The passport is more than just a travel document. It is a symbol of how the world sees Cameroon; and how Cameroonians see themselves. The biometric CEMAC passport is merely a reminder of how far Cameroon still has to go; hence Cameroonians should not settle for mediocrity masked as progress. Cameroonians deserve a passport that speaks of honor, not suspicion. They deserve access to the world, not its locked gates. A nation is only as respected as the value of its documents. Until Cameroon wakes up to this reality, the Cameroonian passport will remain what it has become – a symbol of corruption, a source of shame, and a lock on the aspirations of millions of Cameroonians. It is time to secure the Cameroonian passport; anything less is betrayal.

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

4, August 2025

Kremlin plays down Trump’s nuclear rhetoric as US envoy set to visit Moscow ⁰

The Kremlin has played down Donald Trump’s orders to move two nuclear submarines closer to Russia, saying Moscow did not want to be involved in polemics.

In the first official reaction since the US president’s comments last Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said American submarines were on combat duty anyway and dismissed the idea that there had been an escalation.

“Very complex, very sensitive issues are being discussed, which, of course, many perceive very emotionally,” Peskov said – though he added that everyone should be “very cautious” with nuclear rhetoric.

US envoy Steve Witkoff is due to visit Russia on Wednesday, according to Russian media.

Last week President Trump ordered two nuclear submarines to “be positioned in the appropriate regions” in response to what he called “highly provocative” comments by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Trump did not say whether they were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines.

Medvedev – who in recent years has espoused increasingly extreme rhetoric online – had accused Trump of “playing the ultimatum game” with Russia after the US president set a new deadline for Vladimir Putin to end the war with Ukraine.

Without referencing the Medvedev spat directly, Peskov said on Monday that while “in every country members of the leadership… have different points of view”, Russian foreign policy was dictated by Putin alone.

Medvedev did not react to Trump’s response and has not been active on X since sending the offending post.

Relations between the US and Russia improved significantly after Trump took office in January – although in recent months the US president has signalled he suspects Putin may not be truly committed to ending the war in Ukraine, which began when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Now Trump has brought forward a deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal, threatening Moscow with severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports if a ceasefire is not agreed by Friday 8 August.

Still, Washington and Moscow remain in contact and Peskov welcomed Witkoff’s trip later this week.

Source: BBC

4, August 2025

Cameroon is developing its road network ⁰

Cameroon’s paved road network is expanding fast, with over 1,000km being surfaced during this year. The investment in road development is having positive benefits for transport and the economy and at the end of December 2024, Cameroon had 10,575 km of paved roads, according to the Ministry of Public Works. Meanwhile, Cameroon’s road network has grown from 55,000km in 1984 to 121,873km at the end of 2024, reflecting the strong growth for transport.

Work for the road linking Ngaoundéré and Garoua will commence before the close of 2025. And a contractor has won the package of works to build the new link road into Douala, the country’s largest city, economic centre and key port. Specific dates for the commencement of these works have still to be announced.

Timelines for road contracts can vary according to the Ministry of Works, with the rainy season causing work to halt periodically.

New road links between Cameroon and neighbouring nations such as Nigeria, Chad and Gabon are further boosting the country’s trade and economic development. Nigeria’s coastal highway project linking Calabar with Lagos and the highway linking Lagos with Ivory Coast capital Abidjan, passing through Ghana, Benin and Togo, will further develop transport between Central Africa and West Africa.

Culled from globalhighways.com

4, August 2025

Biya regime calls on foreign allies to secure its embassies ahead of election ⁰

On July 31, Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, addressed foreign diplomats in Yaoundé, briefing them on the upcoming October 12 presidential election and reminding them of the international obligation to protect diplomatic premises.

Mbella Mbella stated that because Cameroon is committed to international conventions governing relations with its partners, it expects the strict application of protection measures for diplomatic and consular personnel and buildings. He added, “I know I can count on you in this regard.”

The government is concerned that the presidential election could serve as a pretext for Cameroonians abroad to protest at their embassies. In the past, Cameroonians opposed to the government vandalized the embassy in Paris, spray-painted the one in Germany, assaulted the Cameroonian ambassador in Belgium, and attacked a ministerial delegation in Brussels. These incidents have angered officials in Yaoundé, who often respond by summoning the ambassadors of the countries where the incidents occurred.

Despite this history, Mbella Mbella thanked the ambassadors for the welcome and hospitality extended to Cameroonian nationals in their respective countries.

He underscored the importance of a peaceful election for Cameroon, given its strategic position in the Gulf of Guinea. He called on partner countries and international bodies such as the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the OIC, the Francophonie, and the Commonwealth to support the country during the election.

Source: Sbbc

4, August 2025

Catholic priest swept away in a river in Mamfe found dead ⁰

The Catholic Diocese of Mamfe in Cameroon has confirmed the death of. Fr. Carol Tchinda Nguito, Parish Priest of St. Mathias Quasi Parish in Tabongkwa, who was swept away by a raging riveron his way from mission.

“It is with a heart full of sorrow that on behalf of Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius Abangalo Fondong, the Bishop of Mamfe, I make this announcement to you that he has been found dead,” Fr. Julius Agbortoko, Acting Vicar General of the Cameroonian Diocese, says in a statement issued Saturday, August 2.

Fr. Carol had gone missing on July 31 while crossing a river during a pastoral trek. His disappearance prompted a coordinated search and rescue mission, supported by Clergy, family members, and the PArishioners of St. Mathias Quasi Parish.

In the statement, Fr. Agbortoko expresses appreciation “for [the] ceaseless prayers and support during the period of the search and rescue mission.”

He also extends gratitude to the Priests, family members, and Christian community of Tabongkwa “for their endless courage.”

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, August 3, at 9:00 a.m. in St. Joseph Cathedral, Mamfe.

“Let us commend the soul of our Priest, Rev. Fr. Carol Tchinda Nguito, to the Lord, that He may grant him a share of eternal life in His bosom,” the Acting Vicar General says and implores, “May Mary, Mother of Priests and Help of Christians, intercede for him.”

St. Matthias Quasi Parish, Tabongkwa-Mbetta which is under the pastoral care of Fr. Carol serves rural communities in Cameroon’s South-West region which have been ravaged by violence for close to a decade.

Cameroon’s English-speaking North-West and South-West regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

Source: aciafrica

4, August 2025

Bishop Paul Lontsié-Keuné says weak politics affects national stability ⁰

A Catholic bishop in Cameroon has warned against the absence of political alternation, saying that it can only breed conflict.

Bishop Paul Lontsié-Keuné of Bafoussam was addressing Christians on July 30 in what he called a “special message” ahead of presidential election in Cameroon scheduled to take place October 12.

“Injustice can never bring peace. Electoral fraud can never bring peace. Lawlessness can never bring peace. Fear can never bring peace. The absence of political alternation prepares the ground for future conflict, not peace,” the bishop said.

It was an apparent swipe at President Paul Biya who is seeking an 8th term of office. The Cameroonian leader is now 92 years old, but 43 of those years have been as president.

“Political alternation in a democracy is a great good for a nation, for it allows for a peaceful renewal of power, prevents power from being monopolized by a single group, strengthens the legitimacy of institutions, fosters accountability among leaders, and gives citizens the sense of being truly sovereign,” said Lontsié-Keuné.

Since the introduction of multi-party politics in Cameroon in 1990, Cameroon has had five presidential elections, all of which had ended with accusations of massive fraud. In all of them, Biya was always declared winner.

The bishop’s message comes amid rising tensions after Biya’s main political rival, Prof. Maurice Kamto was barred by the elections management body ELECAM from participating in the October polls.

ELECAM rejected Kamto’s application on grounds that the MANIDEM party under which he was running had submitted multiple candidacy files – a decision widely seen by critics as politically motivated.

Lontsié-Keuné questioned the transparency of the process, suggesting it may have been manipulated to bar the president’s most formidable political foe.

Kamto has however appealed his case to the Constitutional Council-the court that that hears matters concerning electoral disputes in Cameroon.

The Bafoussam bishop has urged members of the Constitutional Council to act in truth and with their conscience to “uphold the law, and only the law” and “to deliver justice, and only justice.”

He explained that upholding the law means being “free from all political, administrative, or partisan influence, and in faithfulness to the oath they have sworn so that the people may genuinely feel that justice has been done.”

The decision to bar Kamto in the first place has attracted criticism from Human Rights Watch. In a July 29 release, the human rights advocacy organization said the decision to bar Kamto from the October 12 polls “raises concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.”

“The election commission has raised doubt on an election before the votes are even cast,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Excluding the most popular opponent from the electoral process will leave a shadow over whatever results are eventually announced,” she said.

Lontsié-Keuné fears that the “toxic political climate” resulting from the process could only breed conflict.

In his July 30 message, the bishop denounced an environment marked by “lies, manipulation, intimidation, fear, denial of rights, injustice, corruption, vote buying, the instrumentalization of law, and its flexible interpretation for political ends.”

However, concerns about the electoral process itself are emerging. Lontsié-Keune questioned whether postponing local elections from February 2025 to 2026 was a mere administrative adjustment or a deliberate strategic maneuver.

The postponement followed opposition leader Prof. Maurice Kamto’s call for a boycott of the polls, originally scheduled for February 2025.

Subsequently, the government introduced a clause into the electoral code stipulating that any political party must hold at least one seat on a local council or have representation in parliament to field a presidential candidate.

The effect of this new clause was immediate and specific: It disqualified Kamto’s Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) from presenting a candidate in the 2025 Presidential election. Consequently, Kamto was forced to seek the presidency under the banner of a different political party, MANIDEM

The bishop also cast doubt on the legitimacy of Elections Cameroon (Elecam) and the Constitutional Council, highlighting their nearly systematic rejection of appeals and complaints.

Lontsié-Keune demanded to know whether such dismissals truly aligned with the Electoral Code’s provisions.

Furthermore, he condemned repeated attacks on public freedoms.

“We have observed systematic restrictions on the freedoms granted to citizens and political parties, alongside a shrinking public space,” the bishop stated. “These actions — accompanied by threats, intimidation, and bans — do they signal democratic anxiety or a deliberate desire to silence the population?”

Warning of rising tribalism and hate speech, particularly on social media, Lontsié-Keune emphasized that this trend dangerously deepens social fractures and reinforces a “divide and rule” dynamic.

Biya appears poised to secure another term in Cameroon’s October polls, facing a fragmented opposition that has been weakened by the absence of his strongest rival.

However, such an outcome would likely displease Cameroon’s Catholic bishops, who outlined specific leadership qualities for the nation’s next president in a March Pastoral Letter.

The bishops emphasized that the new leader must embody “integrity, humility, modesty, and moral leadership,” serving as a compass for governance. Crucially, they insisted the president must shun personal enrichment and commit to visiting every region of the country at least once during their term.

By these standards, Biya falls significantly short. Under his 43 year rule, Cameroon earned the dubious distinction of being twice named the world’s most corrupt nation — directly contradicting the call for integrity.

Furthermore, despite his decades in power, he has yet to visit all regions of the country, failing to meet the bishops’ explicit travel requirement. His leadership has also been criticized for entrenching tribalism, further undermining the moral leadership qualities the bishops deem essential.

Source: Crux

1, August 2025

Battle for Etoudi: Travel ban on Issa Tchiroma sparks fierce storm ⁰

On 31 July 2025, Cameroonian presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary was barred from flying to Senegal at Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport.

Tchiroma, who leads the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC) party, was accompanied by his daughter. The pair intended to visit the grave of former president Ahmadou Ahidjo in Dakar.

Eyewitnesses and local media report that airport officials told Tchiroma he could not travel, citing undisclosed “orders from above”.

Notably, officials provided no written documentation, warrant, or legal justification for the travel ban.

As of 1 August, the Cameroonian government has remained silent, intensifying speculation that the decision was politically motivated.

POLITICAL CONTEXT DEEPENS PUBLIC SUSPICION

Tchiroma’s sudden travel restriction comes amid his active campaign for Cameroon’s 12 October 2025 presidential election.

In June 2025, he resigned from his government post, publicly criticising President Paul Biya’s administration as “broken” and “paralysed”.

Since launching his presidential bid, Tchiroma has called for structural reforms, promising to dismantle the current regime and restore constitutional order.

His push for an opposition coalition has gained momentum in recent weeks.

The Issa Tchiroma travel ban’s timing, coinciding with the intensifying coalition-building efforts, has fuelled fears of electoral manipulation.

LEGAL UNCERTAINTY FUELS PUBLIC OUTRAGE

Legal experts and civil society organisations are raising serious constitutional concerns. Cameroon’s laws guarantee citizens the freedom of movement, yet Tchiroma’s ban was issued verbally, without a court order or legal precedent.

Legal scholars and human rights observers argue that the travel restriction on Issa Tchiroma may violate Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which guarantees individuals the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return.

Article 13(2) of the UDHR states, “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”

Cameroon is a signatory to the UDHR and has incorporated many of its provisions into national legal frameworks.

Meanwhile, public reaction has been swift, with widespread condemnation from civil society and activists accusing the government of suppressing dissent.

OPPOSITION LEADERS CONDEMN THE MOVE

Opposition figures, including members of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) and the Social Democratic Front (SDF), have strongly condemned the travel ban.

They describe it as a direct attack on democracy, warning it could undermine the legitimacy of the upcoming vote.

Sources close to Issa Tchiroma Bakary have acknowledged the challenges posed by the travel ban but stressed their commitment to continuing political activities and dialogue ahead of the election.

A TURNING POINT IN CAMEROON’S 2025 ELECTION

Society accuses President Paul Biya of political repression, aiming to limit fair competition. Human rights groups have consistently condemned the government’s actions, including arbitrary arrests and crackdowns on protests.

As of August 2025, the African Union (AU) has not made a formal statement, but legal experts and monitoring groups remain vigilant.

Barrister Agbor Balla, a leading Cameroonian human rights lawyer and constitutional expert, has urged the government to respect constitutional rights.

He warns that travel bans without due process violate both national laws and international human rights standards.

This incident adds to political tensions, especially after the electoral commission barred opposition leader Maurice Kamto, increasing concerns over the fairness of the upcoming election.

WILL CAMEROON PROTECT ELECTORAL INTEGRITY OR CONTINUE THE CRACKDOWN?

Culled from The South African