More than two years after launching a nationwide audit of military pension payments, Cameroon has begun restoring child pension supplements to retirees whose claims were confirmed as legitimate.

In a directive signed on June 18, 2026, Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze instructed the directors general of the Budget and Treasury departments to reinstate the child allowance for pensioners found to be eligible after the review.

The directive also orders the payment of all back benefits from the date the allowance was suspended, without requiring a recovery order. The decision marks a new phase in a process that began after authorities uncovered widespread irregularities in the documents submitted to qualify for the benefit.

A benefit worth up to 10% of a pension

The child supplement is a lifetime benefit paid to retired members of Cameroon’s defense and security forces who raised children meeting the legal eligibility requirements.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the allowance amounts to 10% of a retiree’s basic pension for the first three children, plus an additional 5% for each child starting with the fourth.

The benefit may also be paid to the surviving beneficiaries of deceased military personnel. To qualify, children must have reached the age of 16 for military personnel and 21 for police officers by the time the beneficiary retired.

Designed to supplement retirees’ income, the program gradually became vulnerable to document fraud. A joint task force created by the Ministries of Finance and Defense in 2022 found what authorities described as an abnormal rise in spending.

Between 2013 and 2020, the number of pensioners receiving the supplement increased by 60%, while the program’s cost rose by 98%. Those discrepancies prompted the Ministry of Finance to order a nationwide review.

Nearly one in three birth certificates found to be fraudulent

The audit focused on verifying the authenticity of birth certificates submitted by retirees. Investigators compared the documents with records held by municipal authorities and civil registration offices. Of the 47,258 birth certificates examined, 15,053 were found to be fraudulent, representing nearly 32% of all documents reviewed.

Following those findings, the government suspended the child supplement for 4,300 pensioners in July 2024. Authorities also opened an appeal process, allowing affected retirees to submit additional evidence and challenge the audit’s conclusions.

According to figures released by the Budget Department on February 27, 2025, 1,537 of the 4,300 affected pensioners filed appeals. The review found that 498 retirees had submitted authentic birth certificates and met all eligibility requirements. They will now have their benefits restored and receive all unpaid amounts dating back to the suspension.

Separating legitimate claims from fraud

The audit also uncovered confirmed cases of fraud. According to the Budget Department, 838 pensioners admitted using fraudulent birth certificates to increase their pension payments. Their pension files were to be revised in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Another 201 cases remained under review by the National Civil Registry Office and the General Delegation for National Security. At the end of the first phase of the process, 2,763 pensioners had not responded, even though the deadline for appeals had been set for the end of April 2025.

By restoring the allowance to retirees whose claims were validated, the government aims to distinguish proven fraud from cases that could be regularized. The objective is both to protect the rights of legitimate beneficiaries and to ensure that efforts to clean up the pension system do not unfairly penalize retirees with valid claims.

The decision also forms part of the government’s broader effort to strengthen oversight of public payroll and pension spending. It highlights the scale of document fraud, with nearly one-third of the birth certificates reviewed found to be irregular.

The next challenge will be to complete the reinstatement of benefits, pay outstanding arrears, and continue reviewing the thousands of cases that remain unresolved.

Source: Sbbc

The trial over the murder of Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo resumes on July 13 before the Yaoundé Military Court, with proceedings focused on the continued cross-examination of cybercrime expert Jean-Pierre Ouloumou, who analyzed mobile phones seized during the investigation.

The hearing picks up after proceedings were suspended on June 23 by presiding judge Colonel Jacques Baudouin Misse Njonè at the expert’s request after he showed signs of fatigue following two days of testimony. Accredited by Cameroon’s Ministry of Justice to serve courts in Yaoundé and Douala, Ouloumou was appointed in 2023 by then-investigating judge Lieutenant Colonel Aimé Florent Sikati Kamwo II. His assignment was to examine phones seized during the investigation into the kidnapping, torture, and killing of Martinez Zogo, whose body was found near Yaoundé in January 2023.

Digital evidence comes under close scrutiny

When the expert’s report was presented to the court on June 22 and 23, it triggered tense exchanges with lawyers representing the civil parties, who sought explanations on several issues they consider unresolved.

Among the questions raised was why Ouloumou had recommended that investigating authorities release businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, one of the main defendants. Lawyers for the civil parties argued that by making such a recommendation, the expert may have exceeded the technical scope of his assignment. They also questioned why that recommendation applied only to Amougou Belinga, even though Ouloumou said he had found no incriminating evidence on the phones of two other defendants.

Another issue concerned claims made in court by some defense lawyers that the expert had approached them in an attempt to influence their position. Ouloumou did not confirm those allegations during his testimony.

Defense resumes questioning

The hearing will resume where it left off, with questions from Jacques Mbuny, counsel for Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, the former director of operations at the General Directorate for External Research (DGRE), who is among the principal defendants.

The DGRE occupies a central place in the prosecution’s case, as the investigation implicated alleged members of the intelligence service in the journalist’s kidnapping and murder. However, the court has yet to determine the criminal responsibility of each defendant.

After Mbuny’s questioning, lawyers for the remaining defendants are expected to examine the expert. A total of 17 people are standing trial in the case. Prosecutors will then have the opportunity to re-examine the witness and address issues raised during cross-examination.

Two days of hearings

Hearings are scheduled for July 13 and 14. They are expected to clarify the scope and significance of the cellphone forensic report, which has emerged as one of the main points of contention between the civil parties, the defense, and the prosecution.

Beyond the data extracted from the devices, the court will also assess Ouloumou’s methodology, the limits of his assignment, and the evidentiary value of his conclusions in a case where technical forensic evidence has become increasingly central.

Source: Sbbc

All 15 crew members aboard a cargo ship were rescued early Sunday after it collided with another vessel near Douala, Cameroon’s main port city, authorities said.

According to the Port Authority of Douala, the collision involved the outbound MV Sea Honor and the inbound MV Black Rhino.

Rescue teams responded swiftly, evacuating all crew members from the MV Black Rhino before launching operations to clear the shipping channel.

The MV Sea Honor was escorted to the anchorage area, while the MV Black Rhino was intentionally run aground to ensure the safety of the navigation channel. Authorities confirmed later on Sunday that the channel was fully reopened.

“No casualties were reported,” the port authority said in a statement. “Both vessels sustained significant material damage, and navigation was temporarily disrupted.”

Preliminary findings indicate that a loss of steering control aboard the MV Black Rhino was the likely cause of the collision. A full technical investigation is underway.

Source: Xinhuanet