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25, February 2026

Biya regime orders 3,442 teachers to prove status or face payroll removal ⁰

Secondary Education Minister Nalova Lyonga on February 23 published a list of 3,442 teachers ordered to report to “door 507 bis” of her ministry within fourteen days. Those concerned must present “supporting documents confirming their current administrative status, failing which they will be simply and outright removed from the state payroll,” she said.

The summons follows a data collection exercise conducted by the Ministry of Finance through Cameroon’s airports. An analysis of travel records showed that the officials had traveled outside Cameroon in recent years. According to sources familiar with the matter, the objective is now to verify that they have returned to the country and are effectively present at their assigned posts.

Emigration to Canada in the Background

The operation comes amid continued emigration, particularly to Canada. In recent years, many Cameroonian teachers have left their posts to seek better opportunities abroad while continuing to receive salaries in Cameroon. For the state, the issue is also fiscal: such situations create budgetary losses and weaken the continuity of public education services.

Removing teachers who have emigrated to Canada or other countries from the payroll is part of the broader Physical Headcount of State Personnel (Coppe). Launched in 2018, the initiative aims to eliminate public employees who are illegally listed on the state payroll.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Coppe has already led to the removal of 10,000 fictitious public employees from the payroll, generating annual budget savings of about CFA30 billion since 2019. On November 27, 2025, at the National Assembly, Public Service Minister Joseph Lé also announced that, under the same operation, around 6,000 civil servants had been dismissed from the public service following disciplinary proceedings.

Source: Business in Cameroon

25, February 2026

Ngarbuh massacre trial short on justice ⁰

The lenient prison terms for defendants on trial for the February 2020 massacre in Ngarbuh, in Cameroon’s North-West region, compounds the authorities’ insufficient efforts to hold senior military officers accountable and compensate victims’ families, Human Rights Watch said today.

On February 20, 2026, a military court in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, sentenced three security force members and a pro-government militia member who was tried in absentia for the killing of 21 people—as well as other abuses—by the military and Fulani militiamen in Ngarbuh on February 14, 2020. The court handed down sentences of between 5 and 10 years and modest fines.

“Prosecutors did not pursue any evidence about who planned and ordered the killings,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The failure of Cameroon’s prosecutors and judiciary to investigate those bearing command responsibility, combined with the denial of reparations, exacerbates the suffering of victims’ families.”

The trial, which lasted more than five years, was marred by serious shortcomings. Authorities never arrested or charged senior officers who authorized and oversaw the operation. Seventeen ethnic Fulani militiamen accused of murder remain at large. Victims’ families had only limited access to and participation in the proceedings, key evidence was excluded, and the court rejected claims for compensation.

Human Rights Watch research found that government forces and allied ethnic Fulani militiamen killed 21 people in Ngarbuh, including 13 children and a pregnant woman. The assailants also burned at least five homes, looted dozens of properties, and beat residents during what appeared to be a reprisal operation against a community suspected of harboring separatist fighters. Since 2016, brutalviolence has engulfed Cameroon’s Anglophone North-West and South-West regions, where armed separatist groups are seeking independence.

Initially, the government denied any involvement of its forces in the killings and publicly discredited human rights groups, United Nations agencies, and media outlets that reported on the massacre. On March 1, 2020, following domestic and internationalpressure, President Paul Biya established a commission of inquiry.

The commission concluded that security forces and members of “local vigilance groups” carried out a reconnaissance operation in Ngarbuh, where they confronted separatist fighters, killing five. In the ensuing violence, 13 civilians were killed. The commission found that soldiers then attempted to cover up the killings by burning homes and filing a false report.

President Biya ordered disciplinary proceedings against the commander of the 52nd Motorized Infantry Battalion (Bataillon d’Infanterie Motorisé, BIM), who had authorized the operation, as well as criminal proceedings against three members of the security forces—two lower-ranking soldiers and a gendarme—who were arrested in June 2020.

The trial opened on December 17, 2020. The defendants included the three security force members—Baba Guida, Gilbert Haranga, and Cyrille Sanding Sanding—and the 17 ethnic Fulani militiamen. Only one of them, Tata Nfor, also known as “Bullet,” was identified by name and tried in absentia.

On January 15, 2026, the court convicted the three soldiers and Nfor as co-perpetrators in murder, arson, and destruction; Guida and Sanding were also convicted of disobeying orders and Haranga of disobeying orders and violence against a pregnant woman.

On February 20, the court sentenced Haranga and Nfor to 10 years in prison, Guida to 8 years, and Sanding to 5 years. Each was also fined 183,100 CFA francs (about US$328).

Under Cameroon’s penal code, murder is punishable by life in prison, and co-perpetrators are subject to the same penalties as principal offenders unless otherwise provided by law. The sentences imposed on two defendants in this case are relatively light, taking into account the gravity of the crimes, Human Rights Watch said.

While international law does not prescribe strict sentencing guidelines, international practice provides that punishment for serious crimes should reflect the gravity of the crime and serve the purposes, among others, of deterrence and retribution.

Barrister Menkem Sother, the lawyer representing the victims’ families, told Human Rights Watch that the public prosecutor initially requested five-year prison terms for the three security force members, contending that they were “brave soldiers” who had long participated in military operations. The judges ultimately confirmed a five-year sentence for Sanding, who has already served that time and is expected to be released in the coming days.

Sother requested 1,700,000,000 CFA francs (about $3,049,970) in compensation on behalf of the victims. The court rejected the claim as “unjustified,” asserting that the victims had already received a total of 80,000,000 CFA francs (about $143,528). Sother said, though, that there is no proof that any payment has been made.

The Ngarbuh proceedings were repeatedly delayed, often due to the absence of judges and other court officials. The court refused to admit key evidence, including death certificates to identify all of those killed, and the victims’ families were allowed only minimal participation. The military court in Yaoundé is about 450 kilometers from Ngarbuh, making it difficult for family members to attend. Family members’ lawyers had expressed concern about the issue. Only three victims’ relatives and one witness testified before the court, Sother said.

Defense and civil parties’ lawyers have 10 days to appeal the court’s decision. Henri Athanase Atangana, a defense lawyer representing Guida and Haranga, told the media that he would consult his clients before deciding whether to do so. Sother told Human Rights Watch that he does not intend to appeal, saying: “I have carried this cross alone.”

At the outset of the trial, there was sustained mobilization in support of the victims’ families, with several lawyers offering pro bono representation and numerous national and international human rights and civil society organizations attending or closely monitoring the proceedings. However, this collective engagement gradually waned, and for the final three years the families were represented solely by Sother, who represented their interests with unwavering dedication.

The UN Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, which is based in Yaoundé and is mandated to promote and protect human rights, including through ensuring the rule of law and accountability for human rights violations, assigned a lawyer to attend one hearing in 2022. “But after that, I’ve never seen her again,” Sother said.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Cameroon ratified in 1984, provides that states parties should ensure that any person whose rights are violated has access to an effective remedy, determined by competent judicial, administrative, or legislative authorities, and that such remedies are duly enforced.

“The Ngarbuh trial has delivered neither full accountability nor meaningful redress,” Allegrozzi said. “The United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa should offer legal and technical assistance to the victims’ families, to enable them to file a well-grounded appeal seeking reparations and to ensure continued protection of their rights throughout the process.”

Source: Human Rights Watch

25, February 2026

Conflict exacerbates economic crisis in Cameroon ⁰

Conflict perpetrated by separatists and Islamist insurgents is triggering an economic crisis in Cameroon.

This is most severe in the Northwest and Southwest regions, where militants are agitating for self-rule, and the Northern region, where Islamists have for years carried out terror attacks.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reports that persistent conflict and insecurity continue to disrupt livelihoods and restrict household food availability and access.

Staple grain and bean prices are currently 10 percent to 25 percent higher than last year and 20 percent to 50 percent above the five-year average.

Staple food prices across much of the country remain elevated, trending moderately to significantly above the five-year average, driven by reduced supplies from conflict affected areas, high transport and fuel costs, and elevated shipping expenses for imported foods.

FEWS NET reports that in January, the average price of imported rice was C₣650 (US$1,17) /kilogram in Yaoundé and Douala, representing an 18percent to 20 percent increase compared to the five-year average.

Prices are projected to seasonally increase further during the March-May lean season.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) data indicates that attacks by Islamist militants against rural communities remained elevated throughout 2025 and have continued into 2026.

The prolonged insurgency continues to severely undermine agricultural and livestock production, which is the primary livelihoods for poor households, further constraining food availability and income-earning opportunities.

Food security outcomes in conflict-affected divisions of the Far North are projected to deteriorate between February and May 2026.

“This decline will be driven by the early depletion of already-limited household food stocks, low household incomes constraining the purchase of staple foods, persistent insecurity, ongoing displacement and weakened coping capacities,” FEWS NET stated.

The agency noted that despite forecasted favorable rainfall, ongoing conflict, escalating violence against civilians and widespread insecurity continued to limit field access in several parts of the Northwest and Southwest regions, limiting cultivation and undermining overall production prospects.

In these regions, separatists are agitating for self-rule, alleging marginalization of English-speaking communities by the government, dominated by French speakers.

The 2025 re-election of President Paul Biya, for an eighth term in a poll critics say was rigged, has worsened matters in the Central African country of over 30 million people.

Source: CAJ News

23, February 2026

Mount Cameroon Race of Hope champions peace in Southern Cameroons ⁰

When Hamadou Bi Ibrahim crossed the finish line to secure a victory in Cameroon’s iconic mountain race, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

The 38-year-old runner was among more than 600 participants, including 22 foreign competitors, who took on the challenge of scaling the highest mountain in West and Central Africa during the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope over the weekend.

First held in 1973, the race combines the demands of a marathon with the challenges of a mountain climb. The course requires runners to ascend to the summit and then retrace the same demanding route back to the starting point at Molyko Stadium. Participants have to brave temperatures that range from 28 degrees Celsius at the base to near freezing at the 4,100-meter summit.

For Ibrahim, the win marked years of perseverance on the demanding course. “I am very pleased and proud to win this race. It is a difficult race, especially when climbing the mountain,” Ibrahim said.

Beyond personal glory, Ibrahim said he was encouraged by the race’s efforts to promote harmony, understanding and nonviolence.

Hailing from the village of Awing in the conflict-affected Northwest Region, he traveled hundreds of miles to participate. “Coming here and taking part in this race gives us hope for peace and stability,” he said.

For years, Cameroon’s Southwest and Northwest regions have been struggling in an armed separatist conflict. The capital of the Southwest Region, Buea, where the race takes place, has seen separatist activity. In 2023, multiple explosions during the event injured 19 athletes.

This year, however, the atmosphere was markedly peaceful. John Berinyu, who arrived early in the morning to watch the race, said: “This race is a complete success. Unlike in previous editions, where people were afraid of bombings, lockdowns and shootings, the population came out in their numbers to witness the event.”

“There were no explosions, no shootings. It is a good sign. We sincerely hope that this peaceful atmosphere will continue,” Berinyu hinted.

On the eve of the race, hundreds of people gathered at Molyko Stadium for festivities highlighting Cameroon’s rich cultural diversity. Among them was Vanessa Njie.

“This cultural event is my favorite part of the race. It brings Cameroonians together, and we forget our differences and just live like humans, like a country in peace. This race is helping us take a breather from daily violence,” Njie said.

For authorities, the race underscored the vital role sport can play in fostering reconciliation among divided communities.

As in previous years, the event carried the theme “Give Peace a Chance” to promote peace and forgiveness, said Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Cameroon’s minister of sports and physical education, who presided over the race.

“Peace is precious. We will continue to ask young people to embrace peace. This year was a resounding success. The peaceful ending of this race means that Cameroonians in the Southwest have demonstrated their love for peace and unity of the country,” Kombi said.

Culled from Xinhuanet

23, February 2026

John Ashu Agboreyong: a man of God counting years and counting impact @60 ⁰

English speaking Cameroonians have always stated that at 60, a man does not merely count years but he also counts impact. Over the weekend in the beautiful city of Cork, Ireland, Africans rose in gratitude, celebration and honoured a true shepherd of souls and a teacher of truth as he marked his 60^th birthday and unveiled six new books that will bless humanity forever.

His journey towards HIM started in Mamfe the chief town in Manyu Division. He conquered education home and abroad and for six remarkable decades, this Cameroonian citizen has embodied faith with decency and decorum, preached the Word with conviction, and lived his calling with unwavering devotion. The life of Apostle John Ashu Agboreyong is a testimony that spreading the good news is not just what happens on a pulpit; it is what flows from a heart fully surrendered to divine purpose.

His ministry has gone through thick and thin sailing through seasons of abundance and adversity. But this man who migrated from Cameroon in West Africa to Ireland and took up residence in Cork City from where he gets on a regular basis what the Irish have painted as Ceol na mara (music of the sea) has stood firm.

To be sure, John Ashu Agboreyong has comforted the broken-hearted, counselled the weary, challenged the complacent, and inspired God’s children to rise higher. Deep within the African-Irish community in the Irish State, his voice has carried hope into homes, clarity into confusion and above all, light into dark places.

Turning 60 is no small milestone!! In the words of the great Professor Bernard Fonlon, it is a crown of wisdom manufactured by experience that speaks of battles fought in prayer, tears shed in intercession and homilies prepared in the quiet hours of dawn with countless unseen sacrifices made for the sake of others. Turning 60 is indeed a journey walked closely with God, guided not by popularity but by purpose.

As if to say his kinsman, the late Cameroonian poet Dr Bate Besong did not do anything!! And as if to say the celebration of his diamond jubilee were not enough, he launched six new books—six fresh wells of insight, revelation, and spiritual nourishment. John Ashu Agboreyong’s works are not merely ink on paper. To be accurate, they are years of encounters with God documented and life lessons carefully articulated. Each page carries the imprint of a life committed to truth and transformation.

Authors such as Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe wrote from knowledge; theologians like the late Pope Benedict wrote from experience. John Ashu Agboreyong’s books are the fruit of both. The six publications will forever strengthen leaders, renew people, uplift Christian movements and ignite faith. We of the Cameroon Concord News Group believe and fervently too that the books are gifts to the Christian Church and a legacy to generations yet unborn.

At sixty, Ola Rotimi who authored the book “the Gods are not to blame” slowed down. John Ashu Agboreyong is accelerating!! At 60 when many with ink in their blood are reflecting on what has been, John Ashu Agboreyong is boldly building what will be. His vision still remains sharp. His passion burning bright! His faith undiminished. Time has not weakened his calling—it has refined it.

Those who answered present in Cork City did not just celebrate a birthday; they all celebrated a life poured out in service. They celebrated a voice that refuses to be silent. They celebrated a man of God who has proven that greatness in the Kingdom is measured not by applause, but by obedience.

May John Ashu Agboreyong’s birthday celebration usher in even greater grace, expanded influence, renewed strength, and multiplied impact. May the six books launched in Cork City travel farther than he ever imagined, touching hearts across nations and generations.

Joyeux anniversaire to a true man of God—a builder of lives, a carrier of light, and a living testament that faithfulness over time produces fruit that remains. The best chapters, we believe, are still being written.

To this I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

23, February 2026

Putin says developing Russia’s nuclear forces ‘absolute priority’ ⁰

President Vladimir Putin says developing Russia’s nuclear forces is now an “absolute priority” following the expiry of its last remaining nuclear treaty with the US.

“The development of the nuclear triad, which guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world, remains an absolute priority,” Putin said in a video speech on Sunday to mark Russia’s “Defender of the Fatherland Day.”

Putin pledged to further reinforce the army and navy, and draw on military experience gained during the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine.

Moscow and Washington, the world’s two largest nuclear powers, are no longer bound by any arms control agreement following the expiration of the “New START” agreement earlier this month.

Russia and the US possess more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.

As of January 2025, Russia had more than 4300, and the US had approximately 3700 nuclear warheads.

Analysts say both the US and Russia are modernizing their nuclear forces, effectively fueling an arms race already underway.

With nuclear weapons gaining renewed prominence and no breakthrough from talks such as Trump and Putin’s Alaska meeting last year, New START’s end signals a more volatile and dangerous phase in global security.

Source: Presstv

23, February 2026

Kim Jong Un re-appointed leader of North Korea’s ruling party ⁰

North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party has again chosen Kim Jong Un to be its general secretary, state media report.

The announcement by the rubber-stamp party congress on Sunday comes as little surprise given the Kim family has ruled the dictatorship since the late 1940s.

State-run KCNA said that under Kim’s leadership North Korea “radically improved” its “war deterrence”, “with the nuclear forces as its pivot”.

Despite long-standing international sanctions, North Korea has continued to build its nuclear capabilities, regularly testing banned intercontinental missiles. But the secrecy of the regime makes it harder to evaluate how much progress the military has made.

Kim, who took over control of the regime after his father’s death in 2011, has invested heavily in the nuclear weapons programme, turning Pyongyang into a far bigger challenge for the West, and especially the US.

He is expected to announce the next phase of the country’s weapons programme during the congress, which is now in its fourth day. Before it started, North Korea unveiled what it said was a range of nuclear-capable rocket launchers.

The congress, which has been held once every five years in the last decade, began on 19 February.

With some 5,000 party members in attendance, according to KCNA, it offers a rare glimpse into the structure of political power in North Korea, which remains quite opaque even to the keenest watchers.

The meetings are considered to be the most important political event and provide insight into where the country’s priorities lie, from foreign policy to its nuclear ambitions.

While Kim has remained at the top of North Korean leadership, the party congress’ presidium, or executive committee, has been reshuffled since the last meeting in 2021. More than half of its 39 members have been replaced, according to state media.

In his opening speech last week, Kim vowed to boost the country’s economy and people’s standard of living, which he described as “heavy and urgent historic tasks”.

And all eyes are on whether Kim’s daughter, Ju Ae, will make an appearance.

Earlier this month, South Korea’s spy agency said that Kim had chosen Ju Ae as his heir. Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 13 years old, has become an increasingly prominent figure at official events – inspecting missiles and attending Beijing’s military parade with her father.

Source: BBC

22, February 2026

US Secret Service kills armed man trying to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate ⁰

US Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy fatally shot an armed man attempting to enter the secure perimeter of the Mar-a-Lago estate.

The Secret Service said on Sunday that an armed man “unlawfully [entered] the secure perimeter” around the Florida club.

The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, near the property’s north gate.

Authorities said the man, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can, drove into the secure area as another vehicle was exiting.

According to Anthony Guglielmi, the US Secret Service’s chief of communications, the suspect was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County deputy.

The man was identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to sources familiar with the investigation. He was described as a white male in his early 20s.

Source: Presstv

21, February 2026

Bishop Nkuo says Kumbo is not a battlefield or a slaughter slab ⁰

Bishop George Nkuo of Kumbo in Cameroon’s war-torn North West region has denounced a decade of violence that has plagued Cameroon’s two English-speaking North West and South West regions.

The two regions have since 2016 been embroiled in conflict, with separatists fighting to break away from the rest of the country and form a new nation to be called Ambazonia.

The crisis was triggered by a harsh government crackdown on teachers and lawyers from the two regions who were protesting the use of French in Anglo-Saxon schools and courts. But Cameroon’s English-speaking minorities have always voiced historical grievances, complaining about the systematic erosion of their culture and way of life by the predominantly French-speaking government.

Ten years of fighting have left at least 6500 people dead, and more than a million forced to flee from their homes.

In his Lenten letter, Nkuo laments that the conflict, marked by killings, abductions, and a new crisis of human trafficking, risks becoming “normalized” among a suffering population.

He said his diocese in particular has “endured ten painful years of conflict, fear, displacement, uncertainty, and deep sorrow,” and expressed fear that war could become normalized.

In his pastoral letter, titled “Return to Me with All Your Heart” (Joel 2:12), the Cameroonian bishop wrote, “For many in our land, every day has felt like Lent. Every day has carried ashes, and every day has carried tears, and yet Lent is not only about ashes. It is also about return and about conversion and about hope.”

He explained that this profound suffering has permeated every facet of life.

“Young and old. Christians and non-Christians. Catholics and non-Catholics. Farmers, teachers, catechists, traders, pupils, mothers, and fathers” have suffered, he said.

“We have witnessed killings, abductions, kidnappings, disappearances, burning of homes, looting, sexual violations, extortion, and constant fear. Entire villages have lived in anxiety. Schools have closed. Farms have been abandoned. Youth have fled,” the bishop added.

He warned that the region runs the risk of “getting used to what should never be normal.”

“Violence is never normal. The shedding of innocent blood is never acceptable,” Nkuo explained.

He made it clear that Kumbo Diocese “is not a battlefield,” nor is it a “slaughter slab where human beings are butchered, nor is it a training ground where soldiers train for war and by so doing get normal to the sounds and guns and missiles and explosives.”

While a decade of war has left a trail of death and destruction, it has also forged another crisis: Human trafficking.

Traffickers prey on the vulnerability of war-battered youth, forcing them into modern-day slavery. Nkuo describes this as “another grave wound” on the diocese, explaining that youths “are being lured with false promises of employment. Families are extorted for ransom. Some have disappeared into modern-day slavery.”

In comments to Crux, Lukong Isidore Njodzeven, the deputy Diocesan coordinator for the Justice and Peace Commission of the Kumbo Diocese, revealed that more than 3000 Cameroonians have been trafficked across the border to Nigeria.

He described the area around the Kumbo Diocese as “a catchment area” where traffickers find easy prey on desperate young people eager to escape from war and poverty to better their lives.

According to UNICEF reports, approximately 800,000 children were forced out of school due to the conflict.

“Moreover, the crisis has intensified poverty, further weakening resistance to trafficking and exploitation,” Njodzeven told Crux.

In his statement, Nkuo said the young people should be in classrooms and not in camps.

“They should be in farms and industries and not in bondage,” the bishop said.

“You are not forgotten. You are not disposable,” he told the youth.

“You are not destined for armed groups or trafficking camps. You are the future of this Diocese. You are the hope of this land,” Nkuo said.

He said that the process of healing will begin when forgiveness steps into the picture

“Let us choose gentleness. Let us choose courage. Let us choose peace,” he implored. “Many of us are tired, and many among us feel abandoned. But we must not lose hope. God is not finished with Kumbo.”

Speaking to Crux, the bishop said the ultimate solution to the conflict lies in “frank and sincere dialogue that should address the root causes of the crisis.”

“You cannot resolve a conflict without addressing the roots of that conflict,” Nkuo said.

Source: Crux

20, February 2026

Yaoundé: 4 journalists detained while investigating U.S. deportees ⁰

Four journalists and a lawyer were arrested Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on Africans recently deported from the United States.

The journalists were in a compound in Yaoundé where the deportees were being held to interview and document the conditions, when they were detained by Cameroon authorities, multiple news outlets report.

The judicial police separated the reporters from the lawyer and brought them in for questioning. During his detention, an Associated Press reporter said a police member struck him. The police confiscated cameras, phones and laptops before releasing the reporters.

Cameroon officials said the journalists held sensitive government information, but no formal charges have been filed.

None of the deportees were citizens of Cameroon, and many had legal protections against removal to their home countries, where many of them said their lives would be at risk, according to reports.

Their lawyers said none of the deportees were accused of violent crimes. They also said that those held in detention were told they could not leave the facility unless they agreed to return to their respective countries, despite having gained previous removal protections.

The case has raised concerns over transparency and press freedoms in Cameroon and the U.S. deportation practices that place many in dangerous situations.

It is unknown whether there is a formal agreement between the U.S. government and Cameroon on the placement of deported individuals.

Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs has made no public comment and the State Department told The New York Times it would not comment on “diplomatic communications with other governments.”

Critics, including former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Scott Schuchart, said the deportations to Cameroon are potentially illegal.

Source: Washington Times