Headline News

26, July 2026

New Bell: The notorious Cameroonian prison with its own record label ⁰

New Bell – a notorious prison in Douala, Cameroon – is a city within a city.

The facility has its own “taxis” (inmates who whizz through congested courtyards on foot to hand deliver messages), its own law enforcement (burly prisoners who help stretched guards police the facility) and market (a string of stalls where convicts sell and buy goodies, like fried cassava and beignet pastries).

Basically, the occupants of New Bell have adapted the jail’s slack laws to work for them. The clearest example of this spirit is Jail Time Records, an on-site music studio and label making mini stars out of the most talented prisoners.

Empereur, the feared leader of gangs inside and outside of the prison, has amassed 24,000 YouTube views with a music video filmed entirely in prison.

Songs from the inmates have gained fans from as far away as South Africa, the US and Argentina, while earlier this year Jail Time Records put on a huge concert for the prisoners in New Bell’s courtyard.

“It’s this instrument of resistance… where we can really share friendship, love and our voices can be heard,” Steve Happi, the former inmate who co-founded Jail Time Records, tells the BBC’s Talking Movies programme.

“We don’t think anymore about the four walls – we find the freedom.”

The Jail Time Records studio is rudimentary – a small, sweaty recording booth attached to a room inhabited by a solitary computer.

But it is also the site of great catharsis and creativity, as per a recent, acclaimed documentary named after the studio.

Directed by Happi and Italian artist Dione Roach, his Jail Time Records co-founder, it was filmed in New Bell over six years.

Last month it won three prizes, including best documentary feature, at New York’s Tribeca film festival.

In the film, a prisoner named Stone raps into the studio’s microphone: “Heart of stone, it’s war. My senses shatter like broken glass.

“I’m closed and tight like a cell door. No solid ground I slip like a fish.”

Artists Equity Rapper Stone uses a computer. Two men watch him. — Stone (R), a former soldier in the presidential guard, raps and produces music with Jail Time Records

Stone, who used to be a soldier in Cameroon’s presidential guard, was sentenced to 10 years in New Bell for robbery and illegal possession of firearms. He insists he is not guilty.

The film captures him trying – often unsuccessfully – to reach his young daughter Maira on the phone.

“It’s been a long time. She needs to hear my voice from time to time, so she doesn’t forget about her father,” he says in a voice message to a family member, after failing to get through to Maira yet again.

The music video for Heart of Stone is a typical Jail Time Records affair. The production value is high, storytelling is captivating and hordes of fellow inmates get involved as actors and crew.

“The music that comes out of there is amazing,” says Taika Waititi, the New Zealand Oscar-winning director who, with his wife, the singer Rita Ora, served as an executive producer for the Jail Time Records documentary.

“Just in terms of the power of art in relation to redemption and what that can mean to someone who, you know, some of these people are in prison for life. I think having an outlet is an incredibly powerful and humane thing,” he says.

Jail Time Records was founded in 2018, when Roach volunteered for a non-profit organisation running events inside New Bell.

During a dance class for the prisoners, a crew of rappers took over the microphone and began freestyling. Impressed by their performance, she asked the prison authorities for permission to start up a studio.

The powers that be were receptive and so Roach enlisted Happi to run the studio as a producer and sound engineer.

Artists Equity Inmates form a crowd in the courtyard - some of them can be seen standing on a corrugated iron roof. — The inmates attempt to secure an optimal view for the Jail Time Records concert in February

According to Happi, he ended up in New Bell following a family argument over what should be done with his late father’s body.

Amid the dispute, his aunt, a high court judge, allegedly arranged for him to be thrown into jail for killing his father. He was acquitted of the crime two years later, Jail Time Records says.

In 2022, Happi, Roach and the prisoners released an album named Jail Time Vol 1. As is customary for Jail Time Records’ music, half the profit from the album’s sale went to the artists and the rest was reinvested into the label.

The studio’s survival is paramount to many of the artists, especially given New Bell’s bitter environment.

In 2022, Human Rights Watch reported that New Bell was housing 4,700 prisoners within its crumbling walls – four times its capacity.

The prison’s packed population, along with its unsanitary conditions, enabled cholera to spread rapidly during an outbreak four years ago, rights groups have said. At least six inmates died from the disease.

New Bell also has a reputation for violence. In 2008, guards shot 16 inmates dead during an attempted breakout.

Prisoners also attack and intimidate each other – the documentary captures Empereur, who is serving 10 years for multiple crimes, shaking down a bewildered young inmate for a necklace chain and some flip-flops.

Asked if the Jail Time Records project might glorify Empereur, the son of a traditional Douala chief, and other criminals who have committed violent crimes, Roach tells the BBC: “The process we’re doing is a rehabilitation process, basically.

“We enter the prison without any judgment and it’s the only way we can really approach this kind of work.

“Music, as with any creative process, is also a way of self-discovery… coming to terms with things you’ve done and hopefully changing for the better”.

Getty Images for Tribeca Festival Taika Waititi, Dione Roach and Steve Happi pose for a photo in front of a Tribeca Festival step and repeat — Former New Bell prisoner Steve Happi (R) directed the documentary with Dione Roach (C) and Taika Waititi (L) was an executive producer

The prison authorities appear to share this view.

“They were really welcoming of the project. Cameroon is a super musical country… everyone loves music,” Happi says, adding that the head of the prison attended this year’s concert and proceeded to dance with the performers.

With official support, Jail Time Records has been able to flourish, offering opportunities to more prisoners, including those in New Bell’s women’s wing.

Jeje, Jail Time Records first female artist, made her debut in 2022 with brooding Afrobeats song Show Me The Way.

“Nobody show me the way, nobody show me the way, I did it all alone,” sings Jeje, who was jailed after stealing money and running away from an allegedly abusive uncle.

Jail Time Records Jeje, a female prisoner, in a T-shirt standing in a prison yard with a guard tower behind her. — Jeje recorded her Afrobeats song in the yard of New Bell’s women’s wing

As well as working with the women’s wing, Jail Time Records have expanded their project outside New Bell and Cameroon.

Roach and Happi set up a studio 1,000 miles (1,600km) away in 2023, in the central prison of Burkina Faso’s capital city, Ouagadougou.

Jail Time Records hopes it can replicate the success of the original New Bell studio, with its accompanying label, music video production arm and now, award-winning documentary.

The film ends with an “in memoriam” sequence; a tribute to six prisoners who died while the Jail Time Records project has been running.

New Bell may appear to be endlessly bleak, but according to Happi, music provides the inmates with a “lantern for a brighter future”.

“Before that, they had the stubborn mentality: it’s them against the world,” he says.

“They feel now important – they feel like they have a place in the society.”

Culled from the BBC

26, July 2026

Biya’s Continued Stay in Power: SDF rejects any delay to legislative and municipal elections ⁰

The Social Democratic Front (SDF), one of Cameroon’s foremost opposition parties, has declared that it will firmly oppose any postponement of the country’s upcoming legislative and municipal elections, insisting that the polls must be held within the constitutional timeframe regardless of prevailing circumstances.

The position was made public by the National Chairman of the SDF, Hon. Joshua Osih Nabangi, during a press conference held on July 23, 2026, at the party’s national secretariat in Olezoa, Yaoundé.

Addressing journalists and party officials, Hon. Joshua Osih maintained that the elections represent an essential democratic exercise and warned against any attempt to delay the process. He stressed that all parts of the country, including the conflict-affected North West and South West regions, must participate fully in the elections.

“We will leave no stone unturned for elections to be held in the North West and South West regions. We cannot continue to leave our country in the hands of those who do not respect Cameroonians,” Osih declared.

The SDF chairman said holding elections across the entire national territory would demonstrate the country’s commitment to democracy and ensure that citizens are represented in national and local institutions.

He argued that the people of the North West and South West regions should not be deprived of their democratic right to elect representatives because of the security challenges affecting the two regions.

Call for Massive Voter Registration

A significant part of Osih’s address focused on voter registration, as he urged all eligible Cameroonians who have not yet enrolled on the electoral register to do so before the August 31, 2026 deadline. According to him, broad participation in the electoral process is the surest way for citizens to express their political choices through the ballot box.

He called on young people, first-time voters and all citizens of voting age to register in large numbers, arguing that elections provide an opportunity for peaceful political change.

Osih accused the current administration of failing to account to citizens and urged voters to use the upcoming polls to determine the country’s future. The SDF has been intensifying voter mobilisation campaigns in recent months as political parties prepare for both the legislative and municipal elections expected within the coming months.

During the press conference, Osih also commented on the prolonged stay abroad of President Paul Biya. The President has remained outside Cameroon for several weeks, a situation that has generated public debate and political commentary.

While acknowledging that the President had previously informed Cameroonians before travelling abroad for what was described as a private stay, Osih said citizens deserve an update on his situation.

“From a political point of view, the President of the Republic should inform Cameroonians on what is happening to him abroad as he informed us when he was travelling abroad for a brief private stay. He is an institution, and he owes us,” the SDF leader stated.

Hon. Joshua Osih has urged eligible Cameroonians who have not yet enrolled on the electoral register to do so before the August 31, 2026 deadline

“Carry the Force of Change”

Looking ahead to the elections, the opposition leader appealed to voters to rally behind the SDF in both the municipal and legislative polls. He said electing SDF councillors and Members of Parliament would provide an opportunity to strengthen local governance and parliamentary oversight while securing a better future for younger generations.

“Carry the force of change to victory during the upcoming legislative and municipal elections by taking your councils and Parliament under the SDF ticket to guarantee the future for your children,” Osih appealed.

The SDF has consistently presented itself as an alternative political force advocating democratic governance, accountability and decentralisation. The twin elections are expected to provide an opportunity to expand their influence in local councils and Parliament.

Osih also referred to recent comments by the Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie, who has repeatedly stated that Cameroon’s health system has significantly improved and that hospitals in the country are increasingly capable of providing quality medical care.

Referring to those assurances, the SDF chairman remarked that President Biya could return home, suggesting that the country’s healthcare facilities should be able to provide the necessary medical services if required.

The SDF’s declaration comes as political parties across Cameroon step up preparations for the forthcoming elections. The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) has already announced nationwide voter mobilisation campaigns and plans to deploy party officials across the country to strengthen voter registration efforts and prepare for candidate selection.

With the voter registration deadline approaching, political parties are expected to intensify grassroots campaigns aimed at increasing their support base. The legislative and municipal elections are expected to come up in the first half of 2027 after the mandates of Mayors and MPs were extended by Paul Biya earlier this year.

Source: Pan African Visions

26, July 2026

Biya’s Extended Stay in Geneva: Minister Fame Ndongo dismisses speculation ⁰

The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, has firmly dismissed suggestions that the country is experiencing a vacuum in executive leadership, insisting that President Biya remains fully in charge of state affairs.

In a statement titled “Stop the Fantasies. There Is No ‘Vacancy’ at the Head of State,” Fame Ndongo argued that claims of a vacant presidency have no legal, constitutional or logical basis.

According to Minister Fame Ndongo, who doubles as the Communication Secretary of the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Party, CPDM, Cameroon’s Constitution does not prescribe a maximum duration for a presidential stay outside the national territory.

“Claiming that executive power is vacant in Cameroon is a legal, political and logical barbarism,” he stated, arguing that no constitutional provision can be invoked to suggest that the President forfeits his authority by remaining abroad for an extended period.

The minister stressed that executive authority continues to function normally, regardless of the President’s physical location.

“There is no sleepiness at the summit of the State,” Fame Ndongo said, maintaining that President Biya continues to monitor government affairs, review official files submitted by his collaborators and issue directives necessary for the smooth functioning of the country.

He added that the President remains actively engaged in decision-making through established communication channels and administrative procedures.

Fame Ndongo also condemned what he described as the spread of misinformation and unfounded rumours regarding the Head of State. “So stop the boasting, the fabrications and the big lies,” he said, urging citizens to concentrate on their respective responsibilities instead of engaging in speculation.

Drawing on philosophical references, the minister quoted French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s assertion that “man is the sum of his acts,” while also invoking Voltaire’s famous call to “cultivate one’s garden” as an appeal for citizens to focus on constructive work rather than rumours.

According to Minister Fame Ndongo, Cameroon’s Constitution does not prescribe a maximum duration for a presidential stay outside the national territory.

Critics Raise Questions

Not everyone shares that interpretation. Among the most prominent critics is veteran human rights lawyer Alice Nkom, who publicly questioned the President’s prolonged absence while the country confronts multiple national challenges.

In a Facebook post, Nkom argued that Cameroon requires visible leadership at a time when citizens continue to grapple with economic hardship, political tensions and social concerns. She criticised the political stagnation and questioned why the Head of State had remained abroad for more than a month.

Nkom alleged electoral irregularities during the 2025 presidential election, criticised the postponement of legislative and municipal elections until 2027, and expressed concern over child malnutrition, violent crime and the continued detention of political activists.

Supporters of the government argue that modern communication technologies allow heads of state to govern effectively from anywhere in the world. They point to digital communications, secure government channels and established administrative procedures as evidence that state institutions continue to function.

Critics, however, contend that leadership extends beyond signing official documents. They argue that the visibility and presence of a head of state can reassure citizens, strengthen public confidence and demonstrate responsiveness during challenging periods.

As speculation continues, the official date as to when President Biya will return to Cameroon is anyone’s guess. Until such communication is made, questions surrounding the duration of his stay abroad are likely to remain at the centre of national political discourse.

For now, the country finds itself balancing two competing narratives—one insisting that constitutional authority remains fully intact regardless of geography, and another arguing that effective leadership requires not only legal authority but also visible presence.

Source: Pan African Visions

25, July 2026

Appeal to the Swiss Government for the Protection of Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) Asylum Seekers ⁰

Appeal to the Swiss Federal Council, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), and Relevant Swiss Authorities

We, of the Cameroon Intelligence Report and the Cameroon Concord News respectfully appeal to the Government of the Swiss Confederation to ensure that all asylum seekers and political activists from the Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) who have arrived in Switzerland are treated in accordance with Switzerland’s humanitarian traditions and its obligations under international refugee and human rights law.

Recent reports from activists and members of the Southern Cameroons diaspora have expressed grave concern regarding the treatment of individuals detained in Cameroon in connection with the ongoing Anglophone crisis. Human rights organizations have previously documented allegations of arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention, torture, and other abuses committed during the conflict. These concerns have heightened fears among many Southern Cameroonians seeking refuge abroad.

We understand that several Southern Cameroons activists who fled Cameroon and sought protection in Europe, including individuals reportedly arriving through Geneva International Airport, are undergoing immigration and asylum procedures. Among those whose names have circulated in public discussions is Fobasso Demian Ngwe. We do not seek to prejudge any individual’s legal status or asylum claim, but we urge that every applicant be afforded a fair, impartial, and humane assessment.

We respectfully call upon the Swiss authorities to:

-Ensure that all Southern Cameroons asylum seekers receive full access to fair asylum procedures consistent with the 1951 Refugee Convention and Swiss law.

-Refrain from returning any individual to Cameroon where there is a substantial risk of persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations, in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement.

-Provide temporary accommodation, medical care, legal assistance, and psychological support to asylum seekers while their claims are under consideration.

-Monitor the situation of vulnerable political activists who may face heightened risks because of their perceived political opinions or public advocacy.

-Continue Switzerland’s longstanding commitment to humanitarian protection and international human rights.

The conflict in the Southern Cameroons has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and has had profound humanitarian consequences. Many asylum seekers arriving in Europe are fleeing violence, insecurity, and political persecution. Their applications deserve careful examination based on credible evidence and international legal standards.

Switzerland has earned global respect for its commitment to humanitarian values, neutrality, and the protection of those fleeing persecution. We respectfully urge Swiss authorities to continue upholding these principles by ensuring that every Southern Cameroons asylum seeker receives due process, humane treatment, and protection where warranted under international law.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

24, July 2026

International Criminal Court removes Karim Khan as chief prosecutor amid ‘immense political pressure’ ⁰

Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have voted to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from office, a move protested by his lawyer to have been taken amid “immense political pressure.”

The vote was held during a special session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday.

According to diplomatic sources, 82 of the court’s 125 member states voted by “secret ballot” on Friday in favor of his dismissal, surpassing the 63 votes required for an absolute majority. Thirteen states voted against the motion, while 15 abstained.

ASP President Paivi Kaukoranta announced that member states had concluded Khan “committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty” by engaging in “prohibited conduct against a subordinate staff member.”

The decision takes immediate effect and marks the first time in the ICC’s 24-year history that a sitting chief prosecutor has been removed by member states. Elections for a successor will follow.

Khan’s lawyer, Tayab Ali, condemned the decision, saying it ignored due process concerns raised by more than 180 rights groups and legal experts.

“The decision is unsupported by any lawful or properly reasoned finding that Mr Khan KC committed misconduct or breached his duties as Prosecutor,” he said, adding that Khan “was never given a fair opportunity to be heard.” Ali also warned that “the Prosecutor of this Court has been removed by an executive vote while under sanctions and while the Court is under immense political pressure.”

The vote centered on findings by the ASP Bureau that “the evidence establishes beyond reasonable doubt” that Khan engaged in a “sexual relationship” with a subordinate staff member, arguing that “in the context of that power imbalance a sexual relationship could never be appropriate.”

Khan denied any sexual relationship, while the complainant’s account, investigated by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), alleged non-consensual conduct.

The decision comes amid heightened political pressure on the court. It followed threats by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington would “dismantle the ICC – brick by brick, if necessary,” while many ICC officials, including Khan, remain under US sanctions related to investigations into Palestine and Afghanistan.

The disciplinary process also followed Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes committed during Tel Aviv’s war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.

The process drew criticism after a panel of judges reportedly concluded that the evidence “do[es] not establish misconduct or breach of duty under the relevant framework,” but the ASP Bureau proceeded with disciplinary measures.

More than 180 Palestinian civil society organizations and rights groups argued the process “has been reduced to a political referendum following the national interests of individual States Parties.”

24, July 2026

Iran targets American bases in Bahrain, Jordan as US war continues ⁰

Iran’s Army has targeted two key US bases in Bahrain and Jordan in response to deadly American aerial assaults on the Islamic Republic.

The Army’s Public Relations Department said on Friday that the attacks, launched under the 24th phase of Operation Saeqe (Lightning), involved launching Arash kamikaze drones at fuel storage facilities, large equipment warehouses and sheds, and the accommodation quarters of the terrorist US military personnel at Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

Iranian drones, it added, also hit aircraft shelters, aircraft maintenance hangars, and accommodation facilities for forces of the aggressor US army at Jordan’s al-Azraq Air Base.

“Any action against the legitimate and lawful interests of the Iranian nation and the sacred Islamic Republic establishment will also jeopardize the security and economic interests of other countries in the region,” it asserted.

For thirteen consecutive nights, the US military has conducted waves of air raids on Iran, committing war crimes by targeting civilian sites.

In response, Iranian armed forces have launched heavy reprisal attacks against strategic American targets across West Asia.

The US attacks, which have mainly targeted southern Iranian provinces, have so far destroyed several infrastructure sites, such as bridges and water desalination plants, and killed 55 and injured 645 Iranians.

Source: Presstv

24, July 2026

Beti Assomo says military should increase focus on economic warfare threats ⁰

Cameroon’s Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo has called on senior military officers to strengthen their ability to identify and counter financial, technological and information-based threats.

Speaking in Yaounde on July 22 at the graduation ceremony of the 21st class of the International War College, or ESIG, Beti Assomo said modern economic warfare increasingly relies on financial pressure, strategic resources, digital technologies and information manipulation rather than conventional military force.

According to the minister, economic warfare extends beyond trade disputes and includes the use of financial flows, technology, supply chains, strategic resources and manipulated information to weaken rival states.

“The weaponization of financial flows, strategic resources and digital technologies has become a weapon in its own right. Our officers must learn to identify, analyze, master and counter these threats,” he said.

The minister’s remarks come as Cameroon remains dependent on international trade, foreign financing, imported technologies and cross-border infrastructure networks.

Potential vulnerabilities include reliance on imported equipment, exposure of transport and energy infrastructure, dependence on foreign markets for commodity exports, access to international payment systems, cyber operations and financial networks linked to armed groups. Pressure on supply chains, financial channels, strategic resources or digital systems could therefore have security consequences without involving direct military confrontation.

The issue is particularly relevant to sectors in which external dependence can affect both economic activity and national-security capabilities. Disruptions affecting imported technology, defense equipment, energy infrastructure or payment networks could constrain the state’s ability to operate and respond to crises.

Growing Institutional Attention

Beti Assomo’s remarks add to a series of initiatives showing that economic-security issues are receiving increased attention within Cameroon’s military and intelligence institutions. However, the government has not publicly presented these efforts as part of a single national strategy on economic warfare.

In May 2026, ESIG held its annual international colloquium in Yaounde under the theme, “Economic Warfare: What Are the Strategic Challenges for Africa?”

Opening the forum, Secretary of State for the National Gendarmerie Galax Etoga Yves Landry said modern conflicts were increasingly being conducted through economic and financial means, making strategic intelligence and economic autonomy important components of national security.

The colloquium examined sanctions, trade restrictions and control over strategic resources as instruments of influence and power projection. Discussions also covered industrial resilience, strategic planning, regional integration and technological sovereignty.

Participants highlighted strategic autonomy, technological sovereignty, regional economic integration and control over information narratives as areas requiring greater attention. These conclusions were presented as recommendations from the forum rather than as formally adopted government priorities.

Economic warfare has also featured in initiatives involving Cameroon’s intelligence services. In July 2025, the General Directorate of External Research, or DGRE, organized specialized training in economic intelligence and economic warfare for 50 intelligence professionals. The program focused on strategic intelligence, informational sovereignty, counter-influence operations and geoeconomic risks.

Reports on the training also referred to discussions over the possible creation of a National Centre for Economic and Strategic Intelligence. No formal announcement regarding the establishment of such a body has been made.

Efforts to Reduce Defense-Sector Dependence

Separately, Cameroon has pursued projects intended to expand domestic production capacity in the defense sector and reduce reliance on imported equipment.

In September 2025, the Ministry of Defence inaugurated a Central Tailoring Workshop for the Armed Forces and Gendarmerie in Yaounde’s Ekounou neighborhood. The facility can produce more than 750 combat uniforms a day, while the government has also referred to plans for footwear and ballistic-equipment factories.

In April 2026, the government also signed three agreements with local private-sector partners covering armored-vehicle conversion, ballistic-protection manufacturing and the production of mechanical spare parts. The agreements were presented as part of an import-substitution drive under Cameroon’s National Development Strategy, or NDS30.

Source: Business in Cameroon

23, July 2026

Minister Nalova shuts 105 private schools ⁰

Weeks before the start of the 2026-2027 school year, Cameroon has ordered the closure of 105 private schools across seven of the country’s 10 regions for failing to comply with education regulations. While the move is part of a years-long effort to clean up the private education sector, it also highlights the limits of an oversight system that continues to struggle to stop unauthorized schools from operating.

In a statement issued on July 20, the Ministry of Secondary Education said Minister Nalova Lyonga had signed three ministerial orders shutting down the schools for the upcoming academic year. The institutions were found to have violated legal requirements governing their creation, operation, or expansion.

According to official documents, the decisions follow inspections carried out in June by the National Brigade for the Inspection of Private Schools. Most of the violations involved schools operating without official authorization or accreditation, in breach of Cameroon’s 2004 law regulating private education.

The latest closures are far from unusual. Every year, in the weeks leading up to the new school year, the Ministries of Secondary Education and Basic Education publish lists of private schools ordered to close while urging parents to enroll their children only in approved institutions.

The recurring pattern underscores the difficulty of regulating a fast-growing private education sector. Despite repeated inspection campaigns, new schools continue to open before completing the administrative procedures required by law. This year’s closures, including 52 schools in the Littoral region alone, suggest that while enforcement actions punish violations, they have done little to prevent new cases from emerging.

The spread of unauthorized private schools is partly driven by growing pressure on Cameroon’s education system. Population growth, rapid urbanization, and limited capacity in many public schools have increased demand for private education, particularly in urban areas. Some school operators respond by opening before obtaining all required permits, hoping to regularize their status later. Others expand existing schools or open new branches without prior approval.

The timing of inspections also contributes to the problem. They typically take place only weeks before the school year begins, even though many of the schools have already been operating for months or even years. As a result, the closures often function as corrective measures rather than preventive ones.

Although the sanctions target school operators, families bear much of the immediate impact. Parents may learn only days before classes begin that the school where they enrolled their child will not open, forcing them to secure another place after already paying registration or tuition fees. The closures also disrupt students’ education and leave teachers employed by the affected schools without work just before the new academic year starts.

The ministry stressed that operating authorization is more than an administrative formality. It is intended to ensure that schools meet minimum standards for infrastructure, safety, teaching quality, staff qualifications, and curriculum compliance.

As the 2026-2027 school year approaches, the latest wave of closures serves as both a reminder of regulatory requirements and a sign of a deeper challenge: balancing rising demand for education with effective oversight of the private school sector. Until that balance is achieved, school closure lists are likely to remain a recurring feature of back-to-school preparations in Cameroon.

Source: Business in Cameroon

23, July 2026

Where is Paul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state? ⁰

For a nation that prides itself on stability, the Republic of Cameroon finds itself trapped in an increasingly familiar cycle: the head of state disappears, rumors flourish and his government responds not with transparency but with silence.

At 93 years old, President Paul Biya is the world’s oldest serving head of state. He has ruled Cameroon since 1982 longer than many of the country’s citizens have been alive. Yet once again, his prolonged absence has become the story. The ruling CPDM party faces mounting criticism as Cameroonians ask a simple, legitimate question: Where is their president?

This is not idle curiosity. In any functioning or “advanced” democracy, the whereabouts and health of a sitting president are matters of public interest. They are questions of governance, national security and accountability.

Cameroon has been here before. In 2024, Biya vanished from public view for 42 days while abroad, prompting widespread speculation that he had died. Rather than addressing public concerns with openness, authorities reportedly banned public discussion of the president’s health. That response did little to reassure citizens. Instead, it reinforced perceptions of a government that sees transparency as a threat rather than a duty.

The current episode risks repeating the same mistakes. Every day without credible information creates a vacuum. In that vacuum, rumors become headlines, conspiracy theories gain traction and confidence in state institutions erodes further.

Biya’s supporters who are looting the treasury argue that a president, like any citizen, deserves medical privacy. That is true—to a point. But public office comes with obligations that transcend personal preference. When one individual occupies the highest office in the land, especially after more than four decades in power, questions about their ability to govern are not an invasion of privacy. They are part of democratic accountability.

Cameroon’s political system has become so closely identified with one man that every unexplained absence raises unsettling questions about who is actually making decisions. If Biya is governing effectively, the government should demonstrate that. If Biya is temporarily unable to perform his duties, constitutional mechanisms exist to ensure continuity. What cannot be defended is prolonged official silence.

The issue extends beyond Paul Biya himself. It speaks to a broader challenge confronting nations led by aging leaders who have remained in office for decades. Institutions should be strong enough to function regardless of one person’s health or presence. When they are not, uncertainty becomes inevitable.

The question confronting Cameroon is no longer simply “Where is President Biya?” It is why the government continues to believe that withholding basic information serves the public interest.

Citizens deserve answers, not censorship. They deserve transparency, not speculation. And they deserve confidence that their country is being governed by institutions—not by mystery.

Until those answers are provided, one question will continue to echo both within Cameroon and beyond its borders:

Where is the world’s oldest head of state?

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

23, July 2026

Yaoundé: CPDM barons meet as Biya’s long absence draws criticism ⁰

Cameroon’s ruling party called a rare meeting of senior leaders on Wednesday as criticism mounted over the continued absence of President Paul Biya, 93, who has spent the last 45 days abroad.

Biya, the ‌world’s oldest head of state, left Cameroon on June 7 for what the civil cabinet described as “a brief private stay in Europe” and has since not returned. The government has provided no information as to when he might be back.

Jean Nkuete, secretary-general of the central committee of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), who summoned the ⁠meeting, did not disclose its agenda, describing it in a statement only as “an important working session.” There was no immediate indication that the meeting was linked to Biya’s prolonged absence from public view.

In office since 1982, Biya has for years spent extended stretches in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, though his advanced age means they have increasingly fuelled speculation about his health, whereabouts and ability to govern. The current overseas trip is his longest yet.

DISCUSSION OF HEALTH BANNED

After a similarly extended period out of the country in 2024, the ‌government banned discussion ⁠of Biya’s health.

That has not stopped some opposition figures from commenting on Biya’s absence.

The Cameroon Democratic Union, an opposition party, said in a statement on July 18 that officials should “provide the nation with the necessary clarifications regarding the effective continuity of the state.”

In a Facebook post on July ⁠17, opposition lawmaker Jean Michel Nintcheu said the Constitutional Court should declare the position of head of state vacant.

A government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The government has previously ⁠dismissed reports that Biya is receiving medical treatment and said he can effectively run the cocoa- and oil-producing country from overseas.

Lawmakers in April approved the re-introduction of the role ⁠of vice president, who would be first in line to succeed Biya, but the role has not been filled.

Biya has also not appointed a new government despite having won re-election last October.

Source: Reuters