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Cameroon military acquires light tactical vehicles, rescue boats

16, September 2025

Cameroon military acquires light tactical vehicles, rescue boats 0

Cameroon’s military has taken delivery of 172 newly acquired vehicles, including 104 Land Cruiser BJ light tactical vehicles, three Toyota Land Cruiser 300 VX and 29 Toyota Fortuner 4x4s, to boost the operational efficiency of different services of the country’s military.

The delivery, which took place at Air Base 101 in Yaounde on 4 September, according to defence ministry officials, also included 21 six-metre and 10-metre boats meant for maritime rescue operations, as well as 36 of a total of 227 Renault- and Peugeot-brand firefighting trucks and related equipment destined for the national firefighting brigade.

The boats are made from aluminium alloy and powered by Yamaha outboard motors of 50 and 150 horsepower, said Colonel Japhet Sylvain Ondanga, Director in charge of joint military equipment at the defence ministry.

All the vehicles and equipment are supplied by France’s specialised vehicle manufacturer Desautel Group, and discussions for the supply of a second consignment are said to be underway.

The service vehicles were acquired with funds from the Cameroon government estimated at about FCFA 32 billion ($53.5 million), while the firefighting equipment was financed through a loan from the French Treasury of a similar amount.

The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, who presided at the handover ceremony, underscored the importance of the vehicles, noting that they will substantially contribute to the operational efficiency of the beneficiary personnel and the army as a whole.

Assomo said the acquisition of the new military gear is in line with the desire of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Paul Biya, to modernise the defence and security forces and keep their operational and logistical capabilities in line with contemporary standards.

“It is part of an overall drive to modernise equipment and reinforce our national defence system. These acquisitions are intended to improve the operational capacity of our soldiers and units in response to ever-increasing security demands,” he stated during the ceremony.

“This significant consignment of equipment was acquired in part thanks to funding granted by BPI France on behalf of the French Treasury, for a total of more than FCFA 32 billion. To date, 172 vehicles have already been delivered,” Assomo said.

“This ceremony also offers us the opportunity to showcase 136 other brand-new vehicles, including 29 official and service vehicles and 104 Land Cruiser BJ light tactical vehicles, selected samples of which are also displayed here today,” he added.

Assomo stated that after the presentation of the vehicles, the distribution process will proceed gradually.

“Priority will be given to replacing outdated vehicles with new ones. Additional acquisitions are already planned, so it is unnecessary to overwhelm the offices of the Chief of Staff or the Minister with repeated requests,” he appealed.

Cameroon has faced serious security challenges in recent years, and the military has been trying to meet the exigencies by strengthening its logistical capacity through the acquisition of vehicles and other vital equipment to boost its operational readiness.

In 2021, the National Gendarmerie received equipment, including DJI Phantom drones, rifles and accessories, 100 bullet-resistant jackets, 50 heavy armour helmets, and six pairs of binoculars, among others, to be used in the fight against terrorism.

Source: Defenseweb

Decades’ old Bello Bouba/Tchiroma distrust hampering opposition unity

15, September 2025

Decades’ old Bello Bouba/Tchiroma distrust hampering opposition unity 0

The campaign of NUDP leader, Bello Bouba Maigari on 14 September rejected the declaration on 13 September that his northern rival, Issa Tchiroma, has been chosen as the opposition consensual candidate, mainly by Ekane Anicet and Djeukam Tchameni. That came as little surprise to anyone who has been following Cameroon’s contemporary political history. The two men distrust each other and had fallen out acrimoniously in 1992.

Below is a fact sheet timeline of the Bello/Tchiroma saga. Let’s take it from 1982:

– When Paul Biya succeeded Ahmadou Ahidjo as second president of Cameroon in November 1982, he appointed Bello Bouba Maigari as his Prime Minister. Bello was 35 years old. He had earlier held a couple of government positions including that of Minister of the Economy. It looked then like Bello was in line to be the third president. Under the constitutional provision at the time whereby the PM was the constitutional successor, Bello was in a position to succeed President Biya if the latter died in office or decided to quit power as his predecessor had done in his favour. It was said that Ahidjo recommended (or imposed Bello on) to Biya to maintain the north-south power balance.

– Less than a year into office, Bello left (or fled) into exile, abandoning or having resigned as PM, following accusations that he was involved in the first coup plot that was uncovered in August 1983 (before the bloody one of April 1984). He relocated to Kano in Nigeria. Little-known Issa Tchiroma then, a railway engineer, was a senior official at the railways company (Regifercam). In 1984, he had been arrested in connection with the failed bloody coup attempt of April 6, 1984. He was tried and found to be innocent, spared execution like many others but still held in detention at the Yoko prison.

– Fast forward to 1991. With the official relaunch of multiparty politics following the December 1990 Liberty Laws, NUDP (National Union for Democracy and Progress) was created with essentially a northern base and former Ahidjo regime men as its leaders. Samuel Eboua, former Secretary General at the Presidency under Ahidjo was its founding President. Though Bello was still in exile, it was widely reported that he would be the Presidential Candidate for NUDP. Hamadou Moustapha who was also a young minister under Ahidjo, was a Vice President and Issa Tchiroma, released from jail under the Amnesty Laws that also rehabilitated the image of those who, like Um Nyobe, Ahidjo etc, were considered political outlaws, became Political Secretary of the nascent NUDP.

– Ahead of the Tripartite Conference that took place in Yaounde in October-November 1991 to bring the CPDM government, the opposition and civil society actors to talk around the table, Bello returned from exile and within weeks, pulled his weight within NUDP and convened an extraordinary congress of the party in Garoua which Samuel Eboua boycotted in protest and where Bello emerged as new President of the party.

– In March 1992, NUDP emerged second with 68 seats behind CPDM’s 88 in the parliamentary (legislative) elections of March 1992 boycotted by SDF and CDU. Bello, Tchiroma and Moustapha were among NUDP parliamentarians. Later that year, Biya appointed Tchiroma and Moustapha into his government. It was reported that the two NUDP men accepted the appointment without the knowledge of Bello, their party leader. Tchiroma was minister of Transport. Moustapha returned to the Housing and Town Planning ministry he had held under Ahidjo.

– When in a 1994 cabinet reshuffle Tchiroma.and Moustapha were maintained in government against Bello’s wish that they be sacked, he said they had thus excluded themselves from NUDP. Furious, Tchiroma was seen on TV threatening that they would “teach Bello a lesson!” He and Moustapha declared they had taken over as leaders of what they called “Authentic” NUDP but later registered a new party, National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP) in 1995. Both men were eventually dropped from the government in 1996.

– In 1997, Bello was appointed into government as Minister of State for Post and Telecommunications.

– In 2002, Tchiroma returned to NUDP. Unknown whether he was mandated by the party, but obviously unlikely, he played a key role in the quest for an opposition consensual candidate for the 2004 presidential election, which picked the late Adamou Ndam Njoya. NUDP was not officially part of the process.

– In 2007, Tchiroma founded the National Front for the Salvation of Cameroon or FSNC in its French abbreviation.

– In 2008, Tchiroma supported the CPDM’s modification of the Constitution, removing the two-term limit in force since 1996, which would have barred President Biya from seeking re-election at the end of his second mandate under that law in 2011.

– In 2009, Tchiroma was appointed back into the government as Minister of Communication.

– Fast forward to this year. in June, both men resigned from the government. Tchiroma first. Followed by Bello. They both declared their candidacy for the 12 October presidential election. Both men have been pulling big rally crowds in their northern home base. Both men are evidently energizing their base. They are both from Garoua. Opinion polls by English Cameroon for a United Cameroon led by Dr Benjamin Akih, have been suggesting that Tchiroma has a wide lead over all other candidates including Bello.

– About two weeks ago, Bello paid an under-reported courtesy call on Tchiroma at his Garoua home. Little filtered out of the meeting but a video circulating on social media on the same day Tchiroma was presented as consensual opposition candidate, shows both men smiling, shaking hands and later embraced as Bello stepped out of his car and Tchiroma walked out of his house to his veranda.

– The turn-out numbers and anti-Biya energy in the northern regions around the candidacy of Bello and Tchiroma, not seen in previous elections and which gave the impression that Biya owned the massive northern votes, has triggered calls for unity between Bello and Tchiroma to ensure the northern votes are not split. Though both men have visited and held talks with disqualified candidate, Maurice Kamto in an effort towards what many describe as the ideal electoral coalition (KBTM adding Akere Muna), persistent signs of distrust between Bello and Tchiroma are unsettling opposition enthusiasts who hope for a unified opposition front, which many believe, would be the surest way to oust incumbent Biya.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 1 killed, 4 injured in Batibo

15, September 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 1 killed, 4 injured in Batibo 0

At least one person was killed and four others injured on Sunday when an improvised explosive device detonated in a bar in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone Northwest region, security sources said, APA reports citing Xinhua.

The blast took place in Batibo, a locality of the region, with the bomb planted in a bar near a police station, according to officials.

“A group of terrorists targeted the bar because policemen frequently gather there,” a regional security officer told Xinhua. “However, no officers were present during the explosion. All victims were civilians enjoying time with friends and family.”

No group has claimed responsibility, but local authorities attributed the attack to separatist fighters active in the area.

On Monday, separatists initiated a month-long lockdown in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions to disrupt school reopenings and the October presidential election.

Separatists have been clashing with government forces in the regions since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation.

Source: Xinhuanet

Eyamba Carl Enownewu Tabenyang -the Scion of Besongabang Goes Home

12, September 2025

Eyamba Carl Enownewu Tabenyang -the Scion of Besongabang Goes Home 0

On a warm rain-washed day – July 24, 1937 – in the rolling green hills of Besongabang, in Cameroon’s verdant Manyu Division, Southwest region, a boy was born whose life would ripple far beyond the humble borders of his village. That boy, Carl Enownewu Tabenyang, grew to become not only a father and patriarch, but a community leader, and above all, a sage whose words carried the weight of truth and whose actions left the fragrance of integrity. Pa Tabenyang as he was fondly called entered the world in an era when births went unrecorded in the ledger of dates, hence his arrival went unremarked on paper; yet his impact, as time would show, was to be profound and lasting. His passing in June 2025, days shy of his 88th birthday, was more than the death of one man; it was the silencing of a steady moral voice that spoke consistently for peace, love, justice, education, family, and unity. His extended Manyu family and friends around the world will remember him as a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great-grandfather. A man for all seasons who moved with the times his passing marks the end of an era. Pa Tabenyang will be buried on Saturday, September 12, 2025 in his native Besongabang. Although his earthly voice is stilled, his spirit still resounds, in his family, community, and in the countless lives he touched with integrity, and love.

Humble Origins of a Great Man

Pa Tabenyang’s story is one of resilience, providence and destiny. From the outset, his path – neither smooth nor certain, was marked by both challenge and promise. His mother, deeply traditional and determined, saw little value in formal education. But destiny had other plans and fate intervened. A Swiss missionary, Dr. Martin Stucki-Stirn, saw in young Carl a rare spark, and through his intervention, secured his admission into CPC Bali in 1958. Later, another benefactor, Mr. Donald Capill, stepped in to sponsor his further education. But in 1960, circumstances drew him back home, and thus began his journey as a teacher in Besongabang and later in Ntenako. His life ceased to be about personal ambition; instead, it became one of service. Besongabang had not merely a son but a torchbearer – one who would illuminate paths for generations yet unborn.

Teacher and Mentor

Pa Tabenyang was more than a teacher. He was a beacon and symbol of possibility as he carried the torch of knowledge into the classrooms of Besongabang and Ntenako. He imparted reading and writing, but more importantly, he offered hope. He did not just teach children to read and write; he taught them to believe. He taught them discipline, fairness, and the conviction that their roots did not determine their destiny. To a generation of Manyu youth, he was the living example that one of their own could stand equal to anyone, anywhere. Through him, children saw that a larger world existed beyond the familiar hills and modest homes of their youth. He was not only a teacher of books but a teacher of life. His insistence on integrity and his refusal to bend to corruption became legendary. He taught his students that knowledge without character was empty – and he lived that lesson daily. Those who knew him then testified to his dedication to duty and zero tolerance for corruption.

Politician, Patriot, and Public Sage

It is impossible to speak of Pa Tabenyang without acknowledging his boldness in public life. A member of the ruling CPDM, he nonetheless stood apart from those who sought politics for personal gain. His militancy was not for privilege but for principle. He belonged to the lineage of patriots who believed Cameroon’s greatness lay in diversity of opinions, justice, fairness, and equity. Once, during a meeting at the Mamfe town hall, then Manyu CPDM leader, erstwhile Minister Peter Agbor Tabi (RIP) vowed to crush and even kill his political enemies, including Pa Tabenyang’s son – Thomas Tabenyang (TT) – then Southwest Provincial chairman of the main opposition SDF party, whom he cited by name, as he scornfully sneered at Pa Tabenyang. In the presence of the security and administrative top brass, including the erratic and impulsive Southwest Governor, Oben Peter Ashu (RIP), Pa Tabenyang with his trademark poker face like a gifted ventriloquist, fired back without mincing words: “Mr. Minister, with all due respect, I am very proud of my son’s militancy in the SDF; in the same way you should be proud of your brother, [Chief John Agbor Tabi (RIP)], who is leading the secessionist SCNC movement; which unlike the SDF is not a legally registered political party. So, if you are going to kill your political enemies, start by killing your elder brother, who wants to break up Cameroon, before threatening my son.”

The ensuing silence was deafening and you could hear a pin drop. Deflated and confounded, Agbor Tabi was left speechless. Pa Tabenyang’s words, sharp and unflinching, exposed Agbor Tabi’s hypocrisy and reminded all that he who seeks equity must come with clean hands. That was vintage Pa Tabenyang – fearless, principled, and unwilling to bow to intimidation. It was a moment that defined him as a man of integrity and courage, unafraid to confront and speak truth to power no matter whose ox is gored

A Father to His Family, A Father to His People

Beyond public life, Pa Tabenyang’s greatest pride was his family. He delighted in being a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His philosophy of kinship was expansive; for him, kinship was covenant. “Tabenyang Carl Enow’s family,” he once said, “includes my children, my grandchildren, great-grand born and unborn, including the mothers… Anyone who tears or decides to break away from this bond does so at his own will.”

These words were more than sentiment -they are a testament to the human ties that bind Besongabang, past, present, and yet-to-be-born. They were the philosophy of his life. They spoke of his insistence that family, in all its branches, must remain united. For Besongabang, too often divided by disputes and chieftaincy quarrels, Pa Tabenyang was a bridge-builder, a quiet force urging reconciliation and reminding everyone that no cause was greater than kinship.

The Walking Encyclopedia and Sage of Besongabang

Pa Tabenyang’s life was threaded with humility. Not seeking acclaim, he cultivated wisdom in everyday acts – teaching students, comforting a grieving mother, bridging divides, urging kin not to sever blood ties. His was a leadership not of pomp but of presence, incarnating the ancient values of responsibility, kinship, and steadfastness. One of his greatest attributes perhaps was his consistency in words and in deeds. Even when he disagreed with his associates in a group, he never abandoned that group to form another. Pa Tabenyang was principled, fair-minded and with a detribalized and cosmopolitan outlook.

Indeed, those who knew Pa Tabenyang best often marveled at the breadth of his mind. He was, in truth, a walking encyclopedia of rare precision, a lover of English literature-Shakespeare, John Keats, John Milton, Geoffrey Chaucer – and a devotee of classical music – Mozart, Beethoven, Bach. In him, Manyu had a man whose intellect straddled numbers and poetry, grammar and imagination. To converse with him was to be lifted, to be stretched, to be reminded that the life of the mind was as important as the labor of the hands.

Enduring Legacy

Today, like the Besongabang Diaspora that rallies for community development projects worldwide, the memory of Pa Tabenyang lives on not in monuments, but in the character of those he taught and the unity he forged. In the end, the monuments Pa Tabenyang leaves behind are not of stone or bronze, but of character and conviction. They live in every student and every family reconciled by his counsel. They live in every Cameroonian who still believes, despite everything, that their country can still be great.

Pa Tabenyang was, above all, a man of the people. Born in humble circumstances, elevated by acts of kindness and committed to returning that gift tenfold, he was a teacher whose classroom extended to every heart; a leader whose authority was love; a sage whose council was silence and compassion. He was a principled man who, by his personal style and distinction, invited either passionate praise or rabid criticism. Still, in all that he stood for, no one could fault his undying love for people.  But perhaps his greatest legacy lies in his example; in his humility, in his consistency between word and deed. In his cosmopolitan spirit that transcended tribe and embraced fairness for all. In his ability to combine frankness with gentleness, principle with patience.

Indeed, history will remember Pa Tabenyang for what he contributed to humanity, and he will always remain alive in the hearts of Manyu people, especially the Besongabang people, as a most valued sage.In death, Pa Tabenyang matters because Besongabang has lost a sage, Manyu has lost a pillar and Cameroon has lost a true patriot. But none of us has truly lost Pa Tabenyang – for his life, like the great classical music he loved, plays on in memory, in inspiration, in action. May we honor him not with grand memorials, but by building the compassion, unity, and wisdom he lived by. May every child he inspired, every relationship he mended, and every life he touched be his lasting monument.

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai, Boston, USA

Football: Eto’o implicated in Chelsea agent payments

11, September 2025

Football: Eto’o implicated in Chelsea agent payments 0

Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022.

The charges are primarily focused on transfers between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons.

Three deals that form part of the investigation involved Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those players.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was in control of the club from 2003 to 2022, before selling Chelsea to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital.

The alleged rule breaches concern agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players.

Chelsea, who said they had reported the potential rule breaches to the FA themselves, have until 19 September to respond.

There are a wide range of options available to sanction Chelsea, including a fine, transfer embargo and points deduction. However, the Blues’ high level of co-operation will be factored in and the club don’t expect to be hit with a sporting sanction.

Sources at Chelsea also say they have no concerns about the impact of any future fines on compliance with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) having factored in a potential punishment after the takeover of the club in 2022.

“During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules,” Chelsea said.

“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.

“The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data.”

The Premier League has confirmed to BBC Sport that their investigation remains ongoing.

In 2023, Chelsea were fined £8.6m by Uefa for “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019.

Hazard was signed by Chelsea from Lille in 2012 and, in seven seasons at Stamford Bridge, won the Premier League and Europa League twice, the FA Cup and League Cup.

The Belgian scored 110 goals in 352 games for the Blues before joining Real Madrid in 2019.

Brazilian forward Willian and former Cameroon striker Eto’o arrived at Chelsea from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013.

Willian, who scored 63 goals in 339 appearances, won five trophies with the Blues before leaving for Arsenal in 2020, while Eto’o spent one season at Chelsea before making a switch to Everton.

Source: BBC

Cameroon signals urgency on biometric voter ID collection as presidential vote nears

11, September 2025

Cameroon signals urgency on biometric voter ID collection as presidential vote nears 0

Calls are multiplying from officials of Cameroon’s elections management agency (ELECAM) across the country for registered voters to take possession of their biometric voter cards in a move that has been considered a race against time.

The election agency is now racing to distribute both backlogged old cards and newly printed ones as the country’s presidential election is just a month away. Some of the uncollected cards date back to 2018 and even older, officials say.

Cameroonians are due to elect a new president on October 12 in an election that has incumbent President Paul Biya and 11 other candidates in the race.

According to ELECAM, hundreds of thousands of biometric voter cards remain uncollected at its decentralized offices across the nation, and officials are said to be using door-to-door campaigns, mobile teams, and council area commissions to get these cards to their owners.

Registered voters without voter cards will not be able to cast their ballot on polling day, ELECAM warns.

In the Littoral Region, for example, officials say there are more than 350,000 cards still uncollected, as officials intensify strategies to make sure they meet registered citizens through proximity methods.

In the South Region, the Regional Delegate of ELECAM told state broadcaster, CRTV, recently that they received more than 115,000 voter cards from the Directorate General of ELECAM covering the period 2021-2024, but that just around 50,000 cards have been collected.

Of the total number of cards collected for distribution in the South West Region, just around 48 percent of them have been handed over to their owners, the ELECAM Regional Delegate for that region, Zofoa Njoya Sake, told Biometric Update in a chat.

He said of the 66,515 cards received, about 31,861 of them have been distributed, while more than 34,000 others remain to withdrawn by their owners. Nonetheless, he said they have received logistical support to enable them clear the backlog of uncollected cards.

In the past weeks, ELECAM’s teams say they have been working in collaboration with members of commissions charged with the issuance and distribution of voter cards in all council areas to ramp up collection.

Their efforts are intended to make sure that all registered voters receive their cards before election day on October 12.

Cameroon’s electoral law states that biometric voter cards issued to registered voters shall be permanent, and can only be replaced in the case of loss or damage.

Apart from voter card distribution, ELECAM says it is also currently in the process of deduplicating the biometric voter registry which has around 8.2 million registered voters.

In May, ELECAM announced that it took delivery of new biometric gear to support voter registration for the presidential election. It also trained some of its staff on the effective use of the devices.

Cameroon introduced a biometric voter registration system in 2012 with a first set of 1,200 kits supplied then by German firm Giesecke and Devrient. Other kits were later purchased from GenKey and Veridos, according to ELECAM sources.

Source: Biometricupdate.com

Football: Onana moves to Trabzonspor on loan

11, September 2025

Football: Onana moves to Trabzonspor on loan 0

Manchester United keeper Andre Onana has joined Trabzonspor on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

The move has taken place before the transfer window in Turkey closes on Friday and follows the Cameroon international not playing in United’s opening three Premier League games.

“We would like to wish Andre good luck,” said United in announcing the deal, which is subject to international clearance and registration.

Onana’s only appearance for Ruben Amorim’s side this season came in their shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two Grimsby.

The 29-year-old was signed from Inter Milan for £47.2m in July 2023 by former Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag to replace David de Gea as United’s number one.

He has made 102 appearances for the club and was part of their 2024 FA Cup-winning side.

But his United spell has been punctuated by a number of mistakes and Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, 23, was signed on deadline day from Royal Antwerp in a deal worth an initial 21m euros (£18.1m) plus add-ons.

Amorim, whose side visit Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, now has Lammens, Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton as his goalkeeping options.

Source: BBC

Buea: Bishop Bibi laments spiraling violence in Southern Cameroons

11, September 2025

Buea: Bishop Bibi laments spiraling violence in Southern Cameroons 0

Days after suspected separatist fighters killed nine Cameroonian soldiers in the South West region, Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea condemned the relentless bloodshed plaguing Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

On Friday, the separatist group Fako Unity Warriors claimed responsibility for an explosive device near Malende that killed the soldiers. This attack underscores the elusive nature of peace in the Anglophone regions — a reality deeply troubling to the bishop.

“War is not something to be encouraged,” the cleric told Christians during a Sunday teaching. “God did not create us to fight each other and to kill each other,” Bibi said.

“Human life is sacred because it has its source and origin in God. When it comes into existence, it continues to have a relationship with God,” Bibi said referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“Only God, who gives human life, has the right to take it away,” the bishop emphasized.

“Those who fight and take life must know this is wrong. That is why the Church calls us to be advocates of justice and peace, ensuring our communities are free from fighting and killing,” he said.

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions have been embroiled in conflict since 2016. What began as peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers against perceived marginalization by the Francophone-dominated government descended into a brutal separatist war following a harsh government crackdown.

This conflict, however, is deeply rooted in Cameroon’s colonial past. Once a German colony, the territory was divided between Britain and France after Germany’s defeat in World War I. The two powers administered their respective regions — first as League of Nations Mandates and later as United Nations Trust Territories — until independence. In 1961, a UN-supervised plebiscite led to the reunification of the two Cameroons under a federal system. This federation, however, was short-lived. In 1972, it was abolished in favor of a unitary state, concentrating power in the Francophone-dominated central government.

For Anglophone Cameroonians, this dissolution marked the beginning of systemic marginalization. The grievances that fueled the 2016 protests were not spontaneous; they were the culmination of decades of pent-up frustration over the erosion of their political autonomy, cultural identity, and economic opportunities.

The human cost of the war that has been going on now for nearly nine years is staggering. Beyond the recent soldier casualties, the conflict has claimed at least 6,500 lives according to the International Crisis Group. About a million others have been forced to flee their homes to escape indiscriminate violence, burning villages, and widespread human rights abuses committed by both sides.

There are legitimate fears that more violence lies ahead as the school year begins, given separatists have long made a school boycott a cornerstone of the separatist struggle, and as the country heads to a presidential election in October.

Already, separatists have imposed lockdowns, saying they want to disrupt the new school year as well as the October presidential poll.

“Apart from the Monday lockdowns [for long, separatists had imposed lockdowns in the two regions every Monday], the ‘boys’ have said that beginning Monday September 8 when schools reopened for the 2025/2026 academic year, the two regions will be on a complete lockdown until the election in October,” taxi man and Catholic Christian, Ernest Shu Tegha told Crux.

“How do I survive for over a month if I cannot work,” he said.

Catholic bishops in the two regions have continued to plead with the separatists to allow kids back in school.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya told Crux that “it is unethical for Children to be used as a weapon of war.”

“We continue to plead that our children should be allowed to go back to school,” he said. Government officials have also been front and center in the effort to get kids back to school in the two regions.

“It is the right of every child to be educated; to have free, equitable and inclusive education,” said Dr. Asheri Kilo, the Secretary of State for Basic Education, in an interview of the Cameroon state broadcaster, CRTV.

“Why would anybody want to stop that,” she asked.

For some time, there had been an uneasy calm in both regions. In an exclusive interview on local Television channel, Equinox, Nkea said “a bit of social life has been returning to Bamenda.”

The archbishop said four years ago, the streets went quiet before 6 Pm every day. Today however, “you can see people drinking right up to ten PM. People are now free to organize funerals and weddings,” he said, but warned that such moments should not be confused with a return to peace.

“The situation is still very volatile,” Nkea said.

“I have made this distinction before. The fact that people are coming back, the fact that shops are opening more and more, the fact that people are beginning to celebrate funerals, more marriages openly and go right into the night does not explain the end of the crisis,” he explained.

“It is simply telling us that either people are getting used to the crisis or there is an uneasy detente. There’s an uneasy calm and we don’t know what can happen at any time. Let us not be deceived by social life returning to our communities and interpret that as the end of the crisis,” the archbishop added.

That warning is now materializing with the current lockdowns.

Source: Crux

Ivory Coast’s ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo cleared to contest presidency

9, September 2025

Ivory Coast’s ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo cleared to contest presidency 0

Ivory Coast’s former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, is the surprise inclusion in a list of five candidates who have been officially cleared to contest next month’s presidential election.

She will run against President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who took power after she and her former husband, Laurent Gbagbo, were captured in a presidential bunker during the conflict that hit the country after the 2010 election.

But the ex-president has been barred from contesting the poll, along with ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-Credit Suisse bank CEO Tidjane Thiam.

Their disqualification has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the 25 October vote and has sparked fears of instability.

Thiam, who was disqualified by the Constitutional Council due to his previous French citizenship, called the decision “an act of democratic vandalism” and accused the Ouattara administration of orchestrating a “sham election” to cling to power.

Ouattara assumed the presidency in 2011, following Laurent Gbagbo’s arrest after his refusal to accept defeat in the 2010 election.

Ouattara was originally restricted to serving two terms, but a 2016 constitutional overhaul allowed him to seek re-election in 2020, in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition.

He won that election in a landslide, with at least 85 people killed in ensuing unrest. He later declared that he would run for a fourth term.

Laurent Gbagbo has been barred by the Constitutional Council from running for president because of a 2018 criminal conviction.

He was sentenced in absentia for looting the central bank during the political crisis that hit Ivory Coast after the 2010 election.

Although he received a presidential pardon in 2020, it did not restore his right to vote or run for office.

He also faced separate charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC), but he was acquitted.

For Simone Gbagbo, her candidacy is not only politically significant but symbolically powerful in a country where women remain largely underrepresented in national leadership.

Only 30% of Ivorian parliamentarians are women, and few have held senior roles in government.

Once nicknamed “The Iron Lady”, Simone Gbagbo is now poised to become the strongest female contender for the presidency in Ivory Coast’s history.

She and ex-minister Henriette Lagou Adjoua, representing the Political Partners for Peace coalition, are the two women whose candidacy was approved by the Constitutional Council.

Simone Gbagbo has had a long and active career in Ivorian politics, including as an MP – which was later overshadowed by her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections in which more than 3,000 people died.

It led to her being sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015 by a court in Ivory Coast.

She was however granted amnesty three years later by President Ouattara to foster reconciliation. Unlike her former husband, the conviction did not lead to her removal from the voter register.

The ICC had also pursued charges against her in 2012, but they were dropped about nine years later.

Since then, she has been quietly and methodically rebuilding her political base, following her break from the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) – the party she co-founded with her former husband, ex-President Gbagbo.

Her campaign slogan is a call to “build a new nation” within “a sovereign, dignified, and prosperous Africa.”

“Her approval legitimises the idea that Ivorian women can aspire to the highest office, regardless of their past, age, or gender. She’s not just a candidate – she’s a symbol,” said local political analyst Severin Yao Kouamés.

It is unclear if Laurent Gbagbo, now disqualified from the election, will support his ex-wife.

The two were married for more than 30 years, sharing a life of political militancy, imprisonment, and governance. They divorced in 2023.

The official election campaign begins on 10 October.

The country has 8.7 million registered voters and there are fears that the exclusion of some of the other candidates could erode public trust and trigger renewed unrest.

Still all eyes will be on whether Simone Gbagbo can reshape the leadership narrative, and become the president.

Source: BBC

Biya’s Continued Stay in Power: Amba fighters impose lockdown in Southern Cameroons

9, September 2025

Biya’s Continued Stay in Power: Amba fighters impose lockdown in Southern Cameroons 0

At least nine soldiers were killed in weekend clashes in Cameroon as armed separatists sought to impose a month-long lockdown in the country’s war-torn English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest, according to security sources.

Separatist leaders said on social media that the lockdown, which began on Monday, was intended to disrupt the reopening of schools in the regions and the country’s presidential election scheduled for October.

Residents of Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest Region, said the situation in the city is tense.

“There is nobody on the streets. The streets are all deserted. Places are closed and almost all activities are not operational. People are just afraid because of the lockdown,” a resident of the city, who asked not to be named, said.

Additional troops have been deployed to the region where they conduct night and day patrols, a security source said. On Sunday, officials in the regions assured residents of “tight security” and urged them to go about their activities normally.

Separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation they call “The Federal Republic of Ambazonia.”

Source: Xinhuanet

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