Headline News

16, January 2026

Biya regime resumes ENS, ENSET entrance exams after three-year suspension ⁰

After nearly three years of suspension, entrance exams for the Higher Teacher Training Colleges (ENS) and Higher Technical Teacher Training Colleges (ENSET) will officially resume for the 2025–2026 academic year. The announcement was made by Higher Education Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo in a statement signed on January 13, 2026. According to the document, the decision follows directives from the head of state aimed at revitalizing teacher training nationwide.

To frame the relaunch, the Ministry of Higher Education (Minesup) issued 32 official decrees detailing application procedures and eligibility requirements. Candidates are required to submit a complete application file, including an application form, certified copies of academic diplomas, proof of Cameroonian nationality, identity documents, and, where applicable, medical certificates. The ministry warns that any incomplete application will be automatically rejected.

Eligibility criteria are also clearly defined. Applicants must hold the required diplomas for the targeted program, comply with the maximum age limits set by decree, provide authentic documents, and meet the standards of conduct and integrity required by Minesup. Jacques Fame Ndongo urged candidates to carefully review the decrees in order to prepare their applications “under the best possible conditions.”

Entrance exams for the ENS and ENSET had been suspended since 2023 for budgetary reasons and replaced by admission based solely on application files. The text notes that this system did not guarantee fairness or effective integration into the civil service. On November 6, 2025, during his swearing-in ceremony, President Paul Biya announced the return of the exams, reiterating that youth development is a strategic priority of his new term.

The resumption comes amid high youth unemployment, at a time when access to professional training and public-sector jobs remains a key challenge. The decision is presented as an expression of the president’s stated intention to expand concrete opportunities for training and professional integration for young Cameroonians.

Source: Business in Cameroon

16, January 2026

Issa Tchiroma denies talks with Biya regime ⁰

Issa Tchiroma is not in talks with veteran ruler Paul Biya’s government, his spokeswoman said Thursday, despite claims of negotiations after last year’s disputed presidential elections.

Biya, 92, is the world’s oldest head of state and has been in power since 1982. He was re-elected for an eighth term of office in October. But Tchiroma, who fled into exile in The Gambia, maintains he was the real winner of the vote.

In recent days, rumours have swirled online that Tchiroma’s camp was in talks with the government. Biya promised in a New Year’s address that he would appoint ministers “in the coming days” but has so far failed to do so.

Tchiroma’s spokeswoman, Alice Nkom, wrote on Facebook that “no discussion, no compromise, no participation in any electoral process whatsoever can be envisaged”.

The opposition leader said in the statement that he “never intended to negotiate my electoral victory, neither before, nor during, nor after the vote”.

His Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC) is boycotting upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections.

“Any political party that takes part in them endorses the wrongdoing and makes itself complicit,” Nkom said.

Source: AFP

15, January 2026

Ugandans vote amid internet blackout and police repression ⁰

Voting began Thursday in Uganda’s presidential election despite a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticised as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.

Crowds gathered and long lines formed in some areas as polling station openings were delayed and voting materials were seen being delivered after the scheduled 7am opening time.

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine, who is calling for political change.

The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters.

Polls are expected to close at 4pm Thursday, according to the electoral commission. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours.

Impatient crowds gathered outside polling stations expressing concerns over the delays Thursday morning. Umaru Mutyaba, a polling agent for a parliamentary candidate, said it was “frustrating” to be waiting outside a station in the capital Kampala.

“We can’t be standing here waiting to vote as if we have nothing else to do,” he said.

There have been concerns about transparency, the possibility of hereditary rule, military interference and opposition strategies to prevent vote tampering at polling stations.

Uganda’s internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence. The shutdown has affected the public and disrupted critical sectors such as banking.

There has been heavy security leading up to voting, including military units deployed on the streets this week.

Amnesty International said security forces are engaging in a “brutal campaign of repression”, citing a November 28 opposition rally in eastern Uganda where the military blocked exits and opened fire on supporters, killing one person.

Museveni urged voters to come out in large numbers during his final rally Tuesday.

“You go and vote, anybody who tries to interfere with your freedom will be crushed. I am telling you this. We are ready to put an end to this indiscipline,” he said.

The national electoral commission chairperson, Simon Byabakama, urged tolerance among Ugandans as they vote.

“Let us keep the peace that we have,” Byabakama said late Wednesday. “Let us be civil. Let us be courteous. Let’s be tolerant. Even if you know that this person does not support (your) candidate, please give him or her room or opportunity to go and exercise his or her constitutional right.”

Authorities also suspended the activities of several civic groups during the campaign season. That Group, a prominent media watchdog, closed its office Wednesday after the interior ministry alleged in a letter that the group was involved in activities “prejudicial to the security and laws of Uganda”.

Veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, remains in prison after he was charged with treason in February 2025.

Source: AP

14, January 2026

Bishop Bibi frees 29 inmates who couldn’t afford bail ⁰

Twenty-nine inmates from the Buea Central Prison in Cameroon regained their freedom Tuesday following the intervention of Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea, through the Justice and Peace Commission.

The Church achieved the feat by paying off fines for prisoners who had completed their sentences but lacked the financial means to secure their own release.

As the 29 prisoners regained their freedom, they actually burst into song.

“Our Bishop, we say thank you! Our Bishop, we say thank you!” they sang.

As the freed inmates emerged, they shared stories of relief and renewed hope. One former inmate, who identified himself as an ice cream vendor named Elake Mbua, recounted a family dispute over property that finally landed him in prison.

“I’m thanking the Roman Catholic Church for intervening for me. If not of the bishop, I don’t know for how much longer I’d remain in jail. I say thank you,” he said.

Another freed man, Clovis Fuh, who had been incarcerated for a year, simply beamed.

“Today is the happiest day in my life,” he said.

“My father [meaning Bishop Bibi} and the Catholic Church have done something that I will never ever forget in my life,” Fuh told Crux.

Bibi, accompanied by the Director of the Justice and Peace Commission, Joyce Mbong, and diocesan priests, personally oversaw the release. The bishop explained that this act of mercy is a longstanding tradition for the diocese, fueled by the generosity of priests, religious, and lay faithful.

“It has been a tradition that I, together with my priests, the religious and the Christians of the diocese … struggle to see what we can do in order to get them out of prisons,” Bibi stated.

“I’m happy today that the work that the Justice and Peace Office has carried out has made it possible for us to release these prisoners… This is the first set we are doing. We will work again and get another list,” Bibi said.

The bishop’s involvement with the Buea Central Prison extends far beyond Tuesday’s event, according to Prison Administrator, Donatus Ntemgwa. He said the release of the 29 inmates has scaled down overcrowding in the prison.

“He has also promised us to do post-detention care… since he has promised us to follow up these inmates after their release, so we are very, very happy,” the prison administrator told journalists.

However, Bibi cautioned the newly freed individuals, urging them to make a clean break from their past.

“The prison is not their home,” the bishop stated.

“They came here because they did something that was not proper. Some came here because of misjudgments … they should go and not come back, because some of them have gone and come back once, twice, thrice,” the bishop said.

To ensure they don’t return, the Justice and Peace Commission is implementing a comprehensive reintegration plan. Mbong outlined a multi-faceted approach to the social and economic reintegration of the ex-prisoners.

“As of today, we are going to get a database of those who have skills and their talents,” the commissioner told Crux.

“Some have already expressed the need to want to continue on skills training or to continue education. So we still have to look for resources to be able to support them,” she explained.

She said the commission “will maintain contact with the former inmates, assist with family reconciliation in cases where needed, and help them find productive work.”

One freed prisoner, a former hairdresser, said that she will “start from where I stopped.”

The Church officials pledged to help secure essential documents for those who lack them, such as birth certificates and national identity cards.

Mbong made a direct appeal to the public for support, given the costs involved.

“We cannot do all at a time, and I want to use this forum to appeal to those who can and have the resources to support the Justice and Peace Office in this mission of preparing these inmates and also facilitating their reintegration into society,” she said.

For the 29 prisoners who walked through the prison gate into freedom, the journey to a new life has just begun, with the Diocese of Buea pledging to walk alongside them every step of the way.

Source: Crux

14, January 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 12 civilians killed, 15 wounded in Ndu ⁰

At least 12 civilians, including women and children, were killed early Wednesday when suspected separatist fighters raided a community in Cameroon’s restive Northwest Region, local authorities said.

Fifteen people were also wounded, two critically, in the attack that occurred at around 5:30 a.m. local time in Mbandfung, a village in the English-speaking region’ Ndu subdivision, Abdou Kanfon Borno, mayor of Ndu Council, told Xinhua by phone.

“The separatist terrorists invaded the Gidado neighborhood of the village, targeting the Mbororo community who live there,” Abdou said. “There were no clashes. The villagers were still asleep. They just opened fire on everyone, including children and women. A respected community elder was killed.”

He condemned the attack and called for calm as authorities investigate.

There have been frequent deadly clashes between separatist fighters and armed Mbororo tribesmen since 2017, when an armed separatist conflict erupted in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest.

Source: Xinhuanet

14, January 2026

South Korea: Prosecutors seek death penalty for ex- president Yoon ⁰

Prosecutors have asked for South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol to be handed a death sentence if he is found guilty over his botched attempt to impose martial law.

A court in Seoul heard closing arguments in Yoon’s trial, in which he was accused of being the “ringleader of an insurrection”.

The charge stems from Yoon’s attempt in December 2024 to impose military rule in South Korea – an act that lasted just hours but plunged the country into political turmoil. He was later impeached by parliament and detained to face trial.

Yoon has denied the charges against him, arguing that martial law was a symbolic gesture to draw public attention to the wrongdoings of the opposition party.

Leading an insurrection – the most serious charge against Yoon – carries sentences of the death penalty, or life imprisonment. Under South Korean law, prosecutors had to ask the judge for either one sentence or the other.

South Korea has not executed anyone in nearly 30 years. In 1996, former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan was given the death penalty for seizing power in a military coup in 1979, though his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.

The prosecutors in Yoon’s case argue that although no one was killed in his martial law attempt, Yoon’s intent was no less violent.

Closing their arguments at Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, prosecutors said the former president had been motivated by a “lust for power aimed at dictatorship and long-term rule”.

“The greatest victims of the insurrection in this case are the people of this country,” they told the court.

“There are no mitigating circumstances to be considered in sentencing, and instead a severe punishment must be imposed,” they said.

Prosecutors had called to the stand the military commander who testified that Yoon had ordered the arrest of lawmakers during his abortive coup.

They also presented as evidence the memo made by one of the planners of the martial law, a former military officer, containing the suggestion of “disposing” of hundreds of people including journalists, labour activists and lawmakers.

Yoon’s insurrection trial has been merged with those of two other senior figures in his administration, former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun and former police chief Cho Ji-ho.

Prosecutors sought life imprisonment for Kim, and 20 years in jail for Cho for carrying out Yoon’s illegal orders. There are five other defendants.

Yoon was in court to hear the final legal arguments. He has argued that as president, he had the power to declare martial law. Yoon was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying he had done so to fend off the “wickedness that would ruin the nation”.

Legal arguments were expected to end last Friday, but continued into Tuesday amid reports defence lawyers had delayed proceedings.

The court is expected to deliver its verdict in February. Sentences sought by prosecutors are not always upheld in courts in South Korea.

Yoon, 65, was removed from office in April, and is the country’s first sitting president to be taken into custody.

He has been detained for months while facing several criminal trials. Last month, prosecutors sought a 10-year prison term for Yoon for obstruction of justice and other charges related to his martial law attempt.

On 3 December 2024, Yoon shocked the country – and the world – by declaring martial law over South Korea. He said at the time it was to protect the country from North Korean communist forces, but some saw it as a ploy by Yoon to get a grip on power amid domestic political woes.

The short-lived martial law declaration sent South Korea into months of political turmoil, while Yoon became South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested and charged.

South Korea’s incumbent president, Lee Jae Myung, was elected in June following a snap election after Yoon’s impeachment.

Despite his downfall, Yoon retains loyal supporters in right-wing circles who see him as a martyr who dared to rail against the liberal Democratic Party led by Lee.

Source: BBC

13, January 2026

Yaoundé to recruit 3,000 primary school teachers under Parec Program ⁰

Cameroon’s government has relaunched the recruitment of 3,000 primary school teachers through the Programme d’Appui à la Réforme de l’Éducation au Cameroun (Parec). The recruitment represents the seventh phase of the third contractualization program for preschool and primary school teachers.

The program targets candidates holding a CAPIEMP certificate issued no later than 2020 and aged 40 or below as of December 31, 2025. “The test is open to all CAPIEMP 2020 holders and to holders from previous years, whether they participated in prior recruitment phases or not,” the official launch order signed by the Minister of Basic Education and the Minister of Public Service states.

Testing Schedule and Background

Cameroon last conducted a similar recruitment in 2024, hiring 3,000 teachers. For this phase, the tests are set for February 14, 2026.

Parec has been implemented since 2018 with financial support from the World Bank. The program’s primary objective is to improve the allocation of government-recruited teachers across public primary schools. Its initial budget of CFA78 billion increased to CFA137.2 billion, and the implementation period extended from 2019–2023 to 2024–2026.

Source: Business in Cameroon

13, January 2026

Global economy shows resilience amid historic trade, policy uncertainty ⁰

The global economy is proving more resilient than anticipated despite persistent trade tensions and policy uncertainty, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. Global growth is projected to remain broadly steady over the next two years, easing to 2.6% in 2026 before rising to 2.7% in 2027, an upward revision from the June forecast.

The resilience reflects better-than-expected growth—especially in the United States, which accounts for about two-thirds of the upward revision to the forecast in 2026. Even so, if these forecasts hold, the 2020s are on track to be the weakest decade for global growth since the 1960s. The sluggish pace is widening the gap in living standards across the world, the report finds: at the end of 2025, nearly all advanced economies enjoyed per capita incomes exceeding their 2019 levels, but about one in four developing economies had lower per capita incomes.

In 2025, growth was supported by a surge in trade ahead of policy changes and swift readjustments in global supply chains. These boosts are expected to fade in 2026 as trade and domestic demand soften. However, the easing global financial conditions and fiscal expansion in several large economies should help cushion the slowdown, according to the report. Global inflation is projected to edge down to 2.6% in 2026, reflecting softer labor markets and lower energy prices. Growth is expected to pick up in 2027 as trade flows adjust and policy uncertainty diminishes.

“With each passing year, the global economy has become less capable of generating growth and seemingly more resilient to policy uncertainty,” said Indermit Gill, the World Bank Group’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics. “But economic dynamism and resilience cannot diverge for long without fracturing public finance and credit markets. Over the coming years, the world economy is set to grow slower than it did in the troubled 1990s—while carrying record levels of public and private debt. To avert stagnation and joblessness, governments in emerging and advanced economies must aggressively liberalize private investment and trade, rein in public consumption, and invest in new technologies and education.”

In 2026, growth in developing economies is expected to slow to 4% from 4.2% in 2025 before edging up to 4.1% in 2027 as trade tensions ease, commodity prices stabilize, financial conditions improve, and investment flows strengthen. Growth is projected to be higher in low-income countries, reaching an average of 5.6% over 2026–27, buoyed by firming domestic demand, recovering exports, and moderating inflation. However, this will not be sufficient to narrow the income gap between developing and advanced economies. Per capita income growth in developing economies is projected to be 3% in 2026—about a percentage point below its 2000-2019 average. At this pace, per capita income in developing economies is expected to be only 12% of the level in advanced economies.

These trends could intensify the job-creation challenge confronting developing economies, where 1.2 billion young people will reach working age over the next decade. Overcoming the jobs challenge will require a comprehensive policy effort centered on three pillars. The first is strengthening physical, digital, and human capital to raise productivity and employability. The second is improving the business environment by enhancing policy credibility and regulatory certainty so firms can expand. The third is mobilizing private capital at scale to support investment. Together, these measures can help shift job creation toward more productive and formal employment, supporting income growth and poverty alleviation.

In addition, developing economies need to bolster their fiscal sustainability, which has been eroded in recent years by overlapping shocks, growing development needs, and rising debt-servicing costs. A special-focus chapter of the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of fiscal rules by developing economies, which set clear limits on government borrowing and spending to help manage public finances. These rules are generally linked to stronger growth, higher private investment, more stable financial sectors, and a greater capacity to cope with external shocks.

“With public debt in emerging and developing economies at its highest level in more than half a century, restoring fiscal credibility has become an urgent priority,” said M. Ayhan Kose, the World Bank Group’s Deputy Chief Economist and Director of the Prospects Group. “Well-designed fiscal rules can help governments stabilize debt, rebuild policy buffers, and respond more effectively to shocks. But rules alone are not enough: credibility, enforcement, and political commitment ultimately determine whether fiscal rules deliver stability and growth.”

More than half of developing economies now have at least one fiscal rule in place. These can include limits on fiscal deficits, public debt, government expenditures, or revenue collection. Developing economies that adopt fiscal rules typically see their budget balance improve by 1.4 percentage points of GDP after five years, once interest payments and the ups and downs of the business cycle are accounted for. Use of fiscal rules also increases by 9 percentage points the likelihood of a multi-year improvement in budget balances. However, the medium- and long-term benefits of fiscal rules depend heavily on the strength of institutions, the economic context in which the rules are introduced, and how the rules are designed, the report finds.

12, January 2026

Yaoundé awaits Biya’s new cabinet amid hope and skepticism ⁰

As Yaoundé the capital awaits the imminent announcement of the 2026 Biya cabinet, the nation once again finds itself at a familiar crossroads of expectation and uncertainty. The 92-year old Cameroonian dictator is expected to unveil a new cabinet that many are hoping will respond to the country’s pressing political, economic, and social challenges.

Cabinet shakeups under Biya have often generated intense political discourse, not because they come along with any meaningful change, but because they guarantee Biya’s continued stay in power. For many now living below the UN poverty line, the key question is not when the new men and women will be presented to the public by state run Cameroon Radio and Television but whether it will bring meaningful transformation or simply reinforce the status quo.

The nation is at the mercy of Biya and his appointees and it is facing a convergence of crises that demand urgent and competent leadership. Cameroon’s high cost of living continues to strain households, youth unemployment remains alarmingly high, and insecurity persists in the Far North and the English speaking Cameroon regions. Government departments, from the Ministry of Health to National Education are all struggling with chronic underfunding and inefficiency. Added to this worry is a new development that the old guards of the ruling party are refusing to quit the political stage. Against this backdrop, the formation of the President Biya 2026 cabinet will be closely scrutinized as a measure of the regime’s willingness to confront these realities.

As pointed out by the man widely believed to have won the presidential poll Issa Tchiroma Bakary, there is growing public fatigue with recycled cabinet ministers and long-serving barons of the regime whose records offer little or no evidence of innovation or accountability. Cameroonians, particularly the youth, are calling for new faces—technocrats with proven competence, integrity, and a clear understanding of modern governance. They are seeking a cabinet that can move beyond empty rhetoric and deliver tangible results.

At the same time, several political commentators have reportedly noted that appointments into President Biya’s cabinet often reflect loyalty to the dictator and regional balancing rather than performance. If the upcoming Biya cabinet follows this familiar pattern, public skepticism is likely to deepen. In an era where Cameroonians are more informed and vocal than ever, symbolism without substance may no longer suffice.

The expected reshuffle is also coming at a time when Yaoundé’s international image matters greatly. Cameroon’s economic partners and donors are already pushing for reform. A credible, dynamic young cabinet could help restore confidence and attract foreign investors. Conversely, a new Biya government perceived as stagnant may reinforce doubts about the nation’s governance trajectory.

Many on the streets in major cities such as Douala, Bertoua, Garoua have noted that the announcement of a new cabinet should not be treated as a routine ruling CPDM exercise but an opportunity to reset national priorities, restore public trust, and demonstrate commitment to the nation’s renewal. Whether the 92-year-old Biya seizes this opportunity remains to be seen.

For now, Cameroon is a nation in waiting and citizens are waiting with cautious hope, tempered by undue excitement, that this new cabinet will rise to the demands of the moment and place the national interest above all else.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

12, January 2026

FECAFOOT commends Morocco’s hospitality after quarter-final defeat ⁰

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has received an official letter from the Cameroonian Football Federation following the quarter-final encounter between the two nations at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

In the message, the Cameroonian Football Federation expressed its deep appreciation to its Moroccan counterpart for the excellent organisation of the tournament and the high standard of hospitality extended to the Cameroonian delegation throughout their stay.

The Cameroonian FA also praised the quality of the reception and the vibrant atmosphere at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, highlighting the warm welcome shown to the players and technical staff during the match.

In addition, Cameroon congratulated the Moroccan national team on securing qualification to the semi-finals after their 2-0 victory, while wishing the Atlas Lions success as they continue their quest for the AFCON title.

The letter further underlined the strong fraternal and sporting ties between the two nations, expressing confidence that future competitions will continue to be marked by mutual respect, sportsmanship and cooperation among African countries.

Source: Africa Soccer