Cameroon is facing renewed political uncertainty weeks after its presidential election, amid reports of mass arrests, deaths linked to protests and mounting concerns over the use of military courts.

Rights groups and local observers say more than a thousand people have been detained following post-election demonstrations across the country. Several fatalities have been reported, while dozens of those arrested have been brought before military tribunals, a move that has drawn criticism from civil society and legal experts.

The unrest comes as attention turns once again to the long-running Anglophone crisis. Ambazonian separatist leader Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and nine other activists, who have been serving life sentences since 2019, are expected to appear before the Supreme Court on 18 December. Their case has reignited debate over due process, human rights and the handling of political dissent in Cameroon.

The men were convicted on charges including terrorism and secession after being arrested abroad and extradited to Cameroon, a process that has itself been widely contested. Their supporters argue that the sentences reflect a broader pattern of repression rather than a genuine effort to resolve the conflict in the country’s English-speaking regions.

Yaoundé-based political analyst Paul Anchang said the timing of the Supreme Court hearing, set against the backdrop of post-election unrest, highlights the depth of Cameroon’s political challenges.

“This is not simply a question of election-related violence,” Anchang said. “It points to a deeper crisis of governance, where political disagreements are increasingly addressed through arrests and military justice instead of dialogue.”

He warned that continued reliance on security measures risks further destabilising the country.

“Without a serious commitment to political engagement, both on electoral issues and the Anglophone question, tensions are likely to persist,” he added. “Cameroon needs inclusive solutions if it is to move away from this cycle of crisis.”

Source: ChannelAfrica

At least eight people were killed and several others injured in communal clashes in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region of Northwest, security sources said on Saturday.

The clashes erupted early Friday after gunmen suspected to be armed separatist fighters raided Mbororo community, killing three people, a security source in the region said.

Overnight into Saturday, armed Mbororo tribesmen retaliated by attacking Wowo village of Wimbum tribe, killing five people.

“The Mbororo people assumed that people who attacked them were from Wowo village and invaded the village at night. They searched house to house, especially in the palace, shooting people who resisted. Five people were killed, all of them men,” Festus Njeba, one of the prominent leaders of Wimbum tribe said.

“Our people are in pain. These killings have to stop. Our people must not bear the consequences of an armed struggle,” he added.

Source: Xinhuanet

About eight passengers on a bus were kidnapped by suspected separatist fighters in Cameroon’s Northwest Region, where an armed separatist conflict is ongoing, security sources said Thursday night.

The bus left the regional capital Bamenda on Thursday and was heading to the town of Kumbo when it was intercepted by gunmen.

“The separatist terrorists kidnapped the passengers when the bus was crossing the locality of Bamessing. They took them into the bush and started demanding a huge ransom. We only learned about the abduction late Thursday,” a security source in the region said.

Movement along the highway has been halted, and a search operation for the hostages has been launched, according to local authorities.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions where separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 seeking to establish a new nation.

Source: Xinhuanet

At least two Cameroonian soldiers were killed and several others injured on Friday in an ambush by separatists in the country’s war-torn English-speaking region of Northwest, security sources said.

The soldiers were at a security checkpoint in Fundong locality of the region when separatist fighters attacked them, a military official in the region confirmed.

“The unfortunate incident occurred this (Friday) afternoon. The coward terrorist separatists ambushed our soldiers and opened fire. We have deployed additional forces to pursue the terrorists and capture them,” the official who asked not to be named said.

Local media reported that attacks on civilians and soldiers have intensified in the region since the start of December.

Cameroon has been experiencing an armed separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017, as separatists seek to create a new nation in the regions.

Source: Xinhuanet

The United Nations said Friday it was “appalled” by the death in custody of Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane, who had been arrested in late October.

The left-wing nationalist politician, who died on Monday, was arrested in Douala on October 24, on the eve of the publication of presidential election results that returned 92-year-old Paul Biya to power for an eighth mandate.

The exact circumstances of Ekane’s death in detention in Yaounde remain unclear. He was 74 and led the African Movement for the New Independence of Cameroon (Manidem) party for several years.

“We’re appalled by the death in detention of opposition leader Anicet Ekane and concerned for the wellbeing of protesters detained following the presidential election,” the UN human rights office said on X.

“The authorities must ensure the investigation they have announced is thorough and impartial and results in full accountability.

“All protesters arbitrarily arrested must be immediately and unconditionally released,” it added.

Ekane was close to fellow opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who contested Biya’s 43-year grip on power in the October 12 election.

Along with other political leaders, Ekane was arrested for publicly supporting Bakary’s self-proclaimed presidential victory ahead of the publication of official results.

Ekane, whose death triggered a groundswell of reactions on social media, ran as Manidem’s presidential candidate in 2004 and 2011.

Source: citizen.digital

Anicet Ekane, president of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Manidem), died on December 1 in Yaoundé, according to several relatives, including his sister and his lawyer, Me Simh. They said he had been held for more than a month at the Secretariat of State for Defense (SED), where he was considered one of the key figures in the post-election crisis following the October 12 presidential vote. Government authorities had not commented on his death at press time.

Arrested on October 24 in Douala by the gendarmerie, Ekane was later transferred to Yaoundé. He was one of the two founding members of the Union for Change 2025, the political platform that backed Issa Tchiroma Bakary as the opposition’s joint candidate in the October 12 election. According to his relatives, this choice drew strong hostility from the authorities in Yaoundé and weighed heavily on his legal situation.

He was detained alongside Djeukam Tchameni, the other founder of the Union for Change 2025. Placed in custody, Ekane faced charges of hostility toward the homeland, revolution, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection, amid heightened political tensions after the vote.

Fragile health and contested detention conditions

Despite what his family describes as a serious medical condition, Ekane did not receive appropriate detention conditions, they said. Before shifting unexpectedly to support opposition leader Maurice Kamto, he suffered from respiratory problems. His family and supporters denounced what they call the seizure of his respiratory device by gendarmes at the SED and inadequate medical care during his detention.

These allegations of poor treatment and deprivation of essential care add to broader criticism of the security response to the post-election crisis and of the treatment of opposition figures involved in recent political realignments. For his supporters, Ekane’s death symbolizes what they see as a deepening repressive trend since the election.

A pan-Africanist political path

A committed pan-Africanist, Ekane spent many years in the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC), the historic opposition party to French influence. He later created Manidem, which he presented as a movement fighting neocolonialism and advocating for genuine independence for Cameroon and the African continent.

Long viewed as close to the regime during part of his political life, Ekane surprised many by breaking with the government to support Maurice Kamto in the recent presidential race. After that candidacy was rejected, he continued his shift into opposition by backing Issa Tchiroma Bakary within the Union for Change 2025.

This repositioning unfolded amid a deep post-election crisis and was soon followed by his arrest, detention at the SED, and eventual death in custody, which is now at the center of public scrutiny and controversy.

Source: Sbbc

Top opposition leader, Anicet Ekane, has died after weeks of detention at the age of 74, his lawyers and family said Monday, alleging that he had struggled to breathe but didn’t receive proper care.

Ekane was arrested in late October alongside other top figures of his African Movement for New Independence and Democracy party as protests rattled the country over allegations of fraud in the presidential election. He was detained on charges of insurrection, his lawyer Emmanuel Simh told The Associated Press.

“Mr. Ekane was critically sick, he was denied appropriate treatment,” Simh said. “We’re still in the shock and sadness. Ekane committed no crime, so we need to know why he was arrested and abandoned in the prison cell of the paramilitary gendarmerie.”

Cameroon’s communication minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, expressed the government’s regret and said President Paul Biya has ordered an investigation into the circumstances leading to Ekane’s death.

Ekane was among opposition figures objecting to the result of the Oct. 12 election in which Biya, the world’s oldest president at 92, was declared the winner of another term. Rival candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.

Cameroon’s defense ministry on Monday said Ekane died “following an illness.” It said an investigation has been opened.

“The deceased, who suffered from various chronic illnesses, had since been hospitalized at the National Gendarmerie Military Medical Center,” the ministry said. “He was receiving appropriate care from the Military Medical Corps, in conjunction with his personal physicians, and benefiting from additional follow-up care in local hospitals.”

Both Ekane’s party and the Union for Change political platform that he led asserted in statements that he was “murdered,” and called for an international investigation.

Muna Ekane, Ekane’s eldest son, told the AP his father’s health had worsened Sunday.

“For one week, he had difficulties breathing; he was suffocating,” the son said. “He was diagnosed while in detention but no proper treatment was followed. He had difficulties eating. We spent the whole week alerting public authorities about his worsening health situation but nothing was done.”

He did not say what his father was diagnosed with, describing it as “respiratory problems.”

He added that he believed his father had been arrested for supporting Tchiroma, who fled to Gambia last month.

Following the announcement of the election results, deadly protests erupted in key opposition strongholds. While Cameroon’s government said 16 people were killed, opposition figures and human rights groups estimated the death toll at more than 55.

The European Union has called for the release of those “arbitrarily detained” since the election.

Source: AP

Two soldiers were killed Sunday in an explosion in the country’s war-torn English-speaking region of Northwest, a security source said.

A military convoy driving through the region’s chief town of Bamenda stepped on an improvised explosive device planted along the road. The blast killing two soldiers on the spot.

“Some of our brave soldiers were also injured and rushed to the hospital. Our soldiers are pursuing the terrorists behind such a coward act,” the source said, adding that separatist fighters known to be active in the region were responsible for the attack.

The Cameroon army has reinforced security in the region with additional troops to secure voting in the country’s regional elections, which began early Sunday.

Cameroon has been experiencing an armed separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017, as separatists want to create a new nation.

Source: Xinhuanet

The Anambra State Police on Saturday announced the recovery of two decomposing female bodies believed to be those of kidnapped Cameroonians from a river in Anambra West Local Government Area of the state.

Three Cameroonian women have been missing for some time now, raising posers that they may have been kidnapped.

The police in the state had launched an investigation leading to the arrest of two suspects: Nonso Augustine Akpeh, 37, and Kingsley Akpeh, 44, who had been assisting with information. The third suspect had been on the run.

A statement by the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Tochukwu Ikenga, said that the discovery of the decomposing bodies was in continuation of efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the three ladies.

He said that on the evening of November 28, 2025, operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, working in collaboration with professional river divers and local volunteers, conducted an intensive search along the Omambala River in Anambra West Local Government Area.

“During the operation, the team recovered two (2) female decomposed bodies believed to be victims of the kidnapping incident.

The operatives immediately contacted the family of the kidnapped victims, who positively identified the recovered bodies as his wife, Mrs. Bognou Alice, and his niece, Miss Sandra.

“Both bodies have been deposited in a mortuary for further examination and necessary investigative procedures”, he added.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has extended condolences to the bereaved family and friends, and ordered intensified search efforts to recover the remaining missing victim.

He has also directed all units involved to strengthen operational activities aimed at apprehending the third suspect, Uchenna Nicholas Mmadu, said to be on the run, to ensure he faces the full weight of the law.

The Commissioner further reassured the public of the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting lives, maintaining security, and delivering justice.

In other news, the Delta State police command has announced it arrested a suspected serial killer and a prison escapee who has been linked to multiple violent crimes in the past.

The suspect, known as Michael Ezenwa,i was apprehended by the Agbor police division of the state on October 24, 2025, while he was attempting to sell a stolen phone.

Meanwhile, further checks revealed the phone belonged to a woman who was later found dead in her apartment.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed to murdering her during a robbery at her residence on 23rd October 2025.

Ezenwai has been linked to multiple violent crimes, including a 2020 rape and murder case involving a university student.

Commenting on the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, SP Bright Edafe, said the command swiftly took action after receiving a distress call.

“On the 24th of October 2025, the DPO Agbor received a complaint that one Michael Ezenwai was trying to sell a suspected stolen phone.

“The DPO swiftly mobilised operatives to the scene and immediately arrested the suspect. Upon interrogation, the suspect claimed that he brought the phone from Libya.

Source: The Guardian