The Francophone dominated Yaoundé Military Tribunal has sentenced renowned Muslim scholar and activist Abdul Karim Ali to life in prison in a case considered by many international observers as politically motivated.

Abdul Karim has already spent more than two years in prison without being convicted.

He was found guilty of lame and ridiculous charges related to the Southern Cameroons uprising that started in 2016.

Karim denied the charges and in May 2024, he announced that he did not recognize the jurisdiction of the Yaoundé military court.  

Abdul Karim Ali was sentenced on Wednesday 16 April by the Yaoundé military tribunal in absentia.

The Abdul Karim-Cameroon government affair all started with a video he recorded on 9 July 2022, in which he accused a military official of torturing civilians.

Two of his friends are also being held because of their links with him. All three were officially remanded in custody on 2 February 2023 on charges of ‘hostility towards the homeland’, ‘failure to report’, “secession” and ‘rebellion’.

Karim Ali and two of his co-defendants had already appeared several times before the Yaoundé military court. At the third hearing, they were officially remanded in custody by the examining magistrate.

Karim Ali’s conviction has already provoked numerous reactions from the Southern Cameroons public including the diaspora.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

One of Anglophone Cameroon’s most celebrated road construction engineers and former Minister of Public Works Obi Eta Jerome died suddenly in Yaoundé after becoming ill.

Minister Victor Mengot who confirmed the sad news to the entire Manyu community at home and in the diaspora said “My dear brothers and sisters, once again Manyu has lost one of its remaining elephants. It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing into glory of H. E. OBI ETA Jerome. May his soul find solace at the bosom of the Almighty God. Victor MENGOT, Patron MECDA.”

The leader of the Manyu Solidarity Group UK Prince Julian Ebai has offered his sincere condolences following Minister Eta Jerome’s death.

In a statement, the Prince said: “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace.”

Alfred Bate Bawak who headed the North Sub-section of the ruling CPDM party in Great Britain before the Southern Cameroons crisis says Minister Eta Jerome was a “tour de force in Manyu and South West politics, who took Manyu close to first world development standard”.

Eta Jerome Obi joined the ruling CPDM party at a time of relative success in the 90s. He modernized the Tiko Sub Section after he was elected Sub Section President, ensuring its machinery was overhauled and its message was polished.

He retired from the public service, joined the private sector and served as technical director at the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) under the stewardship of Peter Mafany Musonge.

His decision to join the CDC marked his return to frontline politics and the completion of a Manyu road business that he started in the early 80s.

It is not every Manyu political veteran that receives a tribute from Manyu female associations upon news of their death.

That Eta Jerome’s devotion to Manyu development has been praised by Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma feels significant.

The President-General of the Manyu Women’s International Association (Nyene Mawn) Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with his family, and those across Cameroon mourning the loss of former Public Works minister Eta Jeroma Obi. The South West region road dream he cherished so closely, and came so close to delivering, will never die.”

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The Ashanti Regional Police Command, on Monday, April 7, 2025, arrested suspect Bella Merie, a 29-year-old Cameroonian national, along with 43 other Cameroonians for alleged internet fraud and human trafficking.

They were arrested at a residence located at Kenyasi Abrem in the Ashanti Region.

A statement signed by Godwin Ahianyo, Deputy Superintendent of Police/Head of Public Affairs Unit of the Ashanti Region, said, preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect collected a total sum of four million, five hundred thousand CFA Francs (4,500,000 CFA) from the victims.

The victims, according to the police, comprise thirty-two (32) males and eleven (11) females under the false pretense of securing employment opportunities in Ghana.

“Further investigation has revealed that the suspect orchestrated this fraudulent scheme through a known internet scam method popularly referred to as Q-NET.

“All individuals involved both suspect and victims, aged between twenty-two (22) and thirty eight (38) have been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service at the Regional Headquarters for the necessary immigration processes and repatriation to their home country.”

The Ghana Police Service reiterated its commitment to fighting fraud and protecting the safety and welfare of both citizens and foreign nationals within the country.

Source: Citi Newsroom

The Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals Laurent Esso returned to Yaoundé  after spending more than two months abroad shuttling between France and India seeking medical treatment.

The ageing Laurent Esso has not made any public appearances ever since he returned to the nation’s capital.

A CPDM comedian Jean Momo has been the acting justice minister in his absence.

Laurent Esso has been battling an unspecified illness since the beginning of the year and has spent long periods abroad receiving treatment.

He first traveled to Paris for treatment, and then left France again to India.

His absence prompted intense speculation in the country about the justice minister’s health and many false reports circulated online saying he had died.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai

At least 78,962 persons sought asylum in Nigeria from 2000 to 2024.

This is based on a collation of published data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the period reviewed.

The records, compiled from its decades-long tracking of forcibly displaced populations, reveal Cameroon, Niger and Liberia as the top three countries of origin for asylum seekers during this period.

Nigeria’s National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons is the primary agency that manages asylum requests with oversight from the Nigerian Immigration Service, guided by UNHCR’s global frameworks.

Founded in 1989, during the Babangida regime, NCFRMI says it is “dedicated to ensuring that their rights are upheld and that they receive the support necessary to live in safety and dignity.”

The data showed that 52,187 Cameroonian nationals lodged the highest number of applications to Nigeria. In 2017, over 8,000 Cameroon nationals applied for asylum in Nigeria. The numbers jumped again in 2019 (over 19,000) and peaked in 2023 (over 22,000), with the majority located in Madagali, Mubi North, Mubi South and Michika local government areas in Adamawa State.

This surge coincides with the ongoing conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, which began in late 2016 but escalated around 2017. Thousands fled across the border into Cross River and Taraba states, where humanitarian organisations report acute needs in shelter, healthcare, and education.

Cameroonian refugees are predominantly from the North-West and South-West regions of the country, affected by the conflict between the government and activists calling for the secession of the Anglophone regions.

According to rights groups, over 700,000 Cameroonians have been displaced since the war broke out in September 2017.

While Cameroon dominates the overall total, Niger Republic ranked second with a total of 11,327 asylum requests. 2023 figures showed a significant jump in applications from the Sahel nation, with about 9,800 requests.

Source: The Punch

Cameroon leaned heavily on 26-week Treasury bills to raise funds on the Central African regional debt market managed by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). A report released by the BEAC on April 1, 2025, shows that 76.9% of the country’s Treasury bill issuance was made up of these six-month instruments.

The data also shows that Cameroon’s Treasury raised CFA159 billion through 52-week bills and another CFA80.7 billion via 13-week bills. In contrast, the country raised only CFA281 billion through longer-term Treasury bonds.

This clear preference for short-term securities points to ongoing cash flow difficulties for the government. Treasury bills known for their short maturities ranging from 13 to 52 weeks are often used by governments to cover temporary budget gaps and smooth out short-term liquidity issues.

Source: Business in Cameroon

At the residence of Chief Bate Arrengang in Antwerpen in the Kingdom of Belgium prominent citizens of the South West region gathered – some from Fako, others from Kupe Muaneneguba and Meme Divisions one common thread unites them –they are all from the South West region extraction.

This is the South West Elites Association, Belgium Chapter formed by South West indigenes to foster the culture and development of their region.

Ngoh Austine Itoe, Barrister Tabi Kefie, Penda Mwaka, Ewang Samuel and Bate Arreyngang all said the birth of SWELA in Belgium is to create a social space where the South West diaspora community can connect and re-connect to their culture and development.

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News, Chief Ewang Samuel, the supreme leader of the Bakossi people in Belgium noted that SWELA Belgium aren’t simply about culture and development of the home constituency but also a place where Bantus, Semi Bantus and the Tikars of Lebialem can become a family.

SWELA Europe was once a place for South Westerners to make new friends, create a community, and possibly even meet future partners.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in Antwerpen

The Special Criminal Court has sentenced a former highly influential defence minister to 30 years in prison for corruption, illicit enrichment, embezzlement and money laundering.

Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o was not ordered to pay any fine and his bank accounts and property in the capital Yaoundé and the commercial city of Douala will also not be confiscated by the state even though the judge said Mebe Ngo’o could not justify the origin of his assets.

At a hearing held late in the night of 4 to 5 April 2025, the former Defense Minister was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was accused of embezzling public funds to the tune of CFAF 196 billion.

The final verdict of the Special Criminal Court charged Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o with money laundering, over-invoicing and misappropriation of public assets.

Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered from a source close to the case that the charges are valued at 23.8 billion CFA francs.

The court also sentenced Maxime Mbangue and Colonel Ghislain Mboutou to 25 years’ imprisonment. The two main co-accused of the former Defence Minister were found guilty by the panel of judges of complicity in embezzlement, complicity in corruption and aggravated money laundering.

Depicting the Special Criminal Court established to prosecute alleged corrupt government officials and the several Alibabas responsible for pilfering from the public treasury as the President’s court is no misnomer.  We of the Cameroon Concord News Group call it the President’s court because it is one instrument of power through which the President is reining in on perceived opponents from within his CPDM power conduit. An attribute of a genuine court is the fairness of the trial proceedings in cases which are brought before the court for trial. It is not the number of convictions entered against accused.  A court is legitimate and recognized as such because of its exercise of judicial, executive, legislative and administrative independence.  A court that is independent must be accessible to all citizens after all, is equality before the law, not a constitutionally protected value? The Special Criminal Court is lacking in these attributes of impartiality, judicial independence and accessibility.  It is perceived more as the President’s Court than a Court of Justice.

Establishing this court was President Biya’s way of saving himself the embarrassment of being humiliated during his perennial trips abroad as the President of the most corrupt countries in the world.  This ranking of the country as the most corrupt or one of the most corrupt countries had a potential to hamper President Biya’s personal pecuniary interests far from the borders of Cameroon.  There was therefore a personal interest need to establish the court.  Another personal interest need was to avail himself of a legal tool under his direct control to consolidate absolute power, blackmail potential rebels and competitors within the system and to stifle any form of institutional opposition. He perceived the court as a tool with which to whitewash his more than thirty years of corrupt governance and the rape of the economy.  With the war against Boko Haram, the fight against corruption using the Special Criminal Court has afforded Paul Biya justification contest in the next institutionally flawed elections in order to eternalize power purportedly to direct the war against terror and the war against corruption.  True to the name the President’s Court, the President has exclusive preserve in referring cases to the Special Court and the power to terminate them. He decides who will be arrested, who will be investigated and who will serve time and who will not.

In one instance, he ordered a detained Minister Bapes Bapes released from remand custody at Kondengui when a warrant was issued for his arrest without the presidential fiat.  Titus Edzoa a former Secretary-General at the Presidency of the Republic benefitted from a purported Presidential pardon whose primary purpose was the release of a French citizen Thiery Atangana from jail.  The fear of a presidential referral to the Special Criminal Court on additional charges of corruption under a practice devolved under the supervision of Paul Biya called “rouleur compresseur” pushed Titus Edzoa   to rejoin the CPDM Party without a public resignation or repudiation of his membership of the party on which he intended to contest presidential elections prior to his incarceration.  Edzoa was a victim of this system of presidential justice when new charges were brought against him when his first imprisonment was about to end in other to maintain him in prison.

Cameroonians want the rule of law to be the guarding principle on which justice is administered in the name of the people of Cameroon and not that of the President.  To the extent that the Special Criminal Court functions at the pleasure of the President, it fails to meet this threshold.  The justice rendered in the court cannot be said to be free and fair nor independent.  Because the court serves the political interests of the President, it is institutionally unjust and thus an affront to the tenets of justice and fundamental fairness.  Cameroon needs to confront the scourge of institutional corruption, the abuse of public trust, the arrogance of power and the impunity of misrule.  The Special Criminal Court as presently constituted is the wrong institution to confront these systemic crimes.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai