We, the undersigned organisations, express our deep concern over the disappearance of freelance journalist Hans Achomba since November 5, 2025. To date, his whereabouts remain unknown. We urge the police to investigate the matter and ascertain his whereabouts swiftly.

Before his disappearance, Achomba was questioned by the police on Monday, November 3, over his reporting and social media posts in the build-up to the October 12 elections in Cameroon. Following the elections, protests erupted, resulting in widespread violence, with at least four people killed allegedly by security forces, dozens injured, and hundreds more arrested across the country, according to Human Rights Watch.

When he was questioned by the police on November 3, the police are also reported to have confiscated Achomba’s National Identity Card and Passport. Achomba was supposed to return to the Bamenda Police Station with his lawyer on November 6 at 10:00 am. However, he did not appear at the police station. His lawyer also updated that an attempt was made to verify if he was in police custody, but the police indicated that he had not been detained. Efforts by his family, colleagues, and his lawyer to ascertain his whereabouts have been unsuccessful.

While it is not clear whether Achomba’s disappearance is related to his professional work, these circumstances raise serious concerns about the safety of journalists and the state of media freedom in Cameroon.

In 2017, Achomba was also arrested and detained for several months on accusations of complicity in hostility against the fatherland, secession, propagation of false news, insurrection, incitement to civil war, and complicity in acts of terrorism. He had been seen speaking to a cyclist about why he was on the streets during a time when there were a series of protests, strikes, and shutdowns in the country’s English-speaking regions. He was later released in September 2017 after the office of President Paul Biya announced that Cameroon was ending criminal proceedings against those detained during the period of unrest.

We continue to stand in solidarity with the journalists and the media community in Cameroon, and hope for Achomba’s safe return.

African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)

Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)

Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE)

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations (CEHRO)

Initiative for Embracing Humanity in Africa

International Press Institute (IPI)

Kenya Union of Journalists

MISA Mozambique

Moxii Africa (Rebranding from Media Monitoring Africa)

Panos Institute Southern Africa

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF)

Southern Africa Editors Forum (SAEF)

The African Editors Forum (TAEF)

West African Editors Society (WAES)

Zambia Free Press Initiative

A recent article published by Bruno Bidjang, a pro-Cameroon-government journalist, on Atanga Nji’s CFAF 57 million to the ruling CPDM and the government of Cameroon in 1988, has triggered a wave of criticism, with many Cameroonians, many of whom do not have details about Atanga Nji’s wealth and his rise to power, indicating that the Cameroonian territorial administration minister is a crook and had served time in the New Bell Maximum Security Prison.

Cameroon Concord News, Anglophone Cameroon’s premier investigative journalism platform, has decided to conduct an impartial investigation into the minister’s activities with a view to clarifying certain things. Politically, Atanga Nji comes across like a callous and intimidating person, but a family member of the territorial administration minister has decided to shed light on the life of the businessman cum politician to debunk some of the lies which make Mr. Atanga Nji look like an old demon who is still living with humans. The minister’s family member opted for anonymity and Cameroon Concord News Group is helping Cameroonians to know the other side of Mr. Atanga Nji’s life.

Cameroon Concord News: You are related to Mr. Atanga Nji, Cameroon’s territorial administration minister, and you feel hurt when you hear some of the things people who do not know him say about him. What is the other side of the story?

Answer: I have known Mr. Atanga Nji Paul for a long time and I am hurt to hear some of the false stories that are told about him. Far from being a monster and a crook, Paul Atanga Nji is a very hardworking person who from birth had an eye for business opportunities. By the age of 27, Minister Atanga Nji had posted some good business results which enabled him to reach out to the government and the CPDM and this put the spotlight on a young Cameroon who actually came from a rich family and owned a bank in Douala known as Highland bank. His father was a businessman and Mr. Atanga Nji’s business ability might have come from his dad who was well known in the entire Northwest region.

Cameroon Concord News: So why it is always reported that Atanga did some time in New Bell for financial malfeasance?

Answer: The story that he went to prison is false and baseless. Many Cameroonians do not know how processes work in their country and many depend on rumor as their source of information which is indeed unfortunate. There is no record of Mr. Atanga Nji being tried and convicted of a crime. The reality is that he had a business transaction sometime back when he was young, where he imported some Becks beer legally. When the ship arrived, he borrowed some money from a bank whose name I will protect, to complete the clearing operation which is what any normal businessman will do. He paid his loan upon selling his stock of drinks. Shortly after the operation, two of the bank’s staff who were managing accounts for high net worth borrowers disappeared from the country to Canada, absconding with the bank’s money.

As we all know, Cameroon has its processes which sometimes could be complicated. As the matter was reported to the authorities, all the names of those who were managing client accounts and the names of the clients themselves were submitted to the police. The authorities therefore decided to arrest both the clients and the staff managing the accounts for questioning with a view to establishing the truth. 

Cameroon Concord News: So that was how Mr. Atanga Nji was arrested with other people?

Answer: Yes. The truth had to see the light of day and after a thorough investigation, it was established that the clients, including Atanga Nji were innocent. The fault was clearly that of the two bank staff who had absconded to Canada. Mr.  Atanga was released and there was no probable cause for him to be convicted. But as you know, the damage to their reputation had already been done given that they were detained for a short while. No Cameroonian has ever bothered to investigate this matter to bring out the truth. Cameroonians love rumor and it can be said that many Cameroonians dislike Mr. Atanga Nji because of his political beliefs and he seem to be a poster boy of the regime. Nobody has brought out any records of his conviction in Cameroon. The rumor has been spreading and each time you read a story relating to his detention, you will see new additions. Nobody has ever mentioned the name of the trial judge who convicted him and no one has ever mentioned how long he was in jail. I am using this opportunity to debunk what many haters are spreading about a man who believes in hard work. He is not a saint but we should relate nothing but the facts.

Cameroon Concord News: What happened after Mr. Atanga Nji and others were released?

Answer: The reputational damage was huge and Minister Atanga Nji and others felt that the bank which had destroyed their reputation must pay for its mistake. The bank was therefore taken to court in a class action suit and the bank lost. Minister Atanga and the others won their case and things were settled as they should be settled. It is this story of his life that some unscrupulous and hate- filled Cameroonians will not report online. On the contrary, they will take the story which lacks basic legal truths to the Internet because they want to destroy the man’s reputation.

Cameroon Concord News: And what about the story concerning his twin brother?

Answer:  It is also true that he had a twin brother who passed away in a motor accident. Many people have been spreading the false news that he has been using his brother’s name to run his affairs. For those of us who are related to him, we know that his name is Paul Atanga Nji and that has always been his name. Those who went to boarding school with him know him and his twin brother. They know that he is called Paul Atanga Nji and has always been known as such. Strangely, some shameless people in an effort to gain clout and attention on social media will always twist everything to smear him. 

Cameroon Concord News: The same article published by Bruno Bidjang focused on his humanitarian activities but many people always suspect Atanga Nji’s intentions. What can you say about this?

Answer: As you know, falsehood always spreads faster than the truth and sometimes even those who have benefitted from Atanga Nji’s largesse could be reluctant to speak in his support because of his affiliation to the ruling party and the way some malicious persons have painted him. Paul Atanga Nji might be rough on the edges but he is soft on the inside. He has helped and made so many people from Cameroon’s Anglophone community and from his native Mezam to become dollar millionaires. He shares his business intelligence with those who come close to him and has supported many people financially. The beneficiaries of his largesse are all over the country. He has his own ways of governing but those who know him know that he is a very kind person.

Cameroon Concord News: Thank you, sir, for   presenting a different side of the Paul Atanga Nji story. We hope some Cameroonians will conduct more investigations to shed more light on this story.

Answer: It is my pleasure to set certain things right. I know the truth will always prevail. There are no saints on earth and it is irrational of anybody to create monsters where there are none.

Note to the public: Cameroon Concord News, known for its impartiality, is inviting anyone who has a different version of the Atanga Nji story to contact its editor. Our mission is to tell the truth and we are committed to staying impartial.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

Cameroon’s opposition continues to contest the result of the latest presidential election. Presidential runner-up Issa Tchiroma Bakary gave authorities a 48-hour ultimatum to release all prisoners arrested in the protests that followed the re-election of Paul Biya.

In a video posted on social media on Sunday, Tchiroma accused the government of “state gangsterism and state terrorism.”

He also asked authorities to stop practices that he said include “ethnic purges.”

“The Cameroonian people no longer want them, the Cameroonian people can no longer tolerate them,” he said.

Tchiroma came second in the presidential election with 35.19% of the vote, finishing behind behind Paul Biya who scored 53.66%, according to official results. But the opposition leader considers himself the president-elect of Cameroon.

Tchiroma is believed to have left Cameroon for Nigeria shortly after the election. He has been calling on Cameroonian people to protest alleged electoral fraud, including through “ghost town” protests.

Cameroonian security forces killed 48 people in a crackdown on post-election demonstrations according to a Reuters report based on UN sources. The government says at least five people died.

Paul Biya was official sworn in on Thursday and called for an end to violence.

“I appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility. I’m addressing all those who are working to incite hatred and violence in our country, particularly some of our compatriots in the diaspora,” he said.

“Cameroon does not need a post-election crisis with potentially dramatic consequences, as has been seen elsewhere.”

If his ultimatum is not respected, Tchiroma warned authorities that Cameroonian people “will feel free not only to protect themselves but also to do everything possible to protect their children and recover them wherever they are”

Source: Africa News

Cameroon’s 92-year-old leader Paul Biya has been sworn in for another seven years as president in a ceremony at the country’s parliament in Yaoundé.

Biya won a controversial eighth term in a fiercely disputed election last month.

He has been in power for 43 years, and addressed only one campaign rally before the election.

The nonagenarian, the world’s oldest head of state, won 54% of the vote, compared to the 35% of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, according to the official results. Tchiroma Bakary maintains he was the rightful winner of the poll and has accused the authorities of fraud, which they have denied.

The announcement of the result led to deadly protests across the country.

The authorities say at least four people were killed but the Reuters news agency puts the figure at 48, citing two United Nations sources.

Judges on the Constitutional Council had dismissed eight complaints about the election, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.

Earlier this week, Tchiroma Bakary’s call for a stay-at-home protest was heeded by many people, with streets deserted especially in his strongholds of Garoua and Douala.

The opposition leader was a former government information minister who broke ranks with Biya to challenge him for power.

He has refused to file an official complaint.

Source: BBC

In a post on X, Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho criticised the “sham” reelection of President Paul Biya, saying his regime has only made life worse for those living in Cameroon — including Americans.

“The corrupt Biya regime in Cameroon hunts its political opponents, enables Wagner’s illicit activities, and has created conditions for jihadist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS to thrive and fuel the Anglophone crisis,” Risch wrote on November 4.

The US senator was referring to the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded paramilitary organisation, and the Boko Haram, a jihadist militant group that has troops in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Mali.

While Washington has had diplomatic ties with Yaoundé since 1960, Risch asserted that Cameroon “is not a US partner.”

“It’s time to reassess this relationship before the blowback gets worse,” he said.

A former French and British colony, Cameroon has always struggled with managing the divide between its Anglophone and Francophone regions.

This age-old conflict has caused separatist groups to mushroom, further intensifying the instability of the Central African country.

While criticisms of the 92-year-old Biya are not new, Risch’s comments are significant as the US has a formal allyship with Cameroon. Its president, Donald Trump , has also been keen on peacemaking during his second term.

In an archived page in the US Department of State Website, Cameroon was described as a “key” player in regional stability and a “regional partner in countering terrorism in the Lake Chad Region and anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea.”

The two countries have had a bilateral investment treaty in place since 1986, and Washington has provided nearly $1.7 billion in foreign assistance since 2001.

Source: MSG

Cameroon’s security forces killed 48 civilians as they responded to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest ruler, according to data shared with Reuters on Tuesday by two U.N. sources.

The majority of the victims were killed by live rounds although several died from wounds sustained when they were beaten with batons and sticks, the two U.N. sources said.

Biya’s government has not provided a death toll for the protests and a government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Biya was named winner of the election by a comfortable margin last week, receiving 53.66% of the vote against 35.19% for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson who resigned from his ministerial post in June.

Tchiroma had declared himself the winner shortly after the October 12 election, and protests erupted in various locations as early results showed Biya, in power since 1982, would get an eighth term.

A civil society group known as Stand Up for Cameroon said last week that at least 23 people had been killed as a result of security forces cracking down on protesters.

Nearly half of the deaths recorded by the U.N. occurred in Cameroon’s Littoral region, which includes the port city of Douala where election-related protests last week were most intense.

Three gendarmes also died in Douala, according to the U.N. data.

There were 10 deaths recorded in the North region, the capital of which is Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown.

Protests have died down considerably this week. Tchiroma called for a three-day national lockdown starting Monday, urging supporters to suspend activities and remain at home to show dissent at the election results.

Biya is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.

Source: Reuters

Issa Tchiroma Bakary was abducted in a raid on a residence in Yola, Adamawa State in Nigeria by Nigeria security forces between 10pm and 11pm on Sunday, 2 November, according to a deep background briefing.

The Nigeria force acted on a tip off from Cameroon security after locating Tchiroma through signals emitted from his mobile phone. Cameroon security described Tchiroma as a “dangerous criminal” to their Nigeria counterparts. Nigerian security acted swiftly.

A special squad from Cameroon was already in Nigeria to bring Tchiroma back home, “Nera 10” style, but when Nigeria authorities realized who he is, they halted the agreed extradition. He is now fully under Nigeria security protection, thus ending another close shave with arrest.

Before this incident in Nigeria, Cameroon defense and security forces had closed in on Tchiroma’s Marouare residence but he had already been removed and “escorted to a safe location”, before state defense and security forces surrounded his residence in a way that looked like an undeclared house arrest.

A commentator familiar with security and defence operations said the Cameroon forces obviously preferred a smooth operation, seeking to avoid a bloodbath that could have shocked public opinion and angered Tchiroma’s supporters ahead of the planned swearing in of Paul Biya.

Tchiroma was taken out of his Marouare residence in Garoua on the night of 28-29 October. A 31 October post on his “Tchiroma 2025” Facebook account reads, “I thank the loyalist army, which has shown its patriotism by escorting me to a safe location and is currently ensuring my protection.” Unsure how to keep him safe without the risk of raids that could cause an escalation, Tchiroma was escorted across the border into Nigeria hours later.

Some commentators on social media have described Tchiroma’s departure from his residence as an act of cowardice and abandonment of his followers. But a close aide to Tchiroma said in a background briefing in Garoua, “A leader does not offer himself to be arrested. He has to be at a safe and secure location to coordinate the movement for the restoration of the people’s victory, stolen in favour of Paul Biya.”

The aide went on: “Without the leader, protests can go out of hand. People are deeply angry. They are expressing themselves. They can go overboard. The leader has to be at a safe and secure place to coordinate and guide them. Imagine a scenario where President Tchiroma is captured. Can you imagine how that would incense the population and what could be the outcome?” the aide concluded.

There had been several incidents, suggesting subtle attempts to take Tchiroma into custody. Midmorning on 29 October, gendarmes stormed Tchiroma’s quarters. Concordant testimonies by his vanguards outside his compound and private security personnel guarding other compounds in the neighbourhood confirmed there were gunshots around Tchiroma’s compound that morning. No one was hurt.

That attack last week Wednesday, came the day after the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, in a press briefing in Yaoundé, warned that Tchiroma would be dealt with for inciting “post-election violence”. Tchiroma had called on his supporters to go to the streets the day before the results were proclaimed.

Atanga Nji had said on previous occasions that Tchiroma had broken the law by declaring himself winner of the presidential election the day after the election, an act which, the minister said, is the preserve of the Constitutional Council.

On 30 October, soldiers in fours, fives and sixes in combat attire and carrying guns were seen jumping off military vehicles at different parts of the Marouare residential quarters where Tchiroma lives. It looked like a raid. From either side, their maneuvers pointed in the direction of Tchiroma’s neighbourhood. It is not certain what their mission was.

On Friday and Saturday, the soldiers set up makeshift sentry posts within 50 meters of Tchiroma’s residence on all sides. That was seen as a way of restricting his move, a kind of undeclared house arrest.

It was the first time soldiers, described as “third degree force” used mainly for serious combat operations beyond the competence of police (first degree) and the gendarmes (second degree), were seen in the neighbourhood since the election day and post-election tensions gripped Garoua.

Prior to that day, only police personnel were seen at various junctions. They generally did not restrict movement around Marouare. But from mid last week to the weekend, especially on 30 October, they prohibited access to motorbikes, vehicles and even pedestrians who did not prove they were resident in the neighbourhood.

On 27 October, the day results of the presidential election was proclaimed, snipers shot two of Tchiroma’s vanguards from the balcony of the nearby residence of Yerima Dewa, former member of Tchiroma’s FSNC who resigned from the party after Tchiroma declared his intention to run for president. One of those shot died on the spot.

That was not the first time Tchiroma was taken away from perceived danger. On 12 October, Election Day, his vehicle was intercepted by state security forces. His mob of supporters, believing the forces meant to arrest him, found a way of snatching him away. That day, a voice in a video circulating on social media said “the population had rescued Tchiroma from abduction by the forces of law and order and moved him to a secure place.”

After that incident, scores of youths volunteered to provide security around his compound. Some observers described them as a human shield that would have to be killed in numbers to gain access into Tchiroma’s compound in case of an attempt to arrest or abduct him.

In the days leading to the proclamation of results, there was an attempt to poison the food of the vanguards around Tchiroma’s compound, according to an account by a Tchiroma aide. The aide said an unknown woman brought about one thousand sandwiches and offered them to the vanguards. It was taken as an act of community support to their cause. Three vanguards that had eaten it before the officials were made aware of the gift, fell asleep within minutes and remained in profound sleep for over 24 hours.

The suspecting officials tested further by feeding the sandwich to cats. They witnessed about the same sleeping effect. “We concluded it was an attempt to cause the entire ‘battalion’ of vanguards to fall asleep so they could walk in easily and take our president away,” said the aide.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

Issa Tchiroma Bakary said on Friday he had been escorted to a secure location by soldiers loyal to him for his protection, a move that could signal a split within the army following a disputed election.

Tchiroma had been holed up in his house in the northern city of Garoua since a presidential election on October 12 in which he claimed victory.

Protests swept through major cities and towns across Cameroon on 27 October, after electoral authorities declared that incumbent Paul Biya, who has been president for the past 43 years, had won re-election.

Official counts gave him 53.66 per cent of the vote, with his main opponent Tchiroma Bakary garnering 35.19 per cent. But the opposition is in an uproar over what it sees as a rigged election.

Tally sheets posted from polling stations by civil society groups and opposition parties appear to show Tchiroma prevailing by a convincing margin.

With neither side willing to back down, the risks of worsening unrest are high. Thousands have taken to the streets, demanding recognition of the opposition’s apparent victory.

By Rita Akana with files from Reuters and International Crisis Group