Cameroon

27, February 2026

Ambazonia crisis reaches unenviable decade milestone ⁰

Ten years after it began, the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon is worsening and continues to be one of the most under-reported conflicts in the world.

The conflict, which has been ravaging the North-West and South-West regions, started in late 2016 and has grown into the worst crisis in the Central African country post-independence.

Pitting militants agitating for the autonomy of the English-speaking regions citing marginalisation by the French-speaking-dominated government, it has exposed civilians to human rights abuses.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports how the security situation remains tense, marked by frequent and intense violent clashes between non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and state security forces (SSF), leaving the security and humanitarian situation very fragile and volatile.

The UNOCHA notes that drawing towards the end of the year, multiplicity of illegal checkpoints led to a high rate of extortion from the civilian population by NSAGs in the name of “Liberation tax” across most of the divisions in the two volatile regions.

“Also, there has been an increase in arbitrary arrest, kidnapping for ransom, including some current and former officials,” said a spokesperson.

In December, according to the UN agency’s statistics, at least 14 incidents involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were reported in the North-West and South-West.

More than 2 000 people were reportedly displaced from 400 homes.

Humanitarian agencies decry how the displacements expose the affected communities to major protection risks among others, as they move to and from their homes seeking safety and protection, placing additional burdens on communities that are already very fragile.

Access during December was constrained due to insecurity and multiple informal check points with strict verification of “liberation tax” receipts, as well as imposition of large sums on road users including pedestrians.

“These restricted movements narrowed the humanitarian space and negatively affected response activities,” UNOCHA stated.

The crisis began as peaceful strikes and protests by English-speaking lawyers and teachers against the alleged “Francophonisation” of the legal and educational systems in Anglophone regions.

This situation escalated into an armed conflict between the military and separatist groups following a violent government crackdown in late 2016 and early 2017.

Separatists declared the symbolic independence of “Ambazonia.”

Independent since 1961 and previously a German colony, Cameroon was colonised by both Britain and France following the defeat of Germany in World War I.

Eight of Cameroon’s ten regions are predominantly Francophone.

Around 80 percent of the country of 30 million people is French-speaking.

Source: CAJ News

26, February 2026

UN condemns death of opposition figure Anicet Ekane in custody ⁰

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: Mwanzotv

25, February 2026

Pope Leo to visit Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala from April 15 to 18 ⁰

Pope Leo XIV will visit four African nations in April, the Vatican said Thursday, including Algeria – the first time a pope will travel to the North African Muslim nation.

The Vatican announced a series of international trips in the months ahead for the US pontiff, who was elected last year, including to Spain and Monaco.

But the official trip to Algeria, which will see Leo visit Algiers and Annaba from April 13 to 15, will be particularly symbolic.

Algeria is the birthplace of the fifth-century St Augustine and the pope belongs to the Augustinian order, which was founded in the 13th century.

Islam is the state religion but the constitution guarantees freedom of worship, subject to approval by the authorities for the place of worship and the preacher.

Leo’s visit, which is expected to focus on interfaith dialogue, comes 30 years after the beheading of seven French Trappist monks from a monastery during the 1990s civil war.

The head of the Catholic Church will then visit Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Leo will visit Yaounde, Bamenda and Douala from April 15 to 18, then Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo between April 18 and 21, before travelling to Malabo, Mongomo and Bata between April 21 and 23.

The pope is likely to appeal for peace and dialogue while in Angola and Cameroon, where long-running separatist struggles continue to kill civilians.

Monaco, Spain

Before his trip to Africa, the pontiff will visit Monaco for a day, the Vatican said.

The visit to the principality on the French riviera will take place on March 28 and will be the first papal trip to the city state in modern times.

A statement from the principality in the name of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene said it would be “a historic moment for Monaco and stand as a strong sign of hope, in a spirit of dialogue, peace, and shared responsibility”.

Leo will also visit Spain from June 6 to 12.

The Vatican News website said he would first visit the capital Madrid, and then travel to Barcelona, where he will inaugurate the newest and tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica.

The visit marks 100 years since the death of its Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, who was declared “venerable” by the Catholic Church in 2025, the first step on the path to sainthood.

Leo will then travel to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa, a key point on the migration route to Europe.

The American pope, who became head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May, is a vocal defender of migrants, an issue which was also dear to his predecessor Pope Francis.

While in the Canary Islands, Leo will visit Tenerife and Gran Canaria, Vatican News said.

The announcements of the trips follow news the pope will visit a series of areas within Italy in the coming months, including the island of Lampedusa.

Source: AFP

25, February 2026

Yaoundé grants traditional chiefs power to issue provisional land certificates ⁰

Starting April 1, 2026, the Cameroonian government will allow third-degree traditional chiefs to issue provisional land certificates for portions of national land.

In a circular dated February 20, Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure Henri Eyebe Ayissi introduced two documents intended to establish “initial proof of the occupation or exploitation of a parcel of national land by the applicant.”

The two documents are the Certificate of Recognition of Customary Land Rights (ARDFC) and the Certificate of Peaceful Enjoyment of Land (AJPTER). According to the circular, the ARDFC and AJPTER are “intermediate documents in the process of obtaining a land title, which is the official certification of real estate ownership.” Their introduction is described as part of an effort to align national practices with international standards in land governance.

The ARDFC is intended to promote land rights of customary communities, family groups and their members. The AJPTER seeks to strengthen protection of land occupation and use rights for individuals actively exploiting the land.

Issuance Assigned to Third-Degree Chiefs

The ministry specifies that these certificates will be issued by third-degree traditional chiefs within national land located in their areas of jurisdiction. One objective is to strengthen the role of traditional authorities in preventing and resolving land disputes involving national land.

The measure also aims to provide customary communities, family groups and land occupants with provisional instruments recognized by traditional authorities, confirming customary possession or peaceful enjoyment pending, where applicable, completion of the formal land title process.

Eligibility Conditions

Customary communities, family groups or their members, as well as holders of customary land rights, are the only parties authorized to request an ARDFC for national land they occupy or exploit.

The AJPTER may be requested by Cameroonian nationals who have demonstrably developed the land and who reside within a customary community, family group or village. It requires at least five years of proven development and peaceful occupation or use.

The minister stresses that these certificates apply only to occupied or exploited land classified as first-category national land. Vacant land, land free of occupation, or land that has not been developed is excluded.

Through these new instruments, the government says it intends to safeguard the vital space of customary communities by initiating a land security process while preventing disputes. The measures are also designed to strengthen recognition and protection of customary land rights for occupants, users and land developers.

Source: Business in Cameroon

25, February 2026

Ngarbuh massacre trial short on justice ⁰

The lenient prison terms for defendants on trial for the February 2020 massacre in Ngarbuh, in Cameroon’s North-West region, compounds the authorities’ insufficient efforts to hold senior military officers accountable and compensate victims’ families, Human Rights Watch said today.

On February 20, 2026, a military court in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, sentenced three security force members and a pro-government militia member who was tried in absentia for the killing of 21 people—as well as other abuses—by the military and Fulani militiamen in Ngarbuh on February 14, 2020. The court handed down sentences of between 5 and 10 years and modest fines.

“Prosecutors did not pursue any evidence about who planned and ordered the killings,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The failure of Cameroon’s prosecutors and judiciary to investigate those bearing command responsibility, combined with the denial of reparations, exacerbates the suffering of victims’ families.”

The trial, which lasted more than five years, was marred by serious shortcomings. Authorities never arrested or charged senior officers who authorized and oversaw the operation. Seventeen ethnic Fulani militiamen accused of murder remain at large. Victims’ families had only limited access to and participation in the proceedings, key evidence was excluded, and the court rejected claims for compensation.

Human Rights Watch research found that government forces and allied ethnic Fulani militiamen killed 21 people in Ngarbuh, including 13 children and a pregnant woman. The assailants also burned at least five homes, looted dozens of properties, and beat residents during what appeared to be a reprisal operation against a community suspected of harboring separatist fighters. Since 2016, brutalviolence has engulfed Cameroon’s Anglophone North-West and South-West regions, where armed separatist groups are seeking independence.

Initially, the government denied any involvement of its forces in the killings and publicly discredited human rights groups, United Nations agencies, and media outlets that reported on the massacre. On March 1, 2020, following domestic and internationalpressure, President Paul Biya established a commission of inquiry.

The commission concluded that security forces and members of “local vigilance groups” carried out a reconnaissance operation in Ngarbuh, where they confronted separatist fighters, killing five. In the ensuing violence, 13 civilians were killed. The commission found that soldiers then attempted to cover up the killings by burning homes and filing a false report.

President Biya ordered disciplinary proceedings against the commander of the 52nd Motorized Infantry Battalion (Bataillon d’Infanterie Motorisé, BIM), who had authorized the operation, as well as criminal proceedings against three members of the security forces—two lower-ranking soldiers and a gendarme—who were arrested in June 2020.

The trial opened on December 17, 2020. The defendants included the three security force members—Baba Guida, Gilbert Haranga, and Cyrille Sanding Sanding—and the 17 ethnic Fulani militiamen. Only one of them, Tata Nfor, also known as “Bullet,” was identified by name and tried in absentia.

On January 15, 2026, the court convicted the three soldiers and Nfor as co-perpetrators in murder, arson, and destruction; Guida and Sanding were also convicted of disobeying orders and Haranga of disobeying orders and violence against a pregnant woman.

On February 20, the court sentenced Haranga and Nfor to 10 years in prison, Guida to 8 years, and Sanding to 5 years. Each was also fined 183,100 CFA francs (about US$328).

Under Cameroon’s penal code, murder is punishable by life in prison, and co-perpetrators are subject to the same penalties as principal offenders unless otherwise provided by law. The sentences imposed on two defendants in this case are relatively light, taking into account the gravity of the crimes, Human Rights Watch said.

While international law does not prescribe strict sentencing guidelines, international practice provides that punishment for serious crimes should reflect the gravity of the crime and serve the purposes, among others, of deterrence and retribution.

Barrister Menkem Sother, the lawyer representing the victims’ families, told Human Rights Watch that the public prosecutor initially requested five-year prison terms for the three security force members, contending that they were “brave soldiers” who had long participated in military operations. The judges ultimately confirmed a five-year sentence for Sanding, who has already served that time and is expected to be released in the coming days.

Sother requested 1,700,000,000 CFA francs (about $3,049,970) in compensation on behalf of the victims. The court rejected the claim as “unjustified,” asserting that the victims had already received a total of 80,000,000 CFA francs (about $143,528). Sother said, though, that there is no proof that any payment has been made.

The Ngarbuh proceedings were repeatedly delayed, often due to the absence of judges and other court officials. The court refused to admit key evidence, including death certificates to identify all of those killed, and the victims’ families were allowed only minimal participation. The military court in Yaoundé is about 450 kilometers from Ngarbuh, making it difficult for family members to attend. Family members’ lawyers had expressed concern about the issue. Only three victims’ relatives and one witness testified before the court, Sother said.

Defense and civil parties’ lawyers have 10 days to appeal the court’s decision. Henri Athanase Atangana, a defense lawyer representing Guida and Haranga, told the media that he would consult his clients before deciding whether to do so. Sother told Human Rights Watch that he does not intend to appeal, saying: “I have carried this cross alone.”

At the outset of the trial, there was sustained mobilization in support of the victims’ families, with several lawyers offering pro bono representation and numerous national and international human rights and civil society organizations attending or closely monitoring the proceedings. However, this collective engagement gradually waned, and for the final three years the families were represented solely by Sother, who represented their interests with unwavering dedication.

The UN Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, which is based in Yaoundé and is mandated to promote and protect human rights, including through ensuring the rule of law and accountability for human rights violations, assigned a lawyer to attend one hearing in 2022. “But after that, I’ve never seen her again,” Sother said.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Cameroon ratified in 1984, provides that states parties should ensure that any person whose rights are violated has access to an effective remedy, determined by competent judicial, administrative, or legislative authorities, and that such remedies are duly enforced.

“The Ngarbuh trial has delivered neither full accountability nor meaningful redress,” Allegrozzi said. “The United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa should offer legal and technical assistance to the victims’ families, to enable them to file a well-grounded appeal seeking reparations and to ensure continued protection of their rights throughout the process.”

Source: Human Rights Watch

25, February 2026

Conflict exacerbates economic crisis in Cameroon ⁰

Conflict perpetrated by separatists and Islamist insurgents is triggering an economic crisis in Cameroon.

This is most severe in the Northwest and Southwest regions, where militants are agitating for self-rule, and the Northern region, where Islamists have for years carried out terror attacks.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reports that persistent conflict and insecurity continue to disrupt livelihoods and restrict household food availability and access.

Staple grain and bean prices are currently 10 percent to 25 percent higher than last year and 20 percent to 50 percent above the five-year average.

Staple food prices across much of the country remain elevated, trending moderately to significantly above the five-year average, driven by reduced supplies from conflict affected areas, high transport and fuel costs, and elevated shipping expenses for imported foods.

FEWS NET reports that in January, the average price of imported rice was C₣650 (US$1,17) /kilogram in Yaoundé and Douala, representing an 18percent to 20 percent increase compared to the five-year average.

Prices are projected to seasonally increase further during the March-May lean season.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) data indicates that attacks by Islamist militants against rural communities remained elevated throughout 2025 and have continued into 2026.

The prolonged insurgency continues to severely undermine agricultural and livestock production, which is the primary livelihoods for poor households, further constraining food availability and income-earning opportunities.

Food security outcomes in conflict-affected divisions of the Far North are projected to deteriorate between February and May 2026.

“This decline will be driven by the early depletion of already-limited household food stocks, low household incomes constraining the purchase of staple foods, persistent insecurity, ongoing displacement and weakened coping capacities,” FEWS NET stated.

The agency noted that despite forecasted favorable rainfall, ongoing conflict, escalating violence against civilians and widespread insecurity continued to limit field access in several parts of the Northwest and Southwest regions, limiting cultivation and undermining overall production prospects.

In these regions, separatists are agitating for self-rule, alleging marginalization of English-speaking communities by the government, dominated by French speakers.

The 2025 re-election of President Paul Biya, for an eighth term in a poll critics say was rigged, has worsened matters in the Central African country of over 30 million people.

Source: CAJ News

23, February 2026

Mount Cameroon Race of Hope champions peace in Southern Cameroons ⁰

When Hamadou Bi Ibrahim crossed the finish line to secure a victory in Cameroon’s iconic mountain race, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

The 38-year-old runner was among more than 600 participants, including 22 foreign competitors, who took on the challenge of scaling the highest mountain in West and Central Africa during the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope over the weekend.

First held in 1973, the race combines the demands of a marathon with the challenges of a mountain climb. The course requires runners to ascend to the summit and then retrace the same demanding route back to the starting point at Molyko Stadium. Participants have to brave temperatures that range from 28 degrees Celsius at the base to near freezing at the 4,100-meter summit.

For Ibrahim, the win marked years of perseverance on the demanding course. “I am very pleased and proud to win this race. It is a difficult race, especially when climbing the mountain,” Ibrahim said.

Beyond personal glory, Ibrahim said he was encouraged by the race’s efforts to promote harmony, understanding and nonviolence.

Hailing from the village of Awing in the conflict-affected Northwest Region, he traveled hundreds of miles to participate. “Coming here and taking part in this race gives us hope for peace and stability,” he said.

For years, Cameroon’s Southwest and Northwest regions have been struggling in an armed separatist conflict. The capital of the Southwest Region, Buea, where the race takes place, has seen separatist activity. In 2023, multiple explosions during the event injured 19 athletes.

This year, however, the atmosphere was markedly peaceful. John Berinyu, who arrived early in the morning to watch the race, said: “This race is a complete success. Unlike in previous editions, where people were afraid of bombings, lockdowns and shootings, the population came out in their numbers to witness the event.”

“There were no explosions, no shootings. It is a good sign. We sincerely hope that this peaceful atmosphere will continue,” Berinyu hinted.

On the eve of the race, hundreds of people gathered at Molyko Stadium for festivities highlighting Cameroon’s rich cultural diversity. Among them was Vanessa Njie.

“This cultural event is my favorite part of the race. It brings Cameroonians together, and we forget our differences and just live like humans, like a country in peace. This race is helping us take a breather from daily violence,” Njie said.

For authorities, the race underscored the vital role sport can play in fostering reconciliation among divided communities.

As in previous years, the event carried the theme “Give Peace a Chance” to promote peace and forgiveness, said Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Cameroon’s minister of sports and physical education, who presided over the race.

“Peace is precious. We will continue to ask young people to embrace peace. This year was a resounding success. The peaceful ending of this race means that Cameroonians in the Southwest have demonstrated their love for peace and unity of the country,” Kombi said.

Culled from Xinhuanet

21, February 2026

Bishop Nkuo says Kumbo is not a battlefield or a slaughter slab ⁰

Bishop George Nkuo of Kumbo in Cameroon’s war-torn North West region has denounced a decade of violence that has plagued Cameroon’s two English-speaking North West and South West regions.

The two regions have since 2016 been embroiled in conflict, with separatists fighting to break away from the rest of the country and form a new nation to be called Ambazonia.

The crisis was triggered by a harsh government crackdown on teachers and lawyers from the two regions who were protesting the use of French in Anglo-Saxon schools and courts. But Cameroon’s English-speaking minorities have always voiced historical grievances, complaining about the systematic erosion of their culture and way of life by the predominantly French-speaking government.

Ten years of fighting have left at least 6500 people dead, and more than a million forced to flee from their homes.

In his Lenten letter, Nkuo laments that the conflict, marked by killings, abductions, and a new crisis of human trafficking, risks becoming “normalized” among a suffering population.

He said his diocese in particular has “endured ten painful years of conflict, fear, displacement, uncertainty, and deep sorrow,” and expressed fear that war could become normalized.

In his pastoral letter, titled “Return to Me with All Your Heart” (Joel 2:12), the Cameroonian bishop wrote, “For many in our land, every day has felt like Lent. Every day has carried ashes, and every day has carried tears, and yet Lent is not only about ashes. It is also about return and about conversion and about hope.”

He explained that this profound suffering has permeated every facet of life.

“Young and old. Christians and non-Christians. Catholics and non-Catholics. Farmers, teachers, catechists, traders, pupils, mothers, and fathers” have suffered, he said.

“We have witnessed killings, abductions, kidnappings, disappearances, burning of homes, looting, sexual violations, extortion, and constant fear. Entire villages have lived in anxiety. Schools have closed. Farms have been abandoned. Youth have fled,” the bishop added.

He warned that the region runs the risk of “getting used to what should never be normal.”

“Violence is never normal. The shedding of innocent blood is never acceptable,” Nkuo explained.

He made it clear that Kumbo Diocese “is not a battlefield,” nor is it a “slaughter slab where human beings are butchered, nor is it a training ground where soldiers train for war and by so doing get normal to the sounds and guns and missiles and explosives.”

While a decade of war has left a trail of death and destruction, it has also forged another crisis: Human trafficking.

Traffickers prey on the vulnerability of war-battered youth, forcing them into modern-day slavery. Nkuo describes this as “another grave wound” on the diocese, explaining that youths “are being lured with false promises of employment. Families are extorted for ransom. Some have disappeared into modern-day slavery.”

In comments to Crux, Lukong Isidore Njodzeven, the deputy Diocesan coordinator for the Justice and Peace Commission of the Kumbo Diocese, revealed that more than 3000 Cameroonians have been trafficked across the border to Nigeria.

He described the area around the Kumbo Diocese as “a catchment area” where traffickers find easy prey on desperate young people eager to escape from war and poverty to better their lives.

According to UNICEF reports, approximately 800,000 children were forced out of school due to the conflict.

“Moreover, the crisis has intensified poverty, further weakening resistance to trafficking and exploitation,” Njodzeven told Crux.

In his statement, Nkuo said the young people should be in classrooms and not in camps.

“They should be in farms and industries and not in bondage,” the bishop said.

“You are not forgotten. You are not disposable,” he told the youth.

“You are not destined for armed groups or trafficking camps. You are the future of this Diocese. You are the hope of this land,” Nkuo said.

He said that the process of healing will begin when forgiveness steps into the picture

“Let us choose gentleness. Let us choose courage. Let us choose peace,” he implored. “Many of us are tired, and many among us feel abandoned. But we must not lose hope. God is not finished with Kumbo.”

Speaking to Crux, the bishop said the ultimate solution to the conflict lies in “frank and sincere dialogue that should address the root causes of the crisis.”

“You cannot resolve a conflict without addressing the roots of that conflict,” Nkuo said.

Source: Crux

20, February 2026

Yaoundé: 4 journalists detained while investigating U.S. deportees ⁰

Four journalists and a lawyer were arrested Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on Africans recently deported from the United States.

The journalists were in a compound in Yaoundé where the deportees were being held to interview and document the conditions, when they were detained by Cameroon authorities, multiple news outlets report.

The judicial police separated the reporters from the lawyer and brought them in for questioning. During his detention, an Associated Press reporter said a police member struck him. The police confiscated cameras, phones and laptops before releasing the reporters.

Cameroon officials said the journalists held sensitive government information, but no formal charges have been filed.

None of the deportees were citizens of Cameroon, and many had legal protections against removal to their home countries, where many of them said their lives would be at risk, according to reports.

Their lawyers said none of the deportees were accused of violent crimes. They also said that those held in detention were told they could not leave the facility unless they agreed to return to their respective countries, despite having gained previous removal protections.

The case has raised concerns over transparency and press freedoms in Cameroon and the U.S. deportation practices that place many in dangerous situations.

It is unknown whether there is a formal agreement between the U.S. government and Cameroon on the placement of deported individuals.

Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs has made no public comment and the State Department told The New York Times it would not comment on “diplomatic communications with other governments.”

Critics, including former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Scott Schuchart, said the deportations to Cameroon are potentially illegal.

Source: Washington Times

20, February 2026

Ngarbuh Massacre: Rare prison sentences handed to soldiers after killing of 21 civilians ⁰

Three Cameroonian soldiers have been sentenced to prison for their role in the killing of at least 21 civilians in the country’s troubled Anglophone region.

The jail terms for the crimes, which took place six years ago in the Northwest region, range from five to 10 years per person.

A military court previously found the soldiers guilty of murder, arson and destruction – a rare occurrence in a country where military personnel are seldom convicted of crimes against civilians.

Nevertheless, lawyers for the victims told the BBC they were disappointed with the length of the jail terms handed down on Thursday, calling them “insignificant”.

The convictions centre on the events of 14 February 2020, when soldiers, supported by a local militia of ethnic Fulanis, raided the village of Ngarbuh and killed civilians.

Source: BBC