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CPDM Crime Syndicate: Yaoundé losing CFA 162.8bn a year to timber export mispricing

28, May 2026

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Yaoundé losing CFA 162.8bn a year to timber export mispricing 0

Cameroon is losing an estimated 162.8 billion CFA francs annually through illicit financial flows linked to timber export mispricing, according to a report released on May 26 by the Financial Transparency Coalition in Financial Secrets of the Forests: How Secrecy Fuels Deforestation in Brazil and Cameroon.

The report found that between 2013 and 2023, illicit financial flows in Cameroon’s timber sector averaged $289 million per year, nearly five times the $59 million annual loss estimated by the National Agency for Financial Investigation. The discrepancy stems from undervaluation of timber exports, where declared export values differ from import records reported by destination countries.

The analysis focused on Cameroon because of its position as Africa’s largest timber exporter. In 2025, the country recorded 105,000 hectares of primary forest loss, the highest on record.

Timber trade losses widen

The report identifies China, Vietnam, European Union countries and the United States among the main destinations where pricing discrepancies were recorded. According to the coalition, the losses represent foregone customs duties, taxes and other public revenues.

Cameroon has tightened forestry export policies in recent years, increasing duties on raw log exports from 17.5% in 2017 to 75% under the 2024 Finance Act, while preparing a ban on exports of 76 wood species from 2028 to encourage local processing. The report says illicit financial flows continue to undermine these efforts by allowing timber products to leave the country at under-declared values.

Matti Kohonen, Executive Director of the Financial Transparency Coalition, said:

“This report shows that billions of dollars are illicitly channelled each year from Global South countries through illegal deforestation and financial secrecy. The lack of public data on land ownership and beneficial ownership makes it difficult to trace who profits directly from forest destruction.”

Transparency gaps complicate enforcement

Researchers said financial and land ownership secrecy prevents authorities from identifying the ultimate beneficiaries of logging concessions.

Using Geographic Information Systems data, the coalition mapped forest concessions and ownership structures but said beneficial ownership information remains inaccessible, complicating enforcement efforts.

Jean Mballa Mballa, Executive Director of CRADEC in Cameroon, said:

“This report confirms that although Cameroon can map forest loss and identify the legal owners of concessions, beneficial ownership records remain closed. Without transparency, efforts to sanction illegal operators and enforce international anti-deforestation regulations will face serious limits.”

The report also states that Cameroon has continued granting logging licences to companies previously sanctioned for illicit trade, allowing some operators to continue exporting to markets that prohibit illegally sourced timber.

Trade rules and market access implications

The findings come as international market requirements tighten ahead of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, due to take effect in December 2026, prohibiting products linked to deforested land from entering EU markets.

Victor Galaz, associate professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre and contributor to the report, said stronger transparency measures are increasingly tied to market competitiveness.

“Crimes linked to deforestation often thrive in opaque financial systems. Making ownership and concession data more accessible is essential not only for accountability but also for preserving long-term access to export markets.”

The Financial Transparency Coalition is calling for the creation of public beneficial ownership registries, improved access to land ownership records and publication of sanctions data related to environmental offences.

The report warns that unresolved transparency gaps could continue draining billions of francs from public revenues while exposing timber exports to compliance risks in international markets.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Kenya: Fire in girls’ school dorm kills 16

28, May 2026

Kenya: Fire in girls’ school dorm kills 16 0

The fire broke out shortly before 1:00 am local time at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, around 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the capital Nairobi, officials said.

There have been many devastating school fires in Kenya, where boarding schools are common as a colonial legacy of missionaries and the British.

“We have 16 fatalities. It’s an unfortunate incident,” education minister Julius Migos Ogamba told reporters at the scene, without giving ages for the victims.

The affected dormitory had shattered windows, blackened walls and a crumpled corrugated iron roof, an AFP journalist saw.

Parents of the victims were in the process of being informed by health workers at the site mid-afternoon as bodies were identified.

A distraught mother, Leila Matura, 52, said her 18-year-old daughter was still missing.

“We went to the hospital to see if she is there, she is not there. So they are telling us, she is not around, she is among the missing,” she told AFP.

“Whether she is dead or alive, we do not know. I’m hopeless,” she added.

Another mother, who did not wish to be named, said her 17-year-old daughter was in hospital.

“She broke both her legs jumping from the window. Thank God she is strong. It is every mother’s nightmare,” she said.

The school is linked to the National Police Service and most pupils are the children of officers.

“When we arrived, the fire was still blazing. It was so big… It took about 45 minutes to extinguish the flames because of the mattresses inside,” a firefighter, who identified himself only as Fred because he was not authorised to speak to the press, told AFP.

–‘Unimaginable tragedy’-

Authorities say they are still investigating the cause of the fire.

“Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters,” President William Ruto said on X, describing it as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

Children have been accused of deliberately starting school fires in Kenya in the past. One report found there were 63 arson cases at schools in 2018 alone.

Pupils were accused after a 2001 dormitory fire in the southern county of Machakos killed 67.

On Thursday the education minister said the ministry had closed around 350 schools since 2024 for failing to comply with safety standards.

“We will continue inspections to ensure that our schools meet the safety standards” in force, he pledged.

Source: AFP

The situation of people sentenced to death in Cameroon

27, May 2026

The situation of people sentenced to death in Cameroon 0

In 2016, Cameroon handed down the highest number of death sentences. Although the death penalty has not been carried out in the country since 1997, nearly 300 death sentences were handed down in 2015 and 2016. Together Against the Death Penalty, Droit et Paix and the Network of Cameroonian Lawyers Against the Death Penalty (RACOPEM) have published a fact-finding mission report highlighting the human tragedy that the death penalty represents. Through the stories of those sentenced to death, as well as their families and lawyers, it highlights their experiences in the criminal justice system and their harsh conditions of detention.

This report is the result of a fact-finding mission carried out in Cameroon between March and October 2025 by the Cameroonian association Droits et Paix, the Network of Cameroonian Lawyers Against the Death Penalty (RACOPEM) and ECPM. The teams of investigators visited 10 prisons, met with 45 people sentenced to death and 6 prison staff members.

The death penalty as a political tool since Independence

This report traces the key stages in the history of the death penalty in Cameroon, showing how, since independence, this punishment has been used as an instrument of political control and legitimisation.

Assessing trends in the use of the death penalty in Cameroon remains difficult due to the authorities’ marked lack of transparency on the issue. This opacity, which seems to reflect a resolve to maintain secrecy around death sentences, severely limits access to reliable data. During the examination of Cameroon’s state report at the 67th ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 2023, the authorities nevertheless indicated that as of 31 October 2020, 120 people were sentenced to death, including 80 Cameroonian men, 36 foreign nationals and 4 women. According to monitoring by Droits et Paix and RACOPEM, 105 people are believed to be sentenced to death in Cameroonian prisons by the end of 2025, including at least one woman.

The criminal justice system of Cameroon: a chain of black holes

From the moment of arrest through to the exhaustion of legal remedies, the criminal justice trajectory of those sentenced to death unfolds in a context where investigations are frequently conducted under duress, legal assistance remains largely illusory, challenging the charges is often impossible, and cases remain unaddressed for years. Some die in detention, having waited decades for legal remedies that never materialised.

The report examines in detail the structural failings of Cameroon’s criminal justice system, drawing on a number of testimonies and case studies documenting breaches of the right to a fair trial.

Precarious and unfair detention conditions

“Here, if you have no money, you’re not entitled to anything.” Kelvin, sentenced to death in Buea.

There are no prisons specifically designated for individuals sentenced to death. Although the Cameroonian authorities provide no official data on where such people are held, civil society estimates they are scattered across approximately 50 of the country’s 76 prison facilities. During visits to ten prisons in both French- and English speaking areas, the fact-finding mission was able to confirm the presence of people sentenced to death in eight of them.

In these prisons, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, food shortages and very limited access to healthcare – including psychiatric care – create an environment where suffering becomes a daily experience, marked by depletion, distress and abandonment. The testimonies gathered from people sentenced to death reveal constant fear, persistent physical and mental harm, and a widely shared feeling of having been forgotten by the state.

Culled from ecpm.org

Iran Supreme Leader invites Muslim nations to shape new regional order, says US era is over

26, May 2026

Iran Supreme Leader invites Muslim nations to shape new regional order, says US era is over 0

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei urges Muslim countries to deepen cooperation and shape a new regional and global order beyond American dominance.

“The [global] Muslim Ummah (Nation) and the nations of the region possess many shared capacities and common interests that will shape the new order and the future architecture of the region and the world,” Ayatollah Khamenei wrote in a message on Tuesday.

The message, issued on the occasion of the Day of Arafah, the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage, said Muslim nations were entering a historical phase in which regional realities were changing irreversibly and American military influence was steadily diminishing.

“The hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for US bases,” the Leader stated.

He added that the United States “will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region” and was “growing more distant from its former status day by day.”

“The future belongs to the Muslim Ummah and the new Islamic civilization.”

Source: Presstv

Biya regime tightens gold mining controls to curb smuggling

26, May 2026

Biya regime tightens gold mining controls to curb smuggling 0

Cameroon announced on May 21 new measures to tighten control over artisanal gold mining, targeting illegal operations, gold smuggling and revenue losses in the sector.

The reforms were unveiled during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute in Yaounde. They include a minimum monthly declaration threshold of five kilogrammes of gold for companies seeking exploitation rights and an environmental hazard tax of CFA 63 million for operators working on more than 21 hectares.

The government said the measures are aimed at improving transparency in gold production, increasing state revenues and strengthening oversight of mining activities.

Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development Fuh Calistus Gentry said illegal mining had created major discrepancies between officially declared production and volumes traced abroad. He said the reforms would help formalise the sector and improve state control over gold exports.

“Illegality represents the gap between what is declared and what is exported. Once restructuring is accepted, it will generate immediate revenue for the State estimated in several hundreds of billions. We are also projecting a minimum increase of three tonnes in the State’s gold reserves every year,” he said.

The minister added that the reforms would strengthen the role of Cameroonians in artisanal mining, while foreign operators would be limited to technical and financial partnerships as provided by law.

Government figures presented during the meeting showed that nearly 200 illegal semi-mechanised mining sites had been identified in the Adamawa and East regions, compared with only 57 officially authorised gold operations. Authorities said the illegal activities had contributed to gold smuggling and major losses in public revenue.

“If 100 companies align with the declaration threshold, projections already point to 10 tonnes being declared. Many companies are already complying, and tax payments are now being enforced,” Fuh Calistus said.

Officials also said mining operators would face stricter environmental restoration obligations under the “polluter pays” principle. Between 2020 and 2026, the government issued 57 environmental conformity certificates for mining and quarry projects.

On labour issues, Minister of Labour and Social Security Grégoire Owona said more than 1,700 enterprise inspections were carried out during the first quarter of 2026, leading to 188 formal notices against employers found in violation of labour regulations.

“Our role is to protect workers against all forms of abuse. We will intensify inspections, continue sensitisation campaigns on workers’ rights and finalise reforms to the Labour Code to strengthen protection mechanisms,” he said.

At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute instructed ministries to strengthen coordination and ensure strict enforcement of the new measures, particularly on illegal mining, environmental compliance and labour protection.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Pope Leo apologises for Church’s historic role in slavery

25, May 2026

Pope Leo apologises for Church’s historic role in slavery 0

Pope Leo on Monday issued the clearest apology yet from a pontiff for the Catholic Church’s ‌role in slavery, acknowledging both its delay in condemning the practice and its historic involvement in legitimising it.

In a key passage of his first papal encyclical, Leo said the Church had taken centuries to fully recognise “the ​scourge of slavery” as incompatible with human dignity, calling the legacy “a wound in Christian ​memory.”

“For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for ⁠pardon,” he wrote in the wide-ranging manifesto, expressing “deep sorrow” for the suffering endured by enslaved ​people.

Leo acknowledged that Church authorities had, at times, responded to rulers by regulating and legitimising ​forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of non-Christians.

He also acknowledged that before that time, in the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions had their own slaves.

He said the Church only reached a “formal, absolute and universal condemnation” of ​slavery in the 19th century, under Pope Leo XIII, after what the current pope described ​as a long period of inconsistency in teaching and practice.

PREVIOUS PAPAL STATEMENTS ON SLAVERY

The remarks mark the most ‌explicit ⁠papal admission to date of institutional responsibility, going beyond earlier statements by previous popes that focused on the actions of individual Christians rather than the Vatican itself.

Pope John Paul II, during a 1985 visit to Africa, asked forgiveness from Africans for the suffering caused by “men belonging ​to Christian nations” in ​the slave trade.

Leo’s predecessor ⁠Francis condemned the plight of modern-day slaves and formally repudiated papal documents from the 15th century which were used by colonial powers to ​give legitimacy to their actions, which included slavery.

But such statements stopped ​short of ⁠directly addressing the role of the papacy, instead framing responsibility in broader terms tied to Christians or historical circumstances.

Leo’s intervention was made in his debut encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), which addresses the ethical ⁠challenges of ​artificial intelligence and warns of new forms of exploitation ​linked to the global economy.

Genealogical research published after Leo’s election last year showed that history’s first U.S.-born pope had ​a diverse ancestry that included both enslaved people and slaveholders.

Source: Reuters

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Dozens abducted in Bamti

25, May 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Dozens abducted in Bamti 0

The weekend turned tense for residents of Bamti in Noni Subdivision, Bui Division, after dozens of civilians were forcefully taken by armed separatist fighters.

Local sources indicate that the incident occurred on Saturday morning, May 23, when the fighters rounded up community members accused of refusing to participate in a road work activity they had imposed on the population.

Among those taken were pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, raising concerns over the conditions in which they are being held.

Residents say the abducted individuals have been asked to pay a sum of 15,000 CFA francs each as a condition for their release, a demand that has left many families in distress.

In several parts of the North West region, such actions have become increasingly frequent, with armed groups enforcing their own rules through intimidation, financial demands and compulsory participation in local initiatives.

As of now, there has been no official communication from administrative or security authorities regarding the incident.

Source: Lebledparle.com

Iran has no trust in US; frozen assets release red line for any deal

25, May 2026

Iran has no trust in US; frozen assets release red line for any deal 0

Iran harbors no optimism toward the United States and views any negotiations through a lens of deep mistrust, an informed source told Tasnim News Agency on Sunday, stressing that even if a preliminary understanding is reached, Tehran will not rely on Washington’s commitments.

“Iran has no goodwill toward America, and the exchange of messages through the Pakistani mediator is constantly conducted with mistrust of the US government,” the source said.

The source added that no final understanding has been achieved so far, and disagreements persist over certain clauses.

“Even if an initial understanding is reached, it does not mean Iran has changed its view of America or that it trusts the current administration to fulfill its obligations,” the source said.

“The Americans have a very bad record in negotiations, which reinforces and entrenches mistrust. Therefore, even if an understanding is reached, Iran will monitor US actions throughout the post‑agreement process. If America breaches its commitments at that stage, Iran will retain its leverage to respond.”

Israeli media report dismissed as false

Another report by Tasnim also rejected an Israeli media report claiming that US officials have said Iran will receive no relief on frozen assets until it begins transferring its enriched uranium stockpiles.

According to Tasnim’s information, such a claim is completely untrue and Iran refuses to link the release of its frozen assets with nuclear material issues.

“Iran insists that part of its frozen assets must be released immediately upon any possible announcement of an understanding, and must be fully accessible to Iran. The bitter past experience of asset releases, which were effectively sabotaged by American procrastination, must not be repeated,” the report said.

The report also stated that Iran has made no commitment regarding the details of the nuclear issue at this stage.

Asset release in the first step has no connection to nuclear material matters.

Moreover, any preliminary understanding must focus exclusively on “ending the war.”

“If the release of frozen assets does not happen, one of Iran’s red lines will have been crossed, and there will be no understanding,” the report emphasized.

The remarks came as US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday he had told his negotiators not to “rush.”

Source: Presstv

Biya regime orders telecom operators to block undeclared phones

23, May 2026

Biya regime orders telecom operators to block undeclared phones 0

Cameroon’s customs authorities have ordered telecom operators MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroon, and Camtel to block mobile phones and digital devices that were not cleared through customs.

In a letter dated May 18, Customs Director General Fongod Edwin Nuvaga instructed the operators to begin blocking the devices starting May 25, 2026.

The measure applies only to undeclared phones and digital terminals connected to local mobile networks for the first time since April 1, 2026, when the country’s new customs collection system for digital devices took effect. In the letter, the customs administration warned that operators could be held responsible if undeclared devices continue to access local networks.

The instruction comes one month after Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé warned importers suspected of bypassing the new customs system. In a statement issued April 27, the minister said about 700,000 phones connected to local networks for the first time between April 1 and April 25 without customs clearance.

According to a source within the customs administration, the real number could be even higher.Authorities initially avoided systematic blocking and instead gave importers and users time to regularize their situation without penalties before April 30. Under the new rules, devices introduced illegally after that deadline are now subject to blocking.

The government says the reform is meant to restore control over a segment heavily affected by smuggling and undeclared imports. Authorities also want to increase customs revenue from mobile phones and digital devices, an area where tax collection has collapsed despite rising device imports.

Official figures show customs revenue from phones and digital equipment fell from about CFA2 billion per month in the 2000s to around CFA100 million today, even as the number of devices entering the Cameroonian market continued to increase.

Through the reform, customs authorities now aim to raise at least CFA25 billion in annual revenue from the sector.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Online Recruitment Scams: Young Cameroonians must be careful!

23, May 2026

Online Recruitment Scams: Young Cameroonians must be careful! 0

Online recruitment is not new in the world but in modern times, it is no longer sure bet. It has been around for some time now, especially following the development of new and innovative technologies but in recent times it has taken a dimension which has become worrisome for many governments in Africa.

These technologies are designed to facilitate things for people around the world, but the forces of darkness are using these technologies for other purposes which are unfortunately unorthodox.

Many young desperate Africans, caught up in the web of unemployment are yet to understand that online recruit has a very dark side which can put an end to their lives if they are not lucky.

Online recruitment is today related to cyber fraud which is a highly organized transnational operation with hubs in countries such as Nigeria, Mali, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

In recent times, young Cameroonians who are desperate for work and better salaries have been looking outwards for greener pastures. In their warp thinking, any pasture out of their country is greener than what they have in Cameroon.

Strangely, things do not always work according to plan. The promise of a better life in some of these West African countries could easily turn into a massive never-ending nightmare.

Some of those unfortunate situations have really occurred to these young Cameroonians. Once, Nigeria and Mali were in the news for online scamming, but today, Côte d’Ivoire is in the spotlight for fake jobs opportunities which are hurting many young Africans.

Many young Africans have had a taste of what awaits those who do not listen to wise counsel. Once they have been convinced that a job has been secured for them, they start doling out huge chunks of money to their future preys who will end up enslaving them.

Once in Abidjan, their passports get seized and they get locked up in parts of the city they don’t know. They get asked to call their family members back home for more money. They also get asked to convince their friends and family members that they are working and that if they come to Abidjan, their lives will change for the better.

In many cases, their greener pastures turn into brown pastures. Some have had to be used as slaves and the experience has been traumatizing for many.

In certain circumstances, Cameroonians who are legally resident in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire have had to step in to help and this could be a costly venture, not just in terms of money. Getting new identification documents for a victim who has escaped from the claws his captors is always a stressful process.

Young Cameroonians have to be careful with some job promises. It is not everything that glitters that is gold. Before jumping into such deals, it is wise to ask the following questions:

If the job is in Abidjan, why are Ivoirians not filling such positions? Do I have the right skills to earn such a huge salary? Can I contact any Cameroonian who is legally living in that country for me to get more information about the opportunity? Why should I be spending money to fill a position I am not so sure about?

These questions can help young Cameroonians to figure out if they are being dragged into something that might cost them their lives. While life could be challenging in Cameroon, it will always be advisable to err on the side of caution.

By our West Africa Correspondent

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