Politics

15, January 2026

Ugandans vote amid internet blackout and police repression ⁰

Voting began Thursday in Uganda’s presidential election despite a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticised as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.

Crowds gathered and long lines formed in some areas as polling station openings were delayed and voting materials were seen being delivered after the scheduled 7am opening time.

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine, who is calling for political change.

The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters.

Polls are expected to close at 4pm Thursday, according to the electoral commission. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours.

Impatient crowds gathered outside polling stations expressing concerns over the delays Thursday morning. Umaru Mutyaba, a polling agent for a parliamentary candidate, said it was “frustrating” to be waiting outside a station in the capital Kampala.

“We can’t be standing here waiting to vote as if we have nothing else to do,” he said.

There have been concerns about transparency, the possibility of hereditary rule, military interference and opposition strategies to prevent vote tampering at polling stations.

Uganda’s internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence. The shutdown has affected the public and disrupted critical sectors such as banking.

There has been heavy security leading up to voting, including military units deployed on the streets this week.

Amnesty International said security forces are engaging in a “brutal campaign of repression”, citing a November 28 opposition rally in eastern Uganda where the military blocked exits and opened fire on supporters, killing one person.

Museveni urged voters to come out in large numbers during his final rally Tuesday.

“You go and vote, anybody who tries to interfere with your freedom will be crushed. I am telling you this. We are ready to put an end to this indiscipline,” he said.

The national electoral commission chairperson, Simon Byabakama, urged tolerance among Ugandans as they vote.

“Let us keep the peace that we have,” Byabakama said late Wednesday. “Let us be civil. Let us be courteous. Let’s be tolerant. Even if you know that this person does not support (your) candidate, please give him or her room or opportunity to go and exercise his or her constitutional right.”

Authorities also suspended the activities of several civic groups during the campaign season. That Group, a prominent media watchdog, closed its office Wednesday after the interior ministry alleged in a letter that the group was involved in activities “prejudicial to the security and laws of Uganda”.

Veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, remains in prison after he was charged with treason in February 2025.

Source: AP

6, January 2026

CPDM Crime Syndicate and the cost of an aging political class ⁰

The failed Biya regime in Yaoundé has entered 2026 with a political structure that does not reflect continuity but a growing fragility. Many senior cabinet ministers and top government officials including Prime Minister Dion Ngute, Laurent Esso and Maigari Bello Bouba have held office for decades, well past the age when most public servants elsewhere have retired. Biya and his ruling CPDM gang have always claimed that experience is an asset. However, prolonged reliance on aging leadership carries unavoidable risks for governance, stability, and national planning.

Nature is very impartial. Old age naturally brings health challenges, reduces performance, and increase the possibility of absences from public life-a situation that the Cameroonian nation has long been witnessing with President Biya. When state affairs are heavily concentrated in the hands of a living corpse, any unexpected loss can create disruption, uncertainty, and power struggles.

Yet the ruling CPDM party has been slow to institutionalize succession. In Cameroon, government departments revolve around individuals rather than a proper administrative system, and younger professionals are rarely groomed to step into senior roles. This leaves the cursed triangle very vulnerable, not because of the 92 year-old Mr. Biya alone, but because of a structure that resists renewal.

The issue is not about disrespecting elderly states men like Justice Minister Laurent Esso who recently could not afford money for his medical bills abroad. It is about realism. Countries that plan for continuity do not wait for crises to force change. They create pathways for mentorship, orderly transition, and generational balance long before vacancies arise.

Our nation’s population is young, educated and very dynamic. But the corrupt leadership remains disproportionately old. This disconnect is greatly fueling frustration among young citizens who see limited opportunities for participation and innovation. A government that does not renew itself risks losing legitimacy in the eyes of the very people it governs. The Biya regime is already on this path.

As 2026 unfolds, the question is not whether time will assert itself—it always does. The real question is whether Cameroon will continue to react to change, or finally prepare for it. Responsible governance demands foresight, not denial. Leadership renewal is not a threat to stability; it is the foundation of it.

By Chi Prudence Asong

31, December 2025

Guinea: Gen Mamady Doumbouya wins presidential election by landslide ⁰

Guinea’s junta chief Gen Mamady Doumbouya has won the presidential election by a landslide, getting 86.7% of the vote, according to provisional results published by the election commission.

The general is hoping to legitimise his rule after seizing power in a coup in 2021.

A civil society group calling for the return of civilian rule has condemned the election as a “charade” after Gen Doumbouya’s main rivals were barred from contesting, while opposition candidates said the poll was marred by irregularities.

The Democratic Front of Guinea’s flagbearer, Abdoulaye Yero Balde, came a distant second with 6.6%, followed by the Liberal Bloc’s Faya Lansana Millimono with 2%, provisional results show.

On Monday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported that access to social media platforms TikTok, YouTube and Facebook had been restricted as Guineans waited for the full results.

There has been no official comment on the restrictions, but opponents see it as an attempt by the junta to stifle criticism of the results.

The 41-year-old general’s victory gives him a seven-year mandate. Should the results be challenged, the Supreme Court has eight days to validate them.

Millimono said on Monday that the election was marred by “systematic fraudulent practices”, citing the expulsion of poll observers, ballot stuffing and intimidation.

The ruling party and the government have yet to comment on the complaints.

After overthrowing then-83-year-old President Alpha Condé in 2021, Gen Doumbouya promised not to seek election and to hand power to a civilian.

“Neither I nor any member of this transition will be a candidate for anything… As soldiers, we value our word very much,” he said at the time.

The junta leader broke his promise by putting his name on the ballot after a new constitution, implemented in September, permitted him to run for office.

Djenabou Toure, the country’s top election official who announced the provisional results, put the voter turnout at more than 80%.

However, a civil society group, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution, said in a statement on Monday that the turnout was low.

“A huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade,” the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Eight other candidates took part in Sunday’s election, but with the exclusion of main opposition parties RPG Arc en Ciel and UFDG, none of the participants have a solid political footing.

According to the provisional results, six of them got less than 2% of the vote, with Mohamed Nabe getting 0.8%.

Although he is popular with many of Guinea’s youth, Gen Doumbouya has been criticised for restricting opposition activities, banning protests and stifling press freedom in the run-up to the elections.

The general justified deposing Condé on similar charges – including rampant corruption, disregard for human rights and economic mismanagement.

Guinea has the world’s largest bauxite reserves and some of its richest iron ore. Last month, authorities launched the gigantic Simandou iron-ore mine to widespread anticipation.

However, over half of the population lives in poverty, according to World Bank figures.

Source: BBC

31, December 2025

October 12: The truth about the Biya-Tchiroma affair ⁰

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Anicet Ekane, Djeukam Tchameni and other allies did not agree to an early offer of appointments into the government of Paul Biya barely a week after the 12 October presidential election in Cameroon, even before the National Vote-Counting Commission had done its work.

Tchiroma declared he won the election but the Constitutional Council proclaimed the results a fortnight later in favour of Paul Biya.

“If this was not an acknowledgement of defeat and panic to pamper Tchiroma, what was it?” says a political commentator about Biya’s early offer, considered premature, considering the timing.

“Tell me who, sure to win an election, would undertake maneuvers to lure someone they were sure they have defeated. It’s all clear. Biya knew Tchiroma had won.”

In what appeared to be panic over early returns from the polls and perhaps state intelligence reports, suggesting Tchiroma was winning the election by a comfortable margin, henchmen of the Biya regime swung into action and approached Tchiroma and his allies. They offered him and them appointments into the government and certain government companies (otherwise called parastatals), according to authoritative sources, close to Issa Tchiroma Bakary.

A special envoy of the Presidency of the Republic, Philippe Mbarga Mboa went on a top secret mission to Douala on 19 October to discuss a deal with Tchiroma’s main allies Anicet Ekani and Djeukam Tchameni.

“That move was possibly both to use their influence to bring Tchiroma along, or failing which, they should abandon him and selfishly accept the appointments,” continued the commentator who sued for anonymity.

Mbarga Mboa who is Minister for Special Duties at the Presidency proposed to them appointments into the government as Prime Minister, ministers of state, ministers, minister delegate, secretaries of state, directors general and board chairs in government companies. Ekani and Tchameni did not accept the offer. Both men were later arrested. Ekani died in detention.

Tchiroma has said in several speeches and statements that he will not negotiate and will not betray the struggle to claim what he confidently calls his “victory in the 12 October polls”.

Contacted for comment via a WhatsApp call on 16 December, Mbarga Mboa asked me, “Why are you bringing this up now? To serve what purpose? When did this happen?”

When I gave him the date, he said, “That has been long. Is it necessary now?”

As a close collaborator of the Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Mbarga Mboa was seen playing a key role in the pre-election consultations with political forces from different regions of the country. Ngoh Ngoh, described as the de facto Vice President or even the “acting” President of the Republic as the aged Biya is often considered out of form, is understood to be the main push behind the actions of aides at the Cameroon Presidency to desperately retain power, despite what observers describe as clear signs Biya lost the election to Tchiroma.

Mbarga Mboa’s visit to Douala was ostensibly to meet and strategize with local CPDM barons and allies there, especially the northern kingpin in Douala, Bayero Fadil.

Faced with the failure of Mbarga Mboa’s mission, higher level steps were taken to reach out to Tchiroma. There have been reports of negotiations at different levels, some reportedly involving the government of France and other foreign partners to coarse Tchiroma to give up his claim to victory in the 12 October presidential election. But Tchiroma has repeatedly said he will not negotiate.

Feeling unsafe at his residence in Garoua where several high risk incidents had been reported, Tchiroma relocated to Nigeria and later to the Gambia.

He or his appointed spokesperson Barrister Alice Nkom have continued to claim his victory was stolen by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the institution charged with organizing elections in Cameroon and the Constitutional Council, the highest judicial organ in the country, charged with deliberating over election litigations and proclaiming election results. They insist Tchiroma’s stolen victory must be restored.

*The author, Franklin Sone Bayen, is a freelance investigative journalist trained in Israel and an Alfred Friendly (US) Press Partners Fellow. He can be reached at +237 656969090 (Direct calls and WhatsApp) and sonebayen@gmail.com

30, December 2025

Issa Tchiroma Bakary is Cameroon Concord Person of the Year ⁰

For forty-two years, the people of Cameroon have been fed stories that political change was an illusion. Many political commentators opined that the Unity Palace was fixed in place and the country resigned to its fate. Then came a man Issa Tchiroma in the October 12, 2025 presidential election and the whole narrative changed forever.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary (to use his three names) stepped out of a system he once served to confront the very power structure that made him. Tchiroma organized a campaign that became an unexpected rallying point for the entire nation with sell-out crowds, igniting debates, and awakening a people long numbed by routine elections with predictable outcomes.

Tchiroma, a long standing cabinet minister under Biya, broke with the governing body to run as a leading candidate, energizing Cameroonians with promises of change after decades of entrenched rule by the ruling CPDM crime syndicate.

The Tchiroma campaign drew large crowds and the former Biya acolyte stated that the will of the Cameroonian people was on his side.

On October 14, less than 48 hours after polls closed, Issa Tchiroma Bakary declared victory in the presidential election and urged President Biya to concede defeat and honour the truth of the ballot box.

Tchiroma’s majority following mobilized in all the nooks and crannies of the country following his electoral victory, with protests and demonstrations pressing for recognition of what they said was a great win for the Northern Cameroon political elite. These demonstrations underlined both the deep dissatisfaction among many Cameroonians and the intensity of political tensions.

However, officially and according to the Constitutional Council — the only body authorized to proclaim election results in Biya’s Cameroon —92-year-old President Biya was declared the winner, securing approximately 53.66 % of the vote as concocted by the ruling crime syndicate, compared with 35.19 % for Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Biya’s so-called victory guaranteed his continued stay in power and extended his decades-long rule.

The opposition rejected the Constitutional Council’s outcome with its leader Issa Tchiroma asserting that state institutions manipulated the results to deny him victory. From his base in Garoua, Tchiroma pressed his supporters and political allies to resist what he described as an illegitimate outcome and he framed his challenge as part of a broader struggle for democratic accountability in Cameroon.

There are moments in a nation’s life when the truth does not wait for official stamps or ceremonial announcements. Issa Tchiroma gave Cameroon that moment in October 2025.

Whether Cameroonians and their partners accept the Constitutional Council’s figures or Issa Tchiroma’s own declaration, one fact is undeniable: Tchiroma achieved what no challenger had managed in decades- he shattered the aura of inevitability that surrounded Biya’s 42-year rule.

Cameroon Concord Group readers in their thousands watched Tchiroma when he declared victory — whether or not the corrupt security and judicial establishments endorsed it — Tchiroma accomplished something historic: he forced the Cameroonian nation to imagine the end of the nasty Biya era. He destroyed the psychological monopoly of one man, one party and one narrative. He made the possibility of transition feel real, tangible and of course reachable.

In that sense, Issa Tchiroma Bakary defeated not just a corrupt, vicious and malicious political figure but a paralysis of hope.

The so called official results may have returned Biya to office. But the story Cameroonians will always remember is not simply about numbers; it is about a perfectly bilingual Cameroonian who stood against a decades-old machine and convinced a nation that change could be claimed, spoken aloud and above all demanded.

Cameroon Concord News People have voted!! Issa Tchiroma Bakary, you are the Cameroon Concord News Person of the Year!!

Your stolen victory will forever remain symbolic, moral and political because you successfully made Cameroonians to believe again. And once a people begin to believe, no regime, no matter how entrenched, sleeps comfortably.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

15, December 2025

Pressure mounts on Biya as speculation grows over possible replacement of Ngute ⁰

As political pressure continues to mount on President Paul Biya, speculation is increasing within political circles that Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute could be replaced as part of a broader strategic recalibration at the executive level.

Observers note that Cameroon is facing a convergence of challenges, including economic strain, ongoing security concerns in parts of the country, and rising social discontent. In this context, attention has turned to the Office of the Prime Minister, which some analysts view as a potential focal point for political adjustment without directly reshaping the presidency.

Prime Minister Ngute, who has been in office since January 2019, has overseen government action during a particularly demanding period, including the management of the Anglophone crisis and efforts to stabilize the economy. However, critics argue that progress on key reforms has been slow, fueling internal and public calls for renewed leadership and a more assertive policy direction.

Sources close to the ruling establishment suggest that any potential replacement would be aimed at signaling responsiveness to domestic and international pressure, while preserving continuity within the governing system. Others caution that changes at the prime ministerial level may have limited impact unless accompanied by deeper structural reforms.

For now, no official statement has been made by the presidency, and Prime Minister Ngute continues to carry out his duties. Nonetheless, the growing intensity of political debate suggests that a cabinet reshuffle, including a possible change at the premiership, remains a scenario being closely watched in the weeks and months ahead.

By Chi Prudence Asong

12, December 2025

Unity Palace: Ngoh Ngoh will remain a key figure in the new Biya government ⁰

President Biya has reportedly made a decision regarding the future of his powerful Secretary General Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh.

According to intelligence sources inside the Unity Palace, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh has been assured by the 92-year-old dictator that he will be reappointed in the next government.

In the nation’s capital, discussions are going on to form a new government following Biya’s stolen victory in the presidential election on 12 October 2025.

According to a highly placed government official who spoke to Cameroon Intelligence Report but sued for anonymity, there is no longer any ambiguity about Ngoh Ngoh’s future involvement.

On Sunday 7 December, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh had a lengthy meeting with Biya, who renewed his confidence in him.

Ngoh Ngoh, one of the closest and most enduring associates of the butcher in Yaoundé, has been a central figure in the power structure for well over a decade. His role as Secretary General at the Presidency with the rank of Minister of State places him at the heart of executive coordination, including the flow of information and decision-making between the presidency and other arms of government.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Rita Akana in Yaoundé

4, December 2025

Provisional results show CPDM crime syndicate leads in regional elections ⁰

The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) has won the regional elections held last Sunday, according to provisional results from regional supervisory commissions.

The preliminary figures released Wednesday indicate that the CPDM captured the majority of the regional council seats contested in 58 divisional headquarters of the country.

“This is a wonderful victory and clearly shows that Cameroonians believe in the CPDM,” said Nick Ngwanyam, a senior member of the CPDM.

According to Cameroon’s Electoral Code, political parties have the right to file petitions on partial or total cancellation of the election operations in competent courts of law, after which final results will be proclaimed.

Cameroon, which held its maiden regional election in 2020, has made the election a cornerstone of the decentralization process. The regional councils in the country’s 10 regions serve as the assemblies for regional affairs.

Source: Xinhuanet

30, November 2025

Voting for Cameroon’s regional elections kicks off ⁰

Voting for Cameroon’s regional elections began early Sunday, with polling starting nationwide at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) and set to end at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) local time.

In the capital Yaoundé and commercial capital of Douala, a Xinhua reporter observed on site that municipal councilors and traditional rulers who make up the electoral college queued outside polling stations.

Officials of the national electoral body, Elections Cameroon, told Xinhua that voting which took place in 58 divisional headquarters of the country began “without any problems.”

Municipal councilors and traditional rulers will elect 900 regional councilors to serve five-year terms, with 90 in each of the country’s 10 regions.

The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement has submitted candidates in all 58 electoral constituencies and is running unchallenged in several of them.

In 2020, Cameroon held its maiden regional election.

Source: Xinhuanet

29, November 2025

Yaoundé: Divisional Officer blocks MRC Convention planned for Kamto’s return ⁰

Two days before the planned convention of the Mouvement pour la renaissance du Cameroun (MRC), the divisional officer of Yaoundé IV formally prohibited the gathering through an order issued on November 27. The administrative authority justified the ban by citing a “serious threat of public disorder” linked to the opposition party’s event.

Faced with this decision, the MRC leadership was forced to postpone the assembly. Mamadou Mota, the party’s interim president, announced that the meeting would be rescheduled to a later date. The setback is significant for the party, as the extraordinary convention of November 29 was expected to renew its executive board, notably marking the return of Maurice Kamto as president.

Kamto’s planned return to the MRC leadership

Maurice Kamto, the MRC’s emblematic leader, stepped down in July to avoid a conflict with the law when he ran in the October presidential election under the banner of Manidem. With no local elected officials, the MRC could not nominate a presidential candidate. Manidem, led by Anicet Ekane, agreed to sponsor Kamto on the condition that he formally join the party. To avoid belonging to two political parties at once, he handed the MRC presidency to first vice-president Mamadou Mota.

A leadership race without internal competition

The November 29 convention, which opened executive positions to competition, received only one candidacy for the presidency: Maurice Kamto’s. The assembly was therefore expected to confirm his return as party leader, closing the chapter opened by his temporary departure during the presidential race.

With the authorities’ decision to block the convention, a period of uncertainty opens for the MRC, which had intended to use the meeting to clarify its leadership and internal structure.

For the party, the convention was crucial to reorganizing ahead of the 2025 legislative and municipal elections. The administrative block comes at a decisive moment, just as the MRC sought to reposition itself on the political scene.

For the ruling camp, the stakes lie in keeping the MRC out of an upcoming local election cycle seen as challenging. The governing party recently posted its weakest result in more than thirty years in the latest presidential election.

Source: Sbbc