IPI, the global network for independent journalism, welcomes apparent preliminary progress in the police investigation into last month’s murder of Cameroon journalist Martinez Zogo. IPI urges authorities to pursue the investigation to its full conclusion and hold all culprits responsible according to the law.

Martinez Zogo, the director general of radio Amplitude FM, a privately owned media house based in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon, was a popular journalist and host of the radio program ‘’Embouteillage’’. He reported on government malpractice, the embezzlement of public funds, and corruption.

On January 17, 2023, Martinez Zogo was abducted by unknown individuals in Yaounde. Several days later, on January 22, his body was found with signs of torture, as IPI previously reported. His abduction and assassination triggered national and international outrage and condemnation. IPI and other press freedom groups have called for a speedy and thorough investigation.

On February 2, 2023, the minister of state and secretary general of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, issued a press release announcing the arrest of several suspects. At least 20 individuals are reported to have been arrested or interrogated, including several with high public profiles in the country’s security services.

Among the highest profile individuals arrested is Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, who heads Cameroon’s General Directorate for External Intelligence (DGRE).

On February 6, 2023, authorities arrested another powerful figure, the business tycoon Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga, who is said to have connections to high-ranking public officials and ministers. According to reports, Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga is strongly suspected of involvement in the kidnapping, torture, and killing of Zogo. Belinga is also the owner of the L’Anecdote media group in Cameroon. Two other powerful people, journalist Bruno Bidjang, the director general of Anecdote media group, and Raymond Thomas Etoundi Nsoe, a retired colonel and former commander of the presidential guard, are also suspected of involvement in the assassination and were arrested in Yaounde on the same day.

“IPI welcomes these signs of apparent progress in the investigation into the horrific murder of Martinez Zogo in Cameroon”, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen said. “However, these initial arrests and interrogations of suspects are only a first step on the path to justice. Cameroonian law enforcement must deliver on this initial progress and ensure that all those involved in this crime – including the masterminds, regardless of their position or prominence – are held to account.”

“We will be closely following this investigation, and call on the authorities to ensure sufficient transparency as the investigation moves forward in order to maintain its credibility. The world’s eyes are on Cameroon to firmly defeat impunity in this case.”

We are deeply concerned about the safety of journalists in Cameroon following the killing of a second journalist in the country in two weeks.

Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe, a radio presenter and Orthodox priest, was found dead on 2 February near his home in the Mimboman district of the capital Yaoundé, apparently shot dead by unknown assailants. His killing came 11 days after Arsene Salomon Mbami Zogo, popularly known as Martinez Zogo, a prominent journalist and manager of privately-owned Amplitude FM, was found dead five days after he had been abducted outside a gendarmerie station in Yaoundé.

Both Ola Bebe and Martinez Zogo were outspoken voices against corruption, using their platforms on radio to denounce cases of alleged misappropriation of public funds. Ola Bebe was at the forefront in calling for justice and accountability for the murder of Zogo, his close associate.

In January, at least three other Cameroonian journalists reported that they had received credible threats from unidentified people.

The Cameroonian authorities must take all necessary measures to create an enabling environment for journalists to work without fear of reprisal, and to uphold the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed in international human rights law, and also set out in Cameroon’s Constitution. A free, independent, and diverse media environment is vital in ensuring citizens are informed and can hold public institutions to account.

We note that President Biya has ordered investigations into Martinez Zogo’s killing, and certain arrests have been made. We call on the authorities to ensure that Ola Bebe’s killing is also independently, effectively, and impartially investigated and that those found to be responsible for these killings, at all levels, are held to account.

Ottawa announced last month that it has been leading discussions between the government of Cameroon and separatist groups, which have been in a conflict that has violently escalated in recent years. After the announcement, the Cameroonian government stated it was not working with an external mediator. Previous attempts by Switzerland and the Vatican to bring about peace talks in Cameroon have failed.

“Peace processes are always messy and take time, and this is a conflict that has been going for 40 years,” stated Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. Canada was seen as an ideal interlocutor because its Constitution accommodates both anglophone and francophone traditions, it has no colonial-era baggage or significant economic interest in the country, and it has long-standing diplomatic ties to Cameroon.

The crisis in the North-West and South-West regions began in late 2016, when Cameroonian security forces were accused of using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, led by teachers and lawyers who were protesting the perceived marginalization of the country’s minority anglophone education and legal systems. Dialogue between the government, teachers and lawyers at the early stages of the crisis failed. The crisis escalated when separatist fighters used violence, restricting access to education, and put pressure on the government for political recognition and independence for the English-speaking regions. A Major National Dialogue in 2019 was greeted by many as a great first step, but it wasn’t enough. The use of military means to combat the separatist fighters has only escalated the violence, with civilians caught in the middle.

The UN estimates that the violence since the protests began has claimed more than 6,000 lives and has kept 600,000 children out of school. At least 800,000 people have fled their homes and are internally displaced or refugees in other countries. Attacks by armed separatist groups on students, teachers and schools in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions since 2017 have had an enormous impact on children’s education. This devastating reality has made the children of Cameroon more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and violence.

The advocacy network Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict estimates that less than 18 per cent of peace agreements globally have included child-protection provisions. To end the cycles of violence we need to be able to ensure children’s issues and rights are not only embedded in peace agreements, but also become integrated into the entire peace mediation process. This would allow for unique opportunities to shape a joint vision for the future of a conflict-affected country.

Canada and Cameroon both have an opportunity to reinforce commitments to the protection of children. In 2018, Cameroon endorsed the international Safe Schools Declaration, which Canada has also endorsed, and the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers, which Canada spearheaded. These commitments focus on the importance of protecting children from violence and ensuring access to education.

Unfortunately, for the children of Cameroon, this conflict in the North-West and South-West regions is not the only concerning exposure to violence that exists. Boko Haram, in the Grand North region bordering with Nigeria, has been accused of recruiting and using children in violence since 2014. Exposing children to violence can increase the likelihood that they will engage in violent behaviour in the future. Preventing recruitment and use in the first place is therefore paramount to breaking cycles of violence.

While national-led peace processes are critical, lessons from other contexts and best practices are essential. International calls for dialogue between the separatist groups in Cameroon and government authorities need to take place. If the leaders of all sides involved fail to prioritize the protection of children in the peace process, this will have a negative impact on future generations.

The children of Cameroon deserve the opportunities we all wish for our children, to live in peace and harmony so that they may reach their full potential. Now that we are in Black History Month, it is important to recall the wisdom of Martin Luther King, who said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.” Let us stand collectively for children, peace and security in Cameroon, Canada and everywhere.

Culled from Globe and Mail