11, September 2025

Buea: Bishop Bibi laments spiraling violence in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Days after suspected separatist fighters killed nine Cameroonian soldiers in the South West region, Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea condemned the relentless bloodshed plaguing Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

On Friday, the separatist group Fako Unity Warriors claimed responsibility for an explosive device near Malende that killed the soldiers. This attack underscores the elusive nature of peace in the Anglophone regions — a reality deeply troubling to the bishop.

“War is not something to be encouraged,” the cleric told Christians during a Sunday teaching. “God did not create us to fight each other and to kill each other,” Bibi said.

“Human life is sacred because it has its source and origin in God. When it comes into existence, it continues to have a relationship with God,” Bibi said referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“Only God, who gives human life, has the right to take it away,” the bishop emphasized.

“Those who fight and take life must know this is wrong. That is why the Church calls us to be advocates of justice and peace, ensuring our communities are free from fighting and killing,” he said.

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions have been embroiled in conflict since 2016. What began as peaceful protests by teachers and lawyers against perceived marginalization by the Francophone-dominated government descended into a brutal separatist war following a harsh government crackdown.

This conflict, however, is deeply rooted in Cameroon’s colonial past. Once a German colony, the territory was divided between Britain and France after Germany’s defeat in World War I. The two powers administered their respective regions — first as League of Nations Mandates and later as United Nations Trust Territories — until independence. In 1961, a UN-supervised plebiscite led to the reunification of the two Cameroons under a federal system. This federation, however, was short-lived. In 1972, it was abolished in favor of a unitary state, concentrating power in the Francophone-dominated central government.

For Anglophone Cameroonians, this dissolution marked the beginning of systemic marginalization. The grievances that fueled the 2016 protests were not spontaneous; they were the culmination of decades of pent-up frustration over the erosion of their political autonomy, cultural identity, and economic opportunities.

The human cost of the war that has been going on now for nearly nine years is staggering. Beyond the recent soldier casualties, the conflict has claimed at least 6,500 lives according to the International Crisis Group. About a million others have been forced to flee their homes to escape indiscriminate violence, burning villages, and widespread human rights abuses committed by both sides.

There are legitimate fears that more violence lies ahead as the school year begins, given separatists have long made a school boycott a cornerstone of the separatist struggle, and as the country heads to a presidential election in October.

Already, separatists have imposed lockdowns, saying they want to disrupt the new school year as well as the October presidential poll.

“Apart from the Monday lockdowns [for long, separatists had imposed lockdowns in the two regions every Monday], the ‘boys’ have said that beginning Monday September 8 when schools reopened for the 2025/2026 academic year, the two regions will be on a complete lockdown until the election in October,” taxi man and Catholic Christian, Ernest Shu Tegha told Crux.

“How do I survive for over a month if I cannot work,” he said.

Catholic bishops in the two regions have continued to plead with the separatists to allow kids back in school.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya told Crux that “it is unethical for Children to be used as a weapon of war.”

“We continue to plead that our children should be allowed to go back to school,” he said. Government officials have also been front and center in the effort to get kids back to school in the two regions.

“It is the right of every child to be educated; to have free, equitable and inclusive education,” said Dr. Asheri Kilo, the Secretary of State for Basic Education, in an interview of the Cameroon state broadcaster, CRTV.

“Why would anybody want to stop that,” she asked.

For some time, there had been an uneasy calm in both regions. In an exclusive interview on local Television channel, Equinox, Nkea said “a bit of social life has been returning to Bamenda.”

The archbishop said four years ago, the streets went quiet before 6 Pm every day. Today however, “you can see people drinking right up to ten PM. People are now free to organize funerals and weddings,” he said, but warned that such moments should not be confused with a return to peace.

“The situation is still very volatile,” Nkea said.

“I have made this distinction before. The fact that people are coming back, the fact that shops are opening more and more, the fact that people are beginning to celebrate funerals, more marriages openly and go right into the night does not explain the end of the crisis,” he explained.

“It is simply telling us that either people are getting used to the crisis or there is an uneasy detente. There’s an uneasy calm and we don’t know what can happen at any time. Let us not be deceived by social life returning to our communities and interpret that as the end of the crisis,” the archbishop added.

That warning is now materializing with the current lockdowns.

Source: Crux

9, September 2025

Ivory Coast’s ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo cleared to contest presidency ⁰

Ivory Coast’s former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, is the surprise inclusion in a list of five candidates who have been officially cleared to contest next month’s presidential election.

She will run against President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who took power after she and her former husband, Laurent Gbagbo, were captured in a presidential bunker during the conflict that hit the country after the 2010 election.

But the ex-president has been barred from contesting the poll, along with ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-Credit Suisse bank CEO Tidjane Thiam.

Their disqualification has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the 25 October vote and has sparked fears of instability.

Thiam, who was disqualified by the Constitutional Council due to his previous French citizenship, called the decision “an act of democratic vandalism” and accused the Ouattara administration of orchestrating a “sham election” to cling to power.

Ouattara assumed the presidency in 2011, following Laurent Gbagbo’s arrest after his refusal to accept defeat in the 2010 election.

Ouattara was originally restricted to serving two terms, but a 2016 constitutional overhaul allowed him to seek re-election in 2020, in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition.

He won that election in a landslide, with at least 85 people killed in ensuing unrest. He later declared that he would run for a fourth term.

Laurent Gbagbo has been barred by the Constitutional Council from running for president because of a 2018 criminal conviction.

He was sentenced in absentia for looting the central bank during the political crisis that hit Ivory Coast after the 2010 election.

Although he received a presidential pardon in 2020, it did not restore his right to vote or run for office.

He also faced separate charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC), but he was acquitted.

For Simone Gbagbo, her candidacy is not only politically significant but symbolically powerful in a country where women remain largely underrepresented in national leadership.

Only 30% of Ivorian parliamentarians are women, and few have held senior roles in government.

Once nicknamed “The Iron Lady”, Simone Gbagbo is now poised to become the strongest female contender for the presidency in Ivory Coast’s history.

She and ex-minister Henriette Lagou Adjoua, representing the Political Partners for Peace coalition, are the two women whose candidacy was approved by the Constitutional Council.

Simone Gbagbo has had a long and active career in Ivorian politics, including as an MP – which was later overshadowed by her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections in which more than 3,000 people died.

It led to her being sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015 by a court in Ivory Coast.

She was however granted amnesty three years later by President Ouattara to foster reconciliation. Unlike her former husband, the conviction did not lead to her removal from the voter register.

The ICC had also pursued charges against her in 2012, but they were dropped about nine years later.

Since then, she has been quietly and methodically rebuilding her political base, following her break from the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) – the party she co-founded with her former husband, ex-President Gbagbo.

Her campaign slogan is a call to “build a new nation” within “a sovereign, dignified, and prosperous Africa.”

“Her approval legitimises the idea that Ivorian women can aspire to the highest office, regardless of their past, age, or gender. She’s not just a candidate – she’s a symbol,” said local political analyst Severin Yao Kouamés.

It is unclear if Laurent Gbagbo, now disqualified from the election, will support his ex-wife.

The two were married for more than 30 years, sharing a life of political militancy, imprisonment, and governance. They divorced in 2023.

The official election campaign begins on 10 October.

The country has 8.7 million registered voters and there are fears that the exclusion of some of the other candidates could erode public trust and trigger renewed unrest.

Still all eyes will be on whether Simone Gbagbo can reshape the leadership narrative, and become the president.

Source: BBC

9, September 2025

Biya’s Continued Stay in Power: Amba fighters impose lockdown in Southern Cameroons ⁰

At least nine soldiers were killed in weekend clashes in Cameroon as armed separatists sought to impose a month-long lockdown in the country’s war-torn English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest, according to security sources.

Separatist leaders said on social media that the lockdown, which began on Monday, was intended to disrupt the reopening of schools in the regions and the country’s presidential election scheduled for October.

Residents of Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest Region, said the situation in the city is tense.

“There is nobody on the streets. The streets are all deserted. Places are closed and almost all activities are not operational. People are just afraid because of the lockdown,” a resident of the city, who asked not to be named, said.

Additional troops have been deployed to the region where they conduct night and day patrols, a security source said. On Sunday, officials in the regions assured residents of “tight security” and urged them to go about their activities normally.

Separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation they call “The Federal Republic of Ambazonia.”

Source: Xinhuanet

9, September 2025

Reckless campaign spokespersons can ruin possible coalitions ⁰

Social media and audiovisual declarations by spokespersons and accredited surrogates for candidates are often so amateurish, unguarded and unrestrained; they can hurt the fortunes and prospects of candidates. This is my experience covering politics for over two decades:

– In political campaigns, the people not seen render more strategic service than people seen jumping around and beating drums for candidates.

– Back office guys or campaign strategists give and receive situation briefings, do progress assessments, weigh the risks and prospects, march these with the budget, make projections and inform candidates how the race is faring, how to proceed and/or when the race is done.

– That’s why when candidates take major decisions; including “suspending campaign” (euphemism for throwing in the towel in American political lingo) the most crestfallen faces are those of front office guys, which are the megaphones, the spokespersons, the surrogates. They are often just balloons. Little else.

– The greatest sycophants in a campaign are front office staff. Fortunately and unfortunately, they are not aware of what back office strategists are doing in earnest.

– Political campaigns are expensive. Back office strategists are working on the maths and advising caution. Front office megaphones are spending and enjoying their show without counting the costs (both in terms of expenditure and potential damage and gains).

– Back office guys are those who advise candidates on damage control in order not to burn bridges for future political deal-making.

– Front office guys are artillery soldiers. They never understand. They spit fire against those the candidate may make deals with, eventually.

– Understandably, ignorance and enthusiasm are the fuel that fire front office guys. So, bear with them for not knowing what back office guys know because reality needs to be hidden from them to keep them upbeat. Dampened spirits may cause them to lose the flare they need for their megaphone roles.

However, Campaign Managers ought to monitor the actions and declarations of their mouthpieces and call them to order. Their useful enthusiasm can be a harmful double-edged sword.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

8, September 2025

2025 Presidential Election: Single opposition candidate will emerge on Saturday ⁰

Tension is mounting in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s political capital, as the country’s opposition parties will be announcing a single candidate on Saturday, September 13, 2025, who will give the 93-year-old incumbent, Paul Biya, a run for his money.

The event, scheduled to take place at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé, will send a clear and strong message to the corrupt and incompetent ruling party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) that change is on the way and that those who are still sitting on Mr. Biya’s sinking boat will have themselves to blame.

Cameroonians are looking forward to change and most of them think that Mr. Biya has overstayed his welcome and that he should be held accountable for the economic disaster that has hit the country like a wrecking ball.

Mr. Biya, who is suffering from acute senile decay and who is not even participating in his own campaign, is being touted by the ruling party as the best candidate for the country even when things are falling apart and corruption has increased significantly.

Mr. Biya has ruled Cameroon for forty-three years but there is nothing to show for his long stay in power. The country’s economy has collapsed, causing many Cameroonians to seek greener pastures out of the country.

The country’s political capital, Yaoundé, is an eyesore with garbage heaps lining the streets as if the city is being decorated with garbage.

During Saturday’s event, Prof. Maurice Kamto, who was disqualified as a presidential candidate by the country’s constitutional council will endorse the single candidate which many think will be Issa Tchiroma Bakary who was Mr. Biya’s communication minister and also vocational education minister.

Professor Maurice Kamto is a crowd puller and his presence at the stadium on Saturday will be a nightmare to CPDM stalwarts who thought that his political career was over.

Professor Kamto’s support for a northern candidate spells danger to the ruling CPDM which is very unpopular in the North and is not liked in the West, Northwest and Littoral regions of the country.

Kamto’s endorsement will diminish CPDM votes in the Southern part of the country, whereas in the North, Cameroonians are hunting CPDM stalwarts out of their towns and cities. Even Imams who suggest that prayers be offered in Biya’s name are being shunned in the North.

The country’s political map is being rewritten and the constitutional council’s decision to disqualify Prof. Kamto might turn out to be its greatest undoing as that decision is today uniting the country’s opposition.

CPDM politicians are losing sleep. A huge majority behind Issa Tchiroma who is from the North might thwart efforts by the ruling party to rig elections across the entire Grand North.

This is a developing story and the Cameroon Concord News writers are already on the ground in Yaoundé to provide full coverage of the event. More will be yours as it becomes available.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

8, September 2025

US arrests two suspected Ambazonia leaders ⁰

Two Americans originally from Cameroon have been arrested and charged with organizing and bankrolling a violent separatist campaign in their central African homeland’s troubled English-speaking regions, the US Justice Department said.

Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, were taken into custody on Friday in the northern US state of Minnesota.

Both were charged with conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad; conspiracy to provide material support or resources; and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Kuah was additionally charged with conspiracy to take hostages and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction outside the United States.

The two men, who are naturalized US citizens, face a maximum of life in prison if convicted. They remain in custody pending detention hearings next week.

Federal prosecutors say Kuah and Wongbi hold leadership positions in the so-called Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), which is seeking independence for an unrecognized state they call “Ambazonia.”

A deadly conflict between armed separatists and government forces has blighted Cameroon’s mainly anglophone North West and South West regions since 2016.

The separatists claim that English speakers, who make up about 20 percent of Cameroon’s population, have been marginalized in the predominantly French-speaking nation.

“The defendants are charged with using the United States as a base of operations to finance and direct kidnappings, bombings, and killings in Cameroon,” acting assistant attorney general Matthew Galeotti said in a statement.

“Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence,” said acting federal prosecutor Joseph Thompson.

“Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away.”

Prosecutors allege that since 2017, Kuah and Wongbi have sent thousands of dollars to accomplices to buy weapons and explosives, and directed deadly attacks, hostage-takings and kidnappings.

Cameroon’s longtime leader Paul Biya has resisted calls for more autonomy in the regions and responded with a crackdown on the separatists.

The violence has claimed more than 6,000 lives and displaced around one million people, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

Source: AFP

8, September 2025

The Roman Catholic Church is concerned about a new term for Paul Biya ⁰

As an important presidential election is approaching in Cameroon, scheduled for October 2025, Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala has just published a sixteen-page pastoral letter in which he provides a damning assessment of the situation in his country. This situation has been exacerbated by the candidacy of the current head of state, Paul Biya, the ailing, 92-year-old candidate for re-election.

Samuel Kleda does not mince words: the archbishop regularly denounces the “moral depravity” in his country. In the letter, distributed and read in the parishes of his diocese on August 8, he speaks of “a society shaken by multiple ills that afflict all social strata.” He attributes the widespread malaise, which is fueling growing discontent in the run-up to elections, to “anti-evangelical acts” deeply rooted in the country’s governance.

These ills include governance marked by corruption, a perverted democracy, endemic poverty and unemployment, illegal immigration, a crumbling road network, difficult access to drinking water and electricity, opaque management of oil resources, injustices in the mining sector, and security crises in the English-speaking regions and the Far North. These scourges pervert the relationship between citizens and their leaders, leading to abuses of power and injustices.

The Archbishop also deplores a socially unbalanced economy, where the country’s wealth is diverted to finance the lavish lifestyles of an elite, while the majority of the population lives in poverty: “The country’s natural resources are plundered to enrich a minority, while the majority of citizens suffer from hunger,” he writes. This situation creates a gaping gap between the rich, who are increasingly prosperous, and the poor, who are increasingly deprived.

But the Archbishop of Douala also does not spare Cameroon’s democratic system, which he describes as “corrupt.” He denounces a political system marked by institutional violence, intimidation, and lies: “A democracy where political actors are despised, brutalized, and imprisoned is doomed to failure,” he asserts.

The exodus of young people is described as a “brain drain.” Bishop Kleda notes that, faced with the lack of hope for a better future, thousands of young people are leaving the country, sometimes risking their lives, in search of better employment, living, and educational conditions abroad. “This flight deprives Cameroon of its young talents, scientists, engineers, and health professionals, to the benefit of countries offering better opportunities,” he laments. This phenomenon, he believes, seriously compromises the nation’s future.

The Archbishop also highlights the security crises tearing the country apart. In the English-speaking regions, where a secessionist conflict that began in 2016 has already caused more than 6,500 deaths and displaced 800,000 people, he condemns both the atrocities committed by the separatists—assassinations, assaults, and kidnappings—and the brutality of the army, which “razes entire villages on mere suspicion.”

In the Far North, attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram are sowing terror and devastation. Faced with these dramatic situations, Archbishop Kleda urges the government to redouble its efforts to restore peace in all regions affected by these crises.

As the presidential election approaches on October 12, 2025, Kleda appears to be suggesting that Cameroonians mobilize for a change in governance: “Choosing a president of the Republic is a civic duty that falls to each of us and will shape the future of our country,” he declared.

Kleda’s remarks sparked strong reactions, particularly from those close to President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and is running for an eighth consecutive term at the age of 92. Professor Owona Nguini, an ally of the president, accused the archbishop of meddling in politics: “The bishop has strayed from his priestly mission to engage in partisan politics,” he declared.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Archbishop Kleda concluded on a note of hope, inviting Cameroonians to unite in prayer: “On the eve of the presidential election, I invite you all to join me, your brother, so that together we may raise our voices to Almighty God, to implore peace for our country, a spirit of love and service in families and for each of us,” he wrote.

It is a peace and social cohesion that is at risk of being undermined as the October 2025 election draws closer.

Source: Crux

6, September 2025

Ambazonia Crisis: Fako Unity Warriors claim roadside attack that killed 7 soldiers ⁰

A separatist group has claimed responsibility for a roadside bomb attack that detonated in southwestern Cameroon, killing seven soldiers.

The attack happened Friday morning near the town of Malende, according to local media. The Fako Unity Warriors, an English-speaking separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack late on Friday.

The Cameroon News Agency reported that seven soldiers were killed. Government forces had been on patrol in the area in recent weeks, searching for improvised explosive devices, the agency said.

The Cameroonian military has not officially commented on the attack and did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Cameroon’s western regions have been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the French-speaking majority. They aim to establish an independent English-speaking state in the west of the country.

The tensions, which began with peaceful protests organized by lawyers and teachers, turned deadly nearly a decade ago following a government crackdown.

The government has accused separatists of committing atrocities against English-speaking civilians. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group.

Though the number of deadly attacks by separatists has decreased in recent years, the conflict shows no signs of resolution. Peace talks with international mediators have stalled, with both sides accusing each other of acting in bad faith.

Friday’s attack came on the same day that federal law enforcement officials in Minnesota indicted two separatist leaders, both naturalized U.S. citizens.

According to the indictment, the two commanders of the Ambazonia Defense Forces had financed and ordered fighters in Cameroon to carry out bombings, executions and kidnappings while living in the United States.

Source: AP

6, September 2025

Elecam calls on presidential candidates to name vote counting reps ⁰

The President of the Electoral Council of Elections Cameroon (Elecam), Enow Abrams Egbe, has called on candidates for the October 12, 2025, presidential election to appoint their representatives to the National Commission for the Final Counting of Votes (CNRGV). In a press release issued on Thursday, September 4, Elecam stated that this request is in accordance with Article 68 of the Electoral Code. Candidates are urged to submit the nomination documents for their representatives “as soon as possible” to allow for the official confirmation of the commission’s composition.

The National Commission for the Final Counting of Votes a central role in the electoral process. It is comprised of a member of the Constitutional Council who serves as president, two magistrates, five representatives from the administration, five representatives from Elecam, and a representative for each candidate or political party. According to electoral law, the commission is responsible for the general tally of votes, based on official reports and supporting documents sent by the departmental supervisory commissions. It is also authorized to “correct” any clerical errors in the vote count but cannot invalidate the corresponding reports. The commission prepares an official report of all its operations, signed by the president and members present. A copy of this report, along with supporting documents, must be submitted to the Constitutional Council within five days.

Thirteen candidates are vying for the presidency this year. Among them is the incumbent head of state, Paul Biya of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), who is seeking another term. He will face several well-known opposition figures, including Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) and Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN), both running for the second time. A female candidate, Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, president of the Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU), is also in the race.

Source: Business in Cameroon

5, September 2025

US: Trump rebrands Department of Defense as ‘Department of War’ ⁰

President Donald Trump is changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the White House announced Thursday, insisting the rebrand will project a more powerful image.

While the department’s official name is set in law, Trump in an executive order is authorizing use of the new label as a “secondary title” by his administration, a White House document said.

Defense officials are permitted to use to use “secondary titles such as ‘Secretary of War,’…in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch,” according to the document.

It was not immediately clear when Trump planned to sign the order, but his public schedule for Friday said he would be signing executive orders in the afternoon as well as making an announcement in the Oval Office.

The president, a marketing-savvy real estate developer, has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he was mulling such a change.

Late last month, the 79-year-old Republican claimed the Defense Department’s title was too “defensive.”

The Department of War “was the name when we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything,” he told reporters on August 25.

According to the White House document, the name change “conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve.”

Established in the early days of US independence, the Department of War historically oversaw American land forces.

A government reorganization after World War II brought it along with the US Navy and Air Force under the unified National Military Establishment, which in 1949 was retitled to the Department of Defense.

“Restoring the name ‘Department of War’ will sharpen the focus of this Department on our national interest and signal to adversaries America’s readiness to wage war to secure its interests,” the White House document said.

The move is the latest overhaul at the Pentagon since Trump took office in January and appointed former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the sprawling department.

Hegseth, a combat veteran, has repeatedly touted the push to restore a “warrior ethos” in the department, and has lambasted prior administrations for policies he and Trump have derided as “woke.”

Hegseth notably has sought to expel transgender troops from the military and change the names of bases that honored Confederate troops back to their original titles, after they were renamed under former president Joe Biden.

While Trump’s order could potentially be rescinded by a future president, it “instructs the Secretary of War to recommend actions, to include legislative and executive actions, required to permanently rename” the department, the White House document said.

Source: AFP