Opposition and civic space blatantly restricted ahead and after presidential election

This update covers developments relating to the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Cameroon from 11th January 2025 until 28th October 2025.

ASSEMBLY

Opposition and civic space blatantly restricted ahead and after presidential election

President Paul Biya, Africa’s second-longest-serving leader and the oldest leader in the world, ran for his eighth presidential term in 2025. A constitutional amendment drafted by his own party abolished the two-term limit on the presidency in 2008. Biya’s party, the Rassemblement démocratique du peuple camerounais (RDPC), controls all government institutions, including the electoral commission and the judiciary. The 2018 presidential elections took place in a tense political and security context, with the arrest of the opposition candidate Maurice Kamto and over 200 of his supporters. As of September 2025, 36 of these supporters who participated in protests are still being imprisoned at the Kondengui Central Prison. Opposition parties then boycotted the 2020 parliamentary and municipal elections. Once again, Paul Biya has defied widespread calls to step down, including from civil society leaders from Biya’s traditional stronghold and the Catholic church. He has been criticised for being absent from the campaign trail.

Between March and June 2025, several meetings of opposition parties were banned or blocked:

- On 28th March 2025, demonstrations by the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN) scheduled for 27th, 28th and 29th March 2025 were banned throughout the Eséka district by the Sub-Prefect Administrator of the district. The spokesperson of the opposition party firmly denounced this decision.

- On 10th April 2025, the sub-prefect of Mbanga, Temboh Christine Nkefor, banned a demonstration by the Front for Change in Cameroon (FCC) planned for 13th April 2025 in Moungo, citing "serious threats of public order disturbance". The national president of the FCC and MP reacted strongly to this ban, denouncing a discriminatory application of the right to demonstrate, as the "the party-state, in this case the RDPC, organised public demonstrations on March 24 in this same administrative district in the presence of this sub-prefect."

- On 9th May 2025, the sub-prefect of the Maroua I district, Nevala Pierre, formally banned a demonstration. Ismaila Wano, on behalf of the Extreme-North Conscious Youth Platform, had requested to be able to organise a march on 10th May 2025 to express “our dissatisfaction and aspirations with our political elites.” The event was banned for "reasons related to the preservation of public peace and the absence of a receipt recognising the organisation." The document states that this measure is immediately enforceable and has been forwarded to law enforcement for strict enforcement.

- On 7th and 8th June 2025, the authorities completely blocked traffic in the Deido neighborhood, a stronghold of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), where Maurice Kamto was supposed to meet his supporters. The prefect of Wouri had decreed a ban on motorcyle taxis. Hundreds of Kamto supporters broke through security cordon and gathered in front of the party’s local office. Heavily armed security forces also surrounded Kamto’s residence, preventing him from leaving and attending the meeting.

On 26th July 2025, ELECAM, the Electoral Commission of Cameroon, published the provisional list of candidates selected for the presidential election. Maurice Kamto, Biya’s main opponent, was excluded from the race. ELECAM claimed to have received two different candidatures from the same party. Kamto filed an appeal against this disqualification before the Constitutional Council. No media outlets were allowed to broadcast the Constitutional Council’s debates and decisions live, and law enforcement officers equipped with riot gear were stationed at several strategic locations in the vicinity of the institution. On 4th August, the security forces arrested at least 53 opposition supporters outside the Constitutional Council in Yaoundé, during appeal hearings, for “public disorder, unlawful assembly, rebellion, and incitement to revolt”. Some people arrested that day spent more than 40 days in the jails of the central police station number 1 in Yaoundé. On 28th October 2028, 13 individuals who were arrested that day were sentenced by the Military Tribunal without a hearing to one month in prison and to fines. Human rights activist and director of the CSO REDHAC, Maximilienne Ngo Mbe had denounced this increasing “curiosity” of trying civilians in military courts.

On 5th August 2025, the Constitutional Council rejected Kamto’s appeal. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch denounced his exclusion, raising concerns about the credibility of the electoral process. The dozens of protesters who gathered at the entrance of the Constitutional Council in support of Kamto were dispersed by police firing tear gas.

Former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary emerged as the main contender. He criticises a system "at the end of its rope", castigating in particular the seizure of power, tribalism, impunity, and the exclusion of young people, and managed to galvanise large crowds. According to the International Crisis Group, “the overall weakness of Cameroon’s opposition can be attributed in large part to state repression, particularly the imprisonment – or the threat of imprisonment – of prominent figures”. The government also consistently refuses to authorise opposition events or sends in its forces to interrupt them.

In this tense context, civil society groups and young activists have continued to organise peaceful protests to demand a transparent electoral process. Similarly, NGOs such as the Collaboration on International Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy in Eastern and Southern Africa (Cipesa), Adisi-Cameroon and the #defyhatenow platform have initiated workshops on combating disinformation and trained citizens such as teachers to monitor the electoral process.

On 2nd September 2025, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk alerted on the growing restrictions on civic and democratic space in the lead up to the presidential election in October.

On 8th September 2025, Anglophone separatists imposed a lockdown across Anglophone North West and South West regions, shutting schools at the start of the school year, as well as businesses and roads in order to block campaigning for the presidential election. They ordered the population to stay home and observe a boycott. They have also told people not to travel or drive. According to the International Crisis Group, rebels threatened further violence during election week, and separatist militias in North West allegedly killed up to six civilians in and around the city of Bamenda while enforcing the lockdown in September.

The election was held on 12th October 2025. The joint election observation mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) noted some logistical shortcomings and occasional irregularities in a generally satisfactorily conducted election. A coalition of civil society organisations observed major irregularities, such as the late publication of the lists of polling stations and voters; the presence of many deceased persons on the electoral lists, as well as some scenes of violence or clashes with police forces.

On the eve of the elections, in the North region, protesters threw projectiles at the armoured trucks of the national gendarmerie. On 14th October, Issa Tchiroma Bakary uniltarelly declared himself the winner. On 15th October 2025, in Dschang, protesters set fire to the headquarters of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) party and the courthouse. In Bonamoussadi, protesters gathered in front of the ELECAM branch and were quickly dispersed by security forces. Protests then spread to other cities and in Bafoussam, Maroua and Garoua mostly young people demanding a change in governance paralysed vote counting centres.

On 19th October 2025, many street protests and marches took place around the country, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary called on his supporters to continue to mobilise. Several demonstrations took place on 21st October 2025. That day, the Minister of Territorial Administration announced the arrest of 20 individuals in Garoua, “following acts of incitement to revolt and insurrection”. Zouhaïra Hassana, a teacher at the Poumpoumré Arab Primary School, was fatally shot during this demonstration. Some sources identified a security officer as the perpetrator. According to the version of the Minister for Territorial Integrity, the death “has been maliciously attributed to the police by a media acquired to the insurrectionary movement”.

The next day, on 22nd October 2025, the government banned public gatherings and the use of motorcycle taxis in several cities, including in Yaoundé. According to Mimi Mefo Infos, there were reports of arrests of young men in Buea, taken from their homes to police stations by uniformed officers. The victims were reportedly forced to promise not to take part in any protest.

Starting on 23rd October 2025, internet connectivity was significantly disrupted, as observed by the independent organisation NetBlocks (see below under Expression).

On 24th October 2025, two days before the official results were announced, Djeukam Tchameni, president of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence in Cameroon, as well as MANIDEM Treasurer Florence Titcho and MANIDEM president Anicet Ekane, were arrested, without any summons. Professor Aba'a Oyono, a former supporter of Maurice Kamto and advisor to Tchiroma Bakary’s campaign, was also arrested at his home. As of 28th  October, his whereabouts had not yet been revealed. In a press briefing, the Minister of Territorial Administration (MINAT), Paul Atanga Nji, justified these arrests by stating that they stem from the “exposure of a cleverly thought-out insurrectional plan by Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s camp”. And he announced that there would be more arrests.

On 25th October 2025, the Cameroon Bar Association expressed its deep concern regarding the deteriorating security situation on the national political scene, and its outrage at the flagrant human rights violations observed across Cameroon in the wake of the presidential election.

On 26th October 2025, a day before the announcement of the presidential election results, hundreds of opposition supporters defied protest bans and barricaded roads. In Garoua, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of people. In Doula, four people were killed in clashes between supporters of the opposition leader and security forces. The regional governor said demonstrators "attacked" a gendarmerie brigade and police stations in two districts. According to protesters interviewed by AFP, the security forces first began with tear gas then fired live ammunition at protesters. Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region that includes Douala, said at least 105 protesters were arrested. According to the official document, they are being administratively detained for 15 days (renewable) for demonstrating following a call to action launched on social media by presidential candidate Bakary, destroying a liaison vehicle belonging to the public security police station and attacking security officers.

International and pan-African human rights organisations condemned this brutal repression and demanded that Cameroonian authorities immediately instruct their security forces not to resort to violence against protesters. Human Rights Watch reminded authorities that law enforcement officers may only intentionally engage in lethal use of firearms when strictly unavoidable to protect life. The organisation also demanded an impartial investigation into the alleged use of excessive force and that those responsible be held accountable for any killings.

The European Union issued a statement expressing deep concern about the violent repression of the demonstrations that took place on 26th and 27th October 2025. The EU Spokesperson on the presidential election stressed the importance of ensuring the physical integrity of all, and called for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the presidential elections.

On 27th October 2025, the Constitutional Council announced that Paul Biya had won the election with 53.66% of the vote, while candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary received 35.19% of the vote. Opposition leaders contested the official results. The New Bell neighbourhood in Douala was put under blockade, with the army and police restricting entry and exit on certain streets in the neighborhood.

More than 300 civil society organisations issued a statement calling for the presidential election to be transformed into a moment of refounding for Cameroon. They commend the unprecedented mobilisation of young Cameroonians across the country and call for a united front through a new alliance of organisations, and the urgent convening of national consultations on reform to lay the foundations for a new pact based on trust, fairness, and transparency.

Indigenous populations denounce a lack of respect for their rights

- Since the beginning of 2025, in Guidiguis, a town in northern Cameroon on the border with Chad, the Toupouri ethnic communities have demonstrated repeatedly to protest their planned eviction due to the establishment of the Ma Mbed Mbed National Park in their district. This 12,000-hectare protected area was created by a decree of Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on 7th January 2020 and significantly reduces the land and resources available to local populations, who are concerned about conflicts between humans and wildlife, the loss of their land, and the lack of prior consultation regarding the creation of the park. The Toupouri organised a protest near Kourbi on 29th January 2025.

- There have also been protests in the Southern region, regarding the projects of Camvert, Sophony and Boiscamp near Campo. Between April 2020 and April 2025, Cameroun Vert (CamVert) cleared 6,890 ha of native vegetation on the border of Campo-Ma’an National Park in southern Cameroon for oil palm plantations. The population of Campo have taken to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the companies, as their rights are not respected and the royalities unpaid. There have been reports of arrests during a protest organised on 17th January 2025.

Seasonal workers’ strike ends in deaths

On 4th February 2025, employee Gaston Djora was shot and killed, and a police officer succumbed to his injuries in Nkoteng, in the centre of the country, during strike action by seasonal workers. A labor dispute by workers at the Cameroon Sugar Company (Sosucam) began on 26th January 2025 due to a payment delay, and a strike ensued. The movement began in Mbandjock, with 2,000 people, and then spread to Nkoteng with an additional 1,500 strikers. On 4th February 2025, the strike by Sosucam workers was violently suppressed by security forces, who tried to disperse the crowds and then fired tear gas. The workers retaliated by throwing stones at the security forces. The gendarmerie then fired live ammunition, resulting in the death of Djora. Several people were injured and sugarcane fields were set on fire.

In 2023, the Cameroonian Union of Seasonal Workers in the Sugar Cane Sector produced a report on the structural repression of union activity by the company.

EXPRESSION

Internet outage while protests unfold

On 22nd October 2025, amid the electoral tension, internet outages affecting several regions started being reported by journalists, businesses and civil society organisations. The government denied responsibility, explaining that the disruption was caused by a submarine cable cut in the port city of Douala.

Cameroon has experienced multiple internet shutdowns in the past, most notably in 2017 in the Northwest and Southwest regions, which lasted more than three months.

Live interview with a political figure interrupted by authorities

On 7th August 2025, the sub-prefect of Douala, together with about ten police officers, visited the STV channel’s offices to end an interview with politician Dieudonné Yegba. After only eight minutes of the interview, the channel began broadcasting a documentary on Nelson Mandela. According to internal sources, the administrative authority did not present official documents justifying this interruption. Dieudonné Yegba is at the centre of the debate since it was his candidacy that allowed the Constitutional Council to strike Maurice Kamto's candidacy from the presidential election. The authorities have not responded to Reporters Sans Frontières’ requests to explain this interruption.

Suspension of a newspaper and its editor following a satirical cartoon

On 23rd July 2025, the National Council of Communication (CNC) suspended the newspaper Le Popoli, and its editor, Paul Louis Nyemb Ntoogue, aka Nyemb Popoli, for a cartoon published on 22nd May 2025. The cartoon depicts the Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji handing an envelope to the Pope, which has been shared on social media. According to the CNC, the publication contains “insinuating and confrontational information” and it finds the outlet and Nyemb responsible “for professional misconduct and violation of public opinion in the handling of the information brought to the attention of the public”. Le Popoli is Cameroon's only satirical media outlet.

In the past, Paul Nyemb Ntoogue has experienced phone threats, beatings by police forces and arrest.

Journalists attacked while investigating

On 13th February 2025, Joseph Abena Abena, a regional correspondent for privately owned Equinoxe TV, and Augustin Ndongo, a camera operator, were attacked by assailants when they tried to investigate an agricultural facility in Mbébé in the South. Three days earlier, President Paul Biya had praised Samuel Tony Obam Bikoué, the founder of this agricultural facility. The journalist and the camera operator had been sent by their central editorial staff to investigate and produce an authentic report on the activities of Tony Obam Bikoué, who is a controversial figure. They were attacked with clubs when they entered the facility, their phones were confiscated and they received death threats. They were released after the intervention of a local official.

Editor and journalist suspended for two months following article on Minister

On 23rd July 2025, the National Communication Council (CNC) sanctioned the editor of the newspaper L’Opinion publique, Polla Patrice, and its journalist Anne Azewa, with a two-month suspension from exercising the profession of journalism in Cameroon for ignoring an official summons, despite service by a bailiff, and for the publication of an article likely to damage the reputation of the Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, by ascribing acts of corruption in the exercise of his duties.

Journalist detained twice over commercial dispute

On 18th June 2025, Didier Kouamo, head of ABK Radio, responded to a summons related to a commercial dispute between the owner of the building housing the premises of the press company 2A Media, operator of ABK Radio, and the said company. He was briefly held in police custody. On 8th August 2025, Didier Kouamo was arrested by members of the Littoral Gendarmerie Legion without any explanation. On 12th August 2025, the journalist and his employer were brought before the Douala-Ndokoti Court of First Instance before being returned that evening to the cells of the Littoral Gendarmerie Legion in Bonajo. The Littoral Executive Bureau of the National Union of Journalists of Cameroon denounced this blatant injustice, insisting that the continued detention of a simple employee, unrelated to the legal issue at stake, violates the basic principles of justice and respect for human rights. The journalist was released on 16th August 2025.

ASSOCIATION

Court finds prolonged closure of CSO REDHAC unjustified

A previous update explained the suspension of four associations ordered in December 2024 by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Njiand, and the judicial harassment of Alice Nkom and Maximilienne Ngo Mbe of the CSO Réseau des défenseurs des droits humains en Afrique centrale (REDHAC). Although the suspension was intially for three months, the proceedings continued throughout 2025.

On 6th May 2025, REDHAC’s Executive Director Ms. Maximilienne Ngo Mbe was summoned to the Secretariat of State for Defence, the investigative branch of the gendarmerie.

On 17th September 2025, the Littoral Administrative Court overturned the prefectural decree that had ordered the closure of the premises in December 2024, ruling that the closure of REDHAC’s headquarters was not justified. The Court ordered the lifting of the seals. On 6th October 2025, the seals were lifted in the presence of Alice Nkom and Maximilienne Ngo Mbe. A full judicial report still needs to be produced to assess the condition of the site before resuming operations (see below).

Judicial harassment of REDHAC’s leaders continues

On 2nd June 2025, the second hearing in the case of the State of Cameroon v. Alice Nkom and Ms. Maximilienne C. Ngo Mbe for "breaking of seals" and “rebellion” took place at the Douala Bonanjo Court of First Instance. The presiding judge refused to open the hearing, citing that Ms. Maximilienne Ngo Mbe’s summons to appear had not been served on the court, despite her presence at the hearing. The judge ruled that the organisation’s 2019 statutes, submitted without the accompanying general assembly minutes, and the alleged inability of the Chair of the Board of Directors to validly represent REDHAC, were insufficient to formally recognise its counsel (but REDHAC has been unable to access its offices or documentation since the sealing of the premises in December 2024). The trial was therefore adjourned to 4th August 2025 for "non-compliance with administrative procedure".

On 4th August 2025, the court adjourned the case until 6th October 2025 for the appearance of the state representative and the opening of the proceedings. The organisation Front Line Defenders reiterated its call on the Cameroonian authorities to drop all charges against Alice Nkom and Maximilienne Ngo Mbe. The prefect of Wouri, Sylyac Marie Mvogo, who has been absent on several occasions, caused another postponement of the hearing, now set for 1st December 2025.

These successive postponements are seen by REDHAC's defence lawyers as a manoeuvre aimed at wearing down the defence.

REDHAC offices burglarised and vandalised

During the night of 22nd to 23rd April 2025, the REDHAC offices were burglarised, and despite alerting the authorities, none of them came to investigate the burglary. The employees of the organisation were unable to enter the premises and prepare a report because the premises remain sealed. A week later, during the night of the 29th to 30th April, another burglary took place, but this time one of the thieves was arrested and brought to the Douala 1 police station.

Lawyers on strike to denounce recurring violence

Videos of acts of torture, humiliation and degrading treatment perpetrated against lawyers in February and March 2025 circulated on social networks. Between 5th and 7th March 2025, lawyers decided to hang up their robes and boycott the courts for three days to denounce the abuse and aggression they claim to suffer at the hands of law enforcement.