The military tribunal in Yaoundé has been calling numerous witnesses to the stand in the high-profile murder trial of journalist Martinez Zogo, who was killed in January 2023 by an alleged hit squad from the state’s counter-espionage service, the Directorate General of External Research (DGRE).

The Government Commissioner, Lieutenant Colonel Cerlin Belinga, presented a list of 47 witnesses, including two dozen gendarmes, police officers, and civilians. Key security officials expected to testify include Colonel Otoulou, head of the Central Gendarmerie Legion, and Lieutenant Colonel Ayissi Arnaud, commander of the sensitive Yaoundé gendarmerie unit.

Key Witness Testimony Heard

Eight witnesses have already testified. They include one of the forensic doctors who performed an autopsy on the journalist’s body and the commander of the Mfou company, which had jurisdiction over the area where Zogo’s body was found.

Hearings on September 22 and 23 involved five other witnesses, including the former chief of the Central Post gendarmerie station in Yaoundé. This official had been contacted by Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, a senior DGRE officer and key suspect, who allegedly requested that Zogo be severely punished.

A critical witness was Sandra Mekuete, a 19-year-old woman and the only known eyewitness to the kidnapping, which occurred on January 17, 2023, around 9:45 p.m. She recounted seeing the scene from her mother’s bar, located opposite the Nkol-Nkondi gendarmerie post.

She recounted the scene: “A car hit the gendarmerie gate. A man got out of the vehicle, but the car backed up and threw him onto the road.” As another car pulled up, four men jumped out and seized the victim. “He screamed: ‘Help, save me, they want to murder me!'” Mekuete testified that the men then applied “something on his neck that struck him and he became weak” before they forced him into the car and drove off. She estimated the entire incident lasted about five minutes, noting the kidnappers, all in black except one wearing blue sweatpants, drove a black Toyota Prado.

Conflicting Accounts on the Stand

However, three gendarmes who were on duty that night offered conflicting statements. Warrant Officer Elinge Yunishe Mbusa, chief of the Nkol-Nkondi gendarmerie post at the time, along with Master Sergeants James Fredie Minlo and Nyeb Abonke Judih, affirmed that Zogo’s Toyota Yaris had struck their post’s gate before being rammed from behind by another vehicle. They testified they did not hear the victim’s cries for help.

Investigators recovered several documents from Zogo’s Toyota Yaris, including one file bearing his name and another addressed “To the Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic, in charge of the Supreme State Audit.” Two phones were also discovered, including a smartphone the victim reportedly managed to hide under the pedals.

Witness interrogations can last several hours, involving examinations by the civil party, cross-examination by the defense, and questions from the government commissioner. For example, Second Lieutenant Legrand Ngamby was questioned on September 22 from noon until 5 p.m.

The trial was adjourned to October 13-14, 2025. It remains possible that not all witnesses on the list will be called to testify. 

Source: Sbbc

The leader of the Manyu Solidarity Group Prince Julian Ebai recently met with the Paramount ruler of the Bafaw Kingdom Nfon Ekoko Mukete in London and there was quite a lot to talk about.

Cameroonian royals often meet up with each other, sometimes at big cultural festivals back home and abroad or formal meetings like this one in London.

Meetings held by Cameroonian royals don’t always get a lot of media attention with photos and speeches, but what happened when Prince Julian Ebai presented the Manyu inaugural magazine to His Royal Highness Nfon Ekoko Mukeke revealed arts of managing relationships between Bantus and Semi-Bantus.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai is a long standing Cameroonian journalist who has been at hundreds of royal meetings and trips all over Cameroon and in Europe so he is the perfect person to tell our readers everything we need to know about how the meeting between Nfon Ekoko Mukete and Prince Julian Ebai works, and why such meetings are so important.

“In English speaking Cameroon, each community is trying to convince the other to give them support. It might be support to help the needy in villages; it might be to support a candidate in an election or an issue that requires the entire region to speak with one voice. But the Nfon Ekoko Mukete–Prince Juilan Ebai meeting is about persuading the leadership of a great traditional kingdom and its people to help Manyu – to support Manyu.”

“As someone who covered the late Fon Angwafor, the late Chief Endeley including the late Chief V.E.Mukete, I can tell you that when royals meet, because they are face to face, they can get a better sense of what each other thinks about something,” Soter Agbaw-Ebai observed, “and that means they can work out what support areas are possible.

“I think it was indeed a good thing for the leader of the Manyu Solidarity Group UK to have made the trip to London immediately after the festivities in Birmingham to present His Royal Highness Chief Ekoko Mukete the Manyu brochure. Both men-one in authority and the other in waiting looked at each other across the table and may have agreed to work out what’s possible and that meeting can shape developmental policies that will be good for Manyu.”

“And whether that helps the Manyu Solidarity Group’s Mamfe General Hospital Project is not important. What is very important is that His Royal Highness Chief Ekoko Mukete is now involved in a conversation with the Manyu Diaspora in Great Britain.”

By Seseskou Isong Asu

London Bureau Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

The Cameroonian authorities must immediately release 36 opposition supporters arbitrarily detained for five years for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and put an end to arbitrary detention in the country, Amnesty International said on the fifth anniversary of their arrest.

On 22 September 2020, over 500 people were arbitrarily arrested for participating in peaceful protests organized by the opposition party ‘Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon’ (MRC) in several cities across the country. Of the protesters arrested 36 remain in detention, languishing in Kondengui prison in Yaoundé after being sentenced by a military court to between five- and seven-years’ imprisonment.

“The Cameroonian authorities must immediately release these individuals, who have committed no crime other than to express their opinion,” said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

We are deeply disappointed that the authorities have failed to recognize the arbitrary nature of the ongoing detention of these protesters.

“The authorities must address these concerns and ensure that no person is arbitrarily arrested or detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The authorities must also refrain from trying civilians in military courts, as it is incompatible with the right to a fair trial and therefore in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”

By the end of September, 24 of those imprisoned will have served their five-year sentences. Among them, one has suffered three strokes but has not been released on medical grounds despite their requests, according to the lawyer Hippolyte Meli Tiakouang, coordinator of a collective defending detained opposition supporters.

“Thirty-six appeals have been lodged since 2022 with the Supreme Court of Cameroon, which has not yet ruled on any of them. The delays are unreasonable. One might think that judiciary drag things out so that the sentences handed down will be carried out” said Hippolyte Meli Tiakouang.

On 4 November 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention published an opinion which found that the detention of 15 of the MRC leaders and activists was arbitrary. 

“We are deeply disappointed that the authorities have failed to recognize the arbitrary nature of the ongoing detention of these protesters,” said Marceau Sivieude.

Increasing wrongful arrests and detentions ahead of presidential election

A few weeks ahead of the presidential election in which President Paul Biya runs for an eighth term, restrictions on civic and democratic space are worsening, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on 2 September.

This travesty of justice must end.

On 4 August, at least 54 MRC supporters were arrested next to the Constitutional Council in Yaoundé during pre-election dispute hearings, according to Hippolyte Meli Tiakouang. All of them are now on bail. Twenty-three are facing prosecution for allegedly inciting revolt and disturbing public order, and if convicted face several years in prison.

On 9 August, a man who posted videos calling for demonstrations against the rejection of the candidacy of MRC leader Maurice Kamto was arrested and has been held at New Bell prison in Douala on the orders of the Douala military court. According to his lawyers, he is being prosecuted for ‘publicly condoning the crime of undermining the internal security of the state’.

“These opposition supporters should never have been arrested in the first place. The fact that they were arrested points to the alarming crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Cameroon. The charges against those who are prosecuted for exercising their human rights must be dropped,” said Marceau Sivieude.

“In recent years, anyone who dares criticize the authorities, whether a human rights defender, a journalist, a political activist or a protester, runs the risk of being arbitrarily arrested and detained, tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and tried by military courts. Unfortunately, this trend increases as the presidential election approaches. This travesty of justice must end.”

“The authorities must uphold the country’s international human rights obligations including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Cameroon is a state party.”

President Paul Biya, 92, who has been in power in Cameroon for nearly 43 years, will face 11 other candidates in his bid for a new seven-year term on 12 October.

The Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Handicrafts (Ccima) said it is raising awareness among its members about the upcoming Russia-Africa Economic Forum in Moscow. The announcement came in a September 15 letter from Ccima’s secretary general to the head of the Pan-African Association for Excellence, Education, Development and Friendship Between Peoples.

Cameroon sees the forum as a chance to deepen cooperation with Russia, where economic exchanges remain narrow. The relationship is currently limited to Russian wheat exports to Cameroon and Gazprom’s exclusive purchase of Cameroonian natural gas.

“The cooperation between Cameroon and Russia mainly covers military, trade and humanitarian areas. Despite economic and technical agreements signed with the former USSR in the 1960s and 1970s, the economic dimension remains underdeveloped,” Cameroon’s presidency noted in a preparatory document for the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit.

The same document stressed that, as Cameroon faces financing challenges with some traditional partners, cooperation with Russia could help fund major structural projects.

It added that Russia, the world’s eighth-largest economy, holds expertise in wheat production, fertilizer manufacturing and mining. Partnerships should therefore focus on mobilizing development aid, attracting foreign direct investment, strengthening trade capacity, building partnerships and expanding resources through decentralized cooperation.

Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, yesterday, inaugurated the Babadjou-Matazem-Welcome to Bamenda road, a 35-kilometer section that marks the completion of a major infrastructure project. The inauguration also launched work on the final 12-kilometer urban crossing of Bamenda.

The two projects represent the last link of the 52-kilometer Babadjou-Bamenda road, financed by the World Bank at a cost of more than 145 billion CFA francs.

Completed in 2024, the inaugurated section was built to international standards and includes modern urban crossings, drainage systems, and dual-carriageway stretches. The work began in 2017 as part of the Reconstruction Plan for the Northwest and Southwest regions, which have been in crisis since 2017.

The new road is expected to improve conditions for travelers and help stabilize the Northwest region, which continues to be affected by the Anglophone conflict. Beyond its security benefits, the project is a key economic catalyst.

The Babadjou-Bamenda road is part of the strategic 438-kilometer Yaoundé-Bamenda-Enugu corridor, which connects Cameroon’s capital to Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and most populous country. According to the National Institute of Statistics, formal trade between the two nations reached nearly 79 billion CFA francs in 2023, with Cameroon recording a slight trade surplus of 0.1 billion CFA francs. However, the report notes that informal transactions and smuggling along the porous 1,500-kilometer border account for a significant portion of the real trade volume.

In 2024, both countries intensified economic cooperation, opening a border market in February and holding a bilateral trade fair in April. Cameroon’s exports are primarily food products, while Nigeria supplies Cameroon with manufactured goods, ranging from spare parts to electronics.

By strengthening this road corridor, Cameroon aims to streamline trade with its neighbor, secure a greater share of its economic transactions, and combat illicit trade and persistent security tensions.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Cameroon’s military has taken delivery of 172 newly acquired vehicles, including 104 Land Cruiser BJ light tactical vehicles, three Toyota Land Cruiser 300 VX and 29 Toyota Fortuner 4x4s, to boost the operational efficiency of different services of the country’s military.

The delivery, which took place at Air Base 101 in Yaounde on 4 September, according to defence ministry officials, also included 21 six-metre and 10-metre boats meant for maritime rescue operations, as well as 36 of a total of 227 Renault- and Peugeot-brand firefighting trucks and related equipment destined for the national firefighting brigade.

The boats are made from aluminium alloy and powered by Yamaha outboard motors of 50 and 150 horsepower, said Colonel Japhet Sylvain Ondanga, Director in charge of joint military equipment at the defence ministry.

All the vehicles and equipment are supplied by France’s specialised vehicle manufacturer Desautel Group, and discussions for the supply of a second consignment are said to be underway.

The service vehicles were acquired with funds from the Cameroon government estimated at about FCFA 32 billion ($53.5 million), while the firefighting equipment was financed through a loan from the French Treasury of a similar amount.

The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, who presided at the handover ceremony, underscored the importance of the vehicles, noting that they will substantially contribute to the operational efficiency of the beneficiary personnel and the army as a whole.

Assomo said the acquisition of the new military gear is in line with the desire of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Paul Biya, to modernise the defence and security forces and keep their operational and logistical capabilities in line with contemporary standards.

“It is part of an overall drive to modernise equipment and reinforce our national defence system. These acquisitions are intended to improve the operational capacity of our soldiers and units in response to ever-increasing security demands,” he stated during the ceremony.

“This significant consignment of equipment was acquired in part thanks to funding granted by BPI France on behalf of the French Treasury, for a total of more than FCFA 32 billion. To date, 172 vehicles have already been delivered,” Assomo said.

“This ceremony also offers us the opportunity to showcase 136 other brand-new vehicles, including 29 official and service vehicles and 104 Land Cruiser BJ light tactical vehicles, selected samples of which are also displayed here today,” he added.

Assomo stated that after the presentation of the vehicles, the distribution process will proceed gradually.

“Priority will be given to replacing outdated vehicles with new ones. Additional acquisitions are already planned, so it is unnecessary to overwhelm the offices of the Chief of Staff or the Minister with repeated requests,” he appealed.

Cameroon has faced serious security challenges in recent years, and the military has been trying to meet the exigencies by strengthening its logistical capacity through the acquisition of vehicles and other vital equipment to boost its operational readiness.

In 2021, the National Gendarmerie received equipment, including DJI Phantom drones, rifles and accessories, 100 bullet-resistant jackets, 50 heavy armour helmets, and six pairs of binoculars, among others, to be used in the fight against terrorism.

Source: Defenseweb

At least one person was killed and four others injured on Sunday when an improvised explosive device detonated in a bar in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone Northwest region, security sources said, APA reports citing Xinhua.

The blast took place in Batibo, a locality of the region, with the bomb planted in a bar near a police station, according to officials.

“A group of terrorists targeted the bar because policemen frequently gather there,” a regional security officer told Xinhua. “However, no officers were present during the explosion. All victims were civilians enjoying time with friends and family.”

No group has claimed responsibility, but local authorities attributed the attack to separatist fighters active in the area.

On Monday, separatists initiated a month-long lockdown in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions to disrupt school reopenings and the October presidential election.

Separatists have been clashing with government forces in the regions since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation.

Source: Xinhuanet