By Colbert Gwain, Digital Civic Space Advocate
The recent UPC Makak incident is a stark reminder of Cameroon’s ongoing struggle with civic space freedoms. As a digital civic space advocate, I’m compelled to shed light on the implications of this event and the broader challenges facing Cameroon’s democracy.
Growing up in Muteff village in Fundong Subdivision, Boyo Division of the North West Region of Cameroon, I experienced a community plagued by strange occurrences, including environmental destruction and sudden deaths. Indigenous prophecy often pointed to the “musau” fraternity, comprising young, beautiful Muteff girls who engaged in trance-like activities (as obtained in North Dakota in the United States of America). Tragically, young men would sometimes fall dead unexpectedly, even in broad daylight.
In this community, tradition dictated a unique response to death. Instead of immediate wailing, family members would remain composed until the next day. At 5 a.m., the family head would fire a gunshot, officially announcing the death and initiating funeral activities. Only then would women, girls, and other villagers begin crying and wailing, as if the death had just occurred.
It is this same antiquity-like attitude that administrative officials in Cameroon seem to be portraying in the run-up to the October presidential election. Although everyone knows that incumbent President Paul Biya’s mandate is ending in October and that elections must obligatorily take place the same month, according to electoral law, Yaoundé authorities are jittery and won’t allow any opposition political party or candidate to organize rallies or tour constituencies across the country, except for the ruling CPDM.
They behave as if setting the official 15-day campaign period made campaigns outside this period illegal. The spirit of that law likely means the state can take financial and security responsibility for parties’ and candidates’ campaigns only within those 15 days. After all, isn’t it the same CPDM party that defends itself against opposition accusations of massive election rigging by saying they campaign around the clock, while opposition parties wait only for election time?
The events of Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Makak Subdivision, Nyong et Kelle Division, Centre Region, where administrative officials attempted to ban and eventually disrupted celebrations marking the 77th anniversary of Cameroon’s oldest political party, the UPC, simply because the Divisional Officer discovered that opposition presidential candidate Batonnier Akere Muna was to attend, smack of an affront to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
The fact that the event hall and ceremonial ground were blocked despite the UPC having paid for them, and that administrative authorities threatened to arrest Akere Muna and Dr. Pierre Baleguet Nkot, UPC Secretary General, even after they resorted to holding the event at a private residence, smacks of a crippling dictatorship and intolerance that threatens to undo all of Cameroon’s democratic gains.
Although Cameroonian law requires notification for public meetings and demonstrations, it doesn’t explicitly mandate prior approval. The Divisional Officer of Makak’s insistence on banning a meeting due to lack of approval appears to be a misinterpretation of Cameroon’s liberty laws.
This recurring attitude among Cameroonian administrators has significantly impacted the country’s records on freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The government frequently denies permits to opposition parties and civil society organizations, and uses force to suppress gatherings without permits, often citing security grounds. As a result, the international community views Cameroon’s civic space as severely restrictive.
According to reports from the U.S. Department of State and CIVICUS Alliance, the Cameroonian government systematically denies permits for gatherings critical of government actions. Beyond the recent Makak Incident, the government has used force to suppress peaceful gatherings without prior authorization.
General Comment 37 on ICCPR’s Article 21 condemns such behavior, emphasizing that authorization for demonstrations should ensure participant security, not control the gathering’s content. Since authorities can’t determine a gathering’s outcome “a priori”, responsibility or criminal behavior can only be determined after the fact. Therefore, authorization should be content-neutral, allowing gatherings to take place within sight and sound, rather than in secluded environments.
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