As political tensions escalate in the Far North region, particularly following recent remarks by Issa Tchiroma Bakary, president of the National Salvation Front of Cameroon (FSNC) and a long-standing ally of President Paul Biya, Christophe Mien Zok, a full member of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM)’s central committee, is attempting to de-escalate the situation.
In an editorial published June 17 in L’Action, the CPDM’s official newspaper, Mien Zok, who serves as the party’s director of press, information, and propaganda, stated, “No one is obliged to stay with the CPDM.” He added, “CPDM has never held back any ally who wished to reclaim their freedom.” This statement directly responded to Tchiroma’s call to stop supporting the CPDM’s “natural candidate” and to growing calls within Bello Bouba Maïgari’s National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP) for a break from its 28-year alliance with the ruling party.
Seeking to downplay the political fallout from these potential departures, Mien Zok described what he views as a media-driven “overestimation” of these parties’ actual political weight. He likened their ambitions to “the frog that thought it was bigger than the ox,” insisting that CPDM remains dominant on the ground.
“The author of these lines has just spent time in the Far North, notably in Maroua and Mora. He can attest that President Paul Biya and his party remain by far the most popular, and both surface and underground dynamics work in their favor,” said Mien Zok, a former mayor of Angossas and current director of the Yaoundé Conference Centre.
Signs of Growing Regional Dissent
Despite Mien Zok’s assurances, signs of political breakaway are multiplying in the Grand North, a region long seen as loyal to the CPDM. This area, which Mien Zok himself described as an “electoral stronghold and vote reservoir for presidential elections,” appears increasingly willing to voice its political discontent.
Recent events underscore this shift, including a homily by the Bishop of Yagoua, who openly called for a change at the top of the state, and the frosty reception given to the Secretary General of the Presidency during his recent regional tour. Strong protests against the creation of the “Ma Mbed Mbed” national park in the Far North, despite government insistence, have also exposed a deep rift between local communities and the central government.
In response to these developments, the CPDM, through Christophe Mien Zok, emphasizes the voluntary and non-coercive nature of its political alliances. “CPDM has always recognized the value of alliances and their mutually beneficial outcomes for each partner. But no one can claim we have ever sought to annex anyone,” he stated firmly.
As the 2025 electoral horizon draws closer, the growing unrest in this traditionally loyal part of the country could reshape political dynamics and present an unprecedented challenge to the CPDM in a region once considered safely in its grasp.
