Source : Sahel weather February 2025

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The report of the commission on France's role in the repression of independence movements in Cameroon, submitted a month ago to French and Cameroonian presidents Macron and Biya, has visibly brought back to the surface the polemical imaginary of the country's nationalist memory. This time, the source of quarrel was Ernest Ouandié, politician and figure in the struggle for independence, who was shot dead in 1971 under the regime of Cameroon's first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo. It all started with a comment made on a television set on February 23 by Abel Elimby Kobe, promoter of the Kwata political movement. "Ernest Ouandié's Bamilékés burned down entire villages in the Moungo (northeast of the country, editor's note) to take land. Ernest Ouandié is a great bandit. He wasn't into politics", he declared.

A wave of reactions immediately followed. In a press release, Manidem (Mouvement africain pour la nouvelle indépendance et la démocratie) formally condemned a "slanderous, outrageous and provocative statement." Armand Noutack IIreacted, a former member of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC), : "This is heresy, aimed at sowing doubt about this son of Cameroon, about his role in the history of our country! Désiré Sikati, a member of the Mouvement pour la renaissance du Cameroun - the party of the main opponent Maurice Kamto - regretted the silence of the Conseil national de la Communication (CNC), the country's media regulatory body. Cameroonian historian David Eboutou called on Abel Elimby to "quickly make amends". On February 8, the Elysée Palace announced that Presidents Macron and Biya had held talks on the work of the research commission.

Presidential elections in 2025, the great expectation

Officially, it is still unclear whether President Paul Biya, who has been in power for 42 years, will run for another term. In the wake of a new national controversy a month ago over whether Biya would run again, he has not sought to settle the debate. "I ask you (...) not to listen to the sirens of chaos sounded by certain irresponsible people (...) Nor let yourselves be lulled into complacency by the fallacious and mostly unattainable promises they are trying to sell you", he told young people in an address on February 10 - the eve of Cameroon's Youth Day. I will continue to be at your side to meet the challenges you face", he continued. In short, his possible candidacy remains unclear.

Meanwhile, in the Meyo district of the Ntem Valley department in the South region, inter-community violence broke out on February 20, resulting in the death of two people. At the heart of the dispute were demonstrations by local populations demanding the departure of "non-indigenous populations". According to opposition politician Maurice Kamto, this "violence in the South region, the granite bedrock of the President of the Republic" cannot be disconnected from the prospect of the 2025 presidential election.

In the far north of the country, a protest led by members of the Toubouri population against the creation of the Ma Mbed park in the Mayo Kan department caused some scuffles. In the localities of Kourbi and Guidiguis, the demonstrators blocked Route Nationale n°12 and sequestered the Governor of the Far North region, the Prefect of Mayo Kani, the Sub-Prefect of Kaélé and their respective staffs. Their demand: the immediate signing of a decree cancelling the creation of the Ma Mbed park. In the melee, the police used tear gas to free the detained authorities. According to Cameroonian political scientist E. Epiphane Yogo, "the establishment of a nature reserve in a region where communities have lived for generations should have required in-depth prior dialogue, involving not only the central administration, but also traditional chiefs, local elected representatives and community representatives".