Cameroon To Start Identification Of Mobile SIM Card Users

The Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) of Cameroon announced the launch, from 21 December 2015, of a "repressive control" of the identification of mobile telephone subscribers. The information was revealed during a meeting organised on 10 December 2015 in the economic capital by the telecoms authority.

At the end of this control, all unidentified SIM card will be deactivated. According to Jean-Marie Noah, ART representative for the Littoral, West, North-West and South-West, in addition to being in line with the law in force, the aim of this operation is mainly to track down those who use cellphones as "a weapon to run scams and commit usurpations of titles", make "death threats" and commit "terrorist acts".

Moreover, under the recent government texts banning the sale of SIM cards on the streets, the telecoms authority announced that sellers not registered by operators will have the SIM cards in their possession seized