Cameroon Faces Rising Violence and Political Tensions Ahead of October Presidential Vote

Anglophone Conflict Intensifies
Cameroonian military forces clashed with separatist fighters throughout February.
Feb 9: The army raided a separatist stronghold in Ndop (North West), killing two rebels.
Feb 16: The military claimed to have killed "General JC," a key commander of the Ambazonia Defence Forces in Bamenda, but separatist sources insist he was captured alive.
Feb 15: In Pinyin village (North West), locals killed two suspected rebels accused of extortion and kidnapping.
Feb 23: Suspected government forces reportedly killed six civilians, escalating tensions.
Despite government offensives, separatists remain active in rural areas, engaging in ambushes, kidnappings, and extortion.

Ethnic Violence in the South
Rising ethnic tensions erupted into violence in Meyo-Centre village, near Ambam town in the Ntem Valley division.
Feb 20: Hundreds of indigenous residents attacked and looted shops belonging to non-local Cameroonians.
The riots, which left two people injured, followed the murders of two civilians between Feb 16 and 20 under unclear circumstances.
In response, authorities held peace meetings, removed roadblocks, and urged local leaders to prevent further clashes.
The South region, traditionally known for its stability, now faces rising communal divisions fueled by ethnic rhetoric spreading on social media.

Jihadist Attacks and Unrest in the Far North
Boko Haram and ISWAP militants intensified attacks in Cameroon’s Far North region.
Feb 7: The army killed five Boko Haram fighters in Sanda Wadjiri village (Mayo-Sava division).
Dozens of civilians were kidnapped between late January and mid-February, particularly in Mayo-Sava and Mayo-Tsanaga divisions.
In parallel, growing local discontent erupted into protests, including:
Feb 7: Tupuri ethnic groups rioted in Mayo-Kani division, protesting the expropriation of farmland for a national park.
Feb 15: Senior government official Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh faced backlash in Kousseri (Logone-et-Chari division) over the government’s weak response to 2024 floods and land disputes.
With jihadist groups continuing to exploit local grievances, insecurity remains a major concern in the Far North.

Presidential Election Mobilization Begins
President Paul Biya, in power since 1982, hinted at a re-election bid in his Feb 11 Youth Day speech.
He urged young people to reject opposition "destabilization efforts" and register to vote.
Opposition leaders, including Maurice Kamto and Cabral Libii, used the occasion to denounce Biya’s 43-year rule, accusing him of decades of broken promises.
However, opposition parties remain divided, with rival factions accusing each other of collaborating with the government.
With Cameroon’s political landscape still dominated by Biya’s ruling CPDM party, the opposition faces an uphill battle in unseating the 92-year-old leader.

As violence continues in multiple regions and political uncertainty grows, Cameroon heads toward a contentious and possibly volatile election period in October.