Arbitrary Arrests Deepen Cameroon’s Post-Election Crisis

According to a statement from Me Hippolyte Meli and Me Emmanuel Simh, they visited the State Secretariat for Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie (SED) where Anicet Georges Ekane, president of the MANIDEM party and an ally of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, is being held under guard.

Ekane, reportedly in fragile health, was transferred from Douala to Yaoundé after what his lawyers call an “abduction” on October 24 2025. He is accused of hostility toward the homeland, revolution, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection—charges his defence rejects as a fabrication intended to silence dissent.

The veteran nationalist, who helped shape Cameroon’s 1990 laws on political pluralism, insists that he remains loyal to the republic and that his only “crime” is supporting a rival presidential candidate. In his deposition, he named Paul Atanga Nji, the Minister of Territorial Administration; Clément Atangana, president of the Constitutional Council; and Paul Biya, the incumbent president, as the true instigators of the crisis, accusing them of provoking citizens through manipulation of the electoral process.

Lawyer Me Simh also confirmed he assisted Djeukam Tchameni, another detained opposition leader, while university professor Jean-Calvin Aba’a Oyono was questioned without counsel and will face a second hearing today. Several other detainees—including a northern FSNC official—remain in custody without legal representation.

The defence team warns that the continued arrests and incommunicado detentions violate Cameroon’s constitution and international conventions on civil rights. They have vowed to keep the public informed and to refer these abuses to international legal mechanisms if necessary.

The detentions follow days of unrest after the Constitutional Council declared Paul Biya winner with 53.66% of the vote, rejecting Issa Tchiroma’s claim of victory based on original polling-station records. Security forces have since carried out raids in multiple cities amid nationwide demonstrations calling for the “truth of the ballots.”

#CameroonConcord #ElectionCrisis #RuleOfLaw