Cameroon in Turmoil: Tchiroma Calls for Referendum and National Awakening After Resignation From Biya

The 24-page “Letter to Cameroonians,” released within 24 hours of Tchiroma’s resignation, reads not as a bitter farewell but as a manifesto: blistering critiques of Biya’s legacy, a direct pitch for national awakening, and a call for federalism by choice. The tone is reflective but calculating. “I knew power,” he writes. “And I understood its limits.” Then he stabs deeper: “A country cannot exist to serve one man. It must serve its people.”

The Message Behind the Move

Let’s be clear: Tchiroma’s disillusionment isn’t new. What’s new is that he’s saying it aloud. For years, he loyally defended policies—particularly during the Anglophone crisis—that many now see as indefensible. His sudden pivot from government spokesman to regime critic raises the obvious question: Is this conviction, or survival strategy?

He has clearly seen the writing on the wall. From economic malaise to youth unemployment, insecurity, and growing unrest in the North-West, South-West, and Far North, Cameroon is ripe for change. By positioning himself as the elder statesman who “saw the fire coming,” Tchiroma is hedging that his break with Biya will be seen as bold, not opportunistic.

Yet many are not convinced.

Opportunist or Revolutionary?

Civil society voices like Me Abdoulaye Harissou have dismissed Tchiroma’s bid as a desperate play for relevance. “He cannot embody change,” Harissou said bluntly. “He was part of the system for too long. The youth do not trust him.”

And the youth, crucially, are the battlefield in this election.

Tchiroma’s challenge will be proving that his transformation is authentic, not just strategic. He’ll have to convince a generation that remembers his fiery defenses of the very regime he now condemns.

His explicit outreach to Anglophones—stating, in a notable break from past rhetoric, that “centralization has failed”—is a bold repositioning. His call for a referendum on the form of the state could resonate in a country deeply fractured by regional inequality and historical grievances. But again, skepticism remains. Many wonder why this awakening comes only now.

Biya’s System Begins to Crack

And still, the tremors are real. Tchiroma’s departure is not isolated. A CPDM section president in the Adamaoua region has now also resigned after 30 years. These small fissures, once unthinkable, suggest that loyalty to Biya is no longer unshakable.

Cameroon’s ruling elite has historically closed ranks with brutal efficiency. Dissent has been rare and often punished. The leaked order banning FSNC activities in a department of the Far North is a reminder that the old guard won’t go quietly.

Yet this heavy-handedness may no longer be enough.

The silence of state media, the visible discomfort of ruling party officials, and reports of Tchiroma’s envoys contacting Maurice Kamto’s team all hint at something deeper. This is not just about one man leaving government. It’s about the erosion of a political culture that treated defections as betrayal rather than dialogue.

What Happens Next?

This October’s election may not bring change—but it might finally bring choice. Tchiroma, like Garga Haman Adji, Titus Edzoa, and Maurice Kamto before him, has now said No to Paul Biya. But unlike his predecessors, he is doing so in a digital, socially connected Cameroon where narratives travel faster than censorship can catch them.

For now, Tchiroma’s next steps will determine his legacy: Will he be remembered as a late-blooming reformist or a shrewd survivor playing both sides?

Either way, the Biya regime has lost another pillar. And for a house already creaking under the weight of time, even a single cracked beam can spell collapse.