Cameroon Politics, Relations & Current Affairs

Cameroonian army soldiers secure the perimeter of a polling station in Lysoka, near Buea, southwestern Cameroon, on October 7, 2018 during presidential elections.

Ethnic Clashes in Cameroon Aren’t About Religion

There have long been tensions between Muslim Mbororo pastoralists and Christian groups, but the war between Anglophone secessionists and the government has enflamed them.

Argument |

R. Maxwell Bone

Cameroonian soldiers conduct the daily flag-lowering ceremony at the Force Multinationale Mixte base in Mora, Cameroon, on Sept. 28, 2018.

Biya Bets on Russia

Cameroon’s president signs a security deal with Putin amid war in Ukraine and conflict at home.

Africa Brief |

Nosmot Gbadamosi

Cameroonian President Paul Biya and first lady Chantal Biya wave to the crowd at the Africa Cup of Nations in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Jan. 9.

Biya Basks in Soccer Spotlight in Hopes of Propaganda Win

Cameroon’s regime wouldn’t be the first to use sports to whitewash a brutal conflict.

Argument |

Christian Freymeyer

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Africa Cup of Nations at Stade d'Olembé in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Jan. 9.

Cameroon Hosts Africa Cup of Nations Amid Ongoing Violence

The soccer tournament is being held in the middle of ongoing conflict—and is still fighting for the world’s respect.

Africa Brief |

Nosmot Gbadamosi

Cameroonian army soldiers at a polling station in Lysoka, near Buea, southwestern Cameroon, on October 7, 2018.

Cameroon’s Forgotten Civil War Is Getting Worse

Infighting among Anglophone separatists and denial by the Cameroonian government are escalating the ongoing conflict.

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R. Maxwell Bone

Immigration officers walk on a bridge built in 1948 that connects Nigeria with Cameroon at Mfum border station in Cross Rivers State, southeast Nigeria on February 1, 2018.

Separatist Movements in Nigeria and Cameroon Are Joining Forces

Escalating pro-independence movements by Anglophone Cameroonians and Biafrans are igniting ethnic tensions and could threaten regional stability.

Dispatch |

Jess Craig

Migrants, many from Cameroon, listen to names being called in Tijuana, Mexico

The United States Has Failed Cameroonian Asylum-Seekers

Fleeing a civil war shaped by the West, Cameroonians have been met on American shores with hostility, high-risk conditions, and now unconscionable deportation.

Argument |

Eli Cahan

Members of the Cameroonian Gendarmerie patrol in the Omar Bongo Square of Cameroon's majority Anglophone Southwest province capital Buea on Oct. 3, 2018.

Cameroon’s Government Is Deceiving the West While Diverting Foreign Aid

Paul Biya’s regime is ignoring the battle against Boko Haram and the Islamic State and using foreign counterterrorism assistance to fund its brutal repression of citizens with legitimate grievances.

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Chris W.J. Roberts, Billy Burton

A mother and child walk past a destroyed car in a small town on the main highway near Buea on May 11, 2019. The location is one of many residential areas that now sit empty as residents flee to the main city of Buea or into the deep tropical forests after violence in the region.

Paul Biya Is Offering Cameroon’s Anglophones Too Little, Too Late

The Cameroonian government is seeking to implement a 1996 law it refused to enact for over two decades. The policy represents a fig leaf, not genuine decentralization, and will not resolve a crisis of Biya’s own making.

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R. Maxwell Bone

Hundreds of supporters raise their arms and wave the national flag while waiting to greet the Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto in Yaoundé on Oct. 5, the day of his release from prison.

Trump Must Put Real Pressure on Cameroon

Symbolic half-measures like revoking preferential trade status are not enough to force the repressive regime of Paul Biya to change. Canceling IMF loans and military aid would show that the White House is serious.

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Chris W.J. Roberts