Headline:
Cameroon’s Presidential Election Announcement: A Country in Chains, A Leader Long Past His Prime
By Wasse Marlvine
Yaoundé, Cameroon – April 8, 2025
With a frail, out-of-touch president and a system built on neglect and brutality, Cameroonians suffer under a regime that thrives on their misery.
The upcoming 2025 presidential election in Cameroon is less about the future of the country and more about maintaining the status quo that has kept the people in a vice grip of poverty, injustice, and violence for over 40 years. Paul Biya, now in his 90s, has been in power so long that his physical frailty is a reflection of a government that no longer serves its people. The reality on the ground couldn’t be clearer—Biya is an aging relic, barely cognizant of his actions, while the nation he governs sinks further into decay. The election is not a chance for a new beginning but a continuation of a failed regime that has utterly failed the Cameroonian people.
While Cameroonians in the North are battling the horrors of Boko Haram and those in the Southwest and Northwest are trapped in the Anglophone crisis, the government continues to tighten its grip on the nation, ignoring the desperate pleas of the populace. The state has chosen to remain indifferent to the daily suffering of its people, as those in power focus on personal enrichment while the country decays. Despite this, the election process is already being tampered with in the most blatant of ways. Numerous videos have surfaced online showing members of the ruling party giving out money to groups in exchange for their votes, essentially buying the election. Yet, foreign powers continue to turn a blind eye, knowing that the current regime suits their interests, while the people of Cameroon suffer.
At the core of this issue is Biya, whose presidency is now more of a family business than a state office. Political elites, including ministers and senators, continue to use the presidency as a tool for personal gain. These officials have enriched themselves at the expense of the very citizens they were supposed to serve, all while perpetuating a corrupt system that keeps the poor in poverty and the elite in power. They perpetuate a false narrative of national progress while the real Cameroon continues to crumble.
The Suffering of the People:
1. A Legacy of Corruption and State Capture:
The Biya government has mastered the art of corruption. The public sector exists not to serve the people but to enrich the ruling elite. Public contracts meant for infrastructure projects, healthcare, and education are given to cronies who pocket the money while public services remain in ruins. Hospitals lack basic supplies, schools are overcrowded and dilapidated, and roads remain impassable. In every facet of life, the poor suffer, while the elite siphon off millions. The system is set up so that only those who can pay to play get access to any services.
2. A Generation Left Behind:
The youth of Cameroon are abandoned. With an unemployment rate skyrocketing, underfunded schools, and no real opportunities for the future, the country’s young people have no choice but to flee or turn to extremism or violence to survive. The government continues to ignore the youth while they struggle to get an education or start a career. Many young people dream of escaping Cameroon to find better opportunities abroad, but for those who remain, there’s only a future of poverty and disillusionment.
3. Repression of the Press and Dissent:
Cameroonian journalists are under constant threat. Investigative reporters who expose corruption or document the human rights abuses of the government often face arrests, violence, or even disappearance. The tragic cases of Samuel Wazizi and Martinez Nzogo are just two examples of what happens when someone dares to speak the truth about Biya’s regime. The media in Cameroon is not free—it’s silenced by fear. This has allowed the government to control the narrative, making sure the international community sees only the picture it wants to paint—while the people suffer in silence.
4. The Anglophone Crisis and Civil War:
The Anglophone crisis has escalated into a humanitarian catastrophe. Entire villages have been burned, children have been recruited into armed groups, and families have been displaced. The government responds with violence rather than dialogue, ensuring that the war continues to destroy families, homes, and communities. Instead of reaching out to the Anglophone population to find a peaceful solution, the government treats them as enemies of the state. The military has been accused of committing atrocities, but no one is held accountable. The international community has largely ignored the situation, continuing to prop up a regime that has no desire to end the conflict, as long as it can maintain control over the region’s resources.
5. The Stranglehold of Police Brutality:
The Cameroonian police have become an instrument of terror for the people. They routinely engage in brutality, extortion, and torture, using their power to suppress any form of dissent. Protestors are often beaten and arrested without cause, and anyone who challenges the regime risks being disappeared. The police have become an extension of the regime’s power, operating with impunity while the people suffer. Fear pervades every corner of Cameroon—fear of the government, fear of the police, fear of speaking out.
6. The Western Complicity and Silence:
The international community, especially France and the United States, continues to support the Biya regime, prioritizing stability and economic interests over the human rights of the Cameroonian people. France, with its historical ties to Cameroon, continues to provide diplomatic cover, while oil companies and mining giants extract resources with little regard for the environment or the people. Despite Cameroon’s decline into a state of violence and poverty, the West is more concerned with maintaining the status quo that benefits their economic and strategic interests, rather than addressing the suffering of the people. The result is a nation of silenced voices and complicit governments.
7. An Election Bought and Sold:
As Cameroon approaches its 2025 election, there are clear signs that the process is already being manipulated. Videos have surfaced online showing members of the ruling party handing out money in exchange for votes from groups of people. This is not an election; it’s a transaction. The government has learned the art of vote-buying, manipulating the poor into supporting a system that has only destroyed them. Even more disturbing, many ministers, senators, and powerful officials continue to vouch for Biya, claiming that the president has done everything for the country—while conveniently ignoring the fact that Biya has done nothing for the masses and everything for their personal benefit. The ruling class continues to rob Cameroon, while promising more of the same during the election cycle, hoping to maintain control for just a little while longer.
8. A Nation Built on Fear, A Future Built on Hope:
The Cameroonian people are left to live in fear—not only of the government, but also of the future. They are trapped in a system that values wealth over the well-being of its citizens, power over justice, and corruption over accountability. The world looks on, largely indifferent, because this regime serves their interests—whether through resource extraction, military alliances, or the status quo. But the people are not without hope. Change is possible, though it will take resilience and unity to break free from the chains of a corrupt and decaying government.
