25 Militants And Sympathizers Of Prof MAURICE KAMTO’S MRC, Regain Freedom After Spending 5 Years In Prison

  The MRC Militants And Sympathizers Were Arrested For Participating In A Real Peaceful Protest March That, Was Organized By The Party, On September 22, 2020.   

 Observers Fear What Might Happen To The Hundreds Of Persons, That Have Been Arrested In The Ongoing  Post – Election Crisis,  Especially Those That  Are Being  Accused By Authorities Of Violence, Rebellion, Vandalism, Arsons,  Looting,  Inciting, Insurrection, And So On.  

A total of 25 militants and sympathizers of Prof Maurice Kamto’s MRC, have regained their freedom, after spending five long years at the Yaounde Central Prison commonly known as Kondengui Prison, for participating in a peaceful protest march that was organized by their party on September 22, 2020. According to a release issued by a group of lawyers led Sylvain Souop and Hippolyte B.T.  Meli, that MRC mobilized to defend the party militants and sympathizers, the 25 persons whom they term political prisoners, were arbitrary arrested during a crackdown by security forces on a peaceful protest march that took place on September 22, 2020.  After the arrest, the 25 persons reportedly spent 44 days in cells, followed by 14 months on pre-trial detention, and then were finally each slammed a 5 year jail term by the Yaounde Military Tribunal.

It should be noted that the Government on its part termed the peaceful protest march that the MRC organized as an insurrection, and all those that were arrested in some parts of the country and dragged to military courts, were charged for insurrection. A charge of course which MRC strongly rejected.

The 25 “Political Prisoners” That Have Regained Freedom

Meanwhile according to the release that was issued by the MRC lawyers on October 31, 2025, a total of 19 of the 25 MRC militants and sympathizers, or “political prisoners”, left prison on Thursday, October 30, 2025, while the remaining 6 were scheduled to be released on Monday, November 3. There was no explanation in the release as to why the ‘political prisoners’ that were all sentenced to 5 years imprisonment each, had to be released on different dates.

Meanwhile, the total of 19 MRC militants and sympathizers that were released on October 30, 2025, after having spent five years at the Kondengui Prison, included:

1)BAMOU JEAN EVALIS. 2) DJONTU SERGE. 3) FOUMOSOU ZACHARIE. 4) FOUEGE XAVIER. 5) FOUMOUO DJOUMESSI STEVE JODEL. 6) TAKAM LOUIS BERNARD. 7) KAMDEM CARLOS. 8) KENNE JEAN FERNAND. 9) KOPWA DJENKOU PATRICK. 10) KUATCHE JEAN. 11) LONTSI NGOUFO VITALISE. 12) POUONSI KAMDEM EMMANUEL. 13) TCHITCHOUA JEAN ROGER. 14) SOP TCHEIDJOU JULES. 15) TAMOKOUE CHARLES. 16) WAFO ERIC. 17) WAMBA JEAN BOSCO. 18) ZANGUE DOUANLA THIERY. 19) KUMNANG TCHINDA CYRILLE.

The 6 persons that were supposed to leave the Kondengui Prison on Monday, November 3, 2025, included:

20) SIBIAP MODJE PIERRE OMER. 21) MOMO MATHURIN. 22) NGNITEDEM ANDRE. 23) INTIFALA OBEN. 24) ZANGUE DENIS GHISLAIN. 25) EWODO WENDELIN.

Some Of The Imprisoned MRC Militants Had Earlier Been Release, While Some Are Still In Jail

It should be noted that the total of 25 persons that have left the Kondengui Prison in the last few days, were not the only MRC militants and sympathizes that were imprisoned for participating in the peaceful protest march, that the party organized on September 22, 2020. Several arrests were made in some parts of the West Region as well as in Douala and Yaounde, and the arrested persons were all dragged to military courts on charges of insurrection. They were slammed different imprisonment terms, with the least being 3 years. So those who were sentenced to 3 and 4 years in prison were released in 2023 and 2024 respectively, after having served their jail terms.

Also, some of the MRC members that received much longer jail terms than those that have just been released, are still in prison. The exact number is not known, as the MRC lawyers did not give any details in their press release.  But two known cases are that of Prof Alain Fogue, who was one of the frontline leaders of MRC Party, and Bibou Nissack, who was the Spokesman of the National President of MRC, Prof. Maurice Kamto. Both men are still at the Kondegui Prison in Yaounde. One of them was slammed a 7 year jail term, and the other a 9 year jail term.

Bibou Nissack Was Arrested On The Eve Of The Protest March

It would be recalled that Prof Alain Fogue and Bibou Nissack were not arrested during the peaceful protest march.  Bibou Nissack was picked up at his home in Yaounde in the evening of September 21, 2020, that is, in the eve of the planned protest march. Prof Alain Fogue was arrested in the morning of the planned protest march, on his way to the residence of the National President of MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, at Santa Barbara Quarter in Yaounde.  That was why defense lawyers argued for example, that Bibou Nissack was arrested for allegedly having an intention (to participate in the protest march that was scheduled the next day), and  not that  he even participated in the peaceful protest march.

Worthy of note, that the event which MRC organized on September 22, 2020 was a real peaceful protest march. There was no report that even a broomstick was broken by any MRC militant and sympathizes during the march, or that any of them threw an object at the security forces when they intervened. Yet, those that were arrested, and dragged to military courts, were charged for insurrection, and slammed heavy jail terms.  Despite several calls by Amnesty International and other right groups, as well as  other international organizations, for the release of the incarcerated MRC militants, the Biya regime did not bulge, insisting that all those that were slammed imprisonment sentences, would have to serve those  terms.

 Several Hundreds Of Persons Arrested In The Ongoing Post –Election Crisis

Meanwhile, human rights groups and lawyers, are complaining that they do even know the exact number of persons that have been arrested, as well as the number that have been killed, in some parts of the country, in the course of the ongoing post-election crisis.  A crisis, that erupted even before the official proclamation of the result of the October 12, 2025 presidential election. This followed the declaration by the FSNC leader and presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, less than 48 hours after the voting day, that he had won the election. He then called on the people to defend their victory. Most, of the protest demonstrations, that took place in several parts of the country in the last few weeks, degenerated into violence, with several acts of vandalism, arson and looting by some of the so called protest demonstrators. On the other hand, the interventions by security forces led to hundreds of arrest. Worse of all, a number of persons were killed.

It is known that several arrests have been made in towns like Garoua, Yaounde, Dschang, Douala, Maroua, Bertoua among other, where there have been violence or clashes between protest demonstrators and the security forces. A number of persons have also reportedly been killed. But the Government is not talking as regards statistics.  At the beginning of the post –election crisis, local administrative authorities were giving out statistics as regard the number of persons arrested, as well as the number of persons killed in their different areas. But that had since stopped. Human rights organizations as well as human rights lawyers are complaining that they do not know the number of persons that are in detention in the country in connection to the post –election crisis, as well as who is being detained where. They are so disappointed that the Government is not talking or opening up on the issue. Even when the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, grants a press briefing on the post – election crisis, he does not give the number of persons that have been killed, as well as the number of persons arrested.  Human rights groups and lawyers as by last weekend estimated the total number of persons that have been arrested in the country, in connection to the post-election crisis, to about 1,500.

Not All Of Those Arrested Participated In Protest Demonstrations Or Violence

It should as well be noted that not all those that have been arrested in connection to the post –election crisis, were arrested while participating in a protest march or in an act of violence or looting. There is for example the case of Prof Aba’a Oyono, Anicet Ekane (President of MANIDEM and one of the leaders of Union For Change), and Djeukam Tchameni (One of the leaders of Union for Change). They were arrested, and are currently in detention at the Secretariat of State for the National Gendarmerie, that is, the Gendarmerie Headquarters, in Yaounde, commonly known in the French acronym, SED. Their arrests are said to be in connection with their relationship with Issa Tchiroma Bakary and the October 12 presidential election. Worth noting, that the Union for Change supported the candidature of Issa Tchiroma at the October 12 presidential election. Arrested alongside the President of MANIDEM (Anicet Ekane), is Madam Florence Titcho, a teacher by profession, who is the Treasurer of the MANIDEM Party. The reason for her arrest is not known.

Several Dozens Of Persons Detained At SED / Interrogated By ‘State Counsel ‘ Of  Military Tribunal

Meanwhile, in a social media post on Friday, October 31, 225, the National Coordinator of Stand Up For Cameroon, Edith Kah Walla, who is also the National President of the Cameroon Peoples’ Party, CPP, disclosed that besides Anicet Ekane, Prof Aba’a Oyono, Djeukam Tchameni and Florence Titcho, there are a total of 71 other persons detained at SED in Yaounde, in connection to the post –election crisis. She as well disclosed that Aba’a Oyono, Anicet Ekane, Djeukam Tchameni, Florence Titcho  on that Friday, October 31 appeared before the ‘Commissaire du Gouvernement’ of  the Yaounde Military Tribunal, who is like the State Counsel or Chief State Prosecutor at the military court.  Kah Walla as well disclosed in the social media post that 45 of the 71 other persons being detained at SED, were also scheduled to appear in front of the ‘Commissaire du Gouvernement’ on that October 31, while the other remaining 26 persons were scheduled to take their turn to appear in his office for interrogation, on Monday, November 3, 2025.

Worth noting that members of the Yaounde Branch of Stand Up For Cameroon, were together with the group of lawyers that is following up the files of Anicet Ekane, Djeukam Tchameni, Aba’a Oyono and the other detainees at SED, on that Friday, October 31, 2025, when Prof Aba’a Oyono and others, were interrogated by the ‘Commissaire du Gouvenement’. It should as well be noted that the President of MANIDEM, Anicet Ekane, who is a patient, is at a military health facility in Yaounde, and reportedly has two gendarmes at each moment, in his room at the hospital.

Increase In Number Of Detainees Being Handled By The Group Of Lawyers In Yaounde

Meanwhile on Saturday, November 8, 2025, Meli T.B Hyppolite, one of the leaders of the group of lawyers following up the files of some of persons being detained in Yaounde in connection to the post – election crisis, disclosed that the number of detainees they have identified, has moved up to a total of 121. This does not include group of Anicet Ekane, Aba’a Oyono, Djeukam Tchameni and Florence Titcho. He said  52 of the 121 individuals appeared at the office of the State prosecutor (‘Commissionaire du Gouvernement’) at the Yaounde Military Tribunal  on Friday, November 7, 2025, while the other 69 persons, which he said include 9 minors, appeared at the office of the State Counsel at the  Court of First Instance (Magistrate Court), at the  Yaounde Administrative Centre.  Barrsiter Meli said in reality they did not know the total number of persons detained in Yaounde, or that were arrested in Yaounde, in connection to the post –election crisis, as authorizes are not opening up on the issue. He disclosed that they have gathered that some of the persons that were arrested, were taken out of Yaounde, and detained in some localities close to the city.

Presumption Of Innocence

Meanwhile, human rights lawyers and organizations are also expressing disappointment at the fact that, some administrative authorities as well as some Police and Gendarmerie officials are behaving as if all the persons arrested in the post –election crisis in their different localities, are guilty of the accusations leveled against them. But the lawyers stress on the fact that Law clearly states that when a person is arrested, even at a crime scene, there has to be presumption of innocence, and that it is only when a court finds the person guilty, that that he can then be considered as a criminal. Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s lawyers in particular, are citing Law No.2005 – 007 of 27 July , 2005, on the Penal Code Procedure, precisely Article 8 (1) which states that, anybody suspected to have committed an act that breaches  the  Law, is presumed to be innocent, until found guilty in a court of Law.

For one thing, there are often cases of people who for example find themselves at crime scenes just by accident, not that they were involved in the crime. These are people who just happened to have found themselves at the wrong place. In these cases of vandalism and arson that have unfortunately occurred during this post –election crisis, it is very likely, if not very certain, that some of the persons that have been arrested, happened to have just been curious onlookers of the acts, or passerby at the scenes, when elements of the Forces or Law and Order suddenly appeared and bundled away everybody who happened to have been around the crime scene.  And that is why lawyers need to have access to those persons in detention, arrested in the post –election crisis. The Law authorizes that even somebody who has actually committed a crime, has a right to have access to a lawyer.

The human rights lawyers are also complaining that some local administrative authorities as well as some officials of the gendarmerie and police, look at lawyers who want to have access to persons arrested in the post – election crisis, as people who do not have a conscience, as people who want to protect criminals, or as persons who are callous or unconcerned with the acts of vandalism, looting, and arson that have been registered, whereas lawyers are simply out to do their job.

Cases Of Persons Who Can’t Express Themselves In French Or English

A lawyer (Moslem) also expressed another concern in a programme over Equinoxe Tv in the evening of Wednesday, November 5, 2025 in Douala. The lawyer first remarked that a majority of the over 100 persons, mostly young men, who were arrested in the protest demonstration (that turned violent) on Sunday, October 26, 2025 in Douala, and who are currently at the Douala Central Prison (New Bell Prison) under an administrative detention order that was signed by the Governor of the Littoral Region, are persons from the Grand North.  The lawyer who has been able to meet many of those detainees, expressed concern that some of them cannot really express themselves in French, as they speak only the vernacular language or their mother tongue, well.  He said such persons need to be accompanied at every step by lawyers, because during interrogation by the State Counsel, or by the police or gendarmerie, such persons can out of fear say yes in response to a question that they don’t even understand, or will be unable to respond to questions because they cannot express themselves in either French or English (the two official languages).

 What Awaits Those Detained For Post –Election Crisis?

Meanwhile, looking at what happened to MRC militants and sympathizers that were arrested for simply taking part in a real peaceful protest march on September 22, 2020, which the regime however termed insurrection, observers wonder or fear what might happen to the several hundreds of persons that have been arrested in the last few weeks in the post –election crisis, especially those accused of alleged involvement in acts of vandalism and arsons, as well as for looting.  There are several calls being made both in and outside the country, for the release of the arrested persons. But there are doubts as to whether this regime will listen.