Batonnier YONDO BLACK (August10, 1938 – Oct. 16, 2025): How The YONDO BLACK Affair Influenced Certain Decisions In The Creation Of The SDF (PART 1).

The Arrest Of YONDO BLACK And Co In February 1990, For Wanting To Create A Political Party, Forced The SDF Founding Fathers, Who Were Putting Finishing Touches On Their Project, To Put Everything On Hold.  Also, Justice NYO WAKAI, Who Was Supposed To Be The Pioneer National Chairman Of The SDF, Declined , And Instead Proposed Ni JOHN FRU NDI. The Detention of ALBERT MUKONG, In The YONDO BLACK Affair, Also Opened The Door For BEN MUNA, To Join The SDF Founding Fathers.

   As The Mentor News earlier reported, Senior Barrister, Yondo Mandengue Black Albert, who was commonly known as Yondo Black, and who was President of the Cameroon Bar Council from 1982 -86, passed away in Douala on October 16, 2025 at the age of 87.  The corpse is still in the mortuary.  As we also indicated in the article, Batonnier Yondo Black was at one point in his life, involved in politics.  He secretly put together one of the first two groups in the country, that in the early 1990 was secretly  working on a political project to create new political parties  in the country. Yondo Black’s interest however was not so much about being a politician.. To him, the political project to create a party was more a part of his fight for freedom in the country, in this case, political freedom.

For one thing, Cameroon had in practical terms become a one party State since 1966, though the Constitution of the country authorized the possible existence of other parties, apart from the ruling Cameroon National Union (CNU), that was  transformed into the Cameroon People Democratic Movement (CPDM), at the CNU Congress in Bamenda in 1985.

 The Yondo Black Affair

In the second half of February 1990, Batonnier Yondo Mandengue Black Albert and members of his Group were arrested in Douala by the secret or intelligence service, CENER, for wanting to create a political party, when information of the secret political project was leaked by an informant that had infiltrated the Group. As The Mentor News also reported earlier, two Anglophone elite, Albert Womah Mukong and Vincent Feko, who were members of another group that was meeting secretly in Bamenda since the second half of 1989, working on a political project to create new political party in the country that they named, Social Democratic Front (SDF), were also arrested in what became known as the Yondo Black Affair.  It should be noted that it was Albert Mukong who in reality floated the idea to create the political party that was baptized the SDF, following advice he received from two Western Governments, following the persistent complaint he addressed to them, about the marginalization of Anglophones in Cameroon. This is however another issue.

Meanwhile as earlier reported as well, Albert Mukong and Vincent Feko were in reality not members of the Yondo Black Group. The security service erroneously associated Mukong and Feko with the Yondo Black Group, following an address that was written on a piece of paper that was found, in the ‘Secret File’ of the political project that Yondo Black and his Group were working on.

The Last Crucial Meeting Of The SDF Founding Fathers On February 17, 1990

By the end of a crucial meeting of the SDF Founding Fathers which held in in Bamenda on February 17, 1990, all was almost set for the party’s file to be deposited at the office of the Mezam SDO for legalization. That February 17 meeting was in fact part of the final phase in the creation of the SDF. At the February 17 meeting that was attended by all the Founding Fathers, they discussed or sorted out all important issues that were still pending, including the name of the party. The Founding Fathers had all along been discussing the political project to create a party, without thinking of a name for the party. It was at that February 17 meeting that they adopted the name, Social Democratic Front, SDF. The meeting thus handled all other major or important issues that were still left to be discussed or sorted out by the Founding Fathers, before the file of their new party, could be deposited at the Office of the Mezam SDO.

The Founding Fathers were not supposed to have a general meeting again, before the file was deposited with the administration. So the February 17 meeting was understood by all to be their last general meeting, before the file of their new party was deposited at the office of the Mezam SDO. All that was left after the February 17 meeting was to put finishing touches, or as it is commonly said, all that was left was to cut the t, and dot the, i, in the documents of the newly created party. The documents were supposed to be signed by the Pioneer National Chairman of the SDF in the person of Justice Nyo Wakai who hailed from Menchum Division, and the Pioneer Secretary General of the party in the person of Dr Siga Asanga from Mezam Division.

Fear Appeared On The Faces Of Some Founding Fathers

It should be noted that at previous meetings of the Founding Fathers, members did not reflect on the issue of how the Biya regime could possibly react to their decision to create another political party.  But though the issue was not on the agenda of the February 17, 1990 meeting in Bamenda, it came up naturally, because as aforementioned, that was the last general meeting of the Founding Fathers, before the file of the party was to be deposited at the office of the Mezam SDO.  One of the Founding Fathers, Vincent Feko, with whom I has an elaborate interview in 2006, disclosed that for the first time, fear appeared on the faces of some SDF Founding Fathers towards the end of the crucial meeting they held on February 17, 1990 in Bamenda, to finalize preparations towards submitting the party’s file to the administration for legalization. The fear was as a result of the Founding Fathers’ imagination of the possible reaction of the Biya regime, to their project to create another political party in the country, though the Constitution authorized that. But as aforementioned, Cameroon had since 1966 been a one party State in practical terms.

Among the Founding Fathers, Albert Mukong was the only person that had since the days of the Ahidjo regime been arrested and tortured for his political belief – his persistent opposition to the controversial, or better still, to the illegal decision that was taken in 1972 to end the federal system of government, as well as the marginalization of the Anglophones. He had faced incarceration in some of the dreaded prisons in the country like Tcholire. So Mukong was somebody who was no longer scared of arrest for his political belief. He was well known to the secret service (CENER), and other security services for his political activism.

Mukong’s Prophetic Message, To Assuage Fear In The Founding Fathers

But seeing signs of unbridled fear on the faces of some his comrades (Founding Father), at the crucial meeting of the Founding Fathers of the SDF in Bamenda on February 17, 1990, Mukong too became worried. Knowing the regime, he knew that the fear was to an extent justified. No one of them had an idea of how the Biya regime would, or could, react, when they deposit the file for the official registration of their new political party at the office of the Mezam SDO. The Law then demanded that such a file be deposited at the office of a Senior Divisional Officer, SDO. No group in the country had since 1966 dared to deposit a file at any SDO’s office in the country, for the legalization or registration of a new political party.  So how would the Biya regime react to the decision by the Founding Fathers to create another political party in the country? No Founding Father, not even Albert Mukong, knew the answer, or even had an idea.

In what was later considered as a prophetic declaration, Mukong in trying to assuage the fear of some Founding Fathers at that February 17 meeting, told the comrades that God would open the way. He said he had an instinct that something would happen and open the way for the SDF file to be deposited with the administration, without the Founding Fathers being arrested.  But in reality Mukong was just trying to assuage the fears of his comrades. He in fact had no idea of what would, or could happen, to open the way for the SDF file to be deposited without the Founding Fathers being arrested by the regime.

The Justification Of The Fear In The Camp Of SDF Founding Fathers

The justification of the fear of some Founding Fathers was seen barely a couple of days after that February 17, 1990 meeting. In fact a few days after that February 17 meeting, a bombshell or shocking news landed in the camp of the SDF Founding Fathers that Batonnier Yondo Black and his Group, had been arrested and incarcerated in Douala, for wanting to create a political party. Two of the SDF Founding Fathers, Mukong and Feko, were also arrested. But their arrest in reality had nothing to do with the SDF, which the Secret Service had up till then not discovered. Rather, their arrest was in connection to the Yondo Black Affair.

Worthy of note that besides Mukong and Feko, it was only after the arrest of Yondo Black and members of his Group, that the other SDF Founding Fathers knew that another group had also been secretly working in Douala to create a political party. As for the group in Douala, only the leader, Yondo Black, knew that there was another group that was secretly meeting in Bamenda, to create a political party. Fortunately that Yondo Black did not inform members of his group about the Bamenda group, or else the informant that had infiltrate the Douala group, would have also informed CENER about the Bamenda group.

Meanwhile as expected, news of the arrest of Yondo Black and members of his Group heightened the fear in the circle of the other SDF Founding Fathers. Everything had to be put on hold, as the SDF Founding Fathers did not have the courage, to go ahead in such a situation with the finishing touches on the documents, and especially the plan to go and deposit their new party’s file at the office of the Mezam SDO.

And of course it was certainly a wise decision. It would have been unwise for the Founding Fathers to push ahead in such a situation, not knowing what could happen to them, as the Biya regime might have even taken such an act as an outright provocation or challenge. So the instinctive reaction in some SDF Founding Fathers by the end of the February 17 meeting, which indicated signs of fear on their faces, was justified, as was seen with arrest and incarceration of Yondo Black and members of his Group for working on a project to create a political party.

Significant Effects Of The Yondo Black Affair On The Final Phase Of The Creation Of The SDF

Meanwhile the arrest and detention of Batonnier Yondo Black and members of his Group, as well as two SDF Founding Fathers, had some significant effects on the last or final phase of the creation of the SDF. That final phase included the crucial general meeting of the Founding Fathers of the SDF, which held in Bamenda on February 17, 1990.

To begin with as regard the effects, the arrest and incarceration of Batonnier Yondo Black and members of his Group for wanting to create a political party, as aforementioned, naturally heightened the level of fear in the Group of SDF Founding Fathers, who immediately put everything on hold. It would be recalled that at the end of the last general meeting of the Founding Fathers on February 17, 1990, all was almost set for the file of the new political party (SDF), to be deposited at the office of the Mezam SDO. All that was left to be done on the file was just finishing touches. But with the arrest of Yondo Black and Co in Douala for wanting to create a political party, it was clear to the SDF Founding Fathers that the Biya regime was not willing to accept the existence of another political party in the country, even though the Constitution gave the impression that Cameroon was not a one party State. So the first effect of the Yondo Black Affair precisely on the last phase, of the creation of the SDF, was that the Founding Fathers put everything on hold. As aforementioned, these included putting finishing touches on the SDF documents, and going to the office of the Mezam SDO to deposit the party’s file for the legalization or the official registration of the party.

Pioneer National Chairman Of The SDF

At the end of their crucial general meeting on February 17, 1990, there was no doubt in the minds of the Founding Fathers of the SDF, that, the Pioneer National Chairman of the party was to be Justice Nyo Wakai. The highly respected senior magistrate, Nyo Wakai, was the one chairing all the meetings of the Founding Fathers, who were working on the project to create a political party (SDF), and there was a tacit and unanimous agreement that he was to be the Pioneer National Chairman. In fact the issue or question as to who was to sign the SDF documents as the National Chairman of the party, did not come up at any meeting of the Founding Fathers, including the last crucial  general meeting on February 17, 1990, after which the party’s file was supposed to be submitted to the administration for legalization. All the Founding Fathers knew that the Pioneer National Chairman of the SDF was to be Justice Nyo Wakai.   It was the same thing for the post of Pioneer Secretary General of the SDF. Dr Siga Asanga, a university don, had been playing the role of Secretary in all the meetings of the Founding Fathers, and there was also that tacit and unanimous agreement, that he was to be the Pioneer Secretary General of the party.

 Justice Nyo Wakai Changed His Mind Due To The Yondo Black Affair

But because of the Yondo Black Affair, the senior magistrate, Nyo Wakai, who was close to retirement, panicked. He expressed the fear that when he would go on retirement, the Biya Government might block his pension and other advantages. So Justice Nyo Wakai backtracked from becoming the Pioneer National Chairman of the SDF. Rather, he proposed that Ni John Fru Ndi should instead be the one to sign the SDF documents that were supposed to be put in the file, and submitted to the administration, as National Chairman of the party. It should be noted that all the Founding Fathers of the SDF, with the exception of Fru Ndi, Albert Mukong, and Ben Muna who came in at the last minute, were State employees. But Mukong at the time was in detention in Douala in the Yondo Black Affair. Ben Muna came in at that last minute, and because of that could not be considered for such a post.

Justice Nyo Wakai thought that it was better for Ni John Fru Ndi who was a businessman, and thus of the private sector, to be the Pioneer National Chairman of the SDF, than a State employee, who would likely be intimidated and victimized by the  regime.  However, the much daring Dr Siga Asanga, who was a lecturer at the then lone State owned university (Yaounde University), made bold to accept to sign the SDF documents as the party’s Secretary General. This was how Dr  Siga Assanga and Ni John Fru Ndi, who were blood relations, respectively became Secretary General and National Chairman of the SDF. Before then, it is certain that Fru Ndi, even in his widest of imagination, at no moment ever thought of the post of National Chairman of the SDF, as it was clear to him and others that his blood relation, Dr Siga Asanga, was to be the Pioneer Secretary General of the party.  Of course the other Founding Fathers knew that Siga Asanga and Fru Ndi were closely related. Siga Asanga was said to be the uncle of Ni John Fru Ndi.  But then the Yondo Black Affair brought Ni John Fru Ndi to the post of Pioneer National Chairman of the SDF, with his blood relation, Dr Siga Asanga as Pioneer Secretary General.

CPDM elites or detractors of the SDF at its creation, branded the party as a family party, because of the fact that Fru Ndi and Siga Asanga , that occupied the posts of National Chairman and Secretary General, were blood relations. But the fact of the matter was that the Founding Fathers never designed things to be that way. Ni John Fru Ndi, never lobbied or asked for the post of National Chairman of the SDF. Rather, it was the Yondo Black Affair that made things to go that way.

 Ben Muna Joins The Group Of SDF Founding Fathers

Another thing, which the Yondo Black Affair did to the SDF, was that it opened the door for Batonnier Ben Muna, to join the then secret group of Founding Fathers of the party.  During one of the meetings of the Founding Fathers of the SDF, a proposal came up that Barrister Ben Achuo Muna be invited to join the group. But Mukong was strongly opposed to the idea, and so the proposal was drooped. Vincent Feko, one of the Founding Fathers of the SDF as well as a bosom friend of Albert Mukong, disclosed to me that he supported Mukong’s position on the Ben Muna issue.

However Feko stressed that the problem was not Ben Achuo (Muna) as an individual, whom they actually appreciated, but rather the name, Muna.  He asserted that the Anglophones had a negative impression about Ben Muna’s father, Hon Solomon Tandeng Muna, whom they accused of complicity in the regime’s marginalization of Anglophones, since the days of the Ahidjo regime.  So Feko explained that considering the fact that the main reason for the creation of the SDF was to fight against the marginalization of Anglophones, as well as to fight for the reinstatement of federalism, their fear was that if the Anglophone people saw a Muna among the Founding Fathers of the SDF, they would not take the party serious.   

Meanwhile, with  the Yondo Black Affair in which Albert Mukong and Vincent Feko were erroneously arrested and thrown into detention incommunicado, those Founding Fathers of the SDF who were in favour of inviting Ben Muna to join the group, exploited Mukong’s absence to bring in Ben Muna in that last phase or last minutes of the creation of the SDF. And Ben Muna, a senior international lawyer and President of the Cameroon Bar Council, was very active and influential in those last minutes that he came in, and with all fairness to him, he qualified as one of the original Founding Fathers of the SDF.