The Ramon Cotta Affair: Gov’t Remains Silent, One Month After Social Media Activist, Steve Akam Alias Ramon Cotta, Was Arrested In Gabon, And Extradited To Cameroon

Cameroonian authorities have not responded to demands by Human Rights Watch, lawyers, REDHAC, MRC etc, that Gov’t should shed light on the whereabouts of Ramon Cotta

Is the general silence by almost opposition parties and civil society organisations on the Ramon Cotta Affair, a message to the Diaspora? 

Cameroonian born social media activist, STEVE AKAM alias RAMON COTTA, who had been living in, Gabon, for 10 years, was picked up by Gabonese security elements at his business premises (a bar), at ‘Marche Mont – Bouet’ on the fateful day of July 17, 2024, detained for a day or two , and then extradited to Cameroon.

Ramon Cotta had reportedly become a hard critic of the Biya regime, or better still a torn in the flesh of the regime, in his social media outings, precisely in videos that he posted on Tik Tok. Legal minds hold that the controversy over the reason for the arrest aside, Steve Akam alias Ramon Cotta was extradited and not repatriated by Gabonese authorities. This is because it was certainly the Cameroonian authorities that requested he be arrested and sent to Cameroon, to face charges on some of the declarations he made on social media.

No Official Statement, One Month After    

Meanwhile one month (July 17 – August 17, 2024) after the social media activist was arrested in Gabon and extradited to Cameroon, his whereabouts or his situation is not known. It should be noted that the Cameroonian public even got to know about the arrest and extradition of Ramon Cotta, thanks to a video that went viral on social media. In the video, Ramon Cotta who was in handcuff, and visibly in pain, tendered an apology to President Paul Biya. It looked like the arrested social media activist was responding to a question or to questions in the video.  But the apology was the only except of his statements contained in the video that was put out.

Since then, neither the Government’s Spokesman nor any Cameroonian authority, has officially said a word about the arrest or the situation of Ramon Cotta. It is not known whether he is in detention, and if so, where.  Human right organizations say it is not even known whether Ramon Cotta is alive or dead.  A group of concerned lawyers have expressed their frustration, over the fact that they so far do not know the whereabouts of Steve Akam aka Ramon Cotta. The lawyers are said to have tried to contact many authorities, to find out the whereabouts or the situation of the arrested social media activist. But all their efforts so far have unfortunately gone in vain, as all the authorities contacted maintained sealed lips on the issue that has become known as the Ramon Cotta Affair.

Human Rights Watch’s Alert

Early last week, the well -known Ilaria Allegrozzi, Senior Sahel Researcher, Human Rights Watch, wrote that the organization’s sources show that the video that was posted on July 21, 2024 and immediately went viral, was recorded either on July 19, 20 or 21. The senior Official of Human Rights Watch said from the organization’s findings, the video was recorded at the border between Gabon and Cameroon, precisely at the frontier post at Kye – Ossi, on the Cameroon site of the border.

Ilaria Allegrozzi noted that Steve Akam aka Ramon Cotta, was known for his videos in Tik Tok, in which he criticized the Cameroonian authorities. The official expressed the deep concern of Human Rights Watch over the fact that the whereabouts of Ramon Cotta or his situation is not known, since he was last seen in the video that was recorded at the Cameroon side of the border with Gabon. Human Rights Watch have expressed deep concern that since the social media activist, Steve Akam alias Ramon Cotta was seen in the video in a very disturbing state, Cameroonian authorities have stayed mute on the disturbing issue.

Human Rights Watch And REDHAC Condemns Arrest And Extradition

Human Rights Watch as well as another reputed human rights organization, ‘Reseau de Defenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale’, REDHAC, whose Executive Director is the Cameroonian born iron lady, Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, have strongly condemned both the Cameroonian and Gabonese authorities for the brutal arrest of Ramon Cotta . They have noted that he was arrested for simply expressing his opinions, and that the arrest was thus a violation of the freedom of expression. The two human rights organizations have separately called on the Cameroonian authorities to shed light on the whereabouts or on the situation of  Steve Akam aka Ramon Cotta, who as aforementioned, was last seen in the video that was recorded at the Cameroon side of  border with Gabon.

It should be noted that if not of the video that was posted on July 21, the public would not have even known that Ramon Cotta was taken to Cameroon after his arrest in Gabon. After the social media activist was picked up at his business place in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, his wife reportedly tried in vain to see him.

Unlike The Case Of Junior Ngombe, Many Opposition Leaders Are Silent On The Ramon Cotta Affair

Meanwhile, the arrest in Gabon and extradition to Cameroon of the social media activist,  Steve Akam aka Ramon Cotta, apparently by coincidence occurred at the same period with the  arrest of a young social media activist, Junior Ngombe, in Douala, Cameroon. 23 year social media activist, Junior Ngombe, who was a hair dresser, was arrested by the gendarmerie in Douala on July 24, 2024, detained, and transferred to the nation’s capital, Yaounde, the next day (July 25), where he was detained at the Secretariat of State for Defense in charge of the Gendarmerie commonly known as SED.  Junior Ngombe’s arrest like that of Steve Akam aka Ramon Cotta a few days earlier, was reportedly linked to videos he posted on Tik Tok making ‘harsh’ criticisms  of the Biya regime.

Following the arrest of Junior Ngombe, there was an outcry across the country. Several opposition figures including party leaders as well as members of the civil society, and of course credible international human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch and REDHAC, as well as the Center for Human Rights and Democracy for Africa, CHRDA of Felix Agbor Balla, all separately came out. They denounced the arrest of the young social media activist, and demanded for his immediate and unconditional release.  Several prominent lawyers led by the former President of the Cameroon Bar Council, Akere Muna, mobilised to press for the release of Junior Ngombe. Suffice to say that that Junior Ngombe was ‘temporary’ released on July 31, after spending seven days in detention.

But so far, public reactions especially of opposition politicians and parties in Cameroon, to the controversial arrest in Gabon and extradition to Cameroon of Steve Akam alias Steve Cotta, have not been the same as compared to that of Junior Ngombe. With the exception of probably only the leader of MRC, Maurice Kamto, opposition leaders and parties have generally been silent like the regime, over the Ramon Cotta Affair. Even almost all the civil society organisations as well as members of the civil society that came out to denounce the arrest and detention of Junior Ngombe, have been silent over the Ramon Cotta Affair.

It is not clear as to if there is any reason for the silence especially by most major opposition parties and civil society organisations, or whether it is a silent message to the  Diaspora. Whatever the case, it should definitely be a disturbing issue to Cameroonians in the Diaspora.

MRC Leader, Maurice Kamto, React 

As aforementioned, the only visible exception with the case of opposition leaders as regard the Ramon Cotta Affair has been the National President of MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto. In a recent statement issued on the arrest of Steve Akam, the MRC leader called on the Cameroon Government to immediately reveal the venue of the detention of the social media activist. On the fear that the activist might have gone the Samuel Wazizi way, Kamto called on the Government to publicly show proof that Steve Akam is alive, so as to reassure the family and public that he is not dead.

The MRC leader also criticized the Transitional Government in Gabon headed by Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligue Nguema, for having accepted what was likely a request by the Cameroon Government, to illegally arrest Steve Akam who was living in Gabon, and hand him over to the Cameroonian authorities. Prof Kamto asserted that the act committed by both the Gabonese and Cameroonian authorities in the arrest and extradition of Steve Akam, is a serious violation of international treaties to which both countries are signatories. The way the operation took place for example, clearly violated the UN’s Bangkok Principles.

Protests In Belgium

Meanwhile last week, a group of Cameroonians in Belgium, carried out two protest demonstrations against the Gabonese ad Cameroonian authorities, for the arrest in Gabon and extradition to Cameroon of the Cameroonian born social media activist, Steve Akam alias Ramon Cotta. One of the protest demonstrations was staged in front of the Embassy of Gabon, and another in front of the Cameroon Embassy.