Cameroon Government Declares Two Opposition Groups ‘Illegal,’ Issues Warning Ahead of 2025 Election
The Cameroonian government has declared two political groups aiming to form opposition coalitions as illegal. Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji issued a statement on Tuesday identifying “The Political Alliance for Change (APC) and the Alliance for Political Transition in Cameroon (ATP)” as unauthorized political entities. The government expressed concerns about the emergence of “pseudo-associations” in anticipation of the 2025 presidential election.
Minister Nji emphasized that only legally recognized political parties have the right to engage in political activities at the national level. In response to this declaration, any demonstrations associated with these groups have been banned.
Olivier Bile, spokesperson for the ATP, acknowledged the decision, noting confusion and exaggerations in the minister’s comments. On the other hand, the APC dismissed the statement, labeling it a “curious threat” indicative of panic. The alliance asserted its readiness to face the upcoming elections triumphantly in the coming year.
The APC, led by former deputy Jean Michel Nintcheu, was established in December during a congress of the leading opposition Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), which supported Maurice Kamto’s presidential candidacy in the 2018 election. After Kamto came in second and contested President Paul Biya’s re-election as fraudulent, he was detained without trial the following year, following peaceful protests.
The MRC boycotted the 2018 legislative elections, and in the subsequent two years, approximately 700 of its supporters, including Kamto, were imprisoned. International NGOs have accused President Biya’s regime, which has been in power for over 41 years, of systematically suppressing opposition. The government’s recent move to declare these political groups illegal adds to the ongoing concerns about the state of political freedom in Cameroon.
