Ten detained supporters of Maurice Kamto, including a pregnant woman, were denied bail again on Wednesday, three weeks since they were arrested during a contentious Constitutional Council hearing on August 4.
The detainees were arrested amid efforts to challenge Kamto’s exclusion from the October 12 election, a decision upheld by the Council on August 5.
The detentions add to a pattern of arrests targeting opposition supporters, raising concerns about freedom of expression and the fairness of the electoral process under President Paul Biya’s four-decade rule.
Among the detainees is Victor Oumbo, a businessman based in Malaysia who was visiting Yaounde, according to Barrister Hippolyte Meli Tiakoung, spokesperson for the Sylvain Souop Collective—a group of lawyers defending CRM militants and sympathizers arrested during peaceful protests and party activities.
Oumbo spent another night in custody at Central Police Station No. 1 (CC1) in Yaounde after appearing before the Yaounde Administrative Center Court of First Instance (TPI) on August 27, where he was denied release.
He was initially detained on August 4 at the Yaounde Conference Centre during the pre-electoral litigation hearing.
According to Barrister Tiakoung, 10 out of dozens arrested on August 4 have remained detained.
Among them is Timma Ella, the only woman, and she is reported to be pregnant.
In a statement on August 27, Tiakouang said, “The 10 remaining victims from the Constitutional Council in detention at CC1 have become cumbersome packages, rejected in turn by the TMY and by the TPI. No freedom this evening at the 528th hour of detention.
“They return to CC1. The customary invisible hand holds them captive. Until when the repentance of the authorities?”
The detainees are:
- Emmanuel Toumeni: petrochemical engineer
- Noel Djeumeni Njoya: trader
- Michel Deugoue: filmmaker
- Victor Oumbo: businessman residing in Malaysia, passing through Yaoundé
- Benoît Nyebe Edoa
- Jean Evalis Bamou: business leader
- Francis Tchapda: IT specialist
- Valery Kamguia: trader
- Eric Tchudjeng Kengne
- Timma Ella: the only woman (declared pregnant).
Tiakouang noted that the public will remain informed of developments in the case.
Meanwhile, young persons also arrested early this month for printing leaflets with the slogan “No Kamto, No Election” were released on the evening of August 26, according to Tiakouang.
The arrests conducted by police and gendarmerie before, during, and after the August 4 hearing targeted people seeking to attend the public session peacefully or show support for Kamto.
The former leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) was disqualified from the 2025 presidential election by Elections Cameroon on July 29 for procedural reasons, a ruling later approved by the Constitutional Council.
Kamto, a former deputy Minister of Justice and Biya’s main rival in the 2018 election, has accused the government of suppressing opposition voices.
Paul Biya, who is 92 and has been in power since 1982, is running for his eighth term amid accusations of rigging past elections and changing the Constitution to hang on to power.
His government currently faces accusations of orchestrating electoral irregularities to ensure an unfair victory on October 12.
Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called for the release of detainees and urged authorities to ensure a free and fair vote.
They warned that such actions could fuel unrest.
