Civil Society activist, Fabrice Lena on the run after leading September 22 protest in Yaounde

The energetic youth leader of the Popular Action Party (PAP) and member of the ‘Stand Up For Cameroon’ civil society group Fabrice Lena is currently on the run for his life after he defied the odds to lead the September 22 protest in Yaounde. The march sought to oust President Paul Biya who has been in power since 1982.

The September 22, protests were more heated in the Economic capital, Douala where a report from the CRM party said several persons were arrested and more than 300 others seriously injured as a result of police brutality.
In Yaounde, it was a rather timid turnout in the political capital as a little group of about 20 militants of the P.A.P party led by Fabrice Lena dribbled security vigilance to stage a march.

He has since then been on the run as he is being constantly haunted by Cameroon’s forces of law and order.

Speaking to Mimi Mefo Info from his hideout, Fabrice Lena says he got hint of the fact that the police had come severally around his house looking for him, just few minutes after the video he and his group of protesters made at Santa Maria.

“When we had dispersed after the protests in Yaounde, one of our informants who was charged at monitoring how the situation was, called and informed me that the quarter was inundated by police officers barely 20 minutes after we had dispersed,” he told MMI.

The civil society and youth empowerment leader believes that the particularly low turnout for protests in Yaounde and also the CRM’s lack of action in leading the protests in the capital made it easy for him to be particularly singled out by the forces for arrest.

“While in our hideout, we realised our protest videos with me leading had gone viral alongside the clashes at Ndokoti, but at the end the CRM party members did not protest in Yaounde and we felt so disappointed with them …. it showed that only the PAP marched in Yaounde and I was the one who had taken the lead.”

Being unable to move freely in the country, Fabrice Lena has given some recommendations he thinks the opposition party could adopt if they had to act as a united front against the dictatorship of Paul Biya.

Amongst the points made for a united front, he proposed the opposition leaders should henceforth avoid physical meetings as they are high risks in favour of Zoom meetings.

He also suggested a harmonisation of their activities with the diaspora whom he thinks are very much determined to see this present regime kicked out.

Mimi Mefo Info