CRM’s Mamadou Mota Denounces “Militarization” of Garoua, Warns of “Escalation”

Mamadou Mota, interim president of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), has issued an open letter to Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, denouncing what he calls the “militarization” of the northern city of Garoua by the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT) and the Secretariat of State for Defence (SED).

In the statement on Facebook, dated October 14, Mota accuses Minister Paul Atanga Nji and the head of the national gendarmerie of orchestrating an “irresponsible show of force” in the region, which he warns could destabilize the area and repeat “the tragic mistakes” of Cameroon’s conflict-torn North West and South West regions.

“The current militarization of Garoua is not an act of maintaining order; it is an act of political provocation,” Mota wrote. “It will only intimidate, exasperate, and ultimately destabilize a region that is already fragile.”

The CRM leader drew parallels between the current situation in Garoua and the early stages of the Anglophone Crisis, accusing the government of ignoring lessons from that conflict.

“This same minister, through arrogance and contempt for local sensitivities, played a key role in igniting the disaster in the North West and South West,” Mota wrote.

“Thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands displaced, an economy destroyed — that is the legacy of a ‘show of strength’ policy that he is now repeating.”

Calling the move a “grave political error,” Mota demanded the immediate withdrawal of security forces recently deployed to the city. He urged the Prime Minister to “disarm Garoua” and to end what he described as a “gunboat policy” that replaces dialogue with intimidation.

“Your silence or tacit approval of this drift will make you not the guarantor of national unity, but the accountant of the next tragedy,” he warned.

The letter’s tone is unusually direct for Cameroon’s political discourse, reflecting heightened tensions in the aftermath of the October 12 presidential election, whose results remain contested.

In recent days, several opposition figures have accused the government of tightening security in the country’s northern regions amid growing post-election demonstrations and uncertainty.

Authorities have not publicly responded to Mota’s allegations, and neither MINAT nor the SED has issued an official statement regarding troop deployments in Garoua.

Mota concluded his letter with a call for restraint and respect for civil law, urging the government to “replace intimidation with justice.”

“Peace and justice are not achieved through fear, but through respect and the rule of law,” he wrote.

The CRM, whose leader Maurice Kamto remains abroad, has positioned itself as one of the main opposition forces in Cameroon, often clashing with the government over governance, electoral transparency, and human rights.