Um Nyobe’s wife dies 65 years after his execution

Marie Um Nyobe, the second wife of Cameroon’s historical icon, Ruben Um Nyobe, has died exactly 65 years after her husband was executed.

She died on September 13, 2023, at the National Social Insurance Fund—CNPS Hospital in Yaounde.

Her son, Daniel Um Nyobe, announced her death Thursday, September 14, stating she had died of an illness.

She had been married to Ruben Um Nyobe for just two years when he was executed by the French colonial administration.

Um Nyobe was hunted and killed in Boumnyebel by French soldiers on September 13, 1958. The anti-colonialist leader and founder of the Union of Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) is still admired today for championing a movement to free Cameroon from the shackles of colonialism.

“Um, Nyobè was a true inspiration to me. He showed me that it is possible to stand up for what you believe in, even in the face of great adversity.” – Political leader, Paul Ngobleck tweeted.

Um Nyobe met Marie Ngo Ndjock Yebga in 1944 and married her as a second wife in 1956. They lived together until his execution in 1958.

September 13, 2023, marked the 65th anniversary of the death of the political icon.

He was one of the ring leaders of Cameroon People’s Union (UPC), a political party founded on April 10, 1948, to fight for the total independence and reunification of East and West Cameroon.

The UPC rapidly gained popularity, with Um Nyobè emerging as a prominent figure in the independence movement.

Despite suffering repeated arrest and imprisonment from the French colonizers, he remained steadfast in his pursuit of independence.

Martin Chancelin asserted that, “Um Nyobè was a man of peace who fought for the freedom of his people. His death was a great loss to Cameroon, but his legacy will live on.”

Um Nyobe’s only child with Marie, Daniel Um Nyobe, was born on April 25, 2023, a year before his father was killed.

Daniel Um Nyobe said the funeral program of his deceased mother will be published in the days ahead.

By Amina Hilda