Sema Fonkem 17 August 2026
Despite President Paul Biya’s 71-day abscence from Cameroon after his departure from the capital city Yaoundé on June 7, 2026, the world’s oldest leader maintains his unassailable hold on power.
Cameroonian citizens at home and in the diaspora have begun to distance themselves from opposition parties that they feel could have freed the country from Biya’s regime. Many individuals believe opposition leaders are ineffective and at their weakest.
Cameroonians on social media have accused opposition leaders such as Issa Tchiroma Bakary leader of Front for the National Salvation (FNSC), who is currently in self-exile in The Gambia, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) and Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) political parties of distracting and making false promises while while Biya remains power.
When Cameroonians expected the opposition to rise and seize power from the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) Party, led by Paul Biya, they were met with a shock of their lives: Biya had signed a decree on August 3, 2026, announcing the reshuffling of top military officials.
On August 4, 2026, the new leadership was announced on national radio, and it included a new commander of the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR), the promotion of Major General Ebaka Hippolyte to Major General of the Armed Forces General Staff, the promotion of several colonels to brigadier general, and changes to motorised infantry brigade.
While citizens have castigated President Paul Biya’s abscence, and opposition parties have remained silent and barking without action, Cameroon’s government spokesperson, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, told French broadcaster RFI on Sunday, August 2, 2026, that “the president is alive” and will soon return.
Some patriotic Cameroonians, having lost hope in the opposition, are now yearning for the CPDM to produce a new leader who would serve the country in good faith and prioritise the interests of citizens and the nation.
Using Biya’s ill health, old age and accusing CPDM of corruption are old tricks in the book used by opposition parties and because they have now has now become monotonous, supporters of Biya’s opponents no longer find them relevant. People are in search of a political party that will deliver an honest and genuine manifesto during presidential elections.
President Paul Biya’s regime and government interests are well-protected by individuals such as Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Minister of State and Secretary-General of the Presidency, Oswald Baboke, Deputy Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency, and Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Republic. These are some of the senior officials who oversee the country’s day-to-day operations.
With the current shift of interest in leadership returning to the CPDM, many Cameroonians have praised Biya’s decision to reshuffle senior military officials. They now see his actions as an effort to safeguard national sovereignty, rather than a selfish grip of power as previously thought.
Many Cameroonians are now able to distinguish between corrupt government officials and ruling parties, as well as between corrupt political leaders and political parties, thanks to the growing political consciousness. This implies that people can now support the CPDM, the dominant party, while working with the government to fight corruption. The adversary has little chance of winning in such a setting.
The opposition manifestos that failed to win the Cameroon 2025 Presidential Election
The Social Democratic Front (SDF) “Rescue Plan for Cameroon” manifesto.
Crisis Resolution & Peace
Anglophone Conflict: Pledge to end violence in the North-West and South-West regions within the first 100 days through inclusive national dialogue and the release of crisis-related prisoners.
Security: Establish a community-based police force to replace heavy military presence in troubled zones.
Governance & Institutional Reform
Federalism: Transition Cameroon into a federal state to balance regional power and address local marginalisation.
State Efficiency: Slash the number of government ministries, limit excessive public spending, and abolish traditional elite administrative training routes like ENAM.
Administrative Rights: Provide free essential documents, including birth certificates and national identity cards, for citizens.
Economy & Digital Transformation
Digitalisation: Fully digitalise public administration, roll out high-speed internet infrastructure, enforce digital state payments, and build free industrial zones.
Support & Taxes: Reduce corporate and administrative red tape, lower specific taxes, and increase agricultural subsidies to boost local farming and domestic industry.
Social Relief: Abolish advance rent payment requirements mandated by landlords to relieve tenant pressures, alongside providing free primary and secondary education and expanding healthcare access.
Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM/MRC) manifesto
National Unity: Preserving the country’s unity while respecting cultural pluralism and official bilingualism.
Anti-Tribalism: Actively fighting against tribalism, ethnicity, nepotism, and regionalism in public and private state affairs.
Inclusion: Uniting all Cameroonians regardless of gender, religion, or ethnic origin to foster social justice and solidarity.
Institutional Reform: Restructuring state institutions to ensure democratic governance, transparency, and the separation of powers.
Peace and Reconciliation: Prioritising dialogue and consensus-building to achieve lasting resolution and reconciliation in the Anglophone crisis regions of the North-West and South-West.
Economic Modernisation: Aiming to make Cameroon a dynamic economic force (“Economic Lion of Africa”) through science, technology, and sound public management.
Social Welfare & Public Goods: Expanding universal access to essential needs, including quality healthcare, education, clean water, and energy infrastructure.
Diaspora Engagement: Mobilising the talents and resources of Cameroonians living abroad through dedicated institutional frameworks to aid national development
The Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC) Manifesto
Political Reform & Decentralisation: Proposes moving away from a rigid centralised government by holding a constitutional referendum to introduce federalism and grant substantial autonomous powers to Cameroon’s 10 provinces.
Addressing the Anglophone Crisis: Focuses heavily on listening to marginalised English-speaking communities, arguing that local administrative autonomy and inclusion are vital to resolving regional conflict rather than top-down state control.
Dismantling the “Old System”: Vows to sweep away decades of political stagnation, administrative inertia, abuse of power, and public mistrust in state institutions.
Good Governance & Anti-Corruption: Promotes transparency, rebuilding civic trust, and restoring public accountability following years of entrenched autocratic rule.
Single-Term Pledge: Tchiroma positioned his presidential run around serving a single transitional term to successfully reset the country’s democratic trajectory.
The above manifestos from President Biya’s opponents are similar to those from many other developing nations throughout the world, with the exception of the inclusion of dialogue and conflict resolution in the North West and South West regions, where thousands of lives have been lost and properties ruined.
The manifesto of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) Manifesto
Peace and Stability: Prioritising national security, territorial integrity, border protection, and addressing domestic conflicts—including the Anglophone crisis—through centralised state authority.
Economic Growth: Accelerating the march toward economic emergence, maintaining fiscal consolidation, managing public debt, and boosting local and foreign investment.
Social Services & Quality of Life: Improving public infrastructure, upgrading health and educational provisions, and enhancing general purchasing power for citizens.
Youth & Women Empowerment: Increasing active involvement and economic opportunities for women and young people within public and private sectors.
Institutional Governance: Strengthening institutional frameworks, completing the ongoing national decentralisation process, and advancing digital modernisation.
Although Biya’s regime has not initiated an effective dialogue with the Ambazonia separatists in the North West and South West regions, the government has deployed armed forces to restore peace. With no visible and practical solutions from opposition parties to resolve the Angloplone crisis, majority of Cameroonians still rely on Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement leadership to put an end to the issue.