Move Toward ICC Jurisdiction: If Cameroon refuses justice, international courts must intervene. Impunity cannot continue to shield those who operate the oubliettes of the state.
By Kemi Ashu Contributor The Independentist opinion desk
Every time another detainee dies in Cameroon’s custody, leaders abroad issue quiet calls for “transparency” and “dialogue.” Statements are made. Concerns are noted. And then — silence returns. Meanwhile, in prison cells across the country, others continue dying.
Silence from the world is not neutrality.
It is complicity.
For years, Cameroon’s government has used detention as a weapon — one that can kill as surely as bullets. Journalists, opposition figures, activists, and ordinary citizens have disappeared into cells and never walked out. Their families are denied truth, closure, and sometimes even their loved ones’ remains. This is not poor prison management. This is calculated cruelty. And the international community — with full knowledge — has let it continue.
The Global Double Standard
Cameroon is often described by diplomats as a “strategic ally” and a “stable partner.” Western governments support it militarily in the name of counter-terrorism. International funds flow in. Foreign training supports security forces — some of the same forces accused of starving prisoners of care and chaining them until they die. Human rights, it seems, are negotiable when political convenience is at stake.
Bodies Are Evidence
The cases of: Samuel Wazizi — a journalist whose body never returned home, Bibi Ngota — a reporter who died in prison after exposing corruption, and Anicet Ekane — a political figure who died while held by the state are not allegations. They are facts. And the bodies withheld — or hidden — speak louder than any official denial. Under international law, enforced disappearance and systematic death in detention constitute crimes against humanity. That designation demands investigation — and prosecution — at the highest levels.
What Must Happen Next
Independent International Inquiry: The United Nations and African Union must launch immediate, unrestricted investigations into death and torture in detention facilities.
Sanctions on Perpetrators: Officials who oversee or enable abuse should face targeted sanctions — travel bans, asset freezes, and prosecution pathways.
Conditional Foreign Aid: Funding and security partnerships must require measurable improvements in human-rights protections.
Return of Bodies and Records: Families must receive the remains of their loved ones and truthful medical documentation.
Move Toward ICC Jurisdiction: If Cameroon refuses justice, international courts must intervene. Impunity cannot continue to shield those who operate the oubliettes of the state.
The World Must Choose a Side
Every government — every ambassador — every global institution — faces a choice: Protect the powerful who order these abuses. Or protect the powerless who suffer them. History will record the choice. Cameroon’s prisons are graveyards built with foreign silence. That silence must end. Not tomorrow. Not after the next death. It must end Now. Because every day the world delays,
another family waits for a body that may never come home.
Kemi Ashu
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