The Central African nation of Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has announced and sworn in 92-year-old Paul Biya into office for another seven-year term, extending a presidency that began in 1982 (BBC 1; Journal of Democracy; Al Jazeera 1). However, this year’s election takes place amid political turmoil plaguing the country, including tribal, ethnic, linguistic, and religious tensions from the anglophone or “Ambazonia” conflict to the presence of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (CRS; BBC 1; Al Jazeera 2,3 Further, many think tanks and human rights organizations have condemned the recent electoral race and voiced concerns over human rights violations amid post-electoral protests and violence across the country (Journal of Democracy; Human Rights Watch; UN).
The Anglophone or “Ambazonia” Crisis centers on the western, English-speaking, resource-rich regions of Cameroon and their struggle against increased centralization, violent suppression, economic neglect, and cultural assimilation by the central and southern French-speaking elites (The Republic; World Policy Hub; CRS; Cameroon Intelligence Report; Fair Observer). However, the conflict is not solely linguistic; its themes include political power, inequality, colonial legacies, and state structure (CRS; Cameroon Intelligence Report; Fair Observer; Al Jazeera 2). The conflict further intensifies as certain ethnic groups identify with certain regions and ruling elites, and religious extremist groups like Boko Haram or IS-WA are driven by the resource scarcity, cross-border ethnic ties, and grievances against the primarily Christian, Francophone central government (CRS). As the different legal and educational systems were forcibly merged, with no reconciliation possible, Biya responded to those seeking reform and full independence with force and decreased political rights, placing a strain on communities and leaving thousands displaced (AP News; Al Jazeera 4,5; BBC 2).
Since the outbreak of this conflict, Biya has come under heavy criticism for spending much of his presidency in Europe, allegedly leaving his administration to ministers and family, and sparking controversy over his health (BBC 1). In a country where the median age is 18 years old, the second closest candidate, a 76-year-old Issa Tchiroma, reportedly received only 35.19% of the vote, while Biya received 53.66%, with many opposition candidates- not just Tchiroma- claiming fraudulent activity (CRS; Al Jazeera 1; Journal of Democracy; BBC 3). During the last election, opposing candidate Maurice Kanto was also eliminated from the short 15-day campaign period, further weakening public faith in the electoral process (Journal of Democracy).
Moreover, the dominance of the French education curriculum and legal system has further undermined public faith in both democratic institutions and Paul Biya (Cameroonian Intelligence Report; Journal of Democracy; BBC 2). The violent suppression of protests has not been limited to the Anglophone crisis, with Biya also cracking down on demonstrators following the removal of presidential term limits in 2008 (CRS). Additionally, despite the median age of the country being 18-19, the voting age in the country is 20 (Journal of Democracy). Outside of the campaign season, political activism is harshly criticized and can result in imprisonment (Journal of Democracy). Further, in Western regions impacted by the Anglophone crisis, access to voting, polling, legal, or even education institutions are being severely stunted- sparking debate as to the representation of the North and Southwest regions of Cameroon (Journal of Democracy; AL Jazeera 3).
Despite decreased public faith in political institutions, many Cameroonians remain determined in their desire for change— with 4 in 10 Cameroonians living below the poverty line, high government debt, increased inequality, and higher GDP contrasted with plummeting growth rates due to infrastructure gaps, poor governance, lack of investment, and domestic conflict (World Bank; Al Jazeera 2).
The Anglophone crisis alone, and its management under Paul Biya- now on his eighth term as president- has manifested controversy for widespread extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, torture, and destruction of property- forcing nearly 600,000 Cameroonians towards internal displacement and creating 76,000 refugees in Nigeria as of early 2025 (CRS).
Since his re-election, reports ranging from Human Rights Watch to the UN Secretary-General have voiced concern over the mass post-election violence and arrests of citizens by Biya and his government (Human Rights Watch; UN; Al Jazeera 1). While some institutions claim more, the UNHRC has documented at least 14 killed and over 1,200 arrested since protests erupted (BBC 3). In the scheme of the post-colonial conflicts and the increasing ethno-linguistic polarization in the country, many analysts and human rights groups remain steadily concerned for the future of Cameroonian politics, as Paul Biya cements his latest victory and tensions continue to rise in the Central African Nation (BBC 1,3; Journal of Democracy; Human Rights Watch).
Sources:
Al Jazeera 1: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/27/cameroons-president-paul-biya-declared-election-winner
Al Jazeera 2: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/12/cameroon-votes-in-presidential-election-as-paul-biya-92-seeks-eighth-term
Al Jazeera 3: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/10/10/day-of-ballots-and-bullets-anglophone-fears-ahead-of-cameroons-election
Al Jazeera 4: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/7/31/cameroons-many-fault-lines
Al Jazeera 5: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/1/violence-in-cameroon-anglophone-crisis-takes-high-civilian-toll
BBC 1: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwypqg8vnleo
BBC 2: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63405911
BBC 3: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj978zlgp7go
Cameroon Intelligence Report: https://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/ethno-political-tensions-in-cameroon-reasons-and-scenarios
Congressional Research Service (CRS): https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12967/IF12967.1.pdf
Fair Observer: https://www.fairobserver.com/region/africa/language-wars-the-francophone-anglophone-conflict-in-cameroon
Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/12/cameroon-killings-mass-arrests-follow-disputed-elections
Journal of Democracy: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/cameroons-election-casts-a-long-shadow/
The Republic: https://rpublc.com/february-march-2020/the-roots-of-violence-anglophones
World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/cameroon/overview
World Policy Hub: https://worldpolicyhub.com/separatist-crises-in-nigeria-and-cameroon-causes-alliances-between-movements-and-consequences/?utm_source=chatgpt.com