For The Guardian Africa / Transparency Media International
Introduction: A Nation Captive Under Military Guardianship
Cameroon, once a beacon of post-colonial promise, has descended into a militarized state where the Ministry of Defense functions less as a protector of the nation and more as the guardian of tyranny. The defense establishment—created to defend sovereignty—has instead become an instrument of suppression, crushing dissent and extinguishing the voices of civilians, journalists, and independence advocates.
At the heart of this machinery stands a silent president—Paul Biya—whose absence from public discourse and governance has turned him into a guided robot, manipulated by unelected power brokers hidden behind the palace walls of Etoudi.
Historical Context: From Liberation to Militarized Control
The post-independence promise of Cameroon was betrayed by decades of political capture. The military, once envisioned as a national defense force, evolved into the executive arm of authoritarianism.
Under successive regimes—but particularly since 1982—the Ministry of Defense became the central pillar of Biya’s survival strategy. Every protest, every independent journalist, every Southern Cameroons thinker demanding self-determination was treated as an enemy of the state.
The same tools that once protected the republic have been repurposed to protect one man’s hold on power.
Instruments of Repression: The Ministry of Defense’s Hidden Architecture
Cameroon’s Ministry of Defense operates a vast network of intelligence, police, and paramilitary forces. Within this web, the State Security Directorate (SED) in Yaoundé stands as the epicenter of fear.
Torture, illegal detention, and forced confessions have become institutionalized practices. Detainees are held without trial, subjected to electric shocks, beatings, and psychological abuse.
Reports from victims reveal that many are arrested simply for expressing political opinions, attending peaceful rallies, or questioning the legitimacy of the October 2025 elections.
This apparatus functions not to defend the republic—but to defend the regime.
The Silence of the Commander-in-Chief: A Guided Robot Presidency
Paul Biya’s presidency has entered an era of spectral governance. In the 2025 election cycle, he did not speak, campaign, debate, or even appear publicly. Yet, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and the Ministry of Defense orchestrated a campaign of intimidation in his name.
The world watched a political ghost crowned by the Constitutional Council, while the actual instruments of power—the military hierarchy and palace secretariat—controlled the narrative.
Cameroon’s president, once seen as the decision-maker, has now become a puppet guided by a coterie of loyalists who speak and act on his behalf.
Torture as a Language of Governance:
The SED’s underground cells have become synonymous with pain. Civilians—among them professors, students, journalists, and pro-independence activists—are routinely dragged into interrogation rooms.
One of the most chilling cases is that of Professor Aba’a Oyono, detained and tortured for refusing to sign documents recognizing Biya’s alleged victory.
These acts are not isolated. They are part of a systematic campaign to break the human will and enforce silence through suffering.
In Cameroon today, fear has replaced dialogue, and torture has replaced truth.
Journalists Under Siege:
Freedom of the press in Cameroon has been suffocated by the combined weight of censorship, surveillance, and physical intimidation.
Independent journalists investigating military abuses, corruption, or the Ambazonia conflict are routinely detained or “disappeared.” State media functions as a propaganda arm, recycling government press releases while avoiding any mention of the president’s incapacitation or the defense ministry’s atrocities.
International correspondents are denied access, and those who report critically face expulsion.
The Ministry of Communication and Ministry of Defense now act in tandem—to manage perception, suppress truth, and weaponize information.
Southern Cameroons and the Doctrine of Domination:
The war in Southern Cameroons, which began as peaceful protests for equality and federalism, was transformed by the Defense Ministry into a campaign of extermination.
Villages have been burned, women raped, and thousands killed. The government labels all calls for self-determination as “terrorism,” allowing the army to operate with impunity.
Behind the rhetoric of national unity lies a deeper colonial legacy: the domination of one territory by another, enforced through military occupation.
The defense forces have ceased to be defenders—they are occupiers.
International Complicity and the Shield of Silence:
France, the European Union, and even the African Union maintain a disturbing silence. France continues to provide military aid and intelligence cooperation, knowing these tools are used against civilians.
International organizations issue statements of “concern” but stop short of sanctions or investigations.
This silence emboldens the perpetrators.
The Ministry of Defense, shielded by diplomatic immunity and political inertia, continues its campaign of brutality with impunity.
Without international pressure, Cameroon risks becoming Africa’s North Korea—a state where the leader’s silence is sacred and suffering is normalized.
The Moral Cost of a Nation in Captivity:
A nation cannot breathe under the boot of its own army.
The moral decay of Cameroon’s defense establishment mirrors the spiritual decay of the republic. The constitution, the flag, and the anthem have all been stripped of meaning when the people they represent live in fear.
Courageous voices—from the clergy to the diaspora—have called for an end to this military state. Yet, within the country, terror has replaced hope.
A government that must torture its citizens to claim legitimacy has already lost the moral authority to govern.
Conclusion: The Path Toward Redemption
Cameroon’s path to redemption lies in dismantling the architecture of repression and restoring the voice of the people.
The Ministry of Defense must return to its constitutional mandate—protecting the nation, not enslaving it.
The international community must demand transparency, accountability, and human rights monitoring in all defense operations.
Most importantly, the silence surrounding Paul Biya’s incapacitation must end. A president who cannot speak cannot lead; a regime that tortures cannot govern; a nation that fears its army cannot be free.
The time has come for truth to reclaim its place in Cameroon.
By Funtong Daniel, MSN, AGACNP
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