Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto says he has been effectively placed under house arrest in Douala since returning from a political rally in France that angered the ruling party. Kamto, 71, head of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), had been due to meet party officials over the weekend but was blocked from leaving his residence by security forces. Speaking to supporters on Sunday, Kamto said, “As I speak, I’m still sequestered,” urging the crowd to “go home in calm and dignity.” Footage showed heavy police presence around his location, and officers told reporters they had orders to monitor the area and restrict filming.
Kamto had addressed thousands of Cameroonians in the diaspora at a rally in Paris on May 31, promising political reform and surprisingly pledging protection for President Paul Biya and his family if he wins the upcoming election. “I have no time for hatred. I have time to build Cameroon with you,” Kamto said. The comment drew scorn from ruling CPDM party officials, with Labour Minister Grégoire Owona calling the remarks “pathetic” on Facebook. Kamto’s planned meetings on Sunday and Monday were cancelled due to the police blockade, and authorities barred access to CRM’s Douala headquarters, claiming the meeting was unauthorized. Kamto disputes this, saying local officials were notified in advance.
A former law professor and justice minister, Kamto was previously detained for nine months after rejecting the results of the 2018 presidential election, in which he placed second to President Paul Biya, now 92 and in power since 1982. Biya has not yet confirmed whether he will run for re-election in October 2025. Kamto’s presidential candidacy is uncertain. Cameroonian electoral law requires candidates to come from parties with elected representatives in office. While the CRM had one senator in 2018, it currently has none. Kamto may instead seek to run as an independent, needing at least 300 endorsements from designated public figures. He maintains that “no legal obstacle” prevents his run.
CRM spokesperson Guy Tassé accused the Biya administration of orchestrating a “political maneuver to block the candidate they fear because he embodies real change.” The tension comes amid broader political unrest. Parliamentary elections have been postponed to 2026, and authorities recently banned media coverage of the president’s health, following rumors of his death. Cameroon also remains mired in a violent separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions, with over 6,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands displaced since the insurgency began in 2017.
