The opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) has denounced what it calls the arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of twelve of its militants in Mundemba, Ndian Division of the South West Region.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, and signed by the party’s National Communication Secretary, Henry Kejang, the SDF alleged that the detainees are being held at the Mundemba Public Security Police Station, where credible reports suggest they are being subjected to torture.
Arrests Over Campaign Posters
According to SDF district officials, the arrests were ordered directly by the Divisional Officer of Mundemba and the Commissioner of Public Security. The militants’ only “crime,” the party says, was lawfully pasting campaign posters of the SDF’s presidential candidate, Hon. Joshua Osih, ahead of the October 12 polls.
Kejang’s statement emphasized that the arrests reflect “a premeditated scheme to suppress the SDF and obstruct democratic participation.”
Leaders’ Attempts Blocked
SDF Secretary General Njong Donatus Fonyuy and First National Vice Chairman Dr. Louis Marie Kakdeu attempted to engage the local administrators but were met with “deliberate evasion, denial of responsibility, and outright refusal to engage,” the party said.
“An Affront to Democracy”
Kejang described the crackdown as “a shameful act of political intimidation and an affront to democracy at the most critical moment in the nation’s history.”
He further warned that such repressive measures risk undermining fragile calm in Ndian Division, a region already scarred by nearly a decade of armed conflict.
“To jeopardize this hard-won calm with unlawful arrests and intimidation is reckless, dangerous, and intolerable,” Kejang declared.
Call for International Attention
The SDF demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the twelve detained militants and called on the national and international community, human rights organizations, and justice defenders to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“The eyes of the nation and the world are watching. Those who seek to silence democracy will be exposed,” Kejang concluded.
The October 12 presidential election is shaping up to be one of Cameroon’s most consequential votes in decades, with opposition parties increasingly accusing the government of using security forces to stifle dissent.
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