Peace, War, and Justice in Cameroon: The Crossroads of a Nation’s Conscience

by MD
(Maryland, US)

Two weeks ago, on October 12th, 2025, Cameroonians went to the polls in what was expected to be a turning point in their nation’s political history. After over four decades under President Paul Biya, the world watched to see whether the people’s voice would finally prevail over a regime that has become synonymous with longevity, control, and fear.

But as the days have unfolded, the air in Cameroon has grown heavier. Not with celebration or national pride, but with tension, uncertainty, and whispers of betrayal. Once again, the promise of democracy appears to have been lost in the fog of manipulation.

This moment, perhaps more than any other in Cameroon’s post-independence history, calls for a sober reflection on peace, war, and justice—three forces that now stand in uneasy opposition within the soul of a weary nation.

1. The Illusion of Peace

Cameroon has long prided itself on being a peaceful nation—a haven of calm in a region historically marred by instability. “Peace,” in the Cameroonian context, has almost become a political slogan—repeated by those in power as both a promise and a warning.

Indeed, since the country’s independence, the word “peace” has often been weaponized to silence dissent. Citizens are told to “value peace,” “preserve peace,” and “avoid chaos.” But over time, many have begun to ask a painful question: Whose peace are we protecting?

In the aftermath of the 2025 presidential elections, the ruling CPDM party and its ageing leader have once again invoked peace as the supreme virtue. Citizens are being urged not to protest, not to question the results, and not to “destabilize the nation.” Youths are even being gathered to sign pledges guaranteeing peace and order.

But this peace—defined by silence, fear, and submission—is not true peace. True peace is not the absence of noise or confrontation; it is the presence of justice, fairness, and respect for human dignity.

Cameroonians today are asking a difficult but necessary question: Can there be peace without justice?

2. The Cry for Justice

At the heart of the current crisis lies a simple truth: Cameroonians want justice.

Justice for their votes.
Justice for their right to choose who leads them.
Justice for decades of repression, corruption, and exclusion.

The raw data from polling stations across the country reportedly showed Issa Chiroma, the main opposition leader from the northern region, in a commanding lead. His message of renewal resonated deeply with a population desperate for change. Yet, the official results—still to be declared—are already being projected in favor of the incumbent, Paul Biya, the 92-year-old president who has ruled since 1982.

This contradiction between reality and authority has ignited a national outcry. From the bustling streets of Douala to the dusty roads of Garoua, ordinary citizens are voicing the same sentiment: enough is enough.

But instead of addressing these grievances through dialogue and transparency, the government’s response has been militarization. Soldiers patrol the streets. Dissenters are arrested. Journalists are silenced. Anyone daring to mention Chiroma’s “victory” risks imprisonment or worse.

This is not the peace of democracy. It is the peace of fear. And fear, history reminds us, is the fertile ground from which revolutions are born.

3. When Peace is Without Justice, War Becomes the Language of the Oppressed

Cameroon stands on a dangerous precipice.

Already, the Anglophone regions have been engulfed in conflict for nearly a decade. What began as peaceful protests over marginalization and linguistic discrimination has transformed into a brutal armed struggle for independence. Entire villages have been burned. Thousands have died. Millions have been displaced.

Now, as the northern regions rally behind Issa Chiroma, the fear of a broader national confrontation looms large. The North, like the Anglophone West, feels betrayed, ignored, and used. These regions have historically supported the ruling regime, yet they remain among the poorest and most neglected. Today, their loyalty has shifted—from the man in Yaoundé to the dream of self-determination and fairness.

Cameroonians know too well the price of war. They have seen it in the suffering of their Anglophone brothers and sisters. They have felt it in the broken families, in the silence of abandoned classrooms, in the tears of mothers who no longer know where their sons have gone.

That is why the majority of Cameroonians do not want war. They crave peace. But they also know that peace without justice is only a fragile pause before an inevitable explosion.

Justice must therefore not be treated as a threat to stability—it must be embraced as the foundation of peace.

4. The Shadow of Power

For 43 years, Paul Biya has ruled Cameroon like a monarch—distant, untouchable, and eternal. Under his watch, the country has known both progress and paralysis. Roads have been built, but freedoms have been buried. Education has expanded, but hope has shrunk.

At 92, Biya remains the world’s oldest president and one of the longest-serving leaders in modern history. To many, he has become more than a president—he is an institution. But even institutions decay when they refuse renewal.

The current crisis is not just about an election; it is about a generational reckoning. It is about a people asking whether their destiny will always be decided by a few powerful hands, or whether the time has come for their voices to truly matter.

The regime’s insistence on maintaining power at all costs has stripped “peace” of its moral authority. When leaders fear justice, they cloak themselves in peace. But peace built on fear is a mirage—it vanishes the moment people find the courage to stand.

5. Issa Chiroma and the Spirit of Change

In this tense political atmosphere, Issa Chiroma has emerged as a symbol of the change many yearn for. Coming from the North, a region often underrepresented in the nation’s power structure, Chiroma’s rise carries both political and emotional weight.

By declaring himself the winner of the October 12 elections and calling on citizens to “defend their votes at all costs,” Chiroma has ignited a new wave of civic consciousness. For the first time in decades, Cameroonians are uniting across ethnic and linguistic lines around a shared desire for truth and accountability.

Yet, this awakening also comes with danger. If the government chooses repression over reconciliation, if it answers cries for justice with bullets, then the thin thread holding the country together could snap.

The coming days will therefore be decisive—not just for Chiroma or Biya, but for the soul of Cameroon itself.

6. The Path Forward: Justice as the Seed of Peace

Cameroon’s path forward lies not in fear, nor in the false calm of enforced peace, but in truth and justice.

Justice demands that the will of the people be respected. If irregularities occurred, they must be investigated openly. If fraud was committed, it must be punished. The international community must not turn a blind eye, and Cameroonians must not surrender their hope.

Peace will not come from silencing voices—it will come from listening to them. It will come when young people are no longer forced to sign declarations of loyalty, but invited to participate in rebuilding their nation. It will come when the government realizes that holding onto power is not the same as leading a people.

The CPDM regime must therefore move with caution. It must choose between justice and chaos, between dialogue and destruction. The world is watching, but more importantly, history is recording.