Cameroon Supreme Court Justice Richard Wanki, an iconic champion of common law, has died of cancer in Yaoundé.

Wanki died on Thursday surrounded by his family.

Earlier this year, family sources close to Justice Wanki, head of the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court said he was fighting a recurrence of cancer.

Wanki was one of the few Anglophone legal minds to sit on the Francophone dominated Supreme Court.

As one of few English speaking justices on the Supreme Court, his health was watched closely after the passing of Justice Ayah Paul Abine.

His family is expected to issue a statement on the passing of a man described by many as the titan of the common law and a brilliant mind.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai with files

Tributes from public figures have poured in following the announcement of the death of Paul Ayah Abine, a magistrate and politician, on December 24, 2024. He passed away after a prolonged illness at the regional hospital in Buea.

“The African Peoples Union (UPA), a party dedicated to authentic Pan-Africanism, pays a vibrant tribute to a patriot resolutely committed to an unrelenting quest for social justice, freedom, and dignity for the Cameroonian people,” wrote barrister Jean Guy Zogo, the party’s president.

In a statement on his Facebook account, Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), hailed Ayah Abine as a “fearless fighter for freedom and human rights, a man of deep convictions firmly attached to democracy, which he believed in to the very end.” Kamto described him as a direct victim of the civil conflict that has engulfed Cameroon’s Anglophone regions for the past eight years. He added that the late Ayah Abine “was a moderate voice advocating for an inclusive national dialogue to resolve the civil war imposed on our country.”

Professor Edouard Bokagne, Historian and head of the history department at the University of Yaoundé 1, remarked: “The death of Justice Paul Ayah Abine prompts reflection on the untapped potential of a man who could have significantly contributed to Cameroon had his talents been fully utilized.” Bokagne noted that Ayah Abine had a deep understanding of the crisis affecting the Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest Cameroon, with “a profound insight into these societies and a clear vision for addressing their challenges.”

Born in 1950 in Akwaya (Southwest region), Ayah Abine led a dynamic professional and political life. A graduate of the National School of Administration and Magistracy (Enam), he rose to the position of Advocate General at the Supreme Court. Alongside his judicial career, he pursued politics as a member of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). He resigned from the CPDM in 2008 after opposing a constitutional amendment that removed presidential term limits, enabling President Paul Biya to seek re-election in 2011. That same year, he ran for president under his newly formed People’s Action Party (PAP), securing 1.26% of the vote.

Portrayed by authorities as a significant figure in the Anglophone crisis that has affected the Northwest and Southwest regions since 2016, Ayah Abine was a strong advocate for federalism. He was arrested in 2017 and spent eight months in Yaoundé Central Prison. Although he stepped back from active politics in 2019, he continued to engage in humanitarian work through his NGO. However, his efforts were met with challenges, as his accounts were frozen for 29 months and his pension benefits were suspended for over 69 months, according to his associates.

Source: Sbbc

The Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, recently announced in the National Assembly that CFA7 billion has been allocated for the rehabilitation of the Edéa-Kribi road. He highlighted that two companies are already working on this route, which has suffered significant deterioration. The funds for the project come from the Public Investment Budget (BIP) and the African Development Bank (ADB).

Nearly CFA4 billion of the total amount comes from the BIP and the Road Fund, while CFA3 billion from the ADB are part of the Ring Road project in the Northwest. Specifically, part of the funding from the Ndu-Nkambe-Misaje section of the Ring Road project will be used to rehabilitate the Edéa-Kribi road. The Minister assured that “the work is progressing, and progress is visible despite heavy rainfall.”

The road, which stretches for about 110 km, connects Edéa in the Littoral region to the port city of Kribi. Its poor condition has made it difficult for people and goods to travel. The companies handling the work are Mag Sarl and Somaf.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Known for his outspoken nature, Lord Justice Ayah Paul Abine, a renowned Supreme Court Judge and human rights activist died on Christmas day at the age of 74. The news was confirmed by his family in Buea the chief city in the South West region.

Ayah Paul was a strong critic of the Cameroon’s powerful Francophone dominated political establishment. Ayah complained of pains around his chest and was rushed to the Buea Regional Hospital where he breathed his last.

Born in 1950 in Ngali, Akwaya Subdivision in Manyu, Lord Justice Ayah was among the few English speaking Cameroonians who served at the Supreme Court. His life was dedicated towards his career and he went on to defend the rights of millions of Cameroonians, children and other minorities.

Lord Justice Ayah started his career after he graduated from the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) in Yaoundé in 1976.  He was Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in Buea in the South-West region, before becoming a member of the National Assembly in 2002. In August 2007, he was elected Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

Lord Justice Paul Abine left the ruling CPDM crime syndicate and founded the People’s Action Party (PAP). He was arrested on 21 January 2017 for advocating a return to federalism which was against the rule of Cameroon’s longest-serving dictator Paul Biya. He was tried before the military court in Yaoundé and was released from prison by presidential decree on 30 August 2017 after spending more than 8 months in detention at the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison.

Ayah Paul Abine became a champion for democracy, human rights and remains the only Cameroonian Supreme Court judge ever detained by the blood thirty regime in Yaoundé.

In 2023 he told this reporter that his life was in danger from the country’s top spy agency General Directorate of External Research, Cameroon’s intelligence agency.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The scheduled hearing at the Yaoundé military tribunal in the case of slain journalist Martinez Zogo is unlikely to yield significant progress. Defense lawyers have appealed the presiding judge’s November 11 rejection of their objections to the detention of their clients.

The appeal, filed with the Centre Region Court of Appeal, seeks to overturn Colonel Missé Njoné’s decision. Defense attorneys aim to compel the judge to reconsider procedural aspects of the preliminary investigation and judicial inquiry. If successful, the appeal could lead to the release of several of the 17 accused, including prominent businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga and former Directorate General for External Research (DGRE) head Léopold Maxime Eko Eko.

At the December 3 hearing, defense attorneys highlighted the unavailability of the contested decision. The tribunal assured them it would be forwarded to the court registry soon. However, the appeal court cannot proceed until it formally receives the case file, leaving the trial in limbo pending a ruling on the appeal.

This marks the second appeal filed by the defense since the trial began in March. In July, defense lawyers sought to compel Judge Missé Njoné to provide them with a copy of the case file. The court denied the request, ruling that Cameroonian law does not mandate the judge to share the document. Some lawyers have since appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.

In January 2023, Zogo’s mutilated body was discovered in the northeastern outskirts of Yaoundé. As director of Amplitude FM, a radio station in the capital, Zogo was known for his popular program exposing corruption among high-profile figures.

Investigations revealed that a DGRE commando kidnapped, tortured, and murdered the journalist. The revelations led to the arrest of 17 individuals, including 12 DGRE agents.

Source: Sbbc

The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) said on Monday that food insecurity in Cameroon is worsening, with over 3 million people currently affected.

In its daily flash report, ECHO cited the Cadre Harmonisé, a food security assessment framework, which found that 2.7 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season from June to August 2025.

The lean season, the period between harvests, is typically a time of food scarcity for many households.

ECHO noted that these figures represent a 4.7% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The three regions most impacted by food insecurity are the Far North, North-West, and South-West.

The Far North region is expected to be the hardest hit, with over one million people projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season. ECHO attributed the worsening food security situation to several factors, including unprecedented flooding in the Far North region in 2024, escalating conflict-induced violence, and rising food prices.

Source: Business in Cameroon

The Manyu Women International Association (Nyenè Mawn) has suspended seven of its front line leaders indefinitely for sowing intolerance and disunity by misappropriating the association’s funds. The action announced today by the leadership of Nyenè Mawn’s governing body against the seven was unexpectedly severe.

Nyenè Mawn stated that “recent acts of financial misconduct by Bessem Bayen, Nancy Tarkang, Evelyn Ashu, Frida Enow, Emilia Ntoh, Florence Bessong and Baphe Lurke for which all 7 have been found guilty are very serious, and have damaged the integrity of Nyenè Mawn and Nyenè Mawn’s international reputation.”

The Nyenè Mawn press release also suggested that the suspended seven members have been intimidated by the verdict.

The sanction deprives the seven members, who have been active in Nyenè Mawn ever since the association was created in Belgium from participating in any Nyenè Mawn activity. The Nyenè Mawn statement furthered that the memberships of the seven have all been frozen.

“This decision has been communicated to the concerned parties and we have been told that the 7, intimidated by this action, are planning to release on social media a statement saying they have passed a vote of no-confidence on the President-General Dr Mrs Patience Abangma. We hereby call on all Nyenè Mawn queens, all over the world not to treat as serious any vote of no-confidence statement on social media against Dr. Patience Abangma,”

“We again are asking all our members to remain vigilant and to bear in mind that only the general assembly meeting coming up in August in Paris, France will implement changes as regards to leadership positions in Nyenè Mawn.”

At the time of filing this report a statement from the seven suspended members was sent to our editorial chat forum.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai