Society

Rights group denounces arbitrary detention of election observers in Ngaoundere.

by Elisabeth Banyitabi
23 Oct 2025 12:20
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Philippe Nanga: Coordinator Un Monde Avenir

Human rights and civil society organisation, Un Monde Avenir, has decried the arbitrary detention of its election observers in Ngaoundere III, headquarters of the Adamawa Region of the country
According to a communiqué signed by the organisation’s Coordinator, Philippe Nanga, five observers deployed to monitor the October 12 presidential election in the Adamawa Region were arrested without warrant on the instruction of the Divisional Officer of Ngaoundere III Subdivision.

The observers were reportedly picked up from polling centres at the Rectorate A of Campus A and B of University of Ngaoundere, and the Malang School, while carrying out what the organisation described as “a peaceful civic observation mission”.

The communiqué indicated that the observers were taken to the Central Intelligence Police Station, where they were held for three days without any formal notification of detention.

“They were later told they were being held for illegal observation,” the document noted.

Though the observers were eventually released on October 14 under the guarantee of their supervisor, Edibi Edibi Andre, the latter, the communique said, was himself immediately placed under administrative custody.

Also reportedly detained for “questioning” is Mrs. Ousmanou Ndokonodji, the regional focal point of Un Monde Avenir in Adamawa, whose fate remains uncertain days after.

The rights organisation laments that such acts constitute serious violations of both national and international laws protecting civic participation and human rights.

“These arrests represent a grave breach of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which obliges States to provide a conducive environment for independent and impartial election observation,” the communique emphasises.

Un Monde Avenir, a legally recognised Cameroonian NGO, said it deployed over 800 observers across 200 communities nationwide during the October 12 poll. The group expressed dismay that only those assigned to Ngaoundere III Subdivision remain under sustained harassment.

“We call on the authorities of Ngaoundere III to kindly ensure the immediate release of these individuals, who have been subjected to moral and psychological torture for five days,” Philippe Nanga further appealed in the statement.

The organisation has reiterated its commitment to promoting transparency, democratic governance, and citizen participation in Cameroon, urging authorities to guarantee the freedom and safety of all actors engaged in electoral observation.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3602 of Wednesday October 22, 2025