By Nformi Ngi Jones Tamfu
The political landscape in Cameroon has been marked by a notable silence following the expiration of a 48-hour ultimatum issued by opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, President of the National Salvation Front of Cameroon (FSNC). Tchiroma, who contested the October 12 presidential election and declared himself the “president elect,” gave the Yaounde regime a strict deadline to release all individuals arrested in connection with the post-electoral protest.
In a viral video posted on his Facebook page last Sunday, November 9, 2025, Issa Tchiroma made a fiery demand, characterizing the numerous arrests of those involved in violent protests as “repression and state-based terrorism and gangsterism on civilians.”
“I give you, in my capacity, 48 hours to liberate all those unlawfully arrested and jailed,” he stated. “Failing to do so, Cameroonians will find themselves in legitimate defense, free to undertake whatever it takes to recover their freedom.”
The deadline has passed without any visible reaction from the government of President Paul Biya, who began his eighth term in office after officially taking the oath on November 6, 2025. Adding to the tension, several of Tchiroma’s close collaborators, including Djeukam Tchameni, Aba Oyono, and Anicet Ekane, remain in detention, underscoring the government’s apparent lack of concession.
Initially, a flash of hope appeared for the opposition’s sympathizers when the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, ordered the release of 60 youths during a visit to Ngoundere. This action was optimistically viewed by some Tchiroma followers as the government bowing to their leader’s ultimatum.
However, sources close to the matter suggest those released were individuals whose parents had publicly submitted apologies to local authorities. Legal experts quickly analyzed the move, concluding it was an administrative decision rather than a direct response to the political demand, effectively diminishing the initial jubilation.
Meanwhile, the government has intensified its stance against the protests and those encouraging them. Minister Atanga Nji Paul, during an evaluation tour in Bertoua, the Eastern heartland of Cameroon, reminded citizens of President Biya’s inaugural speech, which called for national unity and the preservation of Cameroon’s assets.
In a direct warning, the MINAT boss stated that those responsible for acts of vandalism would “pay for the crime committed.” Without naming Tchiroma directly, he clearly implicated the opposition leader: “A candidate who took part in the October 12, 2025, race to Etoudi has been the one galvanizing and pushing young Cameroonians to go violent and destructive… He will pay for the crime no matter where he is hiding because he is the first person we have identified.”
The main question now circulating among Cameroonians is the meaning of Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s subsequent silence. Following the expiration of his self-imposed deadline, the opposition figure has gone completely quiet, leaving his ardent followers many of whom were prepared for a next move in total confusion.
Has Tchiroma run out of ideas and strategies? Has he abandoned his sheep? Have the Cameroonians he hoped would support his political agenda disappointed him? Or is his silence a sign of a new, different strategy yet to be unveiled? Or he has finally accepted defeat? As the political drama pauses, many citizens are simply accepting their current fate, shifting their focus back to the pressing realities of their daily lives; bills, school fees, feeding and rent. The hopes that escalated with the opposition’s bold challenge now appear to be subsiding into the backdrop of routine life.
