Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former candidate in Cameroon's October 2025 presidential election, has launched a humanitarian appeal to support the victims of what he calls the "bloody repression". This initiative comes against a socio-economic backdrop that he describes as disastrous, marked by a "technical bankruptcy" of the state and a governance crisis.
In a statement dated February 27, 2026, Tchiroma, who still considers himself the "elected president," expressed his deep concern about the situation in Cameroon. He denounced a struggling economy, a chronically defaulting state, and a governance crisis characterized by a confiscation of power and a "war of clan leaders" at the top of the state. He also deplored the post-election repression, reporting disappearances, about fifty deaths, more than 3,000 arrests, and numerous detainees languishing in prisons.
Faced with this situation, Issa Tchiroma Bakary is calling on Cameroonians, both at home and abroad, to be generous in providing aid and assistance to the victims of repression, especially children. He also invites Cameroonians in the diaspora, including brilliant professionals and students, to get involved in what he calls the "battle for the Etoudi Palace," the seat of the presidency.
The socio-economic situation in Cameroon in 2026 is worrying, with significant external debt and increasing financing needs. The 2026 budget provides for increased spending, but also an increased deficit, requiring the use of external borrowing and bank financing. In addition, post-election tensions have persisted since the presidential election in October 2025, marked by demonstrations and repression.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a figure in the Cameroonian opposition, had already contested the results of the 2025 presidential election. His call for humanitarian mobilization and the involvement of the diaspora comes in a context of a multidimensional crisis in Cameroon.
