In what should have been a proud season for democracy, Cameroon’s journalists find themselves fighting not only deadlines but also danger. As the country navigates one of its most charged presidential elections in recent history, the men and women tasked with informing the public are increasingly becoming victims of the very process they are trying to document.
The challenges began long before voting day. Many journalists complained that they were not allowed to vote in advance or from their places of duty which is a basic facilitation for professionals who spend election day in the field. Unlike election observers or polling officials who are usually provided alternatives, reporters have no legal provisions allowing them to exercise their civic duty while on assignment. For many, fulfilling their professional obligation meant sacrificing their right to vote just like the reverse.
Then came the accreditation ordeal. Obtaining authorisation to cover the elections proved to be a long and frustrating process. Several media professionals described the conditions as unnecessarily stringent, with documentation demands that exceeded practical expectations. Some newsrooms received their press badges only hours before polling began, forcing journalists to work without official clearance in highly tense zones. Others were simply left out, silenced not by choice but by bureaucratic delay.
Amid this frustration, a darker threat has emerged. This is the violence. In recent days, several journalists have been assaulted while covering protests and political gatherings. According to a statement issued on Tuesday 28 October 2025 by the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union (CJTU), at least three reporters including Willy Michael Kingue of LTM, Jean Blaise Tonye, and Alain Ghislain Kanga of Canal 2 narrowly escaped death or serious injury while on duty. One was stabbed, another attacked by protesters, and a third nearly lynched.
CJTU expressed “deep indignation” and “firmly condemned” these attacks, calling them a direct assault on democracy. The Union reminded the public that journalists are neither militants nor political opponents, but servants of truth and the public interest.
“To target a journalist is to attack democracy itself,” the statement warned.
These attacks add to the growing list of obstacles facing media workers in this election cycle from limited access to information and logistical difficulties to the ever-present fear of intimidation. Many journalists admit they now approach assignments with heightened caution, knowing that a wrong turn or misunderstood question could make them targets of hostility.
Despite all this, reporters across the country continue to push through. In Yaoundé, Douala, like in Bamenda, and the far-flung corners of the nation, they remain on the field gathering facts, recording voices, and trying to give citizens the information they need to make sense of the moment. The courage it takes to do so, especially under such tension, is immeasurable.
CJTU has appealed to citizens and opinion leaders to respect the neutrality of journalists and refrain from treating them as enemies. It has also urged the government to guarantee the safety and professional freedom of media workers throughout the electoral period, and called on the international community to remain vigilant against the growing violations of press freedom.
Still, beneath these appeals lies a quieter truth that Cameroon’s journalists are weary. Years of working in a climate of suspicion and censorship have taken their toll. Many continue out of duty, others out of hope that someday their work will be recognised not as a threat, but as an essential pillar of democracy.
In these critical times, as CJTU aptly puts it, “The press is not the enemy. It is the mirror of society. Do not shatter it."
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Online
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