The Cameroon is Back Collective has issued a public appeal to religious leaders and traditional chiefs, urging them to take a stand against President Paul Biya’s candidacy in the country’s upcoming presidential election, calling the October 12, 2025, vote a defining moment for the nation’s future.
In an open letter, the collective — composed of academics, journalists, civil society members, and political figures — warned that the “silence or neutrality” of bishops, imams, pastors, and traditional authorities would “constitute another defeat for the people” as Cameroon grapples with deepening social, economic, political, and moral crises.
“Our country is going through a multidimensional crisis… despair is evident on people’s faces, the exodus and moral depravity are intensifying among young people, and general impoverishment is affecting both rural and urban areas,” the statement read.
It accused the government of being “monopolized by a worn-out, rigid power, led by proxy,” while alleging that the 91-year-old president’s candidacy defies “reality, the dignity of the office, and the fate of millions of citizens.”
The collective urged spiritual leaders to leverage their “immense force: that of speech, that of conscience, that of moral influence over millions of faithful,” to condemn injustice and “demand the withdrawal of Mr. Paul Biya’s candidacy, to protect the future of our country.”
Traditional rulers were similarly called upon to “free themselves from the logic of favors and privileges” and defend the dignity and future of their communities, despite political pressures and intimidation.
The letter also encouraged religious and traditional authorities to act as mediators, uniting political forces to create a “coherent, credible program of change” that could lead to “a collective project of rupture, reconciliation, and reconstruction.”
“The election of October 12, 2025, is not just an election. It is a special referendum. It is about saying NO and YES. NO to the death of the Nation! YES to the reconstruction of Cameroon!” the statement declared.
The letter was signed by over 20 prominent figures, including journalists Jean-Bruno Tagne and Luc Perry Wandji, musician and writer Blick Bassy, academics Fridolin Nké and François Wassouni, and civil society leaders such as Venant Mboua and Raphael Yimga.
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