Cameroon has suspended the opposition Cameroon National Salvation Front (FSNC) for three months over allegations of inciting insurrection, violence and disturbances to public order following the country’s October 2025 presidential election.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration announced the suspension on Tuesday, citing alleged offences committed “before, during and after the presidential election of October 12, 2025.”
According to the ministry’s statement, the allegations include incitement to insurrection, undermining national unity and territorial integrity, and encouraging violence that resulted in the destruction of public and private property.
The government also cited serious disturbances to public order and the fact that the party’s leader, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, lives in exile.
The order referred to ongoing legal proceedings and convictions, particularly a ruling by the Yaoundé Military Court on October 8, 2026, involving individuals linked to election-related violence.
Under the suspension order, all FSNC activities are prohibited for three months. Anyone who violates the directive risks prosecution.
Regional governors, prefects and sub-prefects have been directed to enforce the decision.
The order is also expected to be published in the Official Gazette in both French and English.
The formal suspension followed an earlier government statement warning that the party could face legal challenges or outright dissolution if it failed to accept the sanction.
The decision comes ahead of Cameroon’s local and parliamentary elections scheduled for early 2027.
The FSNC is led by Bakary, a former government minister who is currently living in The Gambia.
Bakary contested the October 2025 presidential election, challenging President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982.
Following the vote, Bakary declared himself the winner and called on his supporters to defend what he described as his electoral victory.
The announcement triggered protests in major cities, which security forces violently suppressed. Several people were reportedly killed, although the government has not released an official death toll.
Biya, who was 93 at the time of the election, was declared the winner of the poll.
The suspension adds to tensions surrounding Cameroon’s political opposition as the country prepares for another round of elections in 2027.
However, the ministry’s allegations against the FSNC remain the government’s stated grounds for the suspension.
