Cameroon Maintains Appalling Record of Third Worst Jailer of Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists report shows that as of December 31, 2023, the number of journalists jailed in Sub-Saharan Africa stands at 47, up from 37 recorded in 2022

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, January 22, 2024 – Cameroon has maintained its shameful record as one of the top three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with the track record of being the worst jailers of journalists. A report released by the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, indicates that the country has six journalists currently incarcerated.

The previous year marked one of the deadliest periods for journalists in Cameroon, with three reporters losing their lives. Among them was Martinez Zogo, an investigative journalist and radio host at Yaounde-based station Amplitude FM. The subsequent killings were of TV host Jean Ola and Bamenda sports journalist Anye Nde Nsoh.

Despite the grim situation for journalists in Cameroon, the country trails behind Ethiopia with eight journalists detained, Egypt (13), and Africa’s worst offender, Eritrea (16), according to CPJ’s rankings.

Eritrea holds the distinction of having the longest-detained journalists in the world, with the majority of its detainees imprisoned since 2001. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of journalists behind bars increased from 31 in 2022 to 47 in 2023, according to CPJ. This upward trend is reflective of a global pattern, with 320 journalists reported to be in detention as of December 31, 2023.

CPJ notes that Thomas Awah Junior, Tsi Conrad, Mancho Bibixy, and Kingsley Njoka — are all held at the Yaounde-Kondengui prison. These journalists have been arrested in connection with the ongoing armed conflict in the English-speaking regions of the country and are accused of secession-related crimes.

Amadou Vamoulke, former CRTV General Manager, is currently one of the longest-serving journalists behind bars in the Central African nation. Arrested in 2016 on corruption-related charges, Vamoulke was handed a 12-year sentence in 2022 after serving six years in pre-trial detention. Journalists in Cameroon have expressed concerns about operating in a precarious environment, particularly due to the use of the 2014 anti-terrorism law to target members of the press.

China, Myanmar, and Belarus topped the list of the worst jailers of journalists in 2023, with 44, 43, and 28 journalists behind bars, respectively. With Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, the country has made it to the list of the 10 worst jailers of journalists for the first time. Israel has arrested at least 20 Palestinian journalists for their reporting since the war started on October 7, 2023.

"The number was the second-highest recorded by the CPJ since the census began in 1992—a disturbing barometer of entrenched authoritarianism and the vitriol of governments determined to smother independent voices," the CPJ said. "Some governments go a step further, using transnational repression to threaten and harass reporters beyond their borders."