Catholics in Cameroon not enthused as President Biya 92, Begins 8th Term

Cameroon President Paul Biya has been officially sworn in for an 8th term in office, extending his 43-year rule.
The swearing in ceremony took place November 6 at the Cameroon National Assembly. Biya, who is 92-years-old, was declared winner of the October 12 Presidential election with 53 percent of the vote, but his main rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary rejected the verdict and has claimed he is the President-elect.
In his policy speech, the President thanked Cameroonians for once more electing him into office and  pledged to “spare no effort to continue to be worthy of this trust, whatever the circumstances, no matter the difficulties, obstacles and challenges.”
Biya appealed for national unity, warning against division and called for constructive action.
“This country is our shared heritage. It is our most precious asset. Rather than destroying it, we have to build, strengthen and modernize it,” the president said.
“Cameroon cannot afford a post-election crisis with potentially devastating consequences, as witnessed elsewhere,” he said.
The reference to a post-election crisis captures the reality in Cameroon today, where a former spokesperson for Biya’s government who resigned to challenge his former boss is now also claiming victory.
In a Facebook video message, Issa Tchiroma Bakary told Cameroonians that they now have two presidents: “One elected by the people, and another appointed by the Constitutional Council.”
Tchiroma has said he will do everything possible to restore the “stolen victory.”
As Biya was being sworn in, information filtering from the Tchiroma camp indicated that the opposition leader who had fled to Nigeria over threats on his life had again left Nigeria for an unknown destination.
Eric Chinje, a close associate of Tchiroma said in an interview that Tchiroma was effectively preparing for his own swearing in, and that he would “reveal his governance program to the nation in due time.”
Catholics rail at Biya’s 8th term
Catholic priests and lay faithful have been quick to balk at Biya’s continued stay in power, predicting an 8th term that will yield nothing but pain and anguish for an already exhausted Cameroonian people.
Father Etienne Bakaba in an opinion piece circulated on social media networks described the start of the fresh mandate as “the last night” that opens “its curtains of darkness-a mandate of despair…a night of betrayal and abandonment that will lead to a crucifixion without redemption.”
He painted a dark picture of Biya’s stewardship for the past 43 years as Cameroon’s President.
“For more than 40 years, you have devoured the budgets for health, education, stadiums, roads, security, water and energy; condemning the people to die in cities that have long been dead, without water or electricity, without public transport or security,” the priest wrote.
He said the Biya government reeks of “corruption, serial crimes, rampant immorality, hatred and tribalism brandished as factors of division in order to reign eternally.”
Father Peter Mbiydzenyuy, a Cameroonian priest serving in Bata in Equatorial Guinea, noted that in the aftermath of Biya’s proclaimed victory, the international community went virtually silent, and even those that sent messages rather expressed concerns about human rights violations in the post-election violent confrontation.
“Cameroon’s embattled president Paul Biya has never been this isolated on the world stage. After the disputed October 2025 election, no major country, not the U.S., U.K., Canada, China, the EU, Nigeria, or South Africa, congratulated him on his so-called victory,” Mbiydzenyuy told Crux.
“Instead, most have condemned electoral fraud, violence, and repression,” the priest said.
He said such global silence means something bigger than military action.
“It means the world no longer believes Biya’s story. For 43 years, his government has survived by borrowing money, seeking foreign approval, and pretending to be stable. But without international loans and support, Cameroon’s weak economy could soon collapse,” he explained.
At least 48 people have been killed in the post-election violence and hundreds of protesters have been arrested.
The priest said Cameroon is always desperate for global recognition so much that in 2018, the country’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, brought in fake observers to validate that year’s election.
“They need international validation. Sadly this time, they are not getting it. With the hundreds of letters written by citizens to representatives in the UK, USA and Canada, the situation will only get worse,” Mbiydzenyuy said.
“Even countries that once stood by Biya, like China, are now keeping their distance. This is a sign that even most world leaders see that Biya’s legitimacy is gone,” he told Crux.
He said the global silence shows that Cameroon’s crisis is no longer only political but global.
“The world is watching and waiting for real change. No country or institution would want to give a loan to Cameroon without knowing who is in charge,” he said.
Looking to the future, Father Romanus Kirsi of Ako in Kumbo Diocese  told Crux that a civil war is looming towards Cameroon, with a possible showdown between Tchiroma and Biya backers.
“Cameroon has exposed itself to international mockery and banditry, hatred for truth and greed at the expense of human rights, self-determination and justice,” he said.
He sees nothing positive in Biya’s 8th term except that the country “will sink into greater chaos and the humble and poor will continue to suffer grievously while the rich will increase their wealth to perdition.”