By André Momo
Yaoundé Regime Deepens Repression: Abdul Karim Ali Sentenced to Life in Absence of Justice
YAOUNDÉ, 17 April 2025 – In a brazen display of authoritarian overreach, the decaying regime of Paul Biya has sentenced renowned Ambazonian academic and human rights advocate Abdul Karim Ali to life imprisonment in absentia, in what critics are calling a judicial farce orchestrated by a regime desperately clinging to power.
Ali, who was abducted by Cameroonian forces in Bamenda in 2022 and has since endured years of illegal detention, was subjected to a secretive and deeply flawed military tribunal in Yaoundé—despite never recognizing the jurisdiction of the Cameroonian state over the sovereign territory of Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia). His defiant stance in court, where he reaffirmed his identity as an Ambazonian and rejected the colonial court’s authority, has now led to the harshest possible sentence: life behind bars.
This verdict, rendered in Ali’s absence, underscores the lawless nature of a regime that has long abandoned any pretense of democratic rule. In a country where kangaroo courts serve as the last weapon of a tyrant who has ruled for over four decades, this sentence is not justice—it is vengeance.
Paul Biya’s Bloody Legacy Continues
Paul Biya, now 92 and ruling from behind closed doors, has turned Cameroon into a prison for dissenters and a graveyard for free expression. His regime, propped up by a corrupt military elite and foreign complicity, continues its campaign of terror in the English-speaking regions, arresting and disappearing activists, burning down villages, and silencing journalists.
Abdul Karim Ali’s sentencing is only the latest in a series of moves aimed at crushing the spirit of the Ambazonian people. His only crime? Speaking truth to power, calling for international mediation, and defending the rights of a people who have suffered 63 years of annexation, occupation, and cultural erasure.
Military tribunals, such as the one that handed down this sentence, have no legal basis under international law for trying civilians—let alone one who does not recognize the colonial occupation of his homeland. The fact that such a verdict could be issued without any form of due process shows just how far the Republic of Cameroon has descended into tyranny.
International Silence, Local Resistance
The international community, particularly former colonial powers and the United Nations, bear responsibility for this ongoing crisis. Their silence in the face of systematic abuse in the Southern Cameroons emboldens Yaoundé’s regime to continue its brutal crackdown unchecked.
Yet, even as the Biya dictatorship tightens its grip, the spirit of resistance among Southern Cameroonians grows stronger. From the refugee camps of Nigeria to the streets of Buea and Bamenda, the cry for justice, self-determination, and liberation rings louder than ever.
Abdul Karim Ali may be sentenced by a corrupt court, but in the hearts of his people, he is a hero, a scholar, and a prisoner of conscience.
A Call to Action
BaretaNews calls on all Ambazonians, human rights defenders, and freedom-loving people across the world to speak out against this injustice. Demand the immediate release of Abdul Karim Ali. Demand an end to the military occupation. And above all, demand that the world stop looking away while a genocide unfolds in the heart of Africa.
Justice will not come from the oppressor’s court—it will come from the united voice of a people who refuse to be silenced.
