Two Senior Ministers Resign from Biya Government as Northern Elite Grows Restless
By Andre Momo | BaretaNews | June 30, 2025
In a dramatic escalation of internal dissent, Belo Bouba Maigari, Minister of Tourism and Leisure, has resigned from President Paul Biya’s government. The move was swiftly echoed by Nana Abubakar, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Environment, both high-ranking members of the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP/NUDP).
The resignations come on the heels of former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s stinging denunciation of the Biya regime, calling the president “invisible and inaccessible” and declaring the country to be in the grip of rival political clans.
Northern Bloc Cracking?
Both Belo Bouba and Nana Abubakar hail from the Grand North, a region long considered a loyal stronghold for the regime. Their exits mark a significant political rupture—possibly the early signs of a northern elite distancing itself from the collapsing Biya apparatus. Analysts suggest the Grand North is now speaking, and could emerge as a surprise power broker in the post-Biya transition, especially with presidential elections expected in October.
Implications for the Cameroon–Ambazonia Conflict
Within the context of the ongoing Cameroon-Ambazonia war, the resignations reinforce what Southern Cameroonians have long argued: that Yaoundé is losing control, not only in the restive Anglophone regions but also within its own core.
As elite fragmentation deepens, the regime’s focus on suppressing Ambazonian self-determination becomes increasingly unsustainable. Resources are stretched, loyalty is eroding, and decision-making is paralyzed. If trusted northern politicians are now walking away, what legitimacy remains for a regime already facing armed resistance in the South-West and North-West?
For Ambazonians, the northern unrest may offer new strategic openings—particularly in building alliances with other marginalised groups who now see that the unitary state has failed them all.
© BaretaNews 2025
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