We, international organizations and partners committed to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and lasting peace, express our deep concern over the sociopolitical and security climate ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 12 October 2025 in Cameroon.
The country is experiencing a profound crisis marked among others by:
- The rise of hate speech and incitement to violence, including rhetoric with genocidal undertones, fueling community tensions;
- an electoral environment widely perceived as unfair and inequitable, in contradiction with Cameroon’s international obligations;
- controversial decisions, including the rejection of major candidacies, further heightening tensions and threatening national stability.
These dynamics have already severely undermined the credibility and peacefulness of the 2025 election, creating a serious risk of electoral violence and regional destabilization.
We call on the international community – the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, bilateral partners, and networks of women and youth – to act urgently to:
- Take immediate corrective measures to prevent electoral violence, protect citizens, and reduce tensions during the election processes.
- Strengthen preventive diplomacy to defuse political and community tensions before they escalate further.
- Protect women, youth, and vulnerable groups, in line with UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) and 2250 (Youth, Peace and Security).
- Ensure that the elections are genuinely free, credible, inclusive, and peaceful, through structural reforms, fair competition, and the guarantee of civic space.
- Hold accountable those responsible for serious human rights violations and those obstructing a free, peaceful, and credible electoral process.
We firmly believe that a coordinated and decisive international response is essential to limit the risks of violence in 2025, restore citizens’ trust, and lay the groundwork for sustainable peace and inclusive governance in Cameroon.
Together, we call for urgent action to protect citizens and to guarantee that the elections are free, credible, inclusive, and peaceful.