Front Line is deeply concerned by the arrest of Mr Bernard Njonga, Mr. Isaac Difakoué and two other members of the Association Citoyenne de Défense des Intérêts Collectifs - ACDIC (The Citizens Association for the Defence of Collective Interests) who were amongst nine protesters arrested during a peaceful protest on 10 December 2008 in Yaoundé. Two other ACDIC members, Mr Nono Theophile and Mr Mowha Franklin, were severely beaten by the police during the demonstration. Bernard Njonga is the National President of the ACDIC and Isaac Difakoué is the Vice-President of the same organisation. The ACDIC is a citizen´s movement which defends the rights of citizens in Cameroon.

Further Information

The ACDIC had planned to hold a sit-in at the ACDIC offices in Yaoundé on the day of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to protest against government corruption, particularly within the Department of Agriculture, and against the worsening corn crisis in the country. On 10 December 2008, at 6:30 am, the first ACDIC members gathered at the ACDIC offices in Rue Ceper. A few minutes later, a first group of policemen arrived and blocked the entrance to the ACDIC offices, while several other protesters were arriving. At about 7:00 am, anti-riot police from the Groupe Mobile d'Intervention (Mobile Intervention Unit – GMI) arrived on the spot. While tension between ACDIC members and the police was growing, the police requested that all protesters inside the ACDIC office come out, and requested to speak to Mr Bernard Njongang, President of the ACDIC. As the protesters tried to remain inside the building, the police started attacking some of them. Mr Nono Theophile and Mr Mowha Franklin were severely beaten and required medical assistance and stitches. It is reported that both Nono Theophile and Mowha Franklin were beaten while they were entering the police car for questioning. The police also confiscated from the ACDIC offices materials produced for the protest.

Nine protesters, including the aforementioned members of the ACDIC, were detained and brought to the Central Police Station no. 1. All were released on the evening of 11 December and appeared in court the next morning. All of the individuals were released but charges of "illegal manifestation" are still pending against them. They have been ordered to appear in court again on 31 January 2009.

Front Line believes that Bernard Njonga, Isaac Difakoué and the two other ACDIC members were arrested as a result of their legitimate activities in defence of human rights in Cameroon.