Cameroon Opposition Holds “Day of Mourning” to Protest Constitutional Changes
By Daniel Hollingsworth
April 22, 2008 | Printer Friendly

Cameroon’s opposition party, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), urged supporters to stay home and wear black on April 21 to demonstrate opposition to a constitutional amendment removing term limits from the presidency and allowing President Paul Biya to remain in office, and to mourn the deaths of the dozens killed during protests in January. BBC reports that the amendment, first proposed by Biya in his New Year’s address, was passed overwhelmingly on April 17 by a parliament dominated by Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM); SDF holds only 15 seats in the 180-member body and boycotted the debate of the amendment. “When asked the reasons for the boycott, the leader of the SDF in parliament, Joseph Banadzem, told the BBC: ‘The whole issue is a complete fraud. We do not want to legitimise it by taking part.’”

In an April 12 press release entitled “The Death of Democracy in Cameroon,” SDF Chairman John Fru Ndi writes, “I call on all to observe a National Day of Mourning for the death of our youths who were killed recently and for the death of democracy in our country by staying indoors, dressed in their mourning attire, on Monday, April 21, with the exception of those involved in emergency services in hospitals, health centres and pharmacies.”

A BBC reporter in the capital of Yaounde said that the “Day of Mourning” had limited participation, noting that an increased military presence on the streets was resulting in “an atmosphere of intimidation,” with similar reports from Douala and Bamende. Still, SDF Secretary General Elizabeth Tamajong told the BBC that the protests were significant: “It is a pacific way of doing things and that hurts. The president will notice what is going on.”

BBC News: Protests against Cameroon’s Biya

AllAfrica.com: Fru Ndi Calls for National Mourning Today