Defence minister orders probe into torture of Longue Longue.

The member of government ordered the investigations yesterday. His instructions for a probe, is contained in a press release issued by the Head of the Communication Division at the Ministry of Defence, Navy Captain Atonfack Guemo Cyrille Serge. 

“The Ministry of Defence hereby informs: in the morning of Wednesday, 23rd October 2024, a viral video appeared on social media showing acts of violence inflicted on the musician Longkana Agno Simon known as Longuè Longuè. The victim accuses some service members of the Littoral Military Security Branch, Douala Garrison, of the Second Joint Military Region of perpetrating this act of violence,” partly reads the press release. 

It added that: “Informed of these acts of violence against a citizen, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, immediately instructed his specialised services to open an investigation”.

In the release, the Military Spokesperson said: “More light will be shed on this unfortunate incident”.

The minister, through the release, promised that “responsibilities shall be established and conclusion drawn based on the results of the investigation, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force”. 

Akere, Kamto, Cabral, Osih condemn, demand justice 

Prior to the instructions from the minister, some outspoken opposition politicians and civil society actors had condemned the merciless torture of Longue Longue. 

In separate outings on their social media handles, international legal heavyweight and 2025 presidential election aspirant, Barrister Akere Muna; National President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto; the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, SDF, Hon Osih Joshua and the leader of the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation, PCRN, Hon Cabral Libii, vehemently condemned the act. 

They urged government to immediately identity the authors of the inhumane torture and bring them to book for the dehumanising treatment of a fellow compatriot. 

The shocking video is believed to have been filmed with a mobile phone, five years back, when Longue Longue was arrested in Douala by security officers in 2019.

Abhorrent act unacceptable, demands unequivocal condemnation

-Akere Muna

Condemning the treatment meted on Longue Longue from Washington DC in the United States, where he is attending the World Bank Annual Meeting, Barrister Akere Muna, said he was “deeply disturbed by the distressing video depicting the torture of the esteemed artiste”. 

He said the “inhumane treatment he endured is a stark reminder of the depths of depravity to which humanity can descend”.

Akere Muna said “…it is unfathomable that fellow citizens could inflict such torment and even record it!”.

He said the “abhorrent act is not only unacceptable but also demands unequivocal condemnation from everyone”.

The 2025 presidential aspirant said it is “imperative that we stand together to denounce such odious behavior, because, if such an established popular artiste can suffer from it, it goes without saying that other anonymous compatriots have also been victims”.

Akere Muna said he is “filled with regret” not having “fully comprehend the extent of the trauma” the artiste endured after watching the video. 

“This incident serves as a chilling reminder of the urgent need for justice and compassion in our society,” Akere Muna stated. 

Torture against the law- Osih Joshua 

The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, Hon Osih Joshua, said torture is against the law. 

He said the SDF strongly condemns “these despicable and barbaric acts and calls for an investigation to establish those responsible and those who ordered them”. 

Osih said the SDF is “deeply outraged by the shocking video”. He said the “horrific act, which reportedly took place in 2019, highlights grave concerns over the continuous use of torture in Cameroon”.

“We condemn this act in the strongest terms and urge the government to take immediate action against perpetrators of such torture and other human rights violations,” a statement on the party’s Facebook page reads. 

As a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture, the party said Cameroon has the “responsibility to protect every citizen against torture and ensure justice for victims”. 

He underscored the need for those responsible for the atrocity be “held accountable and that robust measures be put in place to prevent such heinous incidents from occurring in the future”. 

Cabral Libii calls for justice 

On his part, the leader of the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation, PCRN, Hon Cabral Libii, exclaimed at the video. 

“I have just discovered these unbearable images. They are the translation of the cruelty of a handful of “commanders” of the Republic. So "strong" in front of the weak…Justice! Justice! Justice! for the artiste Longue Longue,” Libii stated. 

He rhetorically questioned what the artiste did to suffer the fury of inhumanity, who the soldiers were to inflict such barbarity on others and who will stop the violence they inflame?. 

Kamto calls for urgent investigation 

The National President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, in a statement, called on State authorities to urgently open investigations on the incident. 

The opposition politician said the images of savage torture on Longue Longue “recall the horrible fate suffered on a large scale by MRC activists during the arbitrary and illegal arrests of 2019, and the roundings of 2020”. 

He said the “documented tortures, the perpetrators of which are all known and listed, have never interested magistrates, civil or the military”. 

Kamto said “the MRC condemns this State barbarity and demands the urgent opening of an investigation to arrest and immediately bring before the courts the perpetrators of these acts, which demonstrate their inhumanity”. 

He called on compatriots of the ruling CPDM to “unreservedly condemn these political methods, which benefit them for the moment, but which are unacceptable”. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3270 of Friday October 25, 2024