Understanding Biya regime's obsession with Muslim pilgrims.

But its romance with Muslim pilgrims is always screaming something special. The interest of the government in the spiritual life of Muslim pilgrims has often sent tongues wagging. 

Many have continued to argue that given that Cameroon is a circular State, it is left to individuals to decide how they relate with God, while the government should rather be focused on powering development, providing the basics such as good roads, potable water, education, healthcare and improving the business climate.

In Cameroon, such sounds like a university lecture that differs from what happens on the field. The postulation of government taking interest in issues that benefits everyone, irrespective of religion, many say, does not hold in Paul Biya’s country.

The Biya regime has implanted itself in almost every aspect of religion beyond regulation, which falls within its preserve to polish up maintaining law and order.

At the apex of such unexplained interest in religion, observers have pointed to the regime’s obsession with Muslim pilgrims. 

In the last couple of years, the Biya regime has continued to shore up its support for Muslim pilgrims for Hajj, which is one of the pillars of Islam.

The concentration has remained spontaneous and constant, such that as soon as one Hajj expedition is over, an evaluation is made and diplomatic engagements strengthened to increase opportunities for Cameroonians for the next pilgrimage.

While such is being done, at home, authorities are always on their toes round the clock, working to ensure Muslim pilgrims get the most of excellent treatment in their spiritual journey to the Holy land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. 

Many have asserted that the way officials scuttle around year in, year out, to prepare pilgrims for Hajj, tells of a regime begging to be part of a dance it really knows and masters nothing about.

Even with no fears of accusations of discrimination in relation to other religions, the Biya regime has remained infatuated with Muslim pilgrims. 

The noise and fanfare when it comes to Hajj is almost nonexistent when it comes to people of other faith, pundits are saying.

According to the Turkiye Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri İnsani Yardım Vakfı), İHH, over 60 percent of Cameroonians are Christians, while Muslims are over 30 percent with animist and other believes making up the remaining percentages.

Beyond such statistical gap, the interest of the regime in Muslim pilgrims has continued to provoke more questions than provide answers. Visits by people of other faiths to holy lands such as in the Middle East and Israel in particular is at least overtly, never government’s business.

When religion serves political interest 

Islam behooves Muslim to observe five pillars which are; Alms giving, profession of faith, prayers, fasting and Hajj. While the others can be observed wherever faithful find themselves, Hajj requires huge financial sacrifices to appear in the Holy Land. 

It is a spiritual obligation that comes with observing the “ihram,” which brings every faithful to the place of equality, humility before God and despising the pleasures of life. 

From the perspective of the faithful, achieving such a dream is a lifetime opportunity, but analysts say the cost in itself and potential political capital for the regime is the overriding motive behind its obsession.

Psychoanalysts say while pilgrims are focused on bonding with God through Hajj, the Biya regime sees them as a lot from where, it can leverage huge political capital for successive elections and stay relevant.

Others say no matter how genuine it may seem that government spends billions annually to support Hajj pilgrims, it can’t dissociate itself from the ultimate goal of a payback through voting for Biya and CPDM candidates in elections.

While Muslim faithful are looking at perfecting a path to eternity through Hajj, the Biya regime, political scientists say, has made the occasion the mainstay of its politicking.

They point to the fact that when it comes to elections, especially presidential poll, the dominantly Muslim northern regions remain principal bastions to harvests votes. 

In successive elections, the national psyche has been fashioned to understand that anyone who wins in the Far North Region easily gets the Presidency.

With such political calculations, there are those who are arguing that the Biya regime is not really obsessed with Muslim pilgrims. 

They say the government is rather obsessed with picking as many votes as possible from Muslim faithful across the nation and the three Grand North Regions in particular. 

With such understanding, analysts say, Hajj automatically finds a spot in Biya regime’s priority to remain in power. 

Biya’s life presidency project & Hajj

There are those who are saying that Hajji has burgeoned across decades to become a major building block of President Biya’s life presidency project. 

Some have even been claiming that Hajj is synonymous to an associate political movement of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM party.

When it comes to Hajj, observers say the pronouncements of government   officials have largely been about President Biya and not the country. 

They say Hajj is always being used to present Biya to Pilgrims as a friend who is interested in their spiritual wellbeing. Critics say in reality, Biya uses Hajj to nurse votes and sustain his political wellbeing.

In the 2018 presidential poll, Biya made just one campaign outing, cancelling at the last minute a reported visit to Buea, in the South West Region. 

His visit to the Far North Region, the basket of presidential votes, is a predominantly Muslim setting. Many say his decision to campaign only in the Far North Region, was a reminder of how close he holds votes from the Region to his chest.

Biya the ex-seminarian, Christian fishing through pilgrims

While his predecessor, the late Ahmadou Ahidjo was a Muslim faithful and could have been read in similar posture as doing the normal, Biya and his regime’s attachment to pilgrims is deep and calculative, analysts say.

Being and ex-seminarian and a Christian from the dominant Christian South of the country, Paul Biya and his regime’s political undercurrents among Muslims is thick and productive.

Another reason he is always renewing his pact with Muslim many say, is to enjoy a comparative advantage compared to other politicians. 

Political scientists say in the thinking of the regime, it is easy to win the trust of the Muslim population, especially when it comes to elections than those in the South who profess Christianity and other faiths.

This, they are saying, explains the major alliances Biya and the CPDM have with political leaders from the mostly northern Regions. 

This is the case with the National Union for Democracy and Progress, UNDP, of Bello Bouba Maigari; National Alliance for Democracy and Progress, ANDP, of Amadou Moustafa; Movement of the Defense of the Republic, MDR, of the late Dakolé Daïssala, and the Cameroon National Salvation Front, FSNC, of Issa Tchiroma Bakary.

The soothing element in these alliances, many analysts say, is strengthened through constant support for pilgrims, a majority of whom are supporters of these political parties.

Observers say Biya and his regime have continued to service and finance Hajj to keep his political catch from the Adamawa, North and Far North Regions huge and poignant.

Pundits say, it is the depth of such religious bonding with huge political undertones that has left the Biya regime viewing anyone trying to make similar campaigns in the Regions wherever elections are near as gamblers.

Pacifying past errors, building new alliances

The vendetta that charged the political atmosphere when the late Ahmadou Ahidjo handed power to Paul Biya, a Christian and Southerner, has not wholly disappeared. In addition to this, was and still, is a feeling among some Northerners that power should return to the North.

But Paul Biya, the sphinx whom Ahidjo picked against expectations to succeed him, political historians say, is not unaware of the small pieces that could spoil his leadership if left unattended to.

Given the importance of religion with especially how dear Hajj is to Muslims, Biya and his allies, it is being said, know the pertinence of using it to continuously woo citizens with Islamic affiliation.

Others say, he has continued to use the pilgrimage and other Muslim religious feast to pacify the people of the three Northern Regions and other Muslims across the country, with respect to any wrong or right perceptions.

Hajj: Vehicle of national unity

Aside the vast readings of political motives sponsoring what many continue to describe as the regime’s obsession with Muslim pilgrims, others say it is an opportunity to keep national unity alive.

In a country as complex as Cameroon with religion, tribal, ethnic and other peculiarities, national unity, some say, must not be undermined. In this regard, they are positing that Biya and the regime in place deserve commendation for always using Hajj as a window to promoting national unity, through supporting pilgrims nationwide.

Through such moves, they say the government and Biya as Head of State, are sending across a message of unity and national belonging to those who practice Islam. 

Promoting peace, seeking God’s face amid hurdles 

Given that Cameroonians are deeply religious, irrespective of where they stand under God, Biya and the regime in place are also being viewed as using expeditions such as Hajj to ensure pilgrims pray for peace to reign in the country at all times.

The request for such prayers has been recurrent with the Boko Haram incursions in the Far North Region, Seleca rebels in the Central African Republic, CAR posing threats in the East Region and the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions. 

Beyond the human and intellectual prowess of Biya and the regime, some say, they consider such petitions to the Almighty God as another opening to get invisible assistance in keeping the country out of trouble. 

Hajj political game thickens months to presidentials 

If the regime has been nice to Hajj pilgrims for as long as Biya has been in power, analysts say, this year, the attention is at a whole new level. 

Unlike in the past when such support was limited to just financial assistance, Biya and the regime this year went the extra mile. 

Special disbursements were made to fix the runway of the Garoua International Airport, in addition to engagements with Ethiopian Airways to transport the pilgrims.

More to this, for the first time in 36 years, Biya ordered that a plane airlifts pilgrims from Koutaba, in the West Region, to Douala. 

The Minister of Territorial Administration, MINAT, Atanga Nji, said on May 22, while supervising the departure of the first set of pilgrims that: “They thanked the Head of State for his constant help, and that is why they will pray for God to grant President Paul Biya good health and a long life. And for him to be, once again, the champion in the 2025 presidential election”.

While some termed it desperate, others say it is simply the interplay of politics and religion at high gear, given the peculiar stakes of this year’s presidential poll. 

Though Biya is yet to declare if he will be seeking an eight seven-year term, the level of government support and pampering of pilgrims, many are concluding show the regime is preparing grounds to harvest huge votes from all Muslim dominated localities nationwide.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3459 of Friday May 30, 2025