Presidential election: Rights commission engages La Francophonie bloc to boost respect of human rights.

This was during an audience granted by the President of the Cameroon Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, to the head of the La Francophonie bloc for the 2025 presidential election in Cameroon, Mohamed Aujjar.

The meeting took place at the head office of the rights commission in Yaounde Thursday October 9. 

It mainly centred on the roles of the La Francophonie bloc and the rights commission in facilitating the smooth organisation of the presidential poll, especially in terms of the full respect of human rights in the course of the exercise.

It assembled officials of the rights commission and several authorities of La Francophonie, which is bloc consisting principally of French-speaking countries in the world.

Speaking while addressing the press shortly after the audience, the head of the Francophonie delegation, Mohamed Aujjar, said the group had been deployed to Cameroon by the organisation’s Secretary General, Louis Mushikiwabo, to observe the 2025 presidential election.

The official said he and his team, in the course of the meeting, asked decisive questions especially those regarding the steps that had been taken to facilitate the overall hitch-free holding of the poll. 

“We have had the honour of having a very frank, very transparent and very enriching discussion with His Excellency the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission. We made our observations clear,” Mohamed Aujjar.

“We had objective and legal answers on the ongoing electoral process and especially on the respect of human rights throughout the electoral exercise,” he added.

Bloc hails evolution of human rights promotion in Cameroon

The head of the delegation also told pressmen in the course of the interview that the La Francophonie bloc is pleased with the positive evolution that has been recorded in the promotion of human rights in Cameroon.

He said the body was convinced to come to the conclusion after the visiting delegation asked all the decisive questions to the right people at the Cameroon Human Rights Commission during Thursday’s audience at the commission’s head office.

“We are delighted with the evolution of the situation of human rights in Cameroon. We asked our questions and we have had clear answers. We are delighted with this discussion,” Mohamed Aujjar stated. 

The audience with the head of delegation of the La Francophonie bloc served as the latest episode of the multiple activities that the Cameroon Human Rights Commission has engaged recently in efforts to promote human rights during the ongoing electoral period.

The audience was one of at least three audiences that the commission’s president had with representatives of international organisations last week. 

Before Thursday’s meeting, Prof Mouangue Kobila had been granted an audience on Wednesday October 8 by the Regional Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, Nouhoum Sangare.

Prof Mouangue also granted an audience to former Prime Minister of Rwanda and head of the delegation of the African Union observation mission for the 2025 presidential election, Bernard Makuza, on Friday October 10. 

The audiences and meetings were punctuated by several other official outings by the commission, intended to ensure that the rights institution carries on with its responsibilities as an independent body “for consultation, monitoring, evaluation, dialogue, conciliation and deliberation in the promotion and protection of human rights,” during elections and other events.

“The Commission recalls all stakeholders in the electoral process- institutions, political parties, candidates, opinion leaders and citizens of the imperative need to respect human rights during the electoral period, notably the rights to participation in public affairs; equality; freedom of opinion and expression; freedom of assembly,” a section of the commission’s statement stated.

The commission, in the October 9 statement, also emphasised on the need for the respect of “freedom of movement; the rights to life, liberty and security; protection from discrimination, hate speech and violence; as well as the right to privacy and protection against unlawful attacks on honor and reputation,” during the electoral period. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3593 of Monday October 13, 2025