Truth: Before attack on minister is condemned.

There has since been a gallery of condemnations, from The Guardian Post to the Ambassador, the affected minister, opposition political parties and the Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson, Rene Emmanuel Sadi.

I also join the bandwagon and examine the official reaction of the government.

A statement released on March 4, 2025, by Minister Rene Sadi “deplores and strongly condemns” the attack, and that it “does not intend to stand idly by.”

He added that: “Appropriate measures will be taken to identify the perpetrators of these seditious acts and bring them before the competent authorities”.

In his own statement, the Ambassador condemned the attacks as “unacceptable aggression”.

He said: “This act of violence perpetrated by individuals claiming affiliation with the BAS constitutes a serious violation of the physical integrity of these officials, the dignity of Cameroonian institutions, and the fundamental principles of dialogue and mutual respect”.

His boss in Yaounde, the Minister of External Relations, Mbella Mbella, summoned the Belgian Ambassador to Cameroon, Alain Leroyand, and expressed government's "call for mutual respect from the authorities of friendly nations, as well as adherence to the commitments and responsibilities incumbent upon all states under the international conventions to which we are all parties”.

The MRC, in its own statement by the Secretary General of the party, said its National President, Prof Maurice Kamto, “expressed his deep concern over the recent events that occurred during the visit of the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education to Brussels. This visit, marked by tensions and the attack on the minister, highlights the growing frustration of young Cameroonians with a political system deemed unsatisfactory”.

"The MRC welcomes the commitment of young people to demand a better future, while recalling the importance of preserving unity and peace within the country. The incident with the Minister of Youth, who was confronted by members of the Anti-Sardinard Brigade (BAS), illustrates the climate of discontent and despair that reigns among a large part of the population, particularly young people. The MRC reaffirms the inalienable rights of every citizen to express themselves, while stressing the need to find constructive solutions to ease tensions. The party stressed the importance of peaceful methods to claim rights, in order to ensure national stability…," it stated.

Why should Cameroonian youths abroad, who should be enthusiastic to receive their minister, turn to violence, which I also join the choir of condemnation? Why are they being condemned as "terrorists and aggressors," even without due process of trying them?

A hungry man, it is said, is an angry man.

Some of the youth abroad went through hell in the desert and deep blue seas in search of greener pastures, which they hardly find.

Government officials visiting should go with proposals that can lift them out of their hunger and misery rather than campaigning for a status quo that does not seem to favour them.

Should these hungry, angry and idle youth, not be cajoled to see reason in peaceful protests, which are an element of democracy, rather than attempting to use force, which consequences only bring our beloved country to shame?

Postscript: “Extremism thrives amid ignorance and anger, intimidation and cowardice” - Hillary Clinton

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3388 of Monday March 10, 2025