“Biya Must Go” protest initiator arrested in Bamenda

The National Chairman of the Bamenda-based Cameroon Party for Social Justice, CPSJ, Bertin Kisob, who initiated a nation-wide manifestation dubbed: “Biya must go because of incompetence and old age” has been arrested by elements of the Bamenda public security.

Kisob was picked up in Bamenda while he was mobilizing the population to stage a peaceful demonstration against President Biya.

Kisob, the son of retired Colonel Kisob of Santa sub-division, was arrested by the forces of law and order while he was in addition to mobilizing the protesters also distributing tracts; one of which read, “Public or secret manifestations for a democratic change in Cameroon by Rev. Bertin Kisob, President of Cameroon Party for Social justice – CPSJ”.

In the tracks, he stressed that the people he was mobilizing were going to “stage a secret and silent march on foot from the City Chemist Round-About Bamenda to a secret venue to be disclosed at the last minute for security reasons.” He distributed the tracts right to the Bamenda congress hall premises where CPDM militants and officials had converged to celebrate President Biya’s 32nd anniversary in power.

A portion of the track read: “These manifestations are going to take place after every 10 days in one of the major cities of the country and constitute the second phase of three that will send Biya packing from the Unity Palace…” It further noted that the next big manifestation will take place at Post Central in Yaounde as from 10 a.m. on February 11, 2015 and will end with a peaceful march to the Unity Palace.” Rev. Kisob crowned the track with a call for Cameroonians to pay the prize for their final liberation, emphasizing that the official slogan of the manifestations is; “Biya must go because of incompetence and old age”.

Curiously, Kisob was arrested near the Bamenda congress hall where the section president of Mezam I CPDM, Paul Atanga Nji who doubles as Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency cum Permanent Secretary of the Security Council was making arrangements for President Paul Biya’s 32-year anniversary celebration in power.

Kisob, it should be recalled, was once arrested and detained in Yaounde for several months after he owned up to orchestrating the blowing-off of Wouri Bridge in Douala.

He told The Journal’s Chris Fobeneh two days prior to his arrest that he was bent on seeing Biya go the way of Burkina Faso’s leader. That he was gathering the youths of Cameroon together to launch nation wide demonstrations in all the regions, to culminate in Yaounde in January.