Police prevent Elie Smith from talking about Congo on TV

The show "237 debate" broadcast on the evening of Wednesday, October 21, 2015 on Equinoxe TV, a private television broadcasting Douala lacked a guest. The absentee is Cameroonian journalist Elie Smith who could not participate in the program hosted on Wednesday by his colleague Duval Fangwa because he was prevented by the police.

Security forces acting on the orders of the Regional Delegate for National Security for the Littoral, Raymond Essogo arrested him as he came out of the makeup room and took him to the regional delegation of National Security of the Littoral.

Asked Thursday morning on Radio Equinoxe, Elie Smith explained that he was released three hours after his arrest. The Cameroon correspondent of the American television Bloomberg TV reports that Raymond Essogo told him he did not want him talking about the situation in Congo - Brazzaville, a country he knows well, having worked there a few years.

He said the police chief of Littoral wanted to avoid reprisals against Cameroonians residing in the country of President Sassou Nguesso. Raymond Essogo said he read the message of the journalist posted in the afternoon on his Facebook page which said, "I will go for the political show 237 Debate on Equinoxe TV, from 21h30mn, Cameroon station on the CanalSat bouquet. We will, among others, talk about the political crisis in Congo. I frankly insist on insecurity, on accounts of cross settlement which are exposing Cameroonians living in Congo. Indeed, because of excessive involvement in Congolese political life of the Ambassador of Cameroon to Congo, he has been trampling on the Vienna Convention as the unofficial adviser to Sassou and many Cameroonians residing in Congo have spoken out to attract the attention of the Cameroonian authorities on the dangers they face in every street corners of Brazzaville and Pointe Noire."

As our colleague sees the hand of the Congolese government in the relentless fight and behind his brief arrest, he promises to "continue to speak and write about the Congo."