This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
On October 5, 2019, President Paul Biya of Cameroon granted amnesty to Prof Maurice Kamto, the president of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), and over a hundred of his party's militants, who were being prosecuted by military tribunals.
Prof Kamto, who declared himself the winner of the 2018 presidential election, was arrested in January 2019 for organizing and participating in unauthorized street protests against electoral fraud.
Addressing his supporters at his Yaounde residence after his release, Prof Kamto vowed to intensify his fight against electoral fraud and injustice in the country, saying, "The real battle is yet to start."
He added, "A new chapter of our battle has just opened. If some people think that the release is the end of the battle, then they have not understood anything because we have not achieved anything from what we are demanding."
The amnesty was seen as an important step towards resolving the crisis in Cameroon's English-speaking regions, which has been ongoing for over two years.
International organizations, including the UN, the AU, the EU, and the US, welcomed the decision, hoping it would create goodwill needed to resolve the crisis.
