In brief
The recent spate of femicide in Cameroon – with eight women murdered in a single week – has prompted a call for action by celebrated footballer Nchout Njoya Ajara. Ajara argues that silence equates to complicity and demands urgent government intervention. Official figures show 50 women were killed from January to April, a sharp rise from 77 last year. Civil society warns that legislation to protect women against gender‑based violence remains stalled, while the government claims it is working on solutions.
In the last seven days, at least eight women were murdered across Cameroon, igniting widespread anger and demanding action from both the public and government authorities.
Renowned footballer Nchout Njoya Ajara – who has played professionally in Russia, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia – publicly urged the nation to end what he called a "tragic wave" of femicides. "Silence is complicity," Ajara said, calling for immediate protective measures for women and girls.
The government's concerns are mirrored in recent statistics: 50 women were killed between January and April this year, compared with 77 from the same period last year, according to official data. In one recent case, a 44‑year‑old woman was stabbed to death in a Yaoundé hotel; her 22‑year‑old assailant has since been arrested.
Social and political groups have voiced alarm over the government's slow response. Notably, the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) slammed the administration as passive, while women's rights organisations requested a special tribunal to address domestic violence cases.
State Ministry for Women's Empowerment and the Family highlighted a pending bill aimed at protecting women against gender‑based violence, but civil society remarked the bill’s passage remains uncertain, given that the next parliamentary session is slated for November and will focus on budget debates.
A photo: Ajara posing on her club’s field, captured by AFP via Getty Images.
