On October 2, 2025, presidential candidate Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN) made a landmark campaign stop in Bamenda, marking his first major public appearance in the heart of Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis zone. Welcomed by party supporters and a cross-section of the population at the iconic “Welcome to Bamenda” signpost, Libii’s arrival was both symbolic and strategic, an act of political courage in a region long plagued by insecurity and marginalization.
The PCRN campaign team staged a rally at the Commercial Avenue Grandstand, where Libii addressed the crowd with a message rooted in empathy, realism, and resolve. “I came to see for myself the current situation in the North West Region,” he said. “We were able to successfully hold the rally because the military, gendarmes, and police provided us security. The crisis must end, the economy of the North West Region is on its knees; schools, public offices, markets… closed. We must find a solution to this.”
Libii used the occasion to clarify his past call for a state of emergency following the tragic killing of students in Kumba in 2020. “A state of emergency in the context of the conflict in Anglophone Cameroon is not about militarizing the regions,” he explained. “It’s about ensuring a quick end to the conflict. The solution to the Anglophone Problem is not military.”
His speech emphasized the need for dialogue and negotiation, asserting that “every conflict eventually ends through negotiations and peace agreements.” Libii pledged that if elected, his top priority would be to restore peace in the North West and South West Regions, recognizing that no campaign promise can be fulfilled without first resolving the crisis.
Addressing calls for election boycotts, Libii made a passionate appeal for civic engagement: “Boycott of the elections is not the right solution. Through individual engagement, the election affords us the opportunity to bring about change by ensuring that votes are secure and fraud prevented. I believe we will have change in Cameroon this time around. People must give up the mentality that change will never come.”
Cabral Libii’s visit to Bamenda was more than a campaign stop, it was a statement of solidarity with a region in pain, and a reaffirmation of his commitment to peaceful transformation. As the October 12 elections draw near, his message resonates with those who believe that dialogue, not division, is the path forward
