Cameroon isn’t often in the news with respect to ritualistic killings. As a mainly Francophone country, it escapes my daily search for Internet news about ritual killings in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, this does not mean that the country is an exception in SSA.
Almost by accident I stumbled upon a suspected case of ritual murder and another case of a child beaten to death after being accused of witchcraft. Horrible cases, senseless killings.
Both incidents happened in 2023 as the following report shows.
The article ends with a cry for justice, condemning the present situation of silence becoming the norm in this Central African country.
(webmaster FVDK)
A nation in mourning – innocent lives lost to senseless violence
Published: May 14, 2025
By: Cameroon Concord
(…)
From urban centres like Douala and Yaoundé to towns like Sangmélima and Bamenda, child killings have become a recurring and underreported national crisis.
Chronology of Recent Child Murders in Cameroon (2022–2025)
| Date | Name / Age | Location | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2022 | Baby Bisong, 4 mo. | Buea | Killed by a stray bullet during military patrol in Molyko. |
| Jan 2023 | Ariane, 6 | Yaoundé | Allegedly beaten to death by her aunt, accused of witchcraft. |
| Mar 2023 | Baby Divine, 7 mo. | Bamenda | Shot during military raid. Claimed to be collateral. |
| Aug 2023 | Unnamed, 8 | Kribi | Found mutilated on the beach. Suspected ritual murder. |
| Oct 2023 | Baby Chantal, 2 | Douala | Murdered by domestic worker. Arrest made. |
| May 2025 | Mathis, 6 | Yaoundé | Stabbed by neighbour in revenge killing. |
| May 2025 | Unnamed, 2 | Sangmélima | Found dead in water. Authorities refused to open an investigation. |
Each case bears a similar theme: impunity, silence, and failing institutions. Whether by bullet, blade, or beatings, children are paying the ultimate price in a country where violence festers unchecked.
(…)
Cameroonians are asking hard questions:
- Why are more disputes ending in bloodshed?
- Why does poverty, anger, and hopelessness often turn inward — toward the most vulnerable?
- Why do authorities fail to act, even when evidence and outcry are overwhelming?
From ritual killings, domestic abuse, military violence, to mob justice, a terrifying normalization of brutality is taking hold.
“Le crime devient une norme silencieuse. La peur habite les esprits. L’indifférence gagne les cœurs.”
Translation:
“Crime becomes a silent norm. Fear inhabits our minds. Indifference wins our hearts.”
Source: A Nation in Mourning
