By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info (Editor)
Published on 2024-02-05 15:11:55
Foremost Cameroonian opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, has expressed his regret over the recent increase in fuel prices, stating that it will worsen the suffering of citizens who are already struggling with inflation and a high cost of living. Kamto, the President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement party, who now leads an opposition coalition called the Political Alliance for Change, said the fuel price hike is unsustainable and will have detrimental effects on the population.
The reaction from Kamto was published on his official social media channels, two days after the Cameroon Government raised fuel prices by 15%. The price of petrol increased from FCFA 730 to FCFA 840 per liter, while Diesel rose from FCFA 725 to FCFA 825 per liter. This was the second time the government had raised fuel prices within 12 months.
President Paul Biya, who has been ruling the central African nation for 41 years, had hinted at the imminent rise in fuel prices during his end-of-year speech on December 31, 2023. Biya argued that his government was cutting down subsidies on fuel, which had a negative impact on the country’s budget, costing around FCFA 640 billion in 2023.
Kamto, a vocal critic of President Biya’s government, sees the fuel price hike as evidence of the government’s indifference to the plight of Cameroonians, who are already struggling with inflation, unemployment, and poor governance. Kamto has urged Cameroonians to wake up to the increasing cost of living by participating in the upcoming presidential elections next year.
As Cameroonians prepare to head to the polls again in 2025, Kamto has called for mass registration on the electoral registers for a vote of no confidence against the Government and the CPDM and its allies at the next municipal and legislative elections in February 2025 and the presidential election in October of the same year. He also emphasized the need for vigilant electoral monitoring and a resolute defense of votes against any fraud at each election.
It is yet uncertain where President Paul Biya will be seeking another mandate, but he has already received dozens of “motions of support” from CPDM militants calling on him to run. Biya, who will be 92 at the time of the elections, has no defined successor at the moment.
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
