On May 15, 2025, police forcibly arrested around 70 students from the University of Bamenda, ahead of the country’s 53rd National Unity Day.

The arrests were conducted under the pretext of maintaining law and order amid National Unity Day preparations. Cameroon celebrates National Unity Day on May 20th to commemorate the establishment of a unitary state. The Northwest region of Cameroon, where the University of Bamenda is located, has been the site of an ongoing separatist armed conflict since 2016; separatist groups have commonly used National Unity Day to assert the rejection of the unitary state. According to media reports, the arrests were conducted forcibly and appeared to be indiscriminate.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the use of violence against and detentions of students in connection to the nonviolent exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly — conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Cameroon is a party. The use of violence and detentions to restrict peaceful student expression undermines academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250520091618859
https://mimimefoinfos.com/bambili-students-caught-in-mass-arrest-amid-security-crack-down/