Cameroon’s Minister of Communication and Government spokesman, Rene Emmanuel Sadi in a communiqué dated Tuesday, July 23, 2019 expressed indignation at the upheavals at the central Prison in Yaoundé for the most part of Monday, July 22.

Captioned “mutiny at the Kondengui Central Prison”, the government communiqué states that all those behind the protest that created an atmosphere have been “well identified” and are now helping security officials investigating the case.

Sadi writes that the events at the detention facility started when a group of inmates awaiting trial within the framework of the ongoing crisis in the troubled North West and South West Regions sought to hold a meeting to discuss on issues concerning them but the movement will rapidly morph into a violent uprising.

Government regrets that other inmates, who sought to make political capital out of the situation, transformed the protest into a violent venture in a bid to meet their seditious ends. 

“It what seems to have been well planned, the inmates moved to create panic within the prison, attacking notably, other quarters of the prison that were not part of the mutiny,” said Sadi. He says two inmates were injured in the aggression and were rushed to a hospital in town. The minister did not confirm or debunk news that those rushed to hospital were former Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni and ex-Finance Minister Abah Abah.

Faced with the violence, the forces of law and order were called in. Sadi salutes the professionalism of the security forces who succeeded to restore order without wounding any detaining or sustaining any injuries.

The government spokesman maintains that no live ammunition were used and also that no human life was lost.

According to the Minister, early evaluation of the incident shows that the protesters burnt the prison’s library, the female tailoring workshop, the office of the prison’s discipline officer and looted some items.

The government condemns such an act it considers inadmissible. The minister says government will spare no effort to attend to the genuine grievances of the detainees.