President-elect Issa Tchiroma Bakary addresses Cameroonians on the Occasion of National Unity Day – May 20, 2026
Published on his Facebook Page on 19 May 2026, Below is the full Speech of Issa Tchiroma to Cameroonian.
Fellow Cameroonians,
My dear compatriots,
On the occasion of the 20th May celebration — a landmark date in our shared history, on which our country commemorates a moment that gave shape to our national unity, our diversity, and our sovereign choice to live together — I address you with gravity, responsibility, and hope.
Yes, I address you through this digital medium, at a time when, in any normal and democratic country where the integrity of the ballot box, born of popular sovereignty, is upheld as sacred, I would instead be preparing to preside with solemnity over the grand parade of May 20th, our national holiday, as the duly elected President of our Republic.
This day ought to be the symbol of the fraternal union of all parts of Cameroon, gathered around the values of peace, work, and patriotism. It is the moment when we must exalt the memory of the women and men who, at the risk of their lives, defied occupation and humiliation — those heroes carried neither tribe nor religion as their banner. United by an ideal greater than themselves, they held only the Nation as their faith and their horizon, the Nation placed above all else.
This should serve as an example to reject the rhetoric of hatred, communitarianism, identity-driven withdrawal, and tribalism. Let their legacy inspire us to embrace the values of the common good, of governance dedicated to the well-being of all, respect for human rights, and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Sadly, this inheritance — together with the spirit of May 20th, 1972 — has been seriously distorted. Today, the living conditions of our people detrimental. They suffer; they are suffocating under the weight of growing poverty, crumbling infrastructure, endemic unemployment, and governance that is both ineffective and illegitimate; they are exhausted.
This legacy is further undermined by the rule of injustice and the denial of democracy. The presidential election of October 12, 2025 stands as one of its most glaring illustrations. By weaponizing ELECAM and the Constitutional Council, the votes cast in my favour by a clear majority of Cameroonians — in an unprecedented manner — were confiscated by an obsolete and usurping regime. We have a duty to rise up against this iniquity.
To all the victims of the post-electoral crisis — those who lost their lives and those who are jailed for a legitimate cause:
You paid with your lives and your freedom, falling in pursuit of the triumph of democracy and our collective survival. Our Nation — and I pledge this solemnly — will honour your memory when the hour comes, and your names shall be formally inscribed in the Pantheon of our History.
To crown this denial of democracy, an inappropriate constitutional reform has enshrined the monarchical drift of power through the creation of an appointed Vice-presidential position, designed to enable the dynastic or clan-based transfer of power. This violation of our Fundamental Law jeopardizes the future of the Nation. It is not in this spirit that our founding fathers brought this nation into being in the 1960s. We have the patriotic duty and responsibility to say NO to this repeated fraud.
My dear compatriots,
Our country’s path toward Unity and the building of a true Nation is equally compromised by the failure of the Jacobin-style centralisation pursued over recent decades. In this twenty-first century, Cameroon deserves a political organisation suited to its challenges — faithful to its history, respectful of its diversities, and adapted to the reality of its territories.
To our Anglophone compatriots of the North-West and South-West regions:
In 2025, I delivered a message of frankness that I wish to renew on this solemn occasion. The crisis that afflicts you is not merely a security issue. It is also political, historical, and identity-related. You need to be heard; you need to know that the Republic is your home too, that your voice counts, and that your history is acknowledged. Together, in mutual respect of our specificities, we must build a lasting peace and a modern country through a consultative and transparent process by which the Cameroonian people may choose, by referendum, the form of the State that reflects their aspirations.
To our Defense and Security Forces:
On this day dedicated to national unity, I wish to address a particular message to our Defense and Security Forces, who for many long years have been carrying the heavy burden of protecting our Nation and its institutions.
You have been severely tested for nearly a decade by profound crises that have strained national unity, territorial integrity, and the collective security of which you are the sentinels. Despite the hardships, the loss of lives, and the uncertainties, you continue to serve with discipline, professionalism, and a spirit of sacrifice. A republican army draws its greatness not only from its strength, but above all from its loyalty to the Nation and to the sovereignty of the people.
You must rightly regard yourselves as republican forces — not in the service of any individual ora small group, but in the service of the people and their sovereignty. As such, you are entitled to refuse any illegal order, especially when that order emanates from an illegitimate power.
Last October 12, the Cameroonian people spoke overwhelmingly through the ballot box. That popular will, freely expressed, is the very foundation of republican legitimacy. In military barracks, gendarmerie units, and police stations across the national territory, more than 70% of your votes were cast in my favour.
Even though circumstances today compel me into temporary exile, I remain deeply convinced that the future of Cameroon must rest upon respect for the sovereignty of the people, the integrity of the ballot, and republican principles. Let us be ready for that moment.
I therefore call upon you, with patriotism and responsibility, to remain forces dedicated exclusively to the service of the Nation, of peace, and of national unity. Your greatness will be that of men and women who stood alongside the people in restoring their victory and their dignity.
My dear compatriots,
Let us come together, and hand in hand, let us look together in one and the same direction: toward a Cameroon that is united, just, supportive, peaceful, fraternal, and hopefull Cameroon— for this is our common inheritance. National unity is not a slogan: it is the condition of our survival, the lever of our development, and the foundation of our collective prosperity.
Long live Cameroon.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
