Between accusations of leaking, cult of the leader, and sacrifice for the party, several actors intervene to express their positions following the resignation of Prof. Maurice Kamto from the presidency of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon.
24 hours after the announcement of Prof. Maurice Kamto’s resignation from the head of the MRC, a real battle of narratives has opened. Persecuted who sacrifices or leader who flees justice? Cult of the leader or brilliant strategy? Overview of the reactions shaking Cameroon since the publication of his resignation letter on Tuesday during the day.
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The direct attack by Prof. Aimé Bonny
The former ally is the harshest. For him, this resignation is the logical consequence of the failure of October 12, 2025. “We were waiting for you with the people, behind the people’s candidate. You chose to support the power that tyrannized you, by your silence. You would have gone down in history if you had made the right decision: support the people.” He concludes with a “Well-deserved sweet rest” which sounds like a political burial contrasting with the withdrawal expressed by the person concerned to become a simple party member.
The accusation of judicial fear by Denis Emilien Atangana
For Denis Emilien Atangana, president of the Cameroonian Democrats Front, there was not even a resignation. “Maurice Kamto did not resign. He was afraid of judicial humiliation. For fear of upcoming decisions in the procedures initiated by some MRC executives, the Pope of incoherence pretended to resign.” He sees the same scenario as in 2011, where Kamto would have resigned from the government just before being dismissed. However, such a stance did not escape harsh criticism.
The correction from the “villager”: Prof. Jean Bahebeck
Immediate response from Prof. Jean Bahebeck of the UPC to Atangana. Nicknamed “the villager,” he believes that this type of attack hides a void: “Making a career out of criticizing others often reflects the absence of a political record to defend. Politics requires consistency, vision, and political memory.” He invites Atangana to “look at his own path, his alliances, and contradictions before judging those of others.”
Self-criticism: Okala Ebode on Balafon TV
On September 9 in Sacré Matin on Balafon TV, Okala Ebode shifted the debate. He does not target Kamto, but his militants. “These are the harmful consequences of messianism. One never sees, in a leader, the mistakes, the flaws. Even when he makes a mistake, it is said to be a strategy. But where has that led us?” wonders the opponent of Maurice Kamto excluded from the MRC. “Today, even in the institutional game, we are not there. We fight to come back. Are we going to say that is a strategy?” he asks again. He calls to stop turning every failure into a “somersault against the regime.”
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The party’s defense comes from Augustin Kouepo and Jean Bruno Tagne
In essence, the two voices carry the same message: on the other side, the MRC embraces the thesis of sacrifice. On Équinoxe Soir, Augustin Kouepo (MRC) explains that “nothing forced President Kamto to resign. But since it was his head that was at stake, he chose to put that head aside and let the MRC, the renaissance, and the people of change freely go to the legislative and municipal elections.”
Journalist Jean Bruno Tagne, on Facebook on September 8, adds: “By deciding to resign, Maurice Kamto cut the ground from under the feet of his party’s persecutors. He thus gives a chance to his brave militants who, since 2012, have been fighting with determination, courage, and rare loyalty.”
The tribute from the opponent: Jean Jacques Mbea
Finally, the surprise comes from Info TV. In Le Grand Soir, analyst Jean Jacques Mbea, although a critic of Kamto during the presidential election, praises the gesture: “He tried in 2013, 2018, 2020… He did not succeed and realizes that he is the problem. He could have stubbornly gone into conflict, lost face, and harmed his party. But here, he decides to leave. Just for that, I say it is a great political move. That is also the mark of great men.”
And now?
The MRC Directorate has closed the internal debate. In a statement signed by Roger Justin Noah on September 8, it acknowledges the resignations of Maurice Kamto and Mamadou Yacouba and calls for an extraordinary National Convention on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Yaoundé. Call for applications open until October 9 at 10 a.m. Objective: to find a new leader to avoid missing the municipal and legislative elections, as in 2020.
Read more Cameroon: Maurice Kamto announces his resignation from the presidency of the MRC