“Bullied, attacked, and abused”: LGBTQ+ Cameroonians face a massive crackdown on their rights

by Curated March 7, 2025 · Gay News / Gay Pride / Gay Rights / LGBTQ Nation

Beneath the alarming statistics are real stories of pain, fear, and resilience. LGBTQ+ Cameroonians face multiple layers of trauma, starting with violent arrests often carried out by the police in collaboration with community informants and vigilante mobs. Raids on their private homes, arbitrary detentions, and public humiliation have become the norm. While in custody, many of them face degrading treatment that includes beatings, sexual violence, and psychological abuse aimed at coercing confessions or attempting to “reform” their identities. 

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On September 30, a police raid in the city of Douala led to the arrest of 13 activists and members of Alternatives-Cameroun, an organization advocating for the health and human rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

The team was concluding the CHILL project, an initiative focused on public health and HIV prevention in their Douala office, when the public prosecutor, accompanied by agents with Interpol badges and police officers, raided the premises. 

They interviewed everyone present, confiscated their phones, and conducted thorough searches before arresting 13 individuals, including a 17-year-old boy, on charges of human trafficking, unauthorized medical practice, and homosexuality. While nine of the arrested individuals were later released on bail, four men were taken into custody.

The four detainees—Denis Watonawa, Oumarou, Hermine Ngo Ndaptie, and Fotie Zidane—were held at New Bell Prison in Douala. The three men (Watonawa, Ndaptie, and Zidane) were subject to forced anal examinations, which were authorized by the prosecutor and conducted at a local hospital in an attempt to find proof of homosexuality, despite their objections. However, the exam was inconclusive as the doctor couldn’t confirm whether theyhad engaged in same-sex intercourse.

 The World Health Organization and the Independent Forensic Experts Group condemned the examinations, describing them as a form of torture. They stated that “there is no value in detecting abnormalities in anal sphincter tone that can be reliably attributed to consensual anal intercourse.”

While they awaited a court hearing, the detainees were in deteriorating health and sought out aid. One of them was allegedly drugged and sexually abused by prison inmates. 

During the initial hearing on November 13, the detainees were reprimanded in prison on charges of homosexuality. Following the second court hearing on December 14, three of them were released, leaving one individual who is currently on trial, facing accusations of allegedly having sexual relations with a minor.

Mob justice

In Cameroon, LGBTQ+ individuals have been forced into hiding, often leaving their jobs, schools, and homes to avoid being discovered. Social media, which was once a tool for connection and activism, has become a double-edged sword. It now poses significant dangers as authorities and vigilante groups monitor these platforms, using users’ conversations and posts to harass, attack, and extort them.

Cameroon’s original Penal Code, established in 1965, did not criminalize homosexuality. However, amendments made in 1972 introduced provisions that prohibited consensual same-sex relations and imposed penalties, including five-year prison terms and fines, for individuals engaging in such relations.

Peter, a 34-year-old gay man, shared with LGBTQ Nation that he was imprisoned following a Grindr hookup in 2022. He had invited the man from Grindr to his home, but the encounter turned sour when the man attempted to extort him and subsequently outed him. After the hookup caused a scene, neighbors called the police, resulting in Peter’s arrest. The man falsely alleged that Peter had lured him to his house and tried to rape him.

“I was detained in prison without bail for fourteen months and never taken to trial. I was also denied access to a lawyer and proper bail, while authorities demanded a bribe of 5 million CFA francs [approximately 8,000 USD] for my release. Unable to afford this amount, I remained incarcerated until an NGO intervened and helped me secure bail.” 

“While in prison, I was bullied, attacked and abused. I also met other men who had been locked up for homosexual-related offenses. Some of them had been locked up for more than two years, while some were just arrested based on mere suspicions that they were gay. Food was scarce and sexual abuse was the order… especially for the younger queer boys who were constantly putting up with sexual abuse from the bigger boys so they could give them… food to eat.”

Cameroon’s penal code criminalizes consensual same-sex relations. The existing legal framework, along with social stigma and discrimination, contributes to a high prevalence of violence against the LGBTQ+ community. The law’s ambiguity results in arbitrary enforcement without clear evidence. Often, mere suspicion is enough for arrests, creating a dangerous precedent that fosters mob justice. Arrests based solely on perceived identity are both unjust and illegitimate.

Cameroonian authorities also do not protect LGBTQ+ individuals from harassment and violence. Instead, they arrest and detain those who seek help and report these incidents.  According to the 2020 Research Handbook on Gender, Sexuality, and the Law, Cameroon is recognized for prosecuting consensual same-sex relationships more aggressively than nearly any other country globally.

 The legal framework has also emboldened vigilante groups and communities to take matters into their own hands, leading to brutal attacks and even lynchings. A pattern that has also been seen in neighboring countries like Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, South Sudan, and Senegal(where a dead body was exhumed and set ablaze after people learned the deceased was gay.)

 In a recent tragedy, two men were lynched to death in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital city, after they were allegedly spotted having sex in a car. The recent attack sparked outrage and underscored a growing challenge for LGBTQ+ individuals in the country and the broader region.

The two men, both approximately in their 40s, had just exited a bar when bystanders noticed them in their car. Initially, the onlookers believed the men were having a private conversation inside the vehicle. However, as they saw the car shaking, their curiosity grew, and they approached the vehicle, only to catch the men engaged in a sexual act.

 The car was quickly surrounded by an angry mob who pulled the men out and pounced on them before the police intervened and arrested the two men. They were released shortly and were believed to have bribed the police, who eventually let them go. This is a common practice in Cameroon, where authorities regularly extort queer individuals to evade arrest. Unfortunately, the mob spotted the men again and attacked them, stripping them naked and beating them until they were dead. 

Their deaths, captured in a disturbing video that Facebook has taken down, sparked outrage and drew condemnation from activists and human rights organizations. They criticized the violence and urged members of the LGBTQ+ community to exercise caution to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Murder music

In Cameroon, politicians use anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric to gain power by framing themselves as defenders of “traditional values” against Western influence. This resonates with a conservative society where religious leaders and cultural norms strongly oppose homosexuality, portraying it as morally and spiritually wrong. This perspective fuels harmful ideologies and reinforces negative attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals, which triggers mob attacks.

A homophobic song inciting violence and calling for the death of LGBTQ+ individuals recently went viral and topped the charts in Cameroon. The song “Les Nerfs des Boys” (Boys Nerves) by Snoopie le Mélodie, a Cameroonian artist, is categorized as “murder music,” a genre that promotes violence against LGBTQ+ people.

The song features explicit and graphically violent lyrics such as: “poignardez les pédés,” ( Stab the fa***ts) and “Nous, on déteste les pédés” ( We hate fa***ts ). 

Snoopy la Mélodie’s also distributed merchandise that said “Stab the fa***ts” with an image of a bloody dagger. 

Human rights group ADEFHO (the Association for the Defense of Homosexuals) lodged a complaint on November 19, urging an investigation into the songwriter for inciting hate and murder.

In one of the petitions filed, it was alleged that young men wearing the merch have organized gangs, armed themselves with weapons, and are already attacking queer individuals. There have also been torrents of videos on TikTok and Facebook of people singing the song and chanting “Poignardez les pédés” on the streets of Cameroon. Snoopy la Mélodie recently performed the song at multiple events and the crowd was singing along.

Four French LGBTQ+ rights organizations—Familles LGBT, Mousse, STOP Homophobie, and ADHEOS— joined ADEFHO to file a complaint in a Paris court on December 12. They are seeking to block the distribution of a song that they believe fuels a dangerous trend and contributes to rising violence. The song is freely accessible in France on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and TikTok.

 For many LGBTQ+ Cameroonians, the current wave of persecution is a fight for survival. As long as legal systems criminalize homosexuality and African attitudes condone queer violence, the future of the LGBTQ+ community in the country remains uncertain. Until these root causes are addressed, this endless cycle of violence, fear, and trauma will continue.

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Author: Daniel Anthony