By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Hundreds of natives from Bangolan village in Babessi Subdivision, Ngoketunjia Division in the Northwest Region stormed the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT) on April 27, demanding government authorization to install their new traditional ruler.
The protesters staged a sit-in at the Ministry’s entrance in Yaounde while brandishing peace plants and placards rejecting, denying and calling for the definitive removal of Senator Fon Chafah XI.
During the sit-in protest in front of the MINAT building, the demonstrators held peace plants and placards bearing messages such as “Senator Chafah can no longer be the Fon of Bangolan, never again,” “Senator Chafah, stop using fake accounts on social media to sabotage our elites,” and “I just came from prison because of Senator Chafah,” “We are tired of Senator Chafah,” among others.
“We are here to tell the Minister of Territorial Administration that Senator Chafah is no more our Fon,” one Bangolan native said. “Besides, we are here to urge the Minister to give us the order to install our new Fon.”
A traditional title holder among the group explained that the community did not move to depose the Fon hastily. He stated that the village had extended invitations to the Senator on several occasions to address grievances, all of which were reportedly ignored.
“When Senator Chafah destroyed our culture, we did not automatically dethrone him,” the title holder said. “We gave him time and space. We called him more than seven times in seven broad markets but he turned down the invitation, ignoring us, and we decided to dethrone him.”
The natives expressed a desire for the Ministry to allow notables to resume traditional activities that have been stalled by the ongoing friction. They alleged that the Fon’s use of government authority has led to a climate of fear, including reports of torture and the imprisonment of notables on what they described as fabricated charges.
“We want the Minister to give us the permission for the notables to resume their traditional activities as they were before,” another title holder said. “There have been a lot of torture and beating and many people have died. Senator Chafah uses his authority and government power to intimidate us but we must preserve our culture to our last blood.”
A woman participating in the protest said the village is desperate for a return to normalcy, claiming that the legal system has been weaponized against them.
“We need peace. For the past 10 years, youths, notables, and even women find themselves in situations that they cannot explain,” she said. “People are being arrested randomly and taken to jail. Right now, as I am talking here, there are some notables who have life jail on them for things like crimes they did not commit.”
Following the protest, Prince Aliyou Chafah told reporters that while citizens have a right to voice concerns, such expressions must be carried out within the bounds of the law, noting that the demonstration had not received prior approval. He rejected allegations against Sen. Fon Chafah Isaac XI as baseless and underscored the Fon’s dedication to reconciliation, including his refusal to enforce a 2021 life sentence ruling against several villagers.
The protest follows a recent administrative crackdown. On April 20, the Divisional Officer of Yaounde IV banned a planned meeting organized by Bangolan elites.
Meanwhile, this tension reached a boiling point earlier in February 2026, when the Ngumba Council, the village’s supreme traditional authority, announced the removal of Senator Fon Chafah Isaac. The council began a cleansing process, citing his 10-year absence from the land and the alleged destruction of sacred ancestral shrines.
The administration, through Senior Divisional Officer Henderson Kongeh, sharply rejected the traditional council’s actions as “null and void” and “sacrilegious,” insisting Senator Fon Chafah remains the official Fon for life.
As of March 2026, the state backs Senator Fon Chafah, but the traditional council and much of the community reject him, fueling a volatile chieftaincy crisis.
Senator Fon Chafah has since returned to the village to beg for forgiveness. This isn’t his first removal attempt. The crisis began in 2014, when his crown was reportedly removed in Bamenda by Prophet John Chi—a sacrilegious act.
In 2015, sacred sites were allegedly desecrated. Since 2016, he hasn’t returned and was declared persona non grata. Reconciliation efforts in 2025 failed due to low turnout. Tensions remain high as Bangolan prepares to select a new ruler.
