Cameroonian Journalist Hans Achomba Disappears, Sparking International Urgency

November 12, 2025 – Cameroon – 

Freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker Hans Achomba has been missing since November 5, 2025, prompting urgent appeals from press-freedom groups for Cameroonian authorities to launch an immediate and transparent investigation. Based in Bamenda, Achomba is known for covering politically sensitive issues in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, including security abuses, electoral tensions, and government accountability. His disappearance was first reported by the International Press Institute (IPI) on November 11, which warned that the circumstances surrounding the case suggest a serious threat to his safety and potentially to press freedom itself.

Two days before he vanished, on November 3, Achomba was summoned and questioned by police regarding his recent reporting and social-media activity in the tense aftermath of Cameroon’s October 12 presidential election. During that interrogation, officers allegedly confiscated his passport and national identity card and instructed him to return to the station with his lawyer the next day. According to his lawyer, Achomba never made that appointment, and his whereabouts have remained unknown ever since. Local police have denied holding him in custody, leaving a troubling gap in the timeline and amplifying fears of enforced disappearance or abduction.

Achomba’s professional history further intensifies concern. In 2017, he was detained on accusations including “false news” and “insurrection,” charges frequently deployed against journalists in Cameroon working on politically sensitive subjects. Press-freedom organisations note that the country’s media climate has sharply deteriorated in recent years, marked by arrests, intimidation, and violence targeting reporters. The disappearance of a journalist already on the authorities’ radar, during a period of heightened political volatility, is widely viewed as potentially retaliatory.

IPI, along with regional and international partners, is calling on the Cameroonian government to prioritise locating Achomba, disclose any information on his status, and ensure that no harm comes to him. They stress that silence, delay, or denial from officials only deepens concerns and risks normalising impunity for disappearances. Advocacy groups also warn that Achomba’s case reflects a broader pattern in which journalists covering conflict, corruption, or political dissent face increasing dangers—from surveillance to detention to unexplained disappearance.

For colleagues, rights defenders, and his family, every passing day underscores both the urgency of the search and the fragility of press freedom in Cameroon. Without decisive action, Hans Achomba’s disappearance may become another unresolved case symbolising the peril faced by journalists who dare to report.

Reference – 

Cameroonian journalist Hans Achomba missing since November 5, 2025