“Who Is Running Cameroon?” CRP Leader Foligar Lang Takes Aim at ‘High Instructions’ Governance

Cameroon Reformation Party Chairman Foligar Lang

In a blistering post-election intervention that has reignited debate over governance and constitutional order in Cameroon, Foligar Lang, leader of the Cameroon Reformation Party (CRP), has publicly challenged the country’s long-standing reliance on what are commonly referred to as “hautes instructions”—high-level directives allegedly issued outside formal institutional processes.

Speaking in the aftermath of the October 12 presidential election, Lang questioned the legality, transparency, and accountability of a system he says has become the de facto mode of governing the country. At the heart of his argument is a simple but explosive question: where, exactly, are “high instructions” anchored in Cameroon’s Constitution?

According to Lang, critical decisions affecting the lives of Cameroonians are frequently transmitted through informal channels, often relayed by close presidential collaborators rather than through cabinet deliberations or established ministerial procedures. This practice, he argued, fuels opacity, controversy, and what he described as “false instructions” that may not be directly validated by the Head of State.

“We cannot continue to run a country on high instructions,” Lang said. “Who gives them? When did they start? How long will they last? And are they part of the constitutional choice of Cameroonians?”

The CRP leader painted a grim picture of the post-election climate, insisting that the vote has not translated into relief for citizens. He cited continued arrests, intimidation, alleged abuses, and deaths in detention as evidence that “nothing has changed.” For Lang, the persistence of these patterns signals a deeper governance crisis rather than an isolated security problem.

A particularly sensitive issue raised by the opposition figure is the visibility and accountability of the elected president. Lang openly questioned what he termed a “governance vacuum” at the highest level of the State. “We are not seeing him. We are not hearing from him. We don’t know his day-to-day actions,” he said, insisting that citizens have a legal and moral right to know the whereabouts and condition of their president.

In response, Lang has issued an urgent call for an emergency meeting bringing together Cameroon’s most prominent legal minds and political actors. The proposed summit aims to examine the constitutional implications of governing through high instructions and to determine whether the practice should be legally challenged or formally abolished.

Among those invited are senior lawyers and public figures such as Akere Muna, Agbor Balla, Ntumfor Nico Halle, Bar President Mbah Eric Mbah, Prof. Maurice Kamto, and representatives of all twelve political parties that participated in the 2025 presidential election.

Beyond the national scene, Lang has also appealed to the international community to scrutinize Cameroon’s governance framework, warning that the country’s future is “going dark and darker” if opaque power structures persist.

Framing his intervention as a stand “on behalf of Cameroonians,” Lang says the CRP remains committed to reforming and restructuring the State to ensure fairness, safety, and equal opportunity. Whether his call will translate into a united legal front—or provoke official response—remains to be seen. But his challenge has once again thrust the question of who truly runs Cameroon into the national spotlight.

By Yusinyu Omer