Fouda put under house arrest

Vincent-Sosthène Fouda, President of the Cameroon Movement for Social Democracy (MSCD) opposition party is under house arrest in Yaounde after calling on President Paul Biya and the entire government to resign.

He was supposed to travel to Douala on Monday but Police told him that he was forbidden to move, Le Messager French language daily newspaper reported.

Fouda had participated in a local TV Vision 4 programme on Sunday, March 13 focused on the incident that happened at the Douala Laquintini Hospital in which Monique Koumateke died with her unborn twins virtually unattended to.

Negligence of the medical staff caused the incident and the population took to the streets in protest. Fouda had planned to join the protesters in Douala on Monday.

During the TV programme, Fouda said the responsibility of the incident went beyond the director of Laquintini Hospital and staff. He is cited as saying that it was indicative of the failure of government’s health policy. Consequently, he said the entire government should resign.

“The fight we are carrying out is long. I continue to say that we will keep on with protests until the entire government resigns,” Fouda is quoted as saying.

After the programme, Police intercepted Fouda and took him to the headquarters of the General Delegation for National Security. “There, I was made to understand that I did not have to call for the departure of the President of the Republic, talk less of calling for protests in the current dispensation of insecurity”, he stated. His action, the Police reportedly said, could cause public disorder. The Police cautioned him to act with less passion.