Six days after the sudden death of Charles Ateba Eyene, reactions and testimonies from those who knew or came in contact with the fearless critic have not stopped pouring out.

Charles Ateba Eyene
Photo: © CIN Screen Capture

The latest being that of Ayah Paul Abine, leader of the Peoples Action Party and former MP for Akwaya. The no-nonsense political leader wrote in a recent piece that Charles Ateba Eyene met him at the Yaounde Hotel des Députés a year back or thereabouts. “He held my hand and said aloud; you and I are branded today as opposants” Ayah said. “They call us names. But they will finish by seeing what we are seeing today…They killed my wife and left a note behind that read: Look at what we have done to your wife. You will suffer the same fate if you do not refrain from criticizing Paul Biya. I know that I criticize nobody; I only speak out my mind. And that I will always do,” Ateba Eyene told Ayah. The PAP leader recalled that whenever Ateba Eyene made his critical appreciation, he ended up saying, almost invariably: “But I support President Paul Biya, the President of the Republic, and the national president of my party, the CPDM.” To Ayah, this does ring a bell loud enough! He argues that in every civilized community, whenever there is a sudden and suspicious death, a coroner’s inquest is ordered. “If we were not in Cameroun, Charles Ateba Eyene’s death should be one of such cases. Unfortunately, le Cameroun c’est le Cameroun!” Ayah lamented. Ayah describes late Charles Ateba Eyene as “my dear friend-in-conscience.” It should be recalled that Ateba Eyene became a widower in 2009. He died on February 21 in Yaounde hospital.