Police in the Central African nation of Cameroon arrested sixty-eight people on suspicion of homosexual offences in just one night in the country’s largest city of Douala in late August.
The August 23 raids took place around 3 am and saw nearly 70 people taken in by police in the Makepe and Bonamoussadi areas of the city.
Bar among places raided
A local police commander justified the raids by saying they had uncovered a local bar which maintained private rooms so that its patrons could use them for sexual relations.
Police say they found condoms, lubricants and a range of sex toys when they raided the backrooms.
Most of those arrested were released after posting bail.
However, nine of the accused remain in custody at New Bell Central Prison awaiting trial.
According to reports, the youngest detainee is 16, though little is known about the others.
Military underwear?
The group faces charges including homosexual acts, corruption of a minor, and unauthorised use of military equipment.
The charge of “unauthorised use of military equipment” appears to be related to a raid of one of the accused’s homes where police reportedly found “military underwear” among other items.
That case was initially referred to a military court, but it sent the case back to the police for further investigation.
Lawyers from the human rights groups Working for Our Wellbeing and Together for All have been visiting the accused in jail, and it is believed that their case will be heard in September.
Up to five years in prison
Most of Cameroon was ruled by the French prior to 1960, when it gained independence.
So the country does not have the kind of draconian colonial-era laws found in those African countries that were ruled by the British.
However, homosexuality was made illegal in Cameroon in 1972. It can attract up to five years in prison, and there are no laws protecting LGBTQIA+ people from discrimination in the country.
Widely regarded as a dictator, President Paul Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982.
His daughter, Brenda Biya, publicly came out as a lesbian in 2024 to urge her father to overturn the law.
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Douala is not the Capital city of Cameroon