Cameroon: Head of the human rights commission accused of sexual harassment

You finally have the answer to why the head of the human rights commission of Cameroon never cared about the violence suffered by women: he was busy abusing one of them.

James Mouangue Kobila, a university professor and president of the human rights commission of Cameroon (CDHC), is currently facing a complaint for, among other things, “sexual harassment”, “private outrage”, “conditional threats”, “blackmail”, “minor injuries” and “defamation”. These accusations are made by one of his collaborators.{loadmoduleid 377}

According to the complaint, the facts date back to 2019, when the victim, a young woman who had just graduated from law school, joined the CDHC as an intern. She claims that Kobila, who was then the vice-president of the institution, took advantage of his position and authority to force her into a sexual relationship, under the pretext of helping her with her career. She also alleges that he physically and verbally abused her, threatened to fire her or harm her family, and exposed her to humiliating situations.

The victim says she tried to escape from Kobila’s grip several times, but he always managed to find her and coerce her. She also says she reported the situation to some of her colleagues and superiors, but they either ignored her or advised her to keep quiet. She finally decided to file a complaint in December 2020, after Kobila was appointed as the president of the CDHC by President Paul Biya.

Kobila denies the allegations and claims that he had a consensual relationship with the complainant, who is now trying to tarnish his reputation and extort money from him. He also accuses her of being manipulated by some of his political enemies, who want to sabotage his work at the head of the human rights commission.

The case is currently under investigation by the judicial police, and no date has been set for a trial. The CDHC has not issued any official statement on the matter, and the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms (CNDHL), the supervisory body of the CDHC, has not commented either.{loadmoduleid 378}