In Cameroon’s West Region, the Baloum traditional chief and eight others now face prosecution after being charged with the double murder of two young men in Baloum village.

Thursday 25 June marked a pivotal moment in the case of two young men burned alive in Baloum. The Baloum chief and eight co-defendants were formally charged and transferred to Dschang Central Prison. Speaking on behalf of the victim’s family, the lawyer highlighted the gravity of the charges, which include murder, torture, complicity in murder and torture, and failure to provide identification documents. No human being, even one condemned to death by normative justice, should endure such a fate, the lawyer stated.

The case centers on the tragic deaths of Bostel Kemta and his friend Steve Achille Diffo Sijamo, both in their thirties. On 5 June, they were abducted, tortured, and burned alive in Baloum, West Region, allegedly by a faction of local residents under the watch of village chief Charles Constant Pokam Noussi. The chief turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, following his implication in the incident.

Two formal complaints have been filed by the victim’s family. The first was submitted to the Penka-Miche gendarmerie brigade, the administrative authority overseeing Baloum village where the crimes occurred. The second complaint was lodged with the Republic prosecutor, who expressed surprise at not being informed of such grave allegations sooner.