In Cameroon, the murder of the wife of the MRC coordinator causes emotion – Jeune Afrique

The chairs still scattered bear witness to the violence of the events which occurred at the home of the Zamboué couple on the night of September 6 to 7. The testimonies of the few relatives willing to remember what they saw on that fateful day when Suzanne Maffo, Zamboué's wife, lost her life further add to the emotion.

Crime scene

It is in the modest residence of the deceased, located in the Jouvence district, on the outskirts of Yaoundé, that we meet them, shortly before they leave this house which has become a crime scene. “It’s scary to live here,” says Sandrine, one of the victim’s sisters. The day before yesterday, hooded men burst in in broad daylight, without us knowing why they were there. We therefore decided to relocate with other family members while the investigations were carried out. »

A week after the discovery of the lifeless body of Suzanne Zamboué, the circumstances of her death remain an enigma. Those close to him, who try to retrace the film of the events, place them between 19 and 22 p.m. “She was on the phone with her daughter,” says the previously cited source. There was a light outage in the area. It lasted about 1h30. It was probably during this moment that it happened. »

It was Suzanne Zamboué's son who discovered her body, after being alerted by an unusual light in one of the living rooms of the residence. His mother lies inert, bound, gagged and bathed in a pool of blood. “The body showed marks of torture,” his sister believes.

Body sealed

Elements of the Biyem-Assi gendarmerie brigade will be the first on the scene. They are the ones who will transport the body to the morgue of the Yaoundé central hospital, which has been sealed by the prosecutor pending the conclusions of the investigation.

The task promises to be difficult to say the least, due to the absence of direct witnesses. Neither the neighbors nor Suzanne Zamboué's niece, who was sleeping inside, heard the slightest noise. “It’s a case that has been classified as sensitive,” he told Young Africa the brigade commander of Biyem-Assi, Emmanuel Mballa.

“When we arrived, no security cordon had been installed and no other measures to protect the premises had been taken,” deplores Me Hippolyte Méli, one of the family's lawyers. The crime scene was probably defiled. This is a serious breach.” The family is also concerned about the disappearance of a document that they signed and which listed the documents placed under seal.

In view of these curiosities, the family's lawyers filed a request with the prosecutor on September 11, so that the Biyem-Assi gendarmerie brigade, although territorially competent, be removed from the case. The file was therefore entrusted to the first gendarmerie region and placed under the responsibility of Lieutenant-Colonel Mvogo Abanda Guy Hervé, head of the judicial research and fight against organized crime department. It is this unit renowned for its success in dismantling numerous organized crime networks which has therefore traced the victim's telephones, before making the first arrests. Around ten people were arrested, including the victim's son, Cabrel Zamboué.

The trail of family drama

Because the trail of family drama seems to be the one followed by the investigators. The latter would have in fact found debris from a watch belonging to him at the crime scene, which would suggest that the death of the victim was the consequence of an argument that went wrong. The suspect has previously denied the accusations, saying his watch broke when he tried to resuscitate his mother.

As we wrote these lines, Cabrel Zamboué's police custody continued, even if it had not been officially extended although it had exceeded the legal deadline of 48 hours, renewable once. A difficult situation for the family. “Let the investigators explore all possible avenues and not try to place the blame on an innocent person,” sighs one of those close to him.

In the meantime, the assassination of Suzanne Zamboué continues to make waves in public opinion. This Friday, September 15, a demonstration was planned in front of the premises of the Cameroonian embassy in Belgium. It must be said that the 60-year-old teacher was an active activist of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), opposition party that Yaoundé has been watching since the 2018 presidential election.

A link with his political activism?

Her husband, Pascal Zamboué, is the coordinator of the MRC. This opponent, like Bibou Nissack or Alain Fogue, is among the activists recently sentenced to 7 years in prison for their participation in the demonstrations organized by their party in September 2020.

Is this the reason why certain members of his political family wanted to make the link between this crime and his activism? “It is difficult not to link his torture and assassination to what the activists of our party undergo,” said Maurice Kamto, the leader of the MRC, in a video posted on Facebook. “The truth hangs on a piece of thread that must be found. We are not far from it,” concludes Me Hippolyte Meli.