Cameroon, rich in gold deposits, is experiencing a scandal worthy of the greatest national tragedies. Following the Glencore affair, tons of gold vanish each year, shipped abroad while the state remains paralyzed. The figures are staggering: 22.3 kg officially declared by Customs versus 15.2 tons imported by the United Arab Emirates. That’s more than 680 times the official production!

In 2023, Cameroon produced 953 kg of gold according to the Ministry of Mines. But the reality of international flows is far darker. Massive undeclared exports reveal systematic plundering and a parallel market that is completely beyond national control. Local miners are marginalized, crushed by arbitrary taxes and unfavorable contracts.

Tax losses linked to these illegal exports are estimated at 165 billion FCFA (nearly 250 million euros). These billions could have funded hospitals, schools, roads… But instead, they enrich foreign national actors, while the Cameroonian taxpayer watches helplessly.

More than 90% of the illegal gold is shipped to the United Arab Emirates, far from prying eyes. National testing laboratories and oversight bodies seem to act more as guarantors than guardians. Official figures become a game of illusion, where transparency is a luxury no one dares demand.

This scandal is more than economic: it is symbolic. It reveals the dispossession of our wealth, the injustice suffered by citizens, and the chronic inability of the Biya regime to protect its people. The gold leaving Cameroon represents not just money: it represents our stolen dignity.

It is time to act. The press must investigate, citizens must speak out, and the authorities must take immediate action: full transparency on mining flows, rigorous export controls, and sanctions against all those involved. Cameroon can no longer stand by and watch its gold fly off to other shores while its people remain impoverished. Nor can it continue to produce such major scandals all the time.