Returning from Bafoussam, our correspondent Emmanuel Jules Ntap reports on a significant humanitarian effort that has restored freedom to dozens of young Cameroonians.

Every year, impoverished detainees face prolonged imprisonment simply because they cannot afford court-ordered financial penalties. This year, the Françoise Puene Freedom Foundation stepped in to cover these fees for 38 young prisoners aged 16 to 28, enabling their release.

Since 2014, this foundation has intervened eight times to assist indigent detainees in paying their contrainte par corps, a judicial mechanism that traps vulnerable individuals in overcrowded prisons.

Françoise Puene, founder and president of the foundation, shared her observations from a visit to Bafoussam Central Prison: “Across the country, we’ve noticed that most inmates are young—some as young as 17, others 18 or 16. The oldest among them is 28 years old.”

The Code of Criminal Procedure in Cameroon mandates that all convicts must settle financial penalties or restitution orders upon completing their prison terms. Failure to do so results in continued detention, contributing to severe prison overcrowding.

Adray Epente Tazeu, Secretary General of the Western Region’s governor services, acknowledged the crisis: “Our prisons are dangerously overcrowded. Many detainees remain incarcerated solely because they cannot afford these court-ordered payments.”

Efred Ngayeu, one of the beneficiaries, expressed his relief: “I’m so grateful they paid for me. I spent nine months behind bars instead of the six-month sentence I received.”

The fines paid by the foundation ranged from 40,000 to 150,000 Central African CFA francs—approximately 60 to 228 euros—covering the legal obligations that had kept these young men imprisoned long after their sentences ended.