Maurice Kamto, the national chairman of CRM political party has strongly criticise the actions of the government in refusal to renew the passport of Valsero a Cameroonian rapper, activist, and human rights defender. He claims this is human right violation.
Claim: The government has denied the renewal of Gaston Philippe Abe Abe AKA Valsero’s passport.
Verdict: Misleading
A video posted 5 days ago by Valsero on his Facebook page claims that the government has refused to renew his passport. He claims to have submitted his documents 5 months ago. It was to this unverified video where Maurice Kamto of the opposition party accused the government of violating Human Rights.
According to a statement issued on March 24, 2023 by Kamto, the government of Cameroon through the General Delegation of National Security which is in charge of passports have violated Article 15 paragraph 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “everyone has a right to nationality”.
Valsero took to his Facebook page to upload multiple videos. One of which is a reaction to Serge Babson’s comment on his claims. Babson claims Valsero’s passport was never withdrawn and his documents were not complete and incorrect in his filling. His response were evasive as he never answered the question.
Requirements For Passport Renewal
In Cameroon, you can renew your passport through the website or embassy. The renewal process takes about five to seven months. To be on guard it is better to apply a year before expiration.
Below is a list of requirements for a passport renewal. If any of these documents are absent or not certified your file is considered incomplete.
- Pre-enrollment application form (proof of payment receipt).
- Certified copy of birth certificate or birth certificate extract.
- Previous passport & photocopy of Data page(s).
- Certified photocopy of residence permit or entry visa.
- Certified copy of valid Cameroon National ID (CNI) or valid Consular Card.
- Certified copy of marriage certificate (applicable to married women opting for name change).
- Proof of profession or social status (e.g. contract of employment, student ID, letter from employer…)
- Police report or certified declaration of loss/theft (if applicable).
- Certified parental or legal guardian authorization (applicable to all applicants under the age of majority- 21 years of age).
Everything You Need To Know About Passports In Cameroon
In his video he claimed it takes maximum 48 hours for a passport production. Passport production and renewal of passport are two different things. The procedure on how to go about both and the duration is explained in the PDF attachment above.
Now that we have the facts striaght, there is no human right violation as Valsero simply has not followed the right procedure or is not patient.
More on the topic with Le Nouveau Cameroon
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