Cameroon journalists detained over minister's missing glasses — Four Cameroonian journalists were held in custody for six days after being accused of stealing a minister’s glasses, in a case described by local media as “Kafkaesque.” The reporters—François Essomba (Chine Afrique), Igor Gwet Bibey (Inform plus), Solange Djuikam (Univers Info.net), and Pierre Mouchili (Le procès international)—were covering an event in Yaoundé on September 16, 2026, when they were arrested on suspicion of stealing the glasses of Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey.

The case took a bizarre turn the day after their arrest, September 17, when the missing glasses were reportedly found inside the minister’s personal vehicle, eliminating the initial suspicion of theft. However, the investigation continued on a new pretext of “unauthorized intrusion” into a closed-door meeting.

National and regional press freedom and human rights groups condemned the detentions as arbitrary. The journalists were finally released without charge on Monday, September 21, 2026.