A journalist missing in unclear circumstances for several days in Cameroon was found dead on Sunday January 22, his media and his family announced.

While the opposition and press defense organizations denounce an "assassination", the European Union "strongly" condemned a "murder" on Monday.

Martinez Zogo, 51, was the managing director of private radio station Amplitude FM, based in Yaoundé, and the star host of a daily program, Embouteillage, broadcast from Monday to Friday and widely listened to in the Cameroonian capital.

He had disappeared on Tuesday in troubled circumstances.

His body was discovered early Sunday morning 15 kilometers north of Yaoundé, Charly Tchouemou, editor-in-chief of Amplitude FM radio, told AFP.

The latter assured to have recognized his remains, adding that his corpse was naked and entered into a state of decomposition.

The death was also confirmed to AFP by the partner of Martinez Zogo, and a police source on condition of anonymity.

When asked, the authorities did not respond immediately.

"The European Union strongly condemns the murder of the famous Cameroonian radio host, Martinez Zogo," Nabila Massrali, spokeswoman for the head of European diplomacy, said in a statement.

"It is essential that a thorough investigation, already announced by the authorities, clarifies all the circumstances of this murder and that those responsible are brought to justice," said the European spokesperson.

"The European Union recalls the crucial role played by free and independent media in Cameroon and around the world for democratic and free societies", she underlined.

A committed journalist

On the air, this committed journalist regularly tackled corruption cases, not hesitating to implicate important personalities by name.

He had notably been detained preventively for two months in 2020 in a case where he was accused of defamation.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his release and urged the government to decriminalize the offence.

The National Union of Journalists of Cameroon said in a statement, its "dismay", denouncing a "heinous assassination" and calling on media workers to dress in black on January 25 to mark their mourning.

The International Press Institute, a Vienna-based press freedom organization, has urged Cameroonian authorities to "promptly investigate the horrific murder of journalist Martinez Zogo and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice".

The political opposition was also indignant, like the opposition deputy of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), Jean-Michel Nintcheu, who denounced in a press release a "crime" which "cannot go unpunished". .

His disappearance was confirmed by the government in a statement on Saturday.

An investigation had been opened four days earlier to shed light on the circumstances of his disappearance, according to a police source who requested anonymity.

The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Friday that Martinez Zogo had been "abducted" on January 17 around 8 p.m. in front of a police station on the outskirts of Yaoundé.

He was seen for the last time in front of a gendarmerie station, confirmed the aforementioned police source, who added that he "did not have any clues to affirm that it was a kidnapping".

⚡️#Cameroon🇨🇲: AmplitudeFM radio director Martinez Zogo was found dead and bearing signs of abuse.

RSF calls on the authorities to do everything to bring those responsible for this crime to justice and to protect journalists.

👇https://t.co/81A8oUoypb pic.twitter.com/ZoyZ25uKlV

— RSF (@RSF_inter) January 23, 2023

His body was taken in the morning to the morgue of the Yaoundé central hospital, according to Charly Tchouemou.

A large crowd was gathered there as well as many elements of the police, noted an AFP journalist.

An autopsy was to be performed on the spot, a family member of the victim told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"There are many gray areas regarding the circumstances of his brutal abduction. The authorities must launch a rigorous, thorough and independent investigation to establish the full chain of responsibility and the circumstances that led to this sad event," said Sadibou Marong, head of the sub-Saharan Africa desk for RSF, told AFP.

On Sunday, several Cameroonian television channels dedicated their programs to this event.

Asked about the Info TV channel, the famous novelist Calixthe Beyala said she was "dejected, saddened. I knew he was dead as soon as it was announced that he was kidnapped. We can ask ourselves the question: to whom turn? Each of us can find ourselves in this situation for something that we might have said".

With AFP

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