Cameroonian musician Valsero released from prison

Valsero and Kamto were freed after the eight charges against them were dropped by a military court in the country's capital Yaoundé, in what the government says is a gesture of national reconciliation.

The charges included insurrection, incitement to insurrection, group rebellion, criminal association, complicity, riotous assembly, disturbance of public order and hostility to the homeland, which carries the death penalty.

The accused were to appear in the military court on 8 October after their arrest in relation to protests in Douala on 26 January, known as the White Marches.

The demonstrations were organised by the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) following widespread suspicion of fraud during the October 2018 presidential election. Kamto had claimed victory in that election, but official figures gave him 14% of the votes. Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for nearly 37 years, obtained 71% of the votes.

Valsero and Kamto's release came after Biya announced on 4 October that a number MRC members would be freed.

“I have ordered the discontinuance of proceedings pending before Military Tribunals against some officials and militants of political parties, in particular, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM),” he tweeted.

Aljazeera reported on 5 October that the release of Kamto and his allies came a day after Biya ordered the release of 300 separatist fighters from the country’s Anglophone regions.

The release is reportedly part of efforts to calm a conflict that has killed nearly 2 000 people and forced half-a-million to flee their homes. The dispute started in 2016 during a protest by teachers and lawyers against alleged discrimination at the hands of Cameroon's French-speaking majority.