France and EU extend sanctions against activists Nyamsi and Yamb

France and the European Union have extended sanctions against pan-African activists Franklin Nyamsi and Nathalie Yamb.

France has renewed a six-month freeze on the assets and economic resources of Cameroonian intellectual Franklin Nyamsi. Nyamsi, who serves on the advisory council of the Institute of Black Peoples in Burkina Faso, has criticized the move as an “arbitrary decision” by a “neocolonialist junta.” A previous legal challenge by Nyamsi at the Paris Administrative Tribunal was rejected in March.

Separately, the Council of the European Union has notified Nathalie Yamb of a one-year extension of her restrictive measures. Yamb, a Swiss-Cameroonian activist, has been under EU sanctions since June 2025 under the “RUSDA” regime, which targets activities deemed destabilizing to Russia. The sanctions include an entry ban to the Schengen Area, a freeze on assets, and a ban on overflying European airspace.

The EU cites Yamb’s role as a special advisor to the President of Niger and her 2019 speech in Sochi as justifications for the measures, alleging influence activities favorable to Russia. Yamb has questioned the legality of these administrative sanctions, noting they were issued by a political body rather than a court.