This communication delves into the process of identifying individuals who perished in disasters in Cameroon, focusing on two specific events: the Nsam fire on February 14, 1998, in Yaoundé, resulting in the loss of over 300 lives, and the Eséka train derailment on October 21, 2016, causing the death of more than 80 people. The study explores the various stages of recognizing the deceased and victims of the Nsam disaster, initially accused of being thieves before gaining national recognition marked by the declaration of a national day of mourning. Furthermore, it examines the challenges the government faced in legitimizing the Eséka memorial, encountering local opposition that preferred highlighting another local figure, Ruben Um Nyobe, a hero of the Cameroonian War of Independence. This figure continues to disrupt public order despite local consideration as a son of the soil and martyr, while the current regime has never regarded him as a national hero.

I then highlight the legitimization strategies adopted by the government to overcome resistance from Eséka residents regarding the necropolization of their city linked to the deaths from the train disaster. It suggests that legitimizing the memorial was crucial for the authorities, not only in terms of recognizing the victims but also in managing local opposition and silencing the memory of local nationalism. In conclusion, the communication outlines a theory of power and the state in Cameroon, based on the selective valorization of the dead according to the political stakes of the territories where contested disasters occur. It emphasizes the symbolic and political dimension of managing disaster deaths, constituting a form of necropolitics in the construction of state power and legitimacy.