Ofure Akhigbe
Cameroon’s Interior Minister, Paul Atanga Nji, on Tuesday, October 28, announced that opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over allegations of inciting violent demonstrations following the country’s 12 October presidential election.
At least four protesters have been killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters since the vote, which saw 92-year-old President Paul Biya declared winner for an eighth consecutive term.
According to official results released by Cameroon’s Constitutional Council, Biya secured 53.7% of the vote, while Tchiroma Bakary, his main challenger, garnered 35.2%. However, Bakary has rejected the results, insisting that he won the election — a claim dismissed by Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Nji accused Bakary of organising “illegal protests” that resulted in the loss of lives and declared that he and his “accomplices responsible for an insurrectionary plan” would be prosecuted.
Nji also announced that an investigation had been launched into the violent incidents that occurred before and after the election results were declared, stating that “during these attacks, some of the criminals lost their lives,” though he did not specify how many protesters had been killed. He added that several members of the security forces had also sustained serious injuries.
Despite the minister’s assurance that the situation nationwide was “under control,” protests continued on Tuesday in parts of Douala and Garoua, where demonstrators mounted roadblocks and burned tyres.
The United Nations, African Union, and European Union have expressed concern over the violent crackdown and called on all sides to exercise restraint.
Analysts warn that the ongoing post-election unrest could deepen Cameroon’s political crisis.
Tchiroma Bakary, who is yet to respond officially to the government’s decision to prosecute him, earlier told the BBC that he would not accept what he described as a “stolen vote” and that he was “not afraid of being arrested.”
He also alleged that armed men opened fire on protesters near his residence in Garoua on election result day, killing at least two civilians.
President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982, remains the world’s oldest serving head of state.