By At least four people have been killed and several others wounded in Cameroon as security forces clamped down on protests against the declared re-election of President Paul Biya, Africa’s oldest leader, following a disputed October 12 presidential vote.
The demonstrations erupted in major cities, including Douala, where opposition supporters called for “fair results” after the Constitutional Council confirmed Biya’s victory on Monday. The 92-year-old leader secured 53.66 percent of the vote, extending his four-decade rule until at least 2032.
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Protesters loyal to opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon defied a government ban on public gatherings, burning tyres, barricading roads, and setting police vehicles ablaze. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
According to Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, the governor of the Littoral Region, demonstrators attacked police stations in Douala’s second and sixth districts. “Four people unfortunately lost their lives, and several members of the security forces were injured,” he said.
Tchiroma’s campaign team confirmed the deaths, saying the victims were among peaceful demonstrators demanding that “the will of the people be respected.” The opposition has accused Biya’s ruling party of rigging the vote, claims the government has dismissed as baseless.
Tchiroma, 76, a former minister and longtime ally of Biya, ran as the consensus candidate of the Union for Change, a coalition of more than two dozen opposition parties and civil society groups formed in September to challenge Biya’s dominance. Declaring himself the true winner, Tchiroma claimed 55 percent of the vote and urged Biya to “accept the truth of the ballot box.”
The Constitutional Council, however, dismissed opposition complaints and upheld Biya’s victory, with Tchiroma officially finishing second with 35.19 percent.
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, has long faced accusations of manipulating elections and suppressing dissent. In 2008, parliament scrapped presidential term limits, allowing him to extend his stay in power indefinitely.
Despite Cameroon’s wealth in oil and cocoa, critics say corruption and mismanagement have crippled the economy. Biya, who spends long periods abroad mainly in Switzerlanhas been criticised for his absence from the country, especially during times of crisis.
The election took place amid security concerns in the country’s restive Anglophone regions, where separatists are waging an armed campaign for an independent state called Ambazonia. Violence and intimidation led to widespread voter abstention in the Northwest and Southwest regions, where turnout was below 50 percent.
In the Far North, Cameroon continues to battle attacks by the Boko Haram armed group, which has killed hundreds since 2015.
Several opposition figures, including Anicet Ekane and Djeukam Tchameni of the Union for Change, were arrested before and after the polls, while others remain missing.
Analysts warn that Biya’s continued grip on power could fuel instability in the years ahead, as the veteran leader nears 100.
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