Cameroon’s Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji has announced that opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over allegations that he incited violent demonstrations following the 12 October presidential election.
The unrest erupted after the 92-year-old President Paul Biya was declared the winner, securing 53.7% of the vote, while Tchiroma Bakary reportedly garnered 35.2%, according to the country’s Constitutional Council. Bakary, however, insists that the election was rigged and maintains that he is the rightful winner—a claim firmly rejected by Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).
At least four people have died in clashes between protesters and security forces since the results were announced. Reports from Garoua, where Bakary resides, indicate that armed men opened fire on demonstrators on election result day, killing at least two civilians.
Minister Nji accused Bakary of orchestrating “illegal protests” that led to the loss of lives, and vowed that “accomplices responsible for an insurrectionary plan” will also face prosecution. He added that the government had launched an investigation into pre- and post-election violence, though he declined to specify the total number of fatalities.
The United Nations, African Union, and European Union have all called for restraint, urging Cameroon’s government to respect human rights and avoid excessive use of force.
Despite government assurances that the situation is “under control”, protests continued in Douala and Garoua on Tuesday, where demonstrators erected roadblocks and burned tyres in defiance of police warnings.
Analysts fear the ongoing tensions could plunge Cameroon into a deeper political crisis, further destabilizing a country already struggling with regional unrest and economic challenges.
Tchiroma Bakary has yet to comment on the government’s decision to prosecute him but previously told the BBC he “would not accept a stolen vote” and was “not afraid of being arrested.”
