Issa Tchiroma Bakary said on Friday he had been escorted to a secure location by soldiers loyal to him for his protection, a move that could signal a split within the army following a disputed election.

Tchiroma had been holed up in his house in the northern city of Garoua since a presidential election on October 12 in which he claimed victory.

Protests swept through major cities and towns across Cameroon on 27 October, after electoral authorities declared that incumbent Paul Biya, who has been president for the past 43 years, had won re-election.

Official counts gave him 53.66 per cent of the vote, with his main opponent Tchiroma Bakary garnering 35.19 per cent. But the opposition is in an uproar over what it sees as a rigged election.

Tally sheets posted from polling stations by civil society groups and opposition parties appear to show Tchiroma prevailing by a convincing margin.

With neither side willing to back down, the risks of worsening unrest are high. Thousands have taken to the streets, demanding recognition of the opposition’s apparent victory.

By Rita Akana with files from Reuters and International Crisis Group

We are alarmed by reports that several people have been killed during protests over the outcome of the 12 October presidential election.

We call on the security forces to refrain from use of lethal force, and on the protesters to demonstrate peacefully. The authorities must fully abide by their obligations under international human rights law, and political leaders and their supporters must refrain from violence and hate speech.

We urge the authorities to ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all cases of election-related violence, including the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and to bring those responsible to justice. Fair trial rights and due process for anyone arrested should also be guaranteed.

Source: UN Human Rights Council

Cameroon’s Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji says opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over allegations he incited “violent post-election demonstrations”.

At least four protesters have been killed during clashes between security forces and opposition supporters since Cameroon’s election on 12 October, with 92-year-old President Paul Biya winning an eighth consecutive term.

Tchiroma Bakary insists he won the election, a claim dismissed by Biya’s ruling party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).

Violent crackdowns by police and security officers on protesters have alarmed the international community, with the UN, African Union and EU calling for restraint.

On Tuesday, Nji accused Tchiroma Bakary of organising what he said were “illegal” protests leading to the loss of lives, and also criticised him for declaring victory in the election.

He added that Tchiroma Bakary’s “accomplices responsible for an insurrectionary plan” will also face legal action.

Paul Biya, who came to power in 1982 and is now the world’s oldest head of state, won the 12 October election with 53.7% of the vote, compared to 35.2% for Tchiroma Bakary, according to Cameroon’s Constitutional Council.

Tchiroma Bakary is yet to respond to the government’s decision to try him, but he had previously told the BBC that he would not accept a stolen vote – and that he was not afraid of being arrested.

On election result day, he said armed men opened fire on protesters assembled near his residence in Garoua, fatally wounding at least two civilians.

On Tuesday, the interior minister revealed that an investigation would be launched into violent incidents before and after the announcement of the election results.

“During these attacks, some of the criminals lost their lives,” he said, without providing a specific number of protesters who have been killed in the clashes.

Nji added that several members of the security forces had also sustained serious injuries.

Although Nji insisted the situation nationwide was now under control, protesters remain active in some parts of the country, especially in Douala and Garoua, where demonstrators mounted roadblocks on Tuesday, and burnt tyres on the streets.

Analysts warn the post-electoral violence could plunge the country into a political crisis.

Source: BBC

The European Union has declared itself deeply concerned about the violent repression of protests that have rocked Cameroon following a disputed presidential vote.

The EU urged Cameroonian authorities to release all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained since the election.

At least four people have been killed in the African nation since demonstrators took to the streets to protest the announcement that Paul Biya had secured an eighth term in office.

The European Union urges all sides to maintain restraint and refrain from any action that may further exacerbate tensions according to the bloc’s foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni.

Violence in the aftermath of the closer-than-expected ballot has raised fears that the unrest could escalate in the former French colony in central Africa.

Four people were killed in clashes between security forces and supporters of the opposition in the economic capital Douala on Sunday according to the region’s governor.

More protests took place on Monday despite restrictions with security forces reportedly moving in to break up the latest demonstrations.

The EU deplored the death by firearm of a number of civilians El Anouni said.

The spokesman also called for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the presidential elections.

Biya who is 92 years old is only the second person to lead Cameroon since independence from France in 1960.

He has ruled with an iron fist repressing all political and armed opposition and holding onto power in the face of social upheaval economic inequality and separatist violence.

Source – AFP

At least 20 people have been arrested in Cameroon in connection with protests over the Oct. 12 presidential election, authorities said on Tuesday, as tensions mounted ahead of the proclamation of results expected later this week.

Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, confirmed the arrest of some of the protesters in the northern city of Garoua in a statement on Tuesday, without stating when and how many were arrested. Twenty of the “several” arrested will be brought before military courts to answer for the charges of insurrection and incitement to rebellion, the statement said, while others involved in criminal acts have been taken to Yaounde for further investigations.

“The government watches with concern acts of provocation and disorder carried out by some trouble makers,” he said, claiming that those arrested were being manipulated by some political actors.

Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed victory last week and urged President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest president at 92, to concede. Biya’s party has rejected Tchiroma’s claim of victory and accused the opposition candidate of trying to disrupt the electoral process. The constitutional council is expected to announce the final official results by Oct. 26.

Analysts have predicted a victory for Biya as the opposition remained divided and his strongest rival was barred from running in August. Eleven opposition candidates were on the ballot.

Following the election, pockets of protests broke out in several cities over the allegations of election fraud.

Tchiroma alleged last week that there were signs of vote tampering, echoing civil society groups’ earlier reports of “several irregularities,” including attempted ballot stuffing.

The National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, which monitored the election, said on Monday that the election was marked by a number of irregularities, including relocation of certain polling stations and failure to update the electoral register, which still contained the names of deceased persons. A group of eight civil society organizations that monitored the election also noted the unequal distribution of ballot papers in some polling stations and attempts at ballot box stuffing in their report.

On Sunday, Tchiroma started publishing on his Facebook page results from 18 administrative units which he claims constitute 80% of the electorate, allegedly confirming his victory. His Facebook posts have received praise from his supporters and mockery from critics and regime allies — including ministers — who question their authenticity.

Tchiroma, who is in his late 70s, was a government spokesperson and employment minister under Biya but quit the government earlier this year to launch his presidential run. His campaign drew large crowds and backing from a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups.

Biya has been in power since 1982, nearly half his lifetime, making him Cameroon’s second president since independence from France in 1960.

During Biya’s decades in power, the Central African nation of nearly 30 million people has struggled with challenges from a deadly secessionist movement in the west and chronic corruption that has stifled development despite rich natural resources like oil and minerals.

Source: ABC News

The Houthi group on Saturday denied any involvement in the projectile attack earlier in the day in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen’s coast, which led to the explosion and burning of a Cameroon-flagged oil tanker, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a statement on social media platform X that it had received reports of a vessel struck by an unknown projectile about 116 nautical miles east of the Yemeni port city of Aden, which subsequently caught fire.

A source from Yemen’s government coast guard identified the vessel as MV FALCON, noting that “the situation is under control” following rapid rescue operations, and that an investigation has been launched into the attack.

The source said all 26 crew members were safely evacuated from the vessel, but a statement issued later by EU military operation EUNAVFOR Aspides on X said 24 of them — one Ukrainian and 25 Indians — have been rescued and are being transported to Djibouti, while the other two remain missing.

According to EUNAVFOR Aspides, the vessel was sailing 113 nautical miles southeast of Aden when the attack came. It then exploded, caught fire, and has been adrift.

“Initial assessments suggest that approximately 15 percent of the ship is on fire. The cause of the blast remains unclear, but indications point to an onboard accident,” it added.

The Gulf of Aden is a key maritime corridor linking the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. In recent months, the waterway and the neighboring Red Sea have witnessed repeated attacks on commercial shipping, attributed to the Houthis. The group says its operations are aimed at pressuring Israel and its allies in solidarity with the Palestinians amidst the Gaza conflict.

Source: China Daily