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

Protests broke out Tuesday in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, as angry crowds accused authorities of fraud in the Oct. 12 presidential election.

In several neighborhoods, demonstrators carried placards denouncing “electoral fraud” and a “stolen victory.” Police and gendarmes deployed across the city dispersed the protesters with tear gas after brief clashes.

Videos shared by local media on social platforms showed protesters alleging that electoral officials “manipulated the vote count” in favor of longtime President Paul Biya.

Similar demonstrations were reported in Garoua, the chief town of North Region and hometown of opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has claimed victory in the vote.

The government and traditional leaders have issued several statements, calling for calm and restraint.

Earlier Tuesday, the National Commission for the Final Counting of Votes said it had completed tallying ballots and would submit provisional results to the Constitutional Council, which is mandated to proclaim the outcome.

Some local outlets reported that Biya was leading with more than 50 percent of the vote. The Constitutional Council is expected to announce the official results by Oct. 27, in line with Cameroon’s Electoral Code.

Source: Xinhuanet

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

Cameroonian opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, who was excluded from the October 12 presidential poll, on Friday called for the respect of voters’ choices and restraint from the authorities, as tensions rise over the vote count and allegations of fraud mount amid highly volatile political climate.

In a statement posted on his social media accounts and seen by APA, Kamto called for the “respect of the people’s verdict”, warning against any manipulation of the results as the National Vote Counting Commission prepares to tally the ballots.

“The official results must reflect the choice of the Cameroonian people, freely expressed at the ballot box,” Kamto declared, stressing the need for transparency and fairness.

He warned that tensions have been “dangerously escalating” since the election day due to “reprehensible acts and behaviours” observed during the voting exercise, which could “compromise the final outcome” of the process.

Kamto also cautioned against the risk of violent clashes among Cameroonians, at a time when the country is already grappling with multiple crises, poverty, armed conflicts in the Northwest and Southwest regions and Boko Haram attacks in the Far North.

The opposition leader urged the security forces and the authorities to act with “discernment and maximum restraint,” and not to treat citizens expressing their views peacefully as “criminals.”

“Those who truly threaten public order are the ones seeking to distort the voice of the people,” he said, adding that Cameroon, as a “shared nation,” cannot afford further divisions that would drive it “deeper into the abyss of history.”

On Thursday, the Electoral Council confirmed the composition of the National Vote Counting Commission, responsible for tallying and compiling the results. The 33-member body, chaired by Essombe Emile of the Constitutional Council, includes magistrates, government officials, members of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), and delegates from competing political parties.

However, the post-election climate remains highly contentious. Issa  Tchiroma Bakary, candidate of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), who claims victory over long-serving President Paul

Biya (in power since 1982), alleged on Wednesday that the authorities were intimidating his regional representatives, claiming he had won “over 80% of the votes.”

In response, Minister of Territorial Administration Atanga Nji Paul denounced the claims as “fraudulent and anti-republican behaviour,” reiterating that only the Constitutional Council is authorised to proclaim the official results expected by October 26.

Source: APA

In a national address delivered on Thursday, Issa Tchiroma Bakary announced that his victory in the 2025 presidential election represents a significant victory for the Cameroonian military establishment. Tchiroma attributed the outcome of the presidential vote to the unwavering steadfastness, unity, and resilience displayed by the Cameroonian people and the military throughout the campaign.

To the Cameroonian army, Issa Tchiroma Bakary said “I know your sense of duty. I know your love for your country. And I say to you, with respect and confidence: our nation’s army is not an army of repression, but a republican army. It must stand on the side of truth, on the side of the people, on the side of peace.”  

92-year-old Paul Biya suffered a historic and unprecedented defeat on October 12 and immediately after the polling Issa Tchiroma asserted that the long-standing myth of invincibility surrounding Biya and his regime had been shattered.

Tchiroma specifically commended the Cameroon military, security agencies and media for their indispensable roles during the election. Each sector contributed significantly to the outcome of the October 12 vote.

By Rita Akana