🔗 Share this article

Cameroon's Interior Minister the interior minister has stated that political opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over claims that he provoked "aggressive electoral rallies".

No fewer than four protesters have been lost their lives during skirmishes between security forces and demonstrators since Cameroon's election on 12 October, with the 92-year-old head of state winning an eighth presidential mandate.

Issa Tchiroma maintains that he won the election, a statement disputed by the governing party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM).

Forceful measures by security personnel on demonstrators have alarmed the global community, with the UN, African Union and EU demanding caution.

Minister's Accusations

Earlier this week, Nji accused the opposition figure of planning what he labeled "illegal" demonstrations leading to the fatalities, and also criticised him for claiming win in the election.

He further stated that the opposition leader's "accomplices involved in an subversive plot" will also undergo judicial processes.

Poll Figures

Paul Biya, who took control in 1982 and is now the world's oldest head of state, secured the 12 October election with a majority of the votes, compared to just over a third for the challenger, according to the electoral authority.

Opposition Response

Issa Tchiroma is remains silent to the authorities' move to prosecute him, but he had earlier announced that he refused to acknowledge a fraudulent outcome - and that he was not afraid of being detained.

On election result day, he claimed that armed men used lethal force on demonstrators assembled near his home in the city of Garoua, causing the death of at least two individuals.

Investigation Revealed

Recently, the interior minister announced that an inquiry would be initiated into violent incidents surrounding the declaration of the vote outcome.

"In the course of these incidents, some of the perpetrators were killed," he said, without giving a precise figure of protesters who have been lost their lives in the confrontations.

Nji further mentioned that several officers of the police and military also sustained significant wounds.

Present Conditions

Although Nji asserted the condition nationwide was now stable, protesters are still demonstrating in various areas of the nation, especially in Douala and Garoua, where protesters set up barricades on that day, and set fire to rubber on the streets.

Analysts alert that the political turmoil could push the country into a leadership vacuum.