🔗 Share this article

Cameroon's Minister of the Interior Paul Atanga Nji has announced that opposition leader Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over claims that he instigated "aggressive election protests".

A minimum of 4 protesters have been lost their lives during skirmishes between law enforcement and protesters since the presidential election on October 12, with President Paul Biya, aged 92 winning an eighth term in office.

The opposition leader insists that he emerged victorious, a statement dismissed by Biya's ruling party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM).

Aggressive responses by law enforcement on demonstrators have alarmed the global community, with the UN, African Union and EU calling for moderation.

Official's Claims

Earlier this week, Nji accused the opposition figure of planning what he labeled "unlawful" demonstrations leading to the deaths, and also criticised him for announcing success in the presidential race.

He added that Tchiroma Bakary's "associates responsible for an subversive plot" will also be prosecuted.

Election Results

Paul Biya, who took control in the early 80s and is now the world's oldest head of state, obtained the October 12 vote with 53.7% of the vote, compared to just over a third for Tchiroma Bakary, according to the electoral authority.

Challenger's Position

The opposition figure is has not yet commented to the government's decision to try him, but he had earlier announced that he would not accept a stolen vote - and that he was undaunted of being arrested.

Following the vote count, he claimed that armed men used lethal force on demonstrators assembled near his house in Garoua, killing at least 2 civilians.

Investigation Launched

Earlier this week, the government official announced that an inquiry would be started into violent incidents before and after the announcement of the election results.

"In the course of these incidents, some of the perpetrators died," he said, without giving a precise figure of protesters who have been fatally injured in the confrontations.

The minister further mentioned that multiple personnel of the law enforcement also sustained serious injuries.

Present Conditions

Even though the interior minister asserted the condition nationwide was now manageable, demonstrators remain active in certain regions of the country, especially in these two cities, where demonstrators set up obstructions on Tuesday, and burnt tires on the roads.

Experts alert that the post-electoral violence could plunge the nation into a governmental instability.