Cameroon: Opposition leader flees to Gambia
Cameroon’s opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who is contesting Paul Biya’s victory in the October presidential elections, has sought refuge in Gambia, according to the BBC on 24th November.
Tchiroma Bakary, who was standing for the National Salvation Front, was the main challenger during Cameroon’s Presidential elections, in which he ended up in second place with 35.19% of the vote. He has a long experience as a politician, serving as a member of Parliament and then as a government minister under Paul Biya, before resigning in 2025 to stand against the president.
Biya won his eighth mandate with over 50% of the vote; he has been in power since 1982 and is now the world’s oldest serving head of state. Following the announcement of his victory, Tchiroma Baraky immediately contested the results and declared himself the rightful winner, throwing the country into crisis. Other candidates also questioned the results, with TomaĂŻno Ndam Njoya, the only woman in the race, noting that Biya’s victory did not reflect the Cameroonian people’s sovereign will.
Tchiroma Bakary’s statement led to unrest throughout Cameroon, with a reported 48 killed according to UN sources, and over 1,000 arrested by Cameroon’s security forces. He also called for ‘ghost town’ protests, asking his supporters to close their shops and stay home in a bid to immobilise the country’s economy.
Biya, who was sworn into office on 6th November for another 7-year mandate, responded to the protests by calling for order and appealing to “everyone’s sense of responsibility”. However, reports also indicate he responded to the unrest with violence, with several human rights NGOs such as Human Rights Watch raising the alarm on the crackdown against unarmed protesters, and the use of live ammunition.
Tchiroma Bakary has now fled to Gambia due to fears to his safety. An official statement from the Gambian government confirmed his presence, nothing that he was hosted “purely on humanitarian grounds” and adding that Gambia wouldn’t be used as a “base for subversive activity against any state”.
BBC, Human Rights Watch, Maghrebi,
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