Cameroon: 30 protestors jailed amid election unrest

An estimated 30 people have been detained amid unrest linked to the Cameroonian presidential election in October, according to a report by Africa News and agencies. The individuals were brought to Yaoundé’s Kondengui Prison between December 12th and 13th.

The result of the October 12th election has been highly contentious, with President Paul Biya being declared the winner on October 27th after achieving 53.66% of the vote.

92-year-old Biya’s victory marks his eighth consecutive term in office, which he has held since 1982. The result has been contested by opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma and his supporters, with hundreds taking to the streets to protest the election results, which cannot be appealed.

By winning another seven-year term, Biya could remain in power until he is nearly 100 years old, thereby extending the 43 years he has already spent in office.

Biya’s administration has faced allegations of corruption, embezzlement, bad governance and a failure to address key issues. Furthermore, concerns have been raised over the 92-year-old’s health and fitness to hold office, with Biya’s 2024 public absence leading to speculation that he had died.

On November 4th, a UN report estimated that 48 people were killed when security forces cracked down on anti-government protests, with Tchiroma also being accused of inciting “violent post-election demonstrations” by Cameroon’s Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji.

Two days prior to the election, Tchiroma asserted that Cameroon already had “a system in place that allows us to know exactly who did what within 24 hours after the vote.”

Both candidates declared victory on October 20th, which led to the government announcing legal measures against early victory claims. Young Cameroonians guarded Tchiroma’s house amid fears that he could face arrest over his claim to victory.

Tchiroma has repeatedly contested Biya’s victory and called for his supporters to protest against the election result; the subsequent demonstrations led to over 1,000 people being arrested by Cameroon’s security forces.

Civil society organisations have raised concerns over the apparent crackdown on opposition candidates and their supporters by Biya’s administration.

Another opposition candidate, Maurice Kamto, was excluded from standing for election following a Constitutional Court ruling on August 8th. Kamto was also subjected to a two-day police stakeout at his home in June, which prevented him from holding party meetings.

Africa News and agencies, Maghrebi.org