Tension gripped Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, on Sunday as protests erupted following President Paul Biya’s re-election — a result many opposition supporters say was rigged.
The Constitutional Council declared Biya, 92, the winner of the October 12 presidential vote, giving him 53.66 percent of the ballots. His closest rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, received 35.19 percent. The announcement confirmed Biya’s eighth term in power, extending a rule that began in 1982.
As the results were announced, clashes broke out across parts of Douala. Protesters barricaded roads, set tyres ablaze and hurled stones at security forces. Police responded with tear gas and gunfire. At least four people were killed, according to local reports, and several others were injured.
In Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown in the north, the opposition leader claimed that two civilians were shot dead outside his home. “They fired without warning,” Tchiroma wrote on social media, accusing security forces of intimidation. The government has not confirmed the incident.
Tchiroma, a former minister and once a close ally of Biya, has rejected the official results, calling them a “masquerade.” He maintains that his own party’s tally shows him leading with more than 50 percent of the vote.
“We know what happened at the polling stations,” Tchiroma said in a statement. “The people of Cameroon voted for change, but their voices have once again been silenced.”
The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement dismissed the allegations of fraud, insisting the election was “free and fair.” Government spokesperson René Emmanuel Sadi said, “Our institutions have spoken. It is time for the nation to move forward in unity.”
Biya, addressing the country after the results were confirmed, struck a conciliatory tone. “My first thoughts are with all those who have unnecessarily lost their lives, and their families, as a result of the post-election violence,” he said.
Across the country, frustration remains high, particularly among the youth who make up the majority of Cameroon’s population. Many say Biya’s four-decade rule has delivered little in terms of jobs, freedoms, or reform.
“I was born after Biya became president,” said Alain, a 26-year-old protester in Douala. “We are tired. We need new leadership, not the same promises every five years.”
Analysts warn that the unrest could deepen in the coming days if opposition supporters continue to challenge the results. With communication lines in some regions reportedly disrupted and security forces deployed in key cities, the government faces mounting pressure to restore calm.
For now, Cameroon stands at a familiar crossroads — one between continuity and change, peace and protest, under the enduring shadow of Africa’s oldest serving leader.
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