Cameroonian Opposition Figure Confronts Court Action Regarding Election Unrest, Government Announces
The nation's Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji has stated that opposition leader Tchiroma Bakary will be prosecuted over claims that he instigated "violent electoral rallies".
At least 4 protesters have been killed during skirmishes between law enforcement and protesters since Cameroon's election on October 12, with 92-year-old President Paul Biya securing an eighth presidential mandate.
The opposition leader asserts that he was the true winner, a assertion dismissed by the governing party, the CPDM.
Violent crackdowns by security personnel on protesters have alarmed the global community, with the United Nations, African Union and European Union calling for caution.
Minister's Claims
On Tuesday, the interior minister alleged Tchiroma Bakary of planning what he labeled "illegal" demonstrations leading to the loss of lives, and also rebuked him for claiming win in the election.
He added that the opposition leader's "co-conspirators involved in an insurrectionary plan" will also undergo judicial processes.
Vote Outcome
Paul Biya, who came to power in 1982 and is now the oldest serving president, obtained the 12 October presidential election with a majority of the votes, compared to a significant minority for his opponent, according to the constitutional court.
Opposition Response
The opposition figure is has not yet commented to the government's decision to prosecute him, but he had before declared that he rejected a stolen vote - and that he was fearless of being detained.
On election result day, he claimed that security forces used lethal force on protesters assembled near his residence in Garoua, fatally wounding at least two people.
Probe Launched
Earlier this week, the interior minister revealed that an investigation would be started into violent incidents surrounding the announcement of the election results.
"In the course of these incidents, some of the perpetrators died," he stated, without providing a specific number of demonstrators who have been killed in the confrontations.
The minister added that multiple members of the law enforcement also received significant wounds.
Current Situation
Although the interior minister maintained the situation across the country was now stable, protesters remain active in certain regions of the nation, especially in these two cities, where demonstrators set up roadblocks on that day, and ignited rubber on the streets.
Observers alert that the political turmoil could lead the country into a leadership vacuum.
