{"id":100470,"date":"2025-10-27T08:30:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T08:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100470"},"modified":"2025-10-27T08:30:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T08:30:02","slug":"four-killed-in-cameroon-protests-as-results-due-in-contested-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100470","title":{"rendered":"Four killed in Cameroon protests as results due in contested election"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 24 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
\n

At least four people have been killed during protests in Cameroon\u2019s economic capital of Douala, authorities say, ahead of the official announcement of results in a highly-contested presidential election.<\/p>\n

The regional governor, Samuel Dieudonn\u00e9 Diboua, said police posts had come under attack and security forces had defended themselves.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of supporters of opposition presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, defied a ban to hold protests in several cities, clashing with security forces.<\/p>\n

Tchiroma Bakary has insisted he won the presidential election held on 12 October, challenging incumbent President Paul Biya\u2019s 43-year-old hold on power. The ruling CPDM party has dismissed the claims.<\/p>\n

Diboua condemned the deadly protests that he described as \u201cpremeditated acts of violence\u201d and a serious attack on public order and national security.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour people unfortunately lost their lives,\u201d he said, adding that several members of the security forces were also injured.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvestigations have been opened, so that light can be shed on these unfortunate incidents,\u201d he added, while threatening to take action against the instigators.<\/p>\n

In Tchiroma Bakary\u2019s stronghold of Garoua, a city in the north of the country, police fired tear gas and water cannons at his supporters.<\/p>\n

The protesters weredenouncing what they said was a plan by the ruling party, the Cameroon People\u2019s Democratic Movement (CPDM), to \u201csteal the victory\u201d from the opposition leader.<\/p>\n

The demonstrations came after Tchiroma Bakary called on his supporters in the country and the diaspora to march peacefully to \u201cliberate Cameroon\u201d.<\/p>\n

Authorities have banned gatherings until Monday, when Cameroon\u2019s constitutional council is set to announce the results.<\/p>\n

In Garoua, the demonstrations began peacefully but quickly turned rowdy when security forces threw teargas on the streets to disperse the hundreds of people that had gathered in support of Tchiroma Bakary.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not here for disorder. We\u2019re demanding the truth of the ballot,\u201d a placard read.<\/p>\n

One protester was seen carrying a banner urging US President Donald Trump to help them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to claim our victory. We are making a peaceful march, which is a civil right for all Cameroonians \u2013 for everyone,\u201d another protester said.<\/p>\n

Supporters also took to the streets in the south-western city of Douala. \u201cWe want Tchiroma, we want Tchiroma,\u201d protesters chanted, Reuters news agency reports.<\/p>\n

\"Four<\/figure>\n

Tchiroma Bakary previously told the BBC\u00a0that he would not accept a stolen vote.<\/p>\n

He said his team had compiled the overall picture based on results from individual polling stations.<\/p>\n

In a video statement posted on social media, Tchiroma Bakary said he had won the election with about 55% of the vote, based on what he said were returns representing 80% of the electorate.<\/p>\n

The 76-year-old former government minister broke ranks with Biya, 92, who is seeking another term after 43 years in power.<\/p>\n

CPDM has dismissed Tchiroma Bakary\u2019s victory claims and several officials have described it as illegal because only the constitutional council can proclaim official results.<\/p>\n

Opposition supporters have alleged that the 12 October poll was marred by irregularities, including ballot-stuffing.<\/p>\n

Judges on the constitutional council dismissed eight petitions, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.<\/p>\n

Tchiroma Bakary refused to file complaints with the council, whose judges have been appointed by Biya, choosing instead to declare himself the \u201clegal and legitimate president\u201d.<\/p>\n

Born in Garoua, Tchiroma Bakary trained as an engineer in France before returning to Cameroon to work for the national railway company.<\/p>\n

In 1984, he was thrown in jail, accused of being involved in an attempt to depose President Biya. Despite denying the allegation and never being convicted, Tchiroma Bakary spent six years in prison.<\/p>\n

He also served as communications minister from 2009 to 2019.<\/p>\n

In this role and as the government\u2019s spokesperson, he resolutely defended Biya\u2019s government during crises such as the Boko Haram insurgency, when the army was accused of killing civilians.<\/p>\n

But in June, just four months before the general election, Tchiroma Bakary changed course dramatically, resigning from the government and announcing he would run against Biya for the presidency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\"FourAt least four people have been killed during protests in Cameroon’s economic capital of Douala, authorities say, ahead of the official announcement of results in a highly-contested presidential election.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1972,4841,2568,10,9,11307],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-cameroon","category-killed","category-politics","category-popular","category-protests"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}