Four people were killed as protests by supporters of opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary turned violent ahead of Cameroon’s official presidential election results.
Four people were killed in Cameroon as clashes erupted between security forces and supporters of opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary ahead of Monday’s official announcement of the presidential election results.
Tchiroma, who claims to have defeated long-serving President Paul Biya with 54.8 percent of the vote, urged his supporters to march peacefully despite a nationwide ban on rallies. Authorities said demonstrators in Douala attacked security posts, prompting a forceful response. “Four people unfortunately lost their lives,” regional governor Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua confirmed, adding that several security officers were injured.
Witnesses told AFP that security forces fired live ammunition after tear gas volleys, leaving several bodies on the ground.
In Garoua, Tchiroma’s northern stronghold, police dispersed crowds waving Cameroonian flags and chanting “Goodbye Paul Biya, Tchiroma is coming.” The Constitutional Council is expected to announce the final results at 11:00 am Monday amid heightened security and reports of restricted internet access across major cities.