Cameroon police forces disrupt election protests as Biya prepares for seventh term

Cameroon’s security forces used tear gas on Tuesday to disperse opposition party supporters protesting in the capital Yaounde and the northern city of Garoua, as tensions grow over the outcome of the October 12 presidential election.

According to preliminary figures cited by the electoral vote tallying committee and published by local media, President Paul Biya, 92, is expected to win an eighth term in power.

If the constitutional council validates the votes later this week, Biya, who has governed the Central African country that produces cocoa and oil since 1982, could continue to serve as president until he is almost 100 years old.

After his primary opponent, former minister and ally Issa Tchiroma, declared victory last week and warned that any other result may plunge the nation into turmoil, Biya’s expected triumph could increase tensions.

Unverified tallies that have been circulating on social media that show Biya’s reelection have sparked sporadic protests across the country.

issues about purported anomalies in the vote count have been raised by protesters in Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown, as well as other cities like Bafoussam, Dschang, Kousserie, and Douala. These issues are indicative of larger worries about the electoral process’s impartiality and openness.

The government has urged patience until the results are in and dismissed worries about purported anomalies.

Paul Atanga Nji, the interior minister of Cameroon, announced on Tuesday that more than 20 persons had been taken into custody by police following protests in Garoua.

Nji’s statement, which indicated a government crackdown on dissent amid heightened tensions, said that some of those seized face accusations of “incitement to rebellion and insurrection” and will be tried by a military tribunal.