Clashes Rock Cameroon Ahead of Election Results
(MENAFN) At least four people have died in Douala, Cameroon’s economic hub, as opposition supporters clashed with security forces before the official announcement of the presidential election outcome, the city’s regional governor confirmed.
The unrest erupted last week following partial election returns from October 12, reported by local media. Journal du Cameroon indicated that 92-year-old President Paul Biya is leading with 53.66% of the vote, with challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary securing 35.1%. Candidates Cabral Libii and Bello Bouba Maigari trailed at 3.41% and 2.45%, respectively.
Supporters of Tchiroma, the opposition candidate, staged demonstrations on Sunday in Douala, blocking roads, burning tires, and confronting police forces ahead of the formal announcement of the presidential results, which is expected on Monday.
Regional governor Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua said demonstrators attacked police stations in two districts of Douala, and that “four people unfortunately lost their lives.” He added that several members of the security forces were also injured.
The country’s constitutional council is set to validate the election, widely expected to extend Biya’s nearly five-decade rule.
The vote has been mired in controversy. Biya, seeking an eighth term after 43 years in power, is among the world’s oldest leaders and Africa’s second longest-serving head of state after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema. He is only the second president to lead Cameroon since it gained independence from France in 1960.
Tchiroma, a former transport and communication minister and leader of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC) party, resigned from the government in June 2025 to challenge Biya.
In the days leading up to the results, widespread protests and arrests were reported across the country. Authorities detained at least 20 people during demonstrations in Garoua and other cities. Security forces deployed tear gas and water cannons in Yaounde, Garoua, and Douala to disperse the crowds.
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