Cameroonian Opposition Leader Faces Legal Proceedings Over Election Unrest, Authorities Says
The nation's Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji has announced that opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will undergo legal proceedings over accusations that he instigated "violent election protests".
A minimum of four demonstrators have been fatally wounded during confrontations between police and military and protesters since Cameroon's election on 12 October, with President Paul Biya, aged 92 obtaining an eighth term in office.
The opposition leader insists that he won the election, a assertion rejected by the incumbent party, the ruling CPDM.
Forceful measures by law enforcement on protesters have worried the international community, with the UN, AU and EU urging caution.
Official's Allegations
On Tuesday, Nji accused the opposition figure of organising what he labeled "illegal" demonstrations leading to the fatalities, and also criticised him for claiming win in the electoral contest.
He added that the opposition leader's "accomplices involved in an subversive plot" will also undergo judicial processes.
Election Results
Paul Biya, who came to power in 1982 and is now the world's oldest head of state, obtained the 12 October election with a majority of the vote, compared to 35.2% for his opponent, according to the constitutional court.
Opposition Response
Tchiroma Bakary is has not yet commented to the government's decision to try him, but he had previously stated that he rejected a fraudulent outcome - and that he was not afraid of being taken into custody.
Following the vote count, he claimed that security forces shot on demonstrators assembled near his residence in the city of Garoua, killing at least 2 people.
Inquiry Announced
On Tuesday, the interior minister revealed that an inquiry would be started into unrest surrounding the publication of the poll figures.
"Throughout the violence, some of the criminals were killed," he stated, without giving a exact count of protesters who have been killed in the incidents.
Nji added that several personnel of the security forces also sustained significant wounds.
Present Conditions
Even though Nji insisted the condition throughout Cameroon was now under control, demonstrators remain active in certain regions of the nation, especially in these two cities, where demonstrators set up obstructions on Tuesday, and set fire to tyres on the streets.
Analysts caution that the election-related unrest could push the country into a political crisis.