‘48 killed’ in Cameroon election protests after security clampdown

No fewer than 48 people were killed in the protests thattrailed Cameroon’s presidential election, according to Reuters. President Paul Biya, 92, won the heavily disputedpresidential election, securing his eighth term in a row at the age of 92. Before he was announced winner, Issa Tchiroma, the mainopposition candidate, had claimed victory. Tchiroma claimed he won 54.8 percent of the votes againstBiya’s 31.3 percent and called on Cameroonians to protest if the ConstitutionalCouncil declared “falsified and distorted results”. As provisional results began to filter in with Biya in thelead, protests erupted in the country, leaving four dead. But on Tuesday, Reuters reported that Cameroon’s securityforces killed 48 civilians in response to the protests, citing data shared bytwo United Nations (UN) sources. According to the sources, the majority of the victims werekilled by live rounds, while several died from wounds sustained when they werebeaten with batons and sticks. Protests have considerably died down, but Paul Nji, ministerof territorial administration, warned that Tchiroma would be dealt with forinciting “post-election violence”. Nji said Tchiroma also broke the law by declaring himselfthe winner of the presidential election ahead of results. Last Friday, the opposition leader said he had been escortedto a secure location by soldiers loyal to him for protection. He also called for a three-day national lockdown fromMonday, urging supporters to suspend activities and remain at home to showdisagreement with the election results.

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