Gambia has confirmed that it is temporarily hosting Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who fled the country after contesting the results of a disputed election that handed President Paul Biya an eighth term and triggered deadly unrest.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Gambia’s Ministry of Information said Tchiroma arrived in the country on November 7and is being accommodated “purely on humanitarian grounds” to ensure his safety. The government added that it is working with regional partners including Nigeria to support “a peaceful and negotiated outcome” to Cameroon’s post-election crisis.
Tchiroma’s spokesperson, Alice Nkom, also confirmed his presence in Gambia, reiterating that the opposition leader maintains he won the October 12 presidential election.
Cameroon’s opposition has rejected the official results that declared Biya the world’s oldest sitting president at 92 the victor. Tchiroma has urged Cameroonians to reject the announcement, insisting that the vote was neither free nor credible.
The Cameroonian government, however, has accused Tchiroma of making “repeated calls for insurrection”, and has said it plans to initiate legal proceedings against him.
Violent protests broke out in several opposition strongholds, including the commercial capital Douala and northern cities such as Maroua and Garoua, following the results’ announcement. While the government reported 16 deaths, opposition groups and human rights organisations estimate that more than 55 people were killed.
President Biya, who first took office in 1982, has ruled Cameroon for over four decades, largely sustained by a constitutional amendment that removed term limits. He rarely appears in public, and persistent questions surround his health as he spends long periods in Europe while key political allies oversee government affairs.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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