Two prominent Cameroonian opposition figures allied with presidential challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary have been arrested, deepening tensions following a fiercely contested election that threatens to upend President Paul Biya’s 43-year rule.
Biya, 92, the world’s oldest serving head of state, has held power since 1982, consistently winning every election over the past two decades with more than 70 percent of the vote. However, Tchiroma — a former employment minister and longtime government critic — stirred unexpected enthusiasm among voters in the October 12 poll, posing the most significant challenge yet to Biya’s decades-long grip on power.
Opposition Figures Seized by Elite Forces
According to a statement by the Union for Change 2025 opposition coalition, Anicet Ekane, leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), and Djeukam Tchameni of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence (MDI), were arrested on Friday at their homes by “hooded and armed members of an elite military force.”
Both men, the statement said, were taken to an unknown location. Their parties are key members of the Union for Change 2025 coalition, which nominated Tchiroma as its joint presidential candidate.
Tchiroma Declares Victory, Ruling Party Pushes Back
Though official results are not expected until Monday, Tchiroma earlier this week declared himself the winner, claiming 54.8 percent of the vote compared to Biya’s 31.3 percent.
Biya’s Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais (RDPC) party swiftly rejected the declaration, branding it “a grotesque hoax” and “an unacceptable fraud in a state of law,” while urging supporters to await the official outcome “calmly and responsibly.”
In response, the Union for Change 2025 denounced the arrests of its members as “abusive acts of intimidation” aimed at silencing Cameroonians “waiting for their votes to be respected.”
Meanwhile, the MDI accused the government of “gross manipulation” and “political intimidation,” dismissing reports that weapons or fake electoral materials were discovered at Tchameni’s residence as “blatant disinformation.”
Growing Tension and Internet Restrictions
As anticipation builds ahead of the official announcement, the government has banned public gatherings and restricted motorcycle taxi movements in several major cities.
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks has also reported significant disruptions to connectivity, warning that the outages could limit media coverage and communication “amid growing calls to annul the presidential election results.”
Tchiroma, who has urged supporters to remain peaceful but vigilant, warned that he would not accept what he called “falsified or distorted results” from the Constitutional Council.
“The will of the Cameroonian people must prevail,” he declared.
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