Two Cameroonian opposition leaders supporting presidential contender Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who challenged President Paul Biya’s 43-year rule in the recent election, have been arrested.
Biya, aged 92 and the world’s oldest serving head of state, has held power since 1982. He has consistently won elections over the past two decades with more than 70 per cent of the vote. However, former employment minister Tchiroma stirred unexpected enthusiasm among voters across the Central African nation.
Anicet Ekane, leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), and Djeukam Tchameni, head of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence (MDI), were arrested at their homes on Friday, according to a statement from the Union for Change 2025 opposition alliance.
The statement said “hooded and armed” members of an elite military unit carried out the arrests and took both men to “an unknown location.”
MANIDEM and MDI are part of the Union for Change 2025 coalition, which nominated Tchiroma for the presidential election held on 12 October.
Although official results are expected on Monday, Tchiroma declared victory earlier in the week.
Biya’s ruling RDPC party dismissed Tchiroma’s claim as “a grotesque hoax” and “an unacceptable fraud in a state of law,” adding that it was “calmly awaiting the official results.”
The Union for Change 2025 condemned what it described as “abusive arrests” aimed at intimidating Cameroonians waiting for the election outcome to be respected.
In a separate statement, the MDI accused the government of “gross manipulation” and “political intimidation,” criticising the spread of “false information suggesting that weapons or fake electoral documents had been discovered at Tchameni’s home.”
Tchiroma, who insists he won 54.8 per cent of the vote against Biya’s 31.3 per cent, urged Cameroonians on Wednesday to protest if the Constitutional Council releases “falsified and distorted results.”
Authorities subsequently banned public gatherings and restricted motorcycle taxi movements in several cities.
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported major disruptions to online access, warning that such outages could hinder media coverage and communication amid growing calls to annul the election results.