Cameroonian Political Opposition Figure to Face Legal Action Over Electoral Turmoil, Authorities Declares
The nation's Interior Minister the interior minister has announced that opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will undergo legal proceedings over accusations that he provoked "aggressive post-election demonstrations".
At least 4 demonstrators have been lost their lives during clashes between security forces and protesters since Cameroon's election on October 12, with 92-year-old President Paul Biya winning an eighth presidential mandate.
The opposition leader maintains that he won the election, a assertion rejected by the governing party, the CPDM.
Aggressive responses by law enforcement on protesters have alarmed the world leaders, with the UN, AU and European Union demanding restraint.
Official's Claims
Earlier this week, Nji charged Tchiroma Bakary of planning what he described as "unlawful" protests causing the fatalities, and also condemned him for claiming win in the election.
He further stated that Tchiroma Bakary's "associates involved in an insurrectionary plan" will also be prosecuted.
Poll Figures
The president, who took control in 1982 and is now the world's oldest head of state, secured the October 12 presidential election with a majority of the votes, compared to 35.2% for his opponent, according to the electoral authority.
Opposition Response
Tchiroma Bakary is has not yet commented to the authorities' move to try him, but he had previously announced that he rejected a rigged election - and that he was fearless of being detained.
When results were announced, he claimed that security forces opened fire on protesters assembled near his house in Garoua, killing at least two people.
Inquiry Launched
On Tuesday, the government official announced that an inquiry would be started into violent incidents surrounding the announcement of the election results.
"In the course of these incidents, some of the criminals died," he stated, without providing a precise figure of protesters who have been fatally injured in the clashes.
The minister further mentioned that a number of personnel of the police and military also suffered significant wounds.
Present Conditions
Even though the interior minister asserted the situation across the country was now under control, demonstrators are still demonstrating in certain regions of the country, especially in urban centers, where protesters set up barricades on that day, and set fire to tyres on the roads.
Observers warn that the political turmoil could lead the country into a governmental instability.
