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