🔗 Share this article Cameroon Opposition Leader to Face Court Action Concerning Post-Election Violence, Government Says Numerous in Cameroon are furious that the president has won an eighth presidential term Cameroon's Interior Minister the interior minister has announced that political opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary will be prosecuted over allegations that he provoked "violent post-election demonstrations". No fewer than 4 protesters have been fatally wounded during skirmishes between law enforcement and demonstrators since the electoral process on 12 October, with the 92-year-old head of state obtaining an eighth term in office. Issa Tchiroma asserts that he emerged victorious, a statement dismissed by the incumbent party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM). Violent crackdowns by law enforcement on protesters have alarmed the world leaders, with the UN, AU and European Union demanding restraint. Minister's Allegations Earlier this week, the interior minister charged the opposition figure of coordinating what he labeled "unauthorized" rallies leading to the fatalities, and also rebuked him for declaring victory in the electoral contest. He noted that the opposition leader's "accomplices responsible for an subversive plot" will also undergo judicial processes. Vote Outcome Cameroon's leader, who came to power in 1982 and is now the oldest serving president, obtained the October 12 presidential election with a majority of the votes, compared to just over a third for Tchiroma Bakary, according to the electoral authority. Leader's Stance Issa Tchiroma is has not yet commented to the authorities' move to bring him to court, but he had previously declared that he refused to acknowledge a rigged election - and that he was fearless of being arrested. When results were announced, he claimed that gunmen opened fire on protesters gathered near his home in the city of Garoua, killing at least two people. Inquiry Revealed Earlier this week, the interior minister revealed that an inquiry would be started into violent incidents prior to and following the publication of the election results. "In the course of these incidents, some of the individuals involved were killed," he stated, without giving a specific number of demonstrators who have been killed in the clashes. Nji added that several members of the security forces also suffered significant wounds. Ongoing Circumstances While Nji insisted the state of affairs throughout Cameroon was now under control, demonstrators remain active in certain regions of the country, especially in these two cities, where protesters established barricades on that day, and burnt tyres on the thoroughfares. Experts caution that the election-related unrest could lead the nation into a leadership vacuum.