Opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has given Cameroonian authorities a 48-hour ultimatum to release all individuals detained during and after the country’s contested presidential election on October 12.
Tchiroma, who also ran in the election and claims he was the legitimate winner despite official results declaring President Paul Biya victorious, made the demand in a video shared widely on social media on Sunday. He stressed that he will not relent until those detained, particularly women and children allegedly arrested without cause, are freed.
“I will never lower my stance until my people are free,” Tchiroma stated in the video, accusing security forces of carrying out unjust arrests amid post-election protests. The election, which confirmed 92-year-old Biya as the winner through the Constitutional Court, has triggered widespread unrest across Cameroon.
President Biya, who has been in power for 43 years, was sworn in for an unprecedented eighth term, extending his presidency for another seven years. The United Nations has reported that at least 48 people died in the violence that followed the election, with many believed to have been shot by security forces during clashes with protesters.
