Yaoundé/Garoua/Douala — Cameroon is facing its most volatile unrest in years as youth-led demonstrations over a disputed presidential election spiral into nationwide clashes with security forces, leaving at least 23 people dead and more than 200 arrested, according to civil society groups.
President Paul Biya, 92, the world’s oldest serving head of state, has ruled for over four decades. Opposition parties and their supporters allege the latest vote was rigged, blaming Biya’s government for deepening economic hardship and political repression. Streets in several cities have been deserted on weekdays amid stay-aways and running confrontations.
“Cameroonians, who had long been afraid, find themselves saying ‘this is too much,’” activist André Blaise Essama said, arguing that young people who “voted overwhelmingly for change” now feel compelled to “start a revolution.” One protester urged the military to stand down: “The strength of Cameroon is us, the youth, the people. It is the people who elect their president.”
International criticism has mounted over what observers describe as a heavy-handed crackdown. Rights groups report live fire, mass arrests, and the use of force to disperse crowds, while authorities insist they are restoring order and protecting public infrastructure.
Main opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has vowed to resist “until final victory,” calling a three-day national lockdown starting Monday to underscore rejection of the result. Bakary, who had been confined to his residence in Garoua since the poll, was moved Friday by soldiers “to a secure location” for his safety, his camp said. Analysts cautioned that if elements within the security services facilitated the transfer, it could hint at fractures in the army, risking a further escalation.
With urban centers tense and the economy slowing under rolling shutdowns, diplomats are urging dialogue and credible, independent verification of results to defuse the crisis. For many young Cameroonians, the standoff has become a defining test of whether entrenched power can be challenged through the ballot—or whether change will again be met with batons and bullets.
