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By Hans Ngala At least six civilians are confirmed dead in Douala and Garoua, following weekend protests across the country. Reports from Douala said four civilians were shot dead by armed security agents, while two others were shot dead in Garoua. The death toll could be higher, but CNA could not independently verify it at press time.Opposition leader Issa Tchiroma of the FSNC party and a former ally of the incumbent Biya regime defied authorities, declaring himself the winner and calling on supporters to take to the streets in “peaceful protest”. Tchiroma added that the people will not allow their votes to be “stolen” and that he won’t accept any results from the Constitutional Council, except those that declare him the winner.Speaking to the BBC during the week, he said that his party’s own tallying of results showed him leading with more than 60 percent while Biya was “lagging with less than 30 percent”. He then challenged the Biya regime to prove him wrong by providing results that show the contrary.The Constitutional Council is expected to announce the winner of the October 12 polls today by 11:00a.m. local time, but fears are rife that Biya (who enjoys incumbency), will likely rig the elections to his favor, after attempting earlier – unsuccessfully – to co-opt Tchiroma back into government by offering him the Prime Ministry.The protests are the first ever on such a scale since Biya’s 43-year rule and have seen the participation of the country’s Gen Z, most of whom are among the six casualties. One of them was 19-year-old Pouamoun Mohamed, who was shot in Douala. The identities of the other victims on Saturday are not yet known to CNA.However, the week prior, the very first fatality was 30-year-old Zouhaira Hasana, a teacher in Garoua who succumbed to her injuries after soldiers fired live bullets into a crowd of demonstrators in Tchiroma’s hometown. Hasana’s family says she was hit by a bullet a long distance from where protests were taking place.Mass arrests in connection with the post-electoral demonstrations have seen the arrest of top opposition candidates, including Anicet Ekane of the MANIDEM party and Mr. Tchameni of the Union for Change party, after both men voiced support for Tchiroma. At least 50 people were arrested in connection with the protests on Saturday, but more arrests preceded Saturday’s arrests, and total figures are hard to come by as authorities do not make these public, but they are estimated to be in the hundreds as of the time of writing this report. Incumbent Paul Biya is 92 years old and is the world’s longest consecutively ruling, non-royal leader who is seeking an unprecedented eighth term. Presidential terms under Biya were increased to 7 years, and this means should if Biya wins, as he is already attempting to, he will be 99 by the time his eighth term ends in 2032. He would have outlived the United Nations, most of his ministers, and Cameroon’s pioneer opposition politician, John Fru Ndi. ( Hans Ngala reports on politics for CNA. He also covers health and religious issues for CNA while freelancing for different news outlets and serving as a communications consultant for various NGOs across the continent, having worked in Ghana, Madagascar, Chad, and South Africa.
