Hundreds of Cameroonians took to the streets in protest on Monday after the world's oldest head of state, Paul Biya, was proclaimed to have won an eighth term, extending his more than four-decade rule.
Biya, 92, was re-elected with 53.7 per cent of the vote in the central African country, according to official results announced by the Constitutional Council, while former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary came second with 35.2 per cent.
Hundreds heeded Tchiroma's call to rally against Biya in the economic capital Douala and his northern hometown of Garoua on Monday evening, despite restrictions, with security forces reportedly moving in to break up the latest demonstrations.
Similar demonstrations turned deadly over the weekend, with four people reported killed.
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Tchiroma swiftly denounced the announcement of Biya's win on Monday, telling AFP that "there was no election; it was rather a masquerade. We won unequivocally".
Violence in the aftermath of the closer-than-expected ballot has raised fears that the unrest could escalate in the former French colony in central Africa.
A rally outside Tchiroma's home in Garoua turned deadly, the politician told AFP Monday before the fresh demonstrations, adding that two protesters were killed while some 10 snipers were posted on rooftops.
An AFP reporter on the ground saw one man shot, but AFP could not verify whether he died.
On Sunday, four people were killed in clashes between security forces and supporters of the opposition in the economic capital Douala, according to the region's governor.
Security forces used tear gas before firing "live ammunition", protesters told AFP.
Voter turnout stood at 46.3 per cent, according to the official results announced 15 days after the election.
Cabral Libii came in third place with 3.4 per cent, followed by Bello Bouba Maigari with 2.5 per cent, and Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, the sole woman to run, with 1.7 per cent.
The other eight candidates each received less than one per cent of the vote.
Protesters allegedly killed
The United Nations on Monday urged the authorities to probe the violence at the protests.
"We've been receiving shocking reports of people killed, injured or arrested since yesterday (Sunday) in protests linked to today's announcement of the presidential election results," the UN rights office said on X, calling for "restraint, investigations and an end to the violence".
In a social media post reacting to his victory, Biya lamented the deaths.
"At a time when the sovereign people have once again placed their trust in me for a new term of office, my first thoughts go out to all those who have needlessly lost their lives and to their families as a result of the post-election violence," he wrote on X.
"With the presidential election behind us, I sincerely hope that, together, we resolutely undertake to build a peaceful, united and prosperous Cameroon," Biya said in his post-election address. "We really owe this to our beloved and beautiful country."
Public gatherings have been banned and traffic restricted in most major cities in the country since polling day.
But since last week, Tchiroma supporters have taken to the streets to defend his claim of victory.
Citing his own tally, he claimed to have won 54.8 per cent of the votes against 31.3 per cent for Biya.
Last Wednesday, he called on Cameroonians to protest if the Constitutional Council announced "falsified and distorted results".
From the early hours of Monday morning, police and security officials were stationed at major intersections and sensitive sites across the capital, Yaounde.
Many shops and gas stations were shuttered for fear of clashes, while traffic remained unusually light.
Eyewitnesses told Daily Trust that soldiers and police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in Yaoundé and other major cities. In response, demonstrators hurled stones and barricaded roads, demanding transparency and a review of the vote count.
In Douala, the country's economic capital, supporters of Tchiroma defied a ban on protests, setting police cars on fire, burning tyres, and attacking police stations. Around 30 activists were arrested, and four people reportedly lost their lives.
Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region, confirmed that protesters attacked police stations in the second and sixth districts of Douala. "Several members of the security forces were wounded, and four people unfortunately lost their lives," he said.
In the North Region, protesters reportedly freed detainees in Ngong, burned down cars, and destroyed offices at ELECAM and the Divisional Office after police allegedly used live bullets to disperse crowds, killing at least three civilians.
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So tense was the atmosphere on results day that schools and shops in Yaoundé remained closed. Civil servants and office workers stayed home, while security forces maintained heavy deployments across the capital, Douala, and Garoua--Tchiroma's political stronghold.
In Garoua, the situation escalated further when gunshots were heard outside Tchiroma's residence. A local journalist told the BBC that several people had been shot dead near the opposition leader's home.
Tchiroma later posted a statement on Facebook, alleging that civilians camping outside his house were being targeted. "Urgent: Currently at my home in Garoua, they are shooting at civilians who are camping in front of my house. The assault is on," he wrote.
"Toll of their attack: two dead. I wonder what will be said this time. Shooting point-blank at your own brothers--I can't help but wonder if you're mercenaries. Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary. What blatant impunity."
Biya is only the second person to lead Cameroon since its independence from France in 1960.
He has ruled with an iron fist, repressing all political and armed opposition, and holding onto power in the face of social upheaval, economic inequality and separatist violence.
