4 protesters shot dead as tensions rise in Cameroon ahead of election results, opposition says

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YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — At least four protesters were killed during clashes with security forces in Cameroon as opposition supporters rallied to demand credible results from the recent presidential election, the local governor said late Sunday.

Hundreds stormed the streets in different cities following days of unrest and in response to protest calls by opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claims to have defeated President Paul Biya in the Oct. 12 election.

Cameroon’s top court, the constitutional council, is expected to announce final election results Monday, but the opposition and their supporters have accused authorities of seeking to rig the vote.

According to Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region that includes the economic hub of Douala, four protesters were killed and several security forces injured in Douala after some individuals attacked security forces and police stations.

The African Movement for New Independence and Democracy opposition party and local media earlier reported that at least two protesters were shot dead by security forces as they sought to disperse the protests.

Videos online showed protesters clashing with security forces, who fired tear gas and tried to disperse the protesters barricading major roads in Douala and other cities including Garoua and Maroua in the north.

Dozens of opposition supporters, activists and leaders have already been arrested in recent days as protests continued. Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji told reporters Saturday that the government arrested several people plotting violent attacks.

One protester, Oumarou Bouba, a 27-year-old trader in the northern city of Maroua, said, “I am ready to stake my life to defend my vote. I voted for Tchiroma because I want change.”

Tensions were building up ahead of the election in Cameroon, a country of nearly 30 million people. The decision by the 92-year-old Biya, the world’s oldest leader who has been in power for nearly half his life, to seek reelection angered the country's youth and the opposition.

The opposition has accused Biya of having a hand in the disqualification of his strongest rival and of using state machinery to manipulate the election in his favor.