Two prominent members of Cameroon’s opposition coalition backing presidential challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary have been arrested amid growing tensions following the country’s contested presidential vote.
President Paul Biya, who at 92 years old remains the world’s longest-serving head of state, has ruled Cameroon since 1982.
Over the past two decades, he has consistently secured re-election with over 70 percent of the vote.
However, in the October 12, 2025 election, Tchiroma, a former employment minister, drew unusually strong public support, energizing voters across the central African nation.
According to the Union for Change 2025, two opposition leaders, Anicet Ekane, head of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) and Djeukam Tchameni, of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence (MDI), were taken from their homes on Friday by armed, hooded members of an elite military unit and transported to an undisclosed location.
Both parties are members of the Union for Change 2025 coalition, which nominated Tchiroma as its joint presidential candidate.
The coalition described the arrests as a deliberate attempt to intimidate voters and suppress post-election dissent.
Although official results are expected to be announced on Monday, Tchiroma declared victory earlier this week, claiming to have secured 54.8 percent of the vote, compared with 31.3 percent for Biya.
Biya’s ruling RDPC party dismissed Tchiroma’s claim as “a grotesque hoax” and “an unacceptable act of fraud in a state governed by law.”
The party said it was awaiting the Constitutional Council’s official declaration of results.
Opposition parties have condemned what they describe as arbitrary arrests and intimidation tactics aimed at silencing those demanding transparency.
The MDI accused the government of “gross political manipulation” and said the situation reflects “a strategy of fear and suppression.”
Authorities have denied allegations that opposition figures were linked to weapons or forged election materials, calling such reports “false information.”
Tchiroma has urged Cameroonians to peacefully protest if the final results announced by the Constitutional Council are “falsified or distorted.”
In response, the government has banned public gatherings and restricted motorcycle movement in several urban areas.
Meanwhile, the internet watchdog NetBlocks reported major disruptions to online access across parts of Cameroon, warning that these restrictions could hinder independent reporting and limit public visibility of post-election developments.
