Paul Biya, Cameroon’s long-serving leader and the world’s oldest sitting president, has officially begun his eighth term in office after taking the oath on Thursday in Yaoundé.

The 92-year-old, who has ruled since 1982, won the October 12 election with 53.7% of the vote, according to official results.

His main opponent, former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, trailed with 35.2% and continues to dispute the outcome, alleging widespread fraud.

During the swearing-in ceremony, attended by domestic officials but no foreign heads of state, Biya pledged to “spare no effort” in fulfilling the trust placed in him.

“I understand the scale of our challenges and the frustration of our people,” he said.

Tchiroma, once a close ally of Biya, has declared himself the legitimate winner, saying, “There are two presidents, the one elected by the people and the one declared by the Constitutional Council.”

He has encouraged supporters to demonstrate peacefully, but protests have been met with a strong government crackdown that has left several people dead.

Following the election announcement on October 27, security forces dispersed rallies in major cities.

The opposition has since called for “dead city” actions, urging citizens to close shops and stay home, which have seen partial success across regions such as Garoua and Douala, though the capital, Yaoundé, remains largely functional.

Authorities have accused Tchiroma of inciting unrest and are considering legal action.

Meanwhile, international organizations including the EU, AU and UN have condemned the use of violence against protesters and urged investigations into the reported deaths.

Biya remains one of Africa’s longest-serving rulers, maintaining control over Cameroon through decades of political tension, economic hardship, and separatist conflict.

He is only the second leader in the country’s history since its independence from France in 1960.

Thirty-one members of the United States Congress have lauded President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over the alleged persecution of Christians.

The lawmakers described the move as a critical step in addressing what they called a “growing Christian genocide” in Africa’s most populous nation.

The statement, issued by House Values Action Team Chairman Rep. Robert Aderholt and reviewed by our correspondent, praised Trump’s action as offering “hope to the people of Nigeria” and reinforcing the US commitment to defending religious freedom globally.

“President Trump’s commitment to end the Christian genocide in Nigeria and his designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern gives hope to the people of Nigeria. This persecution of Christians must end,” Aderholt said.

Several lawmakers expressed support for sanctions and increased international pressure on those responsible for religious attacks.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said “God bless President Trump for standing up and protecting Christians around the globe.”

GOP Chair Lisa McClain called the situation “a moral outrage and a crime against humanity.”

Reps. Josh Brecheen, Mary Miller, and Mark Alford emphasized the need for targeted measures against perpetrators.

Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, noted that the decision restored the CPC designation previously lifted under the Biden administration, calling it “a powerful step forward in holding the Nigerian government accountable for its complicity in unchecked violence against Christians.”

Other supporters, including Don Bacon, Andy Biggs, Gus Bilirakis, and Tim Walberg, urged Washington to use “every diplomatic and strategic tool” to protect Nigerian Christians and enforce accountability.

On Truth Social, President Trump described Christianity in Nigeria as facing an “existential threat,” blaming radical Islamist groups for widespread violence:

“Thousands of Christians are being killed. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening and will stand ready to protect our Christian population globally.”

Rep. Riley Moore, one of the lawmakers who brought the issue to Congress, praised the move as a demonstration of leadership and commitment to protecting persecuted Christians:

“We can no longer turn a blind eye to the bloodshed of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This horrible persecution will end thanks to President Trump.”

The Federal Government of Nigeria has consistently rejected claims of religious persecution.

Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, in a briefing in Abuja, said US allegations were influenced by “misrepresentation and misinformation” about Nigeria’s internal security situation.

President Bola Tinubu reiterated that Nigeria is a constitutional democracy that protects religious freedom.

In a statement on November 1, he affirmed that the government engages leaders of all faiths in addressing security challenges and emphasized that reports portraying Nigeria as intolerant “do not reflect our national reality.”

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu stated.

The German government has banned a Muslim organisation, Muslim Interaktiv, accusing it of pursuing anti-constitutional objectives, including calls for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.

The ban was announced on Wednesday by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, as police conducted coordinated raids on seven locations linked to the group in Hamburg, its base of operations.

“We will not allow organisations such as Muslim Interaktiv to undermine our free society with their hatred and attack our country from within,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, a member of the centre-right CDU/CSU bloc.

The group first drew national attention in April 2024, after a rally in Hamburg attracted over 1,200 participants, many of whom carried placards declaring “The caliphate is the solution.”

The demonstration triggered public outrage and renewed debate over extremism and free speech in Germany.

According to the ministry, Muslim Interaktiv has been accused of rejecting women’s rights, promoting hostility towards Israel, and spreading radical Islamic ideologies online.

Authorities confirmed that the group will be dissolved and its assets confiscated.

Hamburg’s interior minister, Andy Grote of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), commended the move, describing it as the dismantling of “a dangerous and highly active Islamist network.”

Police also carried out related operations in Berlin and the western state of Hesse targeting two other organisations, Generation Islam and Realitaet Islam, suspected of having similar extremist leanings.

Germany has taken a firm stance against Islamist extremism in recent years.

In 2021, authorities banned the NGO Ansaar International, accusing it of channeling charitable donations to finance terrorist activities abroad.

The United States military has reportedly developed contingency plans for potential strikes on Nigeria, according to a report by The New York Times.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s directive to the Department of War to prepare possible responses to what he described as the “ongoing genocide against Christians” in the country.

Citing unnamed defence officials, the report said the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) submitted its strategic options to the Department of War earlier this week at the request of Secretary Pete Hegseth.

According to the report, AFRICOM presented three graduated plans, classified as heavy, medium and light, to allow for “controlled escalation” depending on the president’s final decision.

Under the heavy option, the United States could deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf of Guinea, launch fighter jet and long-range bomber attacks on targets deep inside northern Nigeria, and potentially engage in sustained military operations.

The medium option reportedly involves targeted drone strikes on militant camps, logistics bases, and convoys linked to insurgent activity in the region.

Retired Army officer Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, a veteran of the Iraq War, told The Times that such actions could quickly spiral out of control.

“It would be a fiasco,” Eaton warned, noting that the American public has little appetite for another Iraq- or Afghanistan-style military campaign in Africa.

Military officials further noted that even limited airstrike campaigns, while capable of creating “shock and awe,” might not achieve long-term stability or weaken extremist networks in Nigeria.

The development comes just days after President Trump re-designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians and other religious minorities.

In response, the Nigerian government dismissed the allegations as unfounded, maintaining that the country does not persecute any religious group and that ongoing security challenges affect citizens of all faiths alike.