Deadly clashes in Douala, Cameroon, leave four dead as opposition protests defy government ban

Four people lost their lives on Sunday amid violent confrontations between security personnel and opposition demonstrators in Douala, Cameroon’s biggest city, according to the regional governor.

The unrest broke out after followers of opposition leader Issa Tchiroma, who asserts victory over President Paul Biya in the recent presidential polls, took to the streets in defiance of a government ban on protests ahead of Monday’s anticipated election results announcement.

“These individuals attacked the Nkoulouloun gendarmerie brigade and the public security police stations in the 2nd and 6th districts of the city of Douala,” said Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the region that includes Douala, adding that several members of the security forces were wounded and “four people unfortunately lost their lives”.

Police used teargas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in Garoua, the northern stronghold of opposition figure Tchiroma, where protesters waved Cameroonian flags and held banners reading “Tchiroma 2025” while chanting “Goodbye Paul Biya, Tchiroma is coming.”

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For several consecutive days, groups of supporters have gathered outside the opposition leader’s residence. In a video message released Sunday, he alleged that military personnel had attempted to apprehend him.

In Yaounde, the nation’s capital, protests appeared minimal amid a strong security deployment. However, in Douala, a number of demonstrators assembled near the airport before reported clashes occurred, defying a ban on public gatherings issued by the departmental prefect, according to AFP.

A coalition of parties backing Tchiroma as their consensus opposition candidate said that Djeukam Tchameni, president of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence in Cameroon (MDI), and Anicet Ekane, president of the African Movement for the New Independence of Cameroon (Manidem), were detained at their Douala homes on Friday.

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Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji stated Saturday that the demonstrations “create the conditions for a security crisis” and encourage “the implementation of an insurrectionist project.”

(With agency inputs)