Forty-eight people were killed according to Cameroon's security forces, while responding to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting leader, according to data shared with Reuters on Tuesday by two United Nations sources.
The majority of the victims were shot with live ammunition, though several others died from injuries sustained from being beaten with batons and sticks, the UN sources reported.
Biya’s government, which has not provided an official death toll, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
U.S. Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Biya’s government on Tuesday of orchestrating a "sham" re-election, targeting political opponents, and unlawfully detaining American citizens, including some from Idaho. He did not specify the individuals he was referring to.
"Cameroon is not a U.S. partner and poses economic and security risks to the American people. It’s time to reassess this relationship before the consequences worsen," Risch wrote on X.
Biya, 92, was declared the winner of the election with 53.66% of the vote, against 35.19% for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson who resigned from his ministerial position in June.
Tchiroma had declared himself the winner shortly after the 12 October election, leading to protests in various locations as early results showed Biya, in power since 1982, was set to secure an eighth term.
The civil society group Stand Up for Cameroon reported last week that at least 23 people had been killed due to the security forces' crackdown on protesters.
Nearly half of the deaths recorded by the UN occurred in the Littoral region, which includes Douala, the port city where election-related protests were most intense. Three gendarmes were also killed in Douala, according to the UN data.
There were 10 deaths recorded in the North region, the capital of which is Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown.
Protests have significantly subsided this week. Tchiroma called for a three-day national lockdown starting on Monday, urging supporters to halt activities and remain at home to show dissent over the election results.
Biya is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.
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The first-ever “WUF13 NGO Forum” in the history of the World Urban Forum (WUF) was held on 19 May 2026 at Azerbaijan’s initiative in Baku.
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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for closer security coordination between Central Asia and China, warning that expanding trade and infrastructure links are exposing the region to increasingly sophisticated cross-border threats.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack on Iran after appeals from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, allowing negotiations to continue over a possible deal to end the conflict.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance’s south-eastern flank, German officials have said.
Estonia said on Tuesday (19 May) that a NATO fighter jet shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over its territory, in the latest reported airspace violation in the region amid ongoing Ukrainian strikes against Russia.
Sweden has agreed to buy four naval frigates from France’s Naval Group in a deal worth more than $4 billion, as Stockholm moves to strengthen its defence capabilities in the Baltic Sea, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday.
Spanish police said on Tuesday they had detained a 25-year-old man suspected of killing his two parents and injuring four other people, including his son, in a shooting in the southern city of El Ejido in Almeria province overnight.
European Union negotiators are expected to agree on Tuesday (19 May) on legislation removing import duties on U.S. industrial goods, in a move aimed at implementing last year’s trade agreement with the United States and avoiding higher tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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