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.
Missiles and drones targeting Kuwait are turning the northern Gulf into a new frontline in the U.S.-Iran conflict, with Kuwaiti forces reporting re...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
Volkswagen’s supervisory board has approved a major overhaul aimed at cutting 100,000 jobs by 2030 as the German carmaker battles weaker sale...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, prompting a last-minute reshuffle and the cancellation of some planned announcements, according to sources familiar with the matter.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment