The polls closed in Cameroon at 6pm on Sunday, the 7th of October, and counting is currently ongoing in an election where the incumbent is more than likely to win again. If he wins, this will be Paul Biya’s 7th re-election since he became the President in 1982. Results are expected to be announced within the next 2 weeks.
After casting his vote, President Biya reportedly said: “I am satisfied after performing my civic duty and particularly satisfied that the election is taking place in calm and serenity and without fighting…I hope that the calm will continue after results are proclaimed.”
His note on peace and calm could not be further from the truth for certain parts of the country as reports of violence and terror, enough to keep people away from voting stations in the country, pour in.
Voters in areas around the north and southwest parts of Cameroon were unable to cast their vote on Sunday due to gunfire and threats from separatists who told them to refrain from voting. In Bamenda, capital of the northwest region, residents reported hearing gunshots throughout the day, while members of the Armed Forces patrolled the streets in an attempt to enforce peace. It is important to note that Bamenda is one of the areas secessionists want to turn into another country.
Similarly, the RFI reported “Ear-splitting gunshots from different parts of town…The town looks abandoned [and] it was difficult to go outside during polling day given the heavy security presence.” Additionally, “at least two suspected separatist fighters were killed by security forces in Bamenda, according to a police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”
In the southwest, voting stations were equally empty as residents refused to take part in the exercise. According to the Network of Human Rights Defenders, around 40% of the polling booths located in the southwest were unable to function and up to 60% in the northwest region suffered a similar fate.
“President Paul Biya has reiterated his resolve to end the conflict which started as a modest protest by English speakers against real and perceived marginalization by his Francophone-dominated government. While launching his bid for re-election in the northern city of Maroua, on Sept. 29, he claimed the state had overcome the toughest ordeal in the conflict-ridden regions.”
