The government of The Gambia announced that it is temporarily providing refuge to Cameroonian opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary following a fiercely contested election in Cameroon that returned longtime leader Paul Biya to office for an eighth term, sparking violent unrest across the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Gambia’s Ministry of Information confirmed that Tchiroma arrived in the country on November 7, noting that he is being accommodated solely on humanitarian groundsto guarantee his personal security.

The ministry added that Banjul is collaborating with regional actors, including Nigeria, in an effort to facilitate a peaceful and negotiated resolution to Cameroon’s post-election crisis.

Tchiroma’s spokesperson, Alice Nkom, also affirmed his presence in The Gambia in a separate statement.
Cameroon’s opposition continues to dispute the outcome of the October 12 presidential poll, which officially reaffirmed Biya — the world’s oldest sitting president at 92 — as the victor. Tchiroma insists he was the legitimate winner and has urged citizens to reject the certified results.

The Cameroonian authorities have announced plans to pursue legal action against Tchiroma, accusing him of making “persistent calls for insurrection.”
Following the release of the election results, fatal demonstrations erupted in several opposition strongholds, including the economic capital Douala and northern urban centres such as Maroua and Garoua.

While the government reports 16 fatalities, opposition leaders and human rights advocates estimate that over 55 peoplemay have been killed.
Biya, who assumed office in 1982 after the resignation of the nation’s first president, has remained in power for more than four decades, bolstered by a constitutional amendment that eliminated term limits. He is seldom seen in public, and his health has long been the subject of speculation, as he spends extensive periods in Europe, delegating day-to-day governance to senior party figures and close relatives.

Source: Africa News