Two Cameroonian opposition figures and backers of presidential hopeful Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who challenged President Paul Biya's 43-year grip on power in recent elections, have been arrested just two days before the official outcome is due to be announced.
Anicet Ekane, leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), and Djeukam Tchameni of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence (MDI) were detained in their homes in Douala on Friday, the Union for Change 2025 opposition grouping said in a statement.
They were held by "hooded and armed" members of an elite military force and taken to "an unknown destination", the statement added.
MANIDEM and MDI are members of the Union for Change 2025 coalition that endorsed Tchiroma Bakary for the 12 October election and his claim to have defeated President Biya.
Although official results are not expected until Monday, Tchiroma said earlier this week that he'd won 54.8 percent of the votes against Biya's 31.3 percent.
Biya's RDPC party has slammed Tchiroma's victory claim as "a grotesque hoax" and an "unacceptable fraud in a state of law", saying in a statement they were "calmly awaiting the official results".
MANIDEM said its treasurer and other members were also "kidnapped" by local security forces.
The coalition denounced the "abusive arrests, whose clear aim is to intimidate (Cameroonians) who are waiting for the election results to be respected".
Meanwhile, the MDI in a separate statement accused the government of "gross manipulation" and "political intimidation".
It criticised the spread of "false information... suggesting that weapons or fake electoral records had been found at Tchameni's home".
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Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state aged 92, has been in power since 1982 and has won every election in the past 20 years with more than 70 percent of the vote. But former employment minister Tchiroma generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters.
The arrests have sparked speculation that Issa Tchiroma Bakary could be next in line.
In a Facebook post on Friday, he hinted at attempts to arrest him, saying that such a move would constitute "an assault against the entire Cameroonian people".
On Wednesday, Tchiroma called on Cameroonians to protest if the Constitutional Council – the only body authorised to proclaim the outcome of the elections – announces "falsified and distorted results" on Monday.
He has also called for peaceful march across Cameroon on Sunday at 3 p.m. "to show the world that it is the people who choose their leader".
The government has denounced his statement as incitement to insurrection. In a press briefing, Communication Minister and government spokesperson René Emmanuel Sadi urged journalists to act responsibly and avoid "fanning the flames".
“The media play a structuring role in shaping public opinion in any democratic society,” Sadi said. "Acting in this way is neither a denial nor a dilution of the sacred principle of press freedom, which is central to democracy and the rule of law."
Rather than "pouring oil on the fire and fanning the flames", he said the role of the media "should be that of an extinguisher – one that calms and strengthens democracy" in Cameroon.
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On Wednesday, officials banned public gatherings and the movement of motorcycle taxis in several cities after opposition supporters staged protests warning against an attempt to rig the vote.
Protests were held Saturday in Bafoussam, the capital of the West Region, as motorcyclists flooded major roads, calling for a credible election process.
Protesters clashed with security forces in other cities earlier in the week. Some were arrested and one person, who was not among the protestors, was killed in the northern city of Garoua, authorities said.
Internet monitor NetBlocks has recorded significant disruptions to internet access in Cameroon in recent days, which it said "could limit coverage of events on the ground amid calls to annul the presidential election results".
(with newswires)
