YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Two Cameroonian opposition leaders have been arrested, their parties said, as protests rocked the country over the results of a presidential election expected Monday.
Among those arrested late Friday in the economic hub of Douala were Anicet Ekane and Djeukam Chameni, two prominent figures in the Union for Change political platform who supported candidate Issa Chiroma Bakari and his bid to defeat President Paul Biya in the October 12 elections.
The African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) party said its treasurer and other members were also “kidnapped” by local security forces. The statement said the goal was to “intimidate Cameroonians.”
The circumstances of the arrests were not immediately clear.
Cameroon's electoral body is expected to announce final election results on Monday, but opposition supporters have staged protests in recent days, warning against attempts to rig the vote.
Although Chiroma claims he won based on results he says were collated by his party, Biya's party has accused him of trying to disrupt the election.
Protests took place in Bafoussam, the capital of the Western region, on Saturday as motorcyclists flooded main roads calling for a credible electoral process.
Protesters clashed with security forces in other cities earlier in the week. Some protesters were arrested and one person was killed in the northern town of Garoua, authorities said.
The victim, a 30-year-old primary school teacher named Zairatu Hasana, was not among the protesters and was only going to check on her sister, who had not yet returned from school, her uncle Amadou Aji told The Associated Press.
“Her death makes me carry bad memories of this regime, like all other Cameroonians,” he said.
On Friday, Chiroma hinted at efforts to arrest him. In a Facebook post, he said such a move would constitute “an attack on the entire Cameroonian people.”
“People are just asking you to recognize their victory,” he said.
