The opposition leader of Cameroon in The Gambia after escaping for his life
The opposition leader of Cameroon in The Gambia after escaping for his life
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a Cameroonian opposition politician running for president, has fled to The Gambia for his safety, according to the Gambian authorities.
Tchiroma Bakary has maintained that he is the rightful victor of the October 12 election, claiming that the outcome was manipulated to grant 92-year-old President Paul Biya an eighth term.
Tchiroma Bakary came on November 7 and was permitted to remain on humanitarian grounds, according to a statement released on Sunday by the Gambian Information Ministry.
The government of Cameroon had vowed to prosecute him for allegedly instigating violent protests following the election. He refuted the accusation and accused the security services of suppressing demonstrators.
Other organisations have reported a larger death toll than the government, which stated that 16 people had died in post-election violence.
Tchiroma Bakary has consistently pledged to oppose Biya's administration until his "victory" in the election is acknowledged.
Despite accusations of fraud, Biya, the oldest president in history, was proclaimed the winner with 53.7% of the vote and has been in office for 43 years.
Tchiroma Bakary, a long-time member of Biya's administration, finished second with 35.2%.
He has advocated for "ghost town" operations and mass rallies to bring cities and towns to a halt.
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His whereabouts were unknown until the Gambian authorities verified his presence, despite rumours that he had escaped to another nation in the area.
"He is being hosted temporarily in The Gambia purely on humanitarian grounds in the spirit of African solidarity and for the purpose of ensuring his safety while discussions continue to pursue a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the post-electoral tensions in Cameroon," the Gambian government stated in a statement.
There would be no "base for subversive activity against any state" in the Gambia, according to the government.
The Cameroonian government has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
The United Democratic Party (UDP), the major opposition party in The Gambia, responded to the announcement by criticising the administration for delaying Tchiroma Bakary's arrival until Sunday.
It stated that it posed "serious questions about transparency, accountability, and respect for The Gambian people's right to know what actions are taken in their name" .
The party added that it was fully aware of how "despotism operates and how dissenters are treated" and expressed pride that Tchiroma Bakary was able to find "safe sanctuary" in The Gambia.
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