Paul Biya Declared Winner Amid Deadly Cameroon Unrest; Evangelicals Urge ‘God-Fearing Leadership’

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

YAOUNDÉ (Worthy News) – Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has declared 92-year-old President Paul Biya the winner of the October 12 presidential election, extending his four-decade rule despite deadly protests and fresh appeals from Christian leaders to uphold “democratic and moral values” rooted in faith.

Biya — already the world’s oldest sitting head of state — secured 53.66 percent of the vote, while former ally-turned-challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary received 35.19 percent, the Council announced. Official turnout was about 57.7 percent, according to officials.

Protests erupted in the capital Yaoundé, Douala, and Garoua soon after the announcement. At least four people were killed and dozens detained as security forces clashed with demonstrators demanding a recount or rerun, officials and rights groups said.

In a social-media post, Tchiroma accused soldiers of shooting at civilians in Garoua. “Shooting point-blank at your own brothers — I can’t help but wonder if you’re mercenaries,” he wrote. “Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary.”

CHURCH LEADERS CALL FOR PEACE

Ahead of the vote, the Alliance des Évangéliques du Cameroun (AEC) — which says it represents nearly seven million evangelical Christians — called the election “a pivotal moment of democratic mobilization” and urged citizens to “stand up for democratic and moral values.”

“The President of the Republic must be a peacemaker and a unifier of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, or socio-cultural background,” the AEC said in its October 8 statement, co-signed by Reverend Teyabe Alphonse, its secretary general, and Reverend Jean Libom Li Likeng, president of the AEC and head of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA).

Their declaration reminded those in power that “all authority comes from God” and urged government officials to “restore reverence for God within political and administrative circles,” rejecting corruption, nepotism, and division. “The rise of Africa is the calling of this generation,” it added, citing Bible verses Isaiah 60:1-5.

Biya’s renewed term comes amid widespread frustration over corruption, repression, and overlapping crises. Watchdog Transparency International ranks Cameroon 140 out of 180 countries in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index.

UN CONCERNED ABOUT ONGOING CLASHES

The United Nations and rights groups estimate that fighting between government forces and separatists in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions has killed over 6,000 people and displaced about 580,000 internally, while some 73,000 refugees have fled to Nigeria.

In the nation’s Far North, militants linked to Boko Haram have killed more than 3,000 people and displaced roughly 250,000, according to U.N. and Human Rights Watch figures.

Church leaders have repeatedly called for reconciliation and prayer. Both the AEC and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference warned that continuing instability threatens Cameroon’s “moral and social fabric.”

More than 70 percent of the Central African nation’s nearly 30 million citizens are under the age of 35, according to official data. Analysts say Biya’s reelection underscores a deep generational divide between Africa’s aging leaders and its increasingly restless youth.

CALLS FOR PRAYER AND RECONCILIATION

At a campaign rally in Maroua, Biya pledged to “step up security, curb youth unemployment, and improve infrastructure.”

“I am well aware of the problems that concern you,” he told supporters. “I know the unfulfilled expectations that make you doubt the future … these problems are not insurmountable.”

As post-election protests continue, Cameroon’s faith leaders have appealed for restraint and dialogue. “We pray that Cameroon will move forward in peace, integrity, and faith in God,” the AEC said.

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