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Residents in Cameroon’s major cities of Douala and Garoua largely stayed indoors on Monday after opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary reportedly called for a nationwide strike to challenge President Paul Biya’s re-election.
The appeal, aimed at bringing major urban centres to a standstill, saw less impact in the capital, Yaounde, where shops and schools continued operating as usual.
Tchiroma maintains that he, not Biya, won the presidential poll and has urged supporters to resist the official results. His calls for protest have triggered unrest, with authorities reporting four deaths in Douala, the country’s economic hub.
In a video message posted overnight, Tchiroma encouraged Cameroonians everywhere to observe a three-day stay-at-home campaign, describing the so-called “ghost towns” as a form of resistance.
AFP journalists in Douala noted that schools remained closed and traffic was significantly reduced, though a few traders chose to keep their businesses open.
Cedric, a vendor of mobile phone components, said he had little choice but to work, explaining that he had a family to support.
In Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown in the north, streets were also largely abandoned, and businesses kept their shutters down, partly out of caution. One shopkeeper, speaking anonymously, said they feared attacks on property and stressed that closing did not necessarily mean backing the protest but reflected the uncertainty surrounding the situation.
While Yaounde experienced minimal disruption, the government has vowed to take legal action against Tchiroma.
Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi condemned what he described as dangerous calls for civil disobedience, arguing they threatened national stability and economic progress.
He rejected claims of excessive force by security services, saying the response to the protests had been proportionate.
Official results placed Tchiroma in second place behind Biya, granting the 92-year-old leader an eighth term in office.
Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and is expected to be sworn in by November 10 under the country’s electoral regulations.
