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Cameroon's Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji has announced that political opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary will be prosecuted over allegations that he incited "violent election protests".

No fewer than 4 demonstrators have been fatally wounded during confrontations between security forces and opposition supporters since the electoral process on 12 October, with President Paul Biya, aged 92 obtaining an eighth presidential mandate.

Issa Tchiroma maintains that he won the election, a assertion disputed by the governing party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM).

Violent crackdowns by law enforcement on protesters have alarmed the world leaders, with the United Nations, AU and EU calling for restraint.

Minister's Claims

Earlier this week, Nji alleged Tchiroma Bakary of organising what he labeled "illegal" demonstrations causing the fatalities, and also condemned him for claiming win in the election.

He noted that the opposition leader's "accomplices behind an subversive plot" will also undergo judicial processes.

Election Results

Cameroon's leader, who took control in 1982 and is now the oldest serving president, won the October 12 presidential election with 53.7% of the ballots, compared to a significant minority for Tchiroma Bakary, according to the electoral authority.

Opposition Response

Issa Tchiroma is has not yet commented to the authorities' move to try him, but he had earlier announced that he refused to acknowledge a fraudulent outcome - and that he was not afraid of being arrested.

Following the vote count, he claimed that gunmen opened fire on protesters assembled near his residence in Garoua, killing at least two civilians.

Probe Launched

Earlier this week, the government official announced that an probe would be initiated into violent incidents surrounding the announcement of the vote outcome.

"Throughout the violence, some of the criminals were killed," he stated, without offering a specific number of demonstrators who have been killed in the clashes.

Nji further mentioned that a number of officers of the law enforcement also sustained significant wounds.

Current Situation

Even though the interior minister asserted the situation across the country was now manageable, protesters remain active in certain regions of the nation, especially in Douala and Garoua, where demonstrators established obstructions on Tuesday, and ignited rubber on the roads.

Observers alert that the election-related unrest could plunge the country into a political crisis.