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Cameroon's security forces killed 48 civilians as they responded to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world's oldest ruler, according to data shared with Reuters on Tuesday by two UN sources.The majority of the victims were killed by live rounds although several died from wounds sustained when they were beaten with batons and sticks, the two UN sources said.The 92-year-old Biya's government has not provided a death toll for the protests and a government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Biya's government on Tuesday of staging a "sham" re-election, hunting down its political opponents and unlawfully detaining American citizens, including some from Idaho.He didn't specify who he was referring to."Cameroon is not a US partner, and poses economic and security risks to the American people. It's time to reassess this relationship before the blowback gets worse," Risch said on X. Biya was named winner of the election by a comfortable margin last week, receiving 53.66% of the vote against 35.19% for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson who resigned from his ministerial post in June. Tchiroma had declared himself the winner shortly after the October 12 election, and protests erupted in various locations as early results showed Biya, in power since 1982, would get an eighth term.A civil society group known as Stand Up for Cameroon said last week that at least 23 people had been killed as a result of security forces cracking down on protesters.Nearly half of the deaths recorded by the UN occurred in Cameroon's Littoral region, which includes the port city of Douala where election-related protests last week were most intense.Three gendarmes also died in Douala, according to the UN data.There were 10 deaths recorded in the North region, the capital of which is Garoua, Tchiroma's hometown. Protests have died down considerably this week. Tchiroma called for a three-day national lockdown starting Monday, urging supporters to suspend activities and remain at home to show dissent at the election results.Biya is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.

The world's oldest head of state, Paul Biya, extended his more than four-decade rule, securing an eighth term in Cameroon's presidential poll, the Constitutional Council announced Monday, results which his rival swiftly rejected.Biya, 92, was re-elected with 53.7 percent of the vote in the central African country, according to official results announced by the council, while former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary came second with 35.2 percent.Tchiroma quickly denounced the announcement of Biya's win, telling AFP that "there was no election; it was rather a masquerade. We won unequivocally".Tchiroma had claimed victory against the incumbent two days after the October 12 election, and called for demonstrations.A rally outside his home in the northern city of Garoua turned deadly, he told AFP Monday, adding that two protesters were killed while some 10 snipers were posted on rooftops.An AFP reporter on the ground saw one man shot, but AFP could not verify whether he died.On Sunday, four people were killed in clashes between security forces and supporters of the opposition in the economic capital Douala, according to the region's governor.Security forces initially used tear gas before firing "live ammunition", protesters told AFP.Voter turnout stood at 46.3 percent, according to the official results announced 15 days after the election.Cabral Libii came in third place with 3.4 percent, followed by Bello Bouba Maigari with 2.5 percent, and Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, the only woman candidate, with 1.7 percent.The other eight candidates each received less than one percent of the vote.Public gatherings have been banned and traffic restricted in most major cities in the country since polling day.But since last week, supporters of Tchiroma have taken to the streets to defend his claim of victory.Citing his own tally, he claimed to have won 54.8 percent of the votes against 31.3 percent for Biya.Tchiroma reaffirmed his certainty of having won the race in a speech last Wednesday, and called on Cameroonians to protest if the Constitutional Council announced "falsified and distorted results".From the early hours of Monday morning, police and security officials were stationed at major intersections and sensitive sites across the capital Yaounde.Police said they intended to "ensure the security of the electoral process and prevent any unrest".Many shops and gas stations were shuttered for fear of clashes, while traffic remained unusually light.Most analysts expected Biya to secure another seven-year term in a system that critics say is rigged.Biya is only the second person to lead Cameroon since independence from France in 1960.He has ruled with an iron fist, repressing all political and armed opposition, and holding onto power in the face of social upheaval, economic inequality and separatist violence.Tchiroma's election manifesto promised a transition period of three to five years to rebuild the country, which he said Biya had destroyed.

Biya, 92, seeks eighth term in officeTchiroma says 'our victory is clear'Official results expected by October 26Cameroon opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma declared victory late on Monday in the country's October 12 presidential election, urging President Paul Biya to accept defeat and "honour the truth of the ballot box"."Our victory is clear. It must be respected," Tchiroma said in a speech on his Facebook page from his hometown of Garoua in the north of the Central African state. "The people have chosen. And this choice must be respected."Tchiroma, a former government spokesperson and employment minister in his late seventies, broke ranks with Biya earlier this year and mounted a campaign that drew large crowds and endorsements from a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups.Without naming Tchiroma, Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) on Tuesday condemned the self-declared victory as a "grotesque hoax," adding that only the Constitutional Council is enabled to proclaim results.It is "an inadmissible act in a state governed by the rule of law," CPDM spokesperson Jacques Fame Ndongo said in a statement.The Minister of Territorial Administration also criticized Tchiroma in a separate statement and promised to maintain public order and ensure the protection of people and their property during the electoral period.Biya, 92, the world's oldest serving head of state, is seeking an eighth term after 43 years in power. Analysts had expected his control over state institutions and a fragmented opposition to give him an edge in the election, despite growing public discontent over economic stagnation and insecurity.Tchiroma praised voters for defying intimidation and staying at polling stations late into the night to protect their ballots."I also thank candidates who have already sent me their congratulations and recognised the will of the people," Tchiroma said."We have placed the regime before its responsibilities: either it shows greatness by accepting the truth of the ballot box, or it chooses to plunge the country into turmoil that will leave an indelible scar in the heart of our nation," he warned.Cameroon's electoral law allows results to be published and posted at polling stations, but final tallies must be validated by the Constitutional Council, which has until October 26 to announce the outcome.Tchiroma said he would soon release a region-by-region breakdown of vote tallies compiled from publicly posted results."This victory is not that of one man, nor of one party. It is the victory of a people," he said.He also called on the military, security forces and government administrators to remain loyal to the "republic, not the regime".Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji warned over the weekend that any unilateral publication of results would be considered "high treason."Cameroon's single-round electoral system awards the presidency to the candidate with the most votes. More than 8 million people were registered to vote in the election.

Cameroonians voted Sunday in an election expected to return 92-year-old Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state, to office after 43 years in power.AFP journalists saw voters crowding outside polling stations during the day in the capital Yaounde before they closed in the early evening, with an electoral official declaring the ballot had gone "calmly".Biya faced 11 opponents, including former employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters in the central African nation, where half the population is under 20.**media[367951]**Most of the eight million Cameroonians who were eligible to vote in the one-round election had only known one ruler in their lifetime.Biya has been in power since 1982 and has won every election in the past 20 years with more than 70 percent of the vote."Nothing is certain. Let's wait until we know the name of the elected official," Biya told reporters after he cast his ballot in the Bastos neighbourhood, near the presidential palace.**media[367953]**Cameroonian political scientist Stephane Akoa told AFP: "We shouldn't be naive. We know full well the ruling system has ample means at its disposal to get results in its favour."But he said that the campaign in recent days had been "much livelier" than was usually the case at that stage and "this poll is therefore more likely to throw up surprises."AFP reporters saw polling stations close at 1700 GMT. "Voting passed off calmly," an official from the national electoral authority, Jean-Alain Andzongo, told AFP at a voting station in the capital.**media[367949]**Biya kept his customary low profile during the campaign, appearing in public on Tuesday for the first time since May.He held a rally in Maroua in the strategic Far North region, which has 1.2 million eligible voters and makes up the second largest voting bloc in the country.For years, it was considered a Biya stronghold but several former allies from the area were this time running against him.The 11 rival candidates made numerous public appearances, each promising a new dawn for Cameroon.**media[367948]**In stark contrast to Biya, whose appearance attracted a sparse crowd of just a few hundred people, Bakary was welcomed in the streets of his home region by thousands of supporters waving placards that hailed "Tchiroma the Saviour".Bakary -- who resigned from the government in June to join the opposition after 20 years at Biya's side -- is the leading challenger after top opponent Maurice Kamto was barred from the race by the Constitutional Council.Rights groups including Human Rights Watch said that move undermined the credibility of the electoral process.Biya is only the second president Cameroon has had since independence from France in 1960.**media[367952]**Despite an abundance of natural and agricultural resources, around 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to World Bank figures for 2024, and unemployment stands at 35 percent in the major cities.Cameroonians complain about the high cost of living, a lack of clean drinking water, healthcare and quality education.Young people hunger for change, analyst Akoa said, but not yet to the point where they will take the risk of protesting en masse as in other countries in Africa and Asia over recent weeks."Many young people intend to vote," Akoa said. "There is a positive sign of change but perhaps not strong enough to bring young people out onto the streets, as we saw in Madagascar, Tunisia and elsewhere."The government authorised 55,000 local and international observers to monitor the vote, including representatives of the African Union.The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to announce the final results.But several internet platforms said they would compile results independently, drawing criticism from the government, which said they were attempting to manipulate public opinion.