On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, speaking from a secure hideout outside the country, issued a solemn warning—declaring Friday, November 21, a national Day of Mourning in memory of civilians he says were killed defending their votes in the disputed October 12 presidential election.
He accused the current government, which he calls an “illegitimate regime,” of unleashing deadly force on peaceful protesters. “They fell so that the truth may live. They were Cameroonians. They were our martyrs,” he said.
Tchiroma’s instructions for November 21 are firm:
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All businesses, public offices, and services are to suspend operations nationwide.
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Believers of all faiths are asked to gather in churches, mosques, and temples for joint prayer.
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At 12:00 noon, the entire nation is to observe a minute of silence, including Cameroonians in the diaspora.
Tchiroma framed the day not just as a tribute, but as a symbolic act of resistance: “This will not be an ordinary day … It will be a day of silence, remembrance, reflection — and resistance.”
He announced a victims’ support fund to aid families of those killed or detained during the post-election unrest.
The declaration follows Tchiroma’s earlier 48-hour ultimatum to the Biya administration to release all detained protesters. While a few minors have been freed, he called the gesture a “masquerade” and insisted that many others remain in custody, with arrests ongoing.
In a direct confrontation, Tchiroma rejected any notion of negotiation. “I will not back down. I will not negotiate. “I will never capitulate,” he declared. He accused the Biya regime of perjury, saying its leaders had sworn to uphold a power they “stole” at the ballot box.
He closed his address with a defiant vow: his “mandate” will be defended “at any cost,” in the name of “justice, dignity, and the future of Cameroon.”
